Nice review of last night's show at Chicagoist. And, nice review of Wednesday's show in Minneapolis.

Did The O.C. use "Circles" a lot last night? I haven't seen it yet.

Greeting from a brisk and sunny Chicago.

Tuesday, a smaller but appreciative crowd in St. Louis. Met a bunch of nice folks who drove over from Columbia MO - sounds like there's a fun little scene there. After the show, we drove to Janesville WI to sleep for a few hours.

Wednesday, a long drive for the show in Minneapolis. Playing at First Avenue is always a blessing and a curse; I grew up in that room, and it always brings back the memories. Lots of familiar faces in the crowd. The room was packed, and we turned in our best show of the week.

Thursday, a long drive for the show in Chicago. A full house at Metro, and though I was struggling with the air conditioning blowing right on me for the first 40 minutes, the show ended on a very high note. Great crowd as well. We're playing Chicago again tonight. Tickets are still available.

We've logged well over 3000 miles this week, played 6 shows, and in the span of 36 hours, went from 108 to 40 degrees. I'm surprised I'm still standing. I'm off to enjoy a quiet afternoon.

Greetings from St. Louis. Just arrived from Austin, via the overnight stop in Springfield MO. It's a nice day here, but there's WiFi in the dressing room. I'm getting caught up on my blog reading.

The hot topic on Stereogum: to O.C., or not? I say yes.

Coolfer is also steering people to the Onion AV Club interview.

OK - I just realized I am Joan Crawford blogging. Trevor busted me on this one night ("you're reading your own press in public!"). Oh well. I'm a little bored today.

Uncut are sound checking at the moment. I am excited to see them play this week.

Just finished a wild show at ACL Fest in Austin. It was 107 degrees, and the sun was beating down hard. I felt terrible for Brendan - I could hear the water leaving his body. I only had two near-blackout moments, which was surprisingly low.

The tour has been interesting so far. We left DC Thursday morning, and played an OK show in Chapel Hill. Atlanta on Friday was great, the crowd was really giving us a lot of energy and encouragement. Very simple formula, folks: you give us love, we give you rock. It also helps when the house is full of old friends, fellow players, and sexy bloggers.

Saturday was the long drive from Atlanta to Dallas. We knew we were going to encounter Rita at some point; it ended up being an all-day affair. The storm was breaking up on the eastern side of the eye, sending stray flanges of weather right into our path. We traveled through hours of rain, and had to pull off the highway at times. Many services were closed along stretches of I-20. Very little civilian traffic. Convoys of all types were heading into the storm: military personnel, Budget box trucks with Red Cross signage attached, electrical repair trucks from phone and utility companies as far away as Michigan. A surreal day. Approaching Shreveport, we drove through miles of decimated billboards. We arrived in Dallas late in the evening - to a hotel filled with evacuees and a Trekkie convention! What a combination. This was one of those days that can only happen on a rock tour.

As always, thoughts and prayers to those who have been affected by the storm.

This was the heaviest thing I heard all week.

Nice piece at Stereogum, which is a daily bookmark for me. It points to the big Onion AV Club interview. Don't forget about "The O.C." next Thursday.

"Circles" will be featured in next Thursday's episode of this popular TV show. I will be in Chicago, but I'm hoping to at least see a tape of it at some point. That's September 29 - me in Chicago, my music on TV.

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Random thoughts, as I repack my bags.

Hindu squats as part of a portable workout.

A band I heard this morning. The second song is beautiful, downtuned droning.

Yet another adult site for "robust, rugged" men to post and peruse profiles and pictures.

I had hopes for this software, but after trying the demo, I'll stick with Auto-Tune.

Looks to be a good film.

Looking forward to Sunday night.

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Over the past six days, I'm reminded how important my friends are to me. I always know this to be true, but after being away for a couple weeks, the reconnect is amazing. Clickboo often talks about "our family", as goofy and dysfunctional as it can often be. It's all we have, though; we grow up, or try to, and end up supporting and being supported by those with whom we choose to share our time and thoughts. As the holidays approach, and I make plans for opening my home and heart to those who I care for (and cared for me), the idea of family comes to the forefront. We have our blood families, and then our chosen families. Rambling, I know, but the point is: I love my friends. At the end of the day, the end of the tour, the end of my life (which I pray is many many decades away), it's all I'm going to have. Day in day out, it's what I count on.

"Circles" will be featured in next Thursday's episode of this popular TV show. I will be in Chicago, but I'm hoping to at least see a tape of it at some point. That's September 29 - me in Chicago, my music on TV.

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Friday, arrived home safely. Immediately to the gym, and on to Titan to see my buds. Lots of pals were there, and it was nice to be home for a moment.

Saturday, another decent workout, then spent the afternoon helping a buddy move possessions. A nice dinner at Thai Chef, a stop at Duplex, some DVD watching, and a nightcap at the bar.

Sunday, workout, brunch, and home improvement shopping. Found some stuff at IKEA, then slept the early evening away. Woke up for dessert in the 'hood, and then back to bed.

Monday, more press for the tour. Today, more tour preparations. The tour resumes on Thursday. The next few weeks are filled with long ass drives. I haven't calculated the mileage; fortunately, all 4 of us enjoy sitting behind the wheel.

Home in one piece. It's time to decompress. I only gained one pound, body fat is about the same, but everything is sagging. Nothing that 6 days of hitting the gym can't fix.

Two more pictures from the last few days in Europe. Dom and Amsterdam. I want to go back. Soon.

Week two of Europe was fun. The band is tight, the shows are getting better, and the crowds have been very responsive.

Sunday, Aarhus. A smaller but appreciative crowd. A local band called Tone Control played in the lounge area after our set, and were good. A few locals took me to the nearby 7-Eleven, where I had four chicken kabobs. The clerk (and the local guys) seemed astonished at my ability to consume.

Monday was a travel day to Koln. If you bring your children on vacation to Germany, and you let them run wild in the rest areas, here's some things they might ask you to buy.









Went out walking in Koln Monday night, and ran into a few locals at Cox. Some DC buds told me it would be fun, and it was. Hit a few more places, and called it a night.

Tuesday, spent some time at Dom. I think the Pope had been there a few weeks prior. It's an amazing structure, and houses some of the most luxurious and storied religious artifacts of all time. Walked a lot during the afternoon, and had a very good show that evening. The gig was moved to Prime Club, which I have played many times in the past, and the crowd was nearly as bonkers as London. Lots of broken glass on stage by the end of the night. Rich was a little stunned at the crowd breaching the stage, while Brendan and I thought it was rather mild (compared to things we've seen in years past). Went out with a DC bud (and his pals) after the show. Nice finish to the evening.

Wednesday, my favorite city in Europe, Amsterdam. Walked all over the place, played a decent show, and out to the coffee shops for some post-tour relaxation. Head scratcher of the day: the store which sells the animal castration device a/k/a/ the Elastrator. I know what it does, but you don't want to know.

Thursday, my off day in Amsterdam. In years past, I've thought of moving to Holland. I love the culture, and always feel at home. Prices have skyrocketed in the past few years, however, so I'll postpone that dream some more. Between Amsterdam and Rehoboth, there's two real estate investments I should have made. Doh. I have been walking all day and night, and am now decompressing before the flight home in the morning.

One week into the tour, and all is well.

Monday and Tuesday: the London show was one of the best I've played in years. I've received dozens of thank you letters from people who were there. Maybe I'll post some of them in a few days, they are very sweet and thoughtful. Also got to hang out with my pal Mark, which is always a big pleasure.

Wednesday: Brussels. Nice club, fun neighborhood, decent show. Ran into a couple guys from Antwerpen after the show, and they toted me around to various clubs. The weather is amazing.

Thursday and Friday: Hamburg. Great time. Thursday night was free, so I was able to get out and explore the city. All 4 of us went out to the Reeperbahn, which is the entertainment center of the city. Discos, strippers, dusty old bars, video booths, all that sort of stuff. Not specifically a red light district, but a similar feel. I peeled off by myself, ran into a couple guys from Austria, and they were kind enough to tote me around to all the gay bars in St. Georg (the hip little neighborhood we were staying in). A late night. The show was very good, the club was down on the Reeperbahn. Nice folks at the venue, talked to some interesting people after the (early) show. Out on the town again after the gig. It almost felt like a night out with the guys back home; Hamburg men are very friendly, and most everyone speaks English. I could definitely spend more time there.





Saturday: Copenhagen. A smaller crowd, a tight sounding gig, a little restrained in parts (choking on cigarette smoke put a damper on my singing), but it ended well. Walked for miles after the gig in search of food. It's an early town, and food choices were clustered in an area far away from the motel.

Sunday: we have arrived in Aarhus. A venue with laundry, WiFi, coffee and food. I am set for the night.

Monday and Tuesday: Koln, where I am scheduled to meet with friends of DC friends. Wednesday and Thursday: Amsterdam. Friday: home to DC.

Vote early, and vote often.

Greetings from London. Arrived safely in Amsterdam Saturday morning. No problems at all. KLM is a decent airline.

The weekend in Dublin was a blast. Lots of sightseeing, good eating and clubbing. Had a blast with the locals at The Dragon; special thanks to my "new publicist" Michael and his birthday buddy Dez. I now suspect I know 80% of Dublin. Or at least they know me.

Sunday's gig was very good for a first go. Let's see: jet lagged, rented gear, festival, no sound check. Can it be any more difficult? There was not a single problem, though; the set went quite well, the crowd was appreciative, and it can only get easier from here. The band is pretty good.

Busy day today. Early sound check, 2 BBC interviews, and a nearly sold out show tonight. If you're in London, call ahead for ticket availability. I hope to resume a more regular blogging schedule in a few days. Still settling into my Eurogroove. And I am desperate for a workout.

Rehearsals are finished. Gear is packed. Laundry is drying. Time to hit the road. I haven't been on tour in Europe in years, so I don't know how often I'll be able to get online. I suspect it'll be very similar to major cities in the US. Anyhow, I'll try to update when possible. We leave tomorrow afternoon for Dublin.

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The images from the storm are hard to watch. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina.

I heard this band earlier this week on KEXP. I particularly like the song "Horns". "Animal Song" is pretty cool too.

What else? CobbTwenty8 clothing. Oliver's contest - vote for me. Or, as Fat Actress star Kirstie Alley screamed at her agent, "choose me! Choose ME, Sam! CHOOSE ME!!" To watch this vignette, go here, and click on "Give Me A TV Show". I pity the person who sits next to me on the plane, as I'm watching the DVD.