4/10/24 - THE WELL BASEMENT - SOUTH BEND, IN
photo by jenna vargo
Midwest leg of the tour. Night 1 kicked off in South Bend, IN. I’ve done a lot of flirting with the idea of touring but this is the first true touring I’ve ever done. And in a lot of ways, i think it’s the hardest way I’ll ever get to do it. I woke up at 7 this morning after a night of rehearsal and online merch store launching preparation (and watching the Red Wings lose—sad). An anecdote that i’ll probably get into more during this tour diary, but I’m getting really into the concept of micronaps. micro-dosing naps? mnaps? still workshopping the name but the concept is these naps that are like 10-15 minutes which i then gaslight myself into thinking that i got actual rest. it feels like a flashback to falling asleep in school.
Nevertheless, South Bend is a really cool city with a music scene that deserves love. I think there is so much merit to playing music in smaller towns and embracing the scenes that exist there in any size. It’s something I’m definitely intrigued by. The show opened up with an awesome set from Why Not Both. I like that they stylize it without a question mark too—rock n roll. They were so tight and really brought the energy. The whole band rocked but I have to give a special shoutout to my boy Joe on guitar who played in such a unique way that completely encapsulated me. Kelsie, John, and Aaron are super deserving of your ears too. They absolutely rocked.
We played second in this set because as the out of town band, it tends to be the best fit in order to still get to play in front of each local bands’ audiences who are generally unfamiliar with my music. We opened it up per usual with our blazing Sleep Fine -> Two Kids In A Trench Coat -> Old Friends (Pinegrove) which had me smiling from ear to ear. Took a new path today and went with IDK Forever -> Never Could’ve Broke It and followed that up with New Ways to Miss You -> Ok on My Own. The next song was a live debut. It’s called Fear Of Moving On and it’s the name of the tour and I was so nervous to play it. It’s a toughie for me but it went really well and it felt so good to connect deeper to a song that truly shook my world up when I wrote it. I’m excited to see how it evolves over the course of the tour. We rolled into If You’re Not Next To Me and then closed with everyone’s favorite (love) a reason to hate you. I’ve been using my pink stratocaster and i can confidently say that it feels like the perfect guitar for this tour. It’s pulling the right emotions out of me.
For context, the show was at The Well Basement which is exactly that: an underground venue. So after my set, I made my way up to the ground floor where they have a cool lounge and an espresso bar. I had a really sweet conversation with the barista there who just volunteers there because he used to go there pre-pandemic with his friend and play in the super smash bro tournaments. He said he liked the vibe so much he just wanted to be around there more. I’m not trying to be dramatic when I say that small things like that make my heart swell. We talked about childhood video games like guitar hero on the gameboy advance with the lil attachment piece or mario kart on the wii with the wheel. I genuinely had a blast talking with him and I think there’s something so inherently special about people from the midwest that i really connect with. Also chatted with Paul and talked about the stellar pistachio lattes at The Well, his job as a hot tub salesman (rad) and our disdain for corporate america. Paul, if you’re reading this, we’re gonna get out of it someday brother!
Back to the basement, the night wrapped up with a killer set from Pendle. They really brought the energy and they’re just getting off the ground as a band but they have a lot to praise. Their use of melody and harmony together were spectacular and they have an energy about them that just makes you want to root for them. They closed the night out with an awesome song called Independence Day and I’m really looking forward to when that comes out. James has definitely got that it-factor on guitar and as a frontman. I’m stoked to see what they do in the future.
Made my way back to my spectacular drummer Devin’s house and polished off some hot fudge sundae pop tarts and a strawberry milk… No further commentary there.
Thank you to everyone who embraced us this evening. I had some fantastic conversations with new friends, had a smile on my face the whole night, and spot-on with my personality, felt bittersweet leaving. It was one of those nights that I kinda wish went on longer but I’m learning how to compartmentalize those emotions in the part of my heart that gets to house those memories forever.
Chicago tomorrow. Goodnight.