Commit To The Dream

If you want to pursue the dream you have to go all in. If you have a backup plan, the backup plan becomes the plan. So, I went all in. My dear friend, Mike (aka the Mehsikronic) and I threw caution to the wind. We left everything we knew behind and hit the road in a van.

Forming the ultimate two-piece band allowed us complete freedom. The two of us were on the same page. We chose a route from Minneapolis to LA and would continuously perform at all points between. There was no house, no savings account, no significant other and no fear. At each stop we were greeted as heroes. We would have multiple options for places to stay. When the venues offered to pay for our lodging, we would often opt for more money instead. A couch in a room full of friends is better than a couple of hotel room beds. We rarely had to pay for food, drinks or recreation. We felt a lot of love. The trick was to just keep moving from town to town. Don’t stay put for more than three days and don’t return in less than three months.

This lifestyle was incredibly inspiring. I have written countless songs about this experience.  I could tell that the people in these places also felt inspired by our stories. Stories that were just too vivid to make up. Each return visit was better than the last. People were eager to hear what happened during our journey and wanted to provide us with a better experience than the next place we would visit. I will forever cherish the generosity that seemed to have no limits. One friend gave us a beautiful two-year-old full sized Chevy conversion Van. It became my house. Yes, that is right, I was “living in a van down by the river” long before that was cool.

These experiences didn’t make me rich, but they provided endless inspiration that still burns bright today. “If you want to be free, just take a tip from Mehsikronic and me. Get a van, make a band and then travel the land and be the master of your own reality.”