Driving to Rothbury today on the 4th to play a show tomorrow afternoon with some awesome bands. This summer has been amazing so far - we've been able to share the stage with an abundance of talent and mingle with some of the craziest festival-goers in the country. Tuesday started the week off with a bang at Summerfest in Milwaukee. The guys were glad to be back on stage together after a short break and rocked out for the bleacher crowd. We all headed out that night after a quick ride on the skytram (that moving bench that takes you above the crowd and across the festival) and after Mad Dog had finished devouring a gigantic turkey leg.

With a day and a half to kill before heading to Rothbury, we had to come up with something interesting to do. CHICAGO. Wednesday morning, Chuck was so excited to get going, he almost fell out of his child size bunk bed and onto a pile of toys. Unfortunately, we had to put him in the children's portion of our hotel suite - value and humor took precedence over comfort. Anyway, we finally made it to the windy city after a few hours of trafficage on the highway, and before we knew it, Chad was whisking his love away for a romantic rendezvous. Alone and abandoned, Chuck and Mad Dog looked at each other and decided that they weren't going to stand getting left in the dust. They would make their own fun. On the search for some deep dish pizza, Mad Dog got distracted by the towering masculine skyscrapers, and Chuck and Christine ran into an Italian eatery, letting desire for food and wine get the better of them. Lucky, MD made it just in time to order for us in an Italian Jersey accent, which swept the waitress off her feet. Chuck swooned as well and stated, "I like my drummers like my pizza, cheesy and greasy." A good night's sleep and numerous antics later, we all ended up watching the fireworks by the lake and appreciating the lovely architecture of the city. SR has made so many memories together this year already, I'm thinking of getting a special shirt made for them: "Boys of Summer '08".

In the interest of passing time mid-travel, and to keep my promise to some RLTer's of writing a blog this week, I'm gonna keep going. Flashback to last month...Wakarusa and Bonnaroo. Each of these festivals was stellar in their own way. Wakarusa was very muddy. And rainy. And unfortunately, we did lose our last late night set to the crazy weather. However, the rain seemed fitting here to some degree. Everyone was so messy by the end that the cool shower and thunder was revitalizing. The set SR did get to play was under the sun and very colorful. We had a special guest, our friend Fern Gully, dance around the stage for a few songs, donning patchwork pants, a silver metallic hat, and various colored scarves.

After Wakarusa, we had a sweet day off in Tennessee, where we decided to rent a double-decker boat and go out on a lake. We sat there serenely and soaked in the sun. Actually, that's not what happened. There was some very well scouted out cliff-jumping going on, with Mad Dog to be the last to attempt. Luckily, the local police arrived just in time to save him from the great heights of the rocks and never-ending depths of the lake. "We didn't see any signs sir," Chuck Fay stated, and then we drove our boat away past various warnings to pick up Mike at a safer location. Still thirsty for adventure, Chad organized a wild boat game called, "the Human Chain". It involved attaching the anchor to the boat's stern, and a long piece of rope with a life vest on the end to the anchor. With Capt. Fay at the helm, an SR band/crew member would run from the lower deck to the upper, one at a time, jump off, and attempt to grab hold of the life vest and/or person in front of them...going full speed and attempting to lengthen the chain. I won't deny I didn't last long, having to quit with the full weight of the boat pulling my one arm, and three grown men, including our friendly driver Russell, holding onto my ankle. It was well worth it, however, for I've never seen Chad with a goofier smile on his face, leading his men into the wildness of childhood games.

Our pit stop at the Exit/In in Nashville was a great warm up to Bonnaroo. It was sweet to see friends show up, having made the trek from all over to hang with us there and at the upcoming festival. Thanks to all RLTer's and fans who came, especially Shannon, Neil, Sgt. Campsalot, and Red. I know the SR guys appreciated all the thought put into the set list you made for them that night. They appreciated it so much; in fact, they were barely able to get out of bed the next day. Luckily, the workout from that show, busting out about 18 hardcore songs in an hour and a half, was so intense; Chad, Chuck and Mike ripped through their t-shirts and were forced to play at Bonnaroo topless. Bonnaroo's show was one we will never forget, thanks to the awesome crowd who hiked all the way to the Other Tent to see us, and Chuck Fay's amazing demonstration of how to rip a guitar cable in half mid-air. Thanks to all who've followed SR via internet or vehicle, we hope to catch up with you soon! So long.

SR Nation,

Hot off the press: here's your chance to win 2 tickets to meet and greet State Radio at their June 20th, 2008 concert at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn!

To enter the contest and for official rules, visit the contest page. Contests begins June 12th at 12:00pm PDT and ends June 17th at 11:59pm PDT; winner will be announced on June 18th.

In the meantime, make sure you don't miss out on this awesome show with Gogol Bordello by getting tickets here.

Peace,

Team SR

So as we drive across America, further and further away from the places we joined the Dave Matthews Band in a musical phenomenon this past week, we have hours upon hours to reflect on the experience. And as we ponder these four days that have changed our lives, it is hard to think of what to share with you first. I decided to ask some of the crew that have been riding with us what their thoughts are. Patricio Fay, our string instrument connoisseur, reminded us that Dave spoke of how his musical fantasy back in the day was to be part of a three-piece band. This all made the State Radio guys blush with excitement, and just before Dave was about to walk on stage to introduce them, MadDog shouted out, "Go get'em!"

State Radio was extremely grateful and excited to share the stage with the talented and accomplished DMB. It was a rush to play in such large venues and to see some of the fans wearing State Radio gear and chanting the lyrics to our songs. Chetro gave multiple shout outs to the lawn crowds, who had more energy than 10,000 rabbits in heat (thank you for that one Dom). On a more appropriate note, we were happy to have the support of a large number of friends and family. The RV crew from Boston followed us all the way to the Post - Gazette Pavillion outside Pittsburg and showed no sign of tiredness as they cheered on their guys for two nights straight. Shells Diramio appeared in PA as well, dressed in black and chains, ready to tune the skins off the drum kit and blow us all away with his cheerful sense of humor. Martimus Maximus O'Mallius came for all four shows!!!!!!!!!!!, attributing more musical talent than anyone else could muster at 4 a.m., and providing us with a wide array of DMB trivia. In Camden, NJ, the Fays, Urmstons, and Gallaghers had an outstanding showing and were certain to help keep the good vibes of the night going. This weekend was a great time to make a few new friends as well, and being that all were good in spirits, it was an easy task. We met folks of all ages, and a new friend Preston made his way into the hearts of our band crew, especially MadDog. Preston's father Henry (Carter's drum tech) also hooked MadDog up with a new drum bag and some signature sticks, which MadDog has kept safe and sound under his pillow to avoid Chuck Fay's evil habit of eating his drumsticks when there is no food left on the bus.

We are close to our next destination now & heading to Lawrence, Kansas for Wakarusa and will keep you posted on new happenings in the world of State Radio. Sadly, we had to leave our van Stacey back east, but we are loving our temporary new home in Stacey's mom (Russ's bus). Gotta run - being distracted by the excitement of Chuck Fay's new mullet-hawk haircut, and MD's personal training of himself and Dom to get as ripped as Ben Stiller in Along Came Polly. Easy Task.

Peace,
Team SR