August 29, 2017 - 10:31am (EST)
... so I've been putting this off for a long time... it eats away at me everyday. I know... I've neglected my personal website for months now... my last blog/tour post was back in February??? What's up with that?? Well I'll tell you what's up with that... These last 12 months have been a bit of an experiment. For years I've offered bands and artists some career advice while we're working together in the studio (... the bonus stuff! Asked or not... lol). When the opportunity to get involved with (now known as) Deadset Society... I told them I needed to play a larger roll if I was to be part of it. ... I felt my reputation was sorta on the line... if I can bark out opinions from the couch, I have to be able to back it up on the field. While we launched this band in October 2016, I feel it really started getting serious in August. A lot of the ground work for the next 12 months had been laid out on paper, goals had been set, and time and money began to be set aside to invest. As much as I really liked the tunes and the guys involved... another big incentive was to get back out touring... I LOVED writing the tour blogs over the years playing with Age Of Days... but I wanted more... It's one thing to be out for a few weeks at a time, but what's it like to be out for a few months... what's it like coming "home" after living out of a suitcase and dining like a college student for weeks on end. (... I'm just going to ramble for a bit btw.) In short... touring is hard... but it's SOOOO worth it. While a lot can be done with a band without having to set foot (or I guess tires) on the road, there's one thing you can't get... Human to Human interaction. Despite all the ups and the downs to doing this... and the opportunities through social media channels... being available (in real life) is crucial. People want an escape at shows... people want to be entertained... people want to leave a show glowing... all warm and fuzzy from having a great time! You have to go meet people (in real life)... and I don't think you'll truly understand how much people are connecting with whatever it is you're doing until you meet them... in real life. So... the tour blog. I've told a few people but I had to put it on the back burner for a couple reasons. #1 - Too f'n tired. Tour managing, playing, graphics, social media, navigating/logistics, financials... pools/hot tubs *cough*. It takes me around 60-90 mins at the end of the day to write about the day (in a way I'm happy with it)... I tried my best at the beginning of the first tour but I was exhausted. I wasn't sure how much extra work it'd be but it didn't take long to find out how much work that really is. Huge props to Matt McLaughlin (Age Of Days) for doing all that over the years... I get it now. Also... something I didn't consider to much on past tours... politics. This is about story telling... while on past tours it's fun to skim the top layer and share my observations (even then management would call in the morning to ask me to remove/edit certain things)... but this year... so many things just wouldn't make sense if I left out details. ... you seriously can't make some of the stuff up that's happened already this year... but I didn't want people reading my thoughts the morning after and having that mess with their "day-to-day". (... or other bands we're out with for that matter.) It's a fine line but... like Game Of Thrones... it's hilarious how complicated things can get when you factor in personal agendas, politics, coincidences, the actions that come of it, and the results because of them. ... all that being said, I'm keeping my notes off to the side... waaaaay too much gold to go to waste! lol. Again... you can't make this stuff up.... ... I can't say when (later), or how (possibly a book), but I'll have stories to share. ... and just in case something should happen to me, I've hidden my notes online. (If you know me, you know that's how I roll. ;-) ) In closing... I'd like to finalize this by reassuring everyone I haven't changed my stance on why I don't want to be in a band and that being in a band sucks... but I love this band, these songs, and this group of guys more than I don't want to be in a band. ... and I can't say thank you enough to everyone who's been supportive of us as a collective... especially our friends and family back home... you mean the world to us! In an strange way, they're one thing you should never leave for tour without! More things planned, bigger goals set, and we look forward to what 2018 has in store... yes, already... because this is how far out things should be planned... if you have a plan. - Mike :-) P.S. The pic at the top is the last one I took at the Trapt show in Keokuk, IA... before I fell asleep on the bench... before waking up to people staring at me after doors opened... and then realizing people were taking pictures of me while I was asleep. :-| Zzz... #tourlife
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Mike Langford - Official BlogBeing on both sides of the glass, I get the chance to wear many hats in the music industry. This is a place to share my thoughts, views, predictions, rants, stories and news! Categories
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