AILEEN THREE SIXTY FIVE.

I wish when I was in high school, that I knew what I know now that I'm older.

I just wish that when I was younger I had kept in mind that I had my whole life ahead of me. Maybe I would have stressed out less or worked harder, maybe I would have been nicer to my parents, maybe I would have enjoyed my time being a kid a little more. I don’t have any regrets, but it would be awesome if someday when I have my own kids, I can instill a little bit of this wisdom in them.

I get a lot of teenagers coming to merch at Plain White T’s shows with their parents, and there are so many times when I see such disconnect between a mom and her daughter. I see that gray cloud hanging over the daughter’s head and the mom’s frustration in not understanding why she can’t make her little girl happy the way a mom could when her daughter was younger. It makes me sad because it reminds me of the way I was when I was sixteen. I was so angry with my parents and took most of it out on my mom because I hardly even wanted to talk to my dad. But as I got closer to graduating high school, my relationship with my parents began to rebuild itself. When I left home to start college, I discovered how much I truly appreciated my parents and everything they did for me. My parents and I still butt heads because we’re all incredibly stubborn, but my dad is the first person I go to for advice, and my mom is one of my best friends.

Anyway, for those of you who read this blog and are teenagers, I guess what I’m trying to say is just keep your head up. Things aren’t as bad as you think they are. I know it sounds cliche but I promise you, your parents love you and they do what they do because they want the best for you. Try to put yourself in their shoes once in a while, and don’t forget that they were once your age too.

I should have clarified:

You didn’t even speak to Snow Patrol on tour? Didn’t you live with them on their bus?

No I was on the Plain White T’s bus. Snow Patrol’s merch company hired me to handle the band’s merch, so I was the only merchandiser on the tour handling both bands. Lots of work, but a decent amount of extra money. Which turned out to be crucial because my next tour for the rest of the year fell through.

I probably could have gone out of my way to introduce myself to Snow Patrol but I hardly ever saw them, and if I ever ran into one of them it was just in passing and I only really had a chance to say a quick hello. Gary the singer (middle) looks a lot like Tom from Plain White T’s. Then there was the one with the mascaped eyebrows (second from left), the good looking one who I never saw except when he was on stage (second from right), the short chubby one who played keyboards (right end), and I guess that means the guy on the left end was the drummer. Ha! There was also a guy from Belle & Sebastien playing percussion, I didn’t know he wasn’t a member of the band until I watched Snow Patrol’s set one night halfway through the tour.

I’m pretty sure everyone in PWTs loved Snow Patrol though. I’m just the merchie.

Food!

What is the best catering you ever had on a tour?

In Europe: Ancienne Belgique venue in Brussels had an incredible chef when PWTs played there in early 2008. Most of the big European summer festivals had amazing catering too, Pukkelpop was probably my favorite because it had great food, awesome backstage decor, and a bar with drink tickets!

In USA: The catering staff we had on Rock Band Tour 08 was amazing. Delicious food every day, lovely people to be around. Not many tours carry their own touring catering staff, so we were lucky to have them.