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.

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.

...to Georgia?

After a rousing Austin show, the Small Ponds split the scene to try and cover a few hours of our long journey to Georgia. In our humiliatingly sober state, we were pulled over in a town called Chandler, Texas due to a rear light outage. The officer was kind and only gave us a warning. He asked what kind of music we play, which Jesse's responded to with "Ummm…it's pop!" Then I immediately poked my head around and said "but with heavy country influences." After which Caitlin popped HER head around and said "plus violin!" The officer smiled and said, "All you had to say was violin." He totally genre profiled us, and we were on the right side of his taste-o-meter.

The Tyler Express Inns & Suites gave us a good deal on seven hours of blissful, bedbug-free sleep before we hit the road, headed for Carollton, Georgia, a mere ten hour drive. There we will play a well-attended house concert at our good friend Chris Laney's, followed by an evening show at a local spot where we'll share the stage with his band.

Texas was an experience. It's probably the most American place that you will ever experience. It's big, dumb, and beautiful. In a place where they execute the most number of people in the country, there's a church on every corner. And across from the prison, there's a prison museum, honoring the system. And they fucking hate government. Which I guess is somewhat understandable, except the roads are terrible, and because of a lack of signage laws in a lot of places, it looks like you let your drunk Aunt Tammy decorate the joint so it ends up looking like a cross between an Applebee's and a junkyard. The contradictions ARE the intriguing part. And a Texas sky is one of the most beautiful sights you've ever seen. Just like a rambling conservative Baptist, it goes on forever, and you're not exactly sure why.

Tour continues...

Houston. Holy shit, Houston. This short blog update is going to be dedicated to our good friend The Breeze. He blew in to our first show with Stephen Kellogg, and destroyed our minds and sensibilities as we raced around the town searching for the next cocktail and mishap. We visited both of the bars he owns: Grand Prize and Big Star. EVERYONE should go to these bars. Then we ended up at his friend Rachel's house for an evening of sing-alongs and weiner dogs. 5am came fast and wake up call came even faster. A great kick off to the Kellogg tour...

We have reached the promise land...Waco, Texas. I'm not convinced that they have music here, so that's why we just stayed the night. Last night was our 2nd show with Stephen Kellogg at the House of Blues in Dallas. Kind of a rough technical start to the show, but a strong finish involving mild insults to the crowd and me almost falling over from my momentary rock fever and attempt at snapping the next off of my guitar for reasons involving both drama and contempt. We booked it to Waco for some punch drinking with my close friend Will, who is getting used to Texas and their signage laws, or lack thereof. After playing a show at the House of Blues in Dallas, it feels strange to talk about post-grad level studies of the Federalist papers, Abraham Lincoln, and teaching assistantships, but refreshing. Goddamn Texas has a big sky. And we are feelin it.

Lots of Small Ponds excitement!!

We play at Tir Na Nog TONIGHT with the great Jon Lindsay! Next week, we play LOTS of shows with Jon Lindsay...

Thursday August 26th

The Garage

Winston-Salem, NC

Friday August 27th

The Whiskey

Wilmington, NC

Saturday August 28th

The Visualite

Charlotte, NC

Sunday August 29th

Local 506

Chapel Hill, NC

Looking forward to all of them!! And Jon Lindsay's new record Escape From Plaza-Midwood is out NOW. Check it...

http://www.chocolatelabrecords.com/jon-lindsay-efpm/

Kisses!

New show dates are up!!

Check out all the new dates on the calendar section of my website!! And you can also check out The Small Ponds' website here!!!

The Small Ponds on WKNC

Here is the interview that I did with Caitlin Cary on WKNC last week. Patrick from the band Luego is also with us. Enjoy!!

http://wknc.org/blog/post/11448/interview-with-luego-and-small-ponds/

Things are happening!!!

Things have been happening! But I've been terrible about writing them down. My band with Caitlin Cary played a show at the Pour House in Raleigh this past Friday that was fantastic! Thanks so much to BJ from American Aquarium and Luego for playing as well.

Next week, I'll be playing solo at Ruby Red on June 2, in Charlotte with The Small Ponds at a private party, and then...

The Small Ponds help open the Downtown Amphitheater on Friday June4th!! 6pm!!! Come listen to us, and then we'll go take out ties off and have a drink.

More news to come...

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!