The Official Blog of Dann Stockton

I have been really bad at blogging regularly. That’s no secret. I wish I had more motivation to do it. I guess living on the road is a little weird. It changes your mindset a bit. Although it’s a bit hard to describe, it’s almost like being isolated from real life for a time even though this is about as real as it gets.I still talk to people and relate to them everywhere we go, but in the end, they are going back to their nice warm homes, and I am going back on the road to travel to the next city.
We’ve only been on the road for just over a month now, but when I try and think of the the first few shows we’ve played, it literally feels like it happened years ago. I am not complaining though. Just observing. (and I suppose not everyone has nice warm homes to come back to, but it was more dramatic to say.)
Although there are some unpleasant things about touring full-time, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. I would much rather do this than anything else for a living. It’s what I love, and it’s amazing to see us grow as a band, as people, as a unit,  as a business, and as musicians. I remember Mark Driscoll saying something about men being cultivators by nature. It’s definitely true for me. I love watching and, more importantly, being involved in growing a business from pretty much nothing.The possibilities feel almost endless right now. I think we have come so far in roughly the year and a half we’ve been a band, and it will just keep getting better. Amazing stuff really.
I wish I didn’t have to be so separated from my friends and family. I miss everyone, and email and the occasional phone call/text message don’t really cut it. It’s another weird thing that I’ve found too–although there is down time, I don’t really enjoy being in front of the computer as much. (That could explain the lack of blogging and regular contact through email that I find hard to do on the road.) I found out that during this last month on the road, I used a measly 85 minutes of cell phone time. That’s crazy.
I think my original goal was to keep a road journal of sorts, and be able to read it later and smile.  I have missed so much in the last couple of weeks.
We’re in Austin right now, playing a little showcase for SXSW. After this, we head back to Houston (for the third time) and then to Waco. (for the second time, we got rained out the first time)
Texas feels infinite. I can’t imagine what it must have been like before all these people lived here, either. I am super glad that we’re not traveling in a horse and carriage.
After Houston, it’s off to Lubbock, and then to Scottsdale, and then to the promised land, California. I can’t quite contain my excitement for getting out there again, and also being out there for the first time as a band. It will be glorious, but I’m also not trying to undercut how glorious today is. I am looking forward to it all, but I especially enjoy right now. Hopefully this won’t be my last blog for a while. You stay classy.