Matisyahu and Dirty Heads Share Exclusive Tour Diaries

Posted on Aug 30th 2012 4:30PM by Cameron Matthews
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Matisyahu and the Dirty Heads are currently on a joint tour across the U.S. and they are giving Spinner an exclusive look inside life on the bus. Below, read excerpts from the bands' tour diaries about life on the road, meditation and skateboarding.

Matisyahu:

This morning I was meditating on what it is that I do on stage. I try. I look for myself, my voice, my heart, and my body. I bathe in Sound, unlock doors, get stuck, dig into holes, climb ropes and swing thru trees, I get heavy, fly, skip, tell lies, freeze and die, speak my truth, I sing, dance, strut, slide, glide, I buck, I sweat, I search, I search for connection; thru people thru words and melody, I strain, I throw myself into the crowd and I lift them up onto stage. I fall, get lost, find something, some eyes, some sound or move or person. I ascend and bring others with me. In Hebrew when one gets called up to the Torah it is referred to as an Aliyah (ascent) ... same when one moves to Israel -- it is referred to as an ascent.

Watch "Sunshine"

I have a song called 'One Day' that was used for the 2010 winter Olympics and has become my biggest song amongst fans. We encore every night with it and I bring kids up on stage to dance. To raise them up. To ascend. The song was written by Bruno Mars and myself during a time when I identified as an orthodox Jew. It is a vision like that of the prophets of an era of total peace, as the Torah mentions there will be One Day in the future.

I ask myself today, is there such a thing possible as a time when there is no destruction? Am I on stage telling lies? Getting everyone hyped up on an idea of perfection. Where does destruction fit into the messianic vision? What is destructive creativity? Is the destructive urge a way into life? Here is a piece I read yesterday from a book by Mike Eigen called, 'Flames From the Unconscious' -- "We imagine being expelled from the garden because we need to imagine a place that is destruction free. A place to look back at or forward to. We look away from the fact that destruction was already in the garden, waiting for us as part of us.

Anyway just some thoughts from the tour to ponder."

Robert Matthews

Dirty Heads' singer Jared Watson:

We have reached the half way point of tour and it couldn't be going any better. The crowds have been bonkers and everyone's really stoked to be on the road. On our stop in Dallas, we woke up early (which is like 11:30am for me) to go skate my friends private skate park. It was insanely fun and insanely hot! This was one of the most enjoyable days of tour for me. I got to skate, play a show, and then have some drinks with friends... couldn't ask for a better show day.

Watch Dirty Heads Skate