From Will Pugh:

Day 4 (Pittsburgh - Impromptu Day Off!!)
We slept off the fun of the previous night and awoke to a great idea presented by The Cab who, consequently, found themselves with an empty day sheet as well. The idea was to go to the Falcons-Steelers game at Heinz field. Brilliant! We had a nice game of beer pong prior to kickoff and I’ll let you know that yours truly sucks at beer pong. So, I had to drink a bunch of beer. Poor me. Haha. We all had a blast and went our separate ways afterward to be reunited at a later date.

Day 5 (Cleveland)
The Grog Shop is a classic underground venue. It reminds you of your first tour but has an undeniable charm. We were all feeling “it” pretty hard after the whirlwind in Pittsburgh but we managed to kick ass anyhow. Some local Cleveland fellows showed us some much needed hospitality which is always appreciated. All in all, if you can get coffee and sushi all in a 5 minute walk, it’s gonna be a good day. Indeed.

Day 6 (Columbus)
The Basement is one of the Cartel mainstays in tour world that’s always fun to play. Columbus has been a Cartel city for a long time and we always enjoy our journeys in BrOhio. By this point in time we had gotten into the tour groove where you kinda forget what day it is or how long you’ve been gone. This phenomenon is what keeps you sane during long stints on the road. It was good to see some old friends who’ve been coming to Cartel shows in C-bus for years. It really makes you warm inside to see folks 7 years later that were at your first show in that city and never missed one. We’re truly honored to have fans like that.

Day 7 (Joliet, IL)
We arrived at Mojoe’s just in time to find out they had a noise curfew at 5 which means no sound until then. It’s a typical restriction with venues that share buildings with other businesses. No big deal - to the Bar!! After killing time we banged out a soundcheck and proceeded to get some much needed football passes in the parking lot (what we refer to as “getting salty”). Since there weren’t any dressing rooms, we headed to the balcony bar to take in the show before we played. Matt Toka was the third band (of 5) that night and they KILLED it. We grew up going to shows full of energy and punk rock spirit. We may not exude that much energy in our shows (I.e. Jumping around, guitar spins, backflips, etc.) but we certainly appreciate when we see it elsewhere. Matt Toka is just old school energy up there. No fancy stuff - just shredding, shredding, and more shredding. We had a great time watching them play and the Metallica tangent during one song really sealed the deal. We had a fun show and went back to the hotel to consume some Chicagoland pizza. Delish! Bedtime followed.

Day 8 (University of Toledo)
I’m currently writing you from the drive to this show. We love playing colleges and can’t wait to add this one to the repertoire. You’ll get an update on this show and the 2 remaining show in a few days along with some sweet updates regarding our upcoming EP. Get ready.