The third iteration of the Woodland Creatures tour has come to a close and here I am trying to recapture moments that I forgot to fully document because I was too busy living them. That’s not strictly some existential nonsense; I really wish I had been documenting things more because these are some of the most actualizing times I’ve ever lived.

I don’t believe I fully felt ready for tour as the days leading up to it started to seem to fall faster. I’d practiced drums a fair amount but still couldn’t shake some of the rust, Caleb and I had been hitting the gym but sickness kept us away for a couple weeks, I hadn’t fully mapped out every place we’d be going up until a few days before the first show — but that makes it all the more special knowing now that I had done (more or less) exactly what I needed to.

Going into the tour, I felt like we really were kind of just out here to show face and prove that we were still a band. I couldn’t really adequately gauge the hype. We were satisfied with booking a 50 cap venue in Philly because we really didn’t think we needed all that much. On WC2, we had I Met a Yeti headline and we felt comfortable knowing that they had a larger following therefore our shows would have some draw. (We also wanted to tour with them in general because we believe in their music so don’t get it twisted.) Cat Company was supposed to be our bigger-band-than-us headliner this time around but things fell through, so there was this initial vibe of “are we good enough to do this thing on our own again?” WC1 was fantastic but after the success of WC2, would going at it on our own again prove fruitful? I think I really need to stop thinking so hard because no matter what you’re prepared for, good or bad, what actually happens and what your feelings are in the moment can be wildly different.

WC3 started in Philly with some slightly above average cheesesteaks outside of a small dive bar called Century. We loaded in extremely smoothly and their toilets were solid but not separated by a full wall. Longfriend Timefriend ripped a fantastic tour opening set to an active crowd and I’m thankful for their energy. We knew WSA had a lot of friends in the house so we opted to go second; it felt good to really get that rust 90% off. Sails smashed the final set of the night (3 band bills might be the future in some aspects) including a new song we hadn’t heard - I immediately loved it. I don’t know what’s gotten into them lately but the new jams are really high caliber joints. Their fill in drummer Chaboy (of Destination Dimension & fallfiftyfeet) busted a hole in my breakbeats kick but it actually was him busting a hole into my inner circle of folks that I value in this DIY band scene. I told myself “if every show on tour is like this one, I can be happy with it.” I was happily wrong because every show kept getting better.

[extra notes: shout out to Swancasting and Audio Addiction for coming out]

After Philly we stayed at our friend Adam’s house and woke up the next morning to some cinnamon rolls. We were playing Baltimore that night but we sure weren’t acting like it; Adam treated us to a bomb cookout and we were able to just kick back and relax. Both bands were able to just enjoy each others’ presence after not seeing each other for such a long time. I really think these few hours were essential in setting up the vibes for the rest of the tour.

I’ve said it a bunch and I’ll say it again, musically speaking, Baltimore is a second home to me. I absolutely love going to and playing show in that city. We finally checked off a DIY band milestone - play a church basement. The Undercroft was mere blocks away from the Ottobar, my favorite spot for music, and I could feel the energy radiating its way into that basement. It also could’ve just been the heat radiating, it was at least 15 degrees hotter inside than outside but we didn’t let that stop us from tearing it up. Science Penguin and Granite State are fantastic bands and I truly wish them the best in their growth. One of the people in attendance flew out from LA to see us (they were also visiting family but timed it based on our show) and there were so many friends present that it was hard to even adequately talk to them all. The toilet here was pretty solid and the restroom was stocked with extra feminine products which is a plus in my book. It was nice to be able to sleep in my own bed mid tour too.

[extra notes: shout out to Hansel from nightlife for coming out]

I think Richmond is more of a third home to me now as we’ve really started to establish ourselves there, Matt more literally than the rest of us. We were able to get a little exploration time before the show so we all hit up Torchy’s Tacos as a tour package. Boomer dude assumed some of the fem members of our crew were groupies instead of the important members that they are (we also respect groupies too, we need to start a dialogue but not right now) but we also had a fan of the bands come in and take a picture with us so he looks even stupider in retrospect. The tacos were good though. Some of us grabbed boba after and then we ripped a gig with Followship and Mikau. Zach Benson came through to smash XO (Sold Out) with us as well, always a pleasure to have him around. The toilets here were good, I kind of figured they would be. Thank you Sami for making our stay with you and the cats so comfortable.

We set out for Charlotte with the intent to have a good show in North Carolina, as the last times we were there were pretty middling overall despite some good moments. Spoiler alert: this one blew the others out of the water. The Milestone Club was a super dive spot, but apparently is a legendary spot where Nirvana once played, so that’s pretty cool. We finally linked up with our friends Forever We Roam after meeting them at Blue Ridge 2021 and not being able to see each others’ sets. The Safety rounded out the bill and their modern Thursday sound was refreshing. Charlotte went hard af for a Monday. Kealy from Mutant Puke and a bunch of bands helped us out with vocals on Different Strokes and some dude did a backflip for the back end of You Already Know during our set, so he might be the MVP of the tour as far as hype goes. The sound guy really had everyone cranked in the best way because the new WSA songs really had me going. I don’t know how this spot had some of the best bathrooms so far but that also really had me going.

Our second activity day entailed a visit to the aquarium in Atlanta based on Taylor’s demand. I dug our time there and it was nice to just chill out and take some cool photos. Apparently you can drink there and for some reason a DJ was playing some dance beats in the main atrium so maybe I’ve been misunderstanding these places.

After writing a song based on the TV show from the city (I Drink Juice), we finally got to party in Atlanta. The Innerspace was a totally cool and interesting spot in the Underground, we did a little exploring of the immediate area and it was kinda wild. The toilets here were absolutely the worst so far, but luckily I didn’t need to sit here. I wasn’t going to let that harsh the vibe though. Sister Sleep set off the night with a rousing set that included a cover of Seven Years by Saosin; it reminded me of the times WSA would cover it previously. This was one of my favorite WSA sets so far, but unfortunately I wasn’t the happiest about my set. It be like that sometimes. Cascadent closed out the night and sealed the deal on a quality show. Enjoyed talking to a lot of people that really seemed to have vibed with us for a while.

I spent a lot of money at Buc-ees. It was worth it.

On the final day of tour, spirits were pretty high. We had 5 out of 5 banger shows and were going into a 5 band bill of great artists; we definitely figured that Holodeck, Letters to Part, and I Met a Yeti would come to party and they absolutely did. It was also great to see Charlene Joan and her new kid, wish she could’ve joined us as a performer. Shout out to Lawrence from Cat Company for coming through as well, would’ve been great to perform together too but we’ll make it happen someday. There was a line around the block at WIll’s Pub and it was difficult for folks to get in before the first band’s set finished. We’ve ended each Woodland Creatures tour so far at the pub and we’ve never seen that many people fill the room and spill into the merch area. With Sails Ahead sounded phenomenal and I was mad emotional when they played the bridge for In Fear and Loathing and the disco ball lights spun around the spot. After they amped the hell out of the room, we took the stage and played the longest set we’d done so far. Kealy joined us for Different Stokes again, Lui from I Met a Yeti joined us for Run the Ghouls, Sierra joined us for Mt. Midoriyama (for the last time of tour), and Taylor came up to do her skit on I Drink Juice. It was an honor to have everyone share the stage with us because it ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none. We all joined I Met a Yeti for Opulence and it felt fantastic. They proceeded to kill the rest of their set and since it was filmed, I’m stoked to watch that one back. Chatted with a ton of folk until the venue emptied and then we went back to our slick ass airbnb to chill, eat, and watch music videos.

Even though shows were over, the shenanigans weren’t as we were blessed to have great weather in the morning for our beach episode. We went to the exact same spot we went to last time and it was just as awesome, if not more since we were with WSA this time around. I even succumbed to the vibes and went all the way in the water, which isn’t me overcoming a fear or anything but a desire to not get my hair wet. It was worth it though. We set off for home and stopped at a couple of Buc’s on the way. I spent a lot of money. It was also worth it.

We dropped, Tyler, Matt, and David off, then WSA crashed at our place one more time. We woke up after trying to gather as much energy as we could and had a wonderful breakfast at Silver Diner to close out the tour then parted ways. It was an emotional split but I was able to get through it okay this time because I knew it wouldn’t be too long before I saw these folks again, there’s no way we’d let too much time pass by without some hangs.

Woodland Creatures 3 was a rousing success - no major drama, no van troubles, no injuries. Great shows, great laughs, great memories. When I say that it was awesome, I truly mean it. I love these people so very much. I want them all to succeed in their musical endeavors and in their personal lives as well. When they are happy, I’m happy; when they are down or agitated, I want to lift them back up in any way that I can. To With Sails Ahead: thank you for being such great friends. You are such a talented lot and I know that with continued persistence, you all will accomplish so very much. I just want to be along to celebrate your wins with you all. To pulses.: like I say on stage every night, you are my brothers. I’m glad to know you all, I’m glad to have grown with you all, and I’m glad we still get to do this thing. Sometimes you’re my sons; I’m extremely proud of you all too, you really do hold it down when you need to. Let’s keep going and show people what’s what.

Until next time, Woodland Creatures 4ever.