year of a thousand roommates

Here it is folks, my long wanted candle burning at both ends. It says “let’s get in trouble,” a reference to how buddy Brian, many friends and I try to lead our lives. Full, fun and exciting. There’s of course a bit if tongue in these cheeks, admittedly.

This also marks my second big piece of the year so we put YTR on top. The three letters worked better with the piece.

This was done by my great buddy, Josh Grable at love tattoo in jettison, mi, outside of grand rapids. Awesome dude, and if this city weren’t already great, Josh gives me a reason to keep coming back.

Also last nights show went great and gr gave Billy a lovely welcome which felt wonderful. As always, grand times in grand rapids. I know, I’m terrible.

Double bullseye to win the game. This goes to chris in Peoria. Unfortunately for me and Billy Wallace (my recent tour companion until Philly) chris was not on our team and made the comeback of the century. Well done chris.

The last few days have been crazy hectic. I left Phoenix area to go to las cruces where I played to almost nobody. Then I headed for alburqurque where I met a member (or soon to be inked) of the wolfpack. Kyle rules and took great care of me. The show was also great and provided a much needed spirit lift. New Mexican green chiles also helped out of which I partook in no less than three meals. Unfortunately Kyle showed me almost too good a time and the next morning I was very bad at peeling myself out of bag. When I finally did and on the road I knew i’d get to Enid a little late but still with plenty of time to play.

As I crossed the mountains out of alburqurque I was hit with snow and ice. This sucked but I figured once I got over I’d be in the clear. Not so lucky. 13 hours of snow, ice, rain, multiple stranded cars and loads of trail mix later I pulled into Enid at 1230. Ugh. Obviously I missed the show which is a huge bummer because last time it ruled and it really seemed like kids wanted me back. The upside is that I made it alive. Well, I guess making it dead would be tough, but you get it. However all was not perfect as sweetpea sustained a mild injury. One of the many super fast trucks kicked up a rock and cracked her windshield. I’m sorry girl.

The next morning in Enid I tried to get the windshield fixed but they couldn’t do it in the rain so I made an appointment for St louis and headed out, again later than I should. Sensing a theme?

I finally made it to st louis and met Billy Wallace. He and I are doing a short rub together from feb 4-14 and it’s awesome to have someone to travel with. Due to logistics we are in different vehicles which is a bummer but it’s just awesome to have someone you know at every show. Billy and I hit it off and hung with Reilly, a really cool local with some great tunes and a cool voice. Think mike doughty without the cheeziness.

Reilly brought is back to his awesome house and we hung with his sweetheart pit bulls and made pasta and tvp. While I was cooking we played dice and then watched Elvis costello show. Great night. I didn’t mention the show for a reason.

The next morning I headed to get sweetpea checked out and ended up getting hooked up. I’ve had some great carma (get it?! I’m sorry) lately. I then got my oil changed to treat sweetpea the way she deserves (to Cali and almost back. Such an awesome chick.) and was talked up by the eastern European attendent who gave me good AT&T advice an also told me he plays the “synt-sizer.” really nice guy.

Onwards to Peoria, il, which is wild because this is getting closer and closer to my old stomping grounds. In Peoria Billy and I met chase, the really sweet promoter and then hung with Peter (he had this awesome stomp pad thing that was plugged in and he used a license plate for further percussion. He also played harmonica and had a headset mic. Really interesting set that i enjoyed watching.) and chris (aforementioned dart pro who played rad mid 90s style indie/emo stuff. A man after my own heart.). When I played I did so on the ground and though the show was by no means big the heart in the room was full. Everyone was really sweet and supportive and I was able to talk to all of them. After we finished I hugged these two girls goodbye but when I went for their friend she shook it off and said, “that’s ok.”. Ouch.

But then it was darts and pool, the whole night fueled by bud light lime. Why you ask? Because it was $1 can and my boys love it. I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

Today I put on a brand new pair of jeans, which I’m still not used to, and headed for Chicago. The drive was pleasant and the show looks good tonight so hopefully people will enjoy it. Oh and the bartender wouldn’t let me eat my food in the bar so for the second time in chicage I’m eating dinner in my car like some sort of second class citizen. Oh well there’s way worse things in the world. Hope you’re great.

by the way, if you’re not listening to the queen killing kings, you’re wrong.

the last few days have been, well, interesting. for one, i’ve encountered two things that led me believe i might have two separate warrants out for my arrest. they are both stupid, simple things that really just came down to the fact that i am less organized than i should be and didn’t pay fines on time. luckily, after getting pulled over by a cop the other day, the night did not end with me in handcuffs in the back of a squad car. instead he made up the convenient excuse that my license light was out (though it may very well be, as this has happened before), but it’s fairly clear to me that when old sweetpea with her peeling paint and less than attractive shape (i absolutely love her, so pigs can fuck off) drives through wealthier areas, she’s screwtinized. it’s really sad to see this, because i know that for the most part i’m usually fine. sure, if i’ve been to the bar that evening, or in these cases, afraid that i might have a warrant, i worry that i might get hassled a bit, but i’m always safe and so it doesn’t ever turn into anything bad. but for me, it’s just inconvenient. however, for certain people, this could be a big thing in their life. someone who is struggling to pay bills, working hard, and barely has enough for a car, might drive a similar make or year and will be equally followed and hassled. this sucks to think about. i’m some young white kid, so usually things are ok, and i’ve realized how to talk to cops after having to deal with them so many times, but what about the young hispanic kid, or older black man? they could be coming home late from work, just wanting to go to bed and now some asshole is giving them the third degree? it sucks and it makes me sick and i don’t know what i can do about it. but i suppose i digress (though this digression is one that sheds light on something i’ve thought loads about. this year of a thousand roommates is a bit bullshit, no? some priviledged white kid “gives up” his home in search of friends and fun. sometimes i feel ridiculous, selfish and almost insulting. isn’t there better things i can be doing with my time? working in an innercity school or volunteering or fighting the injustice that makes me sick? i think about this a lot and the only thing that’s saved me from hating myself is that i realize while i truly care about all of those things, i don’t have the passion for them that i do playing music and traveling. and i realize this is incredibly selfish, but i suppose i’m hoping that we’re all “meant” to do certain things, and to not do that “thing,” we’re not playing our role in the greater cosmos or life or what have you. right now i believe i’m doing my “thing,” and so perhaps i can contribute in other ways. perhaps this is also a bullshit excuse, i’m not sure. so goes my digression.)

anyway, it turns out i don’t have anything attached to my license, at least not in a way that made this cop care, and i was let go. then i realized i’d not gone to a court date for a parking ticket (which was total bullshit, by the way), but was just able to pay it online. ugh. but yes, it was taken care of and hopefully i’ll be fine. i keep having these visions of one day just walking through NJ or getting pulled over and somehow realizing that so much happened this year unbeknown to me that i will spend years trying to sort it out. hopefully this is not the case.

by the way, last night was ridiculous. there was an inspiring young girl who sang old jazz and country standards with a voice i did not expect. it was a pleasant surprise. the show itself was rather sparesely attended but i tried my best to rally and played a few songs. then the main attraction, a young kid who seemed to have a view of himself and his music that did not in any way shape or form agree with the vision i had. his acoustic set was followed by his “techno” set, during which i questioned all sorts of existence. suffice it to say, what was left of the love and positivity i felt coming out of san diego was stripped from me with a quickness, leaving only questions of my worth and what the hell i’m doing with my life, sitting in my hands.

today, though, maybe things will look up. and last night i did a bunch of reading on india. i’m so excited i’m going to see my brother and experience this thing that is just on a completely different level. it really makes my current travels seem a joke, and also already makes me want to experience this whole crazy, amazing world. i feel like when i return from the tail end of the year of a thousand roommates, i will be on a different level, having seen areas of the world some only dream about. obviously there are millions who live there or have visited, but as an american, especially from new jersey and especially the town in which i grew up, i will be in the minority. and this makes me happy.

Last night I played a biker bar with one of the oddest lineups ever. First, I opened the show to a fairly empty room, but had a decent time playing while also trying get some kind of rise out of the people there. It went alright but nothing crazy. The bikers in the back seemed to like it ok.

Next was a band fronted by a guy playing an acoustic guitar that somehow looked metal (style not material) and the two singers wore cowboy hats that somehow projected a much different vibe than mine.

Third was a progressive metal duo that somehow invoked the image of pony tailed high schoolers playing d&d in their moms basement. Also at times some of the guitar lines leaned toward 90s emo which I found ironic and amusing.

Fourth was a mainly female group playing pleasant songs. This would not have made me raise eyebrows except for the bass player whom I’m almost certain was playing in another band simultaneosly. Perhaps the metal band that played just before. They were lacking a bass player. Oh and there was a clarinet involved.

Next our clarinetist and violinest changed clothes and fronted a Jewish folk/gypsy band. At first I didn’t notice they’d changed and was amazed that there was not one, but two bands with clarinets. That would have been great.

Lastly, the only way to end the night, of course is with an anarchist, athiest bluegrass trio (complete with a guy who looked a bit like weird al, though ironically, the accordian in this band was not played by him). I was actually predicting a polka band to finish the evening but I almost feel like that was fullfilled roundaboutly.

All in all it was a fun and ridiculous night and then I headed back to nics house and stayed up way too late but felt good. Slept well and now I’m at the saves the day show in Tempe, az, waiting to watch my good buddy spencer show everyone how it’s done. Tomorrow is new Mexico and further east. Oh, and I bought my India ticket tonight. Check me out.

This is a kumquat tree. I wish i’d taken a close up of kumquats. They’re little pear shaped citrus fruits with little seeds in them. The wildest part is that you eat them rind and all. I first experienced them in manhattan beach with Coleen and Chauncey, so I knew I could eat them whole, which worked out well because there the tree was, right next to sweetpea. Good times. So I picked one off and popped it into my mouth. Yup, that same sweet/sour familiar taste from days before. It’s wild. It also felt beautiful to just pluck something from nature and put it straight into my body. I love the idea of from earth to mouth and look to do more of it when I settle somewhere eventually.

On a slightly different note, I think the beautiful weather completely screwed with my body and made me feel like i was gettting sick but for whatever reason decided it was probably allergies so when I got to san Diego I bought allergy medicine which is always too expensive and I hoped it would clear up my super runny nose. It did and today I haven’t taken any but am a little sniffly so maybe I couldve ridden it out but oh well. I also can’t tell if my cruminess right now is allergies, sickness or last nights festivities. Maybe a combination of some of them.

But on the upside I met mindblowingly amazing people last night and feel like I have wonderful new friends. Incredible. Tears were shed and hugs were shared after late night tunes. Outstanding. All love. I send mine.

I walked by the Elliott smith tribute wall on sunset blvd in LA today. I’ve been here before and got to take photos and spend time reading what people wrote. I think I may have even written something, I can’t quite recall. Anyway, today I was walking acacia’s awesome little pup, jareth, who pooped and peed way more than I expected, so I just snapped some photos and read a few things then was on my way. I didn’t like the way jareth was sniffing around the wall and thought it’d be uncouth if I let him soil this place. Not that local taggers haven’t already kind of ruined it but still, it’s a place that feels holy or sacred or at the very least, special, so I’d rather the pup not piss on it.

As we walked away I saw a guy who looked strikingly like Elliott. Now, please know I’m not a believer in ghosts, especially ones walking the streets in shorts and sneakers. And even though I think about reincarnation at times I don’t feel the returning spirit or what have you will come back with a similar haircut, build and kiss army shirt. But despite all of the signs pointing to this obviously not being Elliott, it struck me as odd and almost off putting. I slowly watched him walk away and wishes that somehow I couldve snapped a photo of him as he were walking towards me. As he slowly disappeared I felt as if i’d actually just seen Elliott and missed the chance to talk to him. I’m fully aware of how ridiculous this sounds, but I’m just telling you what I felt. Zero rational, just emotion.

Anyway, the day spent hanging out with jareth in the sun felt great. I really need to stop sleeping so late and get out in the real world more often. The fact that my days are often spent sleeping or driving and most of my evenings are in bars or clubs I think is taking a toll on me. Once the year of a thousand roommates is over I think I’m going to have to force myself onto some kind of normal schedule, at least for a bit. Maybe having a job won’t be such a bad idea as it’ll make me get regular.

Also, I will say this. Last night the door guy at the club I played in LA seemed strangely cool and nice, very not LA. But then when I went to pay the meter and realized there was something stuck in it, I pulled it out and paid so that I wouldn’t get a ticket. I guess this really bothered door dude because he suddenly became a condescending dick. What’s funny is that the other door guy was a total prick and first and ignored my hand when I tried to introduce myself, but then oddly became nicer later. So, maybe the LA door guy thing is just to make sure you have a range of emotions. Perhaps they’re all up and coming actors?

Regardless, a bunch of friends came out last night and it felt good to play for them. I also met friends of friends which is always really nice and I appreciate them coming out. Oh, and one dude missed all the sets because apparently he was talking to a gypsy lady and she was reading him. Did I mention he was high as hell and just played simple blues sings all night? One was about his Honda accord. Interesting.

Tomorrow I leave this town, but before I get out of California and start heading slowly back east id like to buy a pair of jeans and am determined to eat a fat kid meal at in n out. Just saying.

it’s been precipitating for weeks now. does it ever cipitate? i’d love to see what happens after the rain, but not in the nelson sense. still, sleeping late in a comfortable bed knowing you really don’t need to get up to do anything specific is a pretty amazing feeling. it’s so rare that i get to sleep in a bed, and even more rare that i have nothing to do. well, that’s not really the case, but for the most part i’m either busy or should be busy, or sleeping on a floor that is less conducive to lounging about. that’s not to say i don’t lounge the heck out of floors, but it’s decidedly less comfortable than a bed with blankets and the ability to sleep diagonally. what a luxury.

i’ve been in manhattan beach, ca for the last few days hanging with an old friend, colleen, from warped tour who is a lovely woman with great aspirations and talent. on top of that she has warm, kind people in her life and provided me with a wonderful respite from the life that was beginning to wear on me. the lack of shows in california, coupled with the fact that the few i’ve played have been less than overwhelming, has drained my heart of happiness and my wallet of dollars. but after a seemingly unneccesary two hour drive to a show that didn’t happen two nights ago, and then the turn around to drive two hours back in the original direction, i was poised for feeling like giving up. it was at this time that i spoke with a dear friend who is dealing with a life changing situation wherein he will have to reorient his entire existence or question everything he’s done. it’s times like these that obviously any trite, simple problem i’m having is forgotten about or laughable and my only concern is to try and be there for people i love and who need a friend, a heart, an ear, a shoulder. and not only does it make me feel good to be there for people, but it is also good to have things put in perspective, that life is not always what we think it is, is not always as tough as we think but also that we will have to deal with hard things at times, and when these happen, we should turn to our friends.

after talking and listening i headed back west and didn’t really care that my show didn’t happen or that my wallet was thin and hungry. i knew in my heart that i have amazing people in my life and that there are way bigger problems to worry about. i also was able to catch up with buddy brian about the variety of wonderful and banal things going on in his life. i love this cat to death and implore you to check out his lovely music at http://www.myspace.com/thewaltzmusic. he’s an amazing man and directly responsible for me being who and where i am today, both as inspiration to my 13-year-old self and my current 28. between these two conversations i was really pleased to feel like a small piece in a very huge and lovely puzzle, a mosaic of beauty, hope and creativity. i drove the rest of the two hours listening to sweet, sad, lovely tunes and feeling at peace. after a comforting sleep i awoke to see colleen had returned home and we could finally catch up on the many adventures we’d neglected to talk about over the last year and half of digital communication after the tour ended. it’s been good for my heart, though i fear i talked every ear in this house off. but they have been nothing but sweet and welcoming so i’ll relax.

tonight i return to LA to play a show at the viper lounge, and it looks like colleen and her friends my come out as well as some of acacia’s friends, which totally rules. somehow in a city where i barely knew anyone, a good handful of people are positively responding to the idea of coming to see me play, whereas in cities that i have lots of good friends it occasionally feels like pulling teeth. it’s a really welcomed change and one that makes me feel way better overall. i’m also just excited in general to play, as the last few weeks have been less than awesome for shows, so i’m looking forward to packing a bunch of friends into a tiny room and making music, love and laughs.

oh, and on a side note, i ate amazing vegetarian food in LA the other night with acacia. the wildest part about it was that the veggie bbq pork sandwich that i had was made out of jackfruit. maybe i already mentioned this? well, i’m really excited about the fact that there is still a half of the sandwich in acacia’s fridge. well, i’m hoping its there. if not, i can’t be mad, but man that would fucking rule.

otherwise, just so you all know, here’s how the rest of the year of a thousand roommates is panning out:

i get back to the east coast on feb 13 and play in new brunswick feb 13 and philly on feb 14. come get a vday kiss.

i’m going to sleep for three days and relax for a few more, but also have shows on feb 17 (local 269 in manhattan) and feb 20 (first big banquets show - my dudes from let me run, the stand in and the black numbers - in jersey).

feb 21 or 22 i will fly to the UK and straight from there to india to visit my brother. a few weeks in india, and then some travels around the UK and europe and then the year is over. crazy, isn’t it? i’m excited, scared and curious. i hope you’re all the same.

but in all honesty, i send my entire heart to all of you. i’m broke and will have to get some sort of job after all of this, but it will have all been worth it. for 9 plus months i’ve lived an amazing dream during which i’ve learned so incredibly much about people and about humans in general. i’ve heard millions of incredible stories, made uncountable amazing friends and given and received hugs, love and songs from so many insanely beautiful people. but hey, maybe i’ll win the lottery or people will just donate a few thousand dollars to me and then i can continue wandering the world and planting the seeds of love like some sort of hippie johnny appleseed. until then though, i guess i’ll have to be a dish washer or something. ha.

i hope you’re all warm, well and laughing. i send my love.

pj bond

Tonight I ate a BBQ pork sandwich made out of Jack fruit. I don’t even know what Jack fruit is. What I do know is that it’s delicious and I think we’ve found a replacement for soy and wheat. I also know I met a dude who manages apartments and apparently just today locked a drug dealer out of his place in an illegal eviction. And there was an Uzi involved. I’ve never even seen an Uzi let alone been involved with one.

But all that, plus bowling and makers mark and Maus house don’t equal yesterday. Wait until I’m not tired and I’ll drop some science. Sorry for the delay. I love you all.

Warning: The following was started and finished days apart. Sorry it’s messy.

Redding, ca has so many wild mustaches. Well, at least that’s how it seems here. Tonight I played a show to a bunch of people who didn’t care, but to be honest I can’t blame them. I showed up two hours late and then misread the room. The thing is I hate stages and mics unless they’re necessary but I guess sometimes they are, regardless of how many people are there. The thing is, I was just happy to have made the show seeing as I woke up way too late and left Portland hours after I should have, belly full of crap egg and cheese. I thought if I sped the whole way i’d be fine. The problem is at one point the traffic slowed in a suspicious way but it mainly seemed to be trucks putting chains on their tires so I kept moving. Eventually there were signs that you needed chains but seeing as I don’t own chains and nor do I give a fuck I kept going. And then there were flashing lights and a dude telling me I either needed chains or had to turn around. Otherwise I had to pull off and there was someone selling chains. Convienent that nobody was of cop Status and the chains plus install were 100 bucks. Fuck them. I drove ten miles out of the way and avoided them, despite shitty road conditions and after bypassing them was on my way. I wasn’t going to miss my show because people thought I was going to fall for some extortion type crap. I’m from jersey; I know how to drive in the snow and I can smell bullshit.

Anyway that’s how I ended up at the show late. Only later would my night turn up to overdrive and would I be welcomed into the home of a women with a child whose husband is a junky but she herself is a total sweetheart with a strong head and obvious love for her daughter. Ive not even referenced my first pasta-roni or the Jehovahs witness boyfriend of the roommate who wouldn’t have sex because she’s not a witness. What?

Oh and in the morning their puppy jumped in my sleeping bag and pissed in it.

But after all that I saw spence. He’s playing with STD now and totally deserves it. He’s one of my greatest Friends and I love and respect him and have been waiting for him to get his chance. Plus the guys I met seem really stand up and I don’t give a fuck who you are or what cred you have but if you’re good people you’re good people. Suffice it to say I left happy and proud of my dude knowing he is in a good place with good cats. Beautiful.

Onto the bay area where I am now and need to sleep. I’ll elaborate later. Sorry for the disjunct timing.

year of a thousand roommates

Fine Folk

the queen killing kings

not arrested yet

rain, rain, go away

Jack fruit

So many mustaches