Doesn’t it feel good to not feel the scorn of Winter pressing down upon you when leaving the house again? I’m excited about Spring, and I’m excited about a few shows coming up in the next couple of months too!

TiRES are back! After nine months of no musical activity we had a great practice this week. I get to play Chris Marshall’s rig, or our combination, which is currently my Fender Bandmaster, his 4×10 cab, and his beautiful suped-up strat and pedals. It’s super fun to have different effects than you’re used to, and I’ve always become a bit giddy inside when Chris hands over his guitar mid-show as we switch instruments. The band’s gear situation is stacked, we have some new tricks, and we’re throwing down with Unwed Sailor and ymir April 14th at The Vaudeville Mews. Click HERE for more show details.

Two days before the TiRES gig I’ll be bringing Volcano Boys back to The Maintenance Shop in the historical Memorial Union at ISU. We’re sharing the night with Noble Bodies, a sweet group from Utah. It’s always an honor and a blast from the past to play the M-shop. Can’t wait to rip it up with Volcano Boys 4-12, the day before my birthday! Yup, sandwiched between those days I will turn 38. So come help me ring it in on one of these nights if you’re free. M-Shop 4-12 Show Details.

Extra Points:
Harvey, our very personable ten year old cat, has recently been to the vet for some minor surgery/tooth removal. As minor as the surgery was supposed to be it’s turned into a bit of a stressful situation, but we’re very happy he’s home again. He was also put on some pretty heavy pain killers and has been a bit out of it the last few days recovering. Trying to feed him his medicine has been…trying. But he’s liked the switch back over to wet food! Day by day he’s been getting back to his old self. We just hope he tries to sleep at some point. He’s riding it out.

Currently Listening to: Weezer The Black Album (vinyl). Ride or die, I’m a big Weezer fan. I love a group that takes risks or does whatever they want, and they’ve been a special band to me for years. Sure, sometimes there’s a questionable choice here and there, but the artistic process is a fun and interesting palette. I really dig the production of this record, as well as the songwriting. I like the synth/piano vibes as well. My favorite tracks are probably “California Snow,” “Zombie Bastards,” and the songs they’ve chosen as singles too. Plus, Lindsay got us tickets for their Des Moines show this month, and I’ve never seen The Pixies either, so I am really looking forward to the show!

Currently Watching: I quickly went through the new Ricky Gervais show After Life on Netflix, and immediately thought in the first few minutes that it might be a bit too depressing given the subject matter, but it turns out to be funny, thoughtful, and still very moving. Thanks to my buddy Tutts for recommending it to me.
Also watching Gotham, Arrow, and The Flash. Ugh…let’s not start in on these right now.

Things Up My Sleeve: Old beats, Lagunitas IPA, i-phone chargers, kitty litter, 7A sticks, Dunlop .60mm picks, a bit of an annoying cough, and Spring fever.