You never were that famous to me...

Hello out there in the world of my blog readers…

And welcome to my best means of keeping you all up to date on my adventures and debacles as I make my way around the country and the world with that silly band I hold so dearly. It’s my blog…or Floblog if you will.

I have recovered a bit now from the sleep deprived past few days. On Sunday and Monday, the band was busy shooting the music video for their new single, “Rise,” the closing track of their album. I hung around for the filming at the Gothic on Sunday, and we loaded all of the sound equipment onto the bus (whose name is Sergo). On Monday, I spent a few hours finishing things up at the lab, and then I came home to put together the final preparations before departure.

My dad came by my house at 3:45 in the morning (following a sleepless binge) and we loaded up all of my gear and office supplies in order to meet the band at the infamous Save-a-lot parking lot. An hour later, everyone had gathered in the parking lot looking a bit exhausted, a bit relieved, and a bit confused. We managed to squeeze everything into the bus, and as we got on the road we all retreated to bunks for some quality time with our pillows and blankets.

Upon arrival in Albuquerque, the group split up and half showered while the rest of us took a trip to the most fabulous nearly-24-hr restaurant named the Frontier. Jesse purchased three burritos, 12 tortillas, and the rest of the food they served in the joint (except anything containing cheese).

Following the delicious meal, we re-grouped and headed to the venue for load-in, sound check and all that business. This show was pretty darn early (doors opened at 6:30), so we didn’t have a heck of a lot of time. The venue we were playing at is called Ralli’s, and only had a capacity of 240. No wonder the show sold out so quickly. The sound system was pretty terrible too. What a place for our new sound guy, Casey, to prove his chops.

Come showtime, the crowd was pretty calm and didn’t exhibit much energy. But, as they usually do, the Bots did their best to blow everyone’s minds with awesome face-melting rock. The reception at the end was fantastic, and I had to constantly divert the crowds seeking autographs and pictures away from the merch table.

We managed to successfully pack everything back up into the bus and went back to the Frontier for some more good eats. Andy, Jesse, and Stephen took off with a friend of Andy’s while I loaded up the merch. I wanted to go with them, but I needed to get hete merch back into the bus. After loading things up, I wanted to meet up with them for food, but did not (as per John and Simone’s warnings) feel comfortable walking around Albuquerque alone. So Jamie volunteered to walk with me.

Little did I remember just how far away the Frontier was from the venue. I was not also made aware that the other three got a ride to the restaurant. So Jamie and I walked about 3 miles to the Frontier where I subsequently bought a burrito, a grilled cheese, a cinnamon roll, and 12 handmade tortillas. Although the walk was long, Jamie and I had a fantastic discussion about what ways we have had to adapt our lifestyles and relationships to life on the road, which made me feel a whole lot better about being in a different city every night.

After food and showers, we took off for Tempe, and I finished up some work before finally crashing. All in all, I realize this is only day 2 of 46 for this tour, but I feel infinitely more comfortable with my position than I did last time. I also feel very grateful that I have the opportunity to work with such fantastic artists and people.

I will be sending out e-mails to all of you every time I update my Floblog, but if for any reason you don’t need any more clutter in your inbox, just let me know.

p.s. posted below is the video filmed on Sunday of an improvised “Famous Walker” by Andy about Jesse.