By Tim Goergen (Within The Ruins)
It is always good to come back to the East Coast. Today was in Greenville, NC. After a 10-hour drive through the night from Columbus, GA we finally arrived in Greenville around 2:00 p.m. and immediately hit up the first Wal-Mart we could find. I grabbed some chicken strips and the rest of the guys got what they needed for the day’s grill session.
The weather was absolutely perfect fall weather and we were feeling very American today so right after we loaded into the venue we all proceeded to blast AC/DC, drink some beers, play some flight wheel, grill, and work out. We all hung out with some of the fans at the show and showed them a good time before we played and since it was the night before Halloween all the bands on the tour package did a little something to get into the spirit. We all got ski masks and had ourselves a “Delocated” themed Halloween thing going on.
The show was at a pretty sick skate park and the crowd was really into the songs. I have to say that the highlight of my night was going to Cook Out to have myself a BBQ plate, which included BBQ pork, hush puppies, fries, and coleslaw. Some of the best points of tour are the places you stop to eat along the way. [Laughs]
After the show was done we do what we do every night and drink the remainder of what we have left with all the bands and bullshit until it is time to head to the next stop. In our case we have a day off so we are spending Halloween in VA and partying with Drummer’s girlfriend and some of her friends, good times ahead for sure! We are only half way done with the tour so we are all excited to see what we get into in the coming weeks.
By Joe Cocchi (Within The Ruins)
Jay and I woke the rest of the assholes up at 7:00 a.m. this morning because today was “do stuff” day. We slept and partied in this Wal-Mart parking lot with And Hell Followed With the night before. I headed into the Wal-Mart to shower in the sink and put my contacts in, then grabbed some chicken breast and various grilling spices and sauces.
Headed over to the laundry mat where we fired up the grill and spent a few hours making our clothes smell better. There happened to be a Planet Fitness right across the street too. Usually you have to pay like $5 or $10 bucks to use the gym out of state, but if you just walk in holding your keys like you’re on a fucking mission, they don’t even ask.
Then we drove 3 hours to Austin, TX to play a sick show on a Saturday night. Wretched happened to be in town with the day off so they came out to party as well. Got drunk as hell at the bar after we played, loaded out our equipment and had our DD drive us to the after party. A keg party on a mini golf course. Only in Texas does this kind of shit go on.
By Jay Van Schelt (Within The Ruins)
My day pretty much started when I was ready to go to bed. We had just played an outdoor show in Columbus, GA and were now sitting in a Wal-mart Supercenter parking lot with our grill out, cooking up steak and chicken and some other bullshit so we can eat before our 10-hour drive to North Carolina. You know, the usual Friday night.
I’m on the second drive shift, so I get in my sleeping bag, grab my pillow, iPod and headphones and throw on some Andy McKee so I can relax and sleep before Tim wakes me up to drive. Tim finally wakes me up at 7:15 a.m., almost exactly five hours after he started driving (which is really unusual because on a normal night drive, Tim will drive for like two hours, pull into a gas station and fall asleep without waking up Joe or me to drive). I get out, grab a few things at the gas station (Red Bulls, chips, etc.), and start my five hour shift. Finally get to this show (obviously after stopping at another Wal-mart to grab the shit we need to grill), meet up with all the bands we’re touring with and sit down and eat lunch. Right after eating, we start throwing around the Frisbee (trying not to hit peoples’ cars in the parking lot) and having a few beers with the tour package. About an hour and a half after when load in was supposed to be, were told we can start bringing in our backline, and thus begins the complete clusterfuck of 5-plus bands all trying to load into the same door at once.
So, this show is in a skatepark. Not just at a skatepark, in the skatepark, as in on top of a vert ramp. Admittedly a first for me. Not only that, but it’s October 30th, so nearly everyone at this show has a costume on. Most of us in the band were going to be Jon, the main character from a show called Delocated on [adultswim] (thursdays and sundays at midnight), which only consists of a ski mask, but most of us lost our masks in the nights leading up to this particular show, on account of our van being the most messy piece of shit it’s ever been because we have to ride with an extra person. I’m not saying it’s his fault it’s messy, but just having one more persons stuff in the van makes things a little more crowded. To tell you the truth, all of the masks are probably somewhere in the van, we’re just too lazy to look for them.
Either way I wore mine, and immediately took it off after the first song, because it was hot as fuck, and I couldn’t see a fucking thing. The show was awesome, and after we played I immediately went across the street to a Cookout, which is only in North Carolina and I’ve been told several times to eat there because of how good (and cheap) it is. Everyone was right, if you’re in NC for whatever reason, get Cookout. After I ate we all hung out, packed up and went our separate ways since we had a day off today. I slept while we drove to Virginia, and woke up at a (you guessed it!) Wal-mart. Am I at 500 words yet? Yes. Over 500, actually. That’s basically what happens in one day in my life so Happy Halloween, keep it metal as fuck and don’t choke on any candy.
Within The Ruins are on tour now.
11-Nov-10 Southgate, MI, US @ THE MODERN EXCHANGE
12-Nov-10 W. Dundee, IL, US @ Clearwater Theater
13-Nov-10 Jefferson, SD @ JEFFERSON COMMUNITY CENTER
14-Nov-10 St. Paul, MN, US @ The Space
15-Nov-10 Wichita, KS, US @ EAGLES LODGE
16-Nov-10 Denver, CO, US @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
17-Nov-10 Boise, ID, US @ The Venue
18-Nov-10 Seattle, WA, US @ Studio Seven
19-Nov-10 Salem, OR, US @ Wasteland
20-Nov-10 Orangevale, CA, US @ Club Retro
21-Nov-10 Phoenix, AZ, US @ Warehouse 201
23-Nov-10 Springfield, IL, US @ BLACK SHEEP CAFE
24-Nov-10 Prestonburg, KY, US @ Jennie Wiley Convention Center
1-Dec-10 Lemoyne, PA, US @ Championship
2-Dec-10 Clinton, NJ, US @ The Aquifer Music Venue
3-Dec-10 Linthicum, MD, US @ ST. CHRISTOPHERS
4-Dec-10 Lynchburg, VA, US @ Crosspoint Venue
5-Dec-10 Richmond, VA, US @ Canal Club
6-Dec-10 Greenville, SC, US @ The Channel
7-Dec-10 East Ridge, TN, US @ The Warehouse
10-Dec-10 Nashville, TN, US @ Rocketown
11-Dec-10 Montgomery, AL, US @ Lakewood Center
13-Dec-10 Springfield, MO, US @ The Ugly Mug
14-Dec-10 Tulsa, OK, US @ Marquee Theatre
15-Dec-10 Oklahoma City, OK @ CONSERVATORY
** Within The Ruins new album, Invade, is out now. Order it here.
