Coalesce recently embarked on their first European trek ever, so we asked them to document the journey in the form of a few tour blogs. This is the first blog in a three-part series about their touring, with each blog written by a different member of the band. This final entry was written by guitarist Jes Steineger. You can also check out Part I and Part II of these blogs.

some of the crarzy art in our hostel in berlin

Day 11: Cassiopeia (Berlin/Germany)

I had been looking forward to Berlin for the entire trip. Really, I had been looking forward to Germany in general for the entire trip. Initially, my plan was to have our driver stop in Weimar on the way from Vienna so as to see some sites affiliated with Master Goethe, but there just wasn’t time. Neither was there time to see anything affiliated with Nietzsche, Hegel, Heidegger, Kant, or Schelling either. Of the 15 days on this tour, at least 12 of those days cumulatively were on the road. 16 shows in 15 days doesn’t leave much time for anything but driving. Since most of our shows were in Germany though, we were still able to see so much of the country (in all its over-graffiti-ed glory). (more…)

One of the few graffiti pieces not done by rick ta life

Coalesce recently embarked on their first European trek ever, so we asked them to document the journey in the form of a few tour blogs. This is the first blog in a three-part series about their touring, with each blog written by a different member of the band. This entry was written by guitarist Nathan Ellis. To read the first entry in the series by vocalist Sean Ingram, click here

Day 6: Hellfest (Clisson/France)

After fighting with sleep all night in our European tour van, I awoke to the most metal McDonalds I’ve ever seen.

Hellfest had taken over Clisson, France.

"you dig it the most baby"

One Royale-with-Cheese later we were at the fest chatting with the Brutal Truth dudes and making our way into a gigantic dirt field that was one part state fair, one part Mad Max Thunderdome, and one part open-air urinal. We met up with some friends and enjoyed some soccer (sorry, football) and good company before we played. Dan and Spencer hit up the skate park behind the stage for a serious sesh that turned into a major drag. Dan fell on a bee that stung his lip and ruined his day. He was Dan one minute and then Dangelina the next. His lip swelled up like an orange wedge within 5 minutes and dude was in serious pain. He had to spend another few hours in the first aid tent listening to Satan Jokers. Meanwhile, on our side of the battlefield, it was 2 minutes till show time and our tent was a ghost town. I have to admit I was a bit nervous we’d be playing to an empty dirt cloud, but I was wrong. The crowd just knew the schedule. As soon as Mastodon stopped playing off in the distance our tent was full of very appreciative kids who didn’t seem to mind the 10 foot barricade half as much as it bothered us. We played to a completely occupied dirt cloud. (more…)

Coalesce recently embarked on their first European trek ever, so we asked them to document the journey in the form of a few tour blogs. This is the first blog in a three-part series about their touring, with each blog written by a different member of the band. This entry was written by vocalist Sean Ingram

My experiences outside of the United States are limited to a few shows in Canada, a country that might as well be America except for the small differences; like calling grape soda “raisin soda.” I am the proverbial stupid American that all Europeans supposedly have as their stereotype. I know one language fluently, and all the others I have tried to learn, well, I only know how to say “Where’s the bathroom?” I figured it’s the only phrase I’d really need to know in a pinch, since it’s pretty handy in English too. I have been short with immigrants at their various places of employment when their language skills weren’t to my convenience. In my teens, I identified with many of the ideals of the Republican Party and its world view, especially the view that America IS the world and every other country can piss off. I felt that I could potentially be a stupid American indefinitely until I embarked with my friends and band coalesce on this trip; a trip that couldn’t help but be described as life changing.

My hopes were to broaden my view of the world, and I thought that the trip might put some of the things that confuse me at home into perspective. Also, over the course of doing interviews and press for OX, there were many questions that had been asked of me that I’d never bothered thinking about. I started to think that they must be important, because they were being asked over and over again. I wanted to test some of my answers that I had been giving and see if I was being truly honest with myself and the world. My hunch was that my expectations would be reshaped or reinforced at least once every day, and for the most part, they were—as I hoped they would be. (more…)