We made the run down to Knoxville on Wed. Oct. 3 and played the Well again. Everybody there is so extremely nice and laid-back.
We have had a great time both times there.

We played with Glossary, very cool band, they did a SlobberBone cover.
I am informed that in Texas, SlobberBone are as big as Tupelo, etc.
I however, had not thought of them in years.

We ran into a place called Sessions in Greensboro, NC, the next night.
I drove all night over the mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina
and we arrived in Greensboro at about 6 a.m., not that fun.

Sessions was a cool little place and people seemed to like us, I believe we'll head back there in the early spring. Lots of craft beer, lots of coffee.

Shakori Hills was a good time, as usual.
Brock slept in a puddle.

Saturday evening, we did the C.C.U.A. Harvest Hootenanny, for the 3rd year.
I guess we got in on the ground floor, what a great, great, event.
I could go on for paragraphs and pages about how dedicated, welcoming and amazingly sincere these people are.
I guess it's just living proof of what people can accomplish, when they really want to do it and work together. It's like one of those Hollywood sports movies, but in real life and with hippies.
The Columbia Tribune said there were over 1,000 people there and if the Trib says it, I believe it, it's printed on paper.
I just knew there were a lot of people around when we played.

Sunday we did a benefit for the renewable energy ballot initiative at Mojos.
It was called Power to the People. I'm sure it was all well intentioned and
so forth and etc., but I did not dig it. I agree with most of what it was for, or we wouldn't have played it, but...
I don't like anything that is set up with the idea of conversation and debate, but ends up preaching to the choir.
Also, when you're donating your time and think it's a donations event and show up to a sign demanding either twelve or fifteen dollars to get in and get hassled to buy raffle tickets before you can load your gear in, it starts to feel like you've been taken advantage of... best I can say is, poorly executed. 

Tonight I did a solo set, opening for a band from San Diego called the Silent Comedy. Really cool guys, really rockin' show.
I recommend you check them out. They've been featured on The History Channel's Hatfields and McCoys  mini-series, so if they're good enough for Kevin Costner, they're good enough for you.

We leave in about 4 hours for Knoxville, we're playing with Glossary, at the Well.
It will be the next step in a really fun week. I'll write about it soon.

So, since the 15th of May, when the last update was done, that's a lot of
space to cover.
We have written new songs and recorded them and played a pretty fair amount of shows, with old friends and new.

It's interesting, in the last couple of years we have played for a 100th birthday party, until 4a.m. and at 7:30 a.m., recorded 30 some songs and played hundreds of shows all over the South and MidWest. We, however, certainly still
feel we're at the very beginning of what we're trying to do, because we are.

As October starts, we'll be heading out for shows that take us far SouthEast
and far SouthWest. We know, very firmly that we would have no chance of doing any of them without a support system of friends and family that is consistently more welcoming and enthusiastic than we could possibly deserve.

We recorded 10 songs a couple of months ago with Johnny Kenepaske at his Dead Horse Sound Company studio in Independence, MO. We did everything in probably less than 16 hours of recording and had a blast doing it.

It's kind of a big step for us, when we started doing this we didn't know if we'd ever go back in a big studio again. Johnny's place was sort of dipping our toe back into actual production, but trying to keep it pretty rough and ready at the same time.

The record shoud be available online around the 16th of October and we're all ready selling c.d.'s at the shows. They have an extra song on them that won't be available online, until someone uploads it less legitimately (not that we're against that).

We've played shows with our buddies in the area, like Scott Ford and Dave & Dyno and jammed with many talented musicians.

We did a Labor Day Ramble, inspired by Levon Helm's legendary efforts (I feel like and hope that's happening all over the world) and shared the stage with people I had wondered if I would ever get to play with (and in one case see) again.

It was a huge rousing success for all involved and I think paid off the mortgage on a local taco truck.

So, that's about where we stand, getting ready to do a couple of shows for good causes and then head out to North Carolina, for our 3rd time at Shakori Hills and first time in Greensboro. We also get to go back to Knoxville, which is awesome.

We hope to see everybody soon and I'll be updating this as we get back on the road and head for all these familiar and new places and experiences. Check the shows page, as things will be expanding rapidly.