Tour Prep: Things Are Looking Up
Over Labor Day, I inked four gigs. This sudden, positive momentum now has me feeling bullish on the tour. Go westward, middle aged man!
During the last two summers as I’ve toured across the country, I have shared my experiences here in the form of Tour Recaps, a sort of diary from my life as a touring musician and curious dude.
Now, as I prep my upcoming tour for the western half of the country, I want to provide you with a small window into what it’s like to plan and book a tour like this. These missives will hopefully give you a glimpse of what it takes to make a tour like this happen. They should also be a way for me to learn more from you about where to go, what to do, where to eat, what to experience, and what not to avoid.
In my experience, half of the fun of an adventure is the planning and getting ready for it. I am thrilled to share all of this with you, and perhaps even more, excited to learn all of the secrets you all may have about where I am headed next and how I should hit the road.
Let’s get ready.
Four Wins In One Day
After a pretty gnarly rough patch that included two canceled gigs, and a stretch of no new dates for almost two weeks, I have just inked a quartet of new shows for the tour! All of these confirmations came in during the end of the Labor Day holiday weekend, a time when I was certain that I would get no news at all, let alone four takers in one twenty four hour stretch.
These new dates help to cement a key show in Bellingham at the beginning of the tour, offer me some mooring in the midst of my California Sojourn, and lock down an important stop in Kansas for the final stretch homeward. Perhaps most crucially, inking four dates in one spurt was an enormous, and much needed morale boost for me and this tour. Once again, I am feeling excited and itching to get back in the saddle.
The first of this batch of new shows finds me at the Schweinhaus Biergarten in Bellingham, WA. Schweinhaus brews their own varieties of German lagers, and is home to a charming German style biergarten where I will be playing the show, PNW weather permitting.
Goldstein’s Mortuary & Delicatessen in Fresno, CA was the second of these confirmations. Although it is no longer a funeral home, or a spot for a sandwich, it was both of those businesses and more during its history. The current bar is a quaint tavern with a stage area that looks to be the perfect place to park myself for a mid-week gig.
The third of these gigs to come through on Labor Day was the Gaslight Gardens in Lawrence, KS. I played Lawrence this summer at a house concert and had a blast. I am thrilled to be headed back to town again already at this sweet looking spot.
Then, just before I got this piece ready for publication, I received a confirmation from Baltic Kiss in Richmond, CA. This quirky tavern looks to be a perfect weeknight fit for Matty C. Plus, it also seems likely I will get to share the stage with a Bay Area band, which should be cool.
Still Some Work To Do
While cementing four shows in one day has been a wonderful gust of wind to the sails, there is still quite a bit of work to do in locking down the last of these dates. These recent steps forward find me with just five dates left to fill on my tour itinerary. The current tally sits at 25 confirmed and a quintet of spots left to go.
Here are the places where I am still searching for hosts.
10/6 - Portland, OR
10/12 - Santa Cruz, CA
10/17 - San Luis Obispo or Ventura, CA
10/18 - Los Angeles, CA
10/26 - Denver, CO
Honestly, my blood pressure feels lower just seeing that list drop from nine dates to five. Still, I have been working hard to fill these dates for months and I continue to find myself coming up without a host.
Do you live near one of these spots? Maybe you know a friend or family member who does? Would you wanna host a house concert? It’s quite easy, won’t cost you any money, and is an absolute blast. Give your friends and neighbors a night they will remember forever.
You can learn more about hosting here.
Below you can find the full rundown of where I’ll be during the six week run of the Sheddio On The Road West Coast Tour, including the dates still in need of a host.
Support The Tour In The Shop
The Sheddio On The Road Shop is open now with new swag to celebrate this massive tour. There is a brand new t-shirt design, sweatshirts, tote bags, and even a bundle that gets you a ticket and a whole bucket of Matty C goodies for a whale of a deal. We have also got a West Coast Edition of our Postcard Program available now as well.
Each purchase goes a long way in ensuring the success of the tour. Even if you cannot make it out to one of the shows, a t-shirt order or a CD purchase can help add some coins to the coffers and help keep up morale on the road. Head on over the shop today and take a look.
Your orders are immensely appreciated, my peeps.
The limited edition sweatshirts and tote bags are going to be pre-order only. Get your orders in no later than Sept. 10!
I hope to have more news of good cheer the next time we chat. Until then, thanks as always for all of your support. I love and appreciate each of you.
Cheers,
Matty C