Thanks for indulging my being (hopefully) entertainingly cantankerous yesterday, just a touch of travel fatigue coupled with one too many snarls from TSA agents.

Here I am! In Napa…well, I suppose Fairfield, CA more accurately, writing this just before hopping on an early shuttle to BottleRock. Whenever possible, I like showing up with our crew, usually an hour or two before the festival opens, just to experience the calm before the storm, maybe walk the grounds before they’re covered in biodegradable cups and bits of glow stick. Caught up in the whirlwind of multitudinous backstage schmooze, it can be difficult connecting with everything that goes into putting an event like BottleRock together, and it’s important I appreciate what everyone’s job is, what their day looks like and, in turn, how I can make their life a little easier.

Usually, this means staying out of people’s way, but every once in a while I sneak a “how does this work?” or something in there. Learning about light rigging’s interesting, yes, but more so I appreciate my perspective being fine tuned. A successful festival’s every bit a symbiotic relationship, and if my part’s cranking up terrifyingly loud and beating the ever-loving dickens out of a guitar, well, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Somehow, I've conned the universe into allowing me to wear a hat and smile at keyboard players for a living, and I want to do right by everyone working their asses off in real trades. I mean, if my car breaks down, I can play Stairway to Heave at it, and that's about it.

Our set’s being live streamed tonight at 6:45pm PST, check out BottleRock’s website.