Baton Rouge, 12/1

After 2 days of rehearsal, the Susan Cowsill band finally took its version of Led Zeppelin IV to Phil Brady's in Baton Rouge. We survived the experience, but our lives will be changed forever.
Not really.
All things considered, it was a pretty good show. It was a blast playing Susan's songs with the band again, and the Zeppelin stuff only got sketchy a couple of times, with only one real train wreck (provided by yours truly). The only real complications: Susan still has a bit of a cold, and I still have a bit of a bussel in my hedgerow(?).
Tonight we take the show to Carrollton Station in NOLA. Susan and Russ got some great press for the show, so tonight should be a great time.
In other news: I took a long, windy, aimless bike ride yesterday, and I've eaten nothing but chicken in days.

New Cats

Hello. I know I've been silent for a while, but I've placed a link to the blog on my website so now I'll have to update more frequently.
I guess the only news right now is that Jo and I have a couple of new cats, tentatively named Malcolm and Louie.
I'm heading to Louisiana in a couple of weeks to play 2 "Covered in Vinyl" shows with Susan and the band. Should be fun. See you there.

Indianapolis, IN (home again)

Have I been hesitant to write a tour wrap-up because I didn't want it to end, or because of a few unpleasant events at the very end? It doesn't really matter now, I feel like enough time has gone by that I can wrap it up without dwelling too much on the negatives.

New Orleans is still a beautiful city, and the show at Carrollton Station was a blast. Our friend Tim was there with a camera crew and allegedly got some great footage (I don't know where it will end up). After the show we were hasseled by NOPD (probably recent transplant cops) for about an hour, ticketed for our broken taillight, and generally treated without mercy or respect. The following day, while walking around the French Quarter, the van window was smashed and a few items were taken, including Aaron's bag of guitar tools and my bag that contained my laptop, camera, and several other less valuable items. The real shame is that all of my photos from the tour were stored on my computer, so all that remain are the few I emailed to Sarah and the ones posted here.
I was disappointed, but it's hard to indulge in self-pity when surrounded by people who have lost everything.

I've been back home for a few days, it's been great to spend time with Sarah and the kid, who I lavished with gifts upon my return. I've been back to work at my day job (buying and selling books) and have played a couple of shows with Otis Gibbs.
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the Mysteries of Life at a club near my home. The nucleus of the band is a married couple, Jake and Freda, who are moving to London at the end of the month. This was their last show in Indy, so I was glad to catch it. The only disappointment was the brevity of their set, owing to the fact that it was a multi-band extravaganza. In my opinion The Mysteries have been the best Indiana band around for the last decade or so. I'm sad to see them go, and the new CD I bought last night will be a poor substitute for their rare live performances, but it will have to do.

Tonight it's back to work with the Benders. I sort of miss those guys.

I guess I'll keep this journal thing going, but probably post less frequently. Thanks for reading, I welcome any input y'all might have.

Alpharetta, GA

One more show to go...
Aaron and I stayed with my dad, and Russ and Susan stayed with friends last night. Our party had a delicious Thai dinner, then came home and crashed.
We're all having breakfast at Dad's this morning, then making the long drive to New Orleans. I'm looking forward to the show at Carrollton Station, visiting New Orleans, and meeting the Broussards.
But not as much as I'm looking forward to going home.

Charlotte, NC

Good morning. As is often the case, I'm the first one up.
Great show last night at the Evening Muse in Charlotte. We may not have played our best (or maybe we did) but the sound was great, the audience was appreciative (and already knew most of Susan's material), and the staff was friendly and helpful. Kelly was hilarious blowing trumpet in the street after the show.
We're staying with friends Steven and Christopher again- the same place we stayed my first night out. It feels like a strange kind of homecoming. It's only been a month ago, but it seems like several.
Last night was the final road gig of the tour for Russ and Susan, tomorrow we play in New Orleans to wrap it up. Today we're heading to the Atlanta area to visit my dad and some friends.

Roanoke, VA

A brief stop on our way to Charlotte. It was hard to leave the farm, so we didn't leave until 7:30 last night. Aaron was a trooper and drove us this far. I was knocked out most of the way, I had taken a benadryl for my bee sting/swollen foot.
I spent my time at the farm relaxing, swimming and eating. We lit some fireworks, threw some late night illuminated frisbee, and spent Tuesday afternoon tubing down the Delaware river. Aaron and I also visited Guitar Villa in Quakertown. It's a cool store, but we didn't buy anything.
The farm was incredible, and I want to thank Johnny, Linda, and their kids, neighbors and friends for making us feel so welcome.

Scranton, PA

I'll most likely be away for a few days, as we're staying on a farm in the middle of nowhere until Wednesday, and we have no wireless connection. That's okay, we have a pool, a volleyball net, 2 pigs, a horse, a rooster, peacocks, dogs and cats. Who needs wireless?
Played a good show in Philly last night, the night before was a wierd little place in a wierd little place called Piermont, NY.
Stopped off in Scranton on the way to our Moscow gig just long enough to shower and steal all the toiletries from the hotel. I think I'm late for the bus...

NYC, Long Island

Drove back into Manhattan today. The four of us visited the Museum of Natural History and walked around Central Park. As we were heading back to the van, we found out that Fiona Apple was playing at the Summer Stage in the park (along with Damien Rice). I'm a fan of her records and so is Aaron, so we were excited to find out the show was just starting. The show was sold out, but we managed to find our way in using our charm and good looks. We eventually weaseled our way up front where I nearly bumped into Heather Graham (the actress, not the romance novelist). By this point I was pretty excited about the show and I had talked Fiona up to Russ and Susan, so I was disappointed when she was awful. We left after about 5 songs and were followed out by other angry concert-goers. I love her latest album, but she's clearly unable to keep her neuroses (psychoses?) at bay well enough to perform live.
From there we headed to the lower east side to Arturo's for a delicious Italian dinner with friends Lizzy and George. We had heard the Cyclone at Coney Island stayed open late, so we followed George to Brooklyn only to be disappointed again when it was closed. Russ and I got ice cream at Nathan's and we called it a night.
It's our last night at Ed and Lynne's; they've been incredibly kind to us. We'll miss them, but I'm ready to rock again...

Long Island, NY

I am not opposed to the idea of a place in the world that Starbucks hasn't infiltrated, but from what I've seen it's impossible to find a good cup of coffee on Long Island. I do appreciate Collen bringing me coffee yesterday- even more now since I spent this morning lost in the van on a fruitless Starbucks search.
Aaron and I took the train into the city yesterday. I had some pretty good pizza, but so far nothing beats Sally's in New Haven. We walked up Central Park West to see the Dakota where John Lennon lived, but it's just a building and we couldn't get in. They've named the bordering section of the park "Strawberry Fields"(where you'll find the 'Imagine' memorial). I wonder how many people think the song is about the park...
I didn't take a single photo in NYC, and I'm having trouble posting photos anyway, due to a slow and intermittent wireless connection. I'll add some when I get a chance.
We're supposed to head back to the city at some point with Russ and Susan, but they went out to the Bay House yesterday and haven't returned yet.

Later...
So I went out on the boat, to the bay house and a tiny little beach. Unfortunately the weather changed suddenly and the trip was somewhat of a wash. Meanwhile, someone we know was accidentally driving into the van, damaging one of the taillights. At least we had steak for dinner...

Long Island, NY

Ahh, Long Island. Everyone here sprinkles their conversations liberally with crude expletives. I feel right at home. We're staying at Lynne and Ed's house on a canal with a nice view and a swan that eats right out of our hands. His aim is not so good, and his bite can hurt a bit.
We played a house concert here yesterday, and it was nice not having to pack everything up and move on afterwards. Thanks to Kevin for supplying us with PA gear for the show. Everyone has been very nice to us, and they keep inviting us to their bay house for the day, but I think Aaron and I are going to take the train into the city. Surely we can get into some kind of trouble there.

Hoboken, NJ

Playing catch-up again. We're in Long Island and I've had a hard time finding a wireless connection. Hoboken Saturday night, played a fine show and met Russ and Susan's friend Scott, who we threatened to kidnap. We gave him a ride home but stopped in Manhattan for a slice of pizza. It was good, but didn't compare to Sally's in New Haven. Sorry, New York.
After dropping Scott off we headed to our temporary digs on Long Island, where we'll be for a few days.

Fall River, MA; somewhere in RI

Thanks to Patrick and Owen for a great night at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River. Good crowd, fun room, and Owen is a great stage manager.
We spent most of the day in Newport and Middletown, playing on the beach again and enjoying another orgy of seafood.
I opted not to be buried in the sand, but Russ and I had a nice run on the beach, then played in the waves.
We stayed with cousins Fred and Kelly again. Fred cooked a delicious gourmet breakfast, and we're doing some laundry before heading to Hoboken.
What will I eat there? Stay tuned to find out...

Newport, RI

Boston, MA

Played a pretty good show at Johnny D's in Somerville last night and met more nice people. We did a comical rendition of "End of the Line". Unfortunately the comedy was unintentional.
Yesterday's big story was getting lost driving around Boston. I guess it's pretty common, but I'm usually pretty good at finding my way around, and this infuriates me.
We stayed at the same hotel from Monday night, and they found my cellphone charger, which you probably didn't even know I was missing.
Somehow I forgot to take pictures when we were lost, stuck in traffic, so here's another Fenway photo from Monday.

Wellfleet, Cape Cod, MA

And then, Russ and Aaron buried me in the sand and gave me breasts like a woman...

A fun day today. We played a lunchtime radio show at WOMR in Provincetown (at the tip of Cape Cod) where we made some new friends, then had lots of time to eat delicious seafood and play on the beach. Then we had a delicious dinner at the Beachcomber in Wellfleet, set up, and rocked. I ate a crabcake sandwich, fries, lobster, raw oysters, steamers, some of Rusty's steak, an ice cream cone, and a choco taco.

The food is delicious and the Cape is beautiful. We've decided to forego the tour and just stay here. Our new friends Tony and Kate said we could live in their treehouse.

New Haven, CT

New Haven was last night, but I'm playing catch-up. We had a fine show at Cafe Nine, but the highlight for me was Sally's Apizza in Little Italy. We ate what was possibly the best pizza I've ever had. Of course, they know they have incredible pizza and a line out the door, so maybe they don't HAVE to be overly friendly.

The journal is quickly becoming world-renowned, and people are asking about it when we show up to clubs. That's a lot of pressure to live up to. I hope I won't disappoint.

We stopped at cousin Fred and Kelly's somewhere in Rhode Island to sleep (thanks F & K) and I did some laundry. Donuts and waffles for breakfast, and off goes the rock band.

Boston, MA

Fenway Park, Boston. I joined Susan for the National Anthem (though I wasn't much help), and the Red Sox beat the Royals, 5-4. Meat Loaf threw out the first pitch. The big news, however, was his relief pitcher: Will Ferrell. Mr. Ferrell and Mr. Loaf had a little tete-a-tete out on the field, and then-Play Ball!
Sarah and I walked around Boston until we were exhausted. I think we go back to New Haven to rock tomorrow, and she flies home.
I'm also beginning to have to recycle clothes. I got a new Red Sox T-Shirt tonight, but it's already in need of washing since it's 125 degrees.

New Haven, CT

Good morning. I'm trying to wake up again after too little sleep. We played in NYC last night at the Mercury Lounge, and stopped last night in New Haven on our way to Boston.
Tonight's the Red Sox game, but right now I'm too sleepy to be excited or nervous about it.
We had good shows the last couple of nights in NYC and Arlington, and some good Indian food and pizza in NYC.
The best news is that my girlfriend Sarah is here. She flew into NY yesterday and is with us for the game tonight. Tomorrow she flies back to Paducah.
Hopefully we're going to go take a tour of Fenway today.
Okay then.

Washington, DC 7/15

Greetings from our nation's capitol. We played in Baltimore last night with NOLA friends Cowboy Mouth. They are loud, sweaty, and obnoxious, and good people. They invited us all onstage for a rendition of Iko Iko, whereby Russ played an astounding washboard solo.
Did some sight-seeing in DC today: the Lincoln Memorial; Washington Monument; Vietnam, Korea and WWII memorials. We couldn't take any photos because we've overloaded Aaron's camera with photos of a pregnant woman.
Looking forward to a show in Arlington tonight and NYC tomorrow.

Undisclosed Location 7/14

We played a house concert. Some people were in attendance. Russ and Susan spent several hours cooking crawfish.

Charlottesville, VA 7/13

Charlottesville rocks! Just not in the middle of summer. That's what they tell us, anyway. A small but mighty crowd attended our show at the Gravity Lounge last night. It's kind of a coffee shop/bookstore/bar/concert venue. It seems like a cool place, but the bookseller in me was infuriated by their barely organized book selection. I wanted to start straightening, but if I did I'd still be there.
We did a local radio show yesterday morning, then I mostly swam all day at the hotel pool. I'm feeling it today.
Now it's almost time to head out and I'm trying to wake up with weak hotel coffee. Mmmmm.
The good news: last night was the start of a 12 day run. I think I've had enough down time for a while.

Durham 7/11 part 2

Getting ready to leave Peter and Sarah's in Durham. Thanks again Sarah, Miranda and Webb.

Durham 7/11

Still in Durham, and the block we're on right now has 2 music stores, 2 book stores, an internet cafe, a packing/mailing store, a toy store, and several restaurants. We're obviously close to the university (by which of course I mean Duke). We've spent several hours here over the last 2 days.
We're back at Bean Trader's and getting ready to head to Charlottesville. There's a radio show in the morning and a rock show tomorrow night.
We saw Pirates of the Carribean last night with Miranda. A bit of a disappointment, but a fun family activity. Webb went to the bank with his mom yesterday and brought back suckers for Aaron and me (he refers to us as "the rock and roll guys"). He's 2.5 yers old, so we're pretty much on the same wavelength.
The photo is from our highly gay trip to the mall (and I mean that in the traditional sense- we were happy as could be). It only cost a dollar and we got a printout from some kind of prehistoric dot matrix printer that Sarah was kind enough to scan for us.
Susan and I also practiced the National Anthem for all of 5 minutes. I should be more nervous about that, but I can't help but feel like it's going to be fine.
I can't wait to rock...

Raleigh 7/10

Great show at the Pour House in Raleigh last night. We were joined onstage by Mel Melson on harmonica and vocals and Duane Jarvis on guitar. Great crowd and a wonderful staff at the Pour House helped make it a fun evening for everyone. I had Apple pie a la Mode for dinner.
We're staying with friends/family: Sarah, Miranda and Webb (and Peter in absentia) in Durham until tomorrow when we head toward Virginia.
Aaron and I walked to the mall today, dicked around at Guitar Center, and hit a ridiculous sale at Old Navy. Instant clean clothes!
We've made our way to Bean Traders, a cool coffee shop with free WiFi where we've been hearing Beatles songs and checking email. Four of us sit silently, hunched over laptops (except I keep interrupting Russ to ask him where we're going next and other details). Russ is actually working, Aaron seems to be mostly perusing Ebay (a habit I need to drop IMMEDIATELY).
We're having fun, but I'm looking forward to more rocking.
Till next time...

Charlotte, NC 7/09

Arrived in Charlotte around 7 last night. The airline lost my little red case full of cables, stomp boxes and miscellaneous tools. I knew they'd lose it when I booked the flight. In my heart, I've always known they'd lose it.
We're staying with friends who have a beautiful condo with a nice view of downtown Charlotte, a comfortable bed, and a TV in every room. Susan cooked a delicious dinner last night, and we watched the Tour de France. So far it doesn't feel much like a rock band on tour- just a weekend trip to visit some friends.
We'll play Raleigh tonight, and the airline called late last night to say they've got my case. Everything's coming together quite nicely.