After the Summer leg of the tour came to a close in Finland, I jetted off to Central Europe to settle tour business and make the necessary arrangements for the Fall leg of the Haywire Riot Tour, which begins in the Czech Republic in late October of this year. It was also decided that there will be a new Skinny Molly CD out in the Spring of 2014, if all goes as planned and agreed upon. When asked how many songs I had ready for the CD, I hazarded a guess and said "Four or five" After checking into it further, it turned out I was  right. And four or five songs do not an album make. That means one thing. If we're  gonna have the record ready by then, it's crunch time. Recording HAS to be finished before the aforementioned Fall leg of the tour starts in October. 

I  told my European Counselor that I quickly wrote the last half of Haywire Riot in Mexico. It was suggested to me that in order not to waste time, I should consider a similar trip now to soak up some new inspiration and get to writing. "Go somewhere you've never been. Maybe a former Soviet Union country near the Black Sea. Its similar to Mexico there." It sounded like a great idea to me and after calling my youngest daughter to make sure I would still make  it home in time for the day her first born arrives, I made hasty, yet semi-well thought out plans to do just that. I only hope I will not indulge myself too much at my own (and the deadlines') peril in my love of Soviet history. That could be a major distraction. It was also suggested to me that I continue my "Notes From The Road" blog, in order to jumpstart my pen. 

I did  an admittedly half ass job on the blog when we were touring...barely passable writing...but the entries were intended to be just notes, and that's what they were. I was tied up with the all the business of the tour (I am the bands' de facto European Tour Manager, manager, booking agent, driver, accountant, tour guide and long lost uncle. I've also been known to pick and sing a bit. 

So now I will embark on a more in depth, much more well written blog about my summer writing vacation. I'll be armed  with not much more than a Gretch "Way Out West" green colored acoustic guitar (Given to me by my buddy Fred from The Borderline in Belgium) some comfortable clothes, cheap, horrible Soviet Era tasting cigarettes, wonderful wine and food, and my trusty IPhone. Let this adventure begin. 

MGE