4/10/24 - THE WELL BASEMENT - SOUTH BEND, IN
photo by jenna vargo
Midwest leg of the tour. Night 1 kicked off in South Bend, IN. I’ve done a lot of flirting with the idea of touring but this is the first true touring I’ve ever done. And in a lot of ways, i think it’s the hardest way I’ll ever get to do it. I woke up at 7 this morning after a night of rehearsal and online merch store launching preparation (and watching the Red Wings lose—sad). An anecdote that i’ll probably get into more during this tour diary, but I’m getting really into the concept of micronaps. micro-dosing naps? mnaps? still workshopping the name but the concept is these naps that are like 10-15 minutes which i then gaslight myself into thinking that i got actual rest. it feels like a flashback to falling asleep in school.
Nevertheless, South Bend is a really cool city with a music scene that deserves love. I think there is so much merit to playing music in smaller towns and embracing the scenes that exist there in any size. It’s something I’m definitely intrigued by. The show opened up with an awesome set from Why Not Both. I like that they stylize it without a question mark too—rock n roll. They were so tight and really brought the energy. The whole band rocked but I have to give a special shoutout to my boy Joe on guitar who played in such a unique way that completely encapsulated me. Kelsie, John, and Aaron are super deserving of your ears too. They absolutely rocked.
We played second in this set because as the out of town band, it tends to be the best fit in order to still get to play in front of each local bands’ audiences who are generally unfamiliar with my music. We opened it up per usual with our blazing Sleep Fine -> Two Kids In A Trench Coat -> Old Friends (Pinegrove) which had me smiling from ear to ear. Took a new path today and went with IDK Forever -> Never Could’ve Broke It and followed that up with New Ways to Miss You -> Ok on My Own. The next song was a live debut. It’s called Fear Of Moving On and it’s the name of the tour and I was so nervous to play it. It’s a toughie for me but it went really well and it felt so good to connect deeper to a song that truly shook my world up when I wrote it. I’m excited to see how it evolves over the course of the tour. We rolled into If You’re Not Next To Me and then closed with everyone’s favorite (love) a reason to hate you. I’ve been using my pink stratocaster and i can confidently say that it feels like the perfect guitar for this tour. It’s pulling the right emotions out of me.
For context, the show was at The Well Basement which is exactly that: an underground venue. So after my set, I made my way up to the ground floor where they have a cool lounge and an espresso bar. I had a really sweet conversation with the barista there who just volunteers there because he used to go there pre-pandemic with his friend and play in the super smash bro tournaments. He said he liked the vibe so much he just wanted to be around there more. I’m not trying to be dramatic when I say that small things like that make my heart swell. We talked about childhood video games like guitar hero on the gameboy advance with the lil attachment piece or mario kart on the wii with the wheel. I genuinely had a blast talking with him and I think there’s something so inherently special about people from the midwest that i really connect with. Also chatted with Paul and talked about the stellar pistachio lattes at The Well, his job as a hot tub salesman (rad) and our disdain for corporate america. Paul, if you’re reading this, we’re gonna get out of it someday brother!
Back to the basement, the night wrapped up with a killer set from Pendle. They really brought the energy and they’re just getting off the ground as a band but they have a lot to praise. Their use of melody and harmony together were spectacular and they have an energy about them that just makes you want to root for them. They closed the night out with an awesome song called Independence Day and I’m really looking forward to when that comes out. James has definitely got that it-factor on guitar and as a frontman. I’m stoked to see what they do in the future.
Made my way back to my spectacular drummer Devin’s house and polished off some hot fudge sundae pop tarts and a strawberry milk… No further commentary there.
Thank you to everyone who embraced us this evening. I had some fantastic conversations with new friends, had a smile on my face the whole night, and spot-on with my personality, felt bittersweet leaving. It was one of those nights that I kinda wish went on longer but I’m learning how to compartmentalize those emotions in the part of my heart that gets to house those memories forever.
Chicago tomorrow. Goodnight.
3/16/24 - BEEHIVE - SALT LAKE CITY, UT
photo by gavin white
Beep. beep. beep. Utah trips always start with a 6AM alarm. The drive from here to there is about 10 hours and I like to start it out early. The car was packed by 6:30, Nate met up with me at the house, and we were on the road by 7.
The weather was a complete mess and it actually made the drive more interesting and made the time go by faster. It was one of those days where I had to use my windshield wipers on full blast which always makes me laugh.
We got into Salt Lake City around 7 or 8 and met up with some old friends Noah and Natalee who were kind enough to let us stay with them. It was really fun to catch up and we ended up talking about all the good Nashville Hot Chicken places in Salt Lake and all the good (terrible) reality dating shows which was a hoot. After a lot of laughing, we went to bed and I slept like an absolute rock. Something about driving 10 hours in a day that makes your brain and body completely shut down.
The next day we started it off with some really solid organic coffee and then headed over to 10 Cent Studios to record a live session with Rugs Unplugged. The set was amazing and the lighting and the people were just spectacular vibes to be around. We started the set with “Try” then played “What If You Don’t” and wrapped it up with “Never Could’ve Broke It.” Shoutout to everyone involved with the session and special shoutout to Thomas for subbing in on bass on super short notice.
Nate and I grabbed some Dave’s Hot Chicken and then made our way over to the venue. I was definitely completely exhausted by the time soundcheck rolled around but it was a really fun one. Ivy was running sound at the show and they made the whole process way more fun than it usually is. Had a ton of great laughs and got everything dialed in super nicely. It’s so refreshing to have sound people who really care about the artist and the experience.
This show was in a venue that is attached to the back of a vegan restaurant and the vibes were off the charts. The venue had the option to either play on the stage or set up at the ground level and I made the executive decision to play on the floor. I thought it would feel more like a house show and it definitely did. Super glad we made that choice. Rally opened the show up with a super awesome set and then Candid blew the roof off the place.
Nate and I locked in before the set and felt awesome going into the show. We decided to open this show with “New Ways To Miss You” and “Ok on My Own” as an ode to all the Utah fans who have been there since the beginning. We then went to our classic “Two Kids In A Trench Coat” “Sleep Fine” and “Old Friends (Pinegrove) regimen. This was a longer set so we had the ability to introduce some other songs back into the set like “Try” and “20s.” We closed the set out again with “If You’re Not Next To Me” and a riveting version of “(love) a reason to hate you” where I genuinely said “open up the pit” and actually meant it. It’s super fun to rock out with the crowd on that song and the Salt Lake City crowd always seems to be down to go on that ride with me which I so greatly appreciate.
We capped the night off with some good hangs with the OG SLC pals and then went to Taco Bell for a Crunchwrap Supreme and an interview with my good friend Mia. We made our way back to the house and had a scare because Noah and Natalee had accidentally locked the door out of habit and went to bed so Nate and I panicked and thought we were going to have to grab a hotel or something but luckily they heard us trying to get in and were able to let us in. Phew.
Nate and I dipped the next morning at like 7am and drove the 10 hours back with barely any stop other than one lame gas station that was like $6 a gallon and super crowded so it added 30 minutes to what would’ve been a record-breaking speed.
Shoutout to everyone who came out to the Salt Lake City show and has made us feel so welcome in a city that’s so far from home. Can’t wait to get back out there soon.
For now, I’m taking a couple weeks in California to get organized and prepare for the Midwest leg of the tour. Can’t wait to see all my Midwest pals soon!
3/10/24 -MOROCCAN LOUNGE - LOS ANGELES, CA
photo by juan antonio garcia
LA! A homecoming show of sorts. I’ve been out of LA for a while now but it always feels like a special show when I get the chance to play in LA—especially at Moroccan Lounge. It’s a special venue to me because I saw Alexander 23 play two sold out shows there back in 2020 and it’s been a special room ever since.
I left home at around 1pm and picked up my bass player, Elijah, on the way and then we made our trek to LA. We got there right around 4 and loaded in and wrapped up soundcheck nice and early. It wasn’t the perfect soundcheck because there was admittedly so much volume happening on stage between the drums and house amps. That all created a bit of a whirlwind of sound on stage so my anxiety was a little higher than other shows but nevertheless we persisted. Nate (drums), Nick (video), Elijah, and I then took a little walk to a pizza place called Purgatory Pizza. I didn’t have anything but the smell and vibes were on point so I’m going to venture to say that the food was slammin too. We made our way back to the venue and got everything set up and chilled at merch for a while before it was time to play (Shoutout Em for running merch for this show and showing me all the tricks of the trade).
We opened the set with our high-octane triple-threat of “Sleep Fine” into “Two Kids In A Trench Coat” into “Old Friends (Pinegrove)” and let me tell you something about all that. Three songs in a row with no stop is tiring. Add in the smoke machine they had on stage and I can honestly say I felt like I had 40 cartons of cigarettes lit on fire in my lungs. In other words, I ran out of breath. So I dipped off stage after that to grab water for a second (because I forgot to bring it on stage) but after that it was smooth sailing. We played a ripping version of “IDK Forever” and then transitioned into a new song “Never Could’ve Broke It.” That one felt really good and seemed to be pretty well received! We then mellowed out into the smooth hits “New Ways to Miss You” and “What If You Don’t” before ramping it up with a powerhouse finish of “If You’re Not Next To Me” and “(love) a reason to hate you.”
I had a super fun time hanging with all the friends that came out to the show and it was really validating to play a show in front of a solid crowd in LA after having some less than satisfactory turnouts over the last couple years. Moroccan Lounge also makes a ripping Shirley Temple so I indulged in one of those as I deserved.
The night wrapped with an exhausted drive home but I got introduced to one of my new favorite bands on the drive home. If you’re looking for a wicked new band, Mercury is so sick and I’m glad Elijah put me onto their stuff. I will definitely be listening to them on the road a lot more on this tour.
This tour really feels like it’s going to be special and lay the groundwork for us to be able to do this more in the future. I’m feeling energized as ever. Thanks to everyone who has been supporting so far!.
3/7/2024 - SOFAR - SAN DIEGO, CA
photo by natalie minguez
The tour started off in San Diego with an acoustic show hosted by SOFAR (Sounds From A Room). I grew up watching videos of some of my all time favorite artists (Charlie Burg, DAISY, and Kevin Garrett) playing SOFAR shows so it was a really cool experience to get to do one myself. The show was at a hotel so I was in full Suite Life of Zack & Cody mode. The show was in the courtyard of the hotel and most times in California, it’s safe to play outside but this was one of those drizzly days where you’re not sure if it’s suddenly going to downpour. After some deliberation, we decided to play outside instead of inside the hotel because it worked best for all the acts (more on that later).
The first act was a couple of new friends by the name of Stucky Leigh. Will and Lauren put on a really cool set with some really easy listening and catchy melodies. Totally the type of music that was up my alley and I’m glad we got to do the artist thing and exchange some merch afterwards. Without further ado, it was my turn to play. Mind you, I rarely play acoustic sets. I really love where I’m at with the full band set so it’s hard to remove those elements and go for a stripped set but it was a cool opportunity to start working that muscle.
I opened the set with “Two Kids In A Trench Coat” which is starting to feel like a real Comfort Club Classic and I genuinely love how it feels to play that song live. There’s something about greeting a new audience with a Little Rascals reference that just seems to ease the tension of a live show. Naturally, I transitioned into “Old Friends” (Pinegrove) as the second song of the set. That song feels so much like a Comfort Club song at this point; I really love adding it into the set—a little moment for the fan in me each show.
Next up I went for a unique version of “New Ways To Miss You.” Being that I was trying to make the set a bit more engaging for myself, I decided to go with an open tuning version of this song. Now I’ve grown so accustomed to playing this song one way for the last 5 years so to switch it up definitely gave me butterflies but I really liked how it sounded and felt! The tuning I used is the tuning for the new tune “What If You Don’t” so I was able to seamlessly flow into that song and it felt amazing to play that one fully acoustically.
The set wound down with an intimate version of “Try” and then an absolutely electric (acoustic) version of “(love) a reason to hate you.” The crowd really seemed to be locked into the lyricism and being that I pour so much of my energy into lyrics, it felt really rewarding to be listened to so intently. There’s some real merit to playing acoustic and putting it all on the line. It’s definitely something I can see myself doing more of in the future.
The night ended with an enthusiastic performance by The 524—a 10-piece brass band from San Diego. Now mind you I’m an empath so the fact that a 10-piece brass band was playing in a hotel courtyard at 10pm on a weekday made me incredibly anxious but I hope it’s a huge testament to say that the fact they finished their set without noise complaints just goes to show how tasteful they were despite being a very high energy and high volume band. They were the perfect nightcap to a great opening show of the tour. I also got to enjoy a free shirley temple during their set so my night was a 10/10.
Thanks for checking out the first tour diary entry. I hope to keep doing these and maybe even expand it in some way to involve readers and local lore some more!