Homeward Bound!

Here we are a few days back from a whirlwind tour. Settling back into the "day job" is proving harder than I would have even imagined. I mean I dont even have that much goin on and yet I am mentally thinking that I need to set up and play tonight. What I thought weeks ago would be a nice hiatus for a week or so after the tour is hard to deal with now. Anyhow back to the usual.

Here is how things wrapped up. We rolled into St louis with time to spare, walked the ethnic Hill neighborhood and took our pick of excellent Italian food restaurants for dinner. Now don't get me wrong but it wasnt that anyone was dreading playing acoustic that night, it seemed more that we were so close to home and all that an acoustic show was a little anti-climatic. Well in a stroke of luck, the promoter had a band run too late and call him to say they wouldnt be able to make their opening slot, which happened to be at a very nice club across town, the Old Rock House. He in turn asked us if we could and wanted to fill in for them. There was almost no hesitation there, we would have to book it across the way and load in with no time to spare, which we did in professional fashion. I cant tell you just how eager we were to get up there, show it off, bust in some heads, and head to home. It was a great time. The band play on like a well oiled machine. Acoustics were a little mucky for some but you could tell that we had over a dozen shows under our belt at that point. Some of the same songs were just downright fun to play. After the show, we packed it up and rolled it out. Making the 5 hour trip to nashville no problem, Spotty at the wheel the whole way to the lyrics of Dave Dudely's Six Days on the Road.

We pulled into Nashville around 6 am, quiety and sleepily disbanded to the sunrise. I got a ticket for 56 in a 45, thanks lavergne police!

I have a few more Youtubes to put up, here is one, the part II from the prievious Breakdown Blues clip that features our favorite dancers of the whole tour!
http://www.youtube.com/v/Ntqz68eqQm0&hl=en&fmt=18

Soul Screamin Clip from the Eldo in Crested Butte 8/2

Here is a partial clip from our show at the Eldo. See if you can spot me playing the cowbell hanging from the ceiling!

Oh and if you arent hip to the embeded video thing here is the link in higher quality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZKU7H9EeHA&fmt=18

Thoughts about going east...

Right now we are rolling to St Louis, I am navigating and spent the evening watching crappy movies in hotel in Lawerence KS




Windmills and sunsets last night. It is weird traveling into the darkness going east. A warm welcome back home to what for us is the familiar but has historically been the old, the past, the places left behind in search of the American dream. Makes me wonder how our culture and society would have changed and been effected if we had landed on the west and progressively moved east. Granted there are amazing places in the east, but our subconscious is based on going to the light, expanding west with the sun setting. The sun rising over your back for a new day, lighting the way. You travel west while slowly emptying the landscape of your familiar topography, plants and weather. You push through the barren green and brown plains to the majestic rockies, a thousand miles of magical geologic features not even hinted at in the wooded east, then through the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas to the lush shoreline and the never ending sunsets of the Pacific.I think it is a large part of what we can define as the American Ethos and something that forever defined our culture.

Over the pass and through the woods....

Here I am staring down the end of the tour, it is bittersweet. Everything is downhill, less shows, less altitude, less spending money, even patience wearing thin, and yet I will miss it the next day upon returning. We spent the day in Crested Butte, there was a bustling art festival in town. We drove up to my brother's land outside of town at Lake Irwin were he was just finishing the foundation of a cabin. Tossed the frisbie for the dogs and even took the canoe out on the lake for a spin. The biggest challenge after stuffing some of CB's finest pizza from the Secret Stash,

was to get our gear to the club around all the hububb of the art festival what was taking place and find a place to stay for the night. We eventually found a route to get the van in amidst all the vendor/exhibitor tents, hauled up two flights of rickity wooden stairs to the second story load in. A great meal, and a great crowd that night.
We had some fun with a few songs and stayed late. A fuzzy start in the morning, breakfast at the Paradise Cafe, and off to Keystone. Winding mountain roads 10 and 11,000 foot passes, the short drive was exhausting in a van with trailer doing 35mph.

It was comforting to be back at the Snake River Saloon good people there and great atmosphere, the apartment upstairs of the venue was an oasis since our accommodations have been pretty basic for the last few nights. The show went off as well as the first time we came through, especially for a Sunday! Some great jams and everyone was pretty on playing wise. The best part was leaving the gear setup and loading out in the morning. A short breakfast stop and on to Boulder.

Boulder is a wildly progressive town, the "greenest" in the States it is said. Evidence of it is everywhere, and for good reason, it is in Colorado with a great university, in close proximity with Denver and right against the mountains. Active lifestlyes everywhere in every facet. Bikes, joggers, masses of people getting off the bus. We stayed in what was once a Holiday Inn Holidome and is under a new name as the Boulder Outlook Hotel. They stated that they were the only green "zero waste" hotel in Boulder. Which by my estimation was a pretty dubious claim, I know for a fact that six greasy road weary musicians laid wasted to two hotel rooms easily. They did their part, recycling everything that they could, composted even, strangely I couldn't find a "zero waste" drinking fountain, I had to use a plastic cup and an electrically cooled water cooler and find a place to recycle my cup. Come on guys. It was a pleasant place though with a climbing rock and waterfall in the dome area as well as hot tub, pool, game room, saunas, yoga and massage available.

Our gig that night was at a brewery, kinda in a strip mall, not necessarily what we expected but it turned out to be a fun show. It was a quasi-acoustic/electric set. It is hard to throttle this band back, it is not that we arent diverse in our abilities, it is just we have too much fun doing what we do. It was a challenge and yet exciting to pull out some acoustic version of our material. I used some broken cymbals and assorted gadgetry that I had with me in addition to my kit.

After the Boulder gig we had two days off. Most of us had plans to go in different directions and that is what we did. Johnny took off to visit friends in Vail, Spotty's lady flew in. The majority of the of band went to camp in the hills. We were hit with a pretty heavy hailstorm and deluge of rain. I went off with my best friend who lives in denver to do some backpacking. We camped in the valley above the Moffat Tunnel in the pine trees past old railroad houses to the sounds of trains and the tunnel's immense exhaust system. The next morning we climbed to a high alpine lake around 10,500 feet. On the way back my tramping gene bit me and I was convinced to ride the last pusher locomotive of a mile long coal train,2 hours through 25 tunnels down into the Denver area. It was like old times back home, yet with better scenery.


The next day the van battery died back at the house in Denver the band was staying at, with no one home to jump it, I was stranded at my buddies house as the rest of the band was stranded at their house, we caught up on some much needed R&R.


The break, the days off, did us good. I had envisioned it to be enough time away to get us ready to show up to whatever curveballs might happen that night and just swab the deck with energy. There was a immense menacing cloud that hung to the west and we were to play outside on the patio. Dark imposing skies stood threatening to push east and dump gallons on us. It only hightening our tension to play. Miraculously the clouds stayed put. Blue skies and stars prevailed as the sun set behind purple folded clouds. Our Bassist's brother (who has graciously hosted 6 grimy dudes while in town) hosted a company party at the club, we has fantastic BBQ and played a set of "hits" for afters. Tishamingo playing a reunion show of sorts inside played a set while we took a break outside. The crowd would march inside then back out. We were like a crew of mangy pirates behind the wood railing working to keep the place jumpin in a rare humid Denver night. We had the place shakin! The outdoor stage had rotted planks and my kit swung and swayed, the bases of stands centimeters away from holes in the wood, drop a stick or a drum key and loose it in the ocean. There was this giant tree next to me in the middle of the stage, the mast of our great ship. I wrapped a sweatshirt around it to keep from funnyboning myself... not much help but it kept me from getting chaffed. As for the sound PA and engineer was much more capable this time and brought a better PA, we sounded as we should. Our last set was a scorcher, one long song after another. It seemed to end too soon.

So here we are on the road on the down hill. One more out of town show before landing back in Nashville. St Louis on Saturday. I miss the mountains already. There is talk of good things to come from them already.

Short visits and a long haul....

...such is the life on the road with a band I suppose. Or perhaps we have become spoiled with the opulent locations that we have been stopping on this tour. Or is it just that we were in Portland, one of the finest cities in this great nation and had a mere hour to spend in which we ended up looking for food and hastily eating before loading in. Then playing our set and leaving out the next morning, everything went by too fast. Surely aside from the great venue and response we had, the highlight was our late night drive across town after the gig and the drive back through the next morning. I took in all I could of the area in that brutally short time. The tree lined streets, the funky culture, the king Columbia River, the dams, the beautiful evergreens, the looming mountains, the parade of trains along the river. I was in a pretty bad mood as we climbed up river back to Idaho and Utah passing waterfalls, windsurfers and apple orchards.




We ended our journey for the night in Boise and as if there was a golden light though the setting haze, we found the Flying Pie pizzeria. We were walking unknowingly into probably the BEST pizza we have ever eaten, no one could put a finger on it exactly. Perhaps it was the pizza itself with it's robust toppings or the place, which was equally unique. I think it was literally soul food, consoling us from leaving Portland so quickly. We have a show to get to 1200 miles away, in another one of God's showplaces, Crested Butte, CO. With only have two and a half days to get there, that pizza put all the uneasiness behind us and the prospect of another great show in front of us. As we left the iconic pizzeria all six of us honked the "horn of good will" to the wild grateful cheers of it's employees. Hear here! Flying Pie you put Boise on the map for the Union without doubt. We soldiered on early in the morning driving as far as we could.

An odd wobble plauged us all the way to Salt Lake City. Breakfasts and yesterday's pizza feast turned into a shake like mush in our bellies. We sang in harmonic vibrato to the shaking of the van. Hesitantly we stopped in downtown SLC to have it looked at. We were really wanting to rack the miles up, but this didnt seem safe. Our instincts were correct, tread separation on the rear two tires, a potentially messy danger. Doubled by the fact that we were soon to head into the mountainous desert of southern Utah. After two hours we rolled on confidently and thank goodness, smoothly. The Union Pacific followed us south and gave us something to concentrate on though the rolling hills, we saw train after train and a magnificent sunset as we drew closer to Colorado. Now we are holed up 6 to a room in Grand Jct thanks to our tire dilemma. We are a stones throw from our destination. All is good.

We have seen the top of the mountain...

...and it was good. Days have gone by and we have played in a few more towns, the shows and people have been exciting. The northwest loves them some Union. After Missoula we rolled through the hills to Bozeman to the Filling Station, a dirty place whose walls still vibrate from years of music. We were greeted with a rainbow sunset and a approaching storm cloud. The show went with out a hitch to a captive audience who turned out also to include some old home town fans! More and more it is becoming a small world. The next day we passed through Missoula again on our way to Whitefish, one of my favorite towns, not only because of it's closeness to Glacier National Park, but it's bubbling subculture that keeps it from being just another tourist town. Just 2 blocks from the railyard on the main strip we played the Great Northern Bar and Grill, loaded with local culture, the stage warmed like a cast iron skillet, slowly but surely the place was hoppin'. We picked up and spend the next day in Glacier, we camped on the east side and spent the day taking in it's spendor.

The festival was the next day, it was my favorite slot early evening, the sun going down, a beautiful place. The festival was small and casual, and the stage was a open front trailer, all in all the sound was good and the band put forth a great show. We slept like rocks, those that didnt stay up for the rest of the nights music.

After another long day in the park we were sensory overloaded, simply amazing from the smallest flower to the grandest view. We camped as the stars reflected off of Lake McDonald. I have too many photos to even begin to post them.

Sadly we left northwest Montana at the same time earger for the shows ahead. After 6 hours or winding road we awoke in Moscow ID, a hopping college town with shaded streets and dozens of unique shops. The club had a great stage and crew, we loaded our gear in and set up. A typical monday at first, then the late night crowd showed up and the band muscled on. We had a great time the stage sounded great and so did the mix, and what a relief we have a day off in a cool town with a two night gig. So we are cleaning out the van, vacuum and detail, and an oil change. A friend of the band loaned us a house in town for the time we are here with a shaded yard and cool weather. Life is good. Gonna spend some time around town today, poking through the shops. Word is building for the Portland show and a show in Crested Butte has been added for this Saturday.

The Land of Milk and Honey....

...... apparently does not have much access to the internet, or cellphone service, but I can't say that I am complaining about that. With out delving into the pages of minutia that has transpired over the last few days i will illustrate the high points.

It was a long drive through rural Colorado out of Keystone, there was no highway to get us from there to Jackson, WY. The gig the night before was off the friggen hook, the little place was shakin and we played till they pulled the plug. Even then they did it regretfully. We packed up slowly and beat our way to the upstairs apartment. The next night 500 miles later in Jackson started slow. The place is a restaruant at the base of the Snow King ski area right in downtown Jacksonby 6pm it was filled with typical pastel shirt restaurant goers. We ate, checked into the hotel and enjoyed the sunset. Back at the club they had brought in a very nice PA and we move tables out of the way for the band. After a very mild reception to our first set, the place started to fill up. By 11pm it was PACKED



and we were helping to move it off it's foundation. People were pushing forward into the band's area in a scene only duplicated in a Brazilian soccer game. We had to move pedals, monitors and the guitar rack out of the way of the increasing crowd. It was a barn burner for sure. We walked out of there dead tired, with the possibility of returning through there on the way back.

The next two days were off days. Being just moments south of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone we worked them well into our schedule and route. We camped with friends two nights in the Tetons, did some day hiking, and even swam in the icy waters during a rainstorm in the shadow of the mountains. We ate like kings and howled like wolves at the giant white moon. Yesterday we rolled through Yellowstone in an obscene "Cliff Notes" fashion in a race to Missoula for the show. We saw Old Faithful, the mudpots and the painters pools, foxes, mule deer, bison, and bald eagles. Like I said obscenely short, but enough to want to come back and explore.

Missoula happens to be one of my favorite places on the continent. I wish the planets would align and I could live there. We rolled in through an insane thunderstorm, passing evergreen lined mountains. The gig was at the Elks Lodge downtown. Perhaps one of the funkier rooms I have been in. It was straight 1970's time warp: velvet wallpaper, dark oak slat room deviders, mirrors, chrome pendant lights, wood beams, funky. It was a tough night, a Tuesday, with only 3 place in town and two of them with bands, we had some competition but otherwise a modest turnout. We didnt hold back those that came got the full experience. The sound was good, the accoustics nice, and the hospitality perfect. Our hotel was right next door and we were right downtown close to everything. Every one that was there was REALLY into it and it helped pump the band up. It was an honor for me to play in that town, I have a great admiration for it, the funky culture, the active people, the setting, vibrancy, the little to no evidence of pop culture.

This morning we walked around downtown, they have and event each week in the summer called "Out To Lunch" where local restaurants set up in the park by the river, people turn out en masse listen to live music and enjoy the cool summer weather. They do the same thing for dinner on Thursday nights. I tramped the town, shopping and recalling past memories from the last few years, the rest of the guys went their separate ways to do the same.

We head back down the road to Bozeman tonight to play a place that usually has punk and rockabilly acts. I am looking forward to it, I havent been to that town yet and I am excited. Then it is back again past Missoula to Whitefish and on to Glacier.

Elks Lodge

Missoula MT
7/22/08
Motels and Highways
Downfall
Broken Rules
Sweet Freedom
Gotta Serve Somebody
Runaway Train
New Speedway Boogie
Deadline
California Eyes
Play Now Play Later
Long Haul
Soul Screamin'
Livin on the Open Road

From the big city to the mountains

Rolled through the Colorado plains to watch the Rockies rise in the distant haze. We got into Denver mid-day, gathered ourselves at J-dubb's brother house to a full cookout and wonderfull hospitality on the outskirts of the city. With full stomachs we beat our way back into downtown to the club. There was some confusion on exactly when and where at this place we were playing. There was a band on an outdoor patio stage, a sizable indoor stage that had a band set up, and there was a bluegrass band slated for the bill also. It made the boys uneasy, and even more eager to play and get set up. We had a good showing of Denver fans there when we did take the stage on the outdoor patio. We had plenty of people groovin and some watchers who could stand all around the band on the patio. The PA was a MESS! The monitors that looked almost brand new, werent hooked up and apparently couldnt be, they didnt have an amp for them. Wha? The mains, which were behind the band fed back and distorted all night. At one point the PA and instruments cut out, very frustrating. The band played on. We felt it was a great show despite having trouble with the vocals and the set time. Just roll with the punches. The load out was around a series of hallways, down some steps and at 2AM after waiting hours to play and playing for hours, proved a bit of an ass kicker. To top it off the club is one block from the Denver Rescue Mission and directly across from the club, a vacant lot where at 2am there was no less than 50-75 questionables gathered doing who knows what. They never bothered us but thankfully we had security of an ex-Marine with us. None the less waiting for payout with a loaded trailer and laptop was a bit tense. I got asked for change.... I told him to vote for Obama. After a long dead sleep in the high altitude we woke to a southern breakfast of grits, sausage, biscuits, and eggs. Off to Keystone up in the mountains nearly 10,000 feet. The club is a small place nestled in the ski resort. The best part, there is an apartment for bands above it, no need to drive! I am sitting here now on the couch with Over the Hills and Far Away on the stereo. The scenery is just the begininng for this trip, amazing alpine splendor! I have to remind myself of these days and hours when back at my dingy warehouse gig.


Owsleys Golden Road 7/17/08
One Set:
1000 New Ways to Fly>
Deadline
Great Day>
New Speedway Boogie
Motels and Highways
Downfall>
Broken Rules>
Sweet Freedom
Old Hoopie River Bottom>
Last Chance
Just Got Paid
Travelin Show

Across the Breadbasket

We drove through the night last night, fueled by excitement, I spent the majority of it on the bench seat asleep. It reminded me of my train riding tramping days, I would travel at night under the cover of darkness, sleeping through towns and cities. This time I have the comfort of AC and a pillow, as the motor whines quietly and the tires churn softly below. A big difference from cardboard and steel wheels. The only other similarity was waking up to being stopped. On my tramping excursions I would wake to the silence of being stopped on a siding awaiting another passing train or to do switch work, this time I would wake to the pleasure of a rest stop to use the bath room or grab a coffee or a cold drink. I remember it was moonlight at one point and then a colorful sunrise the next in and out of sleep to the soundtrack of Jerry Reed, The Meters, and Robert Cray. Around 8am Krispy Kreme in hand I took the wheel for the next 3 hours. Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads and Utah Phillips framed the backdrop of windmills and pastureland as the rest of band slept in their benches. We have hung velco'd panels of felt curtains over the windows, the long wheelbase van had the look of a cool dark cave in the rear view mirrow, even in broad daylight. We pulled into Hays KS to give the van a rest. Going west to denver you pick up 4,700 feet in elevation from Nashville, that can be quite a strain on a vehicle and on your gas mileage. We got two rooms at a crappy hotel and cooled off in their dingy pool. We watched TV and talked politics over some dinner. I read magazines at a bookstore and got a much needed shower. The anticipation to the first gig is building, we will be in Denver by lunch time tomorrow, our gig is at 11pm. We plan to sight see Red Rocks, visit friends and prepare for the first show.

Leaving the compound

Tonight is the night! The start of the band's Motels and Highways Tour. We pulled out loaded to the hilt after days of preparation. Everything is packed... I hope, my mental check list is worn out and the things I might have forgotten have been rubbed off by countlessly checking the list hoping I haven't left that crucial item. What a task, I had to pack instruments, clothes and camping gear.

Personally, I am on 3 hours of sleep, after working on customizing the trailer on Sunday, late night Monday driving to Knoxville to pick up a small PA, working 8 hours Monday and Tuesday and fitting in time to spend with the fam for the last few moments before leaving for 3 1/2 weeks. Exhausted before the first downbeat we are off riding in our new van. We decided on a 15 passenger model and the four benches sleep well, the two captains chairs for the navigator and driver. I fired up the old laptop now we have our GPS robomap upfont, and sprint mobile broadband networked throughout to keep us on the cutting edge.

We are going to drive as far as reasonable so to get a head start, and not roll into our first show in Denver late. We will be at Owsley's Golden Road. We intend to blow the cheese off the burgers. I hear the venue is a great one and the energy will definately be on stage.

I just bought an 8GB camera chip so I will also get some photos and youtubes up as well!

Here is to smooth roads and chipped drumsticks and nice cool weather!