Downtime...

Was a good run of shows to start the month. The shows in Madison & Davenport had the Chicago-based Steepwater Band on the bill too. If you've never heard them, I suggest you remedy that right about now. The Chicago show at Martyr's was a great show, maybe the best of the first three. Great crowd despite the rather non-interesting first band. Super 400 played a stellar 45 minute set in front of what I deteremined as first-time-listeners. Definitely a great crowd response. Rose Hill followed with an ass-kicking set. Cody Dickinson from the North Mississippi All-Stars was there and came out and did a jammin washboard-wah jam with the band. I was a bit nervous when I saw this washboard backstage during the show, as I knew instantly who's it was. I turned around and he was sittin there talking and hanging out. Don't know why I got nervous, but I did.

After the Davenport show on the 3rd, it was back to Troy for a few days off. I stayed with Kenny & Lori. They've got a sweet house full of all kinds of goodies. I did the books for the past few short tours, and got all the merch organized and quantities documented as well. The band decided they were gonna cover Hendrix's "Little Miss Lover" for the next few dates. It's a killer song and they played it with a fury. The backyard of their house isn't really a yard...it's a damn waterfall. That's right...waterfall. Plus there's a firepit behind the garage for outdoor hangout space.

On the 8th, we made our way up to Burlington, Vermont. **note, as I'm writing this, I have a tiny cat nesting and snoring perched on my shoulder** On our way, we kinda got sidetracked and ended up having to cross Lake Champlain on a ferry. This lake is also home to the famed Champ, our version of Nesse. The show was at a great venue called Higher Ground. There are two concert rooms in the building, one significantly larger than the other. We played the smaller one and it turned out to be perfect. A band that we saw open for Big Head Todd called "The Brakes" opened up the show. They're a good band, but being first on the bill doesn't always draw the greatest of crowds. Super 400 came on around 9:30 and tore it up. Solid non-stop set. Then RHD followed and kicked the crowd's ass once more. Met some folks who were familiar with Super 400 there and talked to some people about setting up some street team stuff in that area. Wish we would have had more time to spend in the town. It's similar to Boulder, Madison, etc....college town + good beer + good music + skiing.

Next night was NYC at the Blender Theater on E. 23rd street. This is a top-quality theater with a professional sound system complimented with a professional lighting setup. Super 400 was first on the bill, followed by two more bands, then RHD. We managed to squeeze 10 more minutes for our set time and went on about 10 minutes till 9:00. Great set, great sound, good crowd response despite there only being about 30 people there. I worked merch the rest of the night and met many people who were friends of Super 400 & RHD. One person was Chris O. She's a wonderful person who I've traded music with on the Super 400, RHD, & Mule message boards. The Rose Hill set was as usual -- awesome. Got everything loaded out by 2:00. By this time, it was time for me to make my way to LaGuardia airport for my 6:00am flight. Said goodbyes to Kenny, Lori, & Joe and then to the RHD crew. Didn't want it to end. :(

So, back home now and working on promotions and other things. I'm reachable via cell, email, and Amber's phone if my phone doesn't seem to get service. Till the next time....