7/26/24 "WHY ARE YOU HERE?" PT 1.

7/26/24 "WHY ARE YOU HERE?" PT 1.

“Why are you here?!”

The last few nights of tour, we've been doing a “T-shirt giveaway, contest, Q&A, whathave you”, and this was the first question lobbed our way, while Andy rocked a 2-beat, as I bent over the stage with the microphone in hand, and my Jazzmaster teetering precariously from my guitar strap.

Looking out on the horizon of faceless people, par can lights blinding stinging eyes from the never ending stage sweat; this innocent question kind of hit us as a doozy. Let me explain.

All I have ever wanted to be was a musician; well, at least since I was twelve. Before that, I wanted to be the third baseman for the Boston Red Sox, but that seemed to be a little more unattainable to me, so I picked the other career that seemed “easier”. (Stupid, stupid boy, how does your back feel from all those van naps?) And what do bands do? Well, all my favorite bands wrote their own songs, booked shows with other bands, built communities, and toured all over. That's what bands do, right? So that's what we've been doing for the better part of the last ten years.

During this time, we have made countless friends, I've seen places I never thought I would (and so many times those same places are becoming sort of boring to me!), we've played with some of the coolest bands, and most importantly, we have met YOU. If you are reading this, its very likely that you know me from a musical situation; either you've caught us at a show, met us on tour, played a show with us, or discovered our music through social media and Spotify. That truly means the world to me; the human connection of it all.

I always tell people, there are two Chads; Show Chad, and Real Life Chad (maybe more now that I think of it). Real Life Chad tends to be a socially anxious wallflower, takes things in, and prefers one-on-one conversations. I've been told Real Life Chad isn't shy, but he certainly feels that way. I never know if people will remember him, or if they even like him. Show Chad is the opposite, and it takes on a little preperation to pull off. Show Chad talks to everyone in the room, will lay it all out on stage, and reveal the inner truth and dialogue of Real Life Chad right on stage every goddamn night. He's the most ideal version of the person I aspire to be; gregarious, endlessly optimistic and genuine.

The more I type this, the more I realize this might need to be a two-parter. This question has more to unpack for me then a goofy-one minute segment, of us parodying the 80's t-shirt-cannon-from-the-stage trick. The nature of tour life; I have only one hour right now before we need to get back in the van and travel north to our show in Raleigh tonight. In that time, I need to write this message, answer any outgoing emails, brush my teeth, eat a meal, and double check details for tonight. Too many damn hats.

So I will have to close with this for now...

“Why are you here?!”

We are here, because I need to know if anyone else feels the way I do from time to time. This world can be so isolating, and confusing, and I just need to know. The amount of human misery happening at any given time around me, both globally and personally, could debilitate me, but I find myself so grateful for every moment I breath. Thank you all for letting me know so far – we've had so many magical moments these last few weeks, and we love you all so much. I am constantly blown away by all the human kindness we receive regularly on tour, and how much we have to trust folks out here – I feel like the luckiest person ever to receive so much love and to know you all.

Probably best summed up as this…. WE are here because of YOU! To be continued…..

Much Love, Chad from The Big Lonesome