The air’s falling, getting cooler as we move up the coast.

I’m coming down from overdosing on about five hundred avocados after spinning around southern California for years. (On tour, a minute is an hour, an hour is a day, weeks become decades. And exaggeration is the only way)

Writing to you from under a tomb of pillows in the back of the van. I see shafts of light in between the lines of luggage. I’m sick of trying to twist and pull my leg back to normal, but I don’t say words like that out loud.

I say “swell” and “grape” and keep my complaints muffled in my mind.

See how dark thoughts get in the way of the point? I’d prefer to make myself kind and clear, if I may:

Whatever happens, Mr. Votolato and this crew have made our entire hobbled journey possible.

Perhaps not every move is meant to be emboldened in gold, but these are my true friends and I stand (on crutches) beside and behind everything they do.

I sometimes measure the success of our shows by the empty spaces surrounding them. It’s on our days off, when I’m forced to react and interact in the more thoughtful, slower styles. There really is no choice but to think.

Sick of the murkiness, I chose the down time as a chance to completely quit all painkillers. The good news is that the pain was manageable. The bad news is my leg and all it’s eventual rehabilitation came rushing into reality.

Sure, swimming was not in my cards. But I’ll live to swim another day.

After siestas, we went out for a mind-blowing crew dinner at The Floridian. The food, the staff, all almost heartbreakingly amazing. Over the deserts, our sideshow took on the deep low glow of people who couldn’t be any more different and yet wouldn’t want any of it any other way.

Yes, I did start to fall down a set of stairs. But I was caught before I flew. And yes, a golden retriever did step directly on the wrong part of my foot. But she was beautiful and I’d let her do it all again.

It was a brief glimpse into terracotta world contrasting the brilliant blues and greens. Lush, humid and alive. I can’t convey how bright those pink flamingos burned in my Yankee eyes.
 
See, when you fall in love with these corners of the country, it’s honestly hard to leave.

Right after the show in Pontiac, the spark was spreading in our eyes. Everyone in the crew was humming a shared bell tone belief that there might be “something” happening onstage. We were like a new breed of monkeys that had learned how to speak. For a few minutes, we were primitive, rowdy, transcendent and rolling through verses of Salt of the Earth.

Everyone wants me to recall a legendary fall. But it’s a dull yarn of monotony gone wrong. Loading out and scrapping around in the normal post-show manner of scrapping, I slipped and hauled Dan down on top of me, into my left leg.
 
It isn’t epic and it isn’t meaningless. It’s just life. Still, with a career of broken bones and blood, it was a boatload more pain than I’d ever come across. My left foot, sideways to where it normally hung, excruciating pain and popping every time I moved. This, minus the insurance I’d canceled just last year due to my supposed/certain invincibility. Oh, how the sweetness ran clear with spine-tingling sarcasm.

From then until now’s been blur of x-rays, broken tibia, broken fibula, Dilaudid, surgery, pins and rods. A haze of revealing backless nightdresses, humiliating catheters, allergic reactions to Dilaudid, throbs, crutch classes and snug spaces to elevate my leg in the back of Rocky’s car.

Thing is, I don’t want to be the disco martyr, limping across the dance floor, hoping for some girl to feel sorry for me. I don’t want to be excused from anything below the top notch in the tree. I came out to play rock and roll shows and I don’t want to deliver anything less.

The facts as they stand are that I have a broken leg with a non-weight-bearing budget cast, intermittent flashes of intense pain and infrequent relief. I’m giving it everything I have.

But I want this. It would crush me to be home, watching VH1 Classics, sipping Tang and wondering what it feels like to be onstage. Because it feels amazing.

Beyond me, there’s a far greater place where truth flourishes from the terrible. The part where the spark catches to make a mesmerizing fire — I wouldn’t be able to do anything without these kick ass people on tour with me. Rocky, April, Chris, Heather, John and Dan. They’ve exhausted themselves to the bone trying to make it possible to play. They’ve bent backwards into infinity. They’ve even made me a golden seat.

Not only them, it’s everyone that’s come out so far. And hopefully, everyone that keeps coming to the shows. We shed our egos miles ago and wholeheartedly thank you for everything. 

(And please, no pictures below the belt. Let’s just see if we can all ignore the one-legged footprints leading up to the shorts)

 
Hey Everyone,
 
Our fall tour with Rocky Votolato is underway! We are having a great time at these shows and can’t wait to make it out to your town. Check out the dates below and we hope to see you soon!
 
-MPPA

Sept 13th: Pike Room in Pontiac, MI – http://on.fb.me/qzIRKa
Sept 14th: The Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, OH – http://on.fb.me/ndm8DV
Sept 15th: The Abbey Bar in Harrisburg, PA – http://on.fb.me/pVJPLr
Sept 16th: Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY – http://on.fb.me/pFvhIM
Sept 17th: Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA – http://on.fb.me/ocXJ5Z
Sept 18th: Castaways in Ithaca, NY - http://on.fb.me/mUClhW
Sept 19th: Jonny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, PA – http://on.fb.me/qUBBer
Sept 21st: The Ottobar in Baltimore, MD – http://on.fb.me/reBj4B
Sept 22nd: King’s Barricade in Raleigh, NC – http://on.fb.me/q2gW3b
Sept 23rd: 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA – http://on.fb.me/nkqLBy
Sept 24th: Café Eleven in St. Augustine, FL – http://on.fb.me/pzVD90
Sept 26th: Will’s Pub in Orlando, FL – http://on.fb.me/ra1MwG
Sept 27th: Club Downunder in Tallahassee, FL – http://on.fb.me/p43ZM4
Sept 29th: Fitzgerald’s in Houston, TX – http://on.fb.me/pjDWfI
Sept 30th: Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin, TX – http://on.fb.me/mVhEd2
Oct 1st: The Prophet Bar in Dallas, TX – http://on.fb.me/ndoXcU
Oct 3rd: Plush in Tucson, AZ – http://on.fb.me/qmFkCb
Oct 4th: Casbah in San Diego, CA – http://on.fb.me/nKvxoh
Oct 5th: The Barn at UC Riverside – http://on.fb.me/qcnZSe
Oct 6th: Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, CA – http://on.fb.me/qqthQV
Oct 7th: Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara, CA - http://on.fb.me/mZVTdY
Oct 8th: The Glass House in Pomona, CA – http://on.fb.me/nfM29h
Oct 9th: SLO Brewing Company in San Luis Obispo, CA – http://on.fb.me/oP98YL
Oct 11th: Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, CA - http://on.fb.me/qMHQeC
Oct 13th: Dante’s in Portland, OR – http://on.fb.me/mVL0zY
Oct 14th: Media Club in Vancouver, BC - http://on.fb.me/nEMezA
Oct 15th: Neumo’s in Seattle, WA – http://on.fb.me/qhFc3l
Oct 16th: A Club in Spokane, WA – http://on.fb.me/reSyiM
Oct 17th: BellTower in Pullman, WA – http://on.fb.me/nAokRj
Oct 19th: Neurolux in Boise, ID – http://on.fb.me/qZGdMT
Oct 20th: Velour in Provo, UT – http://on.fb.me/pSPLID
Oct 21st: Marquis Theater in Denver, CO – http://on.fb.me/qanYqY
Oct 22nd: The Record Bar in Kansas City, MO – http://on.fb.me/q6IO83

Here’s how it works

1. RSVP to the matt pond PA/Rocky Votolato FACEBOOK EVENT in your city
2. Leave a comment in the EVENT to enter the contest about why we should pick you
3. SHARE the EVENT on your FACEBOOK profile

*We’ll be randomly selecting two winners in each city to win tickets to the show!

Sept 9: 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, MN – http://on.fb.me/nn7iMx
Sept 10: The Cactus Club in Milwaukee, WI – http://on.fb.me/oNt9Ti
Sept 12: Lincoln Hall in Chicago, IL – http://on.fb.me/rpczmE
Sept 13: Pike Room in Pontiac, MI – http://on.fb.me/qzIRKa
Sept 14: The Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, OH –http://on.fb.me/ndm8DV
Sept 15: The Abbey Bar in Harrisburg, PA – http://on.fb.me/pVJPLr
Sept 16: Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY – http://on.fb.me/pFvhIM
Sept 17: Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA – http://on.fb.me/ocXJ5Z
Sept 18: Castaways in Ithaca, NY – http://on.fb.me/mUClhW
Sept 19: Jonny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, PA – http://on.fb.me/qUBBer
Sept 21: The Ottobar in Baltimore, MD – http://on.fb.me/reBj4B
Sept 22: King’s Barricade in Raleigh, NC – http://on.fb.me/q2gW3b
Sept 23: 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA – http://on.fb.me/nkqLBy
Sept 24: Café Eleven in St. Augustine, FL – http://on.fb.me/pzVD90
Sept 26: Will’s Pub in Orlando, FL – http://on.fb.me/ra1MwG
Sept 27: Club Downunder in Tallahassee, FL – http://on.fb.me/p43ZM4
Sept 29: Fitzgerald’s in Houston, TX – http://on.fb.me/pjDWfI
Sept 30: Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin, TX – http://on.fb.me/mVhEd2
Oct 1: The Prophet Bar in Dallas, TX – http://on.fb.me/ndoXcU
Oct 3: Plush in Tucson, AZ – http://on.fb.me/qmFkCb
Oct 4: Casbah in San Diego, CA – http://on.fb.me/nKvxoh
Oct 5: The Barn at UC Riverside – http://on.fb.me/qcnZSe
Oct 6: Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, CA – http://on.fb.me/qqthQV
Oct 7: Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara, CA – http://on.fb.me/mZVTdY
Oct 8: The Glass House in Pomona, CA – http://on.fb.me/nfM29h
Oct 9: SLO Brewing Company in San Luis Obispo, CA – http://on.fb.me/oP98YL
Oct 11: Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, CA – http://on.fb.me/qMHQeC
Oct 13: Dante’s in Portland, OR – http://on.fb.me/mVL0zY
Oct 14: Media Club in Vancouver, BC – http://on.fb.me/nEMezA
Oct 15: Neumo’s in Seattle, WA – http://on.fb.me/qhFc3l
Oct 16: A Club in Spokane, WA – http://on.fb.me/reSyiM
Oct 17: BellTower in Pullman, WA – http://on.fb.me/nAokRj
Oct 19: Neurolux in Boise, ID – http://on.fb.me/qZGdMT
Oct 20: Velour in Provo, UT – http://on.fb.me/pSPLID
Oct 21: Marquis Theater in Denver, CO – http://on.fb.me/qanYqY
Oct 22: The Record Bar in Kansas City, MO – http://on.fb.me/q6IO83