Dawn Of A New Day (At In Flames' Restaurant 2112)

in ,

"Dawn Of A New Day"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNasRspzJZ8

"Harvest"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjkmuQ-JIpk

"Hurt"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_VVQNRHcNY

"Hallelujah"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIQlscCYf4E

"Dying In Your Arms"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JLHJto1kSk&feature=relmfu

 

Dawn Of A New Day (At In Flames' Restaurant, 2112)

Gothenburg, Sweden

Life used to be sort of difficult in Trivium: always hearing of "other bands" that either say that we suck or that "Matt Heafy is a _____ (insert numerous insults in blank)", or ludicrously cold commentary online about things surpassing the boundaries of necessity when you simply don't like a band. It hurt a bit being in my late teens just making the kind of music I wanted, but always having to "hear" about how bands, press, or kids thought I or the band sucked. Nowadays? I never hear anything band really (or don't mind), and I've managed to befriend some musicians that I always considered some of the greatest people on Earth. 

There are days and moments in life where I think I'll wake up and everything great going on wasn't real… but that doesn't seem to happen. I finished up the Moscot Mobileyes Foundation acoustic solo show, get home and notice that the clips of the songs are online; I received a text and it's from Peter Iwers of In Flames, saying how he really enjoyed the acoustic performance clips online and would love to see if I'd be into performing at his and Bjorn's restaurant 2112. Anyone who knows me knows that I wouldn't exist musically without In Flames - and over the years (and 8 tours together), In Flames has become some of my closest band-friends in the world; so that nice text from Peter was touching and inspiring. 

Peter and Bjorn own an amazing restaurant in Gothenburg, Sweden, and I've actually had the privilege of eating and drinking (lots) there several times; so any excuse to come back to 2112 is always a good one. There was a ferry-travel date in between Stockholm and Helsinki where I was able to coordinate flying into Gothenburg on the day off to perform at 2112 for Cancer Fonden Sweden (a cancer foundation). Unfortunately, In Flames was in the USA at the time I'd be performing, but I would still be able to hang out with some of their nearest and dearest pals of Gothenburg. 

Before the last acoustic show, I was a nervous wreck… I'm used to playing Trivium shows - that doesn't phase me; but playing completely by myself is a little nerve-wracking since by that point, I had only performed once solo. Even before the European Headlining Trivium tour started, I was rehearsing the full set of songs daily - ensuring that I would perfectly nail these tracks at one of my favorite bands' restaurants. Throughout the whole tour, I would rehearse the acoustic sets and ensure my utmost healthiness to save my voice all for that one acoustic show. 

I fly out of Stockholm, and there was a group of 6-8 amateur basketball players: half of them American, half Swedish, all very tall and loud (the Americans at least). I sit in my seat, and recline when it's time to recline - violently, my seat is force-shoved back forward and held in place by the kid behind me. I turn my head slightly, shaking in rage, about to tell him off - when I start to realize that I am surrounded by his "boys" (as far as seating is concerned); having recently dealt with gang-mentality recently (and being assaulted and threatened with a gun) my mind played out the scenarios of what I could say and what would happen. It sucked - but I had to just suck it up and sit there… I knew that if I turned around and got vicious - I would be outnumbered by a bunch of half-wit wanna-be amateur gargantuan-children. Later on, I stood up on the flight and looked right at the kid - he kept eye-contact to the ground… maybe he didn't realize that the dude in front of him was decked out in all black with a massive pentagram on his back with tattooed arms… fuckin' asshole. It was another one of those moments that the human race let me down; like the gang jumping. Long story short: I was punched in the face and chased into the street by 8-10 kids threatening to kill my manager and I; gun pulled out and all; they later cut us back off by our bus, shattered our managers collar bone - luckily I phoned the police on the way back before we were cut off and they showed up to break it all up. I've never had a moment in my life before that I thought I would never be going home again. 

Flash back forward a few months. I arrive at the Elite Plaza Gothenburg - a quite nice hotel for the evening; I was even upgraded to a suite for free - bonus. I meet Jorgen and Sara from 2112 for a quick lunch at Bliss (the restaurant next door to 2112). The restaurant was closed, but Sara knew the chef, so he busted out a plate of the fish special of the day for me. This fish was some kind of white Swedish fish (most likely cod), simply prepared with a very tasty white sauce and that lasagna-looking traditional Swedish vegetable side-dish. Beautiful little dish. New Swedish I'd call it. Jorgen, Sara, and I chat a bit, then head over to 2112 to build a stage out of some wooden-crate platform-things and rugs (punk rock, but it works) and I rehearse a track or two. 

Amazingly, I was able to score a haircut at Bena with Stina before the gig - I headed over there and got my Kramer-situation situated wonderfully. Post new-doo, it was time to yoga and rehearse a bit more before the performance. 

2112 was packed to capacity with people happily chowing down on the restaurant's new menu (all gourmet burgers) and drinking their world-class beers; I headed into the stock room for some final nervous-prep and a glass of water. When it was stage time, I walked through the crowd and sat upon my make-shift stage and belted away some oldies…

The set went flawlessly on the covers. I went from "Can't Help Falling In Love" into "Sweetest Perfection", then "Hurt", "In Dreams", "Eleanor Rigby", "Hallelujah" (the show stopper), "Dawn Of A New Day" by In Flames, "Harvest" by Opeth, then closed with "Dying In Your Arms" by Trivium. Hilariously, I botched "Dying" (charmingly at least) - then the set was over. It was a pleasure to do a great little acoustic set for some Swedish friends for a good cause; I thank Peter and Bjorn for allowing me into their fantastic spot once again. 

After some photos and signings Jorgen, Sara, Tomoko (Trivium Japan), myself and a rotating cast of 2112/In Flames' nearest and dearest all begin our feast on some of 2112's best grub. 

Directly from the menu:

iCod
6 oz Cod & Salmonburger served with 2112′s homemade Skagenröra with shrimps, arrives with tomato, salad & onions, served on a homemade coarse bread.

Gelotte Grande
6 oz Vealburger with Chiliaioli, aged Cheddar cheese, onionring, salad, tomato, served on homemade bread.

Le Petit Pedda
6 oz. Ground Wagyu Prime rib served with grilled Foie Gras (Duck Liver), truffles mayonnaise, Salad, Tomatoes, Red Onions, presented on homemade coarse bread.

2112 Famous Burger
6 oz. American ground Prime Rib with truffle mayonnaise, Salad, Beef Tomato, Red Onions, Swedish aged Prästost, served with homemade bread.

All burgers are served with 2112′s famous homemade Coleslaw Salad. All buns are freshly baked at 2112.

We also had onion rings and some seriously fat-cut proper-chips. 

I was at first saddened to hear that the original chef I had become so accustomed to at 2112 had departed (he was behind all the dishes you've seen me previously consume) however- these gourmet burgers delivered some serious flavor. The combinations of the minimal ingredients and the interesting meats (like the iCod and the Pedda) made for some palette-excitement. My favorite has to have been the Le Petit Pedda; veal burger with foie gras?? Fuck. Yes. Well done 2112, well done.  

I insisted that my dinner-guests and I all simply share the dishes like good caveman-friends; I wanted us each to just pass the burgers around and take massive bites off each (the most fun way to eat with your friends). I had a fantastic set of burgers and fries with some delicious Swedish and American Micro Brew Beers (2112's specialty). 

All in all, it was a really fun night and for a good cause. I was treated like royalty at 2112 by the staff and by the patrons. I can't wait to get back over there. 

Toe Kyo Whoa Oh. Sahn.

in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLtp0z2d2ZY

(The Trivs eatin' Yasui)

Toe Kyo Whoa Oh. Sahn. 

Tokyo

Amazingly, it was still the arrival day. Pretty much instantly when we finished dinner, we walked to another dinner. That's how I do it in my home-land - if I'm there for only a few 24-hour chunks… I am going to eat that town like Godzilla. I think in that 1.5-2 day time frame, I consumed somewhere are 30 or 40 different dishes… probably guzzled down a gallon or two of Japanese beer to boot. I do not fuck around when it comes to my food in Japan.

Koji is someone who I consider a dear friend. I don't often get to see him or chat and such due to being on polar opposite ends of the earth - but when we're together, we're on the same brain waves. This dude even came to my engagement party in Florida when I first got engaged to Ashley. With Koji, I have eaten some of the greatest meals of my life… I have stayed out later with that dude than anyone I know… I've done headstands in rock clubs at 5:50am with him… we've eaten some insane shit too. Koji and I are cut from the same cloth: two dudes who put family and friends above all else… then food in second place… then metal and music in a not-too-distant third place. 

We rounded up Corey, Nick, Paolo, myself, Koji and a few other Roadrunner/Warner Japan folks and wandered to find a spot for dinner. We all agreed that this are was a little trickier than our normal haunt… but Koji had a plan as always. 

Koji took us to a spot called Tekke Tekke. The name is supposed to be the literal sound that a chicken makes when it walks - Tekke Tekke pretty much mainly focuses on doing dishes made of chicken. When we first came in, we saw several people crowded around one of those little private booths: passed out business man. 

The Japanese work hard. Japanese people are probably some of the hardest workers on the planet. They get up early as hell… commute pretty far distances… work and work and work - till they (sometimes literally) collapse. My mom made a joke on my first visit to Japan, when I was astonished how almost everyone in Japan smokes… "A cigarette is the only break we get on a work day." I commend the Japanese too for their work and party-duality-effort. They work their frickin' asses off… then get bombed as all-holy-hell - then show up to work the next day whether hung over or not and deliver 110%. Ol' oh-gee-chan here probably hit the work week a little hard. Thankfully for his impending hangover - it was Friday.

Cabbage and miso dip came up first. Miso dip is a semi-thick viscous sauce that makes a true Ramen into a miso Ramen. This two ingredient little starter was so damn good for being just cabbage and fermented soy bean paste… insane. Suntory? Yes please. The super-crunchy sweet beans were better than any late night bar food could be; the spicy fish egg and radish salad with Japanese mayo (Japanese mayo is another thing of beauty… crushes even Amsterdam's kebab-shop chip mayo… and that is saying a lot) - fantastic.

Chicken skin and onions in some kind of sauce came up - not unlike delicious pork rinds; Japanese wings came up next with black pepper and spice - fuckin' groovy (to quote Cassidy from Preacher). Karage is something you need to order if you're in a legit Japanese place with Japanese cooks. It's boneless, fried chicken. Salty, crispy, greasy - drizzle some lemon on and fall in love. Any time I am somewhere legit that his Karage, and I'm with beginner-Sushi level friends, this is always a favorite.

We had chicken breast, chicken yaki-tori (with all sorts of offal-good parts), fish fins (with sweet Japanese mayo) - these guys were chewy and crispy - Corey hated it, I loved it. Clams with wasabi, ebi mayo (Koji's favorite dish in Japan), minced chicken in salt, cheese with mayo… then chicken ham. Yes, chicken ham. It was like any other terrine I've had - only with chicken - salty… good… similar to a really soft pork-ham. 

And then… the cameras came out.

A challenge. Gete-mono. You may have heard me mention before that I will try anything that is actually eaten by a culture. You may have heard me ask many-a-time to get some gete-mono. Gete-mono translates to "ugly food." It is Japan's offal… only usually far more intense than America's offal. Out came a brick… in wrapped paper - I thought they were busting out a couple kilos of heroine or something… nope. Bugs. Biblical plague bugs. Locust. Yasui. I, for most of my life have been somewhat… terrified… of bugs. Not snakes or bears or the unknown… little bugs. 

Lemme tell ya somethin' toss enough of those little sugary/salty/crispy bar-snack-esque buddies down your gullet - and you'll become a fan of bugs. This stuff was good. Pretty darn good. I couldn't believe it.

The locust were chased with some delicate, sweet almond tofus with fruit and a hot ocha. Wanna talk best tea on earth? Wanna guess my answer?

With enough locust in my gut to make my own miniature Jeff Goldblum… we were off to bed. Finally. 

(to be continued…)

Asking Triviumandria

in


Corey. Eat. Fries. (movie)

Pints Of Guinness Makes You Strong

Charlotte, NC

There's no question that seeing Trivium in the midst of a touring bill that reads acts like The Amity Affliction, Upon A Burning Body, I See Stars, Motionless In White and Asking Alexandria may be just a little bit puzzling to those familiar with our usual touring-mates. Well - we've stated both musically and verbally that this is a whole new year for Trivium. 

Already this year in the USA alone, we've toured with Dream Theater, In Flames, (out with) Asking Alexandria and (will be out with) Five Finger Death Punch. I dare you to find another band who can successfully pull off all four of those different tours in a year. You'd be hard pressed to. 

It's amazing how young the AA crowd is… I'm talkin' an average of 14-17/18 being their main demographic… but you will see kids around 8-11 with their parents; and then kids in their 20's. That is an amazing thing for a band - I mean, our demo is young - but not that young. When your audience is that young… they will grow with you and stick with you if you do the right things. Each show night for us… you can see that the AA crowd knows every other band pretty damn well - and us? 60-80 percent first timers - and ya know what? It's working out really well. 

We stick out like a sore thumb… and I love that. The other bands on the tour certainly delve into heaviness and have really honed in their own style - but you can just see it that we come from a different musical planet. I feel bands that take the risk of diversity always bring something interesting to an otherwise mundane, stereotypical musical touring-world. AA is being diverse by bringing us out, and we're challenging ourselves with a new audience by being out with them. 

Everyone (who I've met) on the tour so far is super nice - the AA guys have let us know that Ascendancy was a favorite album of theirs. This is always a mind-blowing thing for us. We are not used to bands liking us. We have never been a critics' band… we have never been a bands' band… we've always been solely appreciated by our fans only. When we first started touring - all the older bands would always be pretty rough on us… cold if I may. It took 5 albums and an over 10-year career to start getting the respect that critically acclaimed bands get on their first album and first year. 

So when the AA guys mentioned they really dug our band - I was blown away and appreciative. 

We've recently been able to hang with them all a bit - and Charlotte was one of our first mass group-hangs. But let's back track for some food…

We did 12 performances in 11 days on the beginning of the AA run… some headliner shows in there, some acoustic performances - we had 3 beautiful days at home - then I flew to Charlotte at Amos' to meet up with the tour. 

As soon as I dropped my bags, I noticed a Greek place within 30 seconds walking - Greek Isles. I hit that up for a Gyro to go. Pretty decent stuff. It was turned out almost too quickly - but it certainly topped the Gyro I had just tried to eat in San Antonio across from the White Rabbit. I'd say… to quote our merch guy Rob… "It was aaaheeeiiight…" 

When dinner time rolled around, I suited up with Paolo and our tour manager Joey to head to a Latin American place I had read about: Pio Pio. We did the well over 1 and a half mile walk to Pio Pio (it even started torrentially down-pouring when we were finally close) and sat down. 

This place had a familiar vibe to it… dare I say a really-put together Nando's vibe? Nando's… yes I know I am typically anti-chain - Nando's is one of the very few chains I seek out. It's damn good stuff - hormone free, wood-fire-grilled Peruvian chicken and chips - hit it if you live in the UK or Australia. 

Pio Pio's! So I would guess this place is a Peruvian establishment - we certainly ordered a heaping feast: The Matador Combo. It was a whole rotisserie chicken, salad, rice and beans, frankfurters and fries, tostones and ripe plantains. This shit was insanely delicious. 35 or so bucks for what could have easily fed four people. 

The chicken was done very simply, no frills or nonsense; the beans were soupy-delicious, and the rice simple. I appreciate a place that can really just like the ingredients be minimal… focusing in on what you're eating - not masking. Hell - even the salad was good. Usually restaurants in the more casual realm blow it with shot salads - this one had a simple vinegar/citrus flavor going on - the avocados were a great touch. 

The plantains were reminiscent of Cuban-style, soft inside/slightly crisp/chew outside; the tostones - heavenly. I was really into the frankfurters and fries. I've never seen that before… but what's nice was the saltiness of the frankfurters went right with the non-salted fries - I'm curious how traditional that dish was… nevertheless - fantastic.

We wandered back, played a great show - then headed to the bar next door.

Tavern is a 10 second walk from the bus lot of Amos' - Rob and I popped in for some Guinness on draft and took a seat. Rob is my food buddy… we both also have an affinity for wellness and homeopathic remedies and natural-concoctions. He got me into Kombucha - I got him back into Neilmed Nasal Saline Sprays. 

Rob taught me recently that Guinness is actually kinda good for you. It's one of the only (if not only) beers that causes no inflammation… it has a good deal of iron… and a few other science-y factual bits that may not be that interesting on this beer blog just yet.

Soon, the Trivium's and crew started popping in, Nick's brother was even there… then the AA band are crew started filtering in as well. 

It's really nice to be able to be on a tour with a band that is closer to our age range than we're used to - amazingly still… the AA dudes are a couple years younger than us. It was great to finally get to have a chat about all the things band dudes get to chat about: beer, shows, guitars, playing… all that good stuff that all us band dudes can easily vent to each other about in that sort of way that each of us knows exactly how the other one feels on all things that come with this lifestyle. 

I know that they are getting a mirror of what we were getting shortly after Ascendancy: young band who is successful… people hating on that hard. I'm sure it's the same bullshit jealousy we were flooded with when we first exploded onto the scene. It was nice to reflect on the fact we've both been hit with that… granted - we still get hit with it 3 albums later! It's just a part of musical-life.

Everyone guzzled down their booze of choice and got to have a good ol' time together. It was nice to break the ice with our new buddies in Asking Alexandria.

Thouth By Thouthwetht (day 2)

in

Skrillex - SXSW

AWK - SXSW

Austin, Tx

SXSX Acoustic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl9fhYyXv_U&feature=related

Day 2. I woke up in my impossibly shitty hotel (Homestead Suites at 507 something… a mile from the goodness of SXSW) that was priced at $250 bucks (as compared to their normal $80-something). Front desk said (even though the dude who checked me in at 1am said I'd have till 1pm) said I needed to be out by noon… I was informed that the guy who checked me in didn't' even work at the hotel - well… how the fuck did he swipe my card then? Whatever… I was out. 

Popped by the bus - found it essentially a grave yard… passed out pirates and socks lined the bunk halls. Fortunately, Rob and Joey were keen on a walk into town for some grub. Our mission today was simple: no friggon restaurants… only trucks. Trucks dammit!

We walked a little over a mile to get to Naan Stop, an Indian truck that came highly rated on all our internet sources. I was greeted by a very friendly woman working the window - I asked her what's the best - my prescription was the Parantha Roll with a mixture of Paneer and Chicken. What's funny about Naan Stop is that they don't have naan necessarily… but instead the parantha bread instead. It's like a burrito tortilla but made of naan-type material. My chicken and paneer was heavenly - it's like a home-made hand rolled taco… but with a burrito-sized home. The chicken and paneer (which I think is some sort of special cheese or cheese curd - somewhere between the texture of feta cheese and tofu) came in a (what I thought) was perfectly mild sauce. I guess it was really spicy judging by the mild-tear up by Rob and Joey from theirs. Really slamming. 

Today was eating for sport day… we then immediately headed to Chi'lantro for some Korean/Mexican fusion. I went for the beef and pork bulgogi tacos. Bulgogi is the Korean marinade for their meats - great stuff. It came in the traditional Mexican-fashion of double-tortilla, tons of chopped cilantro. I went for the added kimchi on top (fermented cabbage in a spicy Korean sauce). These were some meaty-ass tacos for 6 bucks. 

Immediately after that - we saw there was a Whole Foods mini-compound really close by. Rob and I are very much so into Kombuchas and homeopathic and holistic goodies; the 3 of us very much so into juices and such - so we popped in to see what the Whole Foods mini-world had to offer.

They had a charging station… fueled by solar panels… food truck, juice bar, quick snacks - they had it all. Whole Foods always seems to be on their game with offering rad things. I was stuffed to heck… and they didn't have any homebrew Kombucha - so I got a GT's Kombucha Trilogy and we were on our way to the Court Yard park for some radio promo with Stalker Radio. 

We got a little lost, then were a little early - so we popped into Halcyon for some coffees. Halcyon is a cool local coffee place that prides itself on selling vices bad for you: coffee, booze, cigarettes - ha! I stuck with an iced coffee - we chatted, met up with Paolo and Corey, then were on our way for some promo. The interview with Stalker went fantastically - really quality questions; we were by the stage that the Kaiser Chiefs and Keane were about to play on… but had to head back to the hotel to rehearse for our acoustic performance coming up at JR's.

On our walk back, we passed Madeline Creamery and couldn't pass it up. My selection: Candied Bacon and Maple; Mango, Saffron and Pistachio. Insanely great. I love local, small-batch, home made ice cream - I am a sucker for it. Pistachio has recently become a major favorite of mine - this one had large hunks of the nut in it - the subtle saffron complimented… mango was something you noticed on the finish. Candied bacon and maple was something that would have went delightfully with bourbon. 

Making our way back into the front lounge at our spot at that shot-ass Homestead, we rehearsed a batch of songs to see if they'd even work as acoustics. We had our normal 3 down: "Built," "Maiden," "Dying." But we tried out "In Waves," "Like Light To The Flies" and "Black." Obviously (if you went to the 3-song show) only the normal 3 worked out. 

Next - I figured I'd grab an abbreviated yoga-session and a quick shower. It can't ever be that simple on the road though, can it? Kids ask… "what're the bad parts about touring?" Well here's one:

You walk into your shared hotel room/shower room/toilet room. You share it with your entire band and crew (10 people in this case) and there it is… smelling like a combination of moth-balls, distilled/pickled vinegar; there are body-waste-streaked towels strewn across the bed, counter, sinks, fridge, TV; there is garbage everywhere but the trash can - half drank beers, sodas, chips, rotting fast food… there is freshly caked facial hair clogging the sink - long hair smashed and stuck against the mirror… in the shower, there's freshly trimmed ball and ass hair lining the entire (already filthy) tub. More hair clumped on the walls. There are toiletries everywhere… and filth and stickiness and other grotesque nonsense. 

I flip. I send a mass text (we communicate via mass text on tour) a really scathing threat to everyone who lives on our bus basically that if this happens again - Trivium won't be forking over the money for day room/shitter/shower rooms for ingrates. It was pretty vicious. Deservingly so in my opinion.

I clean the room up myself… do some yoga, shower, then prep to head back into town again.

We make plans to meet up at East Side King (a place recommended to me by a chef in Orlando, Tony Adams - who runs Big Wheel; and several of Rob's friends in town). Paolo, Joey and I luckily grab a cab and head to Liberty Bar (where East Side King resides in it's backyard). Liberty is a rad spot - hip kids fill the joint; it's away from the hustle and bustle of out-of-towners flooding the streets of the main drags of SXSW. However - this place is packed with the more-so locals. 

We head into the back yard where one of the billions of indie-bands of SX is playing - and line up. The line doesn't move… 5… 7 minutes. Unyielding. We grab some Fire Eagle IPAs hoping to pass the time… then we notice stage time is creeping up - we have to pack up and call it a loss. We were bummed.

We luck out - there is a sister location only a minute walk away! We get to the Ruckle (?) location and line up… the kid opens the window "Uh… we're closed for 45 minutes or so." Defeated, we slunk away with lowered heads and collapsed shoulders.

The walk to JR's revealed tons of encampments of food trucks - some promising-looking, some dismal. Eventually after 3 or so of these clusters, we hit a decent looking batch. My cohorts (Joey, Justin, Paolo and Rob) all grab something from one spot… I stop at Love Balls (yes… Love Balls). Love Balls does Tako-Yaki - Japanese dough balls with bits of octopus inside, usually some bonito flakes on top, okonomi-sauce on top. These are very different from their Osakan-origins - they look the same… but are a little more grilled, a little less quick and efficient than the classic… but nevertheless, real good stuff. My 6 bucks gets me 6 tako-yaki balls; 4 bucks get me Yaki-Onigiri. Onigiri is a hand-made rice triangle… something mothers usually make their kids and pop in their lunch boxes. My mom would make this a lot when I was a kid. 

The onigiri here didn't have any ume-boshi or salmon inside… but was grilled in garlic and laid on top of big nori - this was a delightful, simple little dish. It was just fried rice triangles with some soy and garlic, and it was really something fantastic. I think my buddies wish they got what I did.

Wandering to Jr's full and tired… we pass more and more people and music - the ears were starting to ring; the stomach starting to whimper in fullness.

I was pretty nervous when we showed up to JR's. I knew there'd be quite a few Trivium kids expecting full Trivium… not an acoustic 3/4's of Trivium. When we arrived, Turbo Geist was wailing away another high-energy set of aggressive/melodic punk. Man… I see why this is the "old" Emo's. It's a junk-pile if you're in a band. Our drum tech apparently had his dick grabbed by another patron at the urine-trough… he had to pin the dude against a wall with a fist cocked… only to have the dude try to grab it again, duck out and run off. 

As we warmed up and changed and all - The Soldier Thread delivered a great acoustic set. TST is another 5B artist who, I've unfortunately never been able to see a full-band set of. I've only caught their acoustic set twice - but it is great. Female fronted… dancey/poppy Indie? 

Since the only men's toilet had brown-liquid and teeth and beer bottles inside of it… I had to sneak into a nearby hotel to use their facilities. There's another shot-fact of touring life: the bathroom scene. People - don't take your office toilet for granted… most of the time we have to share a toilet with 50-pigs who have the urine-stream of a garden sprinkler. Sanitary, right?

The room was more packed than it was the whole day for our set. Granted - we only delivered 3 songs… but I was able to chat a lot more than the usual Trivium set to due the casual-nature of the acoustic performance. The friends that showed up were amazing - we had an amazing performance and were off sooner than we knew it. 

More industry friends and band friends to catch up with… then we popped across the street to check out the Sumerian Showcase to see our new friends in Asking Alexandria. 

Now - I know metal purists are iffy on them… hell - those same metal-purist pricks are iffy on us. AA delivered what was the most intense set I've ever seen them deliver. Danny was a lethal front man that night… delivering crushing screaming, brilliantly-punk-raw charged singing - he even had the crowd tear down the fences that encircled their stage. They did great. 

My booking agent Tim forced some Jack shots down our throats… we had a buncha beers - then heard Skrillex was playing at JRs! We caught up with our buddies from Upon A Burning Body… then went to catch some Skrillex.

Right before them… I got to see the juggalo-tastic Doctor Doom? (I think it was them… something gangster rap with a white dude with a weird mo-hawk thing - he had a sick rap voice… but wow - not my cup of tea). 

Hate on Skrillex all ya like kids… the dude deserves all the great things that are coming his way. He makes what he wants, the way he wants it… I heard he lived from floor to floor in between the time of From First To Last and Skrillex - and now? He's on top of the world. A mid-twenty-something kid with multiple grammies, selling out places all over the globe. I am damn proud of him. He is making great music for people to have good times. His set was pummeling-loud and a great time for all who were there. 

It was time for food again. I got a second order of the Naan Stop chicken and parantha and we were on our way to some tent with Andrew WK playing. 

Shiner Bocks were the best looking thing on the menu… and with em in hand, we saw the party-metal-kings take the stage. I've never been to an AWK show… and it was everything I ever heard and thought it would be: basically a nutty-ass party. People flying around, everyone pumping fists - just a party all around really. 

He headed to Cheers to meet up with Sam from Asking and had our final drinks and then a walk back to the bus for a long sleep before the next show. 

All in all… I ate… I drank… I watched bands… I bro'd down… success.