Today I feel compelled to write about food. I know for a fact that I personally love food, and I’m pretty sure that Julia and Jamie sympathize with my sentiments. “What,” you may ask, “is there to say about food?” Lots, and for today’s post I’m going to tell you exactly what a band eats while on the road (or at least what this one does).

Our current predicament is this: There is a direct relationship between our available funding for food and the types/amount of food we purchase while on the road. For instance, if we don’t have lots of cash to spend, then we will buy what is cheapest and only get a little of it. The thing is we never have a large pool of funding for food so we are always on the hunt for what is cheapest to purchase and most filling for the price. With that said, here is my list of the four most important food purchases while we travel.

1.) Bananas.
Yes, they are cheap, healthy, and most importantly, nowhere near as messy as other fruits are. Let’s observe a case study: Judy has very little money but wants to be healthy. She peruses the fruit isle for a tasty, sweet, healthy snack. She sees strawberries- too expensive. She eyes the oranges- way messy. Have you ever consumed an orange while driving? But then she beholds the wonderful wholeness of the bananas. They are cheap, have a low “mess factor,” and that nice hue of yellow bodes quite well with the decor of a van. Hands down, bananas win.

2.) Tortilla chips.
What is not to like about tortilla chips? They come in huge bags, are cheaper than other chips, have great flavor, and more importantly, serve a very functional purpose. As Jamie aptly points out, as you increase the intake of salt the body spends more time using fluids to get it out of your system. This equals less bathroom breaks while on the road. Tortilla chips have a lot of salt on them.

3.) Multigrain bread.
I love bread. We love bread. Therefore, we buy cheap multigrain bread and we are all happy.

4.) Water.
Water is essential. Most people don’t realize how dehydrated everyone is. Drinking water is synonymous with a happy body which is synonymous with fewer headaches which is then synonymous with a more enjoyable trip. So perhaps they aren’t all synonymous, but it gets my point across, right? The problem is this: Water is expensive at gas station stores. The solution? Drink water from rest stop water fountains, and buy bulk bottles of water at convenient stores. Seriously, you can get about 24 for 5 bucks if you know where to shop.

Well that just about sums it up. If you find yourself on the road, don’t forget these four points.

~Micah

     I feel that it is probably the right time to post some info on what is going on with  JMB as of late.  There are plenty of new things that I’m sure many of you may find interesting, or at least would like to know, and seeing that we haven’t posted since the New Year has arrived, my concience is gripping me with a sense of responsability to keep you all informed.  
      Perhaps one of the major changes to the band is our parting of ways with James.  His leaving of the band has nothing to do with division or dissent, but rather a differentiation in life objectives and goals.  He has some wonderful opportunities to use his gifts in ways that we all see as more suited to his visions and desires, and therefore, we all agreed that it was in the best interest of his persuits and our persuits to go our seperate ways.  
    What does this mean in terms of pragmatic application?  For one, it means that some of the old songs we may not play, or that others may be altered in ways that compliment three musicians instead of four.  Though we now have some limitations on instrumentation choice, it forces us to think more creatively on how to compliment the song structure with limited resources.  Oh yes, it also means you will be hearing some new songs from us soon, ones that are really talored to the sound that three musicians can produce. 

 
     Also, our spring and summer tour is being planned out, so make sure to check the official website and myspace pages to see when we are in your area.  If you’ve signed up on our email list (either at a concert or on the official website) we’ll let you know when we’ll be in your town or city.  We’ll also let you know of 
cool news, giveaways, contests, and the such.

  
    Lastly, we have taken the results of our t-shirt poll and made a decision based on your votes.  We are pretty happy with the current designs, and I think you’ll be too when you see them.  We’ll let you know when they are finished being produced, which shouldn’t be too long from now (no solid date though). 
  

  Thanks for the continual support and the willingness to be a part of our lives.  Hopefully we’ll see you soon at a show or two.  

             ~Micah