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Camps, Waves and Alternate Universes

I'm currently sitting in a Starbucks in Myrtle
Beach, waiting and watching as the wind from the storm
thats headed our way, whips at the palm trees
outside. It's our second week of camps and to be
honest, I'm already getting pretty tired (its mainly
my voice). We weren't home for very long after the
tour before the camps started and although we played
nearly every night towards the end of the tour, our
set wasn't nearly as long as it's been each night
these last couple of weeks. I also have the band with
me, which somehow subconsciously affects me in a way
that makes me sing more intensely each night. But
please don't think I'm complaining at all. A tired
voice is infinitely better than having to sit at a
desk or selling cars (my own personal preference of
course).
Myrtle Beach is a lot different than I thought it'd
be, or rather, it's different than I expected in that
it's similar to most beach towns I've already been to.
The only thing that lets me know I'm not somewhere in
Florida is the lack of pine trees. The cheesy neon
lights, the surf shops with obvious drug references in
their names, and the recent, yet outdated architecture
lets you know that no matter what state or county
you're in, if you're in a beach town, you've entered
an alternate universe where lizard-like locals serve
coffee in diners and even the scrambled eggs have a
seawater taste to them.
The waves outside along the beach are white capped
and furious and theres a few noble youngsters whove
been waiting for this chance to dust off their boards.
Although the red flag is flying high, the conditions
seem to be ideal for surfing.
Surfing in South Carolina! What is this universe Im
in? Sure I wouldve associated SC with sweet tea and
white suited men with cigars wiping sweat off their
faces with white handkerchiefs, but surfing? Im half
expecting to run into hula girls and fire swallowing
natives at the local Waffle House. JMO

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Number 1 at iTunes

Hey guys. Just wanted to let you know that "OPEN" is number 1 at iTunes. Thanks for all your support. You guys are awesome! JMO

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"OPEN" is now available!

The new record "OPEN" is now available! Order your copy today at my store, iTunes or your local Christian bookstore. Thanks! JMO

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Tour Journal Part 7

Coos Bay
Portland (day off)

Because of our schedule on the tour, most of the dates
seem to somewhat blend together. On the rare occasion
where I actually get the chance to do something other
than sing the songs on stage and sit in the hotel room
or bus when Im not needed, its been like waking up
to a cool, crisp day in the middle of a heat spell.
Its not that Im necessarily partial to either the
cold or the heat, as much as its the change of
atmosphere that makes the day stick out in a pleasant
way.

I woke up around noon and drew the curtain back that
acts as a sort of wall for the bunk Im temporarily
living in. I know waking up at noon must sound as if
Im only confirming the rumor that all musicians
hibernate by nature. But the truth is, because most
nights the bus doesnt end up leaving the venue until
well after 1AM, my 7 to 8-hour sleep period (if Im
lucky) shifts and I usually dont fall asleep until
close to 4AM.

Anyway, all thats beside the point. I stumbled out
the bus, grabbed my customary cup of coffee, and found
out that a group of the guys had already left to go
ride ATVs on the sand dunes Coos Bay is apparently
known for. After much string-pulling, Greg (BDWs
sound engineer) and I were able to hitch a ride out to
where everyone else was, and I can definitely say, it
ended up being one of the highlights of the tour.

After watching a fifteen-minute safety video, we
grabbed our helmets and goggles and were ready to hit
the sand. When we pulled up to the dunes, it was the
one of the oddest sights Ive ever seen. The Jeep we
hopped in drove down a trail surrounded by the lush
greenery the northwest is known for, and then out of
nowhere, it was like we transported to North Africa.
Sand as far as the eye can see, spotted here and there
by patches of trees and small ponds of accumulated
rainwater.

As we jumped out of the vehicle, another one pulled up
beside it. I can only call it a SandVan. There were
several benches for folks to sit in and was obviously
designed to take unwitting passengers on crazy rides
over the crests of the larger dunes. Greg and I took a
short ride in it before hopping on our own ATVs and
the experience was very similar to rollercoaster ride.
But before we even jumped in the open-air van, one of
the passengers, B (you might remember him from my
previous entry about taking fake band pics in Malibu),
hopped out holding a bloodied t-shirt to his head. He
had evidently taken his four-wheeler too fast over the
top of what they call a razorback (a dune where
instead of sloping off on the opposite end as it does
on the way up, it simply drops off). He ended up
smashing his head against the handlebars, and although
he was wearing a helmet, he got a gash about 3 inches
across on his forehead and later needed stitches.

Although we were obviously disheartened that the
incident took place, our excitement level prevented us
from second guessing our decision to hit the dunes
ourselves.

After several minutes of aimlessly driving around,
four of us took our ATVs down a mile long path that
lead straight to the coast. When we got there, we all
climbed down, took our helmets off and just stared for
a few minutes at what we saw. It was unlike any other
coastline Ive seen! Although the abundance of sand
gave the area the appearance of the average beach, the
overwhelming amount of white-capped waves carried a
ferociousness that competed with any cliff-lined coast
Ive been on. I almost asked one of the guys to take a
picture with their cell phone, but decided against it.
The shot just wouldnt have done the experience
justice.

The next day we had off so I joined BDW on their bus
and headed north to Portland. The other bus was
heading to the Seattle area, but since I had been
there several times and never visited Portland area, I
decided to accompany them instead. Most of the guys
were headed up there to take advantage of the day off
by hopping in the studio to work on their new album.
So Greg, Aaron (the tour stage manager), Joe (BDWs
sax player) and I used the time to see the sites.

The first thing we wanted to do was hike up Multnomah
Falls. Plummeting 620 feet from its origins on Larch
Mountain, its the second highest year-round waterfall
in the nation. It used to be the first until back in
the late nineties, a boulder the size of a bus fell
from the top. The 6-mile hike through the surrounding
forested area that youd normally take to get to the
top of the falls was just a bit too long for our tight
schedule. Instead we decided to go up the exit trail,
which judging from its incline, was obviously designed
for a quick decent from the top. A couple of near
fatal heart attacks later, we reached the top and were
awestruck by the view of the Columbia River Gorge.

After nearly rolling back down the trail, we drove a
couple of miles down the road to another area that
offered an even better view of the scenery. From this
new spot, Crown Point, we could even make out the
snow-capped mountains further north and north east of
where we were.

Later on, the four of us drove into downtown Portland.
We ate dinner at Rock Bottom (which was amazing by the
way), and ended up hearing about Powells from a girl
who worked at the Borders near the restaurant. When I
asked her if there were any used bookstores in the
area, she just looked back at me and laughed.
Apparently Powells is the largest independent new and
used bookstore in the world and it was only a few
blocks away from where we were standing. She scribbled
down some directions on a piece of paper and we walked
out unsure of what we were about to get ourselves
into.

The place was HUGE! It seemed like it covered over a
whole city block and had several levels. The setup was
different than the normal 1st, 2nd, 3rd story deal,
and it had several different half levels, which gave
the place a maze-like feel. Although we ended up
spending nearly 2 hours in the place, it just wasnt
enough time and I resolved to go back again with a fat
wallet and a clear schedule.

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Myspace Top 8 contest...win the new cd!

Want to win a copy of the new CD? Here's how. Head over to your myspace site, put me in your top 8, leave me a COMMENT at my myspace site letting me know you've done so and on Friday I will randomly select 5 winners. Those people will receive a copy of the new cd once it starts shipping. It's that simple. May 30th is only 3 short weeks away. Let the contest begin! JMO

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