Burn The Fleet! Tour Planning, Hernan Cortés, & the Point of No Return – From The Mind of McFarland music blog.

In three weeks I’ll be making the trek to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for the better part of a month, to record two EPs with internationally acclaimed producer Jason Rubal. Once that’s all done, there will be the customary hullabaloo associated with an album release: release parties, press releases, I may release a flock of doves – so long as it has the word “release” in it, by golly I’m going to do it! That’s all still a ways off, though. Yesterday, however, I decided to proverbially burn the fleet, Hernan Cortés style, and release the preliminary tour routes I’ll be undertaking within the next twelve months. Why? In-N-Out Burger.

Let me explain.

OM NOM NOM!

When I was on my 45-day 2012 summer tour, which took me from Asheville to Chicago, Minneapolis, Austin, San Diego, Portland, Denver, and all points in between, I got to experience In-N-Out Burger for the first time. For those not familiar, In-N-Out is a California chain of fast food restaurants, which, believe it or not, has some of the best burgers you will ever taste. In the four days I as in California, I succeeded in eating this ambrosia of the quick service gods four times. It’s really that good.

So yesterday, I happened across this article in the Huffington Post about an In-N-Out Burger cook who opened himself up for questions in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session. His descriptions of some of the off-menu items, made by the cooks for their own enjoyment during off-hours, often requiring additional ingredients brought from home, awakened a fierce craving. Unfortunately, the nearest In-N-Out Burger is 1,916 miles away, in Tucson, Arizona.

Something had to be done!

When undertaking significant tasks, I’m often reminded of Hernan Cortés. In case your memory of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire needs a refresher, Cortés was a conquistador perhaps best known for a tactical decision he made, when murmurs of mutiny were spreading through his troups: He ordered his fleet scuttled (it should be noted that, in spite of the title of this blog, he did not actually burn the fleet… but I prefer the drama that image provides.), on the pretext that they were no longer seaworthy. With the possibility of turning back removed, the only option was to go forward. A mutiny would still leave everyone involved stranded in Mexico.

What I’m about to do is kind of like that. I’ve been told in the past you should never announce big plans until you’re absolutely sure they’re going to happen, lest you appear to be promising things you can’t deliver. I prefer the tactic that my sister Marnie explained to me when I was helping her on her way to her new life in Manaus, Brazil. “When there’s something I really want to do, but am afraid to, I force myself into a situation where I have no other options.” So here it is. The final form of these tours may not be exactly what these initial routes show, but you can expect them to be close. If you happen to live near any of these markers and can help me out with booking a show or giving me a couch to crash on, please let me know!

The fleet is in flames. It’s time to move forward.

[click for full size]

-MMcF

Complete City List

2013 Tour A: Southeast – 22 days, ~3200 Miles

Day 1: Asheville, NC
Day 2: Charlotte, NC
Day 3: Columbia, SC
Day 4: Charleston, SC
Day 5: Savannah, GA
Day 6: Jacksonville, FL
Day 7: Orlando, FL
Day 8: Tampa, FL
Day 9: Tallahassee, FL
Day 10: Pensacola, FL
Day 11: New Orleans, LA
Day 12: Lake Charles, LA
Day 13: Houston, TX
Day 14: San Antonio, TX
Day 15: Austin, TX
Day 16: Dallas, TX
Day 17: Texarkana, TX
Day 18: Little Rock, AK
Day 19: Memphis, TN
Day 20: Jackson, TN
Day 21: Nashville, TN
Day 22: Knoxville, TN

2013 Tour B: Northeast – 21 days, ~2650 Miles

Day 1: Asheville, NC
Day 2: Johnson City, TN
Day 3: Roanoke, VA
Day 4: Staunton, VA
Day 5: Richmond, VA
Day 6: Norfolk, VA
Day 7: Philadelphia, PA
Day 8: Baltimore, MD
Day 9: Harrisburg, PA
Day 10: New York, NY
Day 11: Hartford, CT
Day 12: Boston, MA
Day 13: Portsmouth, NH
Day 14: Albany, NY
Day 15: Syracuse, NY
Day 16: Buffalo, NY
Day 17: Akron/Kent, OH
Day 18-19: Kent, OH
Day 20: Columbus, OH
Day 21: Cincinnati, OH
Day 22: Lexington, KY

2013 Tour C: Midwest – 24 Days, ~3450 Miles

Day 1: Asheville, NC
Day 2: Canton, OH
Day 3-4: Kent, OH
Day 5: Bowling Green, OH
Day 6: Ann Arbor, MI
Day 7: Lansing, MI
Day 8: Fort Wayne, IN
Day 9: Bloomington, IN
Day 10: Peoria, IL
Day 11: St. Louis, MO
Day 12: Kansas City, MO
Day 13: Omaha, NE
Day 14: Des Moines, IA
Day 15: Minneapolis, MN
Day 16-17: St Paul, MN
Day 18: Madison, WI
Day 19: Milwaukee, WI
Day 20: Chicago, IL
Day 21: Indianapolis, IN
Day 22: Cincinnati, OH
Day 23: Lexington, KY
Day 24: Knoxville, TN

2013 Tour D: West Coast – 30 Days, ~6500 Miles

Day 1: Asheville, NC
Day 2: Chattanooga, TN
Day 3: Birmingham, AL
Day 4: Memphis, TN
Day 5: Little Rock, AK
Day 6: Oklahoma City, OK
Day 7: Amarillo, TX
Day 8: Albuquerque, NM
Day 9: Las Cruces, NM
Day 10: Tucson, AZ
Day 11: Phoenix, AZ
Day 12: San Diego, CA
Day 13: Santa Barbara, CA
Day 14: Fresno, CA
Day 15: San Jose, CA
Day 16: San Francisco, CA
Day 17: Eureka, CA
Day 18: Eugene, OR
Day 19: Portland, OR
Day 20-21: Portland, OR
Day 21: Seattle, WA
Day 22: La Grande, OR
Day 23: Boise, ID
Day 24: Twin Falls, ID
Day 25: Salt Lake City, UT
Day 26: Grand Junction, CO
Day 27: Denver, CO
Day 28: Hays, KS
Day 29: Kansas City, MO
Day 30: St Louis, MO
Day 31: Nashville, TN

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Unleaded rhythmic alt-pop fuels singer/songwriter and two-wheel troubadour Michael McFarland’s engine. Michael McFarland in the simplest summary? Writer, Rocker, Biker, Geek.

For Michael’s Music, Cd’s, Downloads, Merchandise, live show schedule, music blogs, music videos, and everything else you want to know about McFarland, visit the Michael McFarland Website at http://michaelmcfmusic.com/