Pics from the car of Western NC...

Photos taken by my lovely wife Ellen. Thank god she didn't drop her phone out the window.

The good kind of whining...

I had the pleasure of playing a solo show for the good folks at the New River Winery in Lansing, NC this past Saturday night. It was what I like to call a quad-threat of pleasures: Playing solo for people that are listening, drinking an obscene amount of wine, being in Western North Carolina in the Fall, and having my wife Ellen there to hang out with me. Normally the "quad-threat" evening involves illegal activities, poor decisions, sometimes vomit, and regrets. But we got away without any of those. And I'm incredibly grateful to my good friend Nic Slaton for treating us so well and showing us such an amazing time.

Last night of the Kellogg Tour...In Vermont!!!

We're here! At the Higher Ground in Burlington, Vermont, and it is amazing here. Last night we destroyed it at World Cafe Live. I'd say we put another crack in that damn Liberty Bell.

A little taste from Little Rock...

A nice pic from the road! The Small Ponds plus our Last Chance Records friend and leader, Travis Hill. Please sell lots of records Travis. Please.

Today, we rock Maryland. The land where dreams are crushed by our cold hard gettin' it. Look out Towson...

Charlottesville at the Jefferson...bowling in Raleigh?

So The Small Ponds kicked off the next leg of touring with Stephen Kellogg and his Ultimate Sixers in full style at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville Sunday night. A great show, a great crowd, amazing little theater. The majority of the Ponds went home after the show, while my amazing wife and I hung out with my dear friends Zack Hickman, Adam Larrabee, and Adam's awesome wife Chloe. They had just finished up a weekend of playing with their infamous bluegrass 80's cover band Love Cannon, which also served as the backing band for Josh Ritter on Sunday afternoon.

We returned to Raleigh Monday and had a nice day off indulging in a Small Ponds/Kellogg and the Sixers dinner at Gravy, followed by some very enthusiastic bowling at The Alley on Hillsborough St, followed by wings and nightcaps at the Raleigh Times. Since I've been drinking for the last month straight, I was sure that the evening would be relatively tame, which of course, it was not. But we kept it classy, and nobody's pants came off in public. A success.

Tonight, we play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, and then off to the Northeast tomorrow.

**Today's blog entry feels like work because I feel a little worked over. There was a pretty serious lack of humor, witty wordplay, anecdotes from the road, etc. I would put a picture up, but I can't find my phone right now and I don't feel like looking for it. More to come, I swear. And it will get better.

Home from the tour...for now.

So we're all home recovering from the last couple of weeks of late nights and grueling drives. Our final show in Minneapolis was amazing! The Varsity Theater is a truly outrageous place with amazing decor and incredible sound. While we were there, the incomparable photographer Darin Back (www.darinbackphoto.com) took shots of Caitlin and I for a part of a series he is working on. Very theatrical. I'm still waiting to see the ones of me riding a pony. We'll see if I love them as much as Caitlin thinks she will.

I also had the chance of catching up with my good friend Aaron Dysart (pronounced "Die, Sartre!!). He is an amazing sculpture artist based in the Minneapolis area. You can see his work at www.aarondysart.com. Be prepared to have your mind blown. Not just by his unique and delicately thoughtful creations, but by his wickedly enthusiastic facial hair.

I feel bad that I was able to fly home via a beautful wedding in Baltimore while the rest of the Ponds had to drive all the way back to Raleigh. But I had to meet my baby in Baltimore. And that's really all there is to it.