Less than 24 hours had passed since Daniel Muller and I had flown into Philly to join up with the rest of the crew for the second leg of the 2012 Love Drunk Tour. Greeted with a whirlwind of a welcome to the "City of Brotherly Love,” we shot Cymbals Eat Guitars, had a bit of food and got a bit of rest before the inevitable wakeup call the following morning. Our next stop was Wilmington, Del., and all I could keep thinking about was that scene from Wayne’s World, about being "… magically whisked away to Delaware … Hi, I’m in Delaware.” I put Mike Myers’ jokes aside and decided to give Delaware a fair shake. Our drive was a short one but we had to get there early to make sure we could cheer Sam Hughes across the finish line of the Delaware Marathon.

Sam, the keys player in The Spinto Band, was attempting his first marathon and anticipated finishing the 26.2 miles in around four hours — quite a feat, if you ask me. We spotted a couple guys holding guitars on a random street corner as we drove through downtown Wilmington and piled out of the van. After a quick meet and greet, we moved toward the finish line to find the best spot to shoot their session. Once setup, our attention shifted to the official marathon clock. Soon, Sam’s bandmates let out a cheer as he came down the backstretch and across the finish line at 3:43:14:6 — more than 15 minutes ahead of his goal time. He looked exactly how you would imagine someone who just ran a marathon would look – exhausted, yet incredibly accomplished.

With little more than a few minutes to catch his breath and a couple gulps of water, he took his battery-powered keyboard and joined the rest of his band. This version of their song, “The Living Things,” is a stripped-down, yet more pop-infused and jangly version than appears on their new album, Shy Pursuit. It has remained steadfast in my head even more than a week removed from shooting it.