March 13-15th, 2009 - New Orleans, Hammond, & Lafayette, LA
Louisiana is a state that till this week, I have only seen a small amount of. This week, LDE has the opportunity to spend 2 days in NOLA, and surprisingly great show in Hammond, and 2 dreadful and unplanned nights in Lafayette. This of course included several drives across the state and I now have a firm idea of what the bayou looks like AND why LA is the "pelican state."

I won't expand too much on New Orleans since I have pontificated previously about my love for the city, and the great experiences and sadness that came with my former visits. This time around, we spent all day showing Rusty and Donnie around some of the great parts of NOLA, Pat guiding us to the famous Muffaletta from the General Grocer, and my decision to eat at Coops place. We had the basic public drinks, spent some time in the casino and were harassed by everyone! When we returned with Phil on Sunday, we witnessed an acrobatic street show and made the trip to Cafe Du Monde for my "No Hands" beignet eating.

Hammond provided us with a surprisingly cool crowd that really "Dug" our music. Thanks for saving the moral Cate Street...we owe you one.

I can only sum up Lafayette with misery because that is what it was. After a never ending day of driving and rain leaving Houston on Thursday, we stopped in Lafayette, not able to make it all the way to New Orleans. We set up camp in a below average hotel, played some poker and fell asleep to the rain. Our second unexpected stay in Lafayette came after the van began overheating only 2 hours into our 7-hour trip to Tyler Texas, causing us to stop there again and set up camp since we needed service, and it was after all shops were closed.

This minor debacle left me franticly calling the University of Texas at Tyler, making arrangements with hotels and trying to get the van situated so we could get on the road early in the morning. At 7:05 we rolled the overheating van into the Firestone begging them to fix our radiator before 11am so we could get on the road. I had already set up times for the guys back at the hotel and extra precautions at the school anticipating a somewhat late arrival...but it turned out none of that was necessary. As the rain continued to lash out upon LDE, the noon hour came, and then the 1 o'clock hour came bringing a cancellation to our 5pm show that was 5 hours away driving.

So we did the only thing to do; get back in the van and endure another 24 hours on the road loosing plenty of money to fix the van (which actually didn't get fixed right anyway) and loosing a cool gig on the back end. At 200,000 miles, things are bound to go wrong, but lets just say that if they had done the job right the first time (replaced the water pump AND the thermostat at the same time) we would have had plenty of time to zoom to the show. But alas, we are not mechanics, and sometimes our fate is out of our hands. We are excited to return to Louisiana soon to perform, but sans van troubles and rain clouds.

Chris




March 11th, 2009 - Double Double Double Days: Galveston, TX
A great morning is sometimes like a Golden Retriever. That is if you are a dog lover. Let's just say that you are a lover of K9's and all things Dog. One type of perfect morning for me, albeit there are a few mornings that qualify, is a cool, dry morning on the beach, with the sun just making it's way onto the horizon over the water and a light breeze from the North West. The magic of the morning is there, with life waking up all around and energetic movement bringing in the new day. I am out running along the seawall on Galveston beach, an area slammed by hurricane Ike just last year, but still vibrant and fighting back with ferocity. When I am done running, I plan on a great cool shower and a warm cup of coffee.

This morning has been great, but soon, the sun will stand high in the sky, the cool breeze will fade, and the spring break crowd previously sleeping off the nights party will be rummaging around, trying to savor all they can from there scholastic free days. Now comes the analogy. The morning is like a Golden Retriever puppy, so small and innocent, so new and delightful, so rare to witness and watch grow. You can never freeze a golden retrieve at 2 months old where their paws out size their small legs and where their energy has no sign of waning. Because soon the puppy will grow up, grow big, and the small magic, although not completely lost, will fade.

Now I am not suggesting that a Golden Retriever is not a great dog after it's a pup, I just have never owned one, and this little concept came to me while I was running and I just thought I would share, since I tend to share! Of course, the magic of this morning didn't fade into a solid life companion, just another long, stressful, and dismal weather day that we would grow to know all to well.

Leaving at 7am Monday morning, we drove straight to Texas City, Texas in 25 hours, unloaded, played College of the Mainland, Drove to Galveston to play A&M Galveston, then crashed at the hotel for about 4 hours. After waking up for my early run, we made our way to Baytown where were over an hour late because of traffic and construction. We set up faster than we EVER have, played the show, stripped the stage, and we off again for a 6 + hour drive North of Dallas to University of North Texas in Denton. We were of course late there as well, just because traffic was so thick because of the monsoon that decided to stall above Texas this week. After that show, we had to drive straight back to the greater Houston area (6 hours) to get about 3 hours of sleep in a hotel before being awake and loading back in to Houston Community College. The rest of our Thursday consisted of a decent meal of Mexican food, 4-5 hours stuck in rush hour traffic in Houston, and an early retirement in Lafayette, LA for the sheer lack of being able to stand another minute in the van driving or in the rain. So far....45 hours of driving in 4 days with 5 shows played. Do the math.....not a lot of time spent sleeping, eating, or relaxing.....So you want to be a rock-star???

Chris



March 1st-3rd - 4 B's: Becky, Brian, Boise, Bend
After an interesting few days in the land of over consumption (electricity, water, alcohol, food) I was fortunate enough to make a quick trip up to Boise Idaho to visit my good friend Becky and her fiance Brian. The trip was fantastic and I spent 2 days hiking around Bend Oregon in 2 state parks and open-space. We also spent some time hanging around Boise, seeing the Oregon trail, Table Rock, and the finest Mexican in the west, Andrade's. Thanks so much to Becky and Brian for their hospitality. The Pacific North West is a beautiful place and even though it was a bit wet, I am excited to return soon to see much more that the region has to offer. I have now travel to 45 states in this country, and plan on getting all 50 in the next 3 years.

Chris




February 17th, 2009 - Fletch Is A Savior
I just wanted to write a small note to thank Mike Fletcher for not only calling me to let me/us know that we left an important case in Salisbury, MD, but actually driving more than halfway to meet in Easton, MD to drop the case off to me. You are a stand up guy Fletch. For those of you who don't know the future Fan Of The Week (wait for it....) Mike Fletcher, I am sorry that your paths have not crossed. He is quite the man.

A devout LDE fan, traveling to Baltimore for our CD release, Annapolis for our most recent Rams Head Show, other states, and of course his home of Salisbury, Fletch has seen many shows, and been a long time friend for 6 years plus. (he is working to catch some of our more traveled fans, not doing a bad job) He also shares my taste in sports, an avid Orioles and Capitols fan. Today I salute you for you help and continuing friendship. And really, who leaves a case at a venue....idiot check anyone??? Good thing I'm so free these days....NEVER BUSY!

Chris



February 10th, 2009 - Midwest Tour: We missed the Schnow!
I haven't made my bed in three days. This fact is unusual for me, and although some might find it frightening or offensive that I choose to flap out the linens each morning after rising from my hibernation, I have always made my bed. It just seems to tie a room together. If my entire room is full of laundry, bags, CD's, a guitar hear and there, etc...a made bed can make it look just about clean. The other way around looks like a haphazard inhabitance.

What's the reason you ask? Well it's been a long few days...week actually and it's been 3 straight days of setting an alarm. The last tour, with its endless drives and receptive crowds was very busy, and since returning, our rehearsal schedule has been capturing my full attention.

The 3-day mini-midwest-migration tour was a complete success for spreading our music, but it put stress fractures in our minds and the power-train of the van. 14 hours to Fulton, MO, set up and play. At least we had a chance to check in and take a shower at the Holiday Inn, Fulton's premier Inn according to miss Nikki. The whole student staff was amazing which allowed us to relax and enjoy the whole night of performing, eating, drinking, watching BTE, signing autographs, midnight snacks at the gas station, and late night catch ups.

The show was put on with such professionalism, it's hard to not yearn for the same quality at every other performance. Thanks to Nikki for putting together the great event, and it was nice to see BTE for the 5 minuets before and after the show that they decided to stick around. HA.

Mothers in Ames, IA was another successful evening although there were far less ears availbe to hear our tunes. The crowd picked up on what we were doing and we were grateful for their attention and curiosity. Finally we made our trip to Downers Grove, home of our favorite Irish Pub, and put on an energetic sit down show with the best darn sound man Rick at the controls. Many friends made it back out to the Ballydoyle Pub, reassuring us in our music and creating a great atmosphere for the show.

We were lucky enough to have our friend and Fan of the Week, Sarah Stradone, along for the show AND the entire ride home. She did a stellar job promoting the band and selling CD's at the show, and was an amazing co-pilot for my 5 hour shift from Chicago to Ohio somewhere. I had a great time chatting with Sarah halfway home, sipping coffee, chatting Jimmy, and speculating on serious travel plans that got both of us very excited.

I guess I can sum up the tour with a bunch of positives, and one long drive negative but you almost have to be fully thankful for the winds of change, and the lack of any midwest snow that typically creates a dismal driving experience.

Chris



January 25th, 2009 - Chuck Levin's.......Have Faith
So in addition to all the individuals that helped us out in our trailer tragedy, many companies assisted us with deals and offers to help us get back some gear cheaper than usual. Guitar Center in Rockville, MD and Action Music in VA were both very helpful, but the guys at Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center really went to bat for us and negotiated a large discount on all the gear we purchased from them following the incident.

But my little anecdote starts way back in 1991 when I first stepped foot into Chuck Levin's. I had received a very cheep but wonderful guitar for christmas but needed to head in and buy some pics, or a strap, or something else small. Stepping foot into the store I was overwhelmed with the amount of gear and business that was there, and the amount of people bustling around was staggering. As a kid I was virtually ignored and being ignorant to what I liked or needed, my Mom was of little help. I felt that her any my Dad always dreaded taking me there or going in to buy me things because they didn't speak the language and it just wasn't their bag. Although they did, often because they loved the music and were happy to see me work and get better. I owe them everything for how committed I stayed to music.

Despite the small trials of Chucks, I always went there for new gear. I would stop by all the time after high school since it was down the street and over the years purchased guitars, a few amps, pedals, and other miscellaneous gear. Finally in college I became a recognizable customer to Brian Meader, and have since dropped ample dollars on guitars. Slowly, after buying more and more things, and being there more often, I have been helped better and gotten good deals from time to time.

Shortly after our trailer incident I became friends with Nate Aiello and Sean Robinson, purchasing basically ALL the new gear for the bands production and my personal guitar needs. Now when I come into Chucks, It is not uncommon to spend 30 minuets to an hour or more taking and trying out gear with EACH of these great guys. Nate in pro sound knows his stuff and we have set up our great in-ear rig and some very nice things for my studio. Brian has now sold me probably 8 guitars and I can always rely on him to bring 5 of them up from downstairs for me to drool over.

But the end to this story comes when I called Chucks the other day, was put on hold to transfer me to whomever I was calling (Sean I think) and out of nowhere, "Have Faith" was playing. The chorus kicked in, and then my guitar solo came ripping across the phone line like the day I played it. Sean answered and I said "Hey Sean, it's Chris from LDE....I'm flatterd." When I was 10, I walked into Chucks, overwhelmed and ignored and now 17 years later, I call up, get put on hold and hear myself rocking a guitar solo over the line. It is amazing how far I've come in life and how long I have been WASTING money on music gear. I mean who really needs 9 guitars or 4 amplifiers or......35 pedals????

Chris

January 9th, 2009 - 9:30 Club: Washington, DC
Behind the scenes at the 9:30 is something to marvel. The amount of time and thought that went into designing the club has given both performers and patrons a unique and powerful experience. The staff are helpful, respectful, and patient, the room sounds and looks amazing, and quite accessible for anyone looking to enjoy a great live performance.

Short timing or not, the night was an amazing endeavor, coated with bright lights, and brilliant euphonic melodies (from all of the bands of course). Just to be around and working \ with such professionals gives hope to a business filled with smug venue employees, egomaniacs, and name-droppers. As long as you are not in the mood to sit down, the Nightclub 9:30 has everything one would desire from a small venue, and even a large venue. Mikeeeeee Lights!!

Chris



Jan 8th, 2009 - Forgotten Names From Our Trailer Disaster
Many people have been so great to this band over the years, including the long list of amazing people who helped us out when our tailer was stolen in late 2007. This journal is intended to try and rectify some of the issues we had with collecting names and displaying them on our studio CD cover and insert. Some people who donated and offered help were not listed on the CD for a variety of reasons included issues with paper trails and forgotten or misplaced information. It was amazing the amount of support we got, and unfortunate that we were unable to collect it accurately.

Please send me an email with your full name if you are one of those people we left out of the credits. We are very sorry, and we want to make sure the situation is taken care of. I'll be displaying the entire list later on in the month, and soon, the next run of CD's will feature NEW reprinted artwork with all the omitted names included. From all of us in the LDE family, thanks again for your support and understanding.

Chris

January 3rd, 2009 - Kelly's Logan House: Wilmington, DC
Drab, Daunting, Deserted, Desperate, Digital, Dave, Dung, Delaware, Demoralized, Dredging, Drum Cases, Drill Bits, Death.

Chris