self abuse and good times w/ The Drowning Men

map courtesy of Gabe Messer

35 states. 14,000 miles. 29 major US cities. 30 cases of Busweiser*. 4,560 cigarettes**. One dozen Cracker Barrels. 6 Waffle Houses. And of course, countless roadside attractions. 

This is a shortlist of life on the road with a band for 40 days.

There’s no time to relax. No time to think. No time alone.  Instead, we filled our brains and bodies with experiences and substances. Enough to last a lifetime. The Drowning Men played music (every night) and I took photos and shot video… 30 times.

It didn’t take long to realize that this world is very strange (at least for newbies like ourselves). The outside world did not exist, yet we were traveling through it at a break neck speed… well, at least as fast as the van would go towing a trailer. Which is right around 60-70mph. A new city, a new venue, a new set of fans to chat and drink with every night. Pretty soon you forget what city you’re actually in. Confined to the dank innards of a well worn, booze soaked music venue, there’s about 5 questions that cross your mind:

1)    Does this place have a shower?

2)    Is the shower clean?

3)    When are they going to deliver the case of Budweiser to the dressing room?

4)    Where do we set up the merch booth?

5)    What’s the quickest route to facilitate the smoking of a cigarette?

*the 30 cases of Bud were at the venues only. We supplemented with at least 3 times that amount of beer… and whiskey.

**this is based on a an average of a pack per day, per 6 people.