Final Weekage as told by Stephanie Liana Kulla

Oh, hello my dear dear friends. Well let me start out with our usual pleasantries of my apologizing to you. I am dreadfully sorry for my delay in getting this blog posted in a timely fashion. You are all so kind to understand (as you may have picked up from the blog) we are very very busy people. 

Well this is it! the last week of tour. Let me just say this… it was the longest week of my young adult life. And you will soon learn why. 

It all started in Phoenix Arizona on Sunday. We played the show, which was at an outdoor venue, in the smoldering heat of the Arizona desert. I would like to note that our stage clothes were not designed for Arizona weather conditions. The boys in their tweed and wool coats and I in my black dress and tights were, for lack of a better word.. HOT. But we did enjoy our time and continually reminded ourselves of how we were freezing our tushes off in Pittsburg a few weeks ago, and would have given anything to feel that Arizona sun. So, there you have it. Monday morning Matt dropped me off at the airport to fly to Colorado, and the rest of the crew headed out to in the van. I had a lovely time visiting my friend in Fort Collins! (Melissa if you are reading this, I love you!) And the band stopped in Albuquerque for a day and then we all meet up at the Denver airport on Tuesday night. We had a show at a Catholic University. So we hopped on the last plane out of Nashville, already exhausted from the week, and it was only Tuesday! SO we arrived in Fort Lauderdale Florida at around 12:30 am. We drove out to the college and when we got in, we crashed into dorm rooms, much like a group of students during a grueling finals week.  Wednesday morning we work up after some much needed sleep, and toured the campus of Ave Maria Catholic University. It was beautiful.. beautiful and hot and Catholic. I would like to comment on the fact that we were all very interested to see how this show was going to work out. We were apprehensive, were we the right fit? They know we aren’t Catholic right? Anyway, we had a nice day walking around and getting fried in the sun till we looked like lobsters. 

We played our show that night, outdoors at what looked like a wedding reception. All of the people were sitting around tables eating and talking, and far removed from all the festivities, illuminated by the florescent glow of a zillion watt floodlights, was I Am The-Lobster. Yes, it was becoming very clear to us that we were not cut out for this gig. We were starting to realize that a worship band from Carson City Nevada did not belong out here in Ave Maria. The moment it became blazingly obvious was when a slightly drunk man waltzed up to the stage and asked us to play either Free Bird, or Wagon Wheel!  We knew it was over. And so dear reader, we painstakingly played through our worship set, filled with heartfelt songs that no one knew, or cared about… but we knew and we cared, and we still made the best of it and worshiped nonetheless. The crowed began to dwindle, unimpressed by our yammering on and on about our story and where we came from, till at the end of the night, we closed out our set in front of 15 people, all still waiting to hear Free Bird. We were sorry to disappoint them.. but then again, not really. Sorry folks. And so the night came to a close, I am proud to report that we sold all of one CD. Haha, oh dear reader, we must learn to laugh at these things, because they are bound to happen. I must say that it was the most awkward show we have had in a very long time. But, no one threw tomatoes, or shot marshmallows at us. So, there is that. I must say though, we were very thankful for how accommodating and kind our hosts were. They spared no expense to make us feel comfortable and at home. There is community in that and we were truly grateful for the opportunity. But we will live and learn, I hope we can return to Ave Maria someday, perhaps under different circumstances. We packed up all our gear and drove out to the hotel which was about two hours from the college. Our flight left early the next morning. Running on 3 hours of sleep we headed to the airport to make our way back to Colorado. We landed and headed straight to Colorado Springs for the show. With spicy eyes and disheveled hair we tumbled into the venue, trying hard not to lie down and fall asleep on any flat slightly soft surface we saw. The Colorado show was full to the brim! It was especially great for me because my best friend was able to come out and see the show. It meant so much for her to be able to see what I do, to see me doing what I love. 

So the next day we were off to Lubbock Texas. Let me note my friends, that at this point in the week, we had already been in 4 states. This was yet another show that we played on 2-3 hours of sleep. I was so surprised that none of us had said anything deliriously embarrassing from the microphone! I guess we have coffee and redbull to thank for that. The show on Saturday was also in Texas, but we had to drive across the entire state, seeing as it was in Huston. Y’all… Texas is big. It took us all day to drive the width of the state. But we made it.. again, exhausted and smelling of taco bell and gasoline. Are you noticing a patter here my dears? Can you see the bags under our eyes yet? 

This brings us to the very last show of our ver first tour. Bossier City Louisiana. This show was so fantastically bittersweet. My friends, I know that I have spent a lot of this blog complaining and telling you how grueling it is to be out on the road, but I do want to be sure that I communicate to you how much we absolutely LOVE what we are doing, and the capacity that we get to do it in. It is fun to joke about the hardships of the road and how sucky it can be sometimes, but I am here to tell you that it is all worth it. It is so worth it to be able to get up on that stage every night and play our songs and hope to God that people listen and that people are affected and changed. I would not trade it for anything in the world. 

The last show of the tour is usually full of fun loving pranks and silly things, I’m sad to say that no one pranked poor old I Am They, seeing as we had gotten robbed and all, I think people felt sorry for us and were trying to be sensitive or whatever… which is a shame, for I very much wanted David Crowder to coming up in a tutu ad dance to From the Day. Ahh well, maybe next year. 

My dear friends. I am writing to you from thousands of feet up in the air. We are on a plane to Las Vegas, which will then take us to Reno… we are thrilled to be going home. 

The next time I write to you will be to account for the Spring tour with Matt Maher. It has been such a pleasure annoying, offending and informing you of our many adventures. 

I am happy to report that we are all very well, and that we are all very tired. Our bellies are full of fried chicken and creamed corn, and our hearts are full of memories, ones we will never dream to forget. 

We are I Am They. We are a little band from Carson City Nevada. We just toured the country, traveling over 20,000 miles over the corse of 6 weeks. 

We are in love with the Lord and in love with our band and our music. 

and life? Life my dearest heart, is WONDERFUL. 

I love you all. 

Till next time, 

your honestly blunt, 

curiously crass bloggist, 

Stephanie Liana Kulla 

Week Four and Five (because I am an excellent procrastinator) as told by Stephanie Liana Kulla.

Oh my dear friends... How terrible I am, I have left you for far too long. 

I have grand excuses as to why,  but it seems that the first paragraph of every blog consists of my apologizing to you for some form of lacking in my delivery to you. So let us just assume, and why not, make it a tradition of sorts, that I will more than likely always be late, and always have something to complain about in this first paragraph. Alright so I do believe that is out of the way for this week. I will be covering about two weeks of our adventure since I failed to report to you sooner. But there will be brevity in some parts I promise. 

Alright where did I leave you.. Ah yes, we were driving across the country, I hate Kansas, stayed the night in Boise. I remember, you remember? 

So we arrived in Kent at around midnight, Raul and Matt had already arrived at the hotel and were asleep in their beds. So we all climbed into clean beds not pre-slept in by bus drivers for the last time this week. We woke up and headed into Seattle for the morning. We walked around Pikes Place Market in the unusually sunny warm weather. Folks I am convinced that Seattle is lying to us, every time I have been there, it is bright and sunny, they just want to keep all the beauty to themselves… selfish. Anyway we had an enjoyable morning and afternoon in Seattle then headed back to Kent for the show. The next day, Oh this day of days was the most intense and important day on the entire tour. So we were on our way to Portland, and there is a beautiful rest stop along the way called Multonoma Falls. SO naturally, our eyes, which had up till that point only seen those white and yellow lines racing by at a glorious pace, where hungry for something different. We pulled into the parking lot all sleepy eyed with full bladders, and went to take care of that ::ahem:: and we walked up to take a picture of the glorious waterfall. It was raining fairly hard so we didn’t stay long at all. We walked back to the van… and this is where this lovely afternoon took a very drastic turn for the worst dear reader. When we approached our van, Matt announced that all of our things had been stolen! at first, I did not believe it. I thought Matt was messing with us, till I walked up to the van to see the inside emptied of all of our backpacks, purses, wallets and laptops. Our stomachs dropped and our hands covered our mouths to stay the screams of frustration. Bandits! Thieves! Were were taken for fools and in the corse of a mere ten minutes, we had been robbed! I know, it is a truly crazy and unbelievable thing, but as we all got on the phone with the police, credit card companies and insurance agents… it felt very real. So we waited for the police to come, and we filed a report with him… then we realized that we still had a show that we had to get to, so with heads hung low, we crept out of the parking lot with heavy hearts, probably never to return to Multnoma falls. We arrived at the venue and news had spread to everyone on tour of our terrible incident. And as we sulked into the stadium many of our tour mates rushed to our aid. Asking us what we needed, offering up everything from whole lap tops to much needed hugs and consolation. I must say dear reader, I have never felt such a sense of community and Christianity as I did on that day, Which is why I said earlier that this day was the most important day of the entire tour, at least for me. It was such an amazing experience seeing everyone band together and come around us in love to see us through this trial. That is what Christ called us to. He called us to love and to be the hands and feet. I am happy to report that our faith is real and it was applied to us and filled us to overflowing. And so, although we were tossed by the waves of the unexpected, we were lifted up out of the storm by community and faith that Jesus had a plan and that He would redeem the situation. Sp we spent the night in Portland at a very strange nifty hotel, our spirits refreshed and our hearts in a place of trusting and surrender, a posture our circumstances brought on, but one that in remembering, were convicted to remain in. The next day we were off to Spokane, our last show before we could finally return for a few days. The Spokane show went so well, considering the events of the day prior, we were so ready for what the Lord was going to do, and very much relying on Him for strength. A position that we should always be in. After the show, we all jumped in the van and I drove us through the night. Watching blacked out hills back lit by the blue cold light of the moon rush past, we were worn out, we were beaten down, we were burnt out, but we were going home. Home, a place and feeling that hadn’t graced our souls for over five weeks. 15,000 miles of road had replaced the feelings and presence of home in our lives… and we could not wait to taste the sweet Nevada air once more. 

Dear reader, I NEVER thought I would be so happy to see the city of Sparks Nevada as I was when we saw that gaudy colorful sign welcoming us in, and the skyline of our biggest little city. We were home! Home and it felt so good, it took everything in me not to drop to my knees and kiss that sweet Nevada earth. We all went our separate ways for these few short heavenly days of rest, but I can say with full confidence that our beds saw much of our weary bodies, and our tummies were met with much In-N-Out. 

Since I have your attention my dears, I will continue on to this weeks events! Considering that I have a serious issue with time management, and the fact that we got robbed and all that… not that I am at all using  that as an excuse…. haha. 

Ahem, so anyway this week has been going swimmingly well! It is a very different feel out here on the West coast, and I have to say, the shows out here have been better attended and the people have felt more energetic and into the music, which makes us love the West Coast so much more. 

On Thursday we had a show in Sacramento. So that morning we were able to wake up in our own beds, get ourselves ready, and then drive to the Sacramento show. That was a very strange feeling, but also lovely that we were so close to home. This show was very surreal for us, because all of our friends and families came, and were about to see what we have been up to for the past few months. It was great to show them that we haven’t just been twiddling our thumbs and eating twinkles. I personally got to take my parents back stage and show them the “glamor” of the stadium bathrooms and dressing rooms. I even think we spotted some puke stains on the ground at some point. Needless to say they were SUPER impressed. I now realize that sarcasm can be easily lost in translation, especially in Blog world… so Ill refrain henceforth. We left the Sleep Train Arena full of love and life, inspired by our families and friends that this is what we were made to do. Their support keeps us going, they have no idea how important their presence is to us and how crucial it is to what we are called to do. The next day we headed to Fresno, which was a hop and a skip of a drive, which meant that we had all the time in the world to eat some delicious pancakes with some folks from KLOVE. Then, with bellies full of sweet doughy goodness we drove to Fresno, and stepping out of the car into the humid warm air, we were reminded of freezing Pittsburg just weeks before, and again were thrilled to be back on our glorious coast. Please pardon this next sentence, as it is very corny and it rhymes, but it may be the truest thing I say in this entire blog…. THE WEST COAST IS THE BEST COAST. There its done. 

Well that brings us to where I am currently dear reader… thats right, on my bench in the van, driving through the sunny hills of California. We are on our way to play a show in Long Beach. Tomorrow we have our last show of the week in Phoenix, then the band drives to Colorado while I fly there to visit my best friend for a few days. 

So I believe this is where I will leave you, until next week (no promises tho) 

I do hope that my regaling of our adventures has not bored you too much… although if it had, you would most likely not be reading this. 

I would like to remind you that life is wonderful, that beauty is everywhere, and that you are loved, very much. 

Always yours, honestly,

a blunt bloggist 

Stephane Liana Kulla. 

Week Three- As told by Stephanie Liana Kulla.

Well my dear friends, It seems to be that my first blog post, which was conveniently on a Monday… was in fact an anomaly, considering  that I have not managed to meet that deadline since. Forgive me, as I am sleep deprived and lazy, as any young musician should be. 

I am currently writing to you from my bench in the van. We are on our way to Washington currently.  We just got Jean Claude cleaned for the very first time. This poor abused hunk of metal and gears deserved a bath to say the least. 

So let me fill you in on this last week, as I believe it has been the most eventful and strangely fantastical week of this tour thus far. I will pick up where I left you on the edge of your seat last week… thats right, I was doing my laundry and going to bed at 2 am. 

So, we had a rehearsal space rented in Nashville for four hours, as we needed to run through our set for this two hour show we are playing in Florida in a few weeks. Folks, playing music for two solid hours is a lot of work. Now I am NOT complaining in any way, I’m just saying, hey! it is hard! Anyway, we rehearsed, and then went to our managers office for a little debrief meeting. I would just like to pause story time for a moment to state that our managers are AMAZING! (blake or jim if you are reading this, I’m not trying to kiss up, I’m just being honest) Seriously they look out for our best interests and they want us to succeed. I am so very very blessed by all that they do for us, they are like our family, I do not know where we would be without them… probably back in Nevada playing a show in Dayton or something (sorry anyone who lives in Dayton and actually likes it.) Ok I’ve said my piece. 

So we went to our manager’s office for a quick meeting and then headed out of town, we decided to head to columbus a day early because, yes... once again your deductive skills are exceptionally accurate… a snow storm was heading our way. Now THIS is where our lives got exceptionally ironic my friends, because it was not two hours into our journey that we got trapped in a snow storm in Kentucky. You may have read about it on USA today. Thats right, we drove straight into the jowls of this ice monster with full confidence that we were being responsible and precautionary. HA!

So we sat there… bumper to bumper, the break lights of a hundred cars trailed in front of us, glowing and blinking, painting the white snow like a florescent river that flowed into endless oblivion. We sat there, we talked, we slept, we ate a plethora of sodium filled, partially hydrogenated snacks and for twelve hours we existed like this. After a painstakingly long and tedious path off the highway and into Elizabethtown, the six members of I Am They creeped into the parking lot of a Days Inn. Then all of a sudden, our rubber wheels were no longer pushing us forward.. the faint smell of burning rubber wafted through the vents, and the sound of a small cat screeching for attention flooded our ears… we were stuck. Trapped like rats! On a sheet of thick of ice just FEET away from the motel, our van decided that enough was enough and it wouldn’t go a foot fu ther. Well played Jean Claude, well played. This moment was honestly laughable, we knew even as we were down in the ice and snow digging out our tires and pushing that beast over that hump of frozen water, that this was a memory that we would never forget, that this was an adventure and it was one that we got through together. And so, with frozen toes and fingers, we tramped through the snow to our motel rooms which were, of course, in the farthest building on the back side, on the second floor, with only precariously icy stairs to get us there. But we got there nonetheless, for we were determined my dears, we had made our toes and hands and hearts the promise of a clean bed and sleep, and gosh darn it, if we are not men of our word, than what are we?!? The clock read 6:15am, we closed the shades to keep out the sunlight that was swiftly coming, and slept. 

Day two trapped in Elizabethtown, we woke up at around 2pm with growling tummies and headaches from the bazar 24 hours we had just survived. I would love to report that the madness ended there, but that would be a fallacy. We emerged from our sleeping dens to fill our bellies with something other than pringels and trail mix, and discovered that most of the business and restaurants were closed, due to the fact that no one could get to work, and the places that were still open were being run by faithful employees that had been there for over 20 hours. All I have to say is thank the good Lord for Waffle House, for it fed our bellies twice over. We ate and went back to our rooms to sleep, because the next day we were to brave the snow and head to Pittsburg. Oh yes, I had quite forgotten to mention dear reader that the show in Columbus Ohio was canceled due to the fact that the entire tour cast and production crew were trapped in the antarctic that this Kentucky had become. So back to our beds we went, expectant of the painstakingly slow journey that awaited us with the coming of the sun. And there was evening, and there was morning, the third day.

 On our way to Pittsburg we were thrilled to not be in Elizabethtown anymore, because (contrary to the cinematic feature) it was so dull we thought we may go crazy if we were to be trapped there a day more. But no! we sped down the freeway to a much more exciting and thrilling locale. Helllllooooo PITTSBURG! We were so grateful to be back into the groove of playing a show, all of the setting up and tearing down seemed like a privilege compared to our last three days of captivity. The city of Pittsburg, with is roar and bomb of industry, its grand old buildings color block with eras past, was very good to us. It’s frosty air froze our tushes off… but we weren’t in Elizabethtown anymore! We slept sweetly across the river, our hotel looking out across that icy current, peering into the concrete maze all lit up like christmas presents underneath a great pine tree of promise and potential. The sun coaxed the night back behind the hills once more with the promise of rebirth, and we made our way back to Kentucky. No don’t you worry, Louisville this time. We arrived at the venue, the scent of cow manure and hey hung thick in the air. We were playing in the convention center that was also hosting a cattle show. Perfect. I will say this dears, this scent did remind me of home, and tugged on my heart with longing for the damp valley of washoe and the towering sierras. I am happy to report to you that the Louisville show that night was the best show we have had so far. Everything went off without a hitch, the technology didn’t fail us, the people were kind and loving, and the air smelled like sweet sweet cow crap! Who could ask for anything more! After the show we all headed to the hotel to get some much needed rest for tomorrow the dads (Matt and Raul) would fly home to spend some mandatory  time with their families, and Adam, Sara, Justin and I would start our drive across the country. 

The next morning I woke up with 500 miles stuck in my head, perhaps it was my subconscious mocking me with the many miles our lives were about to cross over and the time it would consume. With the persistent and peppy lyrics still ringing in my head, we rolled out of the parking lot of the comfort in and set our corse for Topeka Kansas. Dear friends… I do not think I have ever been more bored or upset with landscape than when driving through Kansas. It took everything in me to not scream “WHY GOD?!?” at the top of my lungs when every few  minutes or so. I would look at the clock thinking hours must have gone by, and realize that it had only been a few minutes. Kansas if flat as a pancake y’all… and at least twice as big as a pancake. A friend from the tour warned us that we would hate our lives driving through Kansas, and boy was he right. So we pushed on, painful mile after painful mile (by the way I know I am being unusually cruel to Kansas, but I promised you honestly and frankness and that is what I shall give you.) Plus I triple dog dare ANYONE from Kansas to disagree with the fact that driving through your state stinks. Ok off the soap box of sucky Kansas, we arrived in Topeka…. wait I’m not done railing on Kansas yet. Ok Topeka WHERE ARE YOUR CIVILIANS? This “town” literally looked like it had just been hit my a zombie apocalypse. The four of us were not only in fear for our lives, afraid that a hungry zombie was lurking around every corner, but we were just plain sad. Mini corn dogs and terrible tacos for dinner… bed. Another day, another day that we were not going to be driving through Kansas. Let me just say, there is nothing that will make you appreciate landscape like driving through… well you get it. Our destination was Laramie Wyoming. So we drove, trees and hills rushing by like some glorious smeared oil painting. Peering out of our bug gut splattered windshield, we wondered at the vastness of our great country. We were amazed by the miles and miles of uninhabited land. Wyoming was a beautiful drive, the landscape is starting to look more and more like home, just heading towards the west coast is making us heart sick for our families and our beds. We stopped in Denver Colorado for  dinner and some excellent ice cream of course. We arrived in Laramie and buried our heads into fluffy white pillows and dreamed dreams of the day that we would not being sitting in a moving vehicles for ten plus hours every day. And in the morning we were off to Boise! We had developed a system of rotating drivers.. the three of us (Justin cannot drive dear reader, due to his record) and so we each drive a little each day so as to not wear ourselves out. I just wanted to say this so that you were not concerned for our safety. We got into Boise safe and sound and ate some fantastic food. We stayed at a friend’s parent’s house, and I must say that I was green with envy over this home. It was right out of a magazine, I swear the only thing that was missing was the scent of fresh baked cookies wafting through the air and I would have promised my first born in exchange for that little slice of reality heaven. We enjoyed not sleeping in a hotel room. And now I bring you to today… because I have no work ethnic or time management skills, I am using my “time away from the wheel” to write to you dear reader of our many senseless adventures. Today we slept in and tumbled out of bed and went to get some food and then we cleaned Jean Claude, because he was VERY VERY dirty (I’m sure you can imagine.) Now we are on the road to Kent Washington. We are set to pick up Matt and Raul from the airport, and all head to the hotel tomorrow. We have almost completed our journey across the country, and I couldn’t be more elated! 

I now realize that I have said too much, and must stop before I start ranting about Kansas again. 

Forgive me dears for my silly brain and the way I express it’s frustrations in my uninteresting words. 

I will try to do better next week. 

Till then, I remain truly and tiredly yours. 

Stephanie Liana Kulla. 

Week Two, As Told By Stephanie Liana Kulla

Hello bloggisphere!
Welcome back to another belated post from a procrastinating, sleep deprived, caffeine sustained road warrior. Yes, it is I, Stephanie Kulla, coming to you once again with tales of our many adventures across the great highways and byways of this America.
Week two out on the road has been eventfully sensational. It is so surreal, that at times I feel as if I am peering into the window of someone else's crazy life watching events and experiences unfold.
But alas dear reader, this is our reality now, a different city every day, a different hotel room every night, faces upon faces, song after song, joy upon joy.
After making a quick Target run the night before to buy some gloves (the weather man predicted temperatures of four degrees) we crept out of our warm safe beds and ventured out in the great unknown once more. Shivering our tushes off in the frosty morning air, our breath hug about like little clouds of dewy cotton, whisping in the unforgiving air. This week we were joined by a dear friend, Elizabeth Chan. A lass with many skills ranging from drummer to road manager to karate enthusiast. Elizabeth, or as I affectionately called her, Liza, joined our motley crew of bustling bodies for this week's bunch of shows. She offered up her knowledge of her experiences on the road, which we welcomed with open arms and heart, because as you know dear reader, (we haven't the slightest clue what we are even doing out here.) But lets keep that between us?
Alright, onward to Indianapolis! We played at the Pacer's stadium the first night, honestly I know nothing of the world of sports, so please do not confuse this statement with any sort of knowledge (or interest) on my part. The show went well, we are learning more and more every time we walk up onto that platform. Hearts still race with every step we take up that graded metal ramp. Every fiber in our bodies questioning weather or not these whole thing is even a good idea... Wouldn't it just be easier and less stressful to have a cup of tea and read the paper? NO! This is what we were made to do! This is where we are supposed to be! Another day, another night, and we are off to Charlottesville Virginia. As we drove through the rambling snowy mountain's of Virginia, we were overcome by it's beauty. The quite frozen ground made a perfect bed for the groves of naked oak and aspen trees covering the hillsides. The rain pattered on the windows and made for a peaceful and serene drive. The show had a few hiccups. Our laptop died, so we didn't have any tracks. We switched sets with the fellow who usually plays after us, so our computer had time to charge, and once we went on, we were short on time and had to cut a song. Oh! Technology, why do you vex us so? Why art tho so cruel? Thy cold wheels and cogs turn against us all too often! But alas! We made it through. Needless to say, waking up at five in the morning and driving for nine hours to play two songs can be slightly discouraging. But like I have mentioned before, and now have to remind myself, we are so fresh and new at this, we will make better mistakes tomorrow.
On the last day of February, we headed to Charleston West Virginia. On the night of this show, Stephanie Liana Kulla was the one to mess up the whole shebang! Yes, yes it was as if I had a brain aneurysm. I have sung these song, what seems like a thousand times, and on eve of the first of march, the space between my ears decided to become vacant for all of five seconds and I forgot to sing the first three lined of our first song. Oh the humanity! But here is the thing my dears, we musn't take ourselves too seriously. If we did that, we might all be trotting around that stage in spandex wheedling keytars, peering at our diehard fans though rose colored sunglasses. I am happy to report that we are not there (yet). Pray for us... I think I may have seen a spandex suit in someone's garment bag, I will let you know how that situation transpires. And on the first day of March we traveled to Cabondale Illinois. This show was very special for us, because one, it was Sunday, and on Sunday's the tour employees a massage therapist for the artists... yes that is right, you just put your name on a list and magical hands take away all the stress and turmoil of life on the road. You can only sleep on a  van bench for so long before your spine transforms into a pile of chunky pudding. Anyway other than message day, there were people from our label and management company coming to the show, and we were all so excited to see some familiar faces! I am pleased to report that it was our best show so far! The technology didn't go on strike and neither did my brain! We got great feedback from our friends and with the night coming to an end, we piled into the van all exhausted an more than ready for a few days of peace and quiet.
Turning over and looking at the clock and seeing a time other than 4:30 am was a foreign to me. We were able to sleep in before heading back to Nashville. We are staying at the Barcus manor, the head of A&R at our label. This family is like our own. We feel very welcomed and loved by them. We stay up late with the kids cracking up at youtube videos and eating potato chips. We miss home... We miss our families. But in this strange makeshift life we are leading of new faces and new places, we are hungry for connection and any kind of normalcy. We feel that here, we feel apart of something normal, and that is refreshing to our spirits. We are here for a few days. I am writing to you now, waiting for my laundry to dry. We are heading out to Ohio a day early to avoid getting trapped in, yep you guessed it, another ice storm. Lord what is this ice storm thing? We would love to know!
Anyway, the buzzer just sounded, and I have some folding to do!

Until next weeks word vomit.

I remain faithfully, honestly, and crassly
Your Bloggist
Stephanie Liana Kulla

Week One - As told by Stephanie Liana Kulla

Hello dear friends!
Please excuse my tardiness in getting this to you a day late (not that you are really concerned with such things,) but yesterday was a little busy and the bloggisphere took a back seat in the agenda for the day. But now I come to you, ready and willing to share the triumphs and tribulations of I am they as we hustled and bustled through this first week of touring.

To begin at the beginning, I will say two words ice... storm. I had no concept of what this weather phenomenon would entail till I walked out of our little rental house to see our poor van (affectionately named Jean Claude Van Van) covered in an inch thick sheet of ice. And looking up to see the branches of the trees crystalized with frosty solid water was beautiful, but at the same time infuriating! How is it possible for water to solidify so quickly that is remains clear on the branches and twigs as if it were a lacquer created to preserve those branches forever.  The feeling that you will never be warm again is one of panic and disdain. I can speak for everyone in the band when I say that we were so happy to be heading to the warmer climate of Dallas, TX that day. But first, getting out of the drive way. We strapped two chains onto our back tires and shuffled all of our luggage and instruments into the trailer, our hurried breaths hanging in the air. Like little chimneys we puffed and pouted, letting our warmth out into the great unknown, only to have it disappear into the vast cold.  But never mind all that, we were on our way! Nothing could put a damper on the fact that we were finally setting of on this tour that we had been preparing for for months! Nothing that is, except breaking a chain on the freeway and having to pull over to take the one remaining chain off... NO! Nothing could dampen our spirits, onward friends! Onward to our future! Let us see how this new life will be!
We drove through five states to get to the glorious state of Texas. We arrived late in the evening to a friends house a couple hours outside of Dallas. We were greeted with hugs, smiles, and a feast of enchiladas that turned hispanic food into a near religious experience. Sleep came swiftly and we fell into her open arms with satisfied bellies and hearts. We left in the morning eager to get to Dallas.
We arrived and starred in awe from our dirty tired van at the huge building that was The American Airlines Canter. Its tall brick walls loomed over us as if to say "welcome to the big leagues kids." Not really knowing what to do or where to go, we circled around the building for twenty minutes or so before we even found the entrance, a rookie move I know. The way in was a small entrance behind some clearly marked 'DO NOT ENTER' signs, and guarded with security. You may be able to understand, dear reader, why we were struggling so. Finally pulling into the loading dock underneath the venue, we parked Jean Claude Van Van next to several huge tour busses, their austere windows gleaming with intimidation. We stumbled inside the stadium, knees shaking, hearts racing, standing at the base of this coliseum of sorts we were floored at it's size and grander.
We were a flurry of unanswered questions and pacing feet all day long. Trying to get a grip on what to do and where to go. What our place was in this giant machine of gear and speakers and amazing experienced musicians. Where did six folks from Carson City Nevada fit into this hurricane of quarter inch cables and microphone stands? Needless to say, stress levels were high, but we made it through and actually had a great show! We were so encouraged by all the other artists and couldn't wait to get to know them more.
We got done with all of our after show chores (loading the trailer with merch and equipment) at about 12. Now to save money dear friends, we are staying in the bus drivers hotel rooms, seeing as they sleep during the day and drive at night. So we can get their hotel keys and stay overnight for free. The only down side to this awesome money saving endeavor is walking into your room to the scents of old pizza and axe body spray. Yes my friends, at one in the morning after a long day of running around like a headless chicken, these are the smells of comfort and cleanliness we crave...
Sleep was short lived, as we had to leave at 4am to drive to Springfield, MO.
Because Raul is a machine of a man and offered to drive all morning, we all woke up in Springfield. Popping my head up to look out the van window, I saw grey, grey skies, and a coldness you could see in the trees and on the streets of this somber town. Winter had surely come upon Springfield. But, despite the cold, the people that came to the show that night were warm and welcoming! We had an awesome show and met some amazing people. That is the best part of what we are doing, being able to meet people, pray for them and hear their stories. If we are able to do that every night, this is all worth it. After the show we stopped for some warm delicious cookies and a fine establishment called Insomnia Cookies. Life changing I tell you. Then with a sugar high racing through our bodies and the impending doom of another storm front heading towards Nashville, we decided to drive through the night get to Memphis.
Arriving in Memphis at around six in the morning (Matt drove all the way through the night) we parked in a Walmart parking lot and slept for a few hours while we waited to see if the show in Chattanooga, TN was still going to happen due to the weather. We curled up on the van benches and tucked our cold feet under our blankets. We received the call that the show was on, so we headed out of Memphis towards Chattanooga. The clouds growing dimmer and darker by the minute in the haze before us, we wearily made our way onto the highway. We only got about 30 miles out of town before our van started to slip and slide all over the road due to the ice and the rain... and the ice rain. So, defeated by the powers of nature and the lack of a certain chain we had lost days before, we were forced to turn around and head back to Memphis. And so our first missed show happened in our first week of touring ever. But this is life dear friends. We were able to stay with the Gooches at their incredible mansion in Memphis. Walking up to that grand brick estate I exclaimed "We are home!" That is how we all feel there. Relieved to see friendly faces and a place to stay that wasn't going to endanger our very lives was a relief and a joy. We spent the rest of the evening folding band tee shirts and wrapping them in various colored rubber bands, eating homemade weather appropriate chili, and taking glorious hot showers. So even though we missed a show in Chattanooga, we were in much need of a night of rest.
We headed to Moblie, AL in the morning, excited and refreshed. We got in and started what had become a sort of flow for us. Unloading the trailer, getting the merch set up, finding time to eat, changing into our stage clothes. I think that we are getting a hang of this whole thing. Playing the show was awesome. Every night we walk out on that stage and see the thousands of people, we are reminded of the favored we have and the blessings we are living in. We slept in bus driver's hotel rooms again that night and headed to Southaven, MI in the morning. The last show of this first run, we all woke up with a little stinging in our eyes and a yearning in our hearts for home. This mobile life is very tiring, shuffling out of the hotel, lugging our suitcases that seem to get fatter by the step, we loaded up and drove all day, heavy rain hit in waves on our windshield, lulling our weary spirits till we arrived in Southhaven.
I do realize that this blog is becoming mundane... but that is a true reflection of what the days are like out here. The majority of our time is spent either in the van or setting up and tearing down our equipment and merch table. Not as glamorous as we may have thought, but this is the job, this is the life style. And I wouldn't trade it for anything!

On that note dear readers, if there are even any of you out there, I will say farewell, as it is late and my fingers are slowly giving up on me and my ability to form intelligent sentences.

Still remaining,
honestly and bluntly,
your bloggist,

Stephanie Liana Kulla.

On The Road: The adventures of the band I Am They, as told by Stephanie Liana Kulla

Hello,
My name is Stephanie Liana Kulla, and this is my sad attempt to record the adventures of the band I am they, as we head off on our first tour with The Rock and Worship Roadshow. Please excuse my grammar, spelling, and run-on sentences, as this blog is purely a documentation of my stream of consciousness. I feel it is better that way... it is better to be raw, unbridled, and honest.... then to not. (If anyone gets that reference, please text me and we can have a laugh about it) (775)315-8922

So anyway... here goes nothing,
be gracious kind reader, and know, that you are missed, loved, wanted and beautiful, I know all of these things to be true.


As life takes it's twists and turns, we have come to another bend in the winding road that is our path, our journey, our tale to tell. I am they is hitting the road for our first national tour. All very exciting stuff, no? We were sent off with a bang in the form of a going away party thrown by the fantastic parents of Stephanie Kulla. After saying our goodbyes; bittersweet, heart wrenching, tear filled goodbyes, we left home at 4 am. All sleepy eyed and foggy headed, the six members of I am they took to the highways, speeding through vacant desert and crowded speedways, we raced to Arizona. Staying the night with friends, eating Thai food, and drinking tea, we slept soundly, leaving again before the sun had peaked over the red rocks of that toasted horizon.
The hours seemed to soar by (for those who were not driving) the time filled with sweet sleep, trail mix, reading and good conversation. We made our way to Texas, driving through New Mexico for a short time as well. We experienced the smells and sights of Texas's cow pastures. Stopping to eat a 72 ounce steak was part of the plan, but time was not with us, so the alternative was a cracker barrel that was minutes from closing. Guilt ridden we entered and begged for food, and of corse, since we were is Texas, we were welcomed in with big open arms. The night was spent in Amarillo. Waking up, we headed to a city of blues and history, Memphis. Again, the day was filled with long stretches of dessertness, trees and trucks rushed by, hours were spent till the evening was upon us. We found ourselves arriving at a mansion, a glorious brick estate. The home of a heart surgeon and his wife, they offered up room upon room, with gracious hospitality. Sleeping atop 18th century vintage bed frames and washing our faces in front of hundred year old mirrors, we rested well that night, fear not. We woke up to homemade quiche and fresh fruit, the most wholesome breakfast thus far, we were sad to say goodbye to that grand house and sweet people. We spent the first half of our day walking around Memphis with a local friend. Seeing where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot, and the museum of civil rights that was erected in that spot, roaming the streets of downtown, eating expensive lunch, and walking along the great Mississippi, it was a day well spent without a doubt.

And finally, after three long days of driving, we headed into Nashville. We were filled with excitement and exhaustion as we approached the city, but our hearts were filled with a sense of coming home when we saw the rolling hills, white fences, and far reaching trees of this music city. The thoughts and memories of all of the steps it took for us to get to this point, to the time we would be here to start our first tour, it all flooded our brains, and we were overcome.
We arrived at our host home... a two bedroom apartment, containing two fluffy bunnies, and two full grown humans. We tumbled in with all of our extra large suitcases, blankets and pillows. Two on the floor, one on the couch, three in the room on bunkbeds, there were no more monkeys jumping on the bed. We slept as well as we could despite our rabbit allergies and kinked necks, we were thankful for the hospitality and kindness of our hosts, as they graciously welcomed our entourage with open hearts and arms.
We spent a few days hanging out around Nashville. Visiting friends, eating great BBQ, and spending time with each other. Trying to prepare, as much as we could, for the tornado that was our quickly approaching future. We had our rehearsal, and it went very well. Walking into the warehouse and looking at the stage set up with all of the lights and speakers all the way up to the roof, we were shocked, nervous, and throughly ecstatic. This is really happening, it is a real thing that we did not make up, and couldn't have if we tried.
And now I come to you on the eve of our leaving this home away from home, to TRULY start our tour. Tomorrow we head to Dallas Texas. We will be braving the ice storm that has come down so hard, and so conveniently, right in our line of trajectory. But with a few adjustments, and Raul's chaining up the tires on our van, we hope to make it there safely.

Until next week,
I remain honestly and bluntly,
your bloggist,

Stephanie Liana Kulla