Brace Yourself

So, I'm totally 17 again.

Last weekend, I went to go see Matt Nathanson in Alabama.  It was a last minute trip, and we decided to head down there when my plans to see Jimmy Eat World fell through once again (JEW is the band that I'm just not destined to see).  All I have to say is that everything worked out perfectly, and it was the best show I have seen in a long time.

Matt Nathanson is one of the most genuine artists out there right now.  He's content with playing 300 person venues, traveling in a van, and just playing good music.  He smiles at all the right times while he's performing, and I'd like to believe it's a combination of loving his job and thinking about the exact moments that the songs were written about.  On top of that, the man is absolutely hilarious.  He makes you feel like your in his home just hanging out, talking, and listening to him play.  In fact, he even unplugged his guitar and stepped away from the microphone during the encore, and had everyone quietly sing along to my favorite song.  It was completely perfect.

The whole night, Cathy and I talked about how much we missed Howie Day.  We were introduced to Matt through the Howie community, so it was a slightly nostalgic experience for us.  We had followed Howie around during high school, and basically ended up traveling the country at a young age because of it.  It was good times.

The next day, Howie announced five tour dates.  It was the first time in like two years...CRAZY!  I bought tickets for three of the dates.  It was the only time I've ever bought tickets to a show really far away without questioning it at all.  I was just thinking to myself, "I have to go...I will figure it out later."  Needless to say, I will be making a road trip to the Northeast later this month.  I'll be hitting up the three Howie shows along with some other good shows :)  I'm in the process of setting up some great meetings as well.

If the February Theory ever did exist, it is now gone from my life.  It seems to be vanishing from everyone else's as well.  For those of your who don't know, the February Theory is that February is a shitty month.

Now I must sleep - I have a GREAT week coming up and need to be well rested :)