I'm in a band. Isn't everybody? We've been together with various rhythm sections for about two years now. We've released an album and a 7" single, and played NYC a bunch. There comes a time in every band's life when going on the road is the only thing left to do (besides getting a record deal and opening for the Stones). So that's what we're doing. We're ditching town like a teenager in a Lifetime movie. It's time.

The whole thing came about while talking about our next album. We came up with the idea that if we went out on the road and played nine gigs in a row and then came home only to go directly into the studio that we'd end up with some great recordings. The songs would be good and road-tested and we'd be as tight as we possibly could be. So, just like that, the decision was made. We'll do it. We'll go out on the road. Our old band's tour stories are the stuff of legend but, truth be told, they are getting old. Time to make some new ones.

The decision to do it was the easy part. After that came When? Where? How? We picked November as a time frame so, logical people that we are, we decided that heading South would be the most prudent option. That covers When and Where. How about How?

We have no van. We've never been on the road in this band so we have no connections. We have no organizational skills. We have no time.

Ha! I laugh in the face of these hurdles. I will do WHAT EVER IT TAKES to go out on a tour. This brings me to the other W word: Why? Because it's the most fun you'll ever have. You get to meet new people, eat barbecue, drink, dance and play music every night and then leave before you have to suffer any of the consequences. It's a vacation from the real world. There are no day jobs or rent checks on the road.

OK, so this is not news and we're not The Band or anything. We're going out for ten days, not nine years. Still, I expect it will be transformative. We are three shows and counting into the booking stage. I'm a bit scared that we won't get any more gigs and we'll have to get from NYC to Alabama and back with only a stop in between each way. That's a lot of time in a van with dudes. I'm crossing my fingers that some others will come through. Places like Richmond and Charlottesville are proving way harder than you'd think. Are there so many bands clamoring to play these cities that a decent NYC band can't get a show? Really? It looks that way. This is where being not-so-indie would come in handy. I am coveting other bands booking agents...

I will give an update on the tour next month along with a CMJ Music Marathon 2010 preview.

This month's recommendation is the brand new Alberta Cross album Broken Side of Time. I've been anxiously awaiting this album ever since I got my hands on their EP The Thief and the Heartbreaker a year ago. While the EP was very influenced by Neil Young and The Band, I find the album to be a bit grungy. Not so much to put me back in my old bedroom wearing a flannel, staring at myself in the mirror pretending to be Kurt Cobain but just enough to put it out of the folky-rock vein and solidly into the just-plain-rock category. Neil is the Godfather of Grunge, after all, so I suppose this is just the natural progression. It's a solid album from a very intriguing band. I expect to see them everywhere I look very soon.