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 gearing up to tour in support of the album, and they will be sharing dispatches with Glide Magazine from the road. Vocalist Will Blackburn fills us in as the band gets ready for their tour…
When I was 18 years old I left home and traveled to a show for the very first time. Green as could be, and mildly nauseous the entire trip, I can only remember feeling this grand sense of adventure that would ultimately push me towards the dream I felt was so easily achievable, having just formed a new band that was finding rather rapid success. In a few days I’ll be turning 25, and the nostalgia I feel pondering those times is both inspiring and shameful. I thought the things I yearned for would “just come to me.” I thought I was good. I thought we were the best thing since who-knows-when to come out of Charleston. I thought I would surely have everything I ever wanted, and I would have it quickly. It’s probably those ego-driven thoughts that have kept me from achieving the “success” I prayed for at 18.
To choose this profession as your own is to have a purpose. A purpose that isn’t self-serving, or intended to generate fame and riches—that way lies certain failure. I say this because I am proof of the power of positivity, as well as that of selfishness and greed. Proof that hard work does pay off and rushing a good thing is almost never remembered as a “good thing”. Proof that happiness is never measured by long nights that turn into mornings of shame and regret, or paychecks spoiled on booze and pot. Proof that thinking you have it all figured out at 18 has lead you to knowing that in truth you know nothing more than what the world has chosen to show you. All in all I am proof that however rewarding this life, or profession, may seem, it is at many times testing. Your will and strength to overcome the obstacles you created will be all that separates you from failure and achieving your wildest dreams.
I leave for tour again soon and while the excitement is brewing and the urge to run again has become even more powerful than the last time I left, I find myself cherishing the little things like reading and drinking tea, hanging on the couch with my dog, and cooking a meal in my own kitchen while blasting Kendrick’s DAMN. at full volume. Those, like so many mindless moments, are the memories I will miss when I am losing myself onstage to 23 or 2,300 people and rocking the fuck out with my very best friends, while sharing some of the most honest and passionate art I have ever had the privilege of creating. Regardless of race, religion, political belief or gender identity, you are welcome in my house and my house will travel wherever my voice and the call of my brothers in art will take me. Peace and love.
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!
Sunday May 28 – Rooster Walk – Wincester, VA
Thursday June 1 – WXRY Music Crawl – Columbia, SC
Friday June 2 – Asheville Music Hall – Asheville, NC
Saturday June 3 – Tuckfest – Charlotte, NC
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
Saturday July 29 – Bragg Jam Music Festival @ The Hummingbird – Macon, GA
Friday August 4 – Barley’s Tap Room – Knoxville, TN
Saturday August 5 – Taproom Amphitheater at Sierra Nevada – Mills River, NC
Saturday August 12 – Volvo Car Stadium – Charleston, SC
Sunday August 13 – The Boathouse – Myrtle Beach, SC
Friday August 18 – Fountain Square – Cincinnati, OH
Saturday August 26 – Shoeless Jam Music & Arts Festival – Greenville, SC
