Wie bereits bekannt sein dürfte sind THE EFFORT mit den Berliner Herrschaften von AT DAGGERS DRAWN auf Tour. Sänger Anthony führt darüber Tagebuch und stellt es uns zur Verfügung. Viel Spaß beim lesen und checkt die nachfolgenden Shows aus:

Jan 01 th 2011 Hannover, Germany @ Chez Heinz
Jan 02 th 2011 Hengelo, Germany @ The Innocent
Jan 03 th 2011 Koblenz, Germany @ Jam
Jan 04 th 2011 Stuttgard, Germany @ Jugenhaus West
Jan 05 th 2011 Bolzano, Italy @ XSUND Terlan
Jan 06 th 2011 Gorizia, Italy @ Pieffe Factory
Jan 07 th 2011 Milano, Italy @ The Flag
Jan 08 th 2011 Basel, Swiss @ Hirscheneck
Jan 09 th 2011 Paris, France @ tba
Jan 10 th 2011 Leeds, UK @ The Well
Jan 11 th 2011 Northampthon, UK @ The Soundhouse
Jan 12 th 2011 London, UK @ The Purple Turtle
Jan 13 th 2011 High Wycombe, UK @ The Roundabout
Jan 14 th 2011 Izgedem, Belgium @ Joc De Schuur
Jan 15 th 2011 Essen, Germany @ Angry Youth Fest
Jan 16 th 2011 Berlin, Germany @ Cassiopeia

Auch AT DAGGERS DRAWN berichten auf ihrem Blog über die Tour:
HIER



12-25-2010 4:38pm USA

"I'll keep getting in the van, worrying about money for the rest of my life"

Never really kept a tour journal before, but it seems like touring might be winding down and life is ever changing. I guess that means this tour is a good time to start. Christmas and holidays get harder every year they aren't spent with loved ones. This type of life is really starting to take it's toll with the relationship between my fiancé and I. Every time she says good-bye to me at an airport or in front of a van, it visibly seems easier, but we both know it's just getting harder and harder. I want more than anything for her to have the same opportunity to see the world like I do, and I hope in the future we can together .

I called my family today, and talked to those who were home. All it did was remind me that everyone gets older, and everyone dies. The older you get, the more you question how you spend your time. I love my family and siblings, but the older I get, the more I drift away from them, and the more I feel like we don't even know each other anymore. I spoke with my younger sister, and she didn't even know I was flying to Europe today. It's just as much my fault as it is her's. Everyone gets too busy for each other, it's sad.

It's freezing out, and I've packed an unbelievable amount of layers. From what I've heard, Europe has been blanketed in snow the past week, and they are only expecting more. So with that in mind, I packed for a frigid 3 weeks. I've gotten real good at learning how much I can sneak on an airplane with me, only having to check in one bag and avoiding insane baggage fees. I slightly pride myself in how good I've gotten at getting way too much stuff through airport security, especially due to ever increasing airport restrictions.

I'm on my first flight right now where I'll be connecting with the rest of the band and Marwan (a friend who is selling merchandise for us on this tour) in Philadelphia. From there we will be flying into Munich to start our grand venture. I'm actually quite nervous about this tour. We haven't played in Europe for a year and a half now and we will be touring on a new record that I feel people haven't received nearly as well as our first full length. I'm scared it will be our last tour and that no one will care. I'm afraid we will lose a lot of money, but I'm optimistic that we will have a good time, and we will finally tour Europe as a full band. I guess time will tell.

27-12-2010 2:21 Germany

"Two weeks home cripple me, because the trees don't pass, and the lines don't move"

So the past couple of days have just been go, go, go. We got picked up in Munich by At Daggers Drawn in the van used by Man Overboard and that thing smelled awful. So many McDonalds wrappers. We got to venue eventually and luckily early so we could practice. I had not toured with the band since August, so I was anxious and nervous about how it would sound. We also had hours upon hours of merch sorting to do and sadly we need to still do more tonight!

The show in Munich last night was amazing, a lot of people came out and people seemed to have a great time. We ate this great stew type meal and after the show slept like kings. Then we were given a delicious pancake breakfast in the morning. It was a great way to start off the tour.

Today we started off by visiting downtown Munich for a few hours until our driver Jaki met up with us. His van and trailer are HUGE. It took us a little bit to get everything packed, but now we are finally on the way to Wangen, Germany with both bands in this van. It's quiet and warm in this van. I think everyone feels excited but very content with life right now.


THE EFFORT beim Allschools Birthday Bash 2009

01-01-2011 3:10pm Germany

"I want to hurry home to you, put on a slow dumb show for you, and crack you up"

I have taken a few days off because it felt real nice to just sleep in the van and it took me a while to really get over my jet lag. I think I'm starting to feel the aging process from being on tour, meaning it's taking my body a lot longer to adapt compared to how quick I used to be able to.

Anyways, after the Munich show we played 3 last-minute shows and a fourth show where the date was moved. Needless to say some were hit or miss, and some were amazing.

Wangen was the first stop on the tour after Munich. It was really cool to play and see that city again. Then we played our first show in Slovakia in a city called Bratislava. They fed us some amazing food here, and there was a wood burning stove that I hungout with. Kids seemed really appreciative for us to come out there, and I'm kind of sad that we couldn't go any further east on this tour, there just wasn't enough time and money would have been too tight.

While at the Slovakian show we learned there would be a last minute show in Prague which I was really excited about. I love that city so much, the architecture is beautiful, the local food is great, and you really feel like you have found a time machine to view history. The show ended up being inside a cafe in the middle of a frozen park, and oddly enough for being booked last minute, there were a lot of people there. Everyone had a great time, and we got up really early the next morning to explore the city. We had a delicious vegan meal and then walked around for a couple hours.

George and I stuck together and got some dirty hippies (my new favorite coffee drink), had a good long walk/talk and ate some roasted chestnuts. I couldn't help but think about how great it is to catch up with friends around the world. You make such strong bonds with some people and it's really so sad that oceans hold you back from seeing them more. It makes me wonder how many close friends, you know the people who you feel really understand you and care, I would actually have on all the continents. I also couldn't help but think of how much more amazing this experience would have been if I could have also shared it with my fiancé. It hurts to feel the strings of life attach you to people, only to pull and tug at them. It feels like all the strings are made by the good and bad times you make with people and they are connected straight to my heart. The best times in my life are now spent with my love, and reminders of those times now pull every string in my heart so tightly because we are so far away. The pain reminds me how to feel again though, so all I can really do is welcome it and wait to get back home.

After we explored we headed to Zwiesel, Germany for another last minute show. When we got there it was freezing and we couldn't make it all the way up to the unloading area because it recently snowed. So we had to quickly unload the equipment and carry it up a hill. Then I had to help turn the trailer around by hand and got trailer grease all over my pants, bummer. The show ended up being really cool, and overwhelmingly had a young audience which I think is awesome. I was having a great time until beer got spilled all over my backpack. I got all bent out of shape over it because I hate the smell of beer and cigarettes all over my possessions. I don't care what people do with their bodies, I just hate that because of what they do recklessly and in disregard of others, my stuff smells awful. Whatever though. We tried to play Risk after the show, but the dice were missing. Needless to say, this day was not my day.

Last night was the New Years Eve show in Rosswein, Germany. We played this same show two years ago, so The Effort was excited to be invited again. The show ended up being the best of tour so far, and both The Effort and At Daggers Drawn had a blast. It was really cool to see familiar faces from around the world, and to then have a great fireworks display with them. I'm not much of a party guy or dancer so I was one of the first to go back to our hostel and crash with Christian, Marwan and our driver Jaki. Everyone else had a great time dancing at the after party.

Now we are on our way to Hanover, Germany. From what I've heard, kids are pretty excited about this show, which makes us all excited! Also, I'll try to be better about updating this thing haha



THE EFFORT am 01.01.2011 in Hannover

02-01-2011 4:14pm Netherlands

"I'm a person just like you, but I've got better things to do.."

The show in Hannover last night ended up being very cool. We got there pretty much on time and was able to load in and enjoy ourselves for a little bit before having to set up merch and such. The show went over very well and we got a great reaction. It was really cool to see some of our old friends from Bremen and Northern Germany.

After the show the promoter took us to the venue's band flat and we all had an amazing night's sleep. I woke up feeling really sick though. I was so filled with mucus I couldn't breathe. Great, tour sickness. We packed our stuff and headed to the Netherlands. I watched "Braveheart" on the way in and got pumped on FREEEEEEDOOOOOOMMM!

Now I'm sitting at this venue behind the merch table by myself in a room filled with smoke and foreign language. It's times like right now when you realize how completely alone and vulnerable you are in a foreign country. I don't know where either band is, normally I'd be concerned but I'm enjoying the peace and space to myself. I can only understand the english from the same repeating Minor Threat and American Nightmare songs, I'll use the background noise of another language as music for meditation.

03-01-2011 5:55pm Germany

"Peasants, paupers, pilgrims, they are all the same. They give their dollars to god but they need their pay."

The show last night in Hengelo ended up being pretty good. It was weird though, people seemed to enjoy it, but nobody wanted to get close to the stage for any of the bands. After the show was over we played some Mariocart and I went to bed. I woke up ridiculously early, at around 5am and just couldn't go back to sleep.

I drifted in and out of consciousness until 9am when Basti, Jordan and I went to the grocery store to buy some Speculoos. I was so thrilled they had it there because I had been dreaming about Speculoos spread since our last European tour. I ended up buying 7 jars of it so I could take some home.

Once we ate breakfast and got packed we started the drive to Koblenz, Germany. It was a pretty quick and uneventful drive. I fell asleep while everyone watched The Burbs on the TV because I was laying in the loft. I'm really sick of sleeping on the drives but the windows are covered with fog and ice so you can't even window watch. Touring in the winter kind of sucks.

Now I'm in the backstage area at the venue we are playing, listening to my iPod and writing. I just set up the merch, and I have nothing to do but relax and let my mind wander. Turns out it's a Christian run or funded venue, this kind of situation always feels weird to me, but a show is a show and a place to speak is a place to speak. Let's hope I just don't offend anyone because we are supposed to sleep here as well.



THE EFFORT am 01.01.2011 in Hannover

04-01-2011 3:51pm Germany

"America I've given you all and now I am nothing"

Yesterday's show in Koblenz ended up being a very good show! The place was packed and kids went off. It's too bad we are all feeling sick, especially Jordan. I'm pretty sure he ODed on Excedrin yesterday because he took too much medicine and was acting like a grumpy zombie.

After the show we went to get some falafel, and then while the Germans hung out at a bar we walked through Koblenz to look at some of the historical sites. We went to this amazing old monument that was a large horse statue on top of a structure that appeared to be built in the 1300's. Overlooking the monument was a castle perched up on massive moss covered cliffs. It was breath taking. I couldn't help but think of all the people who's feet had walked the steps I was walking on for the past 700 years. You can't find history that old in the US, and if there was something that old, our culture has done everything to not preserve or even destroy it.

I think we just made it to Stuttgart, Germany for our show tonight. I'm really stoked that we are playing a bunch of cities in Germany that we havent played before. However I'm kind of bummed that we haven't played as many squats as before.

06-01-2011 9:42pm Italy

"They told me to be careful up there, where the wind rages through your hair"

It's been a long few days. We've all been sick and it's effecting our van rides. Everyone has just been sleeping constantly. The show in Stuttgard ended up being very cool. We met up with The Carrier there and a friend I had met who was on tour with Unrestrained and Anchor this summer came out to the show. We got a great reaction and for the first time ever, I was able to play a set and then literally walk off stage and take a shower (for the first time in days). It felt great!

After the show, The Carrier went out to a bar with our merch dude, while the rest of The Effort played a ruthless game of Risk. After our game we passed out, because we needed to wake up and get on the road for a long drive to Bolzano, Italy. During this drive we got pulled over by German customs so they could search and drug test us. Comical, I know.

I always love the drive to Italy though. The Alps offer some of the most beautiful scenery I will probably ever see. We got to Balzano a lot quicker than expected so we just hung out and played table soccer while slowly setting up. The show in Balzano ended up being absolutely amazing. Everyone was moving, stage diving and singing along during our set. Then after the show was done, all the kids stuck around and sang along and danced to the hardcore songs the DJ was playing. It was really cool! The scene out there still loves hardcore and that's so awesome to see.

We really had luck on our side, because not only was it a great show, but we were told that they actually were going to put us up in a hostel after the show! Oh yeah and the hostel would have free breakfast! But our luck ended on the way there when we were pulled over by the fascist Italian police.

The police had no probable cause, they were yelling at us for no reason and actually asked our merch guy why his middle name was Hussein and if he praised Allah. We all felt highly embarrassed for them. When we finally got away from them and made it to the hostel we were all exhausted and just ready to sleep for hours. It was 2:00am at this point and the guy at the front counter told us breakfast started at 7 and check out was at 9. I want more sleep though haha!

I ended up sleeping like a rock and woke up right when I needed to for breakfast. So a little after 9, we piled into the van and headed to a last minute show in Civitanova Marche, Italy (what a mouthful). It ended up being like a 7 hour drive, but we got here pretty early and apparently the show won't start until 11:00pm!

The kids here have been nothing but amazing to us so far. The have fed us multiple times and in fact I was literally just handed a vegan cupcake haha! They have really done so much for us considering this show was so last minute. I can't wait to see how the show will go though!