Hi friends. Hadn't written to everyone in awhile, and I've missed you! What have you been up to?? I don't have any big news to report (well....I did just sing on a Garth Brooks record today - that was pretty rad...), but I did pass a milestone back in May that I wanted to share. Which brings me to part one of my subject line...
THE WIFE
On May 18, 1993 I bought a brand new Nissan pick-up that I promptly nicknamed "The Wife"cuz the 5-year payment plan was the biggest commitment I'd ever made. Little did I know that we'd still be together 20 years later. I love her dearly, she's been my witness in life, always carried me safely where I've needed to go, and I beam with pride when I talk about her. She just turned 295,000 miles and every one of those was mine. I've even been writing a song about her called "Every Mile Is Mine". Probably be awhile before you hear it cuz I wrote it on guitar (it's illegal to write truck songs on piano in the state of TN) and I still can't change chords without sticking out my tongue...but I'm getting there. Here's The Wife (and me - oy!) then, and now.
To help commemorate our anniversary, I drove her to Texas just like I did two days after I bought her. Back then I was starting a gig at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. This time, I was headed to my first Kerrville Folk Festival to soak up some music and inspiration. I met a lot of lovely people and one lovely tarantula! It's definitely made of magic up in there and I'll be back for certain. I've been doing some solo shows here and there (hey to all the new folks I've met at recent shows! welcome to my goofy newsletter!) but mostly I've been writing. I need to make a new record here soon....records need songs....I trust you'll follow my logic.
THE HUSBAND
Other reason I'm writing and doing soul-soothing stuff like making trips to Kerrville is that RockStarHubby Bryan Beller is in the middle of SIX MONTHS on the road. (Ay Dios Mio!) I just made a trip to Europe to visit him on the road with Joe Satriani - saw places I'd never seen, had my breath taken away many times (medieval castle in Czech village?? shut UP!!), had an amazing time - pics on Facebook if you want to see. (Many thanks to Joe and his team for so graciously letting me tag along for awhile and for being so lovely in general.) Bryan will be home Sunday for about 3 days, then he hits the road with his band The Aristocrats to promote their new albumCulture Clash, which comes out July 16. They're causing quite a stir everywhere they go, so I highly recommend you check them out if they're coming to where you are. Here's the list of "wheres & whens" - more info available on their website, conveniently hyper-linked merely a sentence ago! You're welcome.
7/17 – Nashville, TN – Douglas Corner
7/19 – Tampa, FL – Brass Mug
7/20 – Orlando, FL – West End Trading Company
7/21 – Jacksonville, FL – 1904 Music Hall
7/23 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Institute of Music (clinic/performance)
7/24 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Purgatory)
7/25 – Charlotte, NC – Tremont Music Hall (Casbah)
7/26 – Raleigh, NC – Pour House Music Hall
7/27 – Vienna, VA – Jammin Java
7/29 – Boston, MA – Berklee College of Music (clinic)
7/30 – Boston, MA – Berklee Performance Center (concert)
7/31 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – River St. Jazz Cafe
8/1 – New York City, NY – Highline Ballroom
8/2 – Philadelphia, PA – North Star Bar
8/3 – Dunellen, NJ – New Jersey Proghouse
8/6 – Pittsburgh, PA – Hard Rock Cafe
8/7 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
8/8 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Café
8/9 – Cincinnati, OH – Southgate House Revival
8/10 – Charleston, WV – Empty Glass
8/12 – Detroit MI – Token Lounge
8/13 – Indianapolis, IN – Birdy’s
8/14 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s
8/15 – Madison, WI – Brink Lounge
8/16 – St. Paul, MN – The New Amsterdam Bar And Hall
8/17 – Omaha, NE – Shamrock’s
8/19 – St. Louis, MO – 2720 Cherokee
8/20 – Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar
8/21 – Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard
8/23 – Denton, TX – Dan’s Silverleaf
8/24 – Houston, TX – Rudyard’s Pub
8/25 – Austin, TX – Saxon Pub
Soon as he's done Aristocrat-ing, he'll fly to CA to start U.S. leg of the Satriani tour which will take him through October. Reckon I'll have an album's worth of songs by then, eh??
That's all for now. I'll be smilingly song-swapping at SWRFA in Austin in September and FARM in St. Louis in October - if anyone wants to book a house concert in or around those things, holler, k?
Nice chatting with y'all, hope things are good.