…

regarding touring:

i’m reckless with live shows because i love them so much. i don’t care whatsoever about making money from them (perhaps to my detriment) – all i need is a way to get to and from the city or town the show’s in, enough to eat so that i don’t pass out onstage, and somewhere to sleep, even if it’s just a tent or a hollow tree. if i’m bringing a band with me, it’s different – i need to make sure that the musicians playing with me get paid (and sleep indoors), because they’re taking time away from their lives and jobs and families, and i’m hiring them to help me out. but alone, i only have very basic needs, and once i have those needs in place i will go anywhere, anytime. as an example of how much my desire to play for all of you trumps common sense, right now i don’t even have a flight home from Europe booked, because i can’t yet afford one. i’m crossing my fingers that some people come to the shows, and that i can sell a few CDs.

otherwise i guess i’m building a raft. but this is fine with me, this uncertainty, because without taking chances, nothing awesome ever happens.

i have no booking agent, no manager, no label, no publicist. no official outside help with the business side of all of this. all of the November dates in Europe are happening because of the direct intervention, financial support, co-planning and generosity of some amazing people who i’ve only had the pleasure of meeting online so far, through countless exchanged emails. i crammed as many shows as i possibly could into the three weeks i am away from my part time job in November, and am intensely pleased and proud to be playing in all of the cities i am playing in. but i’m sad to be missing so many of you as well. still, maybe it’s not clear just how much work, planning and cost goes into this sort of thing.

the show in Bamberg, Germany is happening because of an arts grant a wonderfully determined and generous man named Martin helped secure, not to mention a whole lot of thoughtful and exhausting planning on his part. i first heard from him one year ago, and we have been working on this show since then, slowly but surely. i wouldn’t have been able to afford to fly to Europe in the first place if it hadn’t been for him, and that’s where all of this started; how i am coming to Europe at all.

Moscow is only possible because of the combined efforts of a small group of lovely people who first wrote me many beautiful letters and then decided amongst themselves to team up and pool their money to help fly me to them for a private show, because they knew i would be relatively nearby, in Germany. again, i couldn’t have afforded to go at all without their direct help and fundraising. they have been incredible over the six months we have been making our arrangements.

finally, all the dates between Bulgaria and Offenbach, from the 17th to the 27th, are thanks to the planning, past knowledge, patience, and generosity of Liz and Rowan of Midas Fall, who were kind enough to have me along on part of their tour when i was looking for more shows to play. they’ve toured Europe before, and without being allowed to join them, it would have been a real struggle to find places to play. it’s difficult approaching a club as one person, with no space between being the artist and the booking agent. or at least, i’m hopelessly terrible at it.

of course there has been endless planning and expense on my part as well, from rehearsing and writing new songs to arranging visas and an IDP and sending CDs to sell to renting a vehicle while i am over there and somehow saving money to pay for fuel, food, and accommodations on my nights off. but the credit lies most with the people above for this tour. and this message is here not only to say a heartfelt thank you to all of them, but also to try once more to explain that i am never ignoring any of you when you ask me to come to your town, or choosing one place above another. it’s just that as a completely independent artist, who must work a part time job to pay his rent, i have very limited resources.

so i always appreciate any help i can get. i’ve been successful in setting my own shows up in the past, and will continue to try, but remember that you only see the successfully booked gigs displayed on my sites. the many, many failures are invisible.

i’ll learn a lot from this tour, and don’t plan on stopping after this. i’d like to try to finally play some shows in the USA in 2016, among other places. you are so close, but there are costs involved even in just crossing the border as a musician, and i’ll have to have at least a few shows guaranteed. this has stopped me in the past, but if i can make it to Europe, i can make it to you. and everyone else too.

so that’s all. know that every time i read the name of another country or city or town in a comment or email my heart races and i wonder how i could get to you. i just want to strap my guitar and Number Six on my back, grab my compass and start walking.

love,

eric.