tag:shallowside.net,2005:/blogs/blog?p=3Blog2019-04-25T20:37:02-05:00Shallow Sidefalsetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/57321832019-04-25T13:13:11-05:002024-03-18T03:23:04-05:00Shallow Side’s Frontman, Eric Reveals Near Death Experience and Epiphany With Latest Release Sound The Alarm.<p><br><br>Mental and physical damage is expected when you lock eyes with your passion. Nothing in this world has ever come easy and in the springtime of 2016, the largest task I’ve ever faced would meet me and walk me to the exit sign of the world. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/212343/54365b9e05ac356b3ef2565884b1178ac2cef6d6/original/smalleric.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></p>
<p>March 9, 2016 Jacksonville, FL. We had been on tour with our friends in Saving Abel and as most know or most will soon learn Shallow Side has never been the ‘take it easy’ type of group. We’ve lived, loved, lost and found ourselves in the hardest of ways. This day, in particular, came on an off day on the beach where the sun and Knob Creek would become my own worst enemy. </p>
<p>Well, let me back up, first off, I’m my own worst enemy. Secondly, I know my weaknesses and exploit myself for mine and others gratification. </p>
<p>With the weather in perfection and the drinks heavily flowing I found myself searching for a familiar face as I crossed bars and streets. Then, all of a sudden I came to. In the puddle of blood my face was laying in I could hear Heath saying ‘Boat, hey man! Look at me, can you hear me!?’ </p>
<p>I opened an eye to see the blood dripping from my nose and ear. Blackout. The second time I opened my eyes I was in a hospital emergency room.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/212343/9b90d71b66ace491267faa38e54ba8d6ea743bda/original/image2.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>It seemed exactly like a movie because the second I came to in the first emergency room I zoned in on the phrase ‘swelling, and trauma unit stat. Bam! Blackout. A third time I woke up in the ambulance as they are trying to keep me awake explaining I’ve had a severe skull fracture and brain hemorrhage. The only words I could muster up were, ‘am I going to make it’. Reading the room is a talent I have. Far greater than any other ability I’ve been blessed with and that night, the silence needed no talent. It said everything without words. They had no clue. </p>
<p>They’d scan my cat a few times more and continue to wake me in trauma 1 as other patients came in. Limbs missing and blood-curdling screams would ring out as if the nightmare had become all of our realities. The humans that work in first response are more than the rest of us and that’s a fact. \</p>
<p>After two days in the ICU I walked out<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/212343/c3edf7a9710ad40300ce5aba4c16fc08f4703952/original/eric3.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /> of the hospital on my own and made my way home to Nashville where I’d spend another month terrified of doors, sharp objects, countertops as well as the ever-daunting question would I be able to perform again. Touring as much as we have I’ve been lucky enough to meet some real heroes that went through some extremely difficult situations in the military. A lot with similar injuries. TBI was my diagnosis and I found comfort with combat heroes who would explain things will be different for a bit but you’ll find yourself again. </p>
<p>I went through that difficult couple of months with extreme headaches and flashbacks that made sleep impossible and conversations difficult to follow. Continuing to push through we hit the road again and I never revisited the situation until we hit the studio with Elvis Baskette. The riff was there the chords progression screamed triumph and I felt it was my duty to explain in song that life will inevitably take us all. What will we do with the time that’s allowed? Strip down, fully exposed balls to the wall. That’s the only way to make things work. Pure and wholeheartedly, because when it’s all said and done this will all have made no difference unless you start sounding off your own alarm!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="Listen to the song here!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/7myHqhsaTgKoamdL7xJrAJ?si=rRX6-_u6QkOohvg_FPYfRg" target="_blank"><span class="font_xl"><strong>Listen here!</strong></span></a></p>
<p> </p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/49213772017-11-06T15:17:04-06:002024-03-18T03:23:56-05:00What Is The Remedy?<p> Happy Monday y'all! First off, I would like to give my condolences to the families of the horrendous church shooting in Texas, killing 26 and wounding over 20 more. These senseless acts are becoming far too reoccurring and to say that it is shameful is an underestimate! Like many Americans, I grew up in church, and the fear of someone coming through the doors and opening fire on an innocent, unsuspecting crowd of church-goers was never a thought that crossed my mind. I'm sure these people were the same and it is beyond words that it was the reality of the situation. </p>
<p> I can't even really begin to wrap my head around what causes someone to want to open fire on a crowd of people. Nothing mattered at all to this guy, male, female, pregnant, children, he only wanted to kill, and I just cannot find the point to where you even start to try to understand why or any kind of reasoning. The fact that he didn't turn the gun on himself and he actually made an attempt to escape leads me to believe that he probably had intent to do more harm than he accomplished and those guys that went in hot pursuit are heralded, and rightfully so, as heroes. Their pursuit may have saved many more lives and they deserve the highest of rewards for their actions. </p>
<p> In my opinion, this is domestic terrorism. Any act such as this is domestic terrorism. Terrorism is not just about a religion. It is tied to that often times, but not always. Many people lost their lives in this act, as the Las Vegas shooting also, and because of this now many Americans have fear of doing something they love or going somewhere because they are afraid of an incident such as this and that is what terrorism is and does. </p>
<p> One thing that is certain is that we have too much hate going on and far too much neglect for people who tend to lose their ability to process their emotions. It seems as if this guy is someone who lost his head a while back, but where do you draw the line with violent tendencies? I'm not sure on this, but I know we have to start somewhere. It can be a number of things. We have to start making a change in culture at some point, and it takes time to do that, but we can either change it for the better or change it for the worse because it will inevitably change. It's up to us to try to steer which direction it goes. </p>
<p> As we all mourn another tragedy across the country, let's all strive to help us step forward as a society. We may not have the ability to prevent an act that happened a thousand miles away, but we can strive to make our own respective communities a little bit better and piece by piece, little by little, that will help make the difference. Love one another, don't hate someone because you don't see eye to eye on something, don't judge someone by their skin color, sex, religion, political affiliation, or anything else that may have been an issue in the past. We don't even have to like everyone, that's normal, but if you want to, you can get along at least, or not wish harm on them. Take care of each other, folks, and I will see y'all soon, if not, sooner!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/49030012017-10-23T12:35:39-05:002024-03-18T03:26:38-05:00Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures<p>Hello and happy Monday y'all! I hope everyone's weekend went well. We spent ours in sunny Florida! Everyone else is all excited about fall time and colder weather and the changing of the seasons, not in Florida. It is still warm and sunny there, which is much more of my cup of tea! Today seems like a tour story type of day so that is what I'll do. I'll take you way back, as usual, with this one. It was the middle of summer, we were in Florida, touring around in a suburban, and we didn't have AC, to say that we were severely in need of a shower is severely understated! We were down in the pan handle of Florida and we had the day off so we had been bouncing around and beach hopping all day and we found ourselves in the lovely Panama City. One of the guys had grabbed their shower stuff and found a beachside shower head, made for rinsing off sand from your feet and sandals, not actually for taking a shower, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Not long into what would have been a much needed shower a cop interrupts and, rather rudely, informs him that you can't actually shower there and that it is illegal, so that option was shut down pretty quick. At this time I had braids in my hair in an attempt to transform these braids into dreadlocks over time. After seeing the beachside shower attempt go haywire, I decided to take measures into my own hands, so I grabbed my shower stuff and made my way down to the ocean and decided to take out the braids and wash my hair and bathe in the ocean. After doing so I made my way back to the suburban where the rest of the guys were eyeballing a hotel room that was open. A few minutes later we figured out that the room was vacant, so what do you think we are about to try? You guessed it! We are about to take turns going in this open room and showering and hope we don't get busted. I'm not condoning illegal activities by any means, but when you need a shower as bad as we did, you'll do almost anything to get one, plus we weren't hurting anyone or anything. We ended up successfully completing our shower rotation without interruption, and we felt like brand new men! I'm certain we were just shimmering in the sun and smelling like freedom and excellence after that glorious shower, at least we felt that way. Sometimes when you need something in a desperate way, you will do almost anything to get it, and that was certainly the case on that day. We didn't have money for hotels but we had the swiftness to get what we needed and no harm, no foul. Again, I'm not condoning criminal activities, but I think that was justifiable given how bad we needed a shower and we left them a small tip for using the shower. I think that makes us crafty, not criminals, even though it may not have been perfectly legal. We promise not to stink on this next tour, so come out and hang out with us and let's finish the year in style! Cheers folks!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48935692017-10-16T11:47:10-05:002024-03-18T03:33:32-05:00Grits Isn't Just What's For Breakfast<p> Happy Monday folks! I hope everyone has had a great weekend. First off I would like to extend my well wishes to the Favors family, a crucial piece to the Shallow Side operation, and long time friends of ours. Ronda had to have open heart surgery last week, which is always extremely scary and dangerous, but she is recovering like a true champ and gets to go home today. She has a long and tiresome road ahead of her but that woman is tough as nails and I have no doubt in mind that she will be back to as strong as ever in no time!</p>
<p> Grit is a term that we, southerners, use from time to time, and in this instance I am not referring to a small piece of stone or the breakfast side. It can be defined as a personality trait fueled by motivation to achieve a goal (in short). It is similar to hardiness and resilience, and although it is not a commonly used term across the country, it is still a huge piece to being able to overcome tough times and push forward. In Ronda's case, she has a lot of it and always has, that's why I know she will power through this tough recovery and come out on the other side ready to swing hard as ever!</p>
<p> It is extremely important to have these characteristics to get through the tough times. Every situation is different, though, so there is no formula except to do the best you can and try to learn from the things you can do better at. A year ago today I was faced with a situation where I had to use said "grit" to push forward as well. My situation was not even in the ball park of what she is going through, so I'm not comparing it as her recovery is much worse than mine was, but I must admit that mine was not walk in the park.</p>
<p> Doing physical therapy is something that always is a challenge, especially after a surgery. It is crucial in recovery though, because if you want to get function back in the affected area then you have to use it and find your limits and push those limits which is usually a painful and uncomfortable process. In my case, it was day to day, twice a day. If I could make at least a little progress every single day then I was on the right track to getting back to playing drums, where I belong. It was one of the most painful things I've endured in order to do that, but the old saying "no pain, no gain" was the epitome of what I had to do to get back healthy, and thankfully I made a full recovery from the shattered collar bone (I just have some internal bling now).</p>
<p> Grit is something I believe everyone has, you just have to be able to dig deep enough within yourself to use it for better. It is something that is applicable to daily life, not just situations of injury and recovery, I just thought I would share a little about my situation as a year ago, I had to have it to get through. Laying down and giving up will never get you to the other side, no matter the situation, and we must always have our eyes on the road, not in the rear view mirror! Take care of yourselves, folks, and remember to keep the Favors family in mind. See y'all soon out on the road!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48837652017-10-09T13:41:27-05:002024-03-18T03:37:29-05:00Today Is a New Day<p> Happy Monday folks! I hope your weekend went well and everyone is safe from the Hurricane on the Gulf Coast. Today I want to use as a little Motivation Monday. I want to share a poem with you by Heartsill Wilson, yet further popularized by the college football legend, former Alabama head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. The Bear was said to have carried this poem around with him everywhere in his wallet and he read it every morning, and often to his players as a way of motivating them to strive for success. </p>
<p>"This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. </p>
<p>I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is important, as I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it. </p>
<p>I want it to be a gain, not loss, good, not evil, success, not failure, in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it." </p>
<p> We are all guilty of dipping our heads from time to time when life is weighing heavy. Those are the days when we could all use a little "pick me up". That varies from person to person on what exactly it is that can be your own catalyst. The moral of the poem rings through, no matter the case, however. Every single day is important because we will never get to relive it. It can be used in a positive way, a negative way, or simply squandered, which is still not a positive direction. With all the chaos going on lately and tragic events that seem to be out of our hands, this can be an extremely useful mindset to have in the pursuit of happiness for ourselves, as well as others. </p>
<p> It takes zero talent to put in effort at something. When we started the band we had absolutely zero knowledge of the industry and we were highly questionable from a talent standpoint. We had drive, however. We had determination, we had all the intangibles to go out and pursue a dream that sounded like a fairy tale to some people. Toughness, grit, and persistence helped us get through the many barriers standing in our path. Those barriers are still here, though. They do not just go away according to how far you make it, and we still carry that mindset with us, knowing that we still have countless barriers ahead of us in our career, and in life in general. One thing we have learned is you can't be a victim to your circumstances. It's not always good, and you have to find a way through it. It's not always bad either, and you have to find a way to strive for better even when times are good. </p>
<p> Today is a new day. What we do with it is our choice. Let's embrace the day. Let's embrace tomorrow, the day after that, and by the end of the week hopefully our circumstances will be a little bit better due to the fact that we set out to make every individual day better. Opportunity doesn't usually just fall in our lap. Opportunities are normally something that is created, then we have to go seize it. Let's use the day for good, and not squander it, and see how the results are looking in a month from now by having this mentality every single day. See y'all soon and happy motivation Monday!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48743302017-10-02T18:57:10-05:002024-03-18T03:38:53-05:00Thoughts and Prayers to the Families of the Attack in Las Vegas<p> Hello and I wish I could say happy Monday, unfortunately that is not the case today. I have been at a loss for words, but I will give it a try anyways and hopefully not make a fool of myself.</p>
<p> Today is a horrifically tragic day in the pages of American history. I'm sure everyone is aware of the event last night in Las Vegas where a coward opened fire on a crowd of concert-goers and killed around 60 people and wounded hundreds more. I would first like to extend my condolences, thoughts, and prayers to the families of everyone affected by this barbaric action. I hope that justice is properly served and the families may find peace as time goes by dealing with their losses.</p>
<p> It takes a severely sick individual to have so much hate in your heart that you want to kill strangers and innocent bystanders. These were people just like you and I. All they wanted to do was enjoy some great live music and companionship with their friends. Unfortunately it hits home very hard to the tight-knit music family. I'm also very saddened for everyone involved in the concert's production, the band, the crew, and all the staff that endured this attack while trying to provide people with an event that should have been the exact opposite of the outcome.</p>
<p> I have heard multiple narratives on the motive of the killers, and setting our differences aside, I chalk it up to a monstrous act of hate. One way or another, hate is what caused this infamous shooting. What makes someone have so much hate in their heart, I am not sure, but we could certainly use a lot less of it in our society. Most people have a sense of compassion, and we grieve the same whether it's a shooting a a gay night club, at a rock show, or at a country show, the above descriptions are irrelevant and we all feel the same sadness regardless of the scenario. The fact that select twisted individuals want to murder innocent people is simply something I just cannot seem to wrap my head around or even attempt to understand.</p>
<p> I'm not sure what the cure is for situations like this. We are all susceptible to these situations, sadly. We shouldn't live our lives in constant fear, however. It is difficult to shake off an event such as this, but through the whirlwind of different emotions, we still have to find a way to continue the normal daily life. Live it to the fullest and make the most of every opportunity that is created. As we all join hands around the nation, let's remember to love one another. Even though hatred had a drastic impact to so many lives last night, love will conquer and have the final say. May the victims Rest In Peace and the others affected find comfort as time goes by and feel the love from fellow Americans abroad.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48644612017-09-25T14:47:13-05:002024-03-18T03:39:50-05:00A Mall Cop, A Segway, and A Game of Hide and Seek<p> Happy Monday y'all! I hope everyone's weekend was great, I know ours was. Home shows are a lot of fun and this one was no exception! There is a lot of negativity going on in the past couple of days in the media and on social media with the protests and NFL and all that madness, so I would like to take the time to not discuss that, but tell a good ole fashion tour story instead. </p>
<p> Once upon a dark and gloomy afternoon in Cincinnati we showed up to this mall to sell CDs, because that was our thing. When we walk in there is this huge playhouse for kids, but after looking around, we realized we were probably the only people in this mall. Naturally, we began causing a riot in the play area, throwing toys at each other, running at warp speed (everyone but Seth, he's slow) and screaming like kids because we were acting like kids after all. After we had enough fun at the play house, we decided to embark on an epic game of hide and seek. This mall was massive and everything was closed and we were the only ones inside so we decided to make an event out of this. </p>
<p> After about a half hour of hide and seek we were just getting our legs stretched out and we were getting competitive at this point. I can't recall who was "It" but we decided to all hide in the same spot and then take off running at the same time to see if we could all make it back to base before getting tagged. We counted down and fired out of the gates like an Olympic 100 meter dash, our ears were peeled back, heads down, and we were digging hard for the finish line! We rounded the last turn before home base and was met by a security lady on a Segway and all of us had to dive and hit the ground to avoid plowing her over on her Segway. Obviously she was not happy, nor was she as impressed by our speed, although I beg to differ, we was blazing that trail! </p>
<p> She asked us what we were doing in the mall because everything was shut down pretty much and there was not much business to be done in there. We politely told her we are a band from Alabama and we have a show in town tonight so we was trying to promote for that and make some new friends but seen the place was abandoned so we thought we would have a little fun with it. As the conversation went on we finally told her that as we travel the country we always stop at malls and sell our CDs for a couple dollars a piece and that's how we make money to eat during the week because money is really tough and gas is expensive and we are just starting out so we don't make very much money. After a solid hour or so of just talking she said that she was coming to the show later which we would hear often, but people would rarely ever show up. </p>
<p> She showed up right on time for doors and even went the extra mile. She brought us a gift card to Olive Garden and some dry goods to snack on and even bought us a round of beer! It's funny how you can start off on the wrong foot with someone and then after you talk a little bit you end up liking one another. I don't think it's necessarily about having something in common, but more about the fact of finding respect for one another. </p>
<p> We are all different and like different things, different hobbies, listen to different music, but that doesn't mean you can't get along with someone. There are different types of almost anything you can think of, and it's like that for a reason, we all come from different walks in like and like different things and that's okay.... She said she had never been to a show, but she had a great time and was "definitely different from her normal weekday." Let's all get along and have some respect for one another and disregard all the crazy things happening in the NFL and in the news. Take care and we will see y'all out on the road soon!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48552302017-09-18T14:20:00-05:002024-03-18T03:40:20-05:00Cullman Roots<p> Happy Monday y'all. I hope everyone's weekend went well. We have a home show coming up this weekend and I can't help but think back to when we first started playing shows in our hometown of Cullman, Alabama.</p>
<p> We have played at many different venues in Cullman, but we started out playing the small side rooms at the Civic Center. We would mainly play to our friends and family starting out, but the more we played, the harder we promoted and our shows grew larger and we moved our shows to a bigger place called the JC Arena. The JC served us well for a while and we had some incredible shows there. We would always make it a point to bring in bands from out of town to introduce new bands to our scene.</p>
<p> Eventually the shows got to the point of almost being out of control at that venue. It was a dry county, meaning there was no sale of alcohol, but people would show up with coolers full of alcohol and have a tail gate party outside and the cops would show up and rain on their parade and ours as well. We decided that it wasn't worth the risk of getting in trouble with the law and quit having our shows there.</p>
<p> Now we have moved our shows to the concert hall at the Civic Center, which is newly renovated, and an extraordinary venue. Cullman has been a growing city for the past few years with the sale of Alcohol now being legal. We have a vastly successful festival every summer and restaurants and bars are opening right and left! It is still. We to us, though, to be able to play our hometown and for people to be able to show up and buy beer legally and carry on like everywhere else in America and it is nice to see how things have came together and are set up for a thriving music scene.</p>
<p> We fully intend on building on what we have and making the rock scene in Cullman a desirable stop for both fans and bands. It has been a long road but has shaped up nicely. The way it keeps building is by getting out to a show and supporting the scene whether it is local, regional, or national acts. I cannot wait for this weekends show and I know we have a lot of people traveling from out of state to be a part of the show. I wish everyone safe travels, no matter the distance to attend the show. Long live Rock N Roll!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48452132017-09-11T10:36:45-05:002023-12-10T11:22:29-06:00Flirtin' With Disaster<p> Happy Monday y'all! I hope everyone and their family is safe from the hurricane that is bearing down on Florida and the Gulf Coast, and obviously continue to keep the Houston area in your thoughts and prayers. They still have a long road ahead of them down there and can use all the help and thought they can get, as well as much of Florida. </p>
<p> Being on the road for the past 6 years, we have seen most of the country from east to west and top to bottom. We have also been in almost every element there is. We have been in the blistering heat for all of our lives, being from Alabama, but we have also been welcomed into the frigid cold up north, blizzards, tornadoes, dust storms, and even ran from a hybrid hurricane down the east coast. That Hurricane's name was Sandy. I'm sure most of you remember the devastation it brought to the northeast. This particular hurricane was strange because it was also a winter storm, I'd never heard of a hurricane that comes to land spitting out snow and sleet with freezing temperatures plus all the wind behind a hurricane. We were Flirtin' with Disaster. </p>
<p> The day before Sandy made land we were in Rhode Island with one more show left in South Carolina. We had to drop the show in SC and carve a path to Alabama as fast as possible, which almost was not fast enough. It was a 25 hour drive, and the only time we could stop was for gas, or we may get stranded in this wintery hurricane, miles from home, which was not something on our agenda necessarily. We drove through snow at first, then ice, sleet and snow mix, and the further south we made it, then it turned to rain. It was a frantic rat race basically. We were driving along side the National Guard and Army fleets, cops and state troopers were prominent on the roads also, and your not so typical everyday fleeing from a hurricane traffic. </p>
<p> We are no strangers to the wrath of Mother Nature, we have dealt with tornadoes most of our lives, and in April of 2011 the south seen a slew of tornadoes that were catastrophic on a level much larger than usual, there had not been an outbreak of that magnitude in hundreds of years, and many people lost their life or loved ones and the damage across several states was heart-wrenching. We are familiar with what can happen in times of emergency and know to take as much precaution as possible. Thankfully we were able to make it back to Alabama and out of Hurricane Sandy, but there were thousands of people affected by this storm that were not able to get out. </p>
<p> I hope everyone is safe down in Florida and the surrounding areas for Irma, thankfully it has lost steam drastically as it made landfall, but I know that thousand of people are affected by it in one way or another. Thoughts and prayers down to the Gulf Coast. As the old saying goes: It is better to be safe than sorry. That's definitely true when it comes to natural disasters. Stay informed and always make an effort to not be Flirtin' with Disaster. </p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48290032017-08-28T16:04:24-05:002023-12-10T10:54:14-06:00The Fields Report<p> Happy Monday to ya folks! I hope everyone had a great weekend. We surely did, playing two shows in Michigan, one of which was the final Rock show at the Foundry in Jackson. It is always amazing at the support we receive from the great state of Michigan. There are some top notch people in that area of the country and we are privileged to know many of them. It is definitely a nice home away from home.</p>
<p> The first thing I want to talk about is the horrendous flooding going on down in Houston and the surrounding areas. I have been around to see some devastating events, from 9/11 to Katrina to the tornados in the south in April of 2011 to recent mass shootings, and this event is certainly one to make the history list. Please keep those people in mind as they try to help one another and save lives first off. The property damage will be astronomical, but that can be replaced, so keep them in mind as they try to save as many lives as possible and the fight is far from over in Houston and around the Gulf in general.</p>
<p> Another topic I would like to chip in about is the Epic boxing match Saturday night. McGregor vs Mayweather was probably the most hyped event ever, at least in recent boxing history. I didn't get to catch the fight Live because we had a show that night so I had other business to attend to, but after we were done for the night I got to sit down and watch the fight. Regardless of who won, or who you wanted to win, it was a great contest and both guys are extreme tough and can definitely take a punch! I was rooting for McGregor, personally, and I thought he fought a great fight and did what no one thought he could do, especially in the early rounds. Mayweather may go down as the greatest ever, but you can be assured he will never forget the fight put up from McGregor.</p>
<p> I am not a boxing "fan" so to speak. I grew up watching some of the greats with Tyson and Holyfield, Douglas and others and I have always been familiar with Ali, Frazier, Foreman and that whole class as well. I actually looked forward to this fight though, because it had never been done, and was a very intriguing matchup. I think it is good for both sports and now McGregor is almost limitless on what he can do moving forward. One thing you can bet on is he will always be pushing his limits, which is great to see.</p>
<p> I didn't necessarily intend on turning this into a sports blog today. It just kind of came out of my head that way, so you get what you get (inner chuckle). Maybe it is a lot to do with the kickoff of college football coming up this weekend, as I am a huge Alabama fan and we have a massive opening game on Saturday. Either way, it is good to step out of the norm and talk about different things from time to time. We have some incredible dates coming up soon, so be sure to keep up with everything SS and where we are going to be in the near future. Take care of one another, send prayers for Houston, and Roll Tide.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48211612017-08-21T19:03:22-05:002023-12-10T10:46:00-06:00Bucketlist.... Check!<p> Happy Monday to y'all! I Hope everyone had a good eclipse viewing, I was close enough to decide not to fight the traffic and still be able to see %97 blockage, not totality, but close enough to see it and take in the event for what it's worth, and it was worth a hefty amount. </p>
<p> The last total solar eclipse in the continental U.S. was in 1979.I have never had the opportunity to see one yet, so I obviously jumped on the opportunity. Every now and then you get to witness something "Truly Majestic" as Morgan Freeman put on his bucket list. Today we was able to put that check mark in the box, though. </p>
<p> Last tour we was able to see Mount Rushmore while in route to some incredible shows. It is not all pretty on the road, and it is not always all pretty while we are home, that is part of life. I do make it a point, any chance I get, to sit back and savor the moment, however. Today's Eclipse was no exception, and it was definitely was majestic! </p>
<p> If you are fortunate enough to have been able to see the eclipse, like myself, then I'm sure you are as taken back and awed as I am, and if you weren't able to be in the viewing area, be thankful for the internet. It can be useful sometimes, but like anything else, it depends on how you use it. </p>
<p> We have some major shows coming up in the late summer/fall, so make sure you check them out and come see us out on the road! We will be kicking off tour this weekend in Michigan, which is guaranteed to be a good time, but if you can't make that show then check the dates and stay up with our social media pages and let's put a little miracle grow on the the family tree. Cheers folks!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48137872017-08-14T14:36:30-05:002023-12-10T13:00:34-06:00The Matters We Can Control<p> Happy Monday folks! I hope everyone's weekend was as good as ours. We had the opportunity to share some of the biggest stages with some of the most prominent names in Rock n Roll, and it was nothing short of amazing. Sturgis was all the rage at the Full Throttle Saloon opening for Jackyl, and Rockin The Rivers in Montana was a blast also!</p>
<p> One thing I've noticed as of late is all the recent events going on that has people in outrage. Whether it's the recent feud between North Korea, or the white supremacist groups protesting and rioting, people are upset, and there is reason to feel that way. These things are sad and disappointing, especially in the fact that someone lost a life in the midst of the chaos.</p>
<p> There is always going to be a select few bad apples that go out and give others a bad name, and that's not race specific. I think pretty much everyone agrees that white supremacist groups have no place in today's society, or black supremacist groups, radical Islams, Westboro Baptist church, or any other group that is totally out of touch with how the world turns now days. The sad truth, however, is that we are always going to have some sort of degree of this going on.</p>
<p> Instead of dwelling on all these issues, I believe we should focus more on what we can control. We can't call up President Trump and tell him how to respond to North Korea, we can't call up Kim Jung Un and tell him to knock it off and quit firing missiles. We can however, lead by example. We can get out in our own communities and not preach diversity, peace, and love, but live it in our own lives and lead by example and have an affect on our children and youth.</p>
<p> I've always thought that meme with the white kid and black kid hugging is great! "Love comes natural, hate is taught." Not that this is a white and black thing, it can be any race. It could be two white kids hugging or two black kids, two latinos, two asians, regardless of race, the meaning still remains the same. Race is irrelevant on every level.</p>
<p> All this madness on the news is not going to help the issues, though. The way we help with these issues I believe is by living with love. That is what MLK did and the civil rights movement, and a huge impact was made on our society, and change for a better society was put into place. If we love one another and don't worry about all these other distractions and hate bait, our generations will progress in a positive way, and especially the communities we live with. Love can be the remedy to just about anything. We are naturally born with an instinct to love, so let's use it. The more we do, the better a society we will instill for our future generations. Take care and we will see you all soon out on the road!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/48059752017-08-07T19:51:23-05:002022-06-01T20:24:04-05:00The Legendary Sturgis<p> Happy Monday y'all! I apologize for being late today on the blog but better late than never. Sometimes I can be a little forgetful and we have also been driving all day today, my back hurts, my fingers quit working temporarily.... ok I'll stop with the excuses now. </p>
<p> We are currently in route to some huge shows coming up this week. We are headed to Sturgis, SD for the worlds largest bike rally and we will be playing Full Throttle Saloon Wednesday and Thursday with Jackyl which is going to be awesome! I remember watching the show years ago, seeing the crazy drama and how they had to sell a crazy amount of alcohol by the end of the night to save the bar, supposedly, and they always pulled it off. It is an honor to be a part of this great event and we are ridiculously stoked! After that we head to Montana for Rockin on the River, which will also be a grooving good time with Alterbridge and Black Stone Cherry. </p>
<p> One of the perks of touring is getting to see the country and taking in the many staples that America has to offer. This will be the case in the next coming days. Sturgis, SD is only about an hour from Mt. Rushmore, so we are definitely going to swing by there and see this Iconic American piece of work. Not every tour you get to do things like this so we are certainly appreciative of being able to check it out on this run. </p>
<p> Make sure you stay up to date on our social media pages, we have a big announcement coming up on Wednesday so make sure you stay tuned for that. Also keep an eye out for show announcements that keep rolling in. We have some great things coming in the next couple months, including a music video that will be coming out soon, and more tour announcements. Come see us out on the road and take care of one another. Please send prayers and good vibes that we make it out alive from Sturgis, I have a feeling this is going to get rowdy. Cheers folks!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47976172017-07-31T12:06:10-05:002023-12-10T11:03:14-06:00Row The Boat<p> Happy Monday y'all! I'm sure you've all seen the big news in the SS camp by now, but if you haven't then let me fill you in on something exciting. Boat is expecting his first child and it is due for January 2018. We are super excited for him and if you haven't stopped by and said congrats then make sure you do so, I know they are excited beyond words and having your first child is kind of a big deal so let's all make sure they feel the love.</p>
<p> As most of y'all probably know, we are a tight knit group of guys. Seth, Boat and myself went to school together and I've know Boat since we were 8, so we have been around and seen a lot of things occur to each other over the years, whether it's good, bad, exciting and everything else in between. This is definitely a huge milestone for him, as well as us being the friend uncles so to speak. We all hit these milestones together and when one person has one it's almost like we all hit it, or at least feel that way to a certain degree.</p>
<p> We have been traveling around sharing the stage together for 7 years now and have been able to meet some incredible people! We still have a lot left to do this year and the dates that are rolling in daily are invigorating and exciting! We will be hitting the road again this weekend for another tour that is looking to be a great one, in some new areas, and some familiar areas also and we can't wait to go tear the stage up and hang out with all your lovely faces.</p>
<p> The Shallow Side Family has grown exponentially in the past few years and is getting stronger every day it seems like. The support y'all have shown and continue to show is nothing short of amazing and is the reason that we are able to continue to do what we do and bring music, love and happiness to people across the country, and for that we can never thank you enough.</p>
<p> Be sure to stay up to date on all of our social media for more dates TBA, they are coming in almost every day and we will be posting them up as they roll in. We will have a music video coming out soon also, so be on your toes for that and come see us on tour in August and September. As always, take care of one another and let's keep this crazy circus known as Shallow Side on the upswing, bring some new friends out to a show, word of mouth is very powerful and if you can convince someone to come along with you, I'm confident that we all can make them have a good time! Cheers folks and we will see y'all soon.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47904862017-07-24T14:40:14-05:002022-05-11T06:50:26-05:00We Must Stand Together<p>"I don't like my mind right now Stacking up problems that are so unnecessary Wish that I could slow things down I wanna let go but there's comfort in the panic And I drive myself crazy Thinking everything's about me Yeah, I drive myself crazy 'Cause I can’t escape the gravity I'm holding on Why is everything so heavy? Holding on So much more than I can carry I keep dragging around what's bringing me down If I just let go, I'd be set free Holding on Why is everything so heavy?" </p>
<p>-Linkin Park </p>
<p> I think I'm not the only one who feels this way, but to me, it's not a very good Monday. The news of Chester from Linkin Park was a serious blow to the rock world, which was still ailing the loss of another legend. My news feed was filled with nothing but RIP, WTF we lost another, and I can't believe it's real, mostly people wondering what the hell is going on with all this. Maybe that is the wrong question entirely. I think it is time we start asking WHY the hell, instead of what the hell. </p>
<p> We obviously have many issues in the world today and mental health is close to the top in my opinion. Sometimes we can tend to overlook the fact that someone with fame and fortune is still a human, a father, a son, a brother, a sister, a mother, etc. Everyone has his or her struggles no matter what "social class" they are presumed to be in. Nobody is super human. </p>
<p> I try to be understanding of different situations and aware that everyone comes from a different walk in life. Sometimes I just find myself at a loss for words, or in this case, struggling to find the right words that may help someone or if anything, help their mind clear a little to move forward and get out of whatever situation may be weighing on them. Suicide, however, is such a touchy subject for many folks and the last thing I want to do is to make someone feel less of a person because they may have had those thoughts before, or have lost someone to suicide. We should all focus on the polar opposite and realize that chances are very high that someone in our life, somewhere, is struggling and may possibly be having suicidal thoughts, even if they are not very frequent. We can all make a conscious effort to try help someone who may be in need and sometimes the struggles may go unnoticed for long periods of time, but even a little bit can go a long way especially when someone has a whirlwind or emotions going through their head, and even a 15 minute phone call could make a huge difference to someone. </p>
<p> One thing I do firmly believe is that we should not portray suicide as a viable option when things are tough. Maybe we have too much media attention on these tragedies? Maybe I shouldn't be writing a blog about this? I'm not 100% sure on that. Losing 2 legends in this short of a time frame, and all the publicity behind them just rubs me the wrong way to a certain degree. I think the situations were terrible, and sadly they get the spotlight and I hope that this does not become more trendy and socially acceptable, given the fact that they were extremely influential people. Hopefully, as a society, we can move forward with this starting on a small scale and learn how to better recognize symptoms and what is a beneficial way to get someone through it, or get them the treatment they need. </p>
<p> As we mourn the loss of an incredible artist, we also have to realize that it could be someone down the street having these same battles. If we reach out, even just to be a friend, and listen to what they have to say then it may just make a difference in someone's life. Stick together, love one another, and maybe we can make the world a better place one day at a time.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47825022017-07-17T16:44:16-05:002022-05-30T01:07:54-05:00Recapping the day that we were thrown OUT of jail.<p> Happy Monday y'all! I hope yours was as good as ours! We played two festivals on Saturday and Sunday and they both were awesome! We were in Cadott, Wisconsin on Saturday for Rock Fest, playing with some other the biggest names out there including Shinedown, Rob Zombie, and Hellyeah. We had to unfortunately leave early that night at about 7pm in order to make the 11hr drive through the night and make it to the next show by load in.</p>
<p> Sunday's show was in Mansfield, OH at a festival called Ink In The Clink. This place was insane! It is held at the old Ohio State Reformatory, which is where the Shawshank Redemption was filmed. I'm a big fan of that movie so that was kind of a big deal for me and the rest of the guys to get to see these historic sights. The tour of the prison was an experience of its own, getting to see the different scenes from the movie and getting the history of the Reformatory itself, was and experience I'll never forget. There was a haunted house in the bottom level of the Prison, which we did not do, because there was lots of fake blood being sprayed around and we were yet to take the stage so we had to steer clear of that. On one side of the prison they also had tons of tattoo artists Inking people up right and left, thus, the INK in the CLINK.</p>
<p> We decided that after the tour, we needed to go back in and take a couple more pictures in the prison. We wanted to do a shot on the second level of the cells and it was blocked off and prohibited to be there. Of course, us being the Rebels that we are, we decided that the rules could be bent just a little bit for the sake of this picture. We climbed up the poles and were covered in lead paint dust and asbestos by the time we got where we were going to take the picture, but we got it and then hopped back down really quick when the staff came up and told us that we have to leave, which was fine, we were already on our way out then they said if we touched anything on our way out then we would be escorted off the property so we decided to be good the rest of the day seeing how we had not even played yet. Definitely backwards to which direction one is normally thrown relative to the jail.... HA!</p>
<p> Outside this place was electric! We played with the likes of Theory of a Deadman, Black Stone Cherry, Shamans Harvest, and Bobaflex. There were also characters from the haunted house walking around and messing with people, including Boat, which was hilarious. If you have ever been around him at Halloween then you probably know he is absolutely terrified of haunted houses and scare tactics of sorts, so every time the characters came around I made sure they gave him a good dose and his hair stood up.</p>
<p> Playing two festivals in a row that are hundreds of miles apart sure will drain you, but the end result is worth every bit of energy. This weekend was one for the books, I'm feeling it today and feel like a truck hit me, but it was definitely all worth it. We are looking forward to many more weekends like this with y'all and make sure to stay on your toes for our upcoming dates as well as more show announcements! Cheers folks and see y'all soon.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47734442017-07-10T12:26:05-05:002022-05-30T03:34:31-05:00Be a Rebel, they said. It'll be fun, they said.<p>Happy Monday y'all! I hope everyone's weekend went great and not too much chaos happened. Yesterday on Live at 5 Boat kind of touch a little bit on how he was not exactly the golden child growing up. I was around to witness most of this and I can testify that it is mostly true. While none of us were Angels in school, Seth was the least of the trouble type. He kept his path pretty straight and narrow. Boat, however, always seemed to find himself in the situations that did go wrong, or potentially could have went terribly wrong. </p>
<p> He was always in and out of the office dodging questions of something they could not prove him to be guilty, or just handed his pink slip and sent on his way. They would punish him with detention(which he would not attend) and eventually they gave up on detention and tried others measures which ultimately led to him dropping out and trying to find his place elsewhere. After high school is when we began playing music. It was something we just fell into because we didn't have those sports and extra curricular activities to fall back on, so we began to play music as our new hobby. The more we played though, the more we fell in love with it and started playing out and about and ultimately we began playing out of state shows on the weekends and trying to get our name out and have a little fun while we were at it. </p>
<p> There is a line in Rebel that says "only death and jail before me" and there is a reason for that. As previously stated, Boat was not a golden child, and it stayed true for a while after high school also. We had some shows lined up in Michigan very early in our stages as a band and we had to take the weekend off of work to go play these shows. We had practice at my house on a Thursday and packed up and was ready to head out Friday but we could not get a hold of Boat, which was a little bit alarming. Not shocking, we just did not know if he was ok, if he made it home, if he was in jail, or what. After a few hours of scrambling around we got in touch with his room mate at the time and they told us that he was in fact in jail and he should be getting out that day at some point. We did what we thought was best and we rolled up to the jail in the suburban and trailer and parked and waited on him to get out. When he got out he started dancing and jumping around as we honked the horn and gave him a standing ovation and told him to get in we are going straight to Michigan, which is exactly what we did. He finally got all his debt paid off a couple years later and hasn't been back since, thankfully. </p>
<p> That is a pretty unique situation I'd say and probably not the best of examples to set, but it's part of who we are and where we came from and part of the never ending circus known as Shallow Side. Any chance you get, stay out of jail. That's one piece of advice I have. Thankfully for us we never fell too far off the bandwagon, and used this as lessons learned and moved forward from it. Stay on the straight and narrow, folks, and WHEN you mess up(not if) use it to move forward and not make the same mistakes again. I hope to see y'all soon at some of our remaining summer dates and remember..... BAND LIVES MATTER!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47654062017-07-03T13:50:11-05:002023-12-11T21:40:51-06:00An Alabama Band Makes Dream Come True, Only in America.<p> Happy Monday y'all! It's 4th of July weekend and I hope everyone is celebrating and doing it safely. Growing up, that wasn't always my family's policy. We took great pride in having a bottle rocket war every year, until someone's hair caught on fire! It is funny now to think back on, and we are very lucky that's all that happened and it was not much worse, but when you put a bunch of crazy rednecks together you eventually will get the "hold my beer and watch this" and sometimes it doesn't work out too good. But no one got hurt so I can look back on it now and laugh about it and give an example on what NOT to do.</p>
<p> In the spirits of Independence Day, I'd like to talk about America a little bit. Our founding Fathers were some of the smartest people of the last few centuries, but they were also a bunch of Rebels.</p>
<p>Britain: "Pay for this tax that has nothing to do with you and will not benefit your people."</p>
<p>America: "Uuuuh, No. Go fish this tea out from the bottom of the harbor and kick rocks while your at it."</p>
<p> Of course, I'm paraphrasing, but I would like to think that is kind of sort of how it went. As a band, it is along the same lines, as far as a mentality goes, not comparing their incredible sacrifices to ours, but the mentality of being told what you are supposed to do versus what we are wanting to do is a little bit similar in that sense. None of us grew up playing music or had any family ties to the music industry. We just fell into it after high school because it was small town America, not much to do, playing music was fun, and once we got to taste the rush of playing a live show we pretty much knew that our dream is obtainable, we just have to start at 0 and try to work our way up to 10. This is definitely not the standard where we come from, it's basically the polar opposite. This is one of the many beauties of our country, however. It's okay to want something different from the normal, even though others may not necessarily agree with it.6 1/2 year of sacrifice, hard work, and persistence is what has allowed us to be in the position we are in now. We believed in ourselves and our dream and that in turn led us to thousands of other people we call Family, that also believe in what we do. We are very fortunate to be able to do what we do because of all the support from around the country.</p>
<p> I am a little biased on this, but I think that our story, the story of 4 guys starting to make horrendous, gut wrenching noise in a shed, investing our own hard-earned money into the band to help us get started, practicing 3 nights a week, knowing that we weren't very good and trying our best to remedy that so we hopefully don't suck as bad as we used to, hitting the road and taking our music to people in new places with unfamiliar faces and turning this into a national band that has slowly but surely been becoming more successful over the years, that is pretty All American to me. That is the epitome of the American Dream. We aren't the only ones that have had a dream, we just happen to be a group of guys that had a dream, sacrificed almost everything we had at that time in order to go pursue it, and now we can start to see all of it paying off almost 7 years later.</p>
<p> Your dream can be anything. It doesn't have to be a rock band. It can be a doctor, a vet, a police officer, serving in our military, or just being a missionary trying to help others. Whatever it may be, it is your dream and your right as an American to go pursue it. I believe that falls under the "Pursuit of Happiness" clause and it is here for our use. So go out, do American things, blow stuff up, hit the lake, buy a homeless man a hot dog and a milkshake, shoot some guns, whatever it is that makes you feel proud to be an American, go do that and let's celebrate our great nation! Be safe, don't take everything too literal that I say, and Happy 4th of July America!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47576412017-06-26T11:54:02-05:002023-12-10T10:55:34-06:00Come Together<p> Happy Monday to all! I hope your weekend was even half as good as ours was! It was absolutely incredible to be a part of the shows with incredible crowds and the staff was on point at both and did their jobs very well and everything was smooth as Skippy other than having to deal with Mother Nature, but what can you do about that? </p>
<p> Saturday's benefit was in Prarie Du Chien, Wisconsin(don't ask me how to pronounce that) and it was a huge success! We had a rain delay from 5-7 but after that the people came out of the woodworks and showed up in numbers and it was a fantastic turnout! To top it off, it was a Cancer benefit. It's always an honor to be a part of things like this, especially to help fight Cancer, because every single one of us has been affected one way or another by it. There were lots of kids there hanging out and getting to experience and great rock show, some for the first time, and some are natural born rockers, but still having a ball. I always try to make it a point to get out and socialize with the people at shows and this one was no different. I seen some kids out throwing the football with their dad so naturally being from Alabama I thought I would get out and go toss it around some and show them how we do things down south (Roll Tide). Needless to say, everyone had a great time at Music Fights Back and it was an awesome time for an even better cause. </p>
<p> Sunday we did the first ever Boob Toob put on by Oz at JJO in Madison, WI. This was also a benefit, for breast cancer. Over 500 people showed up and we did a 3 hour float down the river and followed up by acoustic jams and a bonfire! It was great times and definitely different compared to your usual rock show. Even though it was acoustic, the people that showed up were rocking as hard as they were at a sold out Metallica show! Once again, a great time for an even better cause and it was an honor to be invited to be a part of it. </p>
<p> Any time we get a chance to be a part of benefits like this weekend, we jump on it immediately. Not only can we give people a rock experience, but we are blessed to be able to give to a greater cause and that is the most satisfying of all and I know I'm not alone in that, thousands of others felt the same way this weekend and that's what made the events such a success. A big difference can be made and the impact can really be seen and felt when people come together. Take care of each other and let's try to make a difference in someone's life, even as small as it may be. See y'all soon!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47500562017-06-19T15:50:15-05:002022-05-18T11:04:28-05:00From Bug Tussle to the Big City<p>Happy Monday folks! I hope everyone had a great Father's Day yesterday and got in some good time, and if you are the Father then I hope you received a check for 1 million dollars. That is my wish for when I become a Father myself.... </p>
<p>Today I just want to let loose a little bit and inform everyone on how I am not a fan of big metropolitan cities. Most of you have probably had conversations with me before and you know that I have a southern accent that's thicker than molasses running downhill in January. If you have not ever spoke with me then just take my word for it, I'm a country boy. </p>
<p>Recently this past tour we were in New York City. That was zero fun, and we just so happened to have bus trouble while trying to navigate through the chaos. Luckily we were able to fix it ourselves and then continue on the remaining 8 miles to the venue in downtown Brooklyn which took 1 hour and 45 minutes to go that distance.... ridiculous! Granted we are in a 37 foot RV and a 15 foot trailor, the traffic is still just outrageous! Let's talk about tolls and bridges and tunnels for a second, as if dealing with the traffic is not enough, you also have to pay crazy amounts of money in tolls to cross a pot hole filled bridge or multiple cases of this, and that is no fun when you are a touring band. We had to avoid one tunnel because we were too big, and when we arrived at the alternate tunnel we were stopped and denied entrance by the cops because we had a propane tank. They couldn't have posted signs about this ahead of time, it had to be the hard way and do a U turn across 18 lanes of traffic. It is absolute chaos! We finally made it and had to park a mile from the venue, luckily we played acoustic so it was not the worst case scenario, but it was still a major headache and tough on the bank to deal with all that. </p>
<p>I'm from a tiny town in Alabama called Bug Tussle. It consists of a gas station and a dollar general and that is it. You can say that I am from the sticks, so the big city action is not necessarily my happy place. I do it from time to time for all of you, because if you are willing to go out of your way to come to a rock show and support us, then the least I can do is suck it up and deal with the hassles and put on a good rock show. I'm a man for the people. All the while tho, the things I enjoy are much slower and more simple than that. I love a good warm weather day and a bonfire and good friends, cooking out, setting off fireworks or shooting guns because what are neighbors??? That is the good stuff in my book, and this is my blog so it kind of is my book, so you have to listen to me talk about crazy redneck things. </p>
<p>If you have not got the memo yet, I'm not much of a city slicker. I like things hotter, slower, and friendlier than the big city. I am not knocking the people that live that life and enjoy that life, it just simply is not for me. If you were looking for a motivational blog today, I apologize. This one is not that, but I like to keep you all on your toes. Come hang out with us soon at a show, we have some killer dates coming up with some killer bands and I hope you come join us! Take care of each other and get outside and enjoy some summer time y'all! Cheers!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47418112017-06-12T09:37:52-05:002023-12-10T10:51:27-06:00Lemons to Lemonade<p> Happy Monday y'all! Today will be a tour story blog. Usually I will dig back a few years and relive a moment that was interesting, but today that's not the case. I want to talk about a situation that happened last night. We were in Pennellville, NY and it was an early Sunday show, outside, gorgeous weather, and were are road beat pretty hard from the 7 hour drive that should have only been 4 hours. NYC happened and that city is pure carnage to navigate in a 37 ft RV and 15 ft trailor. We had to drive thru the night basically so we are running on very little sleep and we are tired. </p>
<p> We show up and the sound guy is pretty much oblivious to what needs to happen and has basically forgot all previous conversations regarding our equipment and setup, so we start from scratch and try to move forward from there. Sound check ends up taking a solid 2 hours and the guy is still confused about how to get things to work but we think we finally have it ready to go, all he has to do is save our settings and we will be good to go. It comes time for our set and he comes up to the stage and says "Alright, so what kind of equipment do you have and what's your setup?" Bad news bears.... he didn't save our scene from sound check and it was like he didn't even realize that we sound checked earlier, so we start over AGAIN from scratch! </p>
<p> We finally get the set rolling and everything is all jacked up to begin with, Boat's Mic was fine but the guy kept muting it for some reason. He then comes up on the stage mid song tapping him on the shoulder in an ever-so-urgent manner and hands him another microphone, which he did not need, then goes back to the sound board and proceeds to mute all the other microphones. We could tell this was not going to go very good at all so we cut the set and went out to the bus and grabbed out acoustics and sat on the front of the stage and jammed acoustic because it is not the audience's fault that the sound guy is a jack wagon and they paid money to see a show, so one way or another we are going to do our best to deliver that to them. That's our job when we show up to a venue and we enjoy doing that and take a lot of pride in doing so. We sat around and played acoustic for a solid hour or so and Reid from Never Say Die even went out to their trailor and brought in a small speaker and plugged in our acoustics and a microphone while we were jamming to give us a little more zip while playing our set, so hats off and big thanks to that multi-talented, flappy headed Terrence and Phillip , uber polite, Canadian hooligan. (I say that in a nice way of course) </p>
<p> It was another example of "If there is a will, there is a way" and we ended up finding a way to get passed the madness and still perform for the beautiful faces that showed up and paid hard earned money to see a rock show. It didn't go as planned, but we tried to make sure they still got something in return. We still had fun with it and hopefully the people that were there did as well. So come on out to a show next time we are around your area and bring your camera, you never know what might transpire! We seem to always get caught up in crazy situations, so be ready at all times. Hope to see you all soon and take care of each other until next time. Peace out y'all!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47340582017-06-05T13:37:34-05:002023-12-10T10:56:04-06:00Teamwork was the core of NeverSide<p> Happy Monday folks. I hope you all had a great weekend, I know we definitely did in the Shallow Side camp. Fantastic shows and lots of friendly faces is good for the moral. Last night, however, was very interesting and it took teamwork to make the dream work.</p>
<p> A couple hours before show time it comes a pretty fierce storm and the power goes out. It was out all night long so we ended up plugging the PA system into our bus to run the show. It was dark and hot inside, but the show still went on as planned. Those that tuned in to our Sunday night Live feed probably know that us and Never Say Die were working on some songs together. We had rehearsal for a couple hours before the set and we played all together on stage for what was later called NeverSide.... I guess that works. We basically came together and learned each other's songs and a few covers and just ran with it.</p>
<p> Those guys are extremely talented and super nice people, even though they are Canadian, they still are a great bunch of guys and a blast to tour with and to share the stage with them night in and night out.</p>
<p> Yesterday was a great example of how teamwork can make a huge impact on a situation. It was the core of what we put on stage with NeverSide, and it was a factor in helping the show run smoothly even though the power was out the entire time. It might even help us out in daily life if we use teamwork more often. Let's all try to rally together and help one another, use our abilities to make a difference in other people's lives and one step at a time we will make the world a better place. Cheers y'all!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47263542017-05-29T15:37:05-05:002023-12-10T10:45:23-06:00Who Wants To Road Trip?!<p>Hello and happy Monday to you. I hope everyone had a safe weekend and enjoyed whatever festivities you were a part of. Today is Memorial Day though, so let's all be sure to take a little time to reflect and appreciate the men and women who have gave their life in service of this country. They are the reason we are privileged to have these festivities and cookouts and great social events. </p>
<p>Yesterday on Live at 5 I said I was taking suggestions for today's blog topic and I ran across a couple different ones that I thought may be cool. One was to tell about how high school was, and another said to tell about traveling and meeting fans and new people all the time. I thought of a scenario that fits both those categories to an extent. </p>
<p>As many of you man know, I am a big fan of the band Tool, one of my favorites of all time, probably my number 1. I was not really a concert goer in school but Tool had a new record that came out and I really wanted to see them live, but they didn't have any shows in Alabama so my brother and I decided to just pick a city and go. The next day a couple friends, my brother, and myself ordered our tickets and the destination was Cleveland, Ohio. We were super stoked for this! We had never been that far north, it was my FIRST concert, and we even skipped a couple days of school to make this happen! </p>
<p>It was definitely a life changing experience. I felt that feeling for the first time, that bliss and overwhelming joy that only a live concert can bring. It was nothing short of amazing and Tool is absolutely incredible live and it is a different type of show from what normal rock bands do. Aside from the concert the road trip was an experience in itself. We got to see a totally different culture from what we grew up in and was accustomed to. </p>
<p>When we returned to school we were supposed to have and excuse for missing school right? We were "siiiiick" but the world got out while we were gone and everyone knew we went to a concert. People were going "eeeeeeeeewwww your in troublllllleeee" I didn't see the big deal in it though. Some teachers and coaches called me outside and asked me what I did the past couple days and I told them the truth that I went to Cleveland to see my favorite band in concert. Turns out I didn't get in trouble and the teacher looked up Tool online and said he knew a couple songs and liked their music, so it was all gravy. </p>
<p>It was a spontaneous road trip decision that had a major impact on my love and passion for music. Was it wrong to skip school? Maybe, not in my mind tho. There was no way I was going to learn something in school those two days that would have an impact as big as that road trip. I know because I did my make up work and it was all still the same mumbo jumbo, but I kept my grades up. Don't be afraid to leap sometimes! You never know what could happen until you try. I'm not advocating skipping school, I just wanted to tell that little story and how it affected me by doing that. Have a great remainder of the Memorial Day and come catch a show soon, even if it's a road trip. cheers folks.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47184162017-05-22T17:53:14-05:002022-05-18T04:01:57-05:00Heath speaks publicly for the first time about Chris Cornell<p> Happy Monday folks! We had some shocking news this weekend right before Rock on the Range was about to take place. Legendary singer Chris Cornell passed away in an apparent suicide, taking everyone by surprise, even his wife. There is no denying the impact he had on the rock industry over the last 25-30 years. He sang for 3 successful bands and also did a solo project, influencing millions of people along the way.</p>
<p> Suicide is a very touchy subject for many people so I don't want to go too far into that. It was relatively odd, however, that he did this while on tour. The tributes from all the stars at ROTR were very touching and also fitting. Some of the best and most well known in the industry paid tribute to Chris in one way or another and he was honored at Americas biggest festival.</p>
<p> Though his legacy will be a little controversial to some, it will be one to be remembered and talked about for many years. I can't personally describe the influence he has had on me musically, it is tremendous. One of the first songs I learned how to play on drums was "Like A Stone" by Audioslave. His influence on today's musicians speaks for itself. At some point down the line he has had an influence on basically everyone in the industry. I'm sure your timelines on Facebook spoke for itself also for how many fans he had, I know mine surely did and still is.</p>
<p> I don't know the proper way to do a tribute, so this is about the best way I know. We all were influenced a great deal by Chris Cornell and his influence will live on through today's and tomorrow's musicians. Let's not dwell on the fact that he's gone, let's appreciate the art that he gave to us for so many years. If you feel the same, come to a show on our next tour starting this weekend and tell us your impact from Chris Cornell, maybe we can tell ours better by then also. Take care of each other and we will see you soon!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47098232017-05-15T17:58:47-05:002021-10-02T02:47:35-05:00Don't Hate, Appreciate!<p> Happy Monday y'all! I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day and got in some great quality time. I know many of you are not able to spend it with your Mother anymore so for those of us that are fortunate enough to have ours in our life we need to be grateful for that. I was not able to see my Mom yesterday(she is out of town visiting my brother and nephew)but I was able to give her a call at least so I'm definitely thankful for that. <br> As bad as life gets at times, when it seems like everything that could go wrong does go wrong, that's when we need to look around and be appreciative of what we have. When frustration sets in is when it's always easiest to dwell on the negative things, when in reality, what we need to do is be appreciative for the things we have and use that to help build and better our current situation. This is far easier said than done, I know that, but even making the conscious effort to do so will definitely make a difference in the opportunities created. <br> Being on the road as much as we are is one thing that helps keep us in check with this. Tough times are inevitable and expected. We also have many things to be thankful for, and it definitely out-weighs the tough times! We have the privilege of knowing countless incredible people because of music, and that is one of the many things that fuel us daily. <br> When the going gets tough, remember to take a second to appreciate the things and the people around you. Use that for fuel to propel you forward. It's never easy, but it is possible. That can be the main catalyst to helping you get around the hard times around you. As always, take care of yourselves and please come hang out with us soon. We have some fantastic shows coming up so let's rock em with style! See you all very soon!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/47013572017-05-08T20:02:11-05:002021-10-04T07:59:37-05:00Dude. Where's my shoe?<p>Happy Monday y'all! We are currently at home and off of tour for a short bit before we return to the road for June and the summer dates. Sometimes I try to write about relatable topics, sometimes I try to keep it funny and tell stories of shenanigans from the road, and sometimes I try to write about something that may be of some use to someone going through a tough time. I think I'll just combine all that today and I know just the fitting story. It was our early days of touring, I believe the year was 2011 and we were fresh off our getting stranded in WV days and had finally found a guy, who we are still great friends with to this day, to start booking for us and to help clean up the mess that we had all collectively made. We were a brand new band on the scene so we were trying to get out and play any show we could to gain exposure and we definitely found a way for that. It was in Kansas. We were coming from Michigan, however, and our next show was also in Michigan. We had Michigan, Kansas, Michigan.... that's not very good routing, but we stuck it out and made the trek regardless. It had been raining the entire 14 hour drive and we finally arrived at the venue and were trying to get ourselves dried off and cleaned up, as well as, get loaded in and set up for show time. It was what we like to call a Humdinger of a show. There were probably 7 bands in the bill, no room to store gear, so it was quite the fiasco in itself just to be able to play the show. It came time to hit the stage and we noticed that Eric has been missing for the past 45 minutes and we just got set up on stage and ready to play so that sort of causes an issue when you don't have your singer. Right as we were about to head out the back door to go find him and give him the slightest and most polite cussin, he comes walking through the stage entry door with his head down, soaking wet, and barefooted...... comes up to me and says "hey man, uuuuuuhhhhh.... can I wear your shoes? I can only find one of mine." After I had a modest chuckle at his appearance I complied and said: "sure, if you can fit in them then knock yourself out." I gave him my shoes because I'm such a gentleman(right?) and took my shirt off to start the set and threw him my shirt so he could dry off a little bit and then we threw down and played a pretty good set for the people and it was well received. After the set we kissed hands, shook babies, and then had to go put the suburban back together because it had been absolutely ransacked by Boat as he was scrambling to find his shoe, which was never found and we think it fell out as we were getting gas. We had to leave relatively quick, though, because we had a 16 hour drive all the way back to Michigan. When we get to the venue and get settled in we are browsing Facebook and promoting shows and this article popped up and it was a review of the show in Kansas. It started off in a totally different note than it ended though, so it had us scratching our heads. It started off saying that we were very stand off-ish to the people there, and we kind of came off egotistical at first etc. then he dipped down into our story and the events that had taken place and ended up giving us a fantastic show review and concluded by saying that you can't judge a book by its cover, and his first impression of us was totally off after he had talked to us and heard about the long drives and chaos that had been going on, and that we were not the egotistical band at all in fact, we were just dog tired. At this time we had a very small following on social media. When this article came out it started to catch wild fire and became a pretty large article and ended up helping us gain over 500 new fans and like on Facebook. That was huge for us and definitely a blessing! Gritting our teeth and powering through the long drives ended up paying off for us big time! Through 14 hours of pouring rain, losing shoes, and pure chaos of how those couple days went, there was a guy who recognized what we had just done and put out an article that paid off for us and helped us gain tons of exposure for a brand new band. Sometimes when you grit your teeth and go forward full steam it ends up working out for you in the long run. Not always, but for the times when it does happen, it makes it all worthwhile. Now that the moral of the story is out of the way let's all just take a second to laugh at Boat for losing his shoe and having to wear mine! </p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/46929832017-05-01T21:18:39-05:002023-12-10T10:46:57-06:00Top 'O The Mountain<p> Happy Monday y'all! I hope it finds you all well. We are coming off a 3 day stop in Las Vegas so you can probably guess the rest. We didn't win any money, but we had one phenomenal time at Rock Into Spring at the ever-so-luxurious M Resort. We met some fantastic people throughout the weekend and got to hang with many friends from all across the country. It is also great when you play a festival like this because you get to hang with your band friends also, which was certainly the case at this one.<br> We have been doing a lot of traveling lately and going back and forth over, through, and around the mountains. Climbing the mountains can be extremely treacherous and strenuous on your vehicle, but that is just part of it. Once you get over the mountains, though, you will typically find a reward. It kind of reminded me of our most recent trip to Vegas. We went 13 hours through the mountains, battling snow storms and cold temperatures and putting a lot of strain on our tour vehicle, but when we made it to Las Vegas finally it was all put into perspective and we were glad that we climbed the mountains and stayed persistent to get to this show and see all the lovely people and meet new people.<br> A good friend of mine is going through a tough time right now and I think the mountain analogy is pretty suiting for him, and anyone else that may be going through hard times. Climbing the mountain you will go through adversity, that's a certain, and you will have to find a way to power through it and come out on top of the mountain. All these trying situations are there for you to learn something along the way to better yourself in the future. That is the "Grit in your Gizzard" I referred to a few weeks back. Once you power through these tough times,though, you normally find a reward of some sorts, something you can take a little pride towards. As the great philosopher Butthead once said: "I have seen the top of the mountain Beavis.... uuuh huh huh huh.... and it is good"<br> Life is a garden, dig it! It's also like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. That's why you have to power through and find your way to the top of the mountain, and learn some things on the way. It's not all Sunshine and rainbows, but the tough times will help mold you into a stronger person. Take the challenge head on and keep knocking off the dust when you fall down. At the top you will find some pride and joy and that's always a nice catalyst from time to time. Stay up with our dates here(we just released a new summer tour today) and come catch us out on the road. See y'all very soon!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/46830102017-04-24T13:11:20-05:002023-12-10T10:46:55-06:00Phuckin With Phil<p>Happy Monday folks! I hope all is well. Today I want to introduce a new segment. It is called "Phuckin with Phil". Most of you know by now that Phil is our stage manager and our go to guy as far as crew is concerned. For those of you that don't know or haven't met Phil, get out from under that rock you're living under and come to a show! </p>
<p>In order to help keep your head straight while on tour, bands always develop little games or somehow figure out ways to mess with one another. It just so happens that crew guys get a lot of the wrong end because..... well, it's funny and they usually deserve it. We hold true to this as well. We always tend to find a way to break up the monotony on tour and have a little fun while on the daily grind. </p>
<p>At the beginning of last tour we stocked up on silly string right before we left out and made a deal amongst ourselves that the first time Phil falls asleep before midnight, we were going to douse him in silly string. Sure enough, right as soon as we left out, at about 2pm Phil fell asleep on the couch and he got the silly string treatment. That was too much of a mess, though, so instead of silly string we came up with a jingle inspired from the movie "Night at the Museum". It's called the "Dum Dum Give me Gum Gum" song. It's pretty self explanatory, those are the only words to the song and we all crowd up by Phil's bunk and sing this song to him until we get whatever reaction we were looking for. Dumb.... I know, but we never claimed to be normal to begin with. </p>
<p>Another piece to this section is a little episode that randomly breaks out at any given point. I Call it the Stick and the Stump. Cody, who is super tall and slender(stick) and Phil, who is short and stocky(Stump) always get into the ultimate wrestling matches that are quite entertaining! It depends on the day as to who wins these matches. It's a coin toss so they are always great to witness! </p>
<p>Another thing we do to Phil is introduce him to venue staff and sound guys as Bill. They've never met him and don't know the difference so we see how many people we can convince to think his name is Bill. There is a solid handful of people spread out across the country that legitimately think his name is Bill, so we have been Semi-successful thus far. </p>
<p>One thing that is for sure is "Phickin With Phil" is a running gag and it will continue because it helps moral on the road, and he loves it! You have to find little ways like this to get smiles and laughs while on the road and this just happens to be one way, but definitely not the only way. Come to a show soon and catch an episode first hand and maybe even join in the fun! Take care of one another and we will see you soon at a show. Cheers! <br> </p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/46741232017-04-17T15:08:03-05:002022-04-26T04:16:52-05:00Appreciation for the Ramblers<p> Hello and happy Monday folks! I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend, whether you celebrate it or not. Even though we were not able to spend it with our family we still had a great weekend of shows with our Family on the road and had a great Easter Sunday hanging out with our good friends Larry and Karen.<br> Today I want to just take a little time to extend some appreciation towards people who travel with their job and do not get to spend every holiday or birthday/anniversary etc with their loved ones. To many people this certainly includes bands and the sacrifices we make to bring our music to people on a daily basis, but it definitely runs deeper than music. We have to be appreciative to anyone who travels with their job and is sacrificing family time for the good of others. This definitely includes the spectacular men and women of our military who stay gone for very long periods of time to ensure that we get to enjoy our American Rights and Freedoms. Also to the many other jobs that require frequent traveling, such as traveling nurses, salesmen, truck drivers and so forth.<br> Many of these people may sort of take a back seat sometimes but we have to ensure that their job and sacrifices are appreciated just as well as some of the others listed above. They all play an important role in completing the puzzle that makes our country go round. We all knew the sacrifices we were going to have to make when we began touring and set this as our career path, as did all these other career choices, but nonetheless we must be appreciative to all those who make a sacrifice so that others can have the commodities, or be able to purchase gas for our vehicles, to have healthcare and well trained doctors and nurses, to be able to speak freely, the list goes on and on.<br> Let's all try to be a little more thankful for the small things, and maybe this will go a long ways and translate into a bigger picture with better people and more love! See y'all out of the road soon, and big thanks to all of you for being part of our FAMILY. Cheers guys.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/46657382017-04-10T16:38:33-05:002022-05-29T07:43:35-05:00We Are All Due For a Recharge Occasionally<p> Hello and happy Monday folks! Being out on the road will inevitably get exhausting, but sometimes you get to catch a little breather, as was the case today. Sometimes we all tend to get caught up in the motions of what happens daily and it is very refreshing to step outside the pocket for a bit and recharge the ole batteries. Michigan has been a great place for us for quite some time now and this weekend was definitely one for the ages! <br> We capped off an amazing weekend with incredible shows and then to put the icing on the cake, we were privileged to go to a Detroit Tigers game today. We beat the Red Sox 2-1 and the weather was some of the best I've ever experienced in Michigan. This was our 2nd game to attend for the Tigers and the Detroit sports teams seem to be a growing connection in the Shallow Side camp. We were also privileged to go to a Red Wings game a couple years back and that was quite a fiasco as well. Being from Alabama, we don't know much about hockey, but it was definitely an experience we will never forget. All of the sudden our song comes on the jumbo screen at Joe Louis Arena and we are on the camera acting like the bunch of uncivilized Alabamians that we are. All of this is from the courtesy of our great friend, and road mom extraordinare, Shari, whom we have known for years and has always been fantastic towards any and everything in our camp and we certainly appreciate her extensively. <br> It is a good thing to be able to recharge your batteries every now and then. Not just on tour, but in any given circumstance. Getting caught up in just going through the motions is something we are all guilty of at some point or another and I certainly am as well. We have to find a way to step out of that box for just a second, however, and allow some clarity to creep in and then you can refocus better than before! I hope you can all find the time to step out of your pockets in the near future, maybe it is getting to go see that movie you have been thinking about, maybe it's getting to attend a concert, maybe it's getting to lay out in the sun and have some peace and quiet, whatever it is I hope you can find it and channel it properly. If that concert happens to be a Shallow Side concert, find our dates here and come see us soon ya hear? Cheers folks and we will be seeing you soon.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/46562532017-04-03T13:43:15-05:002022-03-21T13:29:33-05:00How Early Touring Troubles Shaped a Mindset for Years to Come<p>Happy Monday folks! We leave out for tour this week so we are super excited about that! If we aren't coming to your city or state on this tour don't panic, we will be touring year round so it won't be long and we will make our way to you. As most of you know we have been touring as a band for quite some time now and it never fails that a curveball or two gets thrown our way per tour. Whether it's a problem with our tour vehicle, Weasley booking agents, or crooked promoters, something will inevitably happen and you have to be able to call an audible and roll with the punches so to speak. We learned this early in our career. As a matter of fact, our very first tour we were left high and dry and had to pull some strings to keep going, but I'm thankful that we did and was able to keep going. Our first tour was supposed to be a lengthy one, roughly 3 months. However about a week into the the tour, we began to show up to the venues only to find out we were never even booked in the first place, but we thought we had a show. Some venues would let us play anyways and try to sell some merch, while others told us to kick rocks. After a few shows in a row with this happening we ended up cutting ties with our "booking agent" and began to rebook our tour on the fly all while being stranded in West Virginia with no money and no contacts, only the will to keep going. We ended up buying a small pack of CDs and began burning our music onto CDs and walking around the mall selling them for $1-$2 or whatever we could sell them for, and we did this until we got kicked out of the mall and then we would return the next day and repeat that process. Eventually, we ran across some people that knew a venue owner in the area and had contacts with the local radio station and they allowed us to come play that Friday night. The show ended up being a very successful one and we hit it off nicely with the club owner and he ended up inviting us back for a show a month or so later that was sponsored by the radio station and in turn, we landed a working relationship with that station that we still have to this day. All those people that bought our CDs in the mall came to the show and most brought their friends along with them so we developed a great fan base in that area. This happened because of one thing. Our drive and determination made us keep going. We didn't hang our heads in defeat. We stood up while our back was against the wall and said: "No, this is not how it is going to be." I say a lot that you have to be able to turn a negative into a positive. This was a prime example of that, and I'm thankful that we learned that early in our career. This was the first of many touring hiccups, maybe a story your haven't heard yet, but regardless we have learned that curveballs are a part of the road. They are a part of life in general. You can't be afraid to step up to the plate, though. Even when you strike out, step back up to the plate the next time and try to knock it out of the park! We hope to see you out on the road this tour, hell, tell some friends about Shallow Side and let's spread the word. If we aren't coming near you this tour, make sure you stay locked in to the website for more dates being announced soon. We will be seeing you soon and don't be scared to step up to the plate! Cheers!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/46471202017-03-27T12:05:40-05:002022-05-25T02:50:14-05:00Turning Negatives Into Positives<p> Hello and happy Monday to all. We are currently at home and on a short break in between tours, but we are excited to get back out and see your beautiful faces. Fingers crossed we do not have vehicle trouble this time! <br> With all the doom and gloom news going on today I figured I would write a little bit about positivity. Positivity is good, right? It's easy to find yourself down, sweating the small stuff, and we all do it sometimes. It's part of human nature. We also have to keep the presence of mind to look around and appreciate the blessings we have, no matter how big or small. As a band, we have always found a way to take a negative and turn it into a positive. It's not just a band thing, it's a mentality. If you keep your eyes looking forward, then the majority of the time you can find a way to utilize almost anything. <br> A prime example is this passed tour we showed up to the venue, only to find out our show had been cancelled. We had people coming to the show, however, so us and Seasons After had a parking lot party and jammed some acoustic songs and had a grand ole time. The people that came for the show didn't get the kind of show they were expecting, but we tried to make it worth their while and I believe they had a great time, I know I did! The next thing we know, Loudwire caught wind of it and did a story on it! It turned out to be far more than we expected and it all happened because we didn't hang our head, we stuck with it and made the best of the situation. Not every situation is this easy, I understand that, but the moral is the same and we have to keep that mentality with everything we do. <br> I hope positivity finds all of you in one way or another, and as a matter of fact, I am going to bag some up and have it at the merch table this upcoming tour. Feel free to come and get some when we cruise through your town, or maybe even bring me some more. Stay tuned here to the website for all of our dates and more being announced daily. See you all on the road soon, keep your head up folks and your eyes forward. Cheers!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/46371622017-03-20T10:03:30-05:002023-12-10T10:57:32-06:00The Rebels and Renegades Tour is in the Books<p> Happy Monday y'all! I hope everyone is having as good of one as we are. After an exhausting,joyful, chaotic, productive tour we get to go home and recharge for a couple weeks. Spring is here and the next tour will be kicking up in April so be ready for some killer dates coming up!<br> Tour is not always easy, actually it is never easy... ever, but we love to do it and that makes every bit of it worth it. I believe we went through a little bit of everything this tour. When we started it was cold and as we finish it is warm (my kind of weather). We had some major vehicle issues and ended up traveling around half of the US in an F-250, but we also went to Las Vegas for a few days and got to play the RadioContraband Rock Music Awards. We seen it rain in the desert. We had a show get cancelled in San Antonio, but the party continued anyways in the parking lot with us and Seasons After jamming acoustic and even Loudwire picked up that story! We actually made it down to Bike Week in Daytona this year and that experience was absolutely incredible and we met lots of great people and looked at butt cheeks everywhere.<br> I want to say a big thank you to Guns Out At Sundown and American Evil for being awesome tour mates, as the tour was split in half basically with those two, and our good friends Seasons After. It is always a little bit better when your tour mates are cool guys and everyone gets along and that's definitely the case with these guys. The biggest thanks, however, goes to the FAMILY! Thank you for always coming through big time, always supporting, loving, coming to shows, bringing us snacks and goodies and things of the sorts, thanks to all of you! We are looking forward to the next round of dates, stay up with us on the inter-webs for more dates all summer long, take care of one another and we will be seeing you soon! <br> </p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/46188122017-03-06T15:36:30-06:002023-12-10T10:52:38-06:00From Humdingers to Winners<p>Happy Monday y'all! Spring time is around the corner, and you know what that means.... Warmer weather, blossoms, sunny days, pollen, longer daylight, and festivals are coming up! Most of the biggest festivals in America happen in the spring time, so get your sunscreen and blankets ready for action! How many of you have been to a festival or two that was not such a great time? If you go To enough of them, you are bound to end up at one that is not a top tier event, and the same applies to bands that play a lot of festivals. We have had our fair share of "Humdingers" in our day. Humdingers is what you call a show that is riddled with confusion, unprofessionalism, and a minimal crowd. One that sticks out off the top of my head was a festival in Ohio. It was almost like a reunion of bands, all the bands that tour the same circuit were on this bill, ALY, Wayland, Prospect Hill, and the list goes on. It was pure chaos for the 2-day event but all of the bands listed above and Shallow Side as well had all performed their sets ad it was fast approaching the headliner, Afroman. Nobody had seen or heard from him or anyone in his camp and it was about 15 minutes until his time slot. The crowd had made their way over to the main stage in anticipation for Afroman. The promoter is losing his Mind by this point and trying to figure out what he is going to do, when up pulls this Cadillac to the loading area, it was Afroman! He grabbed out an acoustic guitar, a small little combo amp and walked up to stage and plugged everything in, strummed a couple chords to make sure sound was good in the mains. He then turned around and grabbed his fake Afro and put it on and said "Yo, what up I'm Afroman y'all ready?" And he proceeded to play a great set, which I did not expect given how things happened leading up to that point. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have played some festivals that were as smooth as Skippy. One that stands out is a festival in Florida. The headliners were Hellyeah and Sevendust. Our set was early, but that was expected because we were new to the area and a new band in general. The stage was ran to perfection, on time, stage hands were a huge help, sound and production crew were spot on too. One of the perks was the backstage area also. There was catering all day long! Breakfast food, then they took that out as brought in a salad bar, next they wheeled in lunch, and then dinner food, all while keeping us stocked on drinks all day as well. That festival was definitely a winner! With all that being said, I hope your festival season is full of winners and has no Humdingers! Maybe we will see you at some of them this spring and summer, as we have quite a list of festivals accumulating. Take care, and see you soon!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/46087112017-02-27T13:55:01-06:002023-12-10T11:43:48-06:00Run Forrest Run<p>Happy Monday to all! It feels like spring time outside and I can dig it! Most of you are probably aware at this point that our RV is broken down with some major engine repairs taking place as of now. I'm sure at some point I will break this story down to the nitty gritty and make a blog about it, but it is not even a complete story yet, so I'll let it manifest. For today, I would like to take you way back to our early touring years. Let's call it "The Burban Days". As the legend is told, we were traveling through the hefty hills of West Virginia en route to, I'm not sure.... Probably North Carolina, legend left that part out. Either way, we were carving our way through the mountains and we start to smell something weird. We were shutting off all the vents and air conditioning that didn't even work. Boat kept on sniffing Cody's armpits to make sure that was not it. It progressively gets worse until out of the rearview mirror we see fire! The Burban is on fire! Boat and Cody scramble to get the fire put out it as I am getting the trailer unhooked and Seth is tossing out belongings from the Burban and pull it up some so we are a safe distance from the trailer. We were like a well-oiled machine (the opposite of the Burban), one would think that we had years of training and fire drills under our belts. We don't, we just know how to survive when shit hits the fan. So we are all secure and the fire is out and the situation seems to be under control, except when we get to looking around we notice we are missing someone. During all this chaotic, fiery, frantic-madness, our tour manager at the time, Nick, had taken off running! He was scared to death so he straight up "Forrest Gumped" us. We started yelling for him and didn't receive and answer. He left his phone in the fiery truck and we were not sure which way he went running. So we all just sit down on the side of the road and have a cigarette, even the ones who didn't smoke joined in for a cigarette. We called a tow truck and were counting our losses, trying to figure out what we are going to do next when we see a figure appear on the horizon over the hill. Here comes nick back to join the camp. He returns out of breath but with an empty coke bottle and an M&M wrapper stuffed in it. He had run frantically all the way down to the next exit and grabbed a snack from the gas station while we were fighting a fire and in emergency mode. I'll let you guess how the rest of that story plays out. It is probably how you would think, too. We made it through, however, and were back to touring in 2 shakes of a hog's tail. As of now, we are traveling around in an F-250, 5 guys packed in a truck and we will definitely have a story in the future. For now, come see us on tour, help us get our new CD "One" to the entire world, and somebody bring me a 6-pack of something good. Cheers!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45989992017-02-20T13:40:05-06:002023-12-10T10:46:03-06:00Vegas and the Radiocontraband Rock Music Awards<p>Happy Monday folks! Today is Presidents' Day, so in honor of today's holiday I'm going to bash Obama, Clinton, and Trump! Just kidding... Not going to happen today junior. I hope everyone's weekend went well. Ours went fan-freaking-tastic, topped with awesome sauce! We were in Vegas all weekend, in case you missed it, for the Radiocontraband rock music awards. The show was live streamed in it's entirety on Radiocontraband's Facebook page so be sure to check that out if you haven't yet. It was an eventful string of days, including listening parties for Papa Roach and Incubus at the one and only Hard Rock hotel. It was great to get a sneak peak of their new music and to hang out with some of the legends of Rock music. After that it was off to the Hard Rock Cafe to cap the night off in a show with our buddies Righteous Vendetta and All That Remains. The next day was the awards ceremony, and we just happened to stumble into the man, the myth, the legend, Lou Brutus, at the bar. After indulging in a cocktail or 3 we decided it was a fantastic idea to write a song, catering to rock music and how it always seems to take the back seat at awards shows such as the Grammys. It may be the next single. Shallow Side featuring Lou Brutus. You never know.... So we opened the awards ceremony with that song called "This Ain't The Grammys" and kicked the evening off in style. This was a decorated event, mind you. Radio personalities, program directors, label representatives, music directors were all that was in attendance. This was not a show for "fans", this was a show for "critics", so it was totally the opposite of any show we have ever played before. We hit the stage roughly an hour into the event and played our set, which I feel went very well, and we were honored to meet everyone after the set. The feedback was tremendous and one thing we can say now is those people who were in attendance now know the name Shallow Side. Opportunities come your way once in a while and you have to do your best to capitalize on every opportunity that is either presented or created. This was definitely a monumental opportunity for the band so let's cross our fingers that we didn't blow it, or as you fancy folks say, squander. Stay up with our dates here at the website. We have more rolling in almost every day, as well as, some promising festival dates with the biggest names in the industry. Take care of each other and we will see you out on the traveling circus. <br> </p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45884452017-02-13T13:43:33-06:002022-05-30T04:48:56-05:00Heath's Sappy Cupid Special<p>Happy Monday morning to y'all! In case you missed it, the Grammys happened last night. I would have never known. And since that is all that is in anyone's news feed I'll spare the Grammy y'all and just chalk it up to: Gaga and Metallica killed it, the sound guy blew it, and everyone else hates Trump. We all better get that hate out I our hearts tho because Valentines Day is tomorrow! Tomorrow is lovey dovey, all the time, all day long, or you go to the dog house. For the most part, I don't really get into the holiday very much. It's a good reason to spend time with your significant other, however, and maybe do something extra special to show how much you appreciate them. I believe my biggest wish for Valentine's Day is to have our broken down bus fixed and ready to continue tour. Whether or not I get my wish is still to be determined, but since I do not get to spend it with my significant other, that is my wish. If you do not have a teammate this year, don't sweat it. You get to save money, or you could spend it all on yourself and buy a couple dozen doughnuts and some wine and light some candles. There is no shame in throwing a solo party! Either way, we still encourage you to come out and see us while we are on tour. We are covering a lot of miles on this run so hopefully you can come be our Valentines! We love anyone who will love us back! Cheers, and we will be seeing you soon.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45788302017-02-06T15:05:20-06:002022-05-30T08:18:39-05:00Heefer's Super Bowl Monday Spectacular<p>Happy post-Super Bowl Monday. That was an incredible event yesterday. The game was a nail-biter, the commercials were great, and the halftime show was one of the best I've seen. Football is over now so we can all go back to doing what we normally do.... Arguing about politics! </p>
<p>No matter what you may think about Lady Gaga, you have to tip your hat for the performance last night. She is not for everyone stylistically, but you can't deny the show she put on last night. I'm not a huge Gaga fan, but I'm definitely more of a fan after last night! </p>
<p>I was expecting her to bust out in this elaborate anti-Trump piece based on how she has taken stands previously, but I kept waiting and she never did. It was just a solid, entertaining piece from the controversial pop sensation </p>
<p>You never know what is going to happen in a Super Bowl performance. There have been some very controversial topics and wardrobe malfunctions in the past. I thought overall last night was a great success for television and even tho Alabama didn't win the Super Bowl, congrats to the Patriots! They win it every other year it seems like. </p>
<p>Be sure to stay up with our dates here, we have some very promising dates coming up and more are rolling in every week so stay tuned for more shenanigans! We will see y'all at a show soon!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45693442017-01-30T14:34:14-06:002022-06-01T20:13:04-05:00Burglars, Butt Whoopings, and Happy Endings<p>Happy Monday y'all! It's almost time for tour again. Hopefully we are swinging through your neck of the woods this tour, and if not, be patient with us because you know we can't stay away for too long. </p>
<p>In honor of the Rebels and Renegades tour I thought I would share yet another tour story. This one goes back quite a while, I'm not sure the exact time so we will just stick to saying that it was once upon a time. As some of you may know we used to tour in a Suburban in our early years of touring. We had the seats pulled out and some makeshift bunks built in it. Cody kept a mattress in the trailer and that's where he slept most of the time, but this tour was too cold for that luxury and it is a good thing it was. We were visiting our good friend Bruce in Battle Creek, MI and all of us were inside the house except Cody, who was asleep in the Burban. He came frantically running inside saying "Guys! Someone just broke in the burban and I caught him rambling through our stuff!" <br>Turns out that while he was asleep this dude broke in and started rambling through our stuff, but after a minute of silence Cody suspected foul play because if it was one of us that was in the burban, we probably we have been tickling his feet or tossing pillows at his face, anything but being peaceful and discreet. So he raises up to check it out and discovers it's a thief. So he rares back and mule kicks him in the ass as hard as he can and sends the guy flying into the dash and windshield! The blow from the dudes body broke a couple vents and the cup holder on the dash and his face slammed into the windshield leaving a nice little face print. </p>
<p>It's February in Michigan. I'm not sure what the temperature was outside, but it wasn't pretty and there was about 3-4 feet of snow on the ground. So we do what most Alabamians would do, split up and go try to track his ass down. We followed the footprints over to a house about two houses down and seen that he was inside so Bruce called the cops. When they show up his mom let the cops in and they found the guy in the attic. Before the cops said anything or even asked a single question he yelled out from the attic "I didn't break into no car man! I didn't do nothing!" <br>Those are normally the first words out of someone's mouth before they are placed in cuffs and hauled downtown. I know this from watching the show "Cops". They hauled the guy away and we got justice and got to laugh at him on the way out, so it turned out good. <br>After all, it turned out better than if we were to catch him before he got back to his house. I'm not sure how many of us it would have taken to whoop his ass, but I know how many we were going to use, and 5 to 1 are not good odds! </p>
<p>We will be catching y'all soon out on the road do check the dates and stay up with the website for more dates being announced soon. Don't go breaking in people's vehicles or houses, and if you catch someone breaking into your stuff, you have my permission to give them a swift kick in the ass!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45611872017-01-23T18:59:46-06:002023-12-10T10:43:35-06:00The Adventures of Ron White, Alex Reymundo, and Number Juan Tequila<p>Hey guys! Happy Monday to all! It's story time again. We have had many types of stories from triumph and tribulations and taking a negative and turning it into a positive. This one is not one of those. It's just a cool story! </p>
<p>So as most of you know, we endorse a tequila company. Number Juan Tequila. It is basically the Mack daddy of all tequilas and it is owned by comedians Ron White and Alex Reymundo. We were graciously invited to attend their customer appreciation event in Atlanta not too long ago and it was a blast! We were treated to a show from both Alex and Ron and after they had finished and we collected ourselves from almost laughing to death, you know what I'm talking about, (laugh so hard you are crying and you feel like you have been punched in the gut from a Mike Tyson haymaker), we were doing an acoustic set for the guests in the lobby. Here comes Ron White down the stairs, which we had thought at first may possibly be a disturbance, but it turns out he is just a rowdy hell raising individual and he was having a good time. He is dancing like a banshee and raising his glass up to the music and then brings his wife, Margo, up to sit in a few songs. It was all great times! </p>
<p>We wrapped up playing and Ron said: "you guys are like if Skynyrd had a baby with Journey, follow me." He takes us over to this phone booth that is sitting off in a corner and we are all just standing there scratching our heads thinking what is this guy doing??? He dialed a number and then like the old movies, the wall opened up and it was a hidden door to this speakeasy bar. He takes us in there and buys the whole bar a couple rounds and then invites us back to his mansion for round 3. </p>
<p>When we get there he shows us around and gives us the grand tour which we quickly understood why it was referred to as a mansion and not a house. The place was incredible! Ping pong table that plays by itself, home theater that seats 40, and enough room to get lost and have to use GPS. We began lighting into the top shelf Number Juan Extra Anejos and hearing all the stories of touring, the days of Blue Collar Comedy Tour. We went through 3 bottles of it and then he pulled out the scotch to finish the night off. We got about halfway through the bottle and Ron said "Wait a second.... This is not the bottle I meant to grab.... This is a 4 thousand dollar bottle." <br>Whoops.... Hope you don't want us to pick up the check on that one. Apparently, they only make 50 bottles per year of this scotch and you have to special order it or know someone. He said "Well fellas, we came this far. Might as well finish her off." So we did. </p>
<p>We all woke up in different areas of the house, lost. We had to call each other to find out how to meet back up. Eric woke up in his underwear in the recliner of the theater, we were all scattered everywhere and trying to figure out life. Meanwhile, we finally make it back upstairs and Ron is hard at it, doing interviews and call-ins promoting his upcoming shows. He's like a machine. Then he took us up to the balcony overlooking the golf course in his back yard. The guy lives on a golf course! </p>
<p>That was a night we will never forget! We are honored to be a part of the Number Juan crew. Moral of the story is: Drinking with Ron White is pretty cool. Dangerous, but cool. Cheers and happy Monday y'all! Go grab a copy of our new cd "ONE" if you have not yet and tell us what your favorite song is! <br>www.shallowside.net</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45519692017-01-16T13:08:28-06:002023-12-10T10:52:24-06:00A Special Thank You to Everyone Who Made This Weekend Amazing!<p>Happy Monday folks! I hope everyone's weekend was as incredible as ours was. I can't accurately put it into words, but I will make some sort of attempt to do so. Everything about the show was phenomenal! The production team hit a grand slam on sound and lights, all the bands showed out on stage and did an excellent job promoting the show, and the crowd was there in full force! Over 900 people showed up for the event, which is a pretty incredible thing to do in Cullman, Al. Thank you to everyone who was a part of the show. We could not have pulled it off without all the efforts on all fronts, so thank you all! </p>
<p>Our new cd "ONE" is now available at all digital outlets, or for a physical copy you can swing by www.shallowside.net and we will ship ONE to your door step. (See what I did there?) We are stoked to share this music with you and the rest of the world, so make sure you tell all your friends to go pick up a copy also. Our buddy/stage manager Phil is putting together a nice video collage as a tribute and thanks to everyone for being a part of the cd release show so be on the lookout for that. </p>
<p>We will be seeing you on the road very soon with a brand new live set and new music. Let's kick 2017's ass! Check the dates and help us spread the word. Cheers!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45429532017-01-09T13:39:03-06:002022-05-27T06:35:57-05:00Heath's National College Football Championship Blog<p>Happy Monday to all! It is the college football national championship game tonight. The Alabama Crimson Tide against the Clemson Tigers are in a rematch of last year's championship game so it will be a "slobber knocker" for certain. College football is something that people all over the country are very passionate about, especially in the South, and DEFINITELY if you are from the state of Alabama. A couple of us played football when we were growing up and I will get to a couple stories from that but I find this game very interesting because my first football memory was watching Alabama play and win the national championship in 1992. The head coach of Clemson actually played for Alabama and was a part of that 92 championship team and is from Pelham, Alabama so he definitely has deep Alabama roots. I can't help but like the guy and how he carries himself, but regardless, if you are playing against Alabama you are still the enemy for the time being. Seth never really got into sports as a kid. Not that he couldn't have been good at any, he just never got into it. Myself, Eric, and Cody did play various sports though. Cody played football as a kid and made a play that not many folks have made. When he was in Pee Wee he was playing defense and had a highlight play where he sacked the quarterback and caused a fumble, then picked the ball up and ran it the other way and scored a touchdown as a defensive player! Eric played football for many years and was quite successful at it. His highlight play was not necessarily a game winning touchdown, although his team mates and the fans got a good chuckle. He had these crazy socks that were his lucky socks and always slept in them the night before the game. During the game he sprained his ankle and the trainers were having a look and they removed his shoe and sock only to find the most brightly painted toenails one could Imagine! Pink, purple, neon green, his nails matched his socks! The whole team, as well as the fans, erupted in laughter for a little (or a lot of) insult to injury. His claim is that his sister slipped into his room and painted them at night while he was asleep, but to each his own, you make your decision. I never played football as a school function. My Granny hated football because my Dad always got hurt playing football so she was not find of the sport. I made it to a few practices of spring training, then she showed up to practice with a baseball bat and said to the coach "he's coming with me, and this bat says you won't argue." I think u can guess what happened next...... We both said yes ma'am and did what she said because we were smart. Not that she was a mean woman, she was as sweet as they come, but she got her way. Ha Playing sports is a good way to learn lessons in life, though. How to do things the right way, how to be a team player and help those around you and you tend to carry those lessons with you through life. With that being said, we will be debuting our Alabama themed song, "We Roll" on the Fox 6 WBRC morning show Good Day Alabama on Wednesday morning. We can't wait to get some music out so tune in or be on the lookout as we will have the video up shortly after. See you all soon and ROLL TIDE!!!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45340402017-01-02T12:21:07-06:002022-07-21T07:33:28-05:00Ringing in the New Year With Heath!<p>Happy New Years! 2017 is here and already moving along swiftly. I want to thank everyone for the voting diligence to help us win the awards for Stone Chrome Radio! It is an honor and we appreciate everyone taking the time to vote for us. We have some big things coming up this year with tour, festivals, radio events, and a new cd! New music will be available soon so be sure to stay tuned with us to get your filthy paws on it, or if you are in the area or feeling frisky for a road trip, our cd release show will be January 13th in Cullman, Al. On another note, I was able to get back behind the kit again this past weekend and it felt amazing! It was a long road to get back, but I finally made it. I have retired my skateboarding career, which I feel is in the best interest of myself, the rest of the guys, and the SS Family. So If you were hoping I would make my return at the X Games this summer, I'm sorry to disappoint. I will be seeing you out at a show this coming year, however, which is way cooler anyways! We are excited about what 2017 will bring, and you should be too! Let's stick to those resolutions, try to better ourselves, and help our neighbors when we can and try to make a difference whether it's big or small. Onward we go! So put your big girl pants on and let's lay the smack down to 2017</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45260972016-12-26T13:50:03-06:002021-10-26T14:02:31-05:00Exciting News From Heath!<p>Happy Monday to everyone! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah and had a fantastic time with your fellowship. It is now time to turn our focus towards the new year. 2017 has some promising opportunities in the Shallow Side camp and we are very excited about releasing some new music! I'm BAAAAAAAACK!!! I'm now healthy and able to play drums again and super stoked to get back on stage! My first show back with the guys will be New Year's Eve in Clarksville, TN and then I will obviously be playing our Home Town cd release show on January 13th. The response to our cd Release show has been great so far! The local crowd is getting hyped, as well as, some travelers will be attending from various places. The more, the merrier is always our policy and this show holds true to that also. The ticket link will be posted below at the bottom of the blog so be sure to grab some of those before the ticket grinch steals them all. Also be sure to stay up with our tour dates and let us know where we can be if we do not currently have dates in your area and we will try to get that arranged. Take care of each other and we will be seeing you all soon!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45173572016-12-19T13:30:31-06:002023-12-10T10:44:40-06:00Heath's Very Special Christmas Blog<p>Merry Christmas ya filthy animals! It's almost that time again and I hope everyone has their chimney cleaned out for Santa Claus! Although I don't necessarily expect you to, given the temperatures outside. Santa and all those reindeer are going to have it rough this year. It is also a good time to reflect on the year we have had. We take the good and try to use it to build for the next year, and the bad we toss it out the window like nothing happened. Right??? Okay, maybe not. But I hope the good outweighs the bad for everyone. Christmas and the holidays are not all about the folklore, though. It is about giving back and showing love to the ones you care about and even some you don't. Let's all try to keep our spirits high this year and remember that it is about how you love. That is what Shinedown says about it, anyway, and I agree with that fully. We have some very exciting things coming in the new year! New music is coming in January, and some promising tour dates are ready to drop along with it. Stay tuned here to the website for all the fixin's. Thank you to everyone for voting on our contests in Loudwire. If you are feeling a little extra holiday spirit this year we are up for a few more fans choice awards and would love to win them all. Stone Chrome Radio Awards - Best Live Performance Eric - Vocalist of the Year, Seth - Guitarist of the Year, Heath - Drummer of the Year, ROCKWiRED Awards Band of the Year, Single of the Year - Rebel, Video of the Year - Rebel. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to all and we will be seeing you at a show near you with new music and a revamped live set!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/45073092016-12-12T13:04:09-06:002022-05-31T10:20:00-05:00Winter Woes and Big Smiles<p>It's getting cold outside! You either like it, or you hate it. I personally hate it. Maybe that's just the Alabama talking. Regardless, we all have to deal with it at some point. The worst time to tour is in the winter! We just happened to find ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time for one winter tour. It was a cold winter day and we were in Indiana while this polar vortex was hovering out across the lake. We had never heard of this "Lake Effect" and we were in for a rude awakening upon introduction! This storm swoops in as we are driving after the show and we have to pull over as snow covers any and everything. The next day our radiator went out in the bus so we spent all day changing it out ourselves in the freezing cold and everything seemed to be on the right track. Not for long, it happened AGAIN the next day while we were in route to play a show in Jackson, Michigan, except now we didn't have time to get the parts and fix it. It is now a whopping 2 degrees and we are scrambling to find a way to still make our show in Michigan. We refused to cancel the show, so we rented a box truck to take to the show. Three people piled in the cab while the other 3 hopped in the back of this dark, frigid, box truck and we Uhauled it up to Jackson and arrived just in time to unload and hit the stage. We walked in and it was nothing but smiles, hugs, high fives, cheers, and maybe a shot or two. It was unbelievable after the past two days to walk into an environment like that. The show was one of the best we have played and it was such a relief to have to support of so many people and it definitely made the box truck adventure worth the torment. When the going gets tough you have to weigh your options. I know for a fact that we made the right decision that day to do whatever was necessary to get to the show. Even though weather and misfortune had the odds against us, we were still able to go hang with our friends and fans in the great state of Michigan! It was illegal but you know what the old wise man says about that: "So what." When in doubt, forge your own path. And when that doesn't work. Find some duct tape. Stay warm everyone!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/44970412016-12-05T11:23:51-06:002023-12-10T13:39:04-06:00Heath's Monday Blog For the Masses<p>Happy manic Monday to all! Things are really heating up in the Shallow Side camp towards the end of the year and we have some monumental things on the horizon. Renegade has been having success nationally and is garnering attention rapidly! I just want to extend a huge thanks to the family for helping push this along as we gear up for the release of our debut album "One." In other news, the healing process is coming along on schedule with my collar bone injury and I'm still making strides daily working towards getting back behind the kit and slamming some skins. I will be back in full swing next year and it can't come fast enough! As many of you are well aware if by now, we are hosting our CD Release party in our home town of Cullman, Alabama. We are super stoked about the release of the album as well as bringing in our good friends in Saving Abel. Tickets are going like hot cakes so be sure to grab some before they sell out, especially for the VIP packages that are available. We also are nominated for the best new artist on Loudwire, which is a huge honor. These voting contests can get a little aggravating sometimes but the family always has our back and shows up big. Thanks to everyone for voting and please keep it up all the way through Jan 10th and let's take the cake on this one. Stay tuned to the website and be on the lookout for tour dates for 2017. We have some big things coming so keep your eyes and ears open for new tunes! Roll Tide.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/44773832016-11-21T11:36:52-06:002016-11-21T13:42:12-06:00Heath's Special Thanksgiving Blog<p>Thanksgiving is just right around the corner, folks. Benjamin Franklin wanted the national emblem to be a turkey instead of a bald eagle. What would be the signature dish if the turkey was our national bird? I hope everyone is feeling the Thanksgiving spirit and giving thanks for your many blessings. Safe travels to everyone who is traveling this week and weekend. According to legend, Thanksgiving started as a gesture of thanks to Squanto and our Natives for helping the settlers have a bountiful harvest. We need more of that in today's society, more nice and helpful gestures followed by giving thanks. I believe we are all blessed in many different ways, we just have to open our eyes enough to see and count our blessings no matter how big or small they are and it is the time of year to make sure we take the time to reflect on that. If you are participating in Black Friday, try to be nice then also! Santa is watching you so don't go stealing the last toy from a little girl, don't push down the person in front of you, or punch a cop on a Segway. Especially the last one, cops have pepper spray and stun guns. You don't want to end up on the news and that's a pretty good way to do it. Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all. Be sure to count your blessings this holiday season. Stay tuned to the website and all of our social media sites for some nice surprises coming soon. Everyone be sure to share our new video for our cover of "Renegade" by Styx, download it on iTunes/amazon/etc, and be sure to go and vote on Octanes twitter poll. Gobble Gobble!<br><br>P.S. Garth Brooks wore Cody's hat on stage, Seth was jealous, and Nick cried.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/44658082016-11-14T11:33:55-06:002022-12-08T02:28:46-06:00Captain Clumsy and the Mishaps<p>Happy Monday everyone! It's been a crazy week with all the election madness but we are all still here and the Earth is turning. Not everything goes perfect. It never does and never will, but you have to be able to adapt and make the best with what you have. Mishaps are inevitable with everything, including being on stage. During our career we have had more than our fair share of miscues on stage. Seth has been known for his clumsiness on stage, falling, knocking mics over, falling into my drum set, all while looking around to us in the most awkward of fashion. He has always managed to pull it off with Seth style which is one of the things that a lot of you gravitate towards is that "Seth Swag". Bless his heart, they just don't make them like him anymore. While Seth has had the most frequent of stage stumbles, I would say he doesn't take the prize. That award will go to Cody instead. We were on a support tour with Pop Evil and playing a show not too far from home in Montgomery, Alabama. The place was sold out and packed in every direction. It was a rather small stage, however, and Pop Evil was kind enough to let us use their cabs to save space on stage. Fast forward 15 minutes into the set and we are doing our thing, getting the crowd warmed up for PE, Seth and Cody are doing their spinny-twirly moves and then it happened. Cody loses his footing and is falling backwards, stumbling, trying to regain his balance. His long legs covered too much ground, though, and he ended up bumping into the cab behind him and still was falling backwards. You know how on cartoons when someone runs off a cliff they hover in thin air for a second or two before plunging below? That's how it looked! Cody and his 6'6" frame was trying to hold this guitar cab and keep it from falling but gravity said otherwise. His legs are sticking straight up in the air laying on top of the speakers, his bass goes flying over his head to the back of the stage and the guitar microphone had punched a huge hole into the cab.... That isn't ours... And Pop Evil still has to play. The crowd didn't know whether to laugh or call an ambulance! But Cody gets back up and takes a bow for that wonderful display and the crowd could not have loved the moment any more. After the show Cody is freaking out, those cabs aren't cheap, and the Pop Evil guys are giving him a hard time and saying "Dude how could you do that?!" But eventually let their guard down and we all laughed it off and they settled the mishap over a bottle of Number Juan tequila. Sometimes things don't go as planned, but you have to be able to make the best of what is in front of you. A stage mishap turned into a memorable moment that people at that show still talk about. It could have been worse. Luckily the Pop Evil guys are nice, friendly guys so it turned out to be fine. You have to be able to adapt and evolve to circumstances and situations, even when they look grim, and make the best of it. Stay tuned to the website for exiting news such as NEW MUSIC! We have a video coming out very soon, and get those hoodie orders in and stay warm this winter!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/44558072016-11-07T12:15:17-06:002023-12-10T10:53:56-06:00Heath's Presidential Blog<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/212343/bdead6d2213524b9e4c0bcdf42992916e1a03344/original/rebelbannerad.gif?1471322569" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Happy Monday and Election Day Eve to you! It has been quite eccentric in the last few months leading up to this years election. But with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as the main two choices, what did you expect? Election Day is upon us, though, and I encourage everyone to get out and vote especially at the local and state level and not just for one person that claims he or she is the country's saving Grace. This years election reminds me of an old folk tale. The story of the Donkey and the Elephant and their rise to television stardom. Once upon a time there was a donkey and an elephant that were part of a traveling circus (or a debate team if you will). They traveled the country and talked about issues they think need to be corrected and pitched ideas back and forth on how it needs to be done. Donkey was known as the one with the silver tongue. She was very good at candy coating everything so it sounded like great ideas and was a master manipulator. But there was only one problem. Every time she told a lie, her ears got bigger. Elephant was more of a straight shooter. He had been preaching the problems for years but never wanted to do what it takes to fix the problems. For years they would pitch ideas and always seemed to hit a brick wall and couldn't compromise. It was beginning to take a toll on both of them as well as the crowds that came to see them debate. They began to resort to name calling and black mailing one another in an effort to regain the crowds they used to draw when they started. "This man is a racist!" Donkey squawked. "He eats up all the peanuts and doesn't leave any peanuts for the less fortunate and he doesn't like anyone who isn't an elephant like him!" "This is simply untrue." Elephant rebutted, "I have given plenty of peanuts away to lots of people, believe me. As a matter of fact the other day my friend who is very smart, unlike donkey, told me that I am one of the top peanut donors in the world." Donkeys ears started growing, and the Elephant could not quit boasting and flapping his trunk in the wind. The crowds were getting bigger and bigger however. Eventually a top Hollywood producer stumbled across a debate in Alabama and was so intrigued by the name calling and utter stupidity, that he thought he could turn this into a hit TV show. Kerry Stringer was the producer and his idea turned out to be a great success. Over the past year the show is being aired on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, as well as many other major networks. The Kerry Stringer show has been the most watched, highly anticipated show of the year! THE END Moral of the story is to get out and vote tomorrow and let's put an end to the Kerry Stringer show. At least for four years. It is our right and our duty as Americans, and do not forget to vote at the local level, as these people who are elected will have more of an impact on your community, your families, and the environments directly around you than the donkeys and elephants you see on tv. Vote for Pedro!</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/44456512016-10-31T13:35:32-05:002023-12-10T10:41:22-06:00Heefer's Halloween Blog<p>BOOO!! Happy Halloween to everyone! I hope your Halloween shenanigans and trick or treating adventures were safe and fun filled. I dressed up as a bum and laid on the couch so I didn't receive much candy. On another note, tomorrow is the 6 year anniversary of Shallow Side! I can say it has been the craziest roller coaster I've ever known, one that makes Six Flags ever so envious. But roller coasters are pretty cool and this one has been nothing short of spectacular. We have been blessed to be able to travel the country doing what we love and meet incredible people on the daily basis. I could go on and on about the tour stories we have accumulated thus far, but I will save them for blogs to come. It is a great feeling to be able to take a group of country bumpkins in small town Alabama and put them in a small shed and the next thing you know, we are touring across the country living the dream we had when we first started playing music. It is a prime example that you can achieve anything you set your mind to and strive for! We are definitely a battle tested group of guys I must say. Whether it's the daily grind of touring and playing shows that sometimes extend to 12-15 days without a day off, or just battling through injuries like we are currently doing. We always find a way to take what we have, tweak it some and turn it into something more successful than it probably should have been given the circumstances. Many thanks to everyone who is a part of this Family. I know bands say that quite a bit, but we say it because it is true. Without you we are nothing, and I cannot thank you enough for all the support. From the people who have been there for us for 6 years, to the folks who are newer to the Family, I just want to say a heart felt THANK YOU for allowing us to do what we do. I am looking forward to what the next 6 years will bring. Hell, I'm looking forward to what the next</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/44345582016-10-24T13:43:38-05:002022-03-24T09:22:01-05:00An Update From The Heefer, Himself<p>Hello again, I hope everyone is doing fantastic on this Monday. I wanted to give everybody an update today on the sideline/injury report. After talks with Coach Saban, he believes I have made great progress and I am ready to go, Roll Tide. </p>
<p>But just for good measure I will be going to a follow up appointment on Friday, the 28th. Even though Saban says I'm clear.... But day to day I am making good progress and I just have to stick to the doctor's regimen, which is to keep the couch from floating away. So far I am crushing it! Hopefully I will receive some good news on Friday and everything is smooth sailing from there on out. </p>
<p>There are still a couple dates left in October and more dates for November will be surfacing soon. "Keep tabs on our dates and our shenanigans at what's our website, Nick?" <br>" www.shallowside.net " <br>"That's right! Thanks, Nick." <br>Dates, shirts, CDs, VIP packages, it's all here so browse around a little bit while you are here and come hang out at a show. Hope to see you soon.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/44228862016-10-17T13:43:23-05:002024-03-18T03:40:20-05:00A Special Word From Heath<p>We have toured the country for almost six years now. During that time we have had the opportunity to meet some truly incredible people. It's easy to sit back and watch everything that is happening in the current events with all the "doom and gloom", whether it is in politics, crimes, or just content of the media, and dwell on on the negatives. But the reality is there is a lot more good than evil if you're only open enough to see it. We have been privileged to tour the country and to be able to see these things first hand and experience them. As many of you know, I was recently injured while riding a long board and broke my collar bone. It was nobody's fault but my own, I ride it everyday when we are on the road, that day just happened to have something else in store. The amount of support I have received has been amazing. Our FAMILY has always been nothing short of incredible and it holds true to this situation as well. I am currently at home beginning the healing process and I will be working diligently to get healthy and back on the road crushing the drums and seeing all of you as soon as possible! I can't thank you all enough for the support thus far I am very grateful for it. I am just 1/4 of Shallow Side, though. For Eric, Seth, and Cody the show must go on, and it will go on. We have a fill in drummer for the remainder of the tours, so be sure to check our dates here on the website and make it out to a show or two in your area and give them the support they deserve. Listen to the stories Eric will tell you about the situation (all lies) and give our fill in drummer, Harrison, a good ole nipple pinch in my honor. Thank you all for the support, from the bottom of my heart, and we will take this negative and turn it into a positive. There are no problems, only solutions. So stop by a show and catch a good rock show, grab up a VIP package while you are here, whatever tickles your fancy and I'll see you all soon! <br> </p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/44123982016-10-10T12:05:35-05:002023-12-10T10:32:40-06:00Tour Pranksters Vol. 1<p>Everybody likes a good prank. Except the people who don't... Some people are very easygoing and can take a joke and return fire with a joke of their own, whereas others don't seem to be the joking type and don't want a part of it. There was one tour in particular where a prank got going between three bands, one band didn't like to play, however. We were in Illinois on a rainy, storm filled evening so a tour prank just seemed inevitable. During the opening bands set we noticed an old couch sitting by a dumpster next to the venue. We decided to hoist this couch up, granted it was a light couch, and place it on top of the openers van while they were on stage. No one seen us do it so they didn't know for sure who put the couch on their van. They made a determination on who it was and they are good guessers. As we came off the stage to pack our gear in the trailer, we open it up and there sits that couch! Boom! They got us back even though there was no proof or talk about who put the couch on their van. After all the couch tossing, we finally got our trailer loaded and the headliner took the stage. We decided it was time to give the couch one more round so we hoisted it up and sat it down on top of the headliner's trailer, gently. After a few minutes security noticed the couch and took it down from the trailer. When the headliner came off stage security told them about the couch being on their trailer and they were a tad bit upset and was assuming the couch damaged the trailer, which it did not. The next day they were trying to get us off the tour, saying we put dents and holes in their trailer. The couch did not damage their trailer in any fashion, they just did not like the idea of the prank. We had a picture of the couch on top of the trailer(because it was funny, right?) and we showed them the picture of where the couch was so the trailer damage debate was over. Tour pranks are usually fun. But like I said, some people will play along and some will not. Two bands were pranksters on this tour and one band was not the pranking type. We still thought it was funny however and it's my story so I'm sticking with funny.</p>Shallow Sidetag:shallowside.net,2005:Post/44019472016-10-03T14:19:03-05:002023-12-10T10:47:24-06:00The Story Of Otis The Owl<p>Who likes tour stories? They aren't always pretty or fun filled shenanigans, but sometimes they are. This one just happens to be one that may give a little insight to some frequently asked questions as to why we use the owl in our designs. In 2010 when the band formed we had a pet owl that traveled with us. Otis was his name and he was highly sophisticated and well trained. He could even count to three! Otis's favorite food in the whole world was tootsie roll pops. People would show up to the shows and bring him tootsie roll pops to get him to count and do amazing tricks. He would watch over the merch table for us but eventually the tootsie pops became an addiction. After months on end of constant touring, Otis started developing what specialists are now classifying as TPD, or Tootsie Pop Dependency, a disease caused by over consumption of tootsie pops without a substantial reward. He just simply could not stop counting, and would refuse to sell to anyone unless they had a tootsie pop. This didn't sit well with the band, as we were on the daily tour grind for months at a time and merch sales were the only source of income. Otis eventually agreed that what he was doing was wrong and selfish after an extensive intervention with the band. He was doing great! He was six months removed from his last tootsie pop and showing zero symptoms of TPD. Merch sales were skyrocketing and the band was becoming more notable with every show. Our biggest fan at the time lived in Aspen, Colorado and devised an envious plan to capture Otis. Mary Samsonite is her name. She attended a show and while we were on stage she enticed Otis with an entire variety bag of tootsie pops and took him back to Aspen to be in her owl shows. Otis is last seen, according to reports, with two men who kidnapped Otis from Mary at an all inclusive resort. These two men are Harry, (who was last seen in a baby blue tuxedo) and Lloyd (who was last seen in an orange tuxedo). If anyone has any info on the whereabouts of these two men or Otis please contact us at your convenience. We use this description in hopes that you may be able to help us locate Otis and bring him back to us. We would love to have Otis back with us on our upcoming tour to watch over the table and share tricks across the states.</p>Shallow Side