year of a thousand roommates: another photo update

i'm sitting in the chicken coop, an awesome house with some really amazing people. justin and dan play in the band trunks and tales. think americana/folk/punk. these dudes have really good hearts, always take good care of everyone and generally care about the world. i'm lucky to have met them. tonight we're going to philadelphia to play to friends and feel great. i've felt incredibly blessed lately. i also really love that it's been nice out and getting nicer. there's something amazing about starting this great journey in the spring, a new beginning if you will. and i hope you will. when this idea first came about it was january, which seems like a perfect time to start a year long project, but a terrible month emotionally, as i can imagine if i had to deal with both the toughness of getting used to living on the road and a cold winter i'd probably have a really rough time. but, instead, i'm emotionally blooming and feeling the sun shine down on my face. incredible. i'm an amazingly blessed kid. somehow i convinced the universe to let me drop out of "real life," and start living a real life. thanks universe, preesh.

i am, however, quite sorry that i've not updated recently. i've been living loudly, so i think it's a good excuse, but i've neglected, none the less.

quick recap:
may 5 and 6 i rehearsed with and played a show with the old pop group. hung out with great friends (danielle, sam, sam's mates) as well as the old bandmates, whom i love and miss dearly.

may 7 i went to go see the sleeping and paulson in a new brunswick basement, which was insane and awesome. basements get sweaty, and in totally non-drunk, but clumsy move, i fell down a small set of stairs in front of 50 people. ouch. my ego was more bruised than my body though, so all was ok. dan, the house kid, always takes care of us and is a good dude. he let me play a few songs for some new friends, and i really appreciate that. over all it was an amazing night, new friends and old. i ran into a ton of people i've not seen for years, but still care about, and was really happy to see they're doing well. also, the paulson dudes remain some of my favorite people in the world, as well as making up one of my favorite bands ever. i met new friends who were sweet and fun and talented, quite a good mix. well done new brunswick. it's times like these that i'm reminded how much i love you.

may 8 i woke up feeling terrible but amazing. brian and david were there, and i was given a breakfast beer. so ridiculous, but occasionally things like these are necessary for stories. brian, david and i then worked on my record for a bit and then david and i hung out in the living room with suguna. it's something we laugh about, how we all were making ourselves at home, relaxing and enjoying each others' company while none of us actually lived there. amazing. the three of us, none of whom have ever really hung out much, walked to get thai food and a brown paper bag beer, headed down to the park and ate in the sun. again, it's times like these i love new brunswick. nice weather, new friends, spending my time doing nothing but laughing, living and loving. i'm constantly amazed by the fact that i do nothing other than these three things and i'm still alive, well fed and healthy. not sure what i did to deserve this beauty, but i definitely owe a great deal of thanks to the world and everyone in it. after a wonderful lunch i packed my car and headed north to jersey city where i was to play a show. it seemed like it was to be a quiet show, but then friend after friend streamed in. i am the luckiest boy on the planet. old friends and new. i played on the floor in the middle of the bar and just used my heart and lungs to project my songs. everyone was amazing. i sold records, got paid some gas money, gave and received hugs, drank beers, felt loved. the bartender, kate, and her boyfriend leigh took amazing care of me. wonderful people, let me stick around after closing, introduced me to the owner. he took us back to his place, which was through a tiny gate in a random wall in jersey city. we walked through a winding alley way that was half indoors, half out. rain dripped through the ceiling and i had to avoid various construction materials to find an unlocked door at the end of this dark hallway. once passing through, we were in one of the most beautiful, classy apartments i've seen in a long while. amazing. here i was, a dude with 4 strangers in a secret apartment just sharing an experience. i love my life. after the quick visit kate and leigh brought me back to their place, which turned out to be an really nice, tall apartment with great style and an amazing little grey cat, gustav. they even gave me my own room with a bed. so fucking great. how am i so lucky? new friends, great times, fun stories, soft beds. again, i'm amazed.

may 9 brought me to annville, PA, where the trunks and tales/chicken coop dudes put on an awesome show in the music building at the local college. lots of friends came out, including a few professors. dan made the stage look homey and we gathered around low lighting and found carpets. so rad. again, eveyone took great care of me, and then we went back to the chicken coop for super late hangs with rad folks.

and now, after a belly full with delicious pancakes and coffee, dan, justin and i are headed to philly for more sweet times. the waltz might not be able to play tonight which severly bums me out, but i'll just make sure to go see brian this week and catch up. i love that kid and miss him dearly.

ok, gotta run. enjoy the photos:

this is a dream spence and i once had.

paulson and the sleeping in a new brunswick basement. love it. except for when everything gets so sweaty that i slip down the stairs. yikes.

four of my new york roommates, my buddy sam has the sweet beard.

another NYC roommate. i miss petey.

so, new york, space is limited, huh?

danielle, the queen of vegan treats. i'm lucky to call her a friend. oh, and this was at 'snice, a quite tasty veggie restaurant in NYC. i got the "cheese steak." big time.