Campaign for Death Metal Purity 2010: In the Beginning...

As I sit here in the confines of my sweltering office in California, I’m overcome by
exhaustion, excitement, disappointment, exhilaration, and other adjectives that describe
my various emotional states after the official end to the Campaign for Death Metal Purity
2010. The experience was fraught with ups and downs, lefts and rights, and left hooks we never saw coming. So here I sit, with an ass load of notes and pictures and now you will witness my attempt to put this whole tour into a somewhat cohesive narrative.

In the beginning, the idea for this tour started earlier in the year shortly after Gravehill
ravaged Texas in February with Ibex Moon label mates, Hod. That’s all I know about
how this soon to be do-it-yourself (DIY) tour began. I’m just a bass player so I’m never
in the loop until someone needs money, hookers, or bags of flour. Mostly money
though. All that I know is that I was told in March we would be doing this thing and to
prepare. I follow orders very well.


As the months wore on and the time drew near to prepare for this adventurous outing, logistical issues had to be worked out. Trailers, flight arrangements, who are we staying with in what state, etc... It was a lot of work that probably prematurely aged all of us by a couple of years. Thorgrimm took the brunt of this organizational nightmare from the Gravehill camp and he looks like an 80 year old man now. At least he has all of his teeth.

Fliers were created, shirts were made, and word on the street was starting to spread. Blabbermouth ran the announcement of the upcoming tour (with the accompanying Internet nerds talking shit) and all seemed to be going according to plan. Until one fateful day only two weeks before embarking on the tour I received a rather disconcerting call from Thorgrimm. Below is a transcription:

Thorgrimm: Dude, the tour’s canceled.
Me: Hahaha, yeah right.
Thorgrimm: ...
Me: Fuck.

Tour support from the label evaporated into the air for some reason. The money we were expecting for rentals and everything else vanished. I was furious. I left my office and walked around in the parking lot fuming. After kicking a puppy into oncoming traffic, I felt a little better and talked with Thorgrimm again. I decided to go into debt and finance Gravehill’s expenses from my own pocket. Yes, I’m an idiot. But after all the hype we put into this thing, to cancel it at the last minute was unacceptable. I had met people throughout the country that were anxious to see us, Cardiac Arrest, and Hod and I felt that we had an obligation to follow through with the tour. Tom from Cardiac Arrest fronted the money for a van, while Hod’s drummer Dennis used that money to cover the expense on his credit card. We all took a hit financially.

Things had fallen apart, but they were coming back together.

Gravehill's only option was to use Thorgrimm’s personal vehicle which is a full-size SUV (With a hemi!! Whatever that is...). It was the only vehicle available that could pull a trailer as rental companies in our state are really bitchy about their van rentals, tow packages, and such (i.e. they don't allow it). I spent my own money to give the vehicle an overhaul. Everything was checked top to bottom and if a part even looked slightly worn, it was replaced. The SUV was running top notch and could hold five people so it was perfect for Gravehill. We rented a trailer on the cheap from a local friend and bought a tow package. It wasn’t a pretty trailer but it would suffice for what we needed it for. I tried to insist on stocking it with blow and maybe a dead hooker or two but everyone poopooed that idea cause we "needed the room" for important stuff. Whatevs.

Thursday, July 1st rolled around rather quickly. Gravehill met up at the practice studio in Orange, California, loaded my bass cabinet and rack, Bodybag’s guitar cabs, instruments, and personal baggage and took off. Well, most of Gravehill. I actually had a plane ticket to fly into Portland, Oregon so I would miss the first leg of the trip with the guys.

Stay tuned for the on-the-road adventures as told through the eyes of a true idiot...ME!