9/29/2010
We are on the road again headed to Atlanta after a brief yet indulgent stay in Hilton Head. When I say “we”, I am referring to myself and an old friend of mine who is known by some as the whistle-blowing “Referee”. His birth name is Kent and he has been aiding the project with his services for quite some time now. He is my tour manager while on the road, and helps with everything from booking shows, to reintroducing old, forgotten songs of mine back into play via the powers of suggestion, as there are a lot of them that never really see an audience.
Kent once said to Trevor Hall’s drummer Chris Steele upon meeting him, “If you need to remember my name, just think of Superman…like Clark Kent.” In response, Chris said, “If you need to remember my name, just think of pissing on a baby. Piss rhymes with Chris.”
Chris Steele
Kent recently married a sassy little brown-eyed, Italian firecracker formally named Alison Nasti. Her last name is now Hernandez. We refer to them in couple form as “Her-nasty”, which in case you can’t see what we’re doing there, it’s a simple last name combination device that just happened to work out really well.
At any rate, Alison came down to Hilton Head in super-surprise fashion to get in some quality time with Hubby after almost two weeks of us being on the road. He was indeed, super surprised. It took all of my self control not to spoil it, and after doing my part in the unfolding of the grand-master-scheme, I ended up missing the dumfounded look on his face when he realized he wasn’t dreaming.
"Her-nasty"
We were staying with a couple old friends of “Her-nasty” from Batavia, IL, Todd and Stacey Romoser. The Romosers have a strangely well-behaved and intelligent dog named “Rango Nation”, who, since I was clearly the third wheel hanging with two freshly married couples, was my unofficial companion for the 4 night stay in Hilton Head.
Todd and Stacy
"Rango Nation"
The last night of our stay in Hilton Head we visited the parents of Stacey who just so happened to live in a newly rehabbed mansion on one the best golf courses in the country. For the record, I’ve never been golfing in my life, but walking on that green gave me the sudden impulse to swing a nine-iron. Or something. Needless to say, their hospitality was unparalleled. 27 y.o. scotch whiskey, $300 bottles of red wine, great conversation all night, and a boat ride into the sunset. All topped off with some delicious pizza. It was pretty rough.
wow.
And now we are in Atlanta at this venue called Masquerade. Our “green room” acts as a walk-through area for the venue’s staff to get to the offices apparently, but besides that this is a wicked joint. And I don’t use “wicked joint” lightly. The building is older than hell and has mill factory relics as art pieces out front.
Trevor Hall and co just got here and are setting up for soundcheck. I’m a little worried about the health of my vocal chords tonight as I acquired a bit of a cough the past few days. Extensive coughing is probably the worst thing for your vocal health if “singing pretty” is something you’re into. I blame it on recent, heavy usage of pot, which is also not so good for your vocal health.
Yes I choose to smoke pot every now and again. Sorry kiddies, that’s just who I am. I don’t recommend it to those who don’t enjoy it, or to those who enjoy it too much and too often. I personally find it useful and conducive to creative thinking when consumed in moderation, as everything should be. Do I think it should be legalized? Absolutely. It’s being widely smoked whether there is a tax on it or not, plus it’s much safer than other legalized substances on the market. That’s my soap box moment for this blog.
Trevor is a soft spoken, kind, and jovial cat with an affinity towards Hindi spiritual beliefs and reggae music. His songs and his human are both agreeable and uplifting, and I generally enjoy his banter during down time. His band is made up of some incredible musical talents. Aaron Dugan on lead guitar will be the featured band member of this blog entry. Follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=IoFXliTlYS0
Trevor Hall
Trevor’s following tends to lean towards the younger crowd, but a music-lover is a music-lover no matter how young or old, and generally most of them seem to be touched by what I’m trying to do. There are actually quite a few people who come out to see me open because of an old Candy Rat youtube video of me singing “Shadows in a Shoebox” or something of the sort. Some even know the lyrical in’s and out’s of quite a few of my songs. It’s encouraging to see nonetheless.
Yet I’m in a strange and curious place right now. When it comes down to numbers, my name and voice is more widely known than the band I’m opening up for, yet Trevor can draw close to 200 people or more a night to see him play. I couldn’t bring out more than a handful in some of these cities, mainly because I’ve never been through them before. It’s a testament of how continually touring your ass off is how you create and nurture a committed fan-base. Of course your music has to be good and ideally you need to be playing in front of an audience or demographic that is likely to receive your music with open arms. I’m starting to realize how much more it really takes to truly emerge from obscurity…I really feel as if I am starting over from scratch again. Still paying my dues apparently, a sobering reality, humbling to say the least.
So far we’ve been through North Hampton, NYC, Norwalk, Boston, Burlington, Baltimore, Charlotte, and now Hilton Head. We’ve camped 3 times, and eaten fast food only twice, which is pretty amazing. I’ve been taking detailed VLOGS (video blogs) with a new HD camera that I specifically got for this tour. Unfortunately I lost the camera in Charlotte like a moron and lost all the footage along with it. We are just about half way through this run which in full will last a month, Birmingham coming up next, then westward to Austin, Tuscan and Phoenix, eventually ending up in LA with a few stops in between. ( http://matthewsantos.com/shows )
it feels so good to be King...
I feel strangely at home on the road. Still paying rent in Chicago, my loved ones surely missed, but this gypsy lifestyle sustained by constant movement where artistic expression is an everyday happening–this is where my heart is at the moment. Everyday some place new. Every set a stumbling exploration of musical possibilities and refinement. Every night new eyes and ears hold witness with fresh, personal connections to be made. This perpetual newness is just part of the value of being on tour for an extended run as a musician. I feel like Johnny Appleseed walking bare foot through pastures he’s never before traversed, walking this long and winding road simply planting seeds only to return again to nurture their growth.
