Hello!
We’re back from our journey to LA and beyond. And, not just any journey, but an epic adventure! One that involves… uh… terrifying dragons, diabolical wizards, and a scary room in an apartment building. Ok, so it might not be that epic, but it was exciting.
Day 1:
We hopped off the plane at LAX. After a 2 week tour through AR and TX…our first (and by far MOST important) stop was In-N-Out Burger! “What is In-N-Out Burger, Brandon?” you ask. Why, it is the BEST (and freshest –says our manager) fast-food joint ever. They have a secret menu so you can customize your order…like have a burger with up to 20 patties!!!!
After that, it was straight to Santa Monica —and clothes shopping for a photo shoot, (we love to shop! -NOT really). Then…had a pizza party with our fearless LA Crew, and then crashed in the guys’ apartment. Now, about this apartment…I will say this…you could see the floor. However, as a side note, the shower was “a bit” clogged. I had the distinct pleasure of pulling out this HUGE glob of slimy hair which had probably been in there for years. It was so disgusting, I almost threw up. ewwww!
Day 2:
This was our major rehearsal day! Fortunately for us, our manager is (was) a musician…so that meant a brutal start time of 10:45am. We ended up going to this incredibly shady looking area in LA – which really, what part isn’t? (haha jk) – and arrived at this warehouse with barbwire all around it. We seriously thought Trent had decided to take up kidnapping. But once inside B-stage… we were pleasantly surprised by the setup. It was totally sweet…killer PA, awesome gear, great stage…and we worked on a bunch of new music! Then, the Belmont West class (our LA team) came over for a little private show at the end of the day. Pretty sure they loved it..haha.
Day 3:
Photo shoot day — Possibly the most insane day ever. We started by driving to Santa Monica to get haircuts/color in the AM. Our pro hair-cutter –Desiree (I think that’s how it’s spelled?) really did a great job for us.(thanks!) But….as with all good things that are worth waiting for…..we were trapped in our black robes, and tin-foil in our hair until 4:30pm! Our photo shoot was supposed to be at 6:30pm –downtown LA. Right? But wait, let’s figure in LA traffic. Now, imagine that, plus rain, and for added thrills…it’s rush hour! We needed to get back to Hollywood to go through our wardrobe, have dinner, and drive to downtown LA for the shoot. Shouldn’t be a problem at all…right?
We ended up skipping wardrobe test…and dinner… And somehow managed to arrive at the studio right on time! Our stylist (thanks Helene) started picking out clothes, and asked where the new clothes were…?? We then realized, “Oh hey, we completely forgot the things that we bought for the shoot!” Those are…uh… at the apartment… Epic fail! But fear not – we had our other (older) stuff with us. “Oh wait, we also forgot our hair product.” By now, our manager was about to throw something….but remained calm…(cuz he’s got a lot of patience). It all actually ended up going really well. The photographer —Steven Taylor —was awesome…and really helped us look good. After it was all over, we headed across the street to Cole’s Famous French Dip! – for some much-needed food. And that, my friends and fans, was a great way to end our day, and our trip.
We flew home the next day, (after one last stop at In-N-Out —-of course). And home is where we are at the moment. After being on the road for basically 1-1/2 months…Let me just say…as much as I love traveling, there is no place like home.
Thanks for sticking around!
Brandon
