The Greater The Risk – 2nd ROAD BLOG from their “Fall Tour 2011”

The Greater the Risk is on their 2011 Fall Tour with We Are! The New Year. While on tour they will be writing periodic blogs for us. The second one can be read here after the break.

Monday we woke up in our tour mates’ house in Allentown, PA. Clay, the drummer for We Are! The New Year was gracious enough to let us crash at his house which just happened to be very close to the venue we were playing that night, Crocodile Rock, in his hometown. We were really excited for this date because we had all heard how great a venue it was, Blake having seen a couple shows there in the past. The next couple days, however, were the low points of the tour, and as many bands who book their own DIY tours will tell you, sometimes these things are unavoidable. We arrived at the venue to discover that there was a hiccup between the promoter and venue owner, and the show would not be going on that night. We were bummed, but we took the time to go flyer (Boring promotion, stuff…) one of the local malls and pick up some materials to continue making press kits, which was a task we had told ourselves we would take up before we left for tour. Sometimes the tour life isn’t that glamorous, on the other hand, Ashley did get to freshen up on her kindergarten arts-and-crafts’ skills! We decided to get up the road that night, as we were scheduled to play all the way up in New Hampshire the next night.

We drove through the night and made it to a Wal-Mart at about 4:30 AM, about an hour from where we were supposed to play that night. We noticed there had been no power anywhere around, and the Wal-Mart was no exception. We crashed in the van that night, and all awoke very grumpily the next morning. After doing some morning errands we got a text saying the show for that night had also been cancelled, with the same reasons as the night before. Grrr!!! We turned around and headed back down toward the Boston area. From here the tour took a turn for the best, and we were very lucky to have some of Blake’s friends allow us to crash with them the next three nights in Everett, about fifteen minutes from downtown Boston. We got to do some sightseeing, exploring one of the downtown malls and surrounding areas that night.

Wednesday we drove toward Providence, RI for a show at Firehouse 13, a venue all of us were looking forward to playing. It was just as great as suspected, with some of the best local bands around playing on the bill with us. The venue itself was a converted firehouse, with fire poles and other equipment still garnering most of the backdrop of the building. There were also about 2,500 pictures hanging from the walls depicting all sorts of shows and bands that had previously played there. We took time while loading in to check those out! While the music was very diverse in nature, everyone seemed genuinely into everything that was played, which was a great sight to behold, as it was probably our favorite night of the tour. It was also the first night we really bonded with WATNY, as we spent most of the load in time just catching up on the calamities of the last couple days. We also got to have our first taste of the “Northeast Pabst Blue Ribbon,” or as Providentials called it, Naragansett. It was delicious!

Thursday was a very busy day for us as we built more and more press kits, actually running out of materials to make any more. (Thank God!) We also re-upped on our crucial tour supplies– water, canned meals, and of course, HOT FRIES! The venue that night in Lowell, MA, the Brewery Exchange, was also an awesome place to play. In the bar area, they had a mechanical bull and a delicious blueberry beer which Ashley took to right away. We all took to another band that played with us that night, Life On Hold, who were definitely the best local we had played with thus far. Think Paramore with more of an indie twist and there you have it! Fronted by a girl named Ally, her and Ashley immediately took to one another. As most bands tend not to feature girls in the lineup, it was easy to see why they hit it off right away. Make sure you check Life On Hold out!

The next day featured more driving and another show as we said goodbye to Blake’s friends in Everett. It also featured a free beer tasting at the Harpoon brewery in Boston. On our way down to Connecticut we decided to treat ourselves to another touristy locale and boy, were we happy we did! It was delicious and a nice break from all the driving we had been doing in the last couple days. Luckily some of us only a taste or two so we were able to get back on the road and head toward Avon, CT. When we arrived we discovered the venue, The Hessian Lion, was a cozy little neighborhood bar. We also discovered that they were practically the only folks in town who had power! The same storm that hit Maryland on Saturday had also knocked out power for days all the way up here too. Though it was mostly a beer drinking, bar crowd, we played a tight set and all had a great time. Another bonding night with WATNY, we took turns challenging each other to pool and free games of NBA JAM 95, which was hooked up in the corner of the bar. All in all, a great way to spend a Friday night.

We woke up the next day in Brooklyn, NY at Nathan’s brother’s apartment in the Williamsburg area. Getting in at 4:30 AM that morning, Derek and Nathan had driven through the night to make sure we would have a place to crash, and not have to suffer another cold night in the van! After a couple of hours of sightseeing Manhattan during the trip to the venue, (traffic!) we got to Long Island in plenty of time to stretch our legs and walk around before load-in. We met up with a couple of friends who had come out to our shows the last few times we were in Long Island and had a fun time hanging out with them before the show. The Vibe Lounge, the venue for that night, had improved its sound system and stage look since the last time we had played there. We all had a great time and decided to head back early to Brooklyn to stay with Sam, Nathan’s brother, for another night. We also got to taste (devour) some local Brooklyn cuisine (subs and wraps) before hitting the hay.

Sunday we all woke pretty refreshed as five people sleeping on the floor could. We were also pretty bummed it was the last day of tour

We packed up and said our goodbyes to Sam and hit the road kind of early. As much as we were dreading it being our last day, it was also supposed to be one of the better shows on the tour as we were sharing the stage with New York natives Patent Pending that night in north New Jersey. The venue was a pretty sweet Irish pub with a large area in the back that served as concert hall and music venue. The sound was incredible in here, as the stage was really set to accommodate large shows like this. We played our best show that day, and good thing too, as it later turned out we also played to many new fans as well that day. We said our goodbye to the WATNY guys and hopped into the van to make the six hour drive home. We were tired, but ending the tour with such a great show could not have dimmed our spirits one bit. It was all a success for us for many reasons. First of all, we didn’t kill each other, and second of all, we made a ton of new fans and band friends as well. Until next tour, this is TGTR signing off!