Howdy Ya'll!!!!

YEEEEEEE HAAAAWWWWWW!!!!!!

Just felt like saying that!

We arrived yesterday and things seem fairly calm so far. I must admit it was difficult waking up to get to the airport on Wed. I set may alarm for 6AM and it went off at 7:10....my car was arriving at 7:30!!! So...I jumped in the shower and headed to LaGuardia. We checked in and went to get some breakfast. I was with Stevie B. We hit Starbucks...I got the $5 cup of coffee and brought it for some help...thanks Bailey's!!!!

We had a layover in Cincinnati for a few hours...time passed by pretty quickly. I had a phone interview with a magazine in Romania. Lots of Sava/CC fans there!

I actually got some rest before dinner. We headed to the Outback and flirted with the idea of an early night to rest....

Well...I found a place called Mulligan's and the night went on for a while. It is great to see the returning crew members and great to be out with my bandmates again.

I am going back to bed for a bit. I was just typing an e-mail interview with a magazine in Spain.

I will try to write here a lot this tour. Of course there will be a diary posted each week!

I will talk to you soon!

"Take me home...country roads....."

Chris

Charleston, West Virginia...

This town is very friendly....known for its hospitality.... I asked people what is was famous for and they told me "Rednecks".

I woke up at 10AM to check my business mail. It is so difficult to keep up with everything. I have about 300 unanswered e-mails left!! I managed to get back to sleep for an hour. I then headed to the gym and the tanning bed...yup...serious business!

Next step was to shower, check out of the hotel and go dump my stuff on the bus. I love it when the buses arrive! My rolling home for 2 months. Nice cheery black bus!

Next up was the extended first show soundcheck. This was after we hit catering and sampled some serious hot sauce that my friend made.

The sound check was going to be a full run through. So, basically we had a matinee!!!! Before I knew it the time was 6:30PM. I met up with Joy to get some copies of the Music Man CD. My shipment was left in customs and she actually drove from New York to drop things off for me! The CD looks great! I then ran to the mall and bought a sweat suit...then headed back to get ready.

The show began...we could not use pyro or the moving trusses...the intro is really cool, but we could not do it. Skippy made a mistake before we even hit one note! The new members did amazing, I was so proud of all of them. James, Jay, Marcus and Tany...It was great to play with Alex again. I am almost set in a cool rap. I do feel a little worn down. I am going to get to sleep early tonite, I don’t want to get sick! There were a few CD’s on the autograph line...Lots of promotion to do...there are only 6 of us on the bus. I got a few gifts from fans representing Daryl. I almost broke down and cried when I was talking, I know it will happen. I miss that guy so much now. Wherever you are DDP I love you and miss you!!!

I am still awake and just got into my hotel room in Louisville...can't wait to play tomorrow...

I need sleep!!!!

Chris

Greetings...

I decided to stay awake and wait til we got to the hotel last night. We arrived at about 5 AM. I checked into my room and signed on to do some business. By 6:30 I was ready to go to sleep. I actually slept til 12...WOW! Then I went to the gym to run and got ready to go for lunch. This city is the home of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat. I wanted to get to the museum, but I was too tired to wake up. Luckily right before soundcheck I managed to go with Susan from my street team. Not much time to see things, but I did take photos. Stevie B and I visited the Hard rock after sound check. Cool city! Once again it was that time....I showered up and got ready for the show. This crowd was incredible. I must say it was the best TSO crowd I have ever seen. They were standing after the first song! We all had so much fun on stage...the energy just continued to grow throughout the show. I am actually at a loss for words...Thanks Kentucky!!!!! This was the amazingly beautiful theatre from last tour. The one with the Faces on the ceiling. Just a perfect night! We went to the Hard Rock again and headed back to the bus. Now everyone is watching Spinal Tap. I am catching up on business. No rest for me...tomorrow is a new market...I feel a bit sick and run down but I won't let anyone know this! I have a radio interview with WNCX in Cleveland early in the morning...

Goodnight!

Hi....

2 shows today. Great people. Weird night...lots to tell, but I am not in the mood. I am drained. I miss Daryl a lot on a day like today. Not only as Daryl the singer, but my friend and mentor. Lots of confusion at times. I trusted his intuition so much. I sit and type alone and I am aching....

I will write more when I can...

C

OK...

I am still not in the mood to talk, but I have been getting a lot of mail from people worried about me....I thank you for this, I will be ok.

We arrived in Akron yesterday, same hotel as ever. I made sure I talked the hotel manager so I oan upgrade to a Jacuzzi room like I always do. We had to leave right away for the venue, matinee day.

This theatre was the place we played the very first time TSO played in Akron. They had been renovating it for the past few years. They did a great job fixing it up.

We ate lunch and started sound check. Not too long of a check, but I still hate them!!!! My ears have had enough damage!

Show one was introduced by Bill Louis from WNCX. He is a great friend and huge supporter of the band. He had some very nice things ot say about Daryl.

This whole day was extra weird for me. Akron was Daryl's namesake. He made the mistake one year of calling it Cleveland and ever since we had affectionately nicknamed him Akron Pediford.

The first show was fun, Paul showed up to give his input and confuse us all for the day! Fine tuning is always goin on throughout the tour.

We finished the show and ate, I was talking to Barry from Clear channel and Kasey from WNCX...these people are so nice.

Ripper Owens was on his way, we were all going to hang out after the show at a place called Jillian's, but things changed....I will explain!

Before you know it we were back onstage. Great show, no extra special moments other than another classic bass blunder in the raw by Skippy.

The autograph line was done and we headed to the hotel to drop off our stuff before we went out.

OK...I had people let this place know we were going to hang out. All together we had about 50 people inside. I was late to arrive and forgot my wallet at the venue...I know I am not 15, but I definately look like I am over 21. We told the guy who I was and he still refused to let me in to drink with my friends. I was a bit angry and walked back to the venue in the freezing cold. When I got there everyone was callling to ask if I was OK, I was not in the greatest mood this day anyway. I told them to find another place...when I got back I wanted everyone out of this joint!

I returned, looked the manager in the face from the street and waved my license....I did not go inside...I just waved my arms to everyone and 50 people walked out and went next door to another place!!! In the end they said they would have let me in, but it was too late. I wished the place a Merry Christmas and went inside the other with my friends!

We did have a lot of fun and I did sink an 8 on the break in a pool game, but before we knew it we had to go back to the hotel.

This is not what I was looking forward to...sitting in Akron alone and not being able to hang with Daryl. There is a lot of pressure on myself with all of the business and the solo releases...I would always talk to him when I needed advice, even if he had no answers he made me feel better.

I wandered by the highway and sat under an overpass for a while. I know, not the safest thing to do at 3AM...funny thing is the police saw me from the highway and shined a follow spot and told me to leave. I can see the headlines!!! "Homeless Christmas Guitarist arrested for sleeping on highway!"

So...I wandered back to my room...had noone left awake to talk to and signed on-line...that is when I posted. There are a lot of other things going on that I dont feel like writing about, this culmination added to my speechlessness.

I apologize if I worried you...long tour ahead...spread the word about "Faces"...we are almost 1200 here on the boards...no sleep til 2000!!!!

Peace...I am off to the gym and then lunch with Mr. Owens.....

Chris

How - do?

I am sitting in my hotel room listening to Humble Pie's Smokin' CD. James Lewis bought it for me...He is the coolest!

Me, Stevie and him are really beginning to have fun here...our toast to Daryl!

I just left dinner with Jen, Daniel, Meeun, Kyle, Marcus, Kyle, Tany, Jeff, Stevie, Matt the driver, Bob Morf and Jay Pierce. we went to some Carribean place. Kyle has a new laser pen...pretty funny watching the walls of the restaurant light up with "FUCK OFF!"

Today I did not do much but sleep...last night after the show we returned to Brubakers...our new place to hang in Akron! On the bus Skippy and I had a Wasabi eating contest with our sushi...I think I won...ouch!

I decorated my hotel room today...I used to do it every day off when I roomed with Daryl. He used to laugh at me....sayin' "You're crazy man!"

Funny thing was everyone always wound up in our room later that night! Somehow I always get blamed for all of the trouble on the road!

Yesterday we passed all of the Paul O'Neill tests...the show was really good. I had an idea to put a bit of "Stairway to Heaven" before the Immigrant song bit...it worked great!

I started to work on my children's book again. I actually just started to type what I had written out in my notebook. I was laughing out loud reading it!!! It is called "A Penny For Your Thoughts". It is a story about a penny...his name is Carmen Cents. He was born in the mid 1900's and was pretty cool then...after 50 years in a piggy bank he returns to 2004 to realize that a lot has changed...he winds up alone on the street but eventually gets a new friend....A nickle!! Bob Kinkle is going to help me get it published...everyone loves it so far!

I figured when I am too busy to breathe....why not add more work!!!!???

I still have about 800 emails in my inbox....

If I reply very briefly it is not because I don't want to talk, I just do not have time!

Matt is trying to talk me into going to the Doll House tonite...I dunno....I really need sleep....but it could be good lyrical inspiration!!!!!

The response on the Music Man EP has been incredible! Sales of Faces are really good in Europe so far...I am excited to tour and put it over the top!!!

I am going to get back to my mail!

Talk to you tomorrow or the next day!!!!

Thanks again for all of your kindness and support here, at the shows and through my mail. Being out with my friends the last few nights has made me realize that they are my family out here...we all miss Daryl, but he is still very much alive in us all!!!

I could still kill you for dying on me Pediford!

Chris

Hi again!

Well...I went out...lyrical research! But...I did sleep for 9 hours so...I feel fine today! Matt the driver is a bad influence!

In 6 weeks we have added another 200 members here...welcome all old and new...visitors too...CC.com has had visitors from 71 countries this month. We will most likely hit over 40,000 visitors for the first time ever in November!!!!

I am so happy with the responses you have given me towards "Faces/GDW/Music Man/The Mold". 4 releases in less than 2 months! Cool huh?

I wanted to put the fan e-mail and message board posted thoughts and reviews I have received so you dont have to search for them and you can see the ones I have seen through e-mail....

Click here to view the posts

Thanks for all of your support...back to work in a few hours...talk to you soon!!!

Chris