Hey hey In Rockers and Welcome to The Lobby, written to you today from in front of my Christmas Tree in my living room here in Buffalo, NY. After pretty much non stop touring with Goo Goo Dolls since the release of our Boxes album in April of 2016, this week it all slowed down to mellow holiday pace, well until it gets crazy if course... as always all sorts of stuff going on here in Buffalo as well, I'll fill you in...

Like I mentioned the 2016 Boxes tour concluded about a week ago with a taping of a TV show in Las Vegas that incorporated ice skaters and dancers with live bands performing as they performed. The show featured many Olympic skaters including 2014 US Olympic Champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White and was hosted by our friend Kristi Yamaguchi who hosted a similar show we performed on about 10 years ago. We got to be friends with the skaters and a few days later when the touring version of the show came through Buffalo they invited me to bring my family out to a show. I've included a pic with the show's promoter, the hosts Kristi and Robert and the GGDS band.

So now, after over 125 performances this year, and with the 2016 tour firmly behind us we finally get to spend some time at home with our families and if all goes as planned my partner Johnny and his wife will have a new baby girl in their lives and he will be living the life of a Daddy for the first time as I did almost 5 short years ago. It makes it a lot harder to go away when once you've got a little girl waiting for you at home, and I think my partner is going to find this out firsthand now.

GGDS took our annual Christmas picture this year, (last year's featured a photograph of John and Myself in our Christmas boxer shorts) a cheery shot of a John dressed as a very skinny in shape Santa and me decked out in a maniacal elf motif for this years installment. With a hectic touring schedule this fall we unfortunately didn't get around to finish recording a Christmas song this year, but we'll try to make it happen next year as we started a song that we now have a year to finish so we can handily deliver it next year!

We have a few dates in the new year booked already for the band including a stop in Manila and Bangkok which I will take advantage of and make my way back to Japan with my family for a visit. We're still hoping to make the trip to Japan with the band on the Boxes tour sometime in 2018, we've been talking to promoters and there is some progress being made to see us make our way back to see you all.

While I'm in Japan we will be visiting with some of the bands on our Good Charamel label including Tokyo's MOLICE who's latest album is being mixed here in Buffalo as we speak! This is the follow up to last year's "5" release and was recorded in NY during a trip here in September of last year when they were visiting the US in 2017. The new album will be released in Fall of 2018

I hope you all have a great New Year, 2017 was a wild ride for me and for the world in general, let's hope that 2018 brings us all the Peace and Joy we so deserve, and to all the readers of In Rock and those who have been visiting me here in The Lobby for over 10 years here in the pages of this awesome magazine .... Happy New Year to You All !!!!!!!　

Peace

Robby