Hey Hey In Rockers! Goo Goo Dolls are on the road HEAVY this month! We are about 30 shows deep into our 2016 North American Summer Tour with Georgia's Collective Soul and NYC's up and comers Tribe Society with more than 20 to go! It's been a great tour so far, starting out in the state of Washington and winding around the continent making it's way back to San Diego, CA sometime in September! And all at the same time our Good Charamel Records has 2 artists in the US at the moment, The 14th Annual Music is Art Festival lead up and planning is in full swing for a September 10th presentation in Buffalo, and my family has been back and forth from Japan since we spoke last ….. wow …. so much going on, the list is making me tired ….. so let's get to this!

The GGDS Boxes Tour is making it's way around the country at a frantic pace, we're doing 5-6 shows a week and they've all been awesome. The band is playing better than we have in a decade and it feels as though there's a new generation of listeners coming out to the shows. Sometimes they are coming with their parents and sharing the music together, and sometimes there's even a grandparent in the group. 3 generations of fans, I guess that's something you'll start to see after 30 years of making music together. We've known Collective Soul for many, many years and they are a great bunch of guys, I've included a pic of Ed, their lead singer and myself, he mentioned they haven't been to Japan for over 10 years and are really looking forward to getting back some time soon. Goo Goo Dolls would like to be back soon as well, and it looks as though we may have some big news coming up soon for all of you in Japan!

The Boxes tour came through our home town of Buffalo, NY this month as well and it's always a crazy, hectic but joyful day of seeing people I haven't seen in years as well as sharing what I do in my every day life with the people I leave behind back home when I leave on my frequent trips. We hosted a high school band from my Music is Art program (www.musicisart.org) to have a full day of seeing a large scale rock tour in motion from early in the day through show time and the dismantling of the show. It was the final day of a 6 day camp the young band attended to teach them some techniques and lessons to take with them to further their musical skills and endeavors. After a 170 person meet and greet we took a minute to catch our breath and made our way to the stage. The show was amazing with an over the top crowd of over 11,000 people in the venue and the sides of the stage was filled with our neighbors and friends enjoying a night of music together.

Before the Goo Goo Dolls show MOLICE from Tokyo came to the US to play a short set in the pavilion of the venue playing songs from their latest Good Charamel Records for the fans coming into the show. They are currently in the US to record some new music at my GCR Audio studio while I'm on the road as well as perform at The Music is Art Festival in Buffalo in September along with Electronic artist Qrion from Hokkaido and Tokyo's Pinky Doodle Poodle! PDP is in the United States in the midst of a 20 date tour in the US with more dates to come in suppprt of their release “Get It On”on Good Charamel Records! Along with the legendary punk pop rockers Shonen Knife coming to tour the USA in the Fall from Osaka, it's going to be a Rock filled year here in the US for fans of these great bands!

And speaking of The Music is Art Festival, we'll be focusing on that in the next In Rock column, as I will be flying to Buffalo for the day to participate and help host the event as I always have! Hundreds of bands, artist, poets, dancers, yikes …..I'm tired already …. Hang in there we'll bring it all to you right here in the pages on In Rock….

All the best to you this month ….
Peace.
Robby