Saturday, October 4, 2008

Hangin' with the Yuppers...

Right now I'm lying in bed in a hotel in OH. Which is funny, cause it feels like we've been to OH like seventeen times in the last month... Seriously... It's nuts...

We just got done with our gigs at Upfront & Company in Marquette, MI which turned out pretty awesome.

Now, I'm going to be honest, I wasn't 100% stoked about that trip... I mean... Number one, we were driving from Texas, which just blows. Natalie has a great agent and normally we have pretty solid routing, but when you travel like this, sometimes you just get bent over by your calendar... This was one of those times...

Beyond the 1300 mile drive, the last time I was behind the wheel on our way to Marquette we got hit by a semi... So I will freely admit my brain wasn't all kittens and snowflakes while driving up there again. Obviously, we made it just fine... (a pleasant surprise to say the least.) 

And on top of that, we got booked to play Wednesday and Thursday nights... Which, all to often, is code for a really awkward paid rehearsal. 

Put all that together in my brain and super excited I was not...

I don't know how many people have ever been up there, but it really is stunning. From northern WI all the way in to Marquette is just amazing. The trees... the water... the land... very, very cool. 

It's one of those places that just feels so distant from the world. Like the rest of the country could go into some kind of meltdown and you might not even feel it up there... Which I dig...

There are so many towns we go to where, when you talk to the people, the just have this general distain for where they are. Like...

"Hey man, it's really beautiful here."

"Eh, I guess so... Maybe if you're not from around here..."

It's like how almost all college kids bitch about how boring their college town is... But not Marquette... Everyone I talked to there seemed to have this real passion for living there. Which was refreshing. The whole town really just has this very cool laid back vibe to it. 

And well.... In all fairness... as much as I love Nashville, if the bar next to my house had dollar drafts every night of the week, I would probably be a little more passionate too. And man do they take advantage of it. Both nights were seriously impressive for week nights. I think the whole town must have convened at some point and proclaimed an informal tolerance for hangovers at work... Which is bad-ass, don't get me wrong... It's just crazy. 

Anyway... The moral of this story? If you're looking to get away from it all and drink a whole lot of cheep beer on a wednesday... The UP has got you covered. 

jb


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