Tales From The Golden Road: Stop Light Observations Sacrifice For The Passion of Playing Music

Plenty of people go to see bands when they come through their town, but most people don’t think about everything that it takes to get those bands to their favorite club. Being on tour for a musician is both enlightening and daunting, as physically and mentally draining as it is stimulating. And no matter what, there are always stories to tell. In Tales From The Golden Road we let musicians tell their own stories of life on the road to get a behind-the-scenes, up-close look at what really goes down between each show.

Charleston, S.C.’s Stop Light Observations has quickly garnered a following with their potent blend of Southern rock that incorporates elements of psychedelic, electro, reggae and hip-hop. If you listen to the band’s newest album Toogoodoo you’ll quickly realize this is catchy stuff with a wide-ranging appeal. The album is loaded with powerful anthems that balance pop sensibility and straight up rock and roll. Now the band is touring in support of the album, and they will be sharing dispatches with Glide Magazine from the road. Vocalist Will Blackburn…

It seems that one’s “time” is life’s most valuable currency, and in my own personal experience, that has proven to be entirely true. Occasionally I find myself asking, “How do I juggle working a few part time jobs and continuing to chase what, at times, can seem like an unachievable dream?” That question is answered most easily by referencing this bands most constant struggle: Sacrifice.

Sacrifice, in this sense, is not only limited to time or to money, but it many ways our sacrifice is related to the soul. How much of yourself can you give to the world and how much of a beating can you take before you give up or quit? Words that are considered taboo in our world are often the ones that plague our minds the most in moments of fear or weakness.

Imagine you have devoted your entire life as a young person to sharing an art form that you consider to be the epitome of what defines your purpose. And for years you have sacrificed your time, money, and existence to share this artistic expression. Then imagine that at any moment those dreams and sacrifices could become worthless because you said those few taboo words, or that your best friend, band mate, and brother has. That is our biggest fear. As we grow together, we have found that the sacrifices we are making together are not really “sacrifices” per se. They have become responsibilities that are binding and that if committed to, can lead us to all we have ever wanted to achieve through artistic expression.We have learned to use our responsibilities and sacrifices to inspire each other to keep going and to never give up. Your band mates’ happiness and drive is not only his or her burden but your’s as well. Carry it with pride. The sacrifice is the fuel to the fire and the fire will burn long and hot as long as you tend to it. Until we leave again.

Check out tour dates below, visit stoplightobservations.com, and stay tuned to Glide for more installments of this edition of Tales From The Golden Road! Read the first and second entries!

Wednesday June 21 – Revelry Room – Chattanooga, TN

Thursday June 22 – High Watt – Nashville, TN

Friday June 23 – Bidentennial Park Concert Series – New Albany, IN

Friday June 30 – The Windjammer – Isle of Palms, SC

Thursday July 6 – Summerfest – Milwaukee, WI

Friday July 7 – GMAN Tavern – Chicago, IL

Saturday July 8 – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – Kalamazoo, MI

Friday July 14 – The 8×10 – Baltimore, MD

Sunday July 16 – Fairfield Theatre – Fairfield

Monday July 17 – Rough Trade NYC – Brooklyn, NY

Thursday July 20 – Wonder Bar – Asbury Park, NJ

Friday July 21 – SummerSounds – Greensburg, PA