Shai Hulud: Exclusive “Northbound And Down” Tour Journal 2 with guitarist Tony DelMonego

One full week into our Canadian tour, and we’ve already endured a wide spectrum of problems, setbacks, and shows good and bad. Thankfully, the tour consists of some of if not the best people you can be around to make up for those moments where you start to lose sight of the greater aspects of playing music around the world. The bands have already formed a fairly strong bond, as bands only can when they face the same problems together. I call it “common enemy” thinking, which helps keep bands from taking it out on each other. When there is some other greater power on which the frustrations can be focused, it becomes easy to set aside the petty grievances that chip away at band members’ morale.

That isn’t to say that tour has been all bad. Following our tough luck at Scene Fest, we played a string of dates in Hamilton, London, and Toronto that were far from disappointing. Aside from being rushed out of the venue in Toronto to make way for a super-cool dance party, things were looking up. Our merch guy Mark and I even made time for a detour to the Hockey Hall of Fame, playing tourist for a few hours.

The following show in Oshawa didn’t turn out quite as expected. A streak of miscommunication lead some people to believe the show was canceled, and in turn the turnout was paltry. But like all professionals, the bands took it in stride and still gave the audience one hell of a show, and despite having the mic cut out two thirds of the way into our set (wouldn’t you know it, another post-show dance party), we kicked a few asses and cut our losses.

Kingston presented a unique scenario in that we had to compete with Canada Day. While the day itself was filled with an air of jubilation, the show was less than stellar since most patriotic Canadians had already made family plans and were focused on the holiday, not that I could blame them. The handful of fans at the show brought the type of energy that makes you wish that everyone could be as excited about seeing your band. And for that, we were grateful.

Now we see the tour winding down, and there is still great promise in the shows left to play. Resilience is one of the more necessary traits you need to be a touring musician. Otherwise, the weight of the constant setbacks could very well crush your spirit. But like all those filled with purpose, we persist. – Tony Delmonego / Shai Hulud

“Northbound And Down” Tour Dates:

07/04 – Quebec City, QC – L’Agitee
07/05 – Jonquiere, QC – Elks Lodge

Check out the song: “Misanthropy Pure”