Here we be!

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:09:25 -0700

Well howdy! Long time, no talkie, i know... and i apologize. There isn't really a good excuse except for the fact that i've been having many late nights hanging out with new friends, and just passing out by the time I hit the bus (from lack of sleep.... I'm keeping it real!).

So there has honestly been SO many sweet things that happened since i last blogged i can't count them, so i'll just say that this tour has been greater than any of us anticipated. Today though, right at the end of our set Spencer ripped his arm open pretty bad on Tim's guitar, so that was kind of a bummer, but he went to the hospital and he's fine now. He's a trooper! Let's see where we have played since i was last here.... i lose track. I know we played an off-day show with the Red Chord and that was a TON of fun. By the end of the show, we had about half the crowd on stage rocking out with us and that just ruled. We told the people there that the first person to get on stage and touch Aaron's kick drum got free Taco Bell, and it was madness after that. SO much fun. The funny thing is, after the show i found some dudes who were going to Taco Bell and got there to find out that the kid wasn't even there! However, there was a SWEET tail gate party going on in the parking lot, so me and the 2 guys i rode with got our food to go and just hung out around this guy's pickup truck for an hour or 2 and jammed. It was awesome! I felt like i was at home hanging with friends, so to all of you Taco Bell tailgaters... thank you.

But yeah, we've been making a ton of new friends on this tour and that is making my summer. Walls of Jericho, The Red Chord, Machine Head, 36 Crazyfists, Airborne, Slipknot, Suicide Silence, Black Tide, Disturbed, all honestly great groups of people who I love to death and am honored to share the stage with. I'm already not looking forward to saying bye to everyone... but I'm trying to not think about that.

So on a side note, God has really been showing me himself lately in different situations and people that i'm meeting and that has been really exciting. There was a girl at the show tonight that was in the front row who I could tell was really relating to the songs as we were playing and as we were playing, i was praying that God would be with her in whatever situations she has going on in her life. Then, about 6 hours later i randomly ran into this family while Slipknot was playing and they asked if their daughter could come say hey and she did. It was the girl who was in the front row and it was crazy because she was telling me about all this stuff she was going through and how God was working through it and how our music has helped her and that was a really kick in the butt from God for me - just showing me how much he works in our lives in ways we never notice. You gotta keep you eyes open and pay attention to opportunity!

On another side note, I got a copy of Machine Head's new record and i have to say, its heavy as crap. To all of you guys who are coming to shows on the Mayhem tour, as soon as we are done, on the stage next to us is Machine Head... you guys NEED to at least watch their first song. They are really blowing me away on this tour. You will not be disappointed. And again.... GREAT guys with great hearts.

Oh, and how could i forget?!?! We went to see the Dark Knight and, as those of you who have seen it can relate, we were blown away!!!! I seriously got chills watching Heath Ledger's scenes. I don't think it has anything to do with him being dead... his role was just so amazingly crafted that i was thinking about it days afterward. On top of all that, the production quality of the movie as a whole is just amazing. For sure the best superhero movie ever made.... Anyone disagree?

So, from now on, i promise it won't be so long in between blogs, and because of that, they will be a little more informative. So for now, I am going to bed, but we are playing a show in Little Rock, Arkansas tomorrow, so to all of you guys coming to that show... see you there!!! Little Rock, here we come!!

-chris

P.S- You should all go listen to the song "Sacrifice" by Lisa Gerrard. I saw her a few months back and it was the only time I've ever been brought to tears by a performance.

Day off.... and then some

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:09:36 -0700

Greetings to all! I am making a change tonight. Instead of writing to you from the back of the bus... I'm in the front... BIG changes. However, I can't go on with you guys thinking I'm just being awesome, going and changing my sitting position and all... I'm sitting in the front of the bus because we are having family movie night on the Underoath bus. This evening...in the front of the bus we're watching There Will Be Blood. AND in the back of the bus, we have No Country for Old Men. It's going to be a battle, but i think the sides have been chosen. Me, our sound guy Todd, Tim, our drum tech kevin, our tour manager steve, and our merch guy Brad are in the front. Then you have the rest of those BABIES in the back watching No country for old men. But i think we all know who wins....

So we had a day off today in Eugene but it was honestly pretty uneventful. I woke up fairly late and REALLY needed a shower, so that was my first order of business. After that, I met up with Spencer and we went to eat at quiznos and it was amazing. I got a honey mustard chicken sandwich with bacon with a bowl of broccoli cheese soup. It was pretty much the opposite of what i should be eating, but it was divine. Totally off on a tangent, but what is the best chain sandwich restaurant? We've had this conversation quite a few times amongst ourselves and it is a split decision. I say Firehouse Subs... other dudes say Jimmy Johns, but I'm curious to hear opinions. Anyway, after that we went to boarders because spencer's dog chewed the cover off his bible, so he needed a new one and i wanted to look for this movie called REC because i heard it was amazing. After we were there for about 45 minutes, spencer realized he didn't even have his wallet and they didn't have my movie. Oh well! I did meet an interesting old man there though who was trying to learn how to use a computer. He was pretty nice.

That was really the extent of my day though... some mario kart wii, some dinner, hanging out, but i figured i could use the rest seeing as tomorrow was another long hot day in the sun. Then the call came... Tomorrows show in Marysville is cancelled. There have been some sort of crazy wildfires near where the show was supposed to happen and the air quality is so horrible that the mayor suspended all public outdoor activities. Yeah...I didn't know that was possible either!!! We were all pretty bummed to hear that especially since that is only the 2nd show on the tour, but i was a little less bummed than everyone else. The reason being that my dad lives in the same city as the show and now i get to spend the whole day with him. They rescheduled the show tentatively for monday, you guys there won't miss out on a show and i get to see my dad for the first time in about a year... i'm excited!

So after ANOTHER day off and quite a bit of driving, we are going to be playing another show FINALLY in San Fransisco. I can't wait to get there, it's always so nice there and i always try to take a trip down to the pier to see the sea lions... they're my friends. :-) I really hope to meet a lot of you guys there and get to hang! So with that said.... San Fransisco, here we come!

-chris

P.S- I think there is a lot to be said about being ambitious, but I think there is even more to be said about being content. Know what you want in life and go for it, but at the same time, realize what you HAVE and be grateful.

Tooth & Nail - Artist Blog - Underoath

Here we be!

Day off.... and then some