On​ the eve of Show # 300, as Hurricane Ian rips across the state of Florida, I am sitting next to my sleeping wife, and my mischievous cats for the first time in 2 weeks. Me and my friends The Shake are about to close out the insane chapter of our lives that we dubbed the Too Poor To Tour. 6 states (originally 7) 12 shows in 15 days, up the East Coast of the USA. It's hard to even attempt to recap the madness that went on, but thankfully, we brought Justin Hucker, of Live Music Community, along to document the entire thing! 

There’s a bunch of stuff that went on, and you’re going to have to watch the movie to get all the stories! But here is a quick recap.

We started the tour with a couple of South Florida shows, one in Pompano Beach, and one in Delray Beach. They went well, and were a nice send off for us, as we prepared to venture into the unknown. For this tour we had gotten an RV, something that still seems surreal to me. We’re used to touring in vans, that break down most of the time. Now we had a hotel room on wheels that was going to take us up and down the East Coast.

Our first stop was South Carolina, a sick little punk venue called Tin Roof in Charleston. It was also my birthday, as well as the release day of my new album, “For Life”. Spirits were very high. The show itself went amazing, and we then retired to the RV for some of Aquilla’s amazing cooking, all the while watching Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke, reciting every line (except Ricky, he fell asleep!). We turned in for the night, then headed to Raleigh, North Carolina, where we played at a record store called SchoolKids Records. While sparsely attended, the show itself was a blast.

We were starting to get in the swing of things - life on the RV was feeling more comfortable, load ins were starting to be relatively an easy routine, and we were all eager for what the next city would hold for us. Our next stop was Washington D.C., our nation's capital. I believe Ricky was the only one who had been to D.C. before, and even that was back when he was in 5th grade, for a school trip. We played a fun show at The Public Option, a venue on the corner of the street that could easily be mistaken for a house. It had a real punk DIY vibe to it, and the band we played with, Pajama Day, brought a bunch of their friends - all wearing pajamas! We had the next two days off so we did some sightseeing in D.C., then headed north to Baltimore where we stopped for food and more touristy sights.

After our brief break, we went to Philadelphia, playing at the famous Dobbs On South. As a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan, I’ve been conditioned to hate Philly. As a lifelong punk rocker, there’s nothing but admiration. You can feel the punk rock culture in the city as soon as you step foot in it. We saw some more sites, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, etc. but also got to stop in some really cool punk art stores off of South Street. Of course, we also all ate Philly Cheesesteaks for breakfast, except Justin who got a burger like a weirdo. The show at Dobbs was invigorating, and a perfect halfway point of the tour.

Next up was upstate New York, a small town called Pleasantville. I think Ricky will one day retire to this quaint town, he was lovestruck immediately. The venue, Lucy’s Garage, was a beautiful place, with an amazing staff. After the show we parked the RV at a campground in Croton-on-the-Hudson, which was beautiful.

New York City was a date that everyone had circled on their calendars. The Big Apple, city that never sleeps, Sinatra - you know? We played at Otto’s Shrunken Head in the East Village, arguably the most energetic show on the tour. Aquilla was also thrilled that he was able to find parking for an RV in New York City.

The next night I had off, while The Shake had a show in Huntington, Long Island. Prior to this tour I had taken on the job of Tour Manager for them, so the night was mainly making sure equipment came in AND out, communicating with the promoter so that they could handle what they needed to do, and stuff like that. It was a nice break for me, and The Shake put on an amazing show as always.

We were supposed to be playing in Somerville, Massachusetts the next night, but after driving all the way there from New York, the venue owner cancelled on us for no other reason other than he’s a dick. I don’t like to be so negative about it, but seriously, the guy is just trash. All I’ll say is, bands, beware of Union Tavern. Read the google reviews, and get contracts signed.

Luckily, we had made some amazing connections on this tour. All of them are amazing, but Maxwell Peters of Long Island deserves an extra hat tip. We let him know what was going on in Massachusetts, and he immediately offered for us to play a show in Setauket, Long Island. Another amazing show, and one that we chalked up to serendipity.

Now, it was time to head home. We had scheduled a show at 1904 Music Hall in Jacksonville, FL for 9/28/2022. Mother Nature had other plans. Hurricane Ian had been forming when we had left for tour, and initially looked like it would hit while we were in Philadelphia. Instead, it slowed down, eagerly awaiting our arrival. As we started the trek home, keeping an eye on the storm, it solemnly became clear that we were going to need to cancel the show, for both our safety and the safety of others. “Cancel” is typically considered a dirty word for us, but it needed to happen. Now, we had to race against the storm to try and get home, specifically because the RV can’t withstand heavy winds.

In the end, we all made it home safe. Now, in a few hours I’ll be playing Show # 299, a rarities set at Prosperity Brewers, before heading home to Propaganda Lake Worth for a full band Show # 300.

This has been the most productive year for me, probably even before covid. After 300 shows, I’m still learning, I’m still eager, and I’m still desperately in love with music. Cheers, friends, and here’s to the next 300 shows!