Jeremy Junkin

Well this is it, the wrap up post from the tour. I’ve been back in Chicago for a couple of days now and it’s good but strange to be home. As I was driving into Chicago, I had the crazy thought of just putting the pedal to the metal and driving into the sunset so to speak. I was ready to pick up the rest of the band and continue on our way. I think the thing that sticks with me most is that I love being on the road making music. All the cliches can be true. You don’t get much sleep, the down time can be boring, and it can get a little lonely, but I loved it. There were some hard moments, but, to use an overwrought phrase, I really felt like I was living. I was out there doing what I love to do most. Now the trick will be to get paid to do it. That may take some time, but I know it’ll be worth it. Thanks to everyone who came to shows, who booked me, who supported me along the way. A shout out to Rachel Strevey who put a lot of time into booking this thing! Enough philosophizing. Here’s some pics from the Philly show. Hope you enjoy them. Peace.

Well, I’m a little late in posting this entry. I’m actually in Cleveland for the last show of the tour. It’s been a wild time and I’m feeling a little punchy after 7 hours on the road. I have about 2 and half hours before I play, so there’s a little down time for me here. Right now, there’s some kid running around killing flies and driving me a little crazy. Sort of that baby on the plan scenario where you can’t get away. The last three days have been non stop. I drove up to Boston, then to Philly and now here I am. Definitely looking forward to being back in Chicago and seeing all my friends, but not looking forward to getting back to “real life”. It’s been a lot of fun out here seeing new places and playing different venues. I will miss that most of all. It does get a little lonely out here though. There can be a lot of down time, but I’ve tried to be adventurous and explore the cities I’ve been in. I’ve also been very lucky to have friends and family in each place to hook up with. Thanks to everyone who came to shows and bought albums and kept me company along the way.

To digress, Connecticut was a lot of fun and my shortest gig so far. I only played a half hour as opposed to the two hour sets I’ve had at other places. Great venue and great system. It was fun to play with some other bands. I also got to go to my high school reunion while I was there. It was strange to see all these folks, but I had a blast catching up with old friends, dancing, and laughing a lot. So much changes in 10 years, yet no so much. Don’t ask me to explain that comment since I know it makes no sense. Anyway, it was a good time and a good break. Here’s a couple of pics from The Space, courtesy of Zack Doubleday’s I-phone.

As I said earlier, I was in the Boston area on Tuesday. I had a lot of down time there so I wandered around Cambridge and went to Harvard. Now I can finally say I’ve been to Harvard…

It was a good show at a place called La Luna Cafe that night. An old friend, Kenny, and his girlfriend, Natalie came by and showed some support. Here’s a couple of pics that he took for me. I particularly like the second one because it shows a fire truck pulling out behind me. The windows were open that night so the sirens were like my backing band : )

Alright gang, that’s enough for now. I’ll put up some more pics and maybe write about Philly and Cleveland when I get back. Check the old FB for pics as well.

So, i’ve actually been off the road for a few days now here in Connecticut, but i’ve been really lazy about writing some updates. Things have been going very well so far. Tuesday was probably my craziest day, driving 11 hours and then playing a show. Not sure how I survived it, but thanks to the good folks at Mayorga for the free food and coffee drinks. They were much needed. Also a shout out to Dulciana and her boyfriend Chris for coming to the show and bringing some friends along for the ride.

It was one of those shows where you just set up and start playing whether people want to hear you or not. Fortunately no one threw tomatoes or anything : )

The next day I just hung out in DC before heading to my beautiful home state of Connecticut. Here’s some lousy photos.

It was a fun day that included a lot of walking, but I’m glad I went. My only regret is not going through the wax museum! I guess I’ll just have to save it for next time. Oh and I think everyone should read Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. It’s printed on the inside of the Lincoln Memorial. Strange as it is to say, it gave me a lot to think about as I walked to the White House. Very moving and powerful.

I guess that’s enough for this post. Look for the CT update coming soon.

Well,

It’s officially three days since we got to Nashville and it’s been great. I have to be honest, though, the ride down was a little long. Driving by myself, I find I start to go a little crazy after a few hours. You know, singing at the top of my lungs or having conversations with an imaginary passenger. Good times. Thankfully I stopped for lunch and met up with Zach and Andrea at a Bob Evans in Kentucky. That gave me some much needed company and some delicious grub. We got into Nashville around 5:30 Saturday and met up with some friends at the Grand Ole Opry. Unfortunately the concert we were there for rained out, but we did get to tour the museum which was delightfully air conditioned. Since we haven’t had much humidity in Chicago, I’d forgotten how sticky it can get.

We’ve been staying in a town called Charlotte which is about an hour from Nashville. Many thanks to Tom and Robyn and Dave and their families for putting us up. They have a huge house and have made us feel right at home. Dave even played bass for us at last night’s show. It was amazing watching him learn the songs about an hour before we took the stage. Zach wrote them out for him in what the kids in Nashville call the number system. I have no idea what it meant, but Dave played everything just right, so I guess that’s all that matters.

The show last night was great. We played a cool club called The Rutledge. If you’re ever in Nashville, definitely check it out. We were fortunate to get on the bill kind of last minute and we were definitely the unique sound of the night. We happened to be playing with three other bands who were more in the hard rock/pop rock, heavy metal, punk rock vein. But we had a great time and the other bands were really good guys. Our many thanks to Chris aka Okie Joe for getting us on the bill. Also a shout out to Mercury to Mars from Sioux Falls, SD. We hope to see you in the winter for a show out by you. Check their music out on line.

Here’s a pic from the show at Edge Hill Studios Cafe. Thanks to Chris (aka Ogie Joe) for booking us at the Rutledge and coming to our show the next night. It was good to have a fan.

Well, that’s enough for now. Hopefully I’ll get some pictures up in the next few days for your viewing pleasure. We have one more show tonight and then I head out alone in the morning for D.C. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers and maybe I’ll see some of you out there. For those who can’t make it, enjoy a song from our current EP. Typical