The original plan was to document the tour I was on—to capture my contributions to the band I had been singing for since 2014, film the performances and my interaction with the audience, and detail my approach to touring. That all changed in an instant.
A near-death experience on the interstate jolted me out of a black hole and into reality—suddenly, I saw it all with sober eyes. The negativity, manipulation, and negligence—the whole thing came unshelled. My only thought was I needed to get home—but I still had weeks to go and obligations to meet.
Those were two of my life's rawest, most vulnerable weeks—stuck between the wasteland and belonging. That's when Andrew and Bruce showed up with cameras.
So, the plan changed. We took a different road—away from the clubs, stages, and amplifiers—into the desert, into the contemplative and sublime.
When I finally arrived home in late January, my nerves were still exposed. It was hard to see what came next, and I began questioning all my career choices. It remained a difficult time for me, not the best time for cameras to pry into my psyche.
In the months since my senses have realigned, and the horizon has opened again in all directions. It all now seems like a fever dream.
Sharing this is difficult, but I do so with the hope that it may serve someone else and that something good may come from it.
Listen to the Audio Companion to this video here!
Shop:
Mike Vallely x Propper Capsule
Explore my go-to Propper picks in this exclusive capsule drop.
Music:
Mike Vallely And The Morning Trail “Lake Street”
Mike Vallely And The Morning Trail “Always Driver”
Mike Vallely And The Complete Disaster “Leaving California”
Credits:
Directed By Andrew Peterson
Director Of Photography: Bruce James Bales
Edited By Chase Stein
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