Well, hello there music fans. hehe. Right now I’m backstage here at the Canton Civic Center, home of the Free State Bluegrass Festival.
This is our second day here, an I’ve never been so thankful for air condtioning in my life. I’ve been told that this festival used to be outside. I love music as much as the next person, but I don’t think I would have been too happy about performing… OR listening when the bank sign says it’s 103.
After our show this evening, we gotta sleep ASAP so we can get up at 3:45 and get ready to drive back to Dallas, fly back back to Nashville, drive to Owensboro, perform, and then hopefully I’ll be able to find some place under a tree to pass out. I really need a jet and decent hotel sponsorship! Anybody have a jet and pilot they wanna loan me? haha
Despite the schedule I am looking forward to going to the ROMP (River of Music Party) in Owensboro tomorrow. I’ve heard it’s a fun show and I’ve never been to it before so we shall see! Hopefully I’ll be rested up enough to pick my little heart out and enjoy the day.
It’s not too far from Nashville or Louisville, so yall come on out if you don’t have plans and you’re in the area.
I’m thinking the first part of next week would be a good time to go to Vegas or the beach, especially before the busiest July schedule I’ve ever had. What do yall think?
Everybody stay cool.
I’ve had this allergy mess for the last couple weeks and I can’t seem to shake it! Just when it gets better I have to go somewhere (like Chicago) where there’s something else blooming that my stupid body doesn’t like. I’ve been hitting the Zyrtec and Claritin and local honey and cod liver oil and all that jazz, but it doesn’t seem to let up. Today was especially bad! I don’t think I have an infection but I might have to get a check up when I get home. Well that’s enough of a personal update, I’d say!
This weekend I’m guesting with Alecia Nugent’s band at a festival in Blue Knob, PA. Should be fun. I had a blast at the Station Inn for her album release show a few weeks back!
Also, for you “Mashers” there is no Mashville Brigade show this Tuesday night. One of our friends at Sugar Hill Records asked us if they could have the Inn for that night for an album release show for young up and coming singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz, and since they asked nicely we were happy to oblige.
One other note: I talked to my buddy Darrel Adkins from the Musicians Against Childhood Cancer Festival today, and it made think that I should tell you guys about his wonderful festival that benefits the work of Saint Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis. I’m not going to get to be there this year, but if you’re free the weekend of July 22-25th it’s well worth the trip to Columbus, OH. It’s for a great cause, and there’s always great music and interesting collaboration sets. Here’s a link to the website.
After a long drive yesterday to Chicago, which included a good 1 1/2 hour traffic jam in Indiana, we made it to Special C’s annual concert in the park Arlington Heights, IL. The weather was perfect and it made me wish I had been outside all day enjoying it!
Tonight Special C’s back at the Fiddler’s Hearth in South Bend, IN… we’re on our way now.
Tomorrow we’re playing in Niles, MI at the Niles Bluegrass Festival. Last year we had a little trouble getting up there (Justin had to drive through a flood). Hope we make it there easier tomorrow!
Sunday we’re playing an outdoor an outdoor concert near Chicago in Schaumburg.
If you’re in the Chicagoland area, come see us! If not, have a great weekend.
Now I’m going to get back to the ridiculously stupid computer game I bought until we get to the gig!
Anybody want to rent me a jet to get home Monday night? I’m getting really tired of I-65! hehe
Weekend before last, we played at the Parkfield Bluegrass Festival in Central California. We shared the stage with John Reichsman and the Jaybirds, Sawmill Road, Kathy Kallick, Chris Stuart and Backcountry, and some other fine groups.
Parkfield has a population of 18 (I was later informed by the waitress at the Cafe that there are now 24 people there, but they haven’t changed the sign), and it sits on the San Andreas Fault Line. It’s considered the “Earthquake Capitol of the World,” but I didn’t feel any tremors. What a pity!
Apart from the yearly Bluegrass Festival, the main source of tourism for the little town comes from their local Wild Boar population, and the hunters that chase them.
It’s a nice little town, with a few houses, a school, a library, a great cafe, and no AT&T Cell Service! The latter feature of Parkfield kinda got me down for awhile, but it was a nice place to visit and I hope I can come back some day!
I’m back from Gettysburg. It was a great festival despite the rain. On Saturday the lineup was: Special C, Carrie Hasler and Hard Rain, Mountain Heart, Seldom Scene, and Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.
I had a blast, but the long drive has me zapped. So in place of a long detailed post, I’ll give you a project!
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Banjo-for-Fun
Well I have some pictures from Parkfield, CA that I will get up here soon. I’ve enjoyed my few days off with no crutches so much that I forgot to blog.
Anyway, tomorrow it’s off to Clinton, New York, then Gettysburg, PA on Saturday. Come see me if you’re in the area.
This past weekend, I went back home to NC to help kick off my Dad’s 2010 Re-Election Campaign for District Attorney with two “Pig Pickin’s”. I was thrilled to get to help out, and some of my best friends and favorite musicians in the world (Gena Britt, Greg Luck, Beth Lawrence, and Clay Jones) helped out too! I had a blast. The only bad part was having to drive back to Nashville (about 400 miles) in the rain with a sore leg. It was worth it though.
I got some video from the second event, in my hometown of Tyro which follows below.
Tomorrow I won’t be Mashing, but I’ll be flying to LA. Wednesday we’re doing school programs in Santa Maria, CA, then Friday and Saturday it’s the Parkfield Bluegrass Festival. Hopefully I’ll get some pics.
Thanks for checkin’ my site, come back soon!
Well, it’s that day of the year again. I think I’ve blogged before about something always going wrong on or around my birthday. Between multiple national tragadies, and odd events (like our side view mirror falling off in Cleveland last year), it seems like it’s never a good idea to celebrate this day.
Well today for my 26th, it happened again. Last night after our show at the Norris Auditorium in Naples, FL, we wound up breaking down in a Wal-Mart parking lot with a busted radiator hose. SO that’s where we slept.
One of my friends said “well at least you don’t have to hobble very far to get cake!”
haha
Problem was, on a Sunday in Ft. Myers, FL it’s hard to find a place that sells a radiator hose for this model of Ford van. We had to wait around until a very nice mechanic who was helping us out put a makeshift one together at about 2PM today.
So here I am at 11:21AM still riding back to Nashville. We’re some place between Macon and Atlanta now and with any luck I’ll be home by 5AM, but I’m not counting on it.
At least nobody blew up anything or went on a shooting spree at a school today, so it’s been better than some birthdays… but there’s still 36 minutes left. hahaha
I hope everyone’s had a better one than we have. I’m ready to get home, but I’ll have to settle for a nap.
This is first Easter that I can remember that I didn’t go back home to North Carolina (except for one or two that I was on the road).
I figured it wouldn’t be good for my knee to drive the 14 hours round-trip, so I laid low and spent the day with some good friends. It was very nice, but not quite the same as going home.
Now as I sit here this evening with my leg propped up, I think of all the things I need to do in the coming weeks and this Spring. So many fun things this week like paying my taxes, registering the new ride with the lovely folks at the Davidson County Clerk’s Office, and a trip to the doctor. On top of that, I really need to tackle some costly repairs here at the house this Spring. It needs painting badly, the yard needs landscaping and reseeding, and some remodeling to the bathroom and kitchen would be nice, but I shouldn’t think about that today. It’s a holiday!
It’s funny that when you have time off your feet and an excuse not to do anything, you think of everything you’ve been putting off for months and you want to hop right on them. The only jumping I’ve been doing lately is on one foot, and that’s not fun.
Anyway, as much as stuff tends to pile up with never ending costs and not enough time to do it, the more I realize that I should be thankful for what I have.
Who would have thought 20 years ago that the internet would bring all of us the convenience and productivity that we enjoy today, AND this amazing blog. hahaha
I would have never guessed when I was a kid that at 25 I’d be living in Nashville after being on the road for 10 years, have my own place, and know so many of my heroes.
After pondering on the news report about what is going on in Thailand, I realize what a blessing it is to live in a place that allows us the freedom to live out our dreams and live peacefully and safely. Aside from the real reason for this holiday, which we should also be constantly mindful of (no, not the Reese’s Eggs. Yes, I love them too.) days like this should be for reflection and realization of what we all have been given and the sacrifices made for us.
Anyway, off my idealistic soap box for now! Hope everyone’s had a great day.
This week I’ll be leaving for Naples, Florida, then next week we’ll be doing all kinds of stuff with Special C here in Nashville. I’ll update yall on that later.
