This is an open and unfiltered diary-style journal
on the life of James Robert Smith.
This blog will contain sometimes graphic experiences (both beautiful and ugly),
sometimes stark insight, and all honest and factual documentation of dreams, diet, activity, and thoughts.
Waking up a little before noon from emotional dreams about,
to be honest, Ana. I remember hitting a point in the dream where we were almost
friends again and things were healed.
Breakfast Bar. Tea. Figs.
At Broadway rehearsal at Music Makers. First plan of action
is a costume parade so all the cast members can show their costumes to be
approved.
Then, we get on with running and cleaning all the group
numbers.
PB&J break with Plantain Chips and Coffee.
We go all the way till 6:30 or so.
Cleaning up the rooms and assessing the props and things.
I decide to grab myself some dinner at Pho 79. Enjoying a
Tofu Pho with Coffee. I see Ana’s car – cause she’s working at Trader Joe’s. I
feel like in past times I might’ve gotten her dinner to-go from here.
Back home. Catching up on business and things around the
house. I got Elvis a water fountain and he absolutely loves it – he won’t stop
playing in it.
...
Suddenly, I find Ana sitting on the green chair downstairs
with Elvis in her lap. That’s weird cause I just had that dream. She’s just
picking up a few things of hers in the living room and spending some time with
the cat. She doesn’t stay long enough for us to have any kind of in depth
conversation.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
At Music Makers for an all day Broadway rehearsal. We’re
working as a big group going through all the numbers and plotting the stage set
up and making tweaks.
Pizza break!
Continuing all the way till 7.
Picking up some things at Whole Foods.
Then transporting the big black steps we use for Broadway
over to the 104 space.
Dinner at home. Hefty Salad with Eggs, Tomatoes, Spinach.
And Cookies.
Watching Keep Sweet:
Pray and Obey (2022).
Catching up on business. Cleaning up and organizing things
at the studio.
Wes and I ride out to the storage unit for Ladada practice
with Josiah and Bobby – running through the songs we know but also feeling
inspired to revamp others.
On the ride back I talk to Wes about my ongoing reactions to
Ana and I’s breakup – about how I’m upset that she essentially ghosted me.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on all kinds of business.
Running errands – stocking up on veggies and fruit from
Whole Foods.
Eggs. Spinach. English Muffin. Chips. Coffee.
Teaching lessons and coaching a band at Music Makers.
Replacing these caster wheels on a piano dolly.
Cooking myself dinner: Black Beans with Baby Broccoli,
Carrots, and Rice.
Watching The Gray Man
(2022).
Whenever posting the blog entries from last year on this day
I’m consistently reminded of the rocky times between Ana and I, but also the
warm moments. And it makes my heart weak thinking about her. I haven’t
forgotten everything. I’ve just been so busy and in constant motion that I barely
have time to process everything.
Waking up bright and early at 8:30 in the weird smelling
hotel room at the Best Western somewhere in New England. We bring up the mold
we spotted to the manager at the front desk. They said they could compensate us
for the trouble.
We hit the road – dropping our luggage off in the trailer
that the big van is towing.
Mike and Ron take the front driving us through New York
while Rebecca and I attempt to nap in the back.
Breakfast Bar. Coffee.
More driving and driving. Dealing with quite the rain storm
on the New Jersey Turnpike. We pick up Jimmy Wiseman off one of the exits.
Dunkin stop: Egg, Tomato, and Pesto Sandwich.
At some point we make the switch – Rebecca drives while I
sit in the passenger seat playing all the show footage from the weekend. We
poke fun at all the weird and funny moments.
Waking up at 8:30 a.m. in the same hotel as last night. I’m
still feeling a lingering high from last night...I think?
The Soccer Mom Van (Rebecca, myself, Mike, and Ron) make the
3 hour drive to Hyannis, Massachusetts. Making a bagel stop at a place called
Bay Gulls. Then, a grocery stop.
At the Cape Cod Melody Tent, which is almost similar to the
circus show we played a few days ago – rotating stage and same venue crew from
last time. We all need to be on our best behavior cause we’re having to make up
for all the difficulties from the other night.
Sound check doesn’t exactly go smoothly. We have some issues
with the sub snake that connects all our channels and some things weren’t
patched correctly. Then there’s pressure coming from one of the big venue guys
and that in return offends Phil. It just all accumulates. But as a big family
we figure out all the issues and gather our senses.
The hospitality ladies are wonderful to us. Dinner is
served: Teriyaki Chicken with Rice and Veggies. We also brought root beer and
ice cream to give to Nancy cause it’s her birthday. Everyone sings – she really
appreciates it – a nice band family moment.
Despite all the stress and nonsense we had to deal with at
sound check, the show goes pretty swimmingly – we have a great time on that
small circular stage – great energy and awe from the audience.
Packing up the stage and everything. The venue guys are a
great help.
Driving an hour to the hotel. We discover the Best Western
that was supposed to have 10 rooms only has 6 causing some of our group to
drive to another hotel for 4 rooms. The whole thing is ridiculous and just
another wrench in the machine. Then, we discover the horrible smell and black
mold on the walls. We can’t make this stuff up.
Waking up in our cozy hotel in Moultonborough, New
Hampshire.
Nigel gathers the troops and crew to have a meeting – a
“Come to Jesus” moment about behavior from last night’s show. The owner of the
gig yesterday was ready to cancel our Sunday gig.
Soccer mom van heads out – stopping by a local coffee shop.
Then, we drive up the side of a mountain to get to the gig.
Castle in the Clouds. A big event tent in the middle of a
field – everything is on an incline – and we’re surrounded by mountains – everything
feels like a surreal landscape.
Setting up the stage and sound checking, which always has its
fair share of problems.
Feeling exhausted. The catered dinner is really nice:
Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans.
Getting on stage at 7:30 p.m. we do our show (without
intermission) and by the last three songs we had everyone dancing at the front.
Back at the hotel things get weird, or adventurous I should
say. First off we can’t even get into the hotel parking lot cause a gang of
cops are arresting some lady. A startling moment happens when I decide to start
filming the arrest. One of the cops shines his light at me asking for privacy
and the lady starts freaking out.
“Why the f*** are you filming me? Are you f*** serious?”
I didn’t mean to interfere but I’m camera happy.
...
Later on, we all convene right outside my hotel door. This
place is designed a little more old school and communal with all the lawn
chairs. Ron has a line of various IPA’s he snagged from the show and has
everyone pour cups and taste tests them all. Meanwhile, that gummy I took is
starting to kick in. I’m starting to feel high. Everything I say I’m overly
conscious of and play a little game with myself attempting to hide that fact. I
keep hanging out with Jimmy A., Casey, and Edwin. I pull up the group photos
and zoom in on Nigel’s face – it has us in an uproar – dying laughing. Later,
we explore the abandoned pool and discover minnows and frogs all over the
place.
...
One of the other guys that’s staying here interacts with
Jimmy and I. He explains more of the arrest and how the girl used to be a
manager here. He jokes with Jimmy, “You look like a Cheech and Chong kinda
guy,” and then goes off on all kinds of stories about Boston. Everything he
describes feels like a movie scene in my mind.
...
After everyone goes off to their rooms I sit in one of the
chairs – editing the footage and catching up on writing. Out of nowhere I
witness a 15 passenger van with a bunch of people in it zoom across the fence.
They slam on the brakes and some guy gets out to check something under the car.
Then, they take off.
...
Meandering in the hotel room – showering and taking care of
myself.
Waking up at 10:30 a.m. in a Double Tree hotel room in
Rockland, New Hampshire.
Piling into the vans and heading out. Everyone wants to stop
by this dispensary. Mike and I join the crew inside – it looks like a jewelry
store with glass display cases but for marijuana and cbd related things. I
purchase some gummies.
At the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, Massachusetts.
This place has a lot of history – been around for 70 years or so. Complete with
a rotating stage right in the center of the tent – we don’t make use of it
though for practical reasons.
Setting up the stage and organizing everything. Meanwhile,
it’s awfully hot out!
The catered meal is absolutely amazing: Salmon with Veggies,
Ravioli, and a Salad.
The show starts up like normal with amazing energy from the
crowd and us performing the songs swimmingly. But the tracks started screwing
up cause there were some last minute changes on the laptop. It wasn’t as
obvious to the audience as it was to us. Then, after intermission things really
seem wrong...so many things. Kevin’s shades broke and Jimmy the Greek was being
summoned to the stage so many times. Some drinking and medicating caused a bad
reputation with the owner and venue crew.
Packing up the stage and dressing rooms was stressful cause
they were really pressuring us to get out of there.
Long discussion on the drive to the hotel in the soccer mom
van with Mike, Ron, and Rebecca.
At the hotel – it seems like in the middle of nowhere. A
nice man working for tomorrow’s event helps us get settled in.
...
Later on outside I have a one on one conversation with Phil about
all the grievances and observations from the show. Then later with Nigel.
Linking up at the warehouse with the whole ELO crew. Piling
into the vans and packing the trailer.
Sharing fruit.
In the back napping as much as I can until noon.
Breakfast Bar. Tea.
We all planned a halftime stop at Phil’s house in the back
woods of Jersey. He’s got a real nice homestead with a pool, studio in the
basement, and energetic dogs running around. Sharing pizza, snacks, and drinks.
It’s a good opportunity for camaraderie in the band. I find an out of tune 12
string guitar missing a string and figure out how to play some blues on it –
teaching Dante to play Smoke on the Water.
Making our way further up north via the New Jersey Turnpike.
Mike takes the wheel with Rebecca in shotgun. I attempt to nap through the
chatter but stay connected with the tough witted humor of Mike and Rebecca’s
Siri impersonations.
...
We keep coming up with new terminology like “squirreling”
and “zipping”. Joking about writing a book called Etiquette and Rhetoric:
The Art of Band Driving written by McDriver and Raspberry Lady.
Finally arriving at the Double Tree hotel in Rockland, New
Hampshire. The sign lights weren’t on making it hard to see. And of course the
place is under renovation – we always seem to stay at hotels under
construction. After getting settled in, I actually make myself use the fitness
room just to get the blood flowing in my legs. Carlos appears and starts
pumping iron.
Stopping by the warehouse to organize a few things –
meanwhile, Nigel, Kevin, and Dante are here prepping and doing all kinds of
things in preparation for the tour weekend.
Eggs. Spinach. English Muffin. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Rebecca and I grab a few things at Kroger then restock some
ELO shirts at the warehouse.
Back home. Making dinner for myself: Snow Peas, Vegan Bacon,
and Toast with Hummus.
Packing up. Cleaning up around the house. Doing dishes.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, Flax Seed, and Almond
Milk. English Breakfast Tea.
Rebecca and I meet up with Nigel and Kevin at the warehouse
to discuss any upcoming travel things and ELO aftermath things.
Catching up on business.
Orange Melon.
Eggs. Vegan Bacon. English Muffin. Spinach. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Kid band practice – it’s just the boys without Alexa this
time – and they’re very rowdy for some reason tonight. It’s a challenge to
wrangle them together.
Then, the Modern Day Warrior boys meet up to work on guitar
parts.
Meanwhile, Ladada has a band practice in the 104 space –
Josiah brought pizza and beer.
Waking up not so bright and early at 6:30 a.m. in Van Wert,
Ohio. Lobby call is 6:50.
Pilling all the luggage and everyone in the vans – it’s
pouring down rain like crazy. I cozy up in the back of the van, plug in my
headphones, and drift off to sleep. Mike and Edwin drive the 5 hour trek to
Decatur, Illinois.
We all link up at a Taqueria restaurant in Decatur right
across the street from an industrial plant. Nigel buys lunch for us all.
Arriving at the Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater, right next to
Lake Decatur – ducks wobble around the break – people fishing and jet skis
zooming.
Setting up the stage and getting acclimated to the venue.
Sound check goes smoothly. Then, we get checked into the
hotel. Relaxing and catching up on computer things.
Then, at the venue we all enjoy some food truck goodness for
dinner. Chicken and Mac with Cole Slaw, Cheesecake Brownies, and Frescas. It’s
a beautiful out by the water – almost feels like a cookout.
The amphitheater fills out all the seats and lawn area. We
actually have an opener, some band called Deja Voodoo – they play all the hits.
Then, we gear up to perform our two sets. It’s ungodly hot even though it’s
night time by now – all of us sweat heavily after the first song and especially
having to wear all our dress pants and shirts. Meanwhile, bugs of all kind
flutter around our heads, appropriately as we sing “Jungle”. Even amidst the
stress before and after the shows I often have to remind myself that I do this for a living.
After the show meeting and greeting a few of the audience
out by the merch. They always have such encouraging things to say. Then, packing
up the stage.
Waking up around 11 a.m. at a Comfort Inn in Van Wert, Ohio.
Pickled Eggs. Banana. Tea.
Driving over to the venue in downtown Van Wert, a small
amphitheatre in a park right in the heart of the town.
The sun was out with partly cloudy skies while we set up the
stage but soon after sound check we discover rain clouds forming. Nigel went
out and bought a bunch of tarps and clamps to cover any exposed parts of the
stage.
They walk us over to a hole in the wall pizza place called
Wild Willy’s, inspired by Buffalo Bill I assume.
Enjoying a decent Pizza.
Then, we all hang around under the awnings until the rain
subsides.
We still have to adjust the positioning of myself and
Nigel’s keyboard rig and pull the mics back. But eventually we hit the space
bar and start the show. Despite the little bit of rain people fill the lawn all
over with umbrellas. A dance floor opens up towards the end of the set. It
really feels like playing at the 31st Street stage back home. I
always love and hate outside shows. They’re unpredictable but also I can’t help
but feel like I’m living a dream playing music outside surrounded by nature and
old buildings.
Everybody pitches in post show and we get everything packed
up very quickly.
Back at the hotel. Settling in. Rebecca and I watch another
episode of Stranger Things.
Waking up at 11 a.m. at a Courtyard Marriott in Kettering,
Ohio.
Breakfast Bar. Banana.
Driving about 15 minutes to the venue. Fraze Pavilion, an
outside stage built right in the middle of the neighborhood. Everything is
super nice and well taken care of here.
Lunch spread is absolutely legit.
Egg Salad Sandwich with Fruit. Chocolate Chips Cookies.
Setting up the stage – plugging in cables – plopping down
gaff tape everywhere – setting mic stands – filling batteries in ear packs and
mics.
Sound check. The sun beats down directly on my keyboard rig
the whole time.
Dinner spread hits the spot perfectly.
Cod Filets with Pasta, Spinach, Broccoli, and Rolls. Cherry
Pie and Ice Cream.
The crowd is incredible – a sea of people across the
bleachers and chairs. We almost experience a scary moment where the stage power
pops off right when Nigel introduces the band. But a quick reset and we’re good
to go! Because it’s the first show of the weekend we tap into the fresh energy
of the songs. We get through our two sets with flying colors.
Afterwards it’s always all hands on deck rushing to get
everything packed up and taken care of. Rebecca is way behind because of having
to deal with the venue merch people – they required an inventory count-in and
count-out. It’s quite the hassle cause it just adds extra work to everything we
already have to do. I can tell she’s overwhelmed with that added responsibility.
Eventually, we do make it out of there before midnight.
Piling in the vans and driving a couple hours out to Van Wert. Checking into
the hotel and conking out.
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