Let it Be

I was really second guessing myself when I walked out the door with snowboard & avalanche gear in hand -- a high of -5 degrees at 9,000 ft. yesterday. First day on the board, and some mid-January weather to accompany my itch to take some turns. Matt Irwin and Jeremy Coffe were the backcountry mates and despite some cautionary wind chills, had a good day. The potential for large dumps in the last few days has everyone wishing for Jackson's ultimate bailout -- that a big snow now will encourage powder feens to book trips to JH. We'll see. New Tram and all, its still slow.

The lack of apres-ski gigs this year is real, and I've found myself in some really productive six-string grooves lately. Its been a while since I played 2-3 hours a day. The extra time isn't great for the wallet, but there's a pocket in everyday to focus on creativity, and for that, I'm wealthy....

In these times, when art and music gets shoved to the side, artists become an uncalculated importance to society. To me, they become more important, the necessary fabric that lets a mind wander, digress from the toughness that the world can deliver. Or maybe I'm over optimistic today & tomorrow I will bury myself in a cocoon until winter ends and interest rates have risen.

The CD Release Party at Lyndsay McCandless Gallery -- a great crowd of close friends and the ideal music environment for me to function in. There aren't many venues or situations that allow me to play intimate acoustic music followed by a rockin' electrified ensemble. Lyndsay is the energy behind the incredible space, which is housed in an old filling station, the "garage" being where my show was.













The Docks are cruisin' along, extending our repertoire and getting tighter as the days go by. We're having special guests along the way too -- Katrina Cornell (guitar/vocal) and Jeremy Cohen (guitar) will sit in with us this weekend, Fri-Sat at the Silver Dollar.

I gotta get this yella dog outta the house. He stares at me like its not 3 degrees outside, but I'm not fooled.

Peace. And have a great holiday.

Back in the JH Saddle

Its been a nice ride. Gone for nearly 2 months from the J-Hole and I know this was one of my favorite off-seasons. Read about some of those experiences in the 12/3 edition of Planet Jackson Hole (download for free at www.planetjh.com). Here's a photo update...

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals rocked the Pink Garter Theatre












Too bad I only caught the last hour of the show, but one hell of a finish. My 3rd time seeing band, and they just keep getting better. I dug the psychedelic edge to this show, a very different set than Targhee Fest last summer. I like where they're going. One of the most exciting live bands right now.
68th Annual Fireman's Ball w/ Boondocks













Wow, this is one fun ho-down of a party. Boondocks + horns + hundreds of people swing dancing = good times. Thanks for all who came out to support the Fireman, and us! This will be the last Boondocks gig for a while, but Margo will be touching base in JH every now and then.

John, Bryan, myself, and the return of Andy Peterson on drums will debut as The Docks this month...Dec. 20 at the Stagecoach in Wilson, and Dec. 26-27 at the Silver Dollar. We'll be debuting lots of new material, both originals and covers, and plan to have special guests from time to time.

Kentucky - Where its at

There were too many good times to cover, so I slacked in telling the world. Rose Creek Festival, held at my sister Mandy and brother-in-law Jim's small farm in Barren County, KY, stands out as a highlight of my time in the home state. I played, Nate played, Mandy and Jim sang tunes too, as around 40 friends and family milled around, ate homemade chili, soup, pies, casseroles, hot dogs. Its exactly how it should of been, moonshine and all.

I was especially excited for my sister Mandy to play 2 songs that she had written because I had heard them before and they're really good. She's a shy but solid player when she wants to be.

The next day we floated the cumberland river in canoes and fished for monster brown trout. We caught a few mini-monsters. The following day, we rode horses around their neighbor's land, and conversed with some country characters that reminded me of how good of a life rural living can offer. When people complain about the economy, or traffic, or gas prices, none of that shit matters when you're staring at a field of glowing autumn trees from horseback. Thoreau could probably explain the euphoria...

Playing at Al's bar in Lexington was a trip, and the CD Release party at the Dragon in Frankfort found my voice to be just about gone. To say that Al's is eclectic is a broad understatement--white, middle class families, older black folk in Nike gear, midgets, prostitutes, pimps, and beggers...need I go on? Nate's buddy Craig joined in on percussion, adding a new element to our sound and creating a cool groove to fuel the fire. Al's was smack in the middle of the ghetto, with a bluegrass focus and plenty of good vibes. Go there. We decided to go back for Nate's 31st just days later.

There are lots of people to thank for generosity and simple, good natured hospitatility. It fuels the music more than they know, more than I know.

"I ain't got no home, I'm just ramblin' round, I'm just a wonderin' worker, I go from town to town." Thanks Woody.

Here bluebird, let me play, let me play

Well, its been nearly 2 weeks since the last post. Its been all about family lately. The longest stint I've had with the fam in eight years actually, so that's been great. The above pic was taken with Pawpaw, my bro Matt, and dad.

I've had a variety of performing opps, including a couple of trips to Nashville (its only an hour from Bowling Green). My first first experience with one of the music city's famed songwriter venues, The Bluebird Cafe, was as interesting outside as inside.

You see, the open mic there is like no other. The venue was to open at 5:30pm. Mom and I rolled in around 4:15, way to early, right? By 5pm there were 20 songwriters in line, by opening time, 40-45 songwriters in line!! I happened to be 4th in line, and man, were there some classic stories being told in the front of that line....some funny, some really sad. Met vagabonds from Vancouver, a mill worker from Princeton, KY, a businessmen from Chicago, a carpenter from St. Louis.

There were certainly some shnazzy Nashvegas outfits, too. Enough snap shirts to make ya wanna say... "snap!" Everyone was nice and all, but it was almost exactly how I imagined it. Should it have been? To keep this long story short, I didn't get to play. I got a "stamped ticket" that guarantees me to play my second time around. We'll see if I make it back this Monday before I cut town.

That's What I Like Bout the South

The last two gigs of our NC run were great. The Highlands in Blowing Rock was one of the best of the tour, minus the hangover that ensued the next morning. Thanks to our Asheville friends that supported at the French Broad Brewery....especially Kristi & Jeff who put a roof over our heads for the night. Oh yeah...Arland, you da man!

Nate and I were lucky enough to do lots trout fishing around the Blue Ridge Mtns, covering everything from small mountain streams to tail water fisheries. Them are some spooky trout! Can't say enough about the beauty around Boone. I could live there.

Asheville always has some funkiness to offer that you just don't get in most parts of the country. Our Sunday brunch at a trendy cafe was accompanied by an unplugged solist drilling one Dylan song after another. He sang Dylan like it was 1970. Buskers were around every corner. Literally. And we were happy to tip them for their efforts.

There's a theme that has emerged on this roadtrip that repeatedly surfaces, only evident from a Kentucky upbringing combined with a post-college life West. There are good people in The South. Sure, you can find friendly people just about anywhere, but there's a deeper sense of helping one another.

We randomly met a fishing guide in a Wal-Mart in Elizabethton, TN. Though he had clients with him about to hit the river, he took the time to set us up for what ended up being an incredible day on the river. Not only that, he called us later in the day to make sure we caught fish, knew where to camp, and if need be, crash at his apartment. We thought that was super cool...thanks Ollie.

I've been in Louisville since Monday night, decompressing from the road at Guisepe and Meghan's pad...good meals, good sleep, good company, do-nothing days is what the doctor ordered. Big weekend of shows starting tonight at Seidenfadens Cafe, O'Sheas Friday, and Jean-Ferris Winery in Lex on Saturday.

FYI...check out Seadar's sweet blog about Austin life at 2morethanyou.blogspot.com, and also one of our favorites that will turn you on to a ton of new indie music, fuelfriends.blogspot.com.

Fishin' and Pickin'

The Blue Ridge Mountains are rockin' with fall colors right now and we're in the thick of it. We've had a couple of days off since the Norfolk gig, so we headed due west across NC to fish in E. Tennessee.

Nate and I fished the S. Holsten the last couple of days and caught some nice browns and rainbows -- really technical fishing with most caught on #22 & #24 tiny dries. Headed to fish the delayed harvest today in NC.

Our show at Twigs in Blowing Rock was well received. Some good folks that treated us well...and gave us directions to their favorite fishing spots. Thanks to Sandra and Francis who drove from Winston-Salem to treat our dinner and come out to the show.

To the river...

NC and VA

6 shows in 5 days and travels through 10 states has opened some cool doors in the last couple of weeks. Our show at Elk Creek Winery in Owenton, KY was incredible. Their slice of land is beautiful, with grape vines galore and fall colors kicking in. Our family has been following the road trippin’ for the last couple of gigs…great to have them along!

I'm psyched that a bulk load of my new CDs finally arrived, so I made the timetable of having them with me...whew.

We realized that our 6 hour drive was really a 9 hour drive to the next gig, so we had to cut town at midnight and drive through the night. It was rough for sure, with plenty of fog and deer on the road to make the steering wheel grip a bit tight. We remained in a daze for the rest of the day.

We’re now in Norfolk, Va, following two afternoon sets at Dreams Acres Music Fest in Pleasant Hill, NC. Good country folk in those parts! Everyone was very accommodating and down-to-earth with a very relaxed festival vibe. I got runner up in the singer-songwriter contest, losing to a tune about chewing tobacco...this is tobacco country.

We’ve been playing a solo set each, then a set together. Our duo set is meshing more and more each gig. I’ve found it easy to craft some parts to Nate’s tunes and the covers have been really upbeat and fun.

Forgot to mention...my new 1965 Guild came in from eBay and got in setup in Nash-vegas. Its killer. Great tone, and a steal for $800.

One more gig tonight, then headed to Western NC for some trout fishing and camping for 2 days. Can’t wait to rip some browns and rainbows!