We got to spend the last two days relaxing, exploring, and splitting an 11 hour drive into two days. One thing I’ve seen several times from a distance, but never visited is the Arch in St. Louis. On Sunday we met up with Quiet Science and went up in the Arch. It’s so much bigger up close than it is from the highway passing through town. We got to experience the tiny little pods that carry 5 crammed human being to the top and the rectangle double-paned windows that show visitors the spectacular view from the observation spot at the top of the Arch. We strolled around town, ate some pizza, and drove 5 hour to Memphis were we stayed in a hotel for the first time on this tour. Robby from Quiet Science works for a hotel chain so he gets a ridiculous rate and we all shared in the benefit of a good nights rest without spending a lot of cash. They only had one rollaway bed and it was in use, so Merch Mat had to sleep on the floor (Mathew is our Merch Guy).
The next day Justin and I got up early to get a new tire for the trailer. After visiting a few places we found a good deal on one, but had to wait until 4pm before it would be ready to go. One thing about the south is it usually has tons of good BBQ places and sweet tea. We love this about the south. A fan wrote on our Facebook wall that he would “unlike” is if we didn’t visit a place called Neely’s in Memphis. It was a fantastic decision to go. To kill some time we walked around a mall and realized how bad the area was effected financially. The majority of the stores in the mall were closed down with half abandoned displays. It was hard to find anyone in the mall who didn’t work there that wasn’t our group. It was really depressing. I went back out to the van to wait for the other guys and some guy needed a jump, so I helped him get on his way. Not a bad trip after all. After the new trailer tire was put on we made the 6.5 hour drive to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A another fantastic host family was waiting for us to arrive with food and great conversation. Mat and I slept on bunk beds. It was cool.
I got a text today from the woman who we stayed with in St. Louis telling me she gave our new CD The Garden to her bosses. She is a nanny who’s been working for this family for 9 years and the parents (her bosses) are Atheists. Their response was,
I love the CD you gave me. Its more than just music, there’s something else about it. I don’t know what it is but its something!
It’s cool to hear our music is connecting with people on a level greater than just being good music and that it can be identified with by more than just Christians. I purposed in the lyrics of this album to create something that was honest, real, and something everyone could relate to. And maybe not everyone can relate to it, but I wanted to broaden my perspective, topics, and questions that most human beings ask. Who am I? Where am I going? What are my motives? What do I believe…? I’m glad to hear that the ideas and questions on The Garden are being grasped and are relatable.
Tonight’s show in Baton Rouge was fantastic. The kids at the show were great and afterwards there were a lot of conversations going on. It was a good night. When we returned to our host family they had baked apple pies. Now everyone is full and ready for bed.
Early rise tomorrow. 6.5 hour drive. Come now sleep.
