2,087
2,087 miles on the 'ol Honda on this tour. Greetings, 8 days after it ended.
Had some really truly great and totally miserable times, as tours seem to go! Even the awful, I wouldn't trade back. Driving to, setting up, sound checking and then realizing before shows that I can tell no one will be at - those are pivotal moments that reawaken me. And I know that sounds odd, and it is. It is really a true punch in the gut. But maybe in those moments they offer me a choice - mail it in and feel sorry for myself or pretend I'm playing Red Rocks sold out and deliver the show of my life. I think I've always chosen the latter. As if to sing and play so beautifully like I could will my fantasies to come true someday. I think in some way it does work like that. Just you wait, I'll get a chance to be on tv or play some gigantic show and all of those shows no one was at but I prepared to play for everyone will translate into it being a successful thing. I think I'm just talking about visualization, really. Happens a lot.
That red shot is from Gabe's in Iowa City. That was day 1 of the last 3 days of the tour and Ross and I were really on. Come to think of it there wasn't a show on this tour we didn't look at each other and start laughing like 'where did that come from/how did that exist/that was so awesome I can't believe I just experienced that'. Almost all of these shows were at the top of the list of best shows I have ever played.
In 2006 I remember playing the South Park Music Festival in Colorado and it was like week 5 of a 7 week non-stop tour. Something happened to me in that moment when playing 'Don't Leave Me Now' and I sang it like a madman, I had come off the tracks, on some level I'd never gotten to before. Ever since then that level has mostly been available to me. We played DLMN on or above that level several times on this tour.
We opened a lot of shows with Radiohead's 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)'. I think we closed every show with 'The Storm'. I personally like 'Chasing After You''s facelift with a pre chorus intro-to-the-intro and an unresolved dissolve at the end of it.
There's me from last December listening to mostly final mixes of "Follow The Voices" in Ross' studio. Where I slept for 4 hours after the Columbia show, got up early to go do a St. Louis tv spot but Ferguson was still blowing up so it got cancelled.
This is one of my favorite shots from the St. Louis CD release show:
The Old Rock House show shots are all by Abby Gillardi. St. Louis photographer who does great work.
Our day off was at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.
At the beginning of the tour, American Songwriter magazine did this:
http://www.americansongwriter.com/2014/08/daily-discovery-geoffrey-louis-koch-storm/
At the end of the tour, the Columbia Tribune did this:
We recorded a Daytrotter session in the middle.
Was good to see America again. Was good to see some familiar venues and faces, and thank you for letting us stay at your place, Bryan in Chicago. If you're going from Bloomington, IN to Champaign, IL beware of driving on side highways no matter if it's gonna cut your trip time down. I got two new shatter marks in my windshield on a gravel highway. Not cool to speed past me on a golf ball highway, rig. Not necessary at all. Was spoiled by the great mild weather 95% of the trip. Milwaukee airport hotels, buyer beware. Just saying. Keep your shoes on, don't touch anything. The pool looked great, though! Iowa City looks to be a great town, was nice to be back there. And Columbia, MO. My college town. Lots of history for me there, and it has changed so much. Finally played Mojo's and dang that's a really nice place full of nice people. I will be back.
Was good to be back in St. Louis. What a special night that was. Great crowd, lots of familiar faces. And we brought it. "Follow The Voices" is ready to stream and free to download here. For the price of a New York City gallon of gas you can buy it on iTunes and it'll last you forever. Here.
Was a tour full of great shows. Hope to see you out there again. Thanks for spreading the word and buying my music.
