Last weekend, Daniel Blair was living the dream. After working a full forty-hour week, he headed to Las Vegas and qualified for the U.S. Open main event, then rushed to a club and played a gig with his band at one of the hottest new venues in Vegas. Afterward, he partied his ass off all night and then hopped in a jet to the Canary Islands for a posh vacation on his label's dime…. Okay, I actually made that last part up.
Racer X: It’s been a while since we checked in with you. What’s been going on with the hardest-working man in the moto biz?
Daniel Blair: Pretty much I’ve just been plugging along, man. I’ve been racing locally and keeping myself in shape. I’m also working a full-time job now, which has taken up a lot of my time during the day. But I’ll tell you the truth: the last six months, I’ve been incredibly busy. Mainly with work and racing and then recently with the band getting back together last month. It’s been a hectic month or so, that’s for sure.
You're one of the few people who can say, “Hey, let’s get the band back together,” and really mean it.
Yeah, we took a little break because we were about to choke each other out about a year ago. We took a breather and my brother and I worked our issues out and things started moving ahead full-speed. We have a new CD coming out at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. The songs are already written—we're just in the process of recording them in the studio.
What's the new job you’ve been working?
Last March, I started supervising at a gym where I live. It kind of sucks because it takes away a lot of time that I would like to be riding or doing other things, but it gets me working out more. I’ve got a personal trainer that I see three times a week, and the gains I’ve made with him are amazing. It is a great environment to work. If you have to have a job, it's about as good as it gets. I wish I could ride more, but I am enjoying the steady paycheck.
You did great at the U.S. Open—making the main is a big accomplishment there. Were you stoked with your weekend?
You know, I’ve been riding really well lately, and I was excited to go to Vegas. But I was totally uncomfortable the whole time there. I couldn’t get into a flow, and I just didn’t feel right. I knew I could qualify if I could just get the start, and it happened for me on Saturday. I got the jump and just checked out. I was really happy that I had that finish. I was riding so tight that I would have been bummed if I didn’t at least make the main one night.
And I heard your band had a cool gig right after the race at Carey Hart’s club, Wasted Space. What was that about?
About three weeks before the race, our bass player, Cliff, called me and said that we got the after-party and that we were playing at Carey Hart’s new club at the Hard Rock. It was a scramble to get everything ready for that. We only had two practices, and we played five or six brand-new songs. It was really tough to do, especially because I was racing that night. I raced, jammed over to the club, changed clothes, got on stage, and just went for it. It was super stressful, but it was so rewarding to do the two things I love most in this world. The show was awesome and the crowd was nuts. I can’t thank Rockstar enough for putting on the party and Carey Hart for letting us play on his stage in front of all those people. It was awesome. The coolest part of the night was when Carey got up on stage and played the bass during our encore of the Pennywise song "Bro Hymn." It was a nod to his late brother, Tony, and it was totally awesome. The beginning of that song is all bass and Cary nailed it. It was so rad.
What was his club like?
I’ve heard great things about it, and when I walked in, I was just blown away. It is an amazing place. The staff was super friendly and everyone that was there just loved the place. Carey has an awesome thing going on with that place.
What’s next for you?
I want to ride the West Coast Lites next year. I’ve been on Yamahas forever, and I’m switching to Hondas for this year. I’ve never even ridden one, so I hope that thing works out for me. I’ve just been focusing on getting my program together and getting some sponsors lined up for the season. It’s a tough economy but I’m working hard, and hopefully, it will come together. Plus, I have that album coming out, so that's going to be a busy time as well.
What’s the new album called?
We don’t have a name for it yet. It's going to be a big step for us. Our sound has improved so much since we started. We were such amateurs when we first started going out doing shows and stuff. We're kind of the official band of the motocross industry, which has been so cool for us. We love motocross, and we're stoked to be attached to it.
Who do you want to thank, Daniel?
CR1, Evomx.com, Renthal, Scott, EVS, Fault Line Powersports, Eternal Industries, TCCI, Factory Backing, and my wife for supporting me. Also, I want to plug our band’s MySpace page, which is www.myspace.com/rockthemainevent.
