August 26 - 27 (after Midnight) Philip Anselmo
We just finished our 1st show with SJR in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I had a blast, but I had no idea we'd be so high above sea level, an extremely high altitude. Fuck, I had no legs after the 3rd song but got a second wind later in the show. The turn out was quite incredible figuring we had never been there. I remember in the early 90's being in New Mexico for the first time, and the crowd was small and quiet. It was a VERY frustrating experience. Of course the 2nd time was better, the third, etc.... And then, it seemed to get to the point where we weren't coming to Albuquerque at all. That always made me curious. But with SJR, we seem to hit every major town, every secondary city, and every city in between (ones I've never even heard of!) So, it's quite incredulous to draw this many people being such a new band to them. Truth is, since '93 SJR has been demo-ing, rehearsing whenever we had an opportunity. Gigging to at least try and stay sharp. During a lot of these sessions more songs were unearthed & more were written out, and there definitely was a superior feeling with each new song we came up with. Pride began to be an issue. I knew it, and so did the rest of SJR; in this particular situation in heavy metal, where the majority of the groups (I kind of refuse to call them bands) ARE absolutely hogwash, SJR was NEEDED in a big way. I say that because these new bands stole a lot of the Pantera sounds, about 65% of the vocals, to the unmistakable 90% of Dimebag's axe sound, as well as, the rest of the Pantera band. So for me, doing SJR was a complete cleansing of my musical soul. We don't sound like Pantera.. I feel I was at least 65% responsible with the overall sound, and 100% responsible for the vocals that shaped the songs. So in hindsight, the Pantera sound was out of hand. No fault of the members of Pantera, but for me I had to be challenged musically again. At first, I was flattered, of course, at our influence over these new bands, but that got old damn quick. So in comes, to me and my new band at least, the prime time to play SJR and let the public know that I had already come up with an alternate route to take. But there were songs that didn't really belong with the Pantera sound. Dime is an incredible guitar player, but when he would play my riffs, honestly, it really sounded quite emotionless because Dime I guess could have maybe held it against me that I was writing "guitar" parts as well. I've always felt that after listening SJR play the same riffs in completely finished songs, played with tons of heart and a complete knowledge of the underground in general, the songs created by SJR were extremely intense and sought after. Once again, not getting into a pissing contest, SJR was finally accepted as a real band, a band with goals. I didn't destroy Pantera as some would have you believe, there just happened to be quite a large gulf between us. Oh well, we all have certain demons to work out, I am doing it. With a fucking vengeance. Petty gossip and hateful things to say about a former brother. I guess that's what I am to them, but I don't feel that way. It's a two-way street.

Also: To our fans, now that we've ended the Texas run, I can EASILY say we will return, undaunted, and kill even more people. It (the music) will grow and grow, only to be aided by what we do live. KILL. And bring back the most important time of music in my life, and I've already heard the "Thank You's" all over. That's why we will continue the great, but someway forgotten, genre of music called "hardcore heavy metal." You fans are beyond the best. We love you. I love you.

From the reigning God of Metal...

Philip H. Anselmo

More August 2003 - Jimmy Bower
After sweating through a stupid border check, we headed to McAllen, Texas. Never heard of it, but we were told it would be great. We were so close to Mexico, it was hot! Heard a lot of cool Mexican Satanic ritual stories. Fucked up shit. Turns out the drug guys sacrifice white, blond-haired Americans for assurance that their shipment makes it through. Apparently, they were busted. Maybe their sacrificed the wrong guy? Crazy shit! We played a civic center kind of place, pretty big. Come show time the place was packed. It was a great show, lots of pits and fury. McAllen ruled. After the show, we had a smoke out before the checkpoint. Me, Joe, Gene, Jeb, and about 20 fans sat behind the bus and burnt it up. We made it through the checkpoint okay, but we have heard horror stories about checkpoints. No chances.
Later,
Jim

NEVER ENOUGH DRUGS EVER
On our way to Corpus. Concrete Pavilion was the venue. Another outside show. Outside shows can be weird, sound-wise. Anyway, we were told it would rock, and it did. About 900 crazy, freaked out metal heads showed up to rock the night. The show was amazing, awesome, and full of energy. There were people everywhere. Cooled off after the show with about 12 joints and a xanax. What a night! Top 10 easy.
Later,
Jim

Off to San Antonio, land of Las Cruces, I don't know if they still exist, great band though. Played the White Rabbit, and it was the hottest show I've played in years. So what. Sweating is good for ya. We took the stage and destroyed. We were flawless. I'm sure not totally, but you know what I mean. We had fucking fun. That's all that matters in the long run. I saw my step-aunt and her family, and it was a nice visit. It was hot as always but nevertheless cool as hell. We will be back!
Later,
Jim

Amarillo, Texas: Whoa, bra. The fucking stage was 20 ft. high in the corner. Strapping didn't play, but some local stepped in. I'd have to say this is the weirdest club known to man as far as layout is concerned. Fought for the merch percentage and won. Can't fuck with us. Show was cool and everyone seemed to have had fun. We're now spending the night in the parking lot of Flying J Truckstop. Cool though for munchies and shit. Well, going out fast.
Later,
Jim Bower III

August 26th - Philip Anselmo
--Had a couple of days off. Damn I was tired. On the 2nd day, I did some "Heavy Metal" show for MTV2. Like I told them, they're really gonna have to do their homework if they're going to put together a REAL heavy metal/hardcore TV show. I know for a fact that Venom, Celtic Frost, Immortal, etc. have videos that I could've played if given the chance; they gave me a VERY limited list to pick from (for mostly political reasons for sure). However, all and all, they had some decent stuff and the show will probably turn out o.k. But, in reality, the selections could have been better, not my fault. I couldn't sleep much at all last night and read an entire book about Betty Beets and her murderous ways. She was the Texas Black Widow Killer. 31 or so chapters. I devour True Crime literature.
On a personal level, this goes out to a group of people who really means a lot to me. And their talking petty bullshit. Grow up, guys. Endorsements aren't the end of the world. Please be more professional. I'm going to be successful for as long as I'm around. I feel your fears. I've tried hard to be as cool as possible, especially as of late in the press, and let bygones be bygones. That's how the world turns fellas. Forgive and move on. I have.
And to all the SJR fans who came out on the Texas run, all I can say is Thank You from the core of my heart. To all the longhairs, skinheads, anarchists, punks, and people of all walks of life who support what we do, HAIL!
P. Anselmo
P. S. Hey radio stations and any other outlet that helps SJR, Thank You entirely, from us all.

August 23th - Philip Anselmo
I'm engulfed in boxing. One on one. I can't stand many sports in general, for different reasons. Just boxing & NFL football. I hate Coors Lite. I hate Bud Lite. Lite. Light. Beer flavored water. Crap. However, I do like Amstel Light. I don't really know why. I like Heineken, St. Pauli Girl, Becks, Chimay Ale, etc... Heavier beers. Prostate infections in a bottle. Tonight Superjoint RItual is finishing its Texas run. Some places we've played before some towns we hadn't. Every show was fucking brutal. Hot as fuck, but those damn kids kept coming. Mother fucker! The energy level of those crowds in Texas is destructive. The people definitely know the 1st album extremely well. The new album "A Lethal Dose of American Hatred" is very surprising to me. Yes a lot of the people know it. (I fucking knew it!) Actually a lot of people are buying it. When we play certain songs, the crowd does exactly what I imagined when I wrote certain parts in certain songs. I envisioned their enthusiasm when we play. I see love in those swollen eyes. These motherfuckers are truly loving S.J.R. (Thanks!!) And personally, to the fagito that scribbled "New Found" something on the side of our bus, you, my friendless, must feel incredibly alone. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I have absolutely NO bad blood with my former bandmates. Those years with Pantera are some of the best years of my life. I wish them nothing but the best of luck. I hope they get their record out soon because the world needs more good metal. So honestly, some dumb ass fan scribbling their name on the side of our bus is a piece of tastelessness Vince and the boys would want to avoid. By the way, Texas fucking rules! You fuckers are so loyal and dedicated it's amazing. I'll be talking to you all real soon.
--Philip

August 20th - Philip Anselmo
I did my regular thing today with some extremely unimportant variations. Sharing a bed with a beautiful woman is ablsolutely some sweet perfection. Especially at night. Especially in the morning. Warm skin on skin. That 1st buzz of the day. Nothing quite like it. We watched two different versions of "Devil Doll". I ate nothing completely special and ate about fifty vitamins. All for endurance. All for xtra energy. All to kill. I picked up my bed and shit and stretched, did sit ups, push-ups, and curls. I do light weight curls, but do hundreds of reps. I can't lift heavy weights anymore because of my back injury. Not a whole lot of people know much about that. I've got two crushed lower discs with no cartiledge left in between them. It's been like that for about eight years. It's like waking up at six in the morning with a spear impaling the lower part of your back. Just above your ass. Numbness running down the back of my left leg. My left foot feels broken in half. Everyday. Every fucking day of my goddamn life. And this particular injury (one of many) is from giving 1000% every fucking show of my life. Well, not every show, but you get the point... The bottle of whiskey has taken the forefront many a night. But I live with a broken back from jamming my fucking ass off since I was 14. I wonder if someone owes me some money somewhere? Oh well, stretching is essential twice a day. Once in the morning, once in the evening before the show. I read countless true crime/serial killer books. I love the forensic challenge. Zodiac is fun but a bit ridiculous. Arthur Leigh Allen? Are you sure? Ah, fuck it. Stage work is strengthening. Sweating from head to toe is extremely good for you. Gets those toxins out of there. I dig the people. The fans. Oh fuck to hear those screaming lunatics sing every goddamn word, stage dive, pitskanking, bleeding...Jesus Fucking Christ! I envy the energy! Thanks you bad asses.
P. Anselmo

August 2003 - Jimmy Bower
After about a good two weeks of practice, we were back on the bus and on our way to Little Rock. This time things are different, and it's called "A Lethal Dose of American Hatred". It's our second release and the first tour for it....Gotta say Little Rock was weird. All the fans that came out ruled, but it was outside and it sounded really weird. Not a cool way to start off on a tour. Nevertheless, Little Rock ruled.
Off to Austin. I love Austin....Great scene and people that know their shit about music. Mostly. Saw some old friends, then Strapping Young Lad showed up. They had van trouble, apparently, but made it through. With them and Full Blown Chaos on board, we were a tour. I feel pretty confident that they got whay they came for. We hit the stage with power and never let up. We were on, and we knew it. Austin's always good, always.
Off to Houston, Hot Hot Hot, fucking Hot! Houston's always great, always. The Engine Room is a really cool club. The crowd is right there. No barriers, a band's dream. Full Blown Chaos rocked. Watched Gene from Strapping Young Lad play drums for a while. He's amazing. As a person and a musician. We got ready and ripped that place a new asshole. Gotta love Houston. Lots of friends, even Billy Gibbons showed up. Thanks Houston!
Till then.....Jim.