Washington DC: Greg Erwin & Saint Motel

Riding the nation’s capitol was an absolute dream come true. Smack dab in the middle of album release week and the fifth or sixth show in a consecutive string of 12, this day was a busy one, but I was super fortunate to get a few good hours of ride time in.

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Once I de-bussed and put air in the tires, I snagged the nearest sandwich I could, and headed toward the national mall. I had no goal or specific destination, just knew I wanted to ride the mall and see it by bike. Much to my surprise, the first stop on my DC mini tour was 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, aka, The White House.

It never ceases to amaze me how close you can actually get. After a few photos and some stare downs from secret service at this guy in tights with a camera slung over his neck, I continued on to see more sights, and enjoy a very unseasonal 82 degree October day through the Capitol. After making a wheelie video at the Lincoln Memorial I made my way back to the 9:30 Club for soundcheck.

This had been a huge milestone venue on our tour routing for months, and much to our pleasure, it was completely sold out before we even arrived. With all that good news, a great soundcheck, and even better weather, I stayed in my kit for the duration of soundcheck, refilled bottles, then hit the road again.

I left for ride number 2 right around peak rush hour, but was super impressed with the intricate and widespread network of “bike-ways” built through the center of town and beyond. The ride eventually took me out on a beautiful bike path along the Potomac, which winds along quite nicely with some incredible views to boot. I looped back through town, once again utilizing some of the bike ways, and one-way, bike friendly avenues and found myself back at the venue fighting a line of about 500 kids waiting to get in. It’s always a little bit hilarious to pull up to a venue with people waiting in line to see you be “band guy” version of yourself…but you burst the bubble and let them see you in spandex. HA! Most people actually don’t recognize me, or care, but I’ve definitely surprised a few fans along the way on this tour.

Washington DC was an absolute joy, and the show could not have been better. I loved DC before, but after a sold out show and a beautiful all-day ride, the affair is much deeper now. 
Oh, and at midnight, our new album, “saintmotelevision” came out. The bus celebrations with band and crew that followed were an absolute joy. We might not have gone to bed at an appropriate hour, but it’s not every day your major label debut album comes out!

Then it was on to NYC for the endless day of promo and a sold out album release show. More to come, friends. Thanks for reading and cheers from the back of the bus!

Cheers from the back of the bus,
Greg.

Saintmotel’s new album, Saintmotelevision drops October 21st. The fall tour runs from September 15th to October 29th. For more info check out Saint Motel’s Facebook page.

Saint Motel 2016 Fall Tour: Only Three Dates Left!
9/29 – TULSA – OK
10/1 – AUSTIN – TX
10/4 – HOUSTON – TX
10/5 – DALLAS – TX
10/7 – SAN ANTONIO – TX
10/8 – AUSTIN – TX
10/10 – ST. LOUIS – MO
10/11 – LAWRENCE – KS
10/13 – MINNEAPOLIS – MN
10/14 – MILWAUKEE – WI
10/15 — CHICAGO, IL
10/16 – INDIANAPOLIS – IN
10/17 – CLEVELAND – OH
10/19 – BOSTON – MA
10/20 – WASHINGTON – D.C.
10/21 – NEW YORK – NY
10/22 – PHILADELPHIA – PA
10/24 – CINCINNATI – OH
10/25 – NASHVILLE – TN
10/27 – CHARLOTTE – NC
10/28 – ATLANTA – GA
10/29 – NEW ORLEANS – LA