… sitting in Tucson, AZ and reflecting on the last few weeks.  one more show and it’s back home!  let’s do a replay…

i left you in Oregon.  amazing Oregon.  let’s see, what do i remember…  Rosie’s scones…  hoppy beers…  fun musical times (Bend Roots Festival and Fresh Hop Festival in Sisters).  oh yeah, and being treated like a queen - an amazing offer to rest and relax on the Deschutes River couldn’t have come at a better time.

off to Ukiah, CA for more beautiful views and catching up with a former cubemate.  Random fact:  Ukiah Brewing Company, where I played, was the second restaurant in the United States to be certified organic, back in 2001.  And they have beers with names like Emancipator. How could you go wrong?  Stayed on a winery with actual roosters (not fake) crowing for a wake up call.  A little early, but, the romanticism of it made up for the lack of sleep :-).  View of said winery from cubemate’s porch:

and then off to the coast!  i played a good friend’s wedding, and it was just a great event - awesome views, awesome food.  Had a hilarious pedicure experience - to sum it up, it took 2 hours (!) and by the end of the day it was ruined (and not because of something i did).  But, the woman who fit us into her schedule before the wedding sparked some incredibly random conversations and tried really hard.  ha.  Anyway, the music for the wedding went over well, and i met some great folks and hopefully made some new fans.

vogueing

  delicious steak

bad pedicure

and down the coast we go…  Highway 1 (PCH) never gets old, but carsickness does.  this was a familiar, and not good, look for me the next few days:

still made it safe and sound to Santa Cruz and played to a great crowd at The Crepe Place.  Thanks to the owner Adam (formerly of IOTA) and local songwriter Chrissy MacLean for helping put together a great show.  Can’t wait to go back and do it again.

getting distracted because Eddie Murphy “Party all the Time” is on the radio.  This is how it really goes down in the studio, folks.

Got to play a couple of great little songwriter showcases, hosted by former DC local Steve Key in San Luis Obispo (let’s just go with SLO) and Santa Margarita.  He has a great song about DC citizens not having a vote - I think it needs to get hooked up with the DC statehood campaign.  Anybody out there work with the campaign?

Stuck in the middle there was San Francisco.  Fantastic show in the Castro at Dolores Park cafe.  Lots of old faces and new ones too.  One of these being, after several sightings, the mascot of this tour - the Pomeranian.

The NoCal/SoCal social rivalry is a study.  Like a Civil War?  Not quite that extreme, but there are some strong feelings on either side.  I just take the best of both and say “I like California”.  Ever the politician.

So, the SoCal shows…  serious tour highlight at the Antelope Valley Thespians black box theater in Quartz Hill, CA.  Just a great night of really feeling connected with an audience - young/old, male/female, etc.  It is what I strive for every night - great touchstone to have from this tour moving forward.  Glad I made you think…

Another visit to Scripps College - this time coupled with the discovery of Yogurtland.  Can someone please open a franchise in DC?  Thanks.

A few days off in LA - gossip, sun, football, you know…

A few shows in the LA area - reconnecting with some longtime fans.  Hoping to work on developing this area a little better in the coming year.  To that end, I’ve got lots of work to do when I get back home to DC.  Planning my tour schedule for next year, getting back to these areas more strategically, all that good stuff.  Lots of progress made - still more to strive for.  Looking forward to it.  Speaking of…

Another wonderful house concert at the Keller/Potter residence.  Thank you so much!!!   Really fantastic audience - great to see a base expanding in Phoenix.  Thanks in so small part to the loyal fans I’ve got there…  apparently they heard about the mascot announcement…

Took a day to explore some of Arizona.  I have old ties to the state, and it was great to walk down memory lane a bit.  Sedona, Sedona…

And finally we come to last night in Tucson.  Another good crowd - really encouraging to see more and more folks out in these venues I’ve played before and feel my audience growing.  Hoping to put in much more hard work and see even more growth.

More on that next time.  Now it’s time to drive to Texas (Austin house concert Saturday night! - if you want to attend, please contact bridget@overtimerecords) and stay away from Mexico.