Day 8 - Wild West Tour

I'm writing these posts from my phone, so if the formatting is a little off, I apologize. 

We were in Lubbock, Texas for a few days, and played a set for my sister's graduation party. Also got to finally meet my little nephews who live in Houston. Suzi loved playing with them, and the novelty of a stranger being family. 

Texas has been getting a ton of rain, so it's unusually green and lush in the otherwise arid regions. Good for us going to the desert, but lots of dangerous conditions in East and Central TX. Strange to see Lubbock so green, that's not how I remember it. 

We stopped in Lone Star Oyster Bar to play a few songs at their open jam night. The crowd dug it, and the house drummer did a nice job following our songs. They called for an encore. 

https://instagram.com/p/3GBrGKzKAi/

My high school friend Jerry Serrano, trumpet/guitar/keys/talented musician, played a few songs after us. If you're in the area check out his music. 

https://www.reverbnation.com/jerryserrano

I should also say how wonderful it is to go to my grandmother's house, the safety and predictability is an oasis from the road. I wish I could see them more than once a year at most, and I worry each time it could be one of the last. It's painful saying goodbye each time.  We spent a few hours going through old family photos, one of my favorite things to do. 

Here's one of my great grandmother, on the left:

A painting by my grandmother. 

 But anyway, this is a band blog, good as it is to see family while on tour.

We left Lubbock and drove southwest to Marfa, through the Davis Mountains on the way. I think it's about a 4-5 hour trip, but we stopped a lot to look around. Where this picture was taken, the air was thick with the fragrance of blooming flowers. 

Arriving at El Cosmico, http://elcosmico.com/ we got our tent assignment (alas, we didn't get to stay in a teepee 😭). The lobby/gift shop was full of treasures, and sweet ladies running the show. 

Our tent was across a small field, and beyond that was an outdoor community kitchen. 

The three of us unloaded our gear, made a simple dinner from our food box, and set to work putting the PA together and all of their sound equipment. 

We played that evening to an audience of locals and travelers who were staying at El Cosmico. I played bass for one set, and drums for the second set. Suzi came up a lot and played harmonica, tambourine and shaker as usual, but I noticed her working extra hard to listen to what she was contributing to the music.  During Sing Sing she turned to me and whispered "Mom, I'm trying to get the people to clap". 😊

They took this picture:

https://instagram.com/p/3M48ecEWFd/

That night was cold. So cold we slept in knit caps and our sweaters and windbreakers. No pictures of that. :-)

Day 4 - Wild West Tour

The first three days of this tour are done, they were the toughest. Lots of driving, late nights with early mornings. But it was worth every tired moment. We're flying Dan home today and continuing on as a duo for the next 3 weeks, but I'm sad to see him go. These shows so far were all fun, but I think last night in Denton stood out for all of us as the best, as far as our own performance and energy level. The crowd seemed to really dig it too. 

Two nights ago we were in Jackson TN, and I got to see my old friend and new mommy Alice Calvery perform with her heartbreakingly beautiful voice, while I HELD THE BABY!!  Josephine was 7 weeks old, I had the privilege to swaddle her and rock her to sleep.  I've still got it. I have no pictures of her and I together though. 

<insert precious baby photo here>

The venue that night was the lobby of The New Southern Hotel, which is connected to Alba Coffee, who hosted the show. When I arrived I was given the most glorious latte, and Suzi made friends with two little boys whose Mommies were there to see the show. I'm proud of her heart, and her ease at making friends, even though they were considerably younger than her. 

That night we drove on to Memphis, just to get an inch closer to Denton on the map. Our host that night had a very nice house and an equally nice old dog and a Wurlitzer. I don't play piano unfortunately, but Suzi and I couldn't resist attempting "Woodstock" by Joni Mitchell. Another thing I like about Suzi, she loves Joni too. Blogger won't let me post a video, maybe it's because I'm working from my phone.  Here's a clip: 

https://instagram.com/p/2_SvlSh3Mk/

The first night was the show with R.Ring in Louisville KY. I'm a big fan of their minimalist folk punk. 

The  two other bands, Quail Bobes and The Fervor were really good, Quail Bones had an obvious Ramones influence and pulled it off really well, while The Fervor were more psychedelic, featuring beautiful female vocals. Our host that night also hosts house concerts, so we're planning on coming back to Louisville in the fall to do one. 

Finally getting around to blogging

We're getting ready to leave for our Wild West Tour, and I'm steadily crossing things off the to-do list.

This tour is a little unlike other tours we've taken, as we'll have many more days off to hike/camp/explore/adventure out in the wilds of New Mexico and West Texas.  This means we'll be taking camping gear with us for the first time on tour, which has lead to may more packing and logistical planning for me.

Oh, by the way, "Me" is Sarah, the lead singer of Shivering Timbers.

Jayson, Dan, Sarah

Anyway, back to the packing.  We decided to get our own tent instead of borrowing one, which made me and Jayson feel like proud new home-owners all over again.  The thing is huge, fits 8 people.  So we're thinking of hiring more bandmates along the way just to fill it. 

It engulfed our entire living room.

But I like to nest, so having this much space in which to do so makes me really happy.  Last time we camped was at a festival in Rhode Island in a too-tiny tent, smashed against the walls and each other, elbows in ribs, feet in face.  It was one of the worst nights of sleep.
I'll post pictures of the massive tent in action somewhere in the desert. For now, it's back to work, I have packing to do.