Greetings from the Bolt Bus. As if I didn’t spend enough time on the Internet, they have wifi on the bus now. I played at the Bitter End last night in Manhattan, and before my slot, some youngsters played a set. The first was this mini Tori Amos-esque pixie named Jen, who had just turned 16, and after her was a supposed 15-year-old Jason Mraz-in-training who didn’t look a day over 12. At any rate—they were both exceptional. Nice chord changes, emotive voices, interesting lyrics, and solid time—and they haven’t even been to a prom yet. Could you imagine if you had all your songwriting credentials under your belt during those pimpled and awkward years of your life? You’d have a whole John Hughes soundtrack on your hands!

A poster in the john. Why not.

I love New York City. I would love to live there—but I’m speculating as to whether or not it would be a good move right out of the gate. On one hand—opportunity abounds and the pizza rules, but on the other—it’s full of thousands of mediocre bands that think they’re the next Kings of Leon (and have the denim, hair, and swagger to prove it). Also—rent is not terribly musician-friendly, which makes me lean towards somewhere like Nashville. Do you want to move somewhere you can live, and then focus on your career—or do you want to go somewhere to focus on your career, and just figure out a way to scrape by when you get there? Heads, Nashville. Tails, New York…

Thoughts like these make midterms seem trivial in a way—but then again, this is what we signed up for. Figuring out how to study for that exam in between rehearsals and gigs will soon become figuring out how to pay rent after you just splurged on those new speakers. But let’s face it: you needed those speakers, and the landlord’s a pushover anyway

Good luck, study hard, and bundle up.

Zac Taylor
Managing Editor