Grog Blog 2.0

Graduation

2010-11-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

I’m about as good at keeping up with this blog as I am taking care of my pet cactus. The only difference is this blog keeps coming back to life.

So tonight was our last show of 2010. In Abu Dhabi. In one hour it'll be midnight on November 19th, which is exactly 5 and a half years since the day I auditioned for this then-unknown band. As we played “Please Be Mine” all I could think about were the countless high school assemblies we playing this song for, and now there are a bunch of kids halfway around the world singing along. During “Year 3000” I couldn’t help but remember when we rehearsed that song at a bar called “The Chicken Coup” somewhere outside of Wilkes Berre, Pennsylvania on a day off from the Aly & AJ tour back in 2006. Or seeing kids from the middle east sing lyrics I wrote for the song “Tonight.” It blew my mind. Being a college dropout, I can’t help but feel like I got my degree tonight. This band literally started from nothing. It’s been an honor to be a small part of this.

Here’s our setlist from tonight:

Feelin’ Alive
Hold On
Year 3000
Play My Music
Poison Ivy
Gotta Find You
B.B. Good
That’s Just the Way We Roll
Paranoid
L.A. Baby (pronounced “la baby”)
Video Girl
World War Three
Still In Love
Tonight
Hello Beautiful →
Biggest Fan
Can't Have You
Who I Am
Black Keys →
A Little Bit Longer
Fly With Me
When You Look Me In the Eyes
Please Be Mine
Lovebug
-----------
SOS
Burnin’ Up

I’m excited to get back to LA and put my time into various projects. The main one being Ocean Grove, which, if you don’t already know, is comprised of John, Jack, Ryan and myself. Expect some music real soon!

PS - just for fun, here’s a setlist of ours from roughly the same day 5 years ago: November 20, 2005 at the Bloomfield Ave Café, in Montclair, New Jersey:

I Am What I Am
Mandy
One Day At A Time
6 Minutes
7:05
Underdog
Please Be Mine
Nick J is Off the Chain
Time For Me To Fly

LetsConquer.org

2010-09-06T18:10:00.001-07:00

Running with Joe this morning to support iWin and the Special Olympics was one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of. But you don't have to be an A-List Celebrity (like Joe Jonas) or a Z-List nobody (like me) to raise awareness and help those in need. A few months ago i got involved with an organization called St. Baldricks which encourages people to raise money and shave their heads to donate to childhood cancer research. St. Baldrick’s has raised over $80 million since 2000 and shaved more than 142,000 heads.

Every 3 ½ minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer - that's 160,000 a year. Check out LetsConquer.org to find out more. Even by talking / tweeting about this, you're helping bring childhood cancer one step closer to it's cure.

here's my little youtube video for LetsConquer.org:

5

2010-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

texts from last afternoon

2010-04-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

sometimes when Bulldozer works really hard and focuses all of our collective brain power on making awesome music, we forget how to do the simple things.

ps - jack is still in the bathroom, but alive

The Very Best

2010-03-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

I've recently gotten into a new band called "The Very Best." (kudos to whoever thought of that name.) Their first single is a tasty little number that came out last year called "Heart of Africa" and features the dude from Vampire Weekend. The song and video are radical. I can't post the embedded video, but if you want you can CLICK HERE. Now excuse me while i go back to rocking out to "Heart of Africa" alone in my bedroom, per usual.

two point oh

2010-03-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while. 654 days exactly. For anyone who's still interested, i'm gonna give this blog another run.

A lot has happened since my blog closed it's e-doors on June 12, 2008. i moved from new jersey to LA, a new james bond film came out, and my bosses went from being really famous to being super famous. also, i grew a beard and then shaved it off.

In case you missed it, i shut my blog down due to hackers snooping through my e-mail, ichat, and facebook accounts looking for some sort of secret, shocking news story about the jonas brothers. well, i guess i'll give the hackers what they want...that's right, you heard it here first:
KEVIN JONAS IS MARRIED!!!!!!

see, that's not, and never was, the point of this blog. it's not to break news. wolf blitzer does not work here (but we'd be happy to have you, wolf.) this is merely a blog to show what life is like for a working musician / songwriter who occasionally leaves his nest in LA to slap the bass for peeps worldwide.

we'll see if it lasts this time. i couldn't resist giving it another run. neither could michael jordan, brett favre, or FDR. feel free to check back in whenever you want. i'll be here waiting for you with corny humor and mildly funny stories (at best)

eeeeeyyy,
-G

No Matter How It Starts_No Matter How It Ends

2008-06-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems our time together has come to an end. A few days ago my e-mail, ichat, myspace, and paypal accounts were hacked into by an unknown culprit. Some private information made its way to the internet. It was nothing controversial or scandalous, but the mere fact that someone was rummaging through my accounts made me feel like someone was in my house and walking around without me knowing. I wondered why this would happen to me. I'm not famous, nor do i want to be famous. A-ha! But alas, i DO work for someone famous! This blog was originally intended to keep my close friends and family informed of my whereabouts while on tour, but as the Jonas Brother's fame began to take off, so did the hits on this wee little blog. It was fun, and I still tried to write very candidly to give readers an insight as to what it's like to be a professional musician on the road. But I realized this turned me into an unwanted target for exclusive information about the Jonas Brothers. I'm not sure who or how my accounts got broken into, but I'd just rather play it safe and stop before it happens again.

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed me telling me they enjoyed reading my humble thoughts and nonsense. It was great to hear. We had a good run.

As we all slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never face in the wrong direction.

Signing off,
Gregory G.

Bulletin Board

2008-06-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I receive random e-mails informing me of something awesome happening in one of the many corners of the internet. I'm going to share a couple with you that made me laugh.

This is an excerpt from America's greatest satirical newspaper, "The Onion." I've always liked the Onion; now i love it. oh and it just so happens i play the didjeridoo too, ladies. thanks to Colleen for sending me the truth:

I was reading The Onion today, and there was an article called "How To Be A Totally Bad-Ass Rocker-Chick Individual"
This was number six on the list; it made me think of you:

*******
6. Date the bassist. Most girls go for the frontman or the guitarist - which is sooooo predictable. If you're going to hook up with someone in the band - and FYI, to be a rocker chick, you have to hook up with someone in a band, sorry - don't make it the obvious choice. Cool chicks hook up with the bassist, or the drummer, or the didjeridoo soloist, or the guy on stage holding what appears to be a wind chime. Go for the unexpected in your choice of boyfriend-in-a-band. What would Bijou Phillips do?

Next is from Heather, who, while reading ESPN magazine, came across an article about the St. Louis Cardinals offering fans a "peanut-free" seating section at an upcoming baseball game. how awesome is this!?

"On July 21, Section 328 down the right field line in Busch Stadium will go peanut-free, allowing allergic Cardinals fans to watch a game without worrying that peanuts will cause a reaction."

here's the link: click here

This is from Lara, who sent me a link to one of the stranger items that have been put up for sale in recent ebay history:

...uh

London Calling

2008-06-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Today is our last day in London and all of England, for that matter. It's been real. It's been nice. But it hasn't been real nice. just playing. Loved it here. Time for Ireland!

Eng-a-land

2008-05-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Excuse my cameo (and the multiple shots of Ryan Liestman.) We'll be in England for a while; this is footage from our first few days here, mostly just walking around the area my hotel was in.

Great Scot(land)

2008-05-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Today we got to walk around the city, buy european cell phones, and john downed two red bulls minutes before the concert. Showing us how real men get their caffeine.

Europe: Day ? - Glasgow, Scotland

2008-05-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

My body is as confused as a monkey who was just let out of the "barrel of monkeys" and now has vertigo, amnesia, and oddly, insomnia. As i typed that last sentence I realized it doesn't really make sense, but that's about the brainwave i'm working on right now. We flew from LA to London to Glasgow on a marathon flight with total traveltime somewhere in the ballpark of 15 hours. I left on Saturday and apparently it's Monday morning now; 5 AM here, and I've spent the past 3 hours watching music videos in my hotel. Can't sleep at all. It's so weird - as tired as I am from flying and sleep deprivation, my body refuses to fall asleep because it still thinks its dinnertime back in LA. This has happened everytime I've traveled to Europe and i'm hoping I can adjust soon - or else break out the tranquilizers (not really.)
It is beautiful here. We ate a deliciously overpriced dinner and Ryan got applauded for his dreadlocks by mere strangers on the street. Tomorrow...er..later today is the opening of the Avril Levigne tour.
Oh, and that reminds me, I have something to tell you. You will see me sporting a new bass on the Avril tour and into the summer Jonas tour. It's a reissue of the Ampeg Dan Armstrong plexiglass bass from the 1960's. There's nothing to hide behind now because its completely see-through. check it:

sweet dreams,
greggggggggggg

American Idle

2008-05-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I write in this blog is to give some honest insight into my job for people who want to know. Fresh off an American Idol performance last night, I will attempt to recount yesterday's events leading up to our performance on live TV in front of 40 million people so you, the blog fan, can get a glimpse as to what it's like to be a "pro musician."

Overall the day consisted of a very lot of one thing: nothing.

*All events are Pacific Standard Time*

~ The band wakes up at 7:30am to try on suits for the show. This is pretty much the most we will do all day.

~ 8:00am - 1:00pm - We argue over what time "afternoon" ends and "evening" begins. We conclude that although it seems to be subjective for each person, Wikipedia says it starts at 6pm and that sounds about right to all of us. After this, we eat mashed potatoes.

~ 1:00pm - We run-through S.O.S. for the dress rehearsal. This takes approx. 2 minutes and 38 seconds. I see the two potential American Idols pacing backstage nervously. I'm tempted to pull both of them aside separately to tell them they won, but decide that's slightly too mean.

~ 1:03pm - 5:00 - Because there are so many performers on American Idol, we're sharing a tiny room with other band's musicians and dancers. To stay out of everyone's way, we kill time in some VIP lounge area inside the venue. We're the only ones there for a while, which is nice. But as the show's kickoff gets closer, socialites begin to show up in gowns and expensive suits. We bask in the glory of the stares and scoffs we're receiving for being present in that room (who are those kids in t-shirts reading magazines? ugh.) Other highlights during this time include me drinking a bottle of water. You get the point, not much happened:

~ 5:00pm - 6:15pm - We make our way to the dressing room to get changed and fill out paperwork for the show. We watch the other performances on a closed circuit TV. Right before we go on, we all pray together and walk to the stage. As far as what it 's like to actually be up there, well, it certainly is weird. It's like looking into my childhood television shows and having them look right back at me. I see Teri Hatcher, Lori Loughlin, and Mike Meyers - all actors from successful 90's television. It's like the American Idol stage is some freaky pop culture time machine.

~ 6:30pm - We leave and I call my mother to see what she thought. I order room service at the hotel and watch the rest on TV. the end.

The running theme of yesterday, and most days when there are televised performances, is boredom. You usually sit in a concrete room for hours upon end until things get crazy for the 10 minutes leading up to the performance, and then you're back to wondering what to do with the rest of your day. Hurry up and wait.

It's definitely fun, but it's not all glitz and glamor. As Andre 3000 once sang, "I'm just being honest."

...he also once sang "shake it like a polaroid picture."

May 19, 2005

2008-05-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

Perhaps its ironic that my flight leaving home was today. Perhaps symbolic? eh, probably just convienent to the travel agent and the the rehearsal schedule. OK, but it can still be symbolic to me.

As some of you (read: probably none of you) know, today is my 3 year anniversary getting a call to audition for the Jonas Brothers. Actually, in hindsight, it was not only a phone call to audition, but to start a hopeful career in music. So yeah, I'm like that. sorry. I like dates and anniversaries and history. I always have. I think its important and interesting to look back every now and then. Otherwise, you'll never know how far you've come (or gone backwards.) Three years ago I was applying for summer jobs and going to Phillies baseball games...three years later I'm on a flight to LA to rehearse for an upcoming world tour and to perform on the finale of American Idol.

I remember not even knowing who these kids were or how long I'd be hired for, but somehow I knew it was big. I took it slow that morning of the audition and got on my knees and prayed, "God, I have no idea what I'm even auditioning for, but I give this opportunity to your hands, and may your will be done today." Plus, I'm awesome at the bass, so i knew i'd get it (jokes.)

This past year especially has been crazy. The JBs are A LOT more well-known today than they were May 19th, 2007. Things around me have changed quite a bit, but I hope I haven't. Obviously these experiences are going to shape me as a person; I guess what I mean is, I hope I'm a better person than I was 3 years ago. I'm looking forward to whatever comes next. I thank Jesus that I get to do this everyday.

We're descending into LAX now. The guy sitting next to me just asked me to turn off my iPhone. (Is he serious?)
Ah well, you're probably bored with me talking about myself aren't you?
I guess I'll stop. wait a minute, you came to this site on your own ...maybe I'll...eh, forget it, I'll just stop.

-gg

for a more detailed description of my May 19th, 2005, click here

Kungradulashuns!

2008-05-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today i went to Seton Hall University's Commencement ceremony for the graduating class of 2008 at the Izod Center in New Jersey. It was bizarre watching all of these kids I spent a year of my life with sit there in their caps and gowns, knowing that if things had gone only slightly different in my life, I'd be sitting there with them too (hopefully.) That would not have been a bad thing at all, either. The dean who I met with once I was offered a touring job with the Jonas Brothers was in attendance also. I thought back to that meeting and how he encouraged me to pursue the opportunity. I'm glad he did. I was pretty confused as to what i should do. I had already logged a year at SHU and really loved it. He gave me reassurance that I was making the right decision and gave me the confidence I needed to withdraw from college and buy a new bass guitar rig with the tuition money instead. I'm very grateful for my job, but I certainly don't think i'm "better" than anyone graduating today. In fact I found myself quite jealous of their degrees. I was simply blessed to be offered a different route to my career. It doesn't matter how you get there, as long as you get to do what you love.
That said, I hope everyone today is one step closer to accomplishing this goal. Not gonna lie, seeing these kids for the first time in 3 years had me a little nostalgic for my freshman year. I'm proud of them. hazard zet forward. Go Pirates!

Interesting to note before i sign off here: (pictured above) on four separate occasions today a blue balloon made its way into the seated graduates' area and was tossed around DURING the speeches. These are people getting their Masters and Doctorates degrees i'm talking about. Only proving that, not matter how old or smart you are, one thing always remains true...balloons are FUN.

-Greg Garbowsky
formerly the class of '08

ps - happy birthday sista

Garbo / Edwards '08

2008-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad i wore my sunglasses and Billy Ray Cyrus shirt when i was introduced to John Edwards...

A political match made in Heaven. On my end, i bring the good looks, intellect, fresh-scented colognes, and good looks. On Edwards' end, he brings the boyish-charm and southern accent. Step down Obama. I can proudly say I will get all the votes in the peanut-allergy demographic. Also, we have a plan to stimulate the economy:
I have a LaserJet ColorInk printer in my house. I will print off literally tens of Schrutebucks and pump these babies into circulation. Next thing you know i'm tackling world hunger and we put a monkey on Mars. All this by 2010.

¡Saludos de México!

2008-04-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

We played for 80,000 peeps at a festival @ Estadio Azteca in Mexico on Wednesday. That's slightly more people than citizens of Rhode Island.

HOLA!
I'm currently writing to you in the dark from my hotel in Mexico City. I'm not sure why but the power keeps going out throughout the entire hotel. Last night Jack and I were inches away from getting on the elevator when we experienced our first blackout. My father actually suggested i bring a flashlight with me and i laughed at him. Now it's dark and i'm scared and alone.
Playing for 80,000 people was really no big deal. It was just like playing for one of your friends in your backyard...and then inviting 79,999 other people who don't understand what you're saying. We've been playing more concerts around here throughout the week. I just wish i paid more attention in Spanish class:
Hola hermosa chica. Me llamo Gregorio. Juego la guitarra como un león violento. En América yo soy un rey. ¿Querría usted comer cereal conmigo?
We spent last week in London and I did all sorts of obvious touristy stuff (pictured) but the highlight for sure was seeing Abbey Road Studios as well as the famous street crossing. Other activities included: (1) eating a cheeseburger with ham, pineapple, and egg on it. (2) paying way too much for everything...the dollar is worthless over there. (3) hearing "JONAS" chanted by fans with proper British accents.
One other observation about London; there are fauxhawks everywhere. from infants to old men. i don't get it either.
Only 5,000 pounds to call home!

Large Ben

Buckingham Palace. Our tour guide said there are 78 bathrooms in there...someone has a digestive problem.

April 10, 2008
London, UK

That's Just the Way We Roll
SOS
Just Friends
Goodnight and Goodbye
Hello Beautiful
Australia
Shelf
Take A Breath
Games
Take On Me
Still In Love
Burnin' Up
Look Me in the Eyes
Hold On
------
SOS (again)

Summertime

2008-04-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Fri 04/18/08 Distrito Federal, MEX Vive Cuervo Salon

Sat 05/10/08 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Sat 05/17/08 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center

Mon 05/26/08 Glasgow, UK Carling Academy Glasgow

Tue 05/27/08 Glasgow, UK Carling Academy Glasgow

Thu 05/29/08 Manchester, UK Manchester Evening News Arena

Fri 05/30/08 Birmingham, UK The NEC Arena

Sat 05/31/08 Cardiff, UK Cardiff International Arena

Sun 06/01/08 Plymouth, UK Plymouth Pavilions

Tue 06/03/08 Bournemouth, UK Bournemouth International Centre

Wed 06/04/08 London, UK O2 Arena

Fri 06/06/08 Dublin, IRE RDS Arena

Sat 06/07/08 Belfast, UK Odyssey Arena

Mon 06/09/08 Luxembourg, LUX Rockhal

Tue 06/10/08 Paris, FRA Zenith Paris

Thu 06/12/08 Bolzano, ITA Palaonda

Fri 06/13/08 Assago, ITA DatchForum

Tue 06/17/08 Munich, GER Zenith

Wed 06/18/08 Dusseldorf, GER Philipshalle

Fri 06/20/08 Amsterdam, NET Heineken Music Hall

Sat 06/21/08 Brussels, BEL Forest National

Sun 06/22/08 Mannheim, GER Rosengarten Amusensaal

Mon 06/23/08 Dresden, GER Junge Garde

Tue 06/24/08 Berlin, GER Columbiahalle

Thu 06/26/08 Frederiksberg, DEN KB Hallen

Sat 06/28/08 Stockholm, SWE Annexet

Fri 07/04/08 Toronto, ON The Molson Amphitheatre

Sat 07/05/08 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre

Sun 07/06/08 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater

Tue 07/08/08 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center

Wed 07/09/08 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Centre

Fri 07/11/08 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion

Sat 07/12/08 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Tue 07/15/08 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

Wed 07/16/08 Marysville, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Thu 07/17/08 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion At Concord

Sat 07/19/08 Englewood, CO Coors Amphitheatre

Mon 07/21/08 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Omaha

Tue 07/22/08 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amph. St. Louis

Wed 07/23/08 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center

Fri 07/25/08 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium

Sat 07/26/08 Hartford, CT New England Dodge Music Center

Mon 07/28/08 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center

Tue 07/29/08 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Wed 07/30/08 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion

Fri 08/01/08 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain

Sat 08/02/08 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Thu 08/07/08 Mansfield, MA Tweeter Center For The Perf. Arts

Fri 08/08/08 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater

Sun 08/10/08 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena

Mon 08/11/08 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena

Thu 08/14/08 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center For The Arts

Fri 08/15/08 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

Sat 08/16/08 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

Mon 08/18/08 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion At Stone Ridge

Tue 08/19/08 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater

Wed 08/20/08 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheatre

Fri 08/22/08 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center

Sat 08/23/08 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena

Sun 08/24/08 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

Tue 08/26/08 Burgettstown, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion

Wed 08/27/08 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center

Fri 08/29/08 Syracuse, NY New York State Fair Grandstand

Sat 08/30/08 Allentown, PA The Great Allentown Fair

Sun 08/31/08 Essex Junction, VT Champlain Valley Exposition

1

2008-04-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

Being home this past week has been the perfect vacation after 6 months of touring to refresh myself not only physically, but spiritually also. I got to play bass in church with my sister, who is a drummer, and my father, who is a percussionist. Afterwards we drove to Pennsylvania (yuck...take that john taylor) to meet our newest addition to the family, Gracie, and celebrate her first birthday. She was left at an orphanage in China when she was only one day old. My uncle and aunt flew out there 6 weeks ago to bring her home. She's a tremendous blessing in all of our lives and a reminder of just how great God is.
I'm a proud cousin, so excuse me while i indulge myself and show off a couple pictures. The photos were taken by my cousin Nikki who i just realized is an extremely talented photographer (i think she just realized it too.)

is she peeing on me?

i took this last one with my phone. notice the awesome pink ladybug cake.

Sorry for the miscommunication

2008-04-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of iChat. i guess you could say i'm old school; i like to hear the other person when i talk to them. iChat is usually just an application reserved for old men preying on naive young boys and girls, but every once in a while, it brings together two complete strangers for magical moments like these. At approx. 6:30pm yesterday i got a random instant message from a screen name i've never seen before. Apparently there was an awesome party monday night somewhere in america. The names have been changed to protect the innocent, but the conversation is all true. i want to be friends with this kid for real. he sounds like totally stoked on life, bro.

some kid i dont know (6:31:08 PM): STEVEEE.
some kid i dont know (6:31:14 PM): DUDE HOW SICK WAS THE PARTY LAST NIGHT!?
this is greg not steve (6:31:46 PM): it was totally sick bro
some kid i dont know (6:31:57 PM): DUDE.
this is greg not steve (6:32:03 PM): did you hook up with that girl you were talking to?
some kid i dont know (6:32:11 PM): ohmygod.
some kid i dont know (6:32:11 PM): dude yes.
some kid i dont know (6:32:14 PM): she was crazy.
this is greg not steve (6:32:23 PM): what happened?
some kid i dont know (6:32:26 PM): we only made out
some kid i dont know (6:32:32 PM): i ended up dropping her off
some kid i dont know (6:32:35 PM): she was a horrible kisser.
this is greg not steve (6:32:43 PM): ah that sucks
some kid i dont know (6:32:48 PM): yeaaah.
some kid i dont know (6:32:56 PM): what about you and Tracey?
this is greg not steve (6:33:06 PM): next time dude
some kid i dont know (6:33:16 PM): ahh.
some kid i dont know (6:33:27 PM): are you going to Jason's saturday?
this is greg not steve (6:33:34 PM): yea i'll be there
this is greg not steve (6:33:42 PM): what do you think about tracey anyway?
some kid i dont know (6:33:51 PM): eh, she's pretty cool.
some kid i dont know (6:33:59 PM): i heard about all the drama between her and kelly.
this is greg not steve (6:34:32 PM): yeah, look i cant do this anymore. i dont know you man. i think you got the wrong screen name. but i'm glad at least one of us made out with a girl last night
some kid i dont know (6:35:00 PM): oh dude.
some kid i dont know (6:35:01 PM): sorry.
some kid i dont know (6:35:03 PM): bahaha.
some kid i dont know (6:35:06 PM): yeah thats pretty great.
some kid i dont know (6:35:11 PM): later.

i guess if there's a moral to this story it'd be that the internet is a scary place to hang out so be careful with how you use it. ...and that tracey is, eh, pretty cool.

ah crap, the new panic album is actually kinda good

2008-03-31T23:48:00.000-07:00

i'm embarrassed to say this, but i am enjoying listening to the new Panic at the Disco album, "Pretty. Odd." which came out last week. They were the band i loved to hate; bad music and bad makeup to go with it. but now i find myself driving around alone listening to the new album screaming, "why do you have to be so good?!?! agghhh!" after nearly running over a hobo, i realized the reason it's so good is because it blatantly rips-off the beatles' "sgt. peppers" album. it's worth noting for those of you keeping score that "sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band" is also widely accepted as the greatest album of all-time. the beatles were such a phenomenal band, that even mediocre bands who mimic their style 41 years later will still sound awesome. For teenagers on a steady diet of fall out boy, this will likely be their first introduction to a psychedelic influence in pop music. I hope this somehow begins a musical journey for these kids which ultimately leads to discovering the works of the fab four. "Pretty. Odd." isn't about Panic at the disco - it's a testament to how great the Beatles still are.

unfortunately this record is listenable from start to finish, which is exactly what i keep doing. i really really didn't want this to happen. but it did. cheers to you panic at the disco. well done.

everybody rips-off everybody; they just happened to rip-off the best. smart move.

Spotlight on: Joel F.

2008-03-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hey blog fans!

There is a special person I work with i want you to meet named Joel. He is seeking moderate fame and therefore requested a blog entry all about him. I met this magical, mythical man roughly 74 days ago at burbank airport. Some unfortunate older lady had gotten "confused" and somehow wondered onto the runway. Joel, being the dashing nice guy with a hero-complex that he is, ran out before TSA could even get in their golf carts and rescued the poor woman from danger, just as a plane was about to land. From there, Joel has been nothing short of amazing.
The more time we spent together, the more i got to know the Joel behind the goatee. He was born on a Naval ship docked in Chile and due to his infant facial hair, was misplaced with a pack of wolves. These wolves cared for him and taught him lifelong lessons in friendship, judo, and economics. Seeking a change as a teenager, Joel moved across the world and spent countless moons working as a sherpa at K2 before finally being called up to the big leagues over at Everest. During one fateful expedition with Virgin CEO Richard Branson, the two were overcome by an avalanche without warning. Upon realization that Branson's satellite phone was out of batteries, Joel yelled at the top of his lungs and shook the entire mountain with a decibel level so loud it would rival teenage girls who attend jonas brothers concerts. A wandering pack of snow dogs heard Joel's distress call and ran him and Branson to safety. As a courtesy, Branson offered Joel 20 yachts and half-ownership of his multi-billion dollar company. But Joel, being the modest and kind-hearted man that he is, graciously declined and simply settled for a "good-time hug." He did, however take the 20 yachts. ...and a box of cigars. Vowing to never climb again, Joel searched for a new job that would enable him to travel and satisfy his deep love for pop-rock music. This search ultimately led to the Jonas Brothers, where he was hired as Production Manager and widely loved by everyone he works with. The tradition of "good-time hugs" quickly spread and before you could say "Joel please stop hugging me" everyone was spreading the good-time love with hugs.
Now ladies, i know what you're thinking...this man is perfect, but knowing my luck he's probably married...i bring good news to you! He is available and looking! He'll protect you, he'll keep your secrets, he'll be your best friend. And he'll hug you with a warming of the soul like you've never experienced or will experience in your life.

think about it,
greg

Sweet Home New Jersey

2008-03-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm home for 10 ENTIRE DAYS - and thus marks the longest consecutive amount of time I've been home in over 6 months. It's nice to be home but I barely recognize the house i grew up in. since i've been gone my parents completely renovated half of our house. I'm beginning to feel more familiarity with hotel rooms at this point (not a good thing) so this trip home is the perfect amount of time to recharge my batteries and for my parents to remember they have a son and see what he looks like.

Since the Hannah Montana tour began in October, I haven't really looked back and reflected on all that's happened save for a few quick blog entries. It's not something i like to do on a regular basis, but it's also important to see how far you've come and reminisce good times on tour. As i unpack my bedroom full of luggage i'm finding photos and other relics that bring back moments i'd forgotten about from the past 6 months. I'm grateful and very blessed by God to get to travel with so many great people. I'm happy to be home but within a few days I'll be anxious to get back out again. But for now...i stay in bed and eat cereal.

Only a Garbo can bang on a Garbage Can

2008-03-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday we ended the "Look Me In The Eyes Tour" in the best state that ever and will ever exist: New Jersey. It seemed like everyone who had ever been a part of this camp was in attendance. Family, friends, old fans, street teamers, even Alex Noyes. If last summer's album release party was the prom, then this was homecoming. During the encore we played Queen's "We Are the Champions" and brought out all the bands and crew members on the tour to the stage for one big sing-along. For those of you who couldn't be there, here's the setlist:

March 22, 2008
Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ

Intro Medley
Year 3000
Just Friends
Goodnight and Goodbye
Drum off-->
Australia
Hello Beautiful
Take A Breath
Underdog
Shelf
Pushing Me Away
Way We Roll
Games
Take On Me
Still In Love
Hollywood
Burnin' Up
When You Look Me In The Eyes
Hold On
---------
A Little Bit Longer-->
So Far Away
We Are the Champions
S.O.S.

I'm really gonna miss all of the people on this tour. it was only 7 weeks, but i don't recall having this much fun in a long time.

I've said before, I never thought i'd play a concert at the white house. Well, i never ever thought i'd be back to play ANOTHER concert at the white house. We performed at the 2008 Easter Egg Roll on monday after celebrating John Taylor's b-day at Morton's the night before. I met Arthur the Anteater at the White House. Nice guy. Here's that setlist:

March 24, 2008
White House, Washington D.C.

Just Friends
Goodnight and Goodbye
Australia
Hello Beautiful
Way We Roll
Look Me in the Eyes
Hold On
Year 3000
S.O.S.

We'll be on the tele a lot this week. look for our mugs...

Benji's B-day

2008-03-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Benji, our lovable guitar / drum tech turned 24. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, he jokingly mentioned he wanted a Jello Slip-and-Slide. After soundcheck we surprised him and turned his Jello dream into a reality:

Benji living the dream:

Today Benji (left) discovered his lost twin who was our runner at the venue today:

Also, i've had several complaints from other co-workers on the tour that they haven't been mentioned on the blog yet. So i'll take this opportunity to introduce you to some of the fine people who make the rock possible.

first up his Chris. He always looks like this:

Here's Brian and Joel. All the coolness in the world is generated from these two:

Here's Colonel Matt. He likes Penn State and loves love.

US to the UK and back in a day

2008-03-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we made a quick stop in Hertfordshire, England on our way from Orlando to Richmond. i was only there for 21 hours so it's safe to say i am now an expert in british culture. a few notes: the food is great. i think england made up those rumors about bad food to keep everyone out. VH1 over there is awesome too. there's no reality shows, they just play music videos. its like MTV circa 1995. I am positive Brits don't think i sound as cool as i think they sound when they talk. so i just kept my mouth shut for the most part. but oh, the girls over there...

john and jack getting comfortable on the 9 hour flight back to the states.

british weather is a lot like seattle's weather. only it has an accent.

apparently the english countryside also has rectangular trees.

We spent our day off the other day nursing our jetlag with a round of 18 holes. I managed to hit a house only 3 times. not too shabby.

xoxo gossip greg

Happy Birthday Blog

2008-03-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

It's been one year since i started this thing. make a wish and blow out your candle.

...and many more,
G-Bone

The Barry Gibb Saga Continues...

2008-03-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

Throughout the past year of my life I have had 3 chance run-ins with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees. Just to refresh: Last spring I hit his BMW with a whiffle ball (strange.) Then in November we met briefly at a hannah montana concert (not as strange.) And then tonight Barry Gibb walked into our dressing room - as i was taking off my pants (super strange!) When I woke up this morning I did not think to myself that Barry Gibb would see me in my underwear. He brought his daughter to the concert and just wanted to stop in to say hello before the show. I quickly pulled up my pants and said hello, but really, at that point there was no way out of the social faux pax. Life is weird.

I will keep you posted with the next chapter in the Gibb Saga when our paths inevitably cross again.

Peanut-Free = Da Way 2 B

2008-02-29T20:14:00.000-08:00

My parents and sister flew out for the show in Dallas yesterday. This was their first time seeing the show. "Bring your family to work day" on tour can be stressful but this was all cake. They had a great time which made me quite happy. They've been to the waaaay early Jonas shows back when they made up half the audience and have watched this band come a long way. But their visit's purpose was twofold: My sister will be going to college in Dallas in September, so on my day-off today we visited the campus and sat-in on a lecture. It was my first time in a proper classroom in 3 years. Besides it being waaaay too early in the day (who can pay attention at 11am!?!?) it was really cool to be there and not to mention, be around kids in my age group, which is about as common an occurrence as a snowy day in africa. my sister is stoked to go and i'm stoked for her.

Later in the day we went out to a small mexican restaurant for dinner. i ordered the grilled chicken pasta, which consisted of: (a) grilled chicken (b) pasta. my parents, being parents, asked me if i checked the ingredients to see if it was prepared with any peanut products. i laughed and shrugged cockily while replying that i usually forget to ask and that it's never a big deal. i mean, i eat out 3 meals a day. what do they know? i'm the expert. (Quick side note for the confused: my whole life i've had a severe allergy to peanuts which will result in death if eaten. cool, right?) My parents then take it upon themselves to embarrass me and ask the waitress if there were any peanuts in my grilled chicken pasta. Scarily, she replies that THERE ARE and my meal was on its way out! I ALMOST ATE IT! Apparently it's hip to grill chicken with peanut oil in dallas now. I was stunned and corrected. I settled for the very peanut-free tacos and was a happy little (breathing) boy again.

let's get it together america. i have a vision of a peanut-free nation and it is beautiful. no more reading boxes of ingredients, no more epi-pens, no more Skippy. Mr. Peanut and his elitist company can go bankrupt. Next time you see a planters ad, check out his evil smirk; flaunting his cane and tophat like some pompous fancypants.

Human After All

2008-02-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

This will be the last time that i write about being sick. I'm not looking for pity or tears, i'm merely chronicling what its like to walk around feeling like a giant bacteria cell for 3 weeks.

towards the end of the hannah montana tour my allergies began to bother me. john taylor will tell you this is because i am an inferior human and weak. ...he's probably right. four days at home between tours is barely a rest and before i knew it i was back on the road again and my stuffy nose had become part of regular life. but about 3 weeks ago, i started feeling really tired and began coughing up thick dark yellow phlegm. great mental picture, right? to make a short story long, i saw a doctor and he told me i have bronchitis. what made that news even more fun, was that my left ear had clogged up and i could no longer hear out of it! YES!!! so awesome!

i wont bore you with details, but my typical day consisted of: lying in bed until about 3pm, soundcheck, laying down on a couch in the dressing room for more hours, pounding vitamin waters before the show, playing a concert, going back to sleep.

so why was i sick for 3 weeks? what made me better? what is the meaning of life? all great questions, i'm glad you asked. the first doctor i saw gave me an antibiotic that was weak and did nothing to me. the second doctor took x rays of my chest and found this inside my right lung:

he said the snake in my lung was a normal side effect of bronchitis and would eventually go away.

the third doctor i saw gave me another antibiotic to drain the fluid clogging my ear so i could get the equilibrium in my head balanced again. all this did was dehydrate me and send me into my first ever anxiety attack which, like i've been saying all along, was awesome!

the 4th doctor i saw was a genius. dr. k from chicago. he explained to me why i got sick in the first place by drawing diagrams and giving me vocabulary words. i was back in college. he prescribed me an oral steroid. my hope was already gone, but i thanked him and went on stage to play. i kid you not, 24 hours after seeing this doctor and taking the oral steroid, i feel human again. dr. k is a miracle worker. i cant thank this guy enough. my ear popped, my bronchitis is gone, i'm making bad jokes again...basically everything is back to normal. see kids, steroids arent so bad. jose canseco? nbd:

dont worry the steroid i took was very different. i'll still be the same scrawny kid you've come to know and love.
i'd like to thank the doctors i saw in Houston, Los Angeles, Grand Rapids, and Chicago. The nurse and security team in Peoria. As well as the EMS squad in Chicago. There were several occasions when i almost passed out right before the concert was about to start and these people were there to help me get out and play a show. for the hour and a half that i play music on stage every day, it was like i wasnt sick at all. thats not to say i didnt crawl into my bunk after the shows and drink gallons of water and pop pills. but i love my job, and while most people stay home from work when they're ill, working was the best part of my day.

i'm back.

Miracle.

2008-02-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we welcomed a new addition to our family. After 3 years of paperwork, phone calls, and prayer my uncle, aunt, and cousin flew to China to adopt their new daughter and sister - Grace Victoria Ming. She immediately surpassed everyone as the best looking member of the family and will without a doubt end up being way cooler than i ever will be. Can't wait to meet her face to face! See you soon cuz...guitar lessons will start soon.

Let's Rodeo, San Antonio

2008-02-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

We played at a rodeo yesterday. I am so jealous of cowboys. i just want to be one. for a day, even. These guys are completely fearless and wear spurs. case and point.

Earlier in the day jack and i took a walk to the Alamo. It was great to see that they had kept everything just the way it was back in the 1800's. For instance, the "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" store across from the Alamo. Well done, San Antonio.

I've quarantined myself in my hotel room for today. When someone on tour gets sick, it's not long before the entire tour personnel is sick as dogs. (what does that mean?) At this point, a lot of people on this tour have a cough or feel run-down. it just seems to be going around. its my turn now. yay!

Due to my sinus congestion (no way to make that sound pretty) my left ear is clogged. which is kind of cool - everything that happens to my left sounds like it's 50 feet away. just a little switch up from the norm; i'm ok with it. My body is full of over-the-counter drugs, but hopefully i can get to a doctor tomorrow for the goooooood stuff.

i awoke this morning in Houston, TX and looked out the window of my room on the 8th floor, only to see 2 men staring back at me. could this be a side-effect of Nasonex? no, it was 2 window washers working on my side of the hotel. eh, i guess you had to be there...

i leave you with a photo of my cousin Lance eating a cup in Denver on Sunday:

stay healthy,
greg

Ruling Ryan

2008-02-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

i bought a new camera. here's some of the photos from its maiden voyage.

if you come to a show, you'll notice a new member of the band on stage rocking the keyboards and dreadlocks. his name is Ryan Liestman. He hails from Minnesota. He is in a band called The Rule. That makes sense because he also rules.

Trapped in the Tour Bus

2008-02-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

At 23:00PM Pacific Time on February 6th, 2008 a small clan of people traveling in six tour buses departed Portland, Oregon. They had no idea of the journey that awaited them...

MIDNIGHT:
Laughs and good times are being had by all as we eat our dinner in the back lounge of the bus. The mashed potatoes are especially soggy tonight. We chat about topics commonly brought up in conversation; fedoras, james bond, and soccer. bob marley songs are heard in the background.

12:30AM:
I retire for the night. certain i'd awake in Salt Lake City for a day off spent about the town.

12:31 - 11:00AM:
I once again have bad dreams. I imagine myself in certain-death situations three times. (1) I'm hanging on a cliff (2) People with guns are breaking into my house (3) Rivers Cuomo has the band trapped in a maze and threatens to unleash a lion to eat us if we dont perform a certain song for him. Sadly, I am not making any of this up.

11:00AM:
I awake not to the salty air of Salt Lake City, but rather in the parking lot of a run-down seedy casino in Oregon. Confused, i ask Colonel Petroff what the dealio is. Apparently one of the buses broke down last night and we've been sitting here for hours. Panic sets in.

12:00PM:
Minor victory! I've found a box of Honey Bunches of Oats on the bus. I begin to cry when someone points out the box is from 1988. We depart and are once again en route to Utah, but are up against the elements of mother nature.

12:30PM:
I'm in the only safe place now, my bunk, and watching Brat Pitt ride a horse on TV. Oxygen supply running low. Things look grim.

2:00PM:
I've forgotten my name. I put my beard and my hair into ponytails, as it has now grown past my shoulders. We're driving up and around mountains in Idaho on snow-covered roads. I fear for my sanity / safety. both of which are out of my hands.

4:00PM:
The putrid stench of unwashed flesh becomes so overbearing that my eyes begin to water. On the bright side, the smell causes me to reminisce of a time i went to the zoo as a child. I am happy.

5:00PM:
The voice of a strange woman i dont recognize appears on the other line of my cell phone. She calls herself "mom" and tells me about a bathroom renovation at her house in New Jersey. This does not ring any bells.

9:00PM:
I begin doing sit-ups and push-ups to stay in shape. I thank God for all of those late nights I spent watching Man VS. Wild when i should've been sleeping. I take a risk and eat a bowl of the cereal. Check pulse.

10:30PM:
I send out a mass e-mail to my friends and family wishing them well in the future years i wont be able to spend with them. I attach a picture of myself with the e-mail, but dont look familiar at all. My face is sunken in and my skin has a pasty-hue. This is the end of the line. Goodbye cruel world.

11:00PM:
ARRIVAL AT HOTEL IN SALT LAKE CITY!! I kiss the muddy ground! After 24 hours on the tour bus i've forgotten how to walk. A good Samaritan gives me a piggyback into the hotel lobby. I am alive.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

2008-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

As the Hannah Montana tour came to a close last night in Miami, the Jonas Brothers' "Look Me in the Eyes" Tour officially began in Tucson, Arizona. (Arizona is also the sight of the forthcoming Giants Superbowl 42 win.) We even stole a couple of crew members from the Hannah tour - Kevin in security, and Cowboy, who is basically like spiderman in boots. yesterday I slept in and woke up peacefully to a beautiful day:
The first day of a tour is always optimistic, kind of like your fist day starting a new job - the grass seems greener, the sky seems bluer, the scorpions seem deadlier, the snakes seem snakier. its all very uplifting stuff. The show itself was great. Being a fan of the opening band myself, I'm going to make sure i watch every Rooney set for the whole tour. they're awesome and if you're coming to a concert, make sure you get there an hour early to watch them. i'm not going to give anything away about our show, but if your head explodes by the end, then we've done our jobs.

today we in vegas baby! not a bad view:

Gone Till November - me too

2008-01-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight I found myself accidentally attending a Wyclef Jean concert in Atlanta. The part that really surprised me was that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wouldn’t consider myself at all a “fan” of his. I didn’t own any songs by Wyclef and really know nothing about him other than he was in the Fugees. But much like when I accidentally went to an Enrique Iglesias concert last October, I was shocked at what a talented performer the guy is and how many hit songs I forgot he had. His band was out of control good. I may have left the show early, but I left with a smile and my ears ringing. Being on the other side of the stage, it’s easy to forget what going to a concert is like, especially when you don’t really know what to expect from the artist / band. But I left tonight impressed. I hope that when people find themselves accidentally at a Jonas Brothers show, whether you’re dragged along by your friend, or you went simply because there was an extra ticket - you leave as happy as I am now.

Girwhals / Naraffes

2008-01-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

You guys made the animal kingdom very proud. There were over 100 entries sent in and all of them were hilarious. I want nothing more than to sneak those photos into a science book or at least wikipedia. thank you guys for making me laugh and sometimes even fall over. Every one of the entries were great and even if yours didn't "win," i personally looked at each one and was blown away by how much time and effort was put into the pictures. it was very hard for me to pick one over the other. art is subjective. there needs to be a petition to make this animal happen for real. write to your local government representatives, scientists, and zoos. together, we can make this happen.

alright, here's your winners. i posted 4 instead of 3 because i really couldn't decide and plus, hey its my blog so i can do whatever i want. lets get a drum roll and round of applause:

this picture blew my mind. that is john taylor's face on the Fabio body-double. totally awesome. (this is also currently john's desktop picture.)

This drawing is great! it showcases the gracefulness of the girwhal. impressed!

This naraffe's body looks a bit like a meatball, but thats the beauty of them - they come in all shapes and sizes. plus this naraffe listens to vinyl and carries around boxes of cereal.

I'm not sure why i'm dressed as a cowboy in this photo, but i imagine a girwhal would be very painful to rodeo with.

rock and roll,
greg & all the girwhals

Giraffe + Narwhal = Blog Contest

2008-01-14T12:37:00.000-08:00

HEY BLOG FANS! - I've mentioned previously on my blog that one of our favorite pastimes is watching the Planet Earth documentaries on long bus drives. There are so many sweet animals on this planet, but two of my favs are the giraffe and the narwhal. As everyone knows, you can't have two favorites of something and i cant decide which animal is cooler. so to solve my dilemma, i'm enlisting YOU, the blog fan! There will be a contest to see who can come up with the best picture of a combination of the giraffe and narwhal. i went ahead and did my own as an example and it looks something like an underwater super-unicorn:

send your entries to narwhalgiraffe@yahoo.com

i will post the top 3 designs. the winning design will be tattooed on my forehead. ok, maybe not. extra points if you can put a bowl of cereal in the picture too. go have fun!

EDIT: Thanks for your entries! The contest is now over.

Sia has real problems

2008-01-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

I'm home for 4 days in glorious New Jersey before meeting up with everyone for more tour rehearsals. Today i even got to attend my hometown church for the first time since June! (i haven't been home on a Sunday in a LONG time) Anyway, last night i found myself in Starbucks with some friends and i just randomly purchased the new Sia album "Some People Have Real Problems." Besides it being awesome (Beck and Pantera are both on it) what struck me before i even listened to it was the cover artwork. Seriously, this is one of the best and funniest covers I've seen in a long time. Who can't relate to this? didn't you eat the markers when you were in Kindergarten? high school?

Someone wants me dead

2008-01-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

my hotel set up a nice selection of snacks to greet me as a walked in. they must know i'm allergic to peanuts because i'm hungry and this isn't funny:

- Peanut Oil-cooked potato chips
- Peanut M&Ms
- Snickers candy bar
- Cashews roasted in Peanut Oil
- Honey Peanut flavored Balance energy bar

Tour is over / Tour is just starting

2008-01-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

Last night was sadly our last on the Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus Best o' Both Worlds tour. It was like the last day of high school before graduation: After spending every day with these people, suddenly its over and you dont get to hang out with your friends anymore. And like life after high school, you usually end up seeing most of them here and there, but not nearly as much as you like. Its been an awesome experience and a pleasure traveling with everyone on the tour. But before i get all candle-lit acoustic crying music on you, we've already begun rehearsals for our next tour which is serving as quite the distraction from our grieving. Today was our first rehearsal day for the Jonas tour which starts in only a few weeks. We're changing arrangements, working on interludes, and playing new songs. This tour is going to rule. Tickets go on sale this Saturday so get a front row seat and jam with us.

So there ya have it. From one tour to the next. But let's take a moment to reflect on the past months. Here are some of my favorite photos from tour i found as i was scrolling through my iphoto. SOME of them are sunsets cause i like that sort of thing and ALL of them were taken with my iphone because i dont have a nice camera.

Here's Rob Hoffman easily amused in an airport by a tickle-me Elmo:

We paid the 50 cents but i'm pretty sure this thing was a small dog or something. no way it was real.

When the boys did an acoustic set at the Mall of America. a few fans showed up. it was nice.

Is there really a better feeling than showing up to catering and seeing this? i'm gonna miss those guys a lot. they hooked it up:

Hold On lyrics tattoo:

Soundcheck:

Arkansas:

Washington:

Minnesota:

Crossing the bridge after visiting the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Highly recommended. (...the museum, not the bridge.)

BY THE WAY! all you bloggers (e-journalists) still on the Hannah tour better keep up to date with your postings so we know whats up!

i miss you. i miss your smile. but still shed a tear every once in a while.

keep it real.

Hello Again

2008-01-02T15:55:00.000-08:00

I awoke New Years Day in New York City with what seems to be acute laryngitis. Although this may seem like a downer, its actually kind of nice to listen to other people say stupid things instead of me. After the New Years gig (more on that in a bit) we boarded a 5 and a half hour flight to Sacramento. The good news we flew on jetBlue which has personal TV sets in back of each headrest. So i watched a documentary on piranha-preying sea turtles. yeah, you missed out. big time.

i also wanted to point out a quick note about the Long Island shows we did after Christmas. While we were driving up to the venue (pictured below in the background) i saw a couple land surveyors (pictured below in the foreground.)
Trivia tid-bit for you blog fans: guess which musician used to be a land surveyor?

a. One of the Village People
b. the lead singer of Men At Work
c. Beethoven
d. me

if you guessed choice "d" then congratulations! you've won a free pass to read the rest of this paragraph! The summer between high school and college I worked for a land surveying company in New Jersey. I still consider myself a part of the surveying community, although they probably no longer consider me a part of them. The job was sweet. I used to find all kinds of stuff on the job people were getting rid of; a bass guitar, a ship's wheel, and yes...a full set of lawn darts.

ok onto new years eve,

we were fortunate enough to get to play on the roof of the ABC building in Times Square on Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve. I found myself completely overwhelmed once I got on the roof and looked out at a million people in the streets of new york. here's the view from where i stood during the performance:

What you can't see in that photo is a huge billboard for Juicy Couture's new perfume exclusively for dogs. yes, its 2008. the future is here and our dogs smell awesome.
We performed "Hold On" "SOS" and "We Got the Party" with Miley Cyrus. I still can't really believe we did that. it's weird how much has happened so fast. God is good!
Here's one more picture I took with 37 seconds left in 2007 from the street.

Here's the youtube link to some of the performances. Side note: as i was playing my phone was vibrating non-stop in my back pocket. it was mostly my friends telling me they liked my jacket.

Garden State Part II

2007-12-30T19:03:00.000-08:00

Great seats!

8 years ago i got my first bass for Christmas from my parents. I'm still not good. but at least i convinced people i was good enough to tour professionally. That's why its always great to have my parents come to a concert and thank them for the Christmas gift that supplied me with my current job. Tonight we returned to the Prudential Center for the 2nd sold out night in New Jersey.

The past few days have been considered somewhat "normal" in a sense that I get to wake up in my own bed, drive to work, and drive back home when I'm done. I'm a commuter! Howeva, tonight is my last night in NJ :(

My family had a great time which was a relief because for whatever reason i get very stressed when i bring them around. they're great people, which is why i dont understand why i get this way. but think if you had your parents, sister, and best friend mirror you for an entire day while you worked, went to school, etc. well it would just be a little strange. It was cool though, they got to hang and see us rehearse songs for Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve which airs live tomorrow on ABC. if you're near a TV, put it on in the background while you party.

my sister and my oldest friend, Jason, are unimpressed with the backstage area:

During Miley's set i walked into the audience to find my parents. after the show Miley amazed me when she said she saw me walking around and was about to call me out on stage for not paying attention to the concert! i was shocked. if singing doesnt work out she could be a sniper. this girl has eyes like a hawk!

Sister and Mom with Miles:

Well, this will do it for my blog in 2007. Thanks for reading and please come back to visit in 2008. Happy New Year!

-Gregory G.

Garden State

2007-12-30T00:39:00.000-08:00

i've been home for a week now in jerz and its awesome. i swear this state gets better every time i come back. for example: we had a show today at the prudential center in downtown Newark. now, Newark isn't exactly your Beverly Hills type of city. ...ok, so its a ghetto but they're trying to fix it up with new venues such as the Prudential Center. i drove literally 30 feet from the venue and saw a pretty beat up looking house and some people sitting outside. i refused to judge them. "that house has character, and i'm sure these are fine human beings," i thought to myself. then one of the guys gets up from the stoop and begins to pee on his house. in front of everyone. ah, i love new jersey.

my old man came to watch the show for the first time and sat on the side of the stage equipped with ear plugs and a camera. his pictures weren't half bad:

jack and john came over for a delectable steak dinner with my family and were later joined by blast from the past alex noyes to watch the giants almost beat the patriots. the mini-reunion was sweet.

That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown

2007-12-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

Christmastime Is Here

2007-12-21T23:27:00.000-08:00

not to sound like my good friend Mike Schmid, but... i'm in my hotel room and sick right now. we've been playing shows up and down the eastern seaboard but i feel like i'm stuck inside a snowglobe. its freezing cold everywhere we've been lately, yet i continue to fail to wear my jacket. thankfully, the tour caterers know me all too well and get out a nice big bowl of cereal when they see me and put a smile on my face. just what the doctor ordered. (please note my doctor is Tony the Tiger.)

i've been doing a pretty awesome job of buying Christmas gifts for myself. i started to feel slightly guilty so i took a taxi to the mall to practice a little more selflessness in this season of love and giving. while i was looking for the new Daft Punk "Alive 2007" CD for one of my friends, i stumbled upon an album i had actually worked on earlier this year called "On My Way" by DeSol:

now let's be clear by what i mean when i say "worked on" i did NOT play the bass but rather did some assistant engineering and maybe played a shaker or two, but trust me, my rhythm is nowhere near on the level of these dudes. the DeSol record was produced by Jon Leidersdorff who also played drums on "It's About Time" by the Jonas'.

In recent weeks i've also decided that i'm far superior to my fellow bandmates and now no longer ride on that stinky tour bus, but rather follow the bus in my custom new pink party limo. it's equipped with a hot tub, direcTV, and lasers that blow up the cars in front of me when stuck in traffic. also, the interior is lined with out-of-print $1,000 bills. it's about time we fall back into the decadence of the 80's, no?

a few more random notes:

last week we played at Madison Square Garden for the Z100 Jingle Ball. Personally, I've seen some memorable shows there and to get the opportunity to perform there was a blessing. my parents hung out with me but didn't stay for the show. (even though they're HUUUUGE Boys Like Girls fans.) my dad mentioned to me that he saw Led Zeppelin at the Garden back in 1972. only more proof that my dad rules and i will not be as cool as him. we opened the show with a "Just Friends" tease that led into "Year 3000." Lately we've been getting more creative with the arrangements for our live show. i'm stoked on it.

me, my favorite mom, and some noise canceling headphones in Central Park:

also, we recently got a second chance in a venue we didn't exactly please the first time around. almost exactly a year ago, we played in between periods at a minor league hockey game in Hartford, CT. there were maybe 50 fans there to see us and the rest were drunk dudes wanting to see some teeth get knocked out of players heads. we were literally booed and had plush hockey pucks thrown at us. it was kind of a cool feeling getting booed by an entire arena. we went back a year later and rocked some faces off. that was a better feeling.
here's a picture i took of John laughing in between songs as we were booed last year:

happy holidays :)

14 days in a row and counting

2007-12-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

At what point does a tour bus become a pirate ship? If you’re like me, you’ve lost precious hours of sleep pondering this great question of life too. Jon Bon Jovi compared it to a steel horse but last night I felt more like Noah than John Wayne. We left Indianapolis, fresh from overindulgence at Steak-n-shake, and headed to Atlanta for another non-Hannah radio festival. This time with Avril Levigne. I remember covering her song “complicated” once when I was in high school. I can’t really figure out why I would do that. My band was probably playing a sweet sixteen at the time and we thought girls would like it. But ok enough about Avril and more about pirate ships. You see, as we traveled in the night through middle America, our bus was rocking back and forth on the high seas – ‘Perfect Storm’ style. This is no knock against our bus driver – in fact he’s brilliant – but it was raining like we were prepping the set for the straight-to-DVD Waterworld 2 movie. I can’t be sure, but the waters may have risen and overtaken our wheels, in which case we officially and legally became a ship. I was getting knocked around into tons of stuff as I walked through the yacht to the back lounge after another 3-hour Arrested Development DVD marathon. I swung the door to the bunk area open; I found myself in complete darkness and thrown like a rag doll back and forth down the narrow hallway. What’s this? A tee shirt? A sock? A sock puppet?! I’m feeling my way through to get to the back lounge. I think I just hit Yogi’s foot. Sorry Gurt. Now MY foot is caught on John’s blanket and I accidentally pull on it. He probably doesn’t notice. Hope he does, though. In the back lounge I have a small closet area pictured below:

Packing for tour is never easy. Most of the time tours get extended and you end up staying on the road longer than you originally planned. For this tour I had to pack 3 months into 2 suitcases, whose contents threw up into this 1 closet. Which would explain why you could see my multi-layered winter coat inches away from my bathing suit. Surprisingly, HOTlanta lived up to its nickname. We’ve had snow at the past few shows, but today caught me off guard with some nice weather. You know my parents met when my mom playfully threw a snowball at my dad to get his attention? This is way more romantic-comedy than how my grandparents met, which was at a White Castle. Actually now that I think about it, perhaps the latter is more romantic-comedy…
All in all, I like being a pirate. The tour bus-turned-pirate ship has a way of rocking you to sleep like an infant. …or in my case a grown man with a mother who has very strong arms. Uhhh, you get the idea. I’ve just convinced myself to go to sleep. The ship is now taking off on another 6+ hour trip to Ohio.

Aaaarrrrrgggggghhhh!!!

Day-On

2007-12-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

I come to you live from 30,000 feet in the sky. On our day off from
the Hannah Montana tour, we once again find our heroes headed to yet
another state to play a concert. I slept for 2 hours last night (give
or take 2 hours) before we boarded our flight in Kansas City to
Seattle to play a radio show with Colbie Calliat and Timbaland. We had a layover in
Denver and I'm so out of it right now I think I've ended up somewhere
in the matrix by accident. Now I'm reading GQ learning about the
wonderful world of style and drinking a can of water. That’s right, an
aluminum can of water. Oh southwest airlines, you slay me! With this much excitement there is no way I'm falling asleep on the plane. So I figured
I'd fill you in on what's been happening the past few days:

1. i was shocked by 83 Volts of electricity:

This happened literally seconds before the show started when I put my
mouth up to the microphone and got a little surprise. Nothing cool
happened like in back to the future or bill and teds excellent
adventure. My body just shook and threw me back a couple feet and
delayed the start of the show about 10 minutes. Just for point of
reference, sticking your finger in an open light switch would give you
a 110 volt shock (source: john lloyd taylor.) If my heart didn’t actually explode on stage (the
doctors still aren't sure) then I owe it all too...

2. The arena workout plan:

Most recent afternoons I meet with other equally as insane people on
the tour and we put ourselves through an intense workout regimen to
stay healthy. We've dubbed ourselves the "stairmasters" due to the
cornerstone of our exercise program: running up and down as many
stairs in the arena as possible before passing out (usually the entire
lower half.) this is followed up by a series of crunches and push ups.
membership to become a stairmaster is free and open to anyone on the
tour. you know where to find us. Do you really think I look the way I
do from eating cereal all day? oh wait...

3. Ive been listening to music again

Being a "professional musician" (I use that term loosely) one would
think that listening to music is what I get to do all day. Sadly, and
for reasons I'm not even sure I know, this just doesn’t happen. Maybe
because when you hear music all day, its almost not even fun anymore
(or even makes sense) to take up more time from your day to listen to
more music. Maybe it all starts to sound the same and becomes
uninspiring. I don't get it. Anyway, I’ve been reserving time each
night to listen to some tunes before I fall asleep after watching too
much arrested development (is there such a thing as too much?) some
of my current favorite tracks that are getting me excited about music
again / are just fun to listen to are:

"thats really super, supergirl" by XTC

"sunday morning" by velvet underground

the entire Kooks record

the first 5 seconds of "the hienrich maneuver" by Interpol

"street talking woman" by marlena shaw

ah, I know you don't really care about what I'm listening to. everyone
thinks they listen to the best music anyway right? anyway, listening
to more
music is a personal trend I hope I keep up. in fact, I
should...wait...did i?...ah...i left my headphones on the bus. poned

-g$

NAWLENS!

2007-12-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

While our touring partners with Hannah Montana enjoyed their scheduled day off in Arkansas, we drove to New Orleans to play not one, but two shows at the House of Blues. Even though we played music for roughly 4x the amount of time we usually do in a day, yesterday felt like a day off for us too.

In the morning we walked around the french quarter and ate beignets while a trumpeter harassed us about his CD. the sad part is that he was quite good but beyond annoying. Rob got suckered into purchasing the record for $20. recently, john mayer has posted pictures of his food on his website for his "meal log." so here's my mlog:

rob and i continued to walk around the quarter and looked at loads of photographs and painting by local artists. the nice thing about the french quarter is that there's no chain stores; its all local shops: no starbucks. no gap. no house of blues. ...um, ok forget about that last one.

after our 4:30 show i met up with a friend of mine, Chris, who i haven't seen in 2 and a half years. well, that was actually the first time i'd seen him also. Chris is a drummer i met the first time i was in New Orleans and even though we'd never ran into each other until yesterday, we'd kept in touch with the occasional e-mail or myspace comment every few months. he stayed for the 7:30 show which ended up being one of my favorites since we started touring 3 years ago. Nick started the encore with a new song which extended into the concert's crescendo. even though we had a rehearsed ending, nick continued playing the piano and wrote a spontaneous verse as the audience sang the chorus back to him. if its available somewhere in the depths of youtube, check it out.

after the show we went out to eat at Emeril's restaurant, where Emeril Lagasse himself actually prepared our food (i'm not being ironic) and it was most definitely the greatest tasting thing i've ever had with the exception of every meal my mothers ever made. (I love you mommy!) John Taylor made fun of me for taking a
picture of my food, knowing it would end up on the blog. but his pones
lost all credibility when not ten seconds later he took a picture of
his meal too. nice, john.

so here's my mlog from last nite:
oysters and shrimp
butternut squash soup
fillet of beef
chocolate souffle

its december already. what happened...

Memfis

2007-11-29T18:09:00.000-08:00

Today we're in Memphis, which is probably one of my favorite cities in America. About a year and a half ago we spent 2 days here for fourth of july which, when you're touring, is a very long time. we're only here for about 12 hours this time, but it's just as awesome as i remember. all of us went across the street and toured the Gibson factory to see how guitars are born:

My favorite guitar was the new Dave Grohl signature DG-335. The custom metallic color takes 8 layers of paint and can't be removed once its put on. So, in other words, if the color gets messed up at any point, the guitar is trashed. Maybe that's why its on sale for the affordable list price of $4,468.00!

There's been an ongoing rivalry between myself and Miley's front of house tech, Simon, since the tour began. See, Simon is a die-hard West Ham United F.C. hooligan (an english soccer team) who even has West Ham's crest tattooed on his arm. he began quarreling with me after i sported a Manchester United fleece to soundcheck one afternoon. Just for the record, i'm not really even a Man United fan, the jacket was given to me. Anyway, after countless run-ins and sarcastic verbal jabs, another chapter was added in our epic soccer battle when he physically ripped off my Man United jacket from my body today. i have a hunch that this is most likely because i called his West Ham jersey a "dish rag" just yesterday. i love Simon; i think he's a stand up guy and fantastic front of house technician. but now its on Simon. we'll see who's laughing when West Ham loses to Chelsea on Saturday. mwahaha!

-gg

2 Countries 1 Day

2007-11-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we played on Regis and Kelly in the Bahamas at the rock and roll hour of 9am; literally 100 feet from the Caribbean Sea. We then boarded our flight and went the exact opposite of the Bahamas...North Carolina (no disrespect NC) to perform at the Hannah show that night. We made a quick pit stop before NC in Florida to go through customs. As i filled out my paperwork, i made sure to put my $4.05 claim for foreign merchandise i was bringing back to the USA. Was i smuggling a tropical endangered parrot into the united states? no, but i should have. my big purchase in the Bahamas was a $4.05 magnet:

you can watch the interview and performance on Regis and Kelly Lee right here before it gets taken down:

ALSO!
You may have noticed my sweet new header at the top of this page. It was created by the sweethearts at loudmouthlogos.com check them out! I've also added a couple of blog sites you should check out to the right. The first, although very sparingly updated, is my father's "Touring the Road of Life." "Strange Life" and "It's All True" are two very hilarious, very well written accounts of life on the Hannah Montana tour by Kay Hanley and Mike Schmid, respectively. even though we see each other every day either on stage, at catering, or trying to find the dressing rooms, we don't often get to hang as much as we'd like and i go to their blogs often to find out what they've been up to.

Not Much Has Changed But They Lived Underwater

2007-11-26T22:39:00.000-08:00

(actual photo)

We're all at the underwater city of Atlantis located deep, deep in the ocean depths on the abysmal plain. Getting there was not easy at all. First we had to get on a shuttle bus. Things went swimmingly (pun!) until, that is, we got pulled over by the cops and they arrested our driver:

Conveniently, a pegasus, let us hop on her back and got us to the underwater city just in time for a day off. You'd be amazed at the beauty and majesty of Atlantis. some of the ancient local stores, once teaming with the citizens of Atlantis, now lay dormant on the ocean floor, save for a few well-dressed tourists:

We've met so many amazing people in Atlantis: Jar Jar Binks, Spock, the cast of Lost, and other mythological characters. Turns out we're not just here for fun (what?) and they had to twist our arm to get us to play Regis and Kelly tomorrow morning. man, worst. job. ever. So pardon my sarcasm and wake up early and watch us play at the underwater city.
Here's an artists' rendering of what Atlantis may have looked like gillions of years ago, before the universe was made; complete with intricate waterways disguised as "lazy rivers" and "slides":

in the bottom left of this photo you can see the semi-circle of white chairs where Regis and Kathy....er, Kelly will take place:

The Busiest Travel Holiday of the Year

2007-11-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Barry Gibb of BeeGee's fame was at last night's show. Last March i wrote on this blog about how i hit his car with a wiffle ball in a parking lot while he wasn't looking.

He came backstage after the show yesterday, shook my hand and said in his British Isles' accent, "well done."

i'm not sure if he was referring to the concert or the home run smash that i laid into his BMW 8 months ago.

...probably the concert.

i'm home for 24 hours! look out for Good Morning America friday mornin'. happy thanksgiving.

-GG

Alligator Adventure

2007-11-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

As i previously wrote, we are in Florida, alligator capital of the universe. After a mid-day bowl of cereal, i walk right across the street from the venue to a small boggy area while i make a phone call for about 15 minutes. As i'm walking back across the street, the security gaurd informs me i was standing within 10 feet from a LIVE WILD ALLIGATOR. if you're from the south where alligator run-ins are as common and aboundant as bad MTV reality shows, then pardon me. i'm from new jersey were the deadliest animal running our streets are squirrels. risking becoming his thanksgiving dinner, i went back and took a few pictures of the beast before he verbally threatened me and swam away:

i filled in his deadly defenses which were hidden underwater:

kids, fear not, the jonas' are safe and even if the beast attacked i'm sure big rob would have snapped it in half.

-greg

My weakend in JPEG images

2007-11-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

ya see what i did there? i changed one letter. that's how clever and witty i am. i'm asking in advance of you reading this "blog post" aka "blost" that you excuse my execrable sense of humor. i haven't slept in a very long time and i haven't eaten in an even longer time, so i'm in a bizarre mood right now. i'm writing from Tampa, Florida and currently have slept for 3 hours, and i only have one question for myself:

"greg, why don't you recap your weekend using pictures to aid your stories?"

"...ok greg, i will."

early in the depths of Friday morning 10 strangers boarded an aircraft headed to California for a mid-day American Music Awards rehearsal:

afterwards, olivia came over to visit and i gave her a book all about herself (i'm a very deep and introspective person.)

then we met up with Michelle who fitted us for our strapping outfits for the AMAs. as for what i wore: i have one word for you -> ascot. jack insisted i looked like a "gentlemen" in the ascot so hey it looks like i'm fooling someone at least:

olive and i then went to a restaurant called "the melting pot" where they make you cook your own food at your table. i know, i know. i paid to cook my own food. but i'd be lying if i said it wasnt delicious. and trust me, my cooking skills are very very limited. i once put a can of unopened spaghettios in the...nevermind. the next day i put on a pair of clean clothes (thanks to olivia's mom) and we spent my day-off at the Getty center looking at artsy works of artistic pieces of art. despite my face in this picture, i actually had a great time:

on the way back we stopped at Whole Foods and i stocked up on some Enjoy Life products for allergy-prone people like myself. i also got to see my fish-son, Voltaire, for the first time in months! he's starting to look like me around the gills:

this brings me to yesterday, the American Music Awards. olivia and i ate breakfast and had a little bible study. i haven't been able to attend a proper church service since June due to touring so it's always nice to talk about God with somebody else. we then said goodbye to each other for 5 weeks until i see her again in Jersey at Christmas time.

Back at the Nokia theatre, where the AMAs were held, we did our final run through and left to go watch football and get ready for the big show while john told tall tales of a battle between him and a black widow spider making a web in his suitcase that morning. Beyonce walked right by us, which i didn't even notice, but she gave our whole group a collective "hiiiii" to which our photographer Rob Hoffman replied that he could now die happy.

by the end of the night, the Giants had won again and the AMAs were rocked by the jonas. john taylor, flawless, and jon poutney looking confident to take on the AMAs:

we immediately left for the airport and boarded our red eye flight to Tampa. i took a picture of me looking very tired in the LAX restroom for documentation purposes:

i sat next to a monk so needless to say he was quiet and i got roughly 3 solid hours of sleep for the night. our flight landed in Tampa at 5:55am. we drove to the hotel, i got to my room, and as i looked out my window i realized i didnt know what day it was and whether the sun was rising or setting:

we have a show tonight back with Hannah Montana. good news is i just talked to mama and there's pumpkin pie waiting for me at home...

Joe Jonas on South Park

2007-11-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

You know you've finally made it when your poster is on a fictional cartoon character's wall. After the concert last night, a few of us were watching a new episode of South Park on the bus when all of a sudden a face we all recognize makes a graceful cameo:

in other news, check out this awesome new band: FakeJonasBrothers.com. these guys look legit. but where's their fake backing band?

The Ponemaster visits Fort Worthless

2007-11-14T21:25:00.000-08:00

This little menace you're looking at here is the originator of the word "poned." It happened by a chance encounter last summer when he strolled onto our tour bus and started making fun of our production manager. no one knew who he was, why or even how he got on our bus. but as the legend goes, he began to verbally berate and belittle a 35 year old man who he didn't know at all; all the while yelling at the top of his lungs "OOOHHH!!!! YOU JUST GOT PONED!!!" to this very day, i have never seen anything like it. at one point our production manager said to him, "if i hear another word out of you, i'm kicking you off this bus." to which the Ponemaster counteracted with, "if i pone you one more time, it'll be a new world record." his pones covered a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to: your mom, ugliness, weight, age, your job...virtually anything. He said the word "poned" was formed as a combination of other diss words such as "punk'd" "burned" "owned" "schooled" etc. he is truly a special kid. It took practically no time for us to think this was absolutely hilarious and adopt the word into our vernacular and it hasn't left since. in fact, it's only spread to the rest of america. here's a photo i took of POPSTAR magazine just last month when PONED was on the front cover:

this young man is obviously a genius and the use of his word is as prevalent today as its ever been in our camp. he came to watch the show today. it was an honor to play for him...

ps - i actually like Fort Worth but calling it Fort Worthless was just too good to pass up. sorry Forth Wortheners.

-gregory

Mute Math Again

2007-11-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

After our show in Houston on Sunday, we found out Mute Math had a show as well right down the street. So i ate wings and watched Peyton Manning give the worst football performance of his life then walked over to the venue. Apparently this was the last show of Mute Math's 50-date tour. Their live arrangements are what sets them apart from other ambient melodic rock acts. More specifically, they hit things on stage; whether its a hi-hat, guitar, drum seat, or florescent lights. as dumb as that sounds, it was actually really impressive. to my disappointment they didnt perform any songs backwards. but it was nice to watch someone else play music for a change.

a Texan restroom:

g

Staples and Knitting

2007-11-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time we ever played in LA. its was the summer of 2005 and we played in the arcade at Jillians. The 20 people who were there either worked for Columbia records or were friends with a girl we met on the plane and invited to the show. Last night we had another doubleheader: The Hannah Montana tour at the Staples Center and then a show immediately following at the Knitting Factory. it was one of our best shows i think we've ever played and even performed a brand new song we just worked out in soundcheck that afternoon.
I had a red bull, 2 milkshakes, and a cup of coffee (all of which i almost never drink) to give me the boost i needed. the sugar rush was incredible and the crash later that night into my bunk was even better.

we're in the middle of a string of dates, like 17 or something, all in a row. i'm begining to feel like this guy, except with a bass guitar instead:

iSteve Jobs

2007-11-04T16:06:00.000-08:00

*this photo was taken with an iPhone*

today was "bring your ultra-successful software entrepreneur hero to work day."

maybe next year, bill gates.

Parallel Universes Collide / Double Header

2007-11-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today's day began at 6:30am when we loaded into the House of Blues in San Diego for our 11am matinée show. When we got there, we realized the band playing that night was none other than our mmmboppin' predecessors HANSON. unfortunately, no battle dancing took place. Some fans had been lined up outside since 3pm the previous day! Hanson and Jonas fans living in harmony. aww

Kids of the Future
Just Friends
Goodnight and Goodbye
Hello Beautiful
Australia
That's Just the Way We Roll
Inseparable
Still In Love
Hold On
----
S.O.S.
Y3K

i hope this doesn't sound wrong, because there is no other feeling like playing to a sold out arena crowd, but it was amazing playing for a packed club and feeding off the energy of kids 5 feet away from you, as opposed to a hundred yards. anyway, immediately after the matinée in San Diego we drove to Anaheim for the 4pm Hannah Montana show. After a brief nap, we got up and rocked the same house where the Mighty Ducks won the Stanley Cup last year. (quack!) i was really hoping Emilio Estevez was going to show up in the dressing room and give us a tear jerking pump-up speech before the show. didn't happen.

tonight's 90's celebrity parent concert attendee: Cindy Crawford

ZOO!

2007-11-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

Olivia drove all the way from LA today to hang out on my day off in San Diego which is Spanish for, "this joke is very old." we decided to go to the zoo with jack to see some real-life animal crackers.

jack confronted his fear of snakes:

i learned that hippos are basically underwater elephants:

i'm not sure what animal she is trying to imitate here:

two turtles were having sex just to the right of where this photo was taken. i respected their privacy. i am not a pornographer.

the one on the left looks...different.

save the pandas

on more than one occasion we found ourselves wondering when the animals were going to do something interesting rather than just lay there looking bored. i wonder sometimes if God is thinking the same thing about us.

-greg

Band on a Bus

2007-11-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of the "band on a bus" recording sessions. John Fields and The Wook are at the helm and turning out the rock. The boys started working on 2 songs today, one of which was a song I wrote with them called "Tonight." watching the process unfold is pretty sweet.

Also, i saw someone i recognized backstage today. he had a small beard going and was with his wife and kids. it was billie joe from green day. guess his kids are hannah montana fans or he is just really into the disney music scene. it's slightly weird looking up to a person you've never met and playing their songs all throughout middle school and then one day you wake up on a thursday and you're 21 and now that person shows up and watches you work...

The Golden Gate Hoax

2007-10-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of what the US Government WANTS you to think exists on the Northwest tip of San Francisco.

But after a bit of my own investigating with my fellow skeptic Jack Lawless, we have found this so called "bridge" to be merely an old wives tale; no such bridge exists. Here's what we found instead, simply smoke and mirrors:

But we did find some cool stuff that actually existed in San Francisco. the verdict: i'd come back.

the "bay bridge," however, in the left of this photo is in fact real:

the most twisted road in the world! woah! look out! crazy! geepers! golly! oh boy!

san francisco's roads run entirely on a 45 degree angle going either up or down. jack and i walked about 5 miles today on that angle. we must be robots.

fake tales of san francisco,
-greg

Photo of the Day: Seattle

2007-10-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

i take them as i see them.

Fall Classic

2007-10-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about Halloween, and with another upon us, i couldn't help but remenise Halloweens of yore. As i was eating breakfast, i thought over some of my previous costume choices: pizza delivery guy, 4-foot gameboy, afro wig, etc. then i realized; in 5th grade a i was a Colorado Rockies baseball player. This may not seem odd if you're from the midwest region, but i grew up in New Jersey. Where you're either a Yankees fan or shunned by local society. Before I make it sound like i was on the Rockies banwagon before everyone else, i should explain WHY i dressed as i Rockies player. To be honest, it was the cheapest baseball uniform in the mall. Most likely because NO ONE was a fan of theirs. actually, yes, that is EXACTLY why.

I still have that jersey somewhere at home in my closet.

Go Rockies!

-------

here's the interview / performance from the Ellen show which aired yesterday. i'm sure NBC will take it down within a few hours, but check it out if you can.

-garb

Show Notes: 10/25/07 Denver, CO

2007-10-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

- Fabio was in attendance.

John Taylor sits in with Dr. Mambo's Combo

2007-10-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

While you were sleeping, our very own loveable John Llyod Taylor ran up to the stage last night and ripped a guitar solo with Dr. Mambo's Combo at Bunker's Bar and Grill in Minneapolis. But he's not the first guitar great to jam with them. He's just following in the footsteps of other "Johns" like Johnny Lang and John Mayer who have also done guest spots with The Combo. Rumors circulated that Prince was to show up last night too, but we left before that and now we'll never know. Bus call was midnight...Nebraska here we come.

My Top 12 Favorite Things - For the week of October 20th, 2007

2007-10-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

Pardon my self-indulgent post here. This is a list of things i've experienced / seen / heard / done recently since we've been on tour for the past 2 and a half weeks that i can't stop talking about. as with all self-indulgent people, i would highly recommend you check these things out simply for the fact that i like them a lot right now.
but you dont have to do that. you may not like any of the following 12 items and think i have bad taste in life. i guess i should be ok with that because that's what makes us all special, but really...you'd just be wrong.

12. Rob Hoffman's Photographs - Rob is our tour photographer and also one of my good friends since i was 10. his pictures are brilliant and can make even uncool people look really really cool. check out some of the shots he's been taking for the Jonas Brothers at flickr.com/jonasbrothers

11. Not Logging Onto Myspace - It's been over 2 weeks and its such a good feeling. you realize what i waste of time it is to type comments like, "hey! havent seen you in a while" or "we should hang out sometime." because honestly i dont think thats ever happened. usually both parties just agree that "yes it has been a long time" and it never really goes farther than that (and you dont know how you just spent 4 hours looking at profiles.) plus this gives me more time to use my iphone if i really want to talk to an old friend.

10. St. Louis Arch - i stared at it out my hotel window for 2 days until i finally went to the top for the first time. Build to memorialize Thomas Jefferson's expansion to the west, the arch is commonly referred to as "the gateway to the west" or more commonly as, "cool." we went to the top during a windy afternoon and felt it swaying harder than John Kerry's 2004 political campagin (OUCH! 3 year old political joke, yeah!)

09. My Winter Coat - i spent all last winter without one because i was too lazy to pick one out. not this year, buck-o. i found one in SEPTEMBER and it has already come in use. but people look at me weird when i tell them i shower in it. what?

08. Working Out in the Morning - I've worked out twice since this tour started plus the occasional push-up and it makes me look and feel fantastic. I currently look like a cross between Hulk Hogan circa 1988 and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

07. Enrique Iglesias - we played a radio festival with him last week and he put on a crazy show. i never realized how many global hit songs this guy had. yes, i bought his album after seeing his live show. bailamos!

06. The Month of October - even though my birthday is in september, i have to say October is my favorite month to be outside. leaves change; brisk weather; football...columbus day.

05. The Purpose Driven-Life - Awesome book. Some great reminders about life that i sometimes forget. this book reminds me to not get caught up in the daily dramas and take a look at the big picture.

04. "Planet Earth" DVD Documentary (BBC Version) - I'm on my way to becoming a semi-scientist, just by simply watching this show. there's footage of animals 99.9% of humans have never seen...like snow leopards. SNOW LEOPARDS!!!!

03. Apples - no, not the computer, the natural snack from trees. i think there's a good chance i may actually end up being that weird old guy who gives out apples on halloween. i've been eating one every day; they're mother nature's candy. and good for you. go eat one. now. go.

02. The Baxter - The best movie no one's ever heard of. I saw this movie at 9 in the morning a week ago on showtime. turns out its not even that old (2005) and has some fairly well-known actors in it. i think pretty much everyone could relate to this film. you'll thank me.

01. "In Rainbows" by Radiohead - hands down, favorite album of this year. forget the hype about how they released it on the internet only. or how it sold 1.2 million records its first week without even being in stores. it can back all of that up with the music. not one bad song. they've got to be the greatest band of our generation. either them, or Crazy Town. (that was a joke.)

-greg

Mute Math

2007-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

In today's musical climate you have to do something innovative and out of the box to get people's attention (and hopefully sustain a long-lasting career.) I've been following this band for over 2 years now (and even before that when they were called Earthsuit.) They are coming up with some very creative and definitely impressive new approaches to how they present themselves to the public. their live show is unbelieveable, go see it if you get the chance. here's last night's performance on Jimmy Kimmel....only they performed the entire song IN REVERSE!! ch ch check it out:

this is one of the few bands where after you see them play live, you want to be IN THE BAND TOO! maybe they will let me play didjeridoo...hmmmm

BIRTHDAYS

2007-09-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

Two pretty sweet people share a birthday today. the precocious Nicholas Jonas turns 15, however way more importantly my grandma turns 87 years young!

let us not forget john "jack" "the law man" "flawless" lawless enters his 20's this thursday.

and not to mention a special someone turned 21 last monday...a VERY special someone. very. emphasis on the word "special" as in "gifted and talented" or even perhaps, "curiously handsome."

...his name starts with a "g" and ends with a "regory garbo."

Television Rules the Nation

2007-08-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

backstage friday at Miss Teen USA showing off our healthy tour diets

This past weekend we were on the idiot box quite a bit. Started off friday at the miss teen USA pageant (miss new jersey was robbed) then saturday at the diseny channel games where we played with both jonas bros and miley cyrus. topped it off with a sunday brunch performing "hold on" and "SOS" at Arthur Ashe Kids Day for the US Open. now i'm finally home for the first time in over 2 months. oh and i added another video of a new band i'm playing with (last video)

-gregorious

You can have your cake and drop it too!

2007-08-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Last night we not only celebrated Joe's 18th birthday, but Mr. and Mrs. Jonas' 22nd anniversery. Their sons suprised them onstage with a cake. Then things went terribly awry:

High Five!

2007-08-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

totally, dude!
yesterday we found out, literally minutes before we stepped onto the stage, that the new album will be debuting at no. 5 on the billboard charts. who knew? it's all very bizzare.
thank God!

indy

2007-08-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

no way! 2 blogs in one day! i must be serious about updating this thing. i literally just walked off stage from playing the indianapolis state fair. there were 8,000 people there! thats a lot considering this time last year we were averaging about 80 kids showing up at our mall shows when we were promoting "its about time."

Interpretive Dance

2007-08-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

The new album has been out for one week! Joe celebrates...

Il-Lego alien

2007-08-12T00:50:00.000-07:00

By now i'm sure everyone has heard about Ego Leonard - the 8 foot tall lego man who magically washed up onto a Dutch beach a few days ago. Whoever is behind this is a certified genius because they still have an entire tour bus full of people (meaning us) trying to figure this out.

A woman nearby is quoted as saying: “I saw the Lego toy floating towards the beach from the direction of England.”

this, of course, is a ridiculous statement. The giant lego man obviously floated from Legoland.

i first heard this miracle of a news story at 5am while on the set of the CW11 morning news during that sleep deprived / wide-awake state of mind (when i like to replace the vowel in my name and be referred to as "Grog.") I was on the set in new york city to perform; before promptly going back to sleep, only to dream up nightmares of Ego Leonard... enjoy

-grog

wow i really dropped the ball here, huh

2007-08-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

it's not much of a tour blog if you don't write while you're actually on tour. i could lie to you and tell you i was busy catching 5am flights and playing shows in a new state everyday but the truth is i was abducted by aliens and although i managed to bring my computer with me, the alien's wifi connection was so slow it would make a 3-toed sloth cry. anyway truth be told, the aliens dropped me off back here in new york city for the big release of the jonas' second album. tonight is our third and final sold out show at the gramercy theather. my boy rob has been taking some sweet pics. check them out at: flickr.com/photos/jonasbrothers

i'll try to be more consistant here for anyone who still comes to this little website

-gregori

I'm awesome

2007-06-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Messing with Texas

2007-06-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

Exhausted, not angry.

Although we had a show on sunday, tonight's concert in galveston, tx "officially" kicked off the summer tour. we flew in early this morning from the SOS music video shoot in california.
tonight's show pretty much ruled. i gots another early flight tomorrow mornin'. i'm going to sleep.

this is what i watched before i went on stage tonight. it definitely put me in the correct frame of mind. and made me hungry for an egg McMuffmin.

News York City

2007-06-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

my old man made it out for the new york show at south street seaport this past sunday. it was a blessing to have him see me play on father's day. this was actually the first show him and my sister have seen since 2005 (we're a busy family.)
i forgot where i put my setlist, but here's a few pictures:

we're in texas tonight. don't mess.

The Tourist

2007-06-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Grab your toothbrush, foot-fungus cream, and anything you may need - Let's go on tour:

6/17 New York, NY
6/20 Galveston, TX
6/21 San Antonio, TX
6/22 Rowlett, TX
6/23 Winter Haven, FL
6/24 Hershey, PA
6/25 Lodi, NJ
6/27 Nashville, TN
6/28 St. Louis, MO
6/29 Pleasanton, CA
6/30 Del Mar, CA

7/2 Cleveland, OH
7/5 Jackson, NJ
7/6 Cohassett, MA
7/7 Westbury, NY
7/9 N. Myrtle Beach, SC
7/11 Savannah, GA
7/12 Atlanta, GA
7/13 Bessemer, AL
7/14 Baton Rouge, LA
7/15 Gurnee, IL
7/16 Albuquerque, NM
7/17 Tempe, AZ
7/19 San Rosa, CA
7/21 Stillwater, MN
7/22 Stillwater, MN
7/24 Tulsa, OK
7/26 El Paso, TX
7/28 Readington, NJ
7/29 Philadelphia, PA
7/30 Paso Robles, CA

8/2 Baltimore. MD
8/4 Uncasville, CT
8/5 Atlantic City, NJ
8/6 New York, NY
8/7 New York, NY (Jonas Brothers album release)
8/9 Springfield, MA
8/11 Sparta, KY
8/13 Indianapolis, IN
8/17 Altamont, NY
8/23 Ocean Grove, NJ

9/1 Valdosta, GA

10/7 Mechanicsville, VA
10/8 Dallas, TX
10/9 Perris, CA
10/14 Perry, GA
10/21 Columbia, SC

PS - The Disney Channel Games are airing over the summer on Saturday's at 8pm on, of course, the Disney Channel. i played bass for all of the acts who played at the event. during the opening ceremonies last night i saw the blue blur that was me on the bass. if you happen to catch it, you can see a glimpse of me singing hannah montana and corbin bleu songs. rock and roll.

Following in the steps of Spinal Tap

2007-06-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend we played our last "random" concert at Six Flags in Valencia, CA before the actual tour starts in 2 weeks. The show was fun, but what was really awesome is the fact that this was the same stage that Spinal Tap performed their breakthrough exploratory song "Jazz Oddessey." On the bass, Derek Smalls...he wrote this:

The Jonas Brothers are no stangers to theme parks - 2 years ago - when we first started out on tour, we played some paramount theme parks. we were happy just to get more people in the audience than we had on stage. Virginia, August 2005:

Here's a picture from last weekend's sold out show:

June 2nd, 2007

kids of da future
still in love
what i go too school fore
just friends
hello beautiful
goodnight and goodluck
australia
sos
hold on a second --->
y3k

Here's a picture of you:

Here's a picture of Joe the Jedi. With lightsabers cut my hand off he did:

God bless ya'll
-garbo

PS - BIG UPS TO LANCE! Congrats to my cousin Jen and her husband Bill - the newest addition to the family, Lance, was born June 1st. he is healthy and currently wooing all the female babies in the hospital, i assume.

PPS - BIG UP YOURSELF LEVEL ZERO! After my flight home from Valencia, I immediately drove down to the infamous jersey shore to catch Level Zero's set @ The Saint for the 3rd round of jerseyshows.com battle of the bands. my boys lit up the stage and despite a power outage - still made it to the 4th round semi-finals to be held at Starland ballroom july 8th in jerz.

Alex's Golden Birthday

2007-05-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today Alex "weird al" Noyes grew wings flew into adulthood - which is located in chinatown, new york. the man himself turned 21 today so we all celebrated by partying like it was 2007. happy birthday al

May 19th - two years later

2007-05-18T23:01:00.000-07:00

This little number was taken May 20, 2005 at my audition with the Jonas Bros. i either have an egg shaped head or that's a hat.

Call me melodramatic - even nastalgic, whatever, i'm going for it: two years ago i'm at a phillies game and my phone rings. short story long, the phone call is about a band on columbia records who needs a bass player. If I'm interested, I'm told to then call Kevin Jonas for more details. so i did - in a bathroom stall at citizens bank ballpark, (don't think dirty, it was the only place that was quiet) i set up an audition / interview for the following day.

if you're reading this, i guess you know how the story ends. i won't go crazy with this, but I can't tell this story without giving all praise and thanks to Jesus for His continued protection and blessings over the past 2 years with all i've experienced. Not that it was always easy and awesome, and by no means was it bad either - i'm just saying that I've learned a lot about music, life, and faith (and not to place unopened spaghettios cans in the microwave.) if you would've told me i'd be a touring professional musician two years and a day ago, honestly i would've laughed. i don't care how corny it sounds, that phone call really did change my life. i left college to drive around with a band that didn't even have a name yet. and what started out as a summer job is leading towards the humble beginnings of a career.

A LOT of great times were had over the past 2 years, but at the end of the day, i realize what a blessing it is that my job is to tour the country, play music, and meet unique people along the way. i thank God every day for that and I pray I never take it for granted. i love my job.

-garbo

for a more detailed description of my May 19th, 2005, click here

Little Rocks

2007-05-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

Nick with a giant clothespin on his ear that fans gave him. having just about as much fun as one can in arkansas.

To be fair, little rock wasn't as bad as i thought. i was actually kindof suprised at how cool the downtown area was. me and jack's only mission for the entire trip was to get a picture of us holding "little rocks" outside or maybe by some little rock sign. it didn't happen. next time. just wait...

as for the show itself, it was pretty good - joe called my sister from stage and had the audience wish her a happy birthday. oh yeah, and i prank called joe pretending to be Sting...and he believed me. if you see joe make fun of him for that.

Little Leidersdorff

2007-05-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

John and Nancy Leidersdorff welcomed their first child earlier today, May 9th. It's a boy and everyone is healthy! John had always said the plan was to name him John Jr., but i'm still hoping that at the last minute they go with Garbo.
for those of you who don't know, John owns the recording studio i work at in jersey when i'm not on tour. for you jonas fans reading this, John played drums on "It's About Time" and played with us live a few times last november.
Congratulations John and Nancy! As for you John Jr., the lawn needs mowing.

Boozled

2007-05-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

It's been 19 hours since we went onstage at Bamboozle and the ringing in my ears has not subsided at all. right now it's walking that thin line between "mildly annoying" and "i want to rip my ears off my head." it goes back and forth.
the 2007 bamboozle festival took place in the stadium's shadow of the greatest football team ever (giants stadium parking lot.) Last night's headliner was Linkin Park, but the personal highlight for me was seeing Weird Al Yankovic's encore as he performed "Fat" in the same fat suit he wore in the 80's music video. man, he is so...weird.
Juliette Lewis' band "Juliette and the Licks" performed on the stage next to us. she rocks. plus she wears a feathered warbonnet thingy:

this was our setlist as best as i can remember it. we played "move on" for the first time:

May 6th, 2007

Hold On
SOS
Mandy
Goodnight & Goodbye
Still In Love
Move On
Australia
Y3K

we got to hang with the remnant fans after we had packed up. these crazy kids have been around since basically day one, the JB5:

see you at the next show

Raptors get Po(w)ned

2007-05-05T00:30:00.000-07:00

tonight some old friends from high school and i went over to continental airlines arena to witness the Nets barely beat the Raptors by one point and thus move on to the 2nd round in the playoffs. twice during the game, when the Nets would do something sweet (i.e. alley oop), the jumbotron would flash "You Got Powned!" to taunt the Raptors. true story. see you @ bamboozle...

new jersey

2007-05-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

i flew home today. on a plane. go nets.

Shawn McDonald NOT @ Princeton University

2007-04-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

For an awesome 36 hours, i got to go back home to new jersey this weekend. i'm flying back to LA first thing tomorrow morning, but it was great to see my family for a few minutes, remember how to drive my car, and hand my laundry off to my mom (i love you mom.)
Tonight i went over to Princeton University for a free Shawn McDonald concert on campus with my friends Dave and Jamie. We find out once we get there that Shawn's wife is currently giving birth to their first child and he's at the hospital with her. honestly, how dare he cancel like that. his wife could've just brought the infant to the show and he could meet his new son or daughter after he's done. i mean come on.
anywhos, we stayed and listened as Phil Wickham took the stage. dude can play. before he played an intense and beautiful worship song called "Divine Romance," he explained his frame of mind when he wrote it - the same God who created everything around us also personally loves each one of us more deeply than we can imagine. just as the song starts it begins to rain. poned, right? well, during the last minute and a half of the song, a rainbow (pictured) streches out over the Princeton dorms behind the stage. the same symbol God used in the Bible to describe his love and promise. After the song was done, the rain stopped. it was an amazing time of worship. even though Shawn was a no-show, it was still a great night and a fun 36 hours back in the dirrty jerz.

goodnight,
greg

Cowboys

2007-04-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

Big shout-out to Alex Noyes with cluing us in on the best attraction in all of Orlando: Sheplers; The World's Largest Cowboy Store. i'm in the house band for the 2007 Disney Channel Games taking place in Disney World and when we're not being sweet at the D.C. Games, we're buying loads of cowboy shirts and looking awesome.

Below: Real Florida Gators from the Animal Kingdom Safari in Diz World. i accidentally fell in. i'm fine. the gators are not.

-gg

Time Travel (back in Flowduh: part deux)

2007-04-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

i find myself in the land of oranges and mickey mouse for the third time this month. We traveled from LA and my internal clock is still there. Last night i laid in bed for hours with my eyes open, staring at the ceiling in the dark, convincing myself i'm tired. and not being convinced. it's only 3 hours difference but my prediction is it takes a month for me to get on schedule. While I was laying in bed, i thought - if traveling across the country gives you jetlag because of a 3 hour difference, time travel must seriously mess you up. you would want / have to sleep for years. it just seems not worth it to me. time travel = poned.

PS - there are giraffes outside my hotel.

PPS - happy belated B-earth day Dad (april 22nd)

Death, Taxes, and Myspace

2007-04-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

Only three guarantees in life my friends: Everyone will die, everyone will pay taxes, and everyone will have a myspace. If you're not on myspace yet, i'm sorry to say you've been beaten out by other "cool new people." That's right, other "cool new people" like...John McCain?

Bowling for Mustaches

2007-04-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Good news:
we went bowling last night and sported fake mustaches.

Better news:
on our way there, we passed a store called “Garbo.” NO JOKE!

Best news:
i bowled a personal all-time low of 45. Record setting night! Olright!

Egyptians at the Roxy

2007-04-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the packed Roxy Theatre to see Rooney. The concert was going along fine, and then Susanna Hoffs (of the Bangles) walks on stage, plugs in a microphone, and performs one of my all-time favorite songs, “Walk like an Egyptian” with Rooney. i took an awful picture with my phone as you can try to see. Rooney followed that up with “I’m Shakin’” which immediately became the best two-song combo I’ve heard in a loooooong time. so sweet.

now I need to find a box of cereal and eat it.

Back in Flowduh

2007-04-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we joined Jesse McCartney for the first of a couple shows in Florida. Before the show we kept talking about our first tour as a band, which was almost 2 years ago in the summer of 2005, as the opener-opener for Jesse. Wednesday’s show became an instant favourite for all of us and was the most fun we’ve had on stage all year (plus we debuted more new songs.)

Quick (humorous) story about our first show with Jesse back in ’05:
This was the first show of our first tour, we only had 6 prior performances in NJ/NY under our belt, so needless to say we were nervous and because we were behind schedule we had to soundcheck in front of the audience as they walked in. We played 7:05 as a soundcheck, walked off stage for 20 seconds while we were introduced, then awkwardly walked back on stage to the people we just soundchecked in front of and fumbled through 3 more songs.
Yesterday’s show was a great reminder of how much we’ve learned and how far we’ve come as a band with our live performances. God has brought us a long way and we’re pumped to take it to the next level. (sorry, cliché. but true.) Awesome. See you guys Friday. Rock.

August 1st, 2005 – Cary, North Carolina (1st show with Jesse, 7th show ever)

7:05
I Am What I Am
One Day At A Time
Time For Me To Fly

April 11, 2007 – Clearwater, Florida (1st show back with Jesse, 7 billionth show ever)

Poor Unfortunate
Mandy
Just Friends
S.O.S.
Goodnight and Goodbye
What I Go to School For
Hold On
Hello Beautiful
Still In Love With You
Kids of the Future
Year 3000

Hallucinations at the White House

2007-04-11T01:45:00.000-07:00

At least that’s how it seemed as we spent our Easter Monday on the White House front lawn with a bizarre cast of creatures. There were the ordinary sights you would expect: kids hunting for colored eggs, Mrs. Bush reading to children, etc. And EXTRAordinary sights: a live alligator, a woman dressed as a pineapple, etc. There were more crazy life-sized characters (interns in costumes) than you would see in Soho on Halloween. Jack eloquently described looking out to the crowd as we performed, “i saw a dancing alien, Stephen Baldwin, and a secret service sniper - all within 20 feet of each other.”
that aside, it was a tremendous blessing and honor to perform at the White House. it was a long, but awesome day I won’t forget.
We played 3 sets which mostly included new songs, Y3K, poor unfortunate, kids of the future…

Godbless - gg

Have a Magical Day!

2007-04-06T00:27:00.000-07:00

That’s the four word phrase every telephone operator here in Disney World ends the phone conversation regardless of the tone of the conversation. It’s an awkward way to end an otherwise normal exchange of words and catches me off-guard every time.
Example: (Valued Hotel Guest) – “Hi. how is it possible that Mickey Mouse is walking around in both Magic Kingdom and MGM Studios in different outfits at the same time?”
(Operator) – “Um…I’m not sure i understand the question."
(Valued Hotel Guest) - "You know what, nevermind. No big deal. Thanks anyway. Bye."
(Operator) - "Have a magical day!"
(Vauled Hotel Guest) - "I'm sorry, what?"
(Operator) - "................."
(Valued Hotel Guest) - "I didn't hear you. What did you just say?"
(Operator) - *click*
Still, I took the operator’s advice - i met arguably two of the coolest and nicest people alive in one super-ultra-magical day. The first is LeVar Burton who helped me learn to read via my television screen on ‘Reading Rainbow’, which dates back to my hard-knock early years growing up in the central jersey suburbs. the other is Shawn Bradley, the recently retired Dallas Mavericks center who measures in at 7ft. 6in. and currently on course to be the tallest man i will ever see in my lifetime.

We played a full-band show for the Children’s Miracle Network in Orlando yesterday and debuted a few new songs. During “Hello Beautiful” the boys brought all of the kids onstage who had either overcome or were still battling a life-threatening illness. (pictured below) If anything was magical, it was playing for those kids:

April 4th, 2007

Pour Unfortunate Soles
Mandy
Goodnight and Goodbye
Kids of the Future
Hello Beautiful
Australia
Hold On
Still In Love With You
Year 3000

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

-g