Tour Wrap Up Post

Well, the tour is over and I'd have to say that yes, it was a success! All band members and crew on this tour were just awesome. I actually didn't interact much with the Black Dahlia Murder guys, as we were in opposite parts of the clubs every night, but their tour manager Mike was always cool and ready to help. The SkeletonWitch guys were remarkably nice, funny, and cool. A real pleasure to be around, and always put on an awesome show with lots of energy!
We did a bus-share with Hour of Penance who were also part of our crew, and they were super cool as well. (Let's see how many times I can use the word "cool" in one paragraph).
A HUGE thanks to Alison Webster for taking over my job at home while I was out on tour. You ROCK! (Even if she's not reading this, she still rocks, haha).

Now time to mow this crazy yard (it hasn't been mowed in a month), pay the bills (yes, bills still come even when you're not home), and reset to "Home Mode".

By the way, Nile's newest album will be released on July 3rd (June 29 in Europe)!
At the Gate of Sethu Release Details

Hour of Penance Tearin' it Up, OK!

Hour of Penance

SkeletonWitch Puttin' on a Helluva Show!

SkeletonWitch - They do NOT disappoint!

Fucking NILE!

Still Fucking NILE!

Black Dahlia Murder in Black and White

It's impossible to get a non-blurry photo of BDM
with a point-and-shoot camera.

"No pictures, please!"

My brother Steve took a bus from NYC
to come to visit us in Philly! Rock on!

Slipped Disc

Ouch! I seem to have a slipped disc in my upper back (yay for tour bus beds!) - Maye I'll be able to hit up a Chiropractor in PA on our "day off" and spend half a week's pay to fix it, haha.
Ow-eeee!

I Wish Every Day Was This METAL!

I'm at "Death on the Vine" at Bogart's in Cincinnati, OH right now - Our tour joined forces for the night with the Cannibal Corpse tour. It is, in a word, AWESOME!
I was kind of pissy about it at first only because doors opened to the public at 3:00pm (instead of the usual 7:00pm) which totally knocked out my getting ready and eating a meal time. But its turning out to be a really good day (so far)!
It's 7:00pm and Arkaik, Hour of Penance, Abysmal Dawn, and Skeleton Witch have played so far - Exhumed is on stage right now - Next is Nile, BDM, then Cannibal Corpse.
So hell yeah for a day and night of metal!

UPDATE: It's now at the late hour of 8:41pm (haha) - Nile just finished up. The crowd is still great, and the bands I'm sharing the merch area with are super super cool. Thanks to everyone for making this a killer night!

Seeing the Country

Most of the time when we're driving from gig to gig, we're getting whatever sleep we can. I happened to be up to catch part of this drive through the desert and took some pics. I'm from South Florida, so this was pretty cool to me...

Took the pics, then crawled back in my bunk, put my ear plugs in, and got some shut-eye before arriving at the next locale.

Party Like a Rock Star!

Ever wonder what goes on in those crazy death metal tour buses? Well here's a little peak...

The Big Texan! Home of the Free 72 ounce Steak!

So we all went here last night: The Big Texan on our little day off in Amarillo, TX, and actually had a really good time! It was all 12 of us eatin' steak (except Todd), drankin' dranks, and bein' serenaded by some cool old timers.
These are the only pics I have so far, more to be added soon!

The Shootin' Gallery

George's Grizzly Encounter

The Plague is Here...

The sickness has hit the bus. 
I was laying in my bunk early this morning, listening to the various coughs coming from the other sleeping (or trying to sleep) bus members, and I thought, "Here we go..."
I was starting to feel it a few days ago, but the Los Angeles air yesterday just kicked my resistance right off.
I've already been on a steady Emergen-C diet, now I'm adding DayQuil and Ricola cough drops.

It's really really hard to get better once you start getting sick while on tour. Our work day starts anywhere from noon to 2:30pm, and ends anywhere from midnight to 2:00am. There's no time for a little extra rest, no facilities for keeping your body as clean as you should, you're in a small environment with 12 other people, all sharing the bathroom, fridge, etc... plus the climate changes every day. No time for being sick! The show must go on!

This Song Goes Out To...

Side thought: It's pretty funny when someone at a death metal show calls a song out to a friend / family / whatever. "This Song's for Mike! It's called 'Rot in Hell!'"

Um... thank you?

Next Stop: Seattle, WA

Had an awesome day of laundry, washing my hair (yes!), and sleeping in a bed at the Best Western Lodge Hotel in Boise, ID. It was, well, awesome!
Karl and I went to have dinner and a few drinks the next day in Seattle at what seemed like one of the only places open on Sunday night - The Pike Pub and Brewery.

Nom nom nom - Yummy hummus plate.

Is that hummus on your hand, or are you REALLY happy to see me?

Yo.








The next night the show was at El Corazon in Seattle. Someone pulled the fire alarm. Everyone had to clear out until the fire department could come to turn it off.

Hi!