Good to Go Tour, 11/16/2005

Faithful Tour Log Readers,

I have once again abandoned you. My grand plans of tour logging have yet again been foiled. While I could blame it all on an almost total lack of internet (true), freaky time differences (true), extremely busy schedules (true), overwhelmed by how much I had to write (very true) whatever the excuse is – it’s my fault. I promised a behind the scenes butt kicking saga of rock and I didn’t write once.

Not a night went by without the vision of disillusioned tour log readers clicking on the British flag on our site and seeing nothing but an add for Google.

(Side note- click on that add! Despite being annoying we actually make a few cents and right now we need it! End of shameless plug.)

The worst part in all of this is this was simply the best tour we’ve ever done and almost every hour there was an epic tale of some sort unfolding.

A big problem in all of this is my lack of lap top- I don’t have one and as time goes by I feel an ever increasing need for one. I do believe if I had one you’d be pouring over page after page of AOF adventures but we all know the sad reality- you’ve been left with zilch- nada- a big fat goose egg.

My shame haunts me. Much like Shoeless Joe Jackson I walk this earth a man disgraced. Just yesterday I was at the mall and young boy approached me (please hold on Michael Jackson jokes)

“Chris… is the tour log dead… say it ain’t so!”

What could I tell him?

“Check Pete from Fallout Boy’s journal. He posts every time he feels guilty about being on MTV.”

Of course I couldn’t say that.

So I simply told him the truth… that I am a failure.

With that said- I decided to enlist the help of my fellow band mates in recalling some of the good, bad and ugly of the tour. I think you’ll find it interesting and by all means send hate mail to the appropriate address.

Before we get to the goods- we want to say a huge heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped get us to the UK and made our lives easier while we were there and to all the new fans and friends we’ve made. It’s long, long list of people so I’ll save you the boredom but we are very grateful and in debt to all of you. By debt in most instances I am not kidding. : > )

So in closing this was the best tour EVER and we can’t wait to come back. Especially so I can blow another tour log.

disgraced in an apartment in Cali,

CHRIS JAY

PS. Oh yeah- I also think you should know that you would have had this a lot quicker but Dan and Mike are slackers. : > )

THE 2005 ARMY OF FRESHMEN UK TOUR RECAP!

Favorite Shows on the BFS Tour?

CHRIS: All of them but if I had to pick some super special ones I’d say- Peterborough, Portsmouth, Newcastle and Sheffield stand out for the overwhelming crowd reactions.
AARON: Cardiff.
OWEN: Portsmouth....Aaron’s axe plummets to the ground when lights are cut...first show on a stage the Beatles have performed on.
DAN: Peterborough.
KAI: Hard to say but probably Newcastle.
MIKE: I'd have to say my favorite show was Newcastle. The kids there were amazing and went off! Most of them knew the words as well. And the show in London at the Astoria was unbelievable.

Least Favorite?

CHRIS: None but if I had to pick one I’d say Manchester. It was the 1st date, everything was rushed, we barely made it there, we had no sound check, we played on gear we never played on before and we had to go on 15 minutes earlier then planned as the crowd was still coming in. Just a rushed, tired, confusing first night. After that it was all gravy.
AARON: None- they all ruled.
OWEN: They were all a dream come true!
DAN: The one where Bobby didn't catch my keyboard and it broke.
KAI: Loughborough...late shows are bad news.
MIKE: My least favorite show was probably Swansea only because I had so many problems with the drum kit. Stuff falling over everywhere and Bobby (guitar tech) was on stage the whole time holding the kit together.

Favorite Shows on the Bats Tour?

CHRIS: Northampton despite it being the smallest turn out of the whole Good to Go Tour we had a lot of fun with it- I talked way too much (which I always like) and we played some stuff off the first record and even debuted a new song- “My Groundbreaking Sound”. Afterwards we hung out all night talking to the Bats.
AARON: London.
OWEN: Manchester...Satan's Hollow...aside from some technical difficulties, I had a cheering section an arms reach away, willing to sing along and hi-5 at any given moment...the after party was sweet! Great music from the dj...cheap drinks...and the first time I've moshed in years.
DAN: Northampton - it was cool seeing them in such a small intimate environment. And there were come kids who came dressed up as something from their songs. The slice of Pizza guy was pretty awesome.
KAI: They were all a lot of fun.
MIKE: I would have to say Satan’s Hollow in Manchester! Although strange, the circle stage in the middle of the club was pretty rad and we had a great night.

Least Favorite?

CHRIS: London. The biggest show of the Good to Go Tour but simply put- the sound sucked- a feedback nightmare on stage and my mic went out 3 times. Real let down as we had such a great show in London the week before and we stoked to come back but bad sound can ruin any show.
AARON: Northampton.
OWEN: Northampton...I was sick as a dog and had a hard time getting into the show...fond farewell though consisting of scotch, a fight at a kebab stand, and the removal of hood ornaments.
DAN: Actually can't think of a worst one.
KAI: Didn't have one...they were all fun.
MIKE: Not that I have a least favorite but I would say that Liverpool was the smallest night. We were late to the show and the sound was terrible.

Favorite Solo Shows?

CHRIS: Peterborough and Southampton. Peterborough was our first ever sold out headlining show- in advance no less! Just amazing and also to have so many people singing along that had learned the words since the BFS show. Southampton was a hot as hell balls to the walls rocker at a great club with good support and promoter. Honorable mention goes to Camberly- people there tweaked- only Braveheart pit of the tour!
AARON: Peterborough!
OWEN: Southampton...It was sweaty rock at its best...lots of peeps singing along, and a great farewell feast from both Ed and Ash.
DAN: The Met in Peterborough - there was an air conditioning vent directly above me :c)
KAI: Peterborough, Southampton...can't decide.
MIKE: Peterborough by far was my favorite show. The people at the Met Lounge couldn't have been nicer, and the crowd was amazing. Not to mention we got to see a lot of friends we had made. And our new buddies State of Freedom did the show with us!

Least Favorite?

CHRIS: York. Booked last minute by another band. It was a pretty much a pub show and we lost money even playing it. Cool place though, let some nice people and Union Jackass were cool guys.
AARON: York.
OWEN: York...the city is very cool though.
DAN: York.
KAI: York was interesting.
MIKE: York was a disaster. the kids that showed up were awesome, but the sound was terrible and we had so many gear issues that it must have sounded awful!

Favorite Food/Meal?

CHRIS: Wagamama’s – a Japanese Chain- almost like eating in Japan. I ate there 4 times and could of eaten there every day if I had the chance- trust me I tried to. Also hit up a good Italian place in Scotland (go figure). Mr. Sellar’s salad and dressing were top notch as well.
AARON: Corner Yogurt.
OWEN: Cheese, bread, butter...not in that order...Home cookin' at Ed's (chicken, sausage, burgers, wine)...Wagamamas in Manchester.
DAN: Chicken Kebabs, by far.
KAI: You call that food?
MIKE: My favorite meal was this little Italian place we found in Glasgow, Scotland. It was amazing.

Least Favorite?

CHRIS: A Kebab Cart outside Loughborough University.- worst burger I ever ate not even being very drunk made it good. Also tried Shandy (beer and lemonade) for the first and last time.
AARON: A hot dog.
OWEN: Kebabs
DAN: Doner Kebabs
KAI: See above.
MIKE: Although delicious...I ate so many Cheese & Chips (cheese fries) that I thought I turned into one. Not to mention it got me fat!!...well fatter!!

Favorite Moments?

CHRIS: Every single night hearing hundreds of people singing Get Um Up.
AARON: Hanging out at Camden markets in London.
OWEN: Making friends with the Aquabats after the Liverpool show. Setting up the Italian pizza oven with Ed, Mike and Bill; Relaxing at Ed's pad with a nice cool Boddingtons bitter; Rocking out at all the BFS shows...it was a treat!
DAN: All of them.
KAI: Filling mike's bunk with 24 cans of carling beer...got you good rook!
MIKE: Just hanging around with everyone on the Soup tour. Everyone there was family so to speak and we just had a big party everyday. Around 1am everyone on our Bus was shit faced and we'd just do stupid things like get on top the bus, and lose money in c-lo to everyone!

Funniest Moments?

CHRIS: Our bare assed roadie farting directly on the head of our sleeping label owner.
AARON: Hanging out with Bowling For Soup and American Hi Fi after the show in Wolverhampton and just having the best night.
OWEN: When Greg performed for a British crowd starved for genius, when Bobby farted on Ed's face while he was sleeping.
DAN: Owen telling Tom that his monitor mix is perfect, but....could he please have... that and seeing Greg on stage. Also hearing about Mike's threats of retaliation after discovering a whole case of Carling beers strewn about his bunk. Watching the entire tour bet on how long MC Lars would sit and listen to Chris from Soup.
KAI: Chris and Bobby (roadie) forming the new rock duo: The Gaylords at Ed's house and watching mike throw 24 cans of carling out of his bunk at 4:30 am.
MIKE: I think that everyone can agree with me on this...Our UK Label Owner and Tour Manager Ed getting wasted @ Satan's Hollow in Manchester and pushing bus call back in 30 min increments. First it was 12:30, then he said were leaving at 1am. Then it was 1:30am, and finally at 4:30am he finally decided it was time to leave. In between 12:30 and 4:30am he managed to buy everyone drinks...sing the complete lyrics to a Disturbed Song and break dance to a rap song for the whole club to see! I love Ed.

Coolest Moments?

CHRIS: Hanging out the top of the bus with some of the guys and having it dawn on us that we were on a bus on tour in England.
AARON: Sticking my head out the top hatch of the tour bus in London as we were driving up to the sold out Astoria show.
OWEN: London Astoria...watching side stage while 2000 people sang every word of 1985; The moment I found out our first show solo show in the UK had sold out.
DAN: Playing sold out shows in a foreign country about sums it up.
KAI: Playing “Signing Emo” with MC Lars on Halloween. Playing to a sold out crowd at the Astoria. Sleeping in until 6:30pm, only to be woken up to the words "Get Up, it's time to soundcheck."
MIKE: There were a lot of cool moments on that tour. I got to see all the historic places in London like Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big
Ben, etc. Hang out with my best friends in another country for a month. I also met Jon Bonham's (Led Zep) daughter!

Worst Moments?

CHRIS: The plane on the way back suddenly having to change altitude “Lost” style for 5 seconds. Let’s just say that underwear is now lost.
AARON: Getting sick and having to sleep in a cramped van with 8 other dudes.
OWEN: When BFS left in Glasgow also when I passed out in my bunk and got charlied (punched in the leg) to death and also when our bus drove away and we were back to a van.
DAN: Carrying everything we brought with us from Heathrow to Piccadilly Circus via the Underground, only to discover we had to take taxi's to the coach station, then take a coach to Manchester because our bus company fucked us. That sucked.
KAI: Our bus not picking us up in London. Our flight to England getting cancelled while we were in the terminal waiting to get on.
MIKE: Towards the end of the tour we were at Ed's house and I put all my dirty laundry in a black trash bag to free space in my luggage. I left it by the washer and everyone in their drunken haze put all their trash and food leftovers in it, thinking it was trash. Then Ed's parents threw it in the trashcan thinking it was trash. I had to wash the clothes twice to get all the stains and stench off them! Thanks guys!

Weirdest moments?

CHRIS: A party where a very drunk guy whipped out his goods and made them dance to Get Um Up.
AARON: Seeing some guy’s (whose name I will not mention) balls.
OWEN: A man serenading us with "Get Um Up" using his testicles.
DAN: When my pants ripped open.
KAI: Going to sleep before the sun was up and waking up after it had set several days in a row.
MIKE: Going to sleep and finding a case of beers in my bunk.

Favorite UK Bands you played with?

CHRIS: State of Freedom, Thre Quarters, Union Jackass, Speaking of Losers
AARON: State of Freedom
OWEN: I can't remember the name, but they opened up for Johnny Panic and American Hi-Fi at the Underground on the 25th of October...do some research; State of Freedom (nice ass guys!)
DAN: State of Freedom.
KAI: State of Freedom. We didn’t play with them but I bought My Awesome Compilation’s cd and it’s awesome.
MIKE: My favorite was State of Freedom. AJ and the guys were so rad. We had so much fun with them the two shows we did with them. AJ's dad even cooked us breakfast! There was also a band called Three Quarters who were super nice guys.

Favorite Historical/Tourist Sites?

CHRIS: We went to the house of the only living survivor of the Titanic (she’s 96 years old!) and took a picture in her yard at 4 in the morning. Hope we didn’t wake her.
AARON: Big Ben.
OWEN: The inside of my bunk in the bus.
DAN: Didn't see any this tour, but of the places I saw - guild hall in Portsmouth was pretty fucking cool. The Cathedrals in Peterborough and York were simply stunning.
KAI: Camden market was sweet shopping. York in general was amazing because it looked like something from Harry Potter.
MIKE: All the stuff in London was awesome. But Dan and I went to one of the oldest Cathedrals in England, which is located in Peterborough, and walked inside. It was unbelievable. All the paintings on the ceiling and architecture.

Best Lodgings?

CHRIS: The Sellars casa in the small village of Flockton- a 3 day stay in a haunted house that was a pub over 100 years ago- great warm house, nicest people ever and broadband internet!
AARON: Ed Sellar’s house as always.
OWEN: The inside of my bunk in the bus.
DAN: Ed's house. No question.
KAI: Casa De Sellars...my home away from home.
MIKE: Well my favorite was our Bus. I got real attached to her on that tour. I even shed a single tear as she pulled away. But the most relaxing was Ed's Parents house. It was just like being at home.

Coolest Gifts from a fan or fan encounters?

CHRIS: A fan in Manchester got me an actual piece of film reel from Planet of the Apes! Not the classic Heston version but still awesome. Also a fan made us a wonderful Liverpool Guide Book and took all the pics for it and wrote some hilarious stuff about the city since we didn’t get to see it much.
AARON: A handmade AOF patch and a killer pink bracelet with a guitar on it.
OWEN: A Guide to Liverpool (by Hanna)
DAN: The only gift I was given - a necklace that will choke me to death if I put it on. Not sure how cool that is...;c)
KAI: Some kick ass plastic bats and an awesome Star Wars comic.
MIKE: We have a good friend, Brigitte, who writes for Europunk.com in
Belgium. She did an interview and photo shoot with us in London. Usually mags don’t know much about you. Instead she had already looked on our site and found out what we like to get on the road and brought everyone their favorite stuff! I didn’t even know what to say. It was awesome.

Souvenirs Bought?

CHRIS: A guide book to Jack the Ripper kill spots, lots of postcards, English candy.
AARON: Too many clothes and some delicious chocolate.
OWEN: Not too much... A pair of shoes is all I can think of
DAN: MC Lars mouse pad is my favorite.
KAI: Little Britain dvds...though I had to by a new dvd player so they would play in America.
MIKE: I bought 2 jackets, a hoodie, couple t-shirts, belt, shoes, and a bunch of Chocolate!

Bands/music you listened to?

CHRIS: I found the new Wheatus record at an HMV in Peterborough and rocked the crap out of it. Besides that lots of chill stuff to go to sleep too- Tom Waits, Loudon Wainwright, Arlo Guthrie.
AARON: Kaiser Chiefs, The Aquabats, Cartel, Funeral for a Friend
OWEN: Wilco, Jack's Mannequin, Billy Joel, The Strokes
DAN: Midtown, Radiohead, Deathcab for Cutie.
KAI: Thrice "Vheissu", My Awesome Compilation "Actions", Propagandhi "Potemkin City Limits".
MIKE: I listened to everything on my iPod. As MC Lars would say, "It's the iGeneration!")

Books/Magazines you read?

CHRIS: Books- finished the Davinci Code right before we left- on the way to the airport actually. Then read Harry Potter 2 and started 3. Read Kerrang every week too. Love that mag. Plus they gave us a great review!
AARON: Eldest, Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Matilda, Sudoko
OWEN: None
DAN: Taltos, Eragon, Elsdest...and a LOT of Sudoku.
KAI: "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, "The Penultimate Peril" by Lemony Snicket, "Cirque du Freak" and "The Vampire's Assistant" by Darren Shan
"The Dark Flight Down" by Marcus Sedgwick and I did a ton of Sudoku.
MIKE: Well I finally finished all the Harry Potter Books. I started on the summer tour and finished book 6 at the beginning of the tour. I also read a very depressing book about the holocaust. I was out of books so I went to the book store at the train station and bought one of the worst books I've ever attempted to read. It's a fictional book about the 15th Century Church and corruption and murder. It's called Dissolution by C.J. Sanson. It's so boring I'm still trying to finish it. it should be called "Dogshit" by C.J. "I cant write a book" Sanson.

Movies watched?

CHRIS: Saw Snatch on the van thought it was great (get your mind out of the gutter), watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade at Speaking of Loser’s house, watched Bad News Bears on the plane (not nearly as good as the original), watched Pirates of the Carribean on the plane for 100th time. Got through an entire Steven Seagal movie on the bus despite everyone trying to thwart my plans for 80s macho action flick satisfaction.
AARON: Top Gun, When Harry Met Sally, Anchorman, Spinal Tap
OWEN: Jurassic Park, Little Britain, Ali G, Ocean's Eleven, Extras
DAN: Sin City!
KAI: Snatch, Rebound, Sharkboy and lava girl (Robert Rodriguez deserves a punch in the neck), The Perfect Man (which, by the way, I am--so Heather Locklear please call me), Ali G in Da House, Shanghai Noon (I guess Owen Wilson isn't always funny), Bad News Bears (Bad News indeed)
MIKE: I finally saw Corpse Bride which was amazing. I love Tim Burton films and Danny Elfman scores. We bought and watched the UK Ali G movies, which were "wicked". And the West Wing was also playing in the top lounge of our bus.