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Hell of a day at the studio today. Blade was sick and unable to come in. Definitely a bummer for him and us. Hopefully he’ll get well and join us again tomorrow or Friday. Our friend Tim Marks came in to fill in on bass. He’s cool. He played on the majority of ‘Draw The Curtains’ so there was already some familiarity there. He got there just as we were getting together an arrangement for a song called ‘Where Do We Go From Down.’ It was written with Kyle Cook so he came and played guitar with us too. Siggi really nailed the drum track. Great feel, really moody. Then we completely reworked a song from the first sessions called ‘Too Late Too Soon.’ It was a blues rock thing but just kept kind of coming up limp as we listened back. I got there early this morning and wrote a new arrangement on piano. Took it a whole different place. It seemed to finally grab everyone by the balls a bit. Devin played piano. I played acoustic and Kyle hung and played electric. Siggi and Tim held down the rest. Its gonna come together nicely after a bit more melody tweaking on my end I think. Back in at 10 in the morning for another co-write with Jim Lauderdale and then he’s going to sing backgrounds on the tune of ours that we recorded yesterday. Then Pat Buchanan and Michael Webb will join us to track two more later. Keeping us hopping. Oh yeah….go Celtics! Talk to y’all tomorrow

Will’s condition has been upgraded to stable after a Wednesday evening traffic accident. He suffered broken bones and contusions when his scooter was struck by another vehicle at approximately 8 p.m., Central Time Wednesday, August 20. Will was departing the Nashville studio where he is working on the follow up to 2007′s Draw the Curtains for his record label, Rykodisc.

“Mr. Hoge suffered multiple injuries during the accident, however, he is progressing according to plans,” said Dr. John A. Morris Jr., director of the Division of Trauma at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Will’s family, management team and record label appreciate the outpouring of well-wishes from friends and fans. Will is anxious to get back in the studio and on tour, and will do so as soon as his doctors allow.

I know I’m supposed to be better about putting these things up. So here’s my attempt at make up blogging: First off I must say that it feels good to announce that we LOVED playing in Tampa! Yes, there I said it. We were all a bit concerned about a place called Skipper’s Smokehouse. It brought to mind all sorts of ‘Beach Blanket Bingo’ images. Or that we’d be playing across a piece of wood across two pool tables next to some dudes barbeque pit. Luckily, neither of these proved true. It was one of my favorite places we’ve played. Great folks there, great crowd. The radio station and promoter were both a pleasure to work with. The place is this great mix of indoor/outdoor/mini theater vibe. We just loved it. So no longer is Orlando the only hope for Florida. Now we’ve got Tampa too. Hope we’ll be back soon. I should catch y’all up a bit on the previous weeks too. We were in Memphis for a show on the eve of the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s murder. Quite surreal. We drove by the Lorraine and that area a couple of times before the show. Then that night we were watching all the specials on tv about the killing, James Earl Ray, the speech the night before. They would talk about how stormy it was and how Dr. King seemed to flinch each time, etc. But it was storming horribly in Memphis that night. So right outside our hotel window every time they’d say something about it, BANG BANG, thunder and lightning outside. It was like having the greatest narrator of all time telling us this story. It was beautiful to see how many people had made the trip to Memphis to pay tribute. Bus loads of people at our hotel and bus loads more everywhere else we went. Everyone should try and make it a point to see the Civil Rights Museum there if you can. Truly an amazing tour and experience. Sort of a character test I guess, you, in Memphis, one day: Graceland or the Civil Rights Museum?? I’ll just say that I LOVE Elvis, but I’ve never been to Graceland. Of course I don’t have a tattoo about him either, so maybe I’m biased. Somewhere in there we played a show too. Not a bad night. Later start than we like. But still ok. Next day we headed off for Mobile, AL. Part of the way down in Mississippi, we hit some bad weather. It turned worse, and then worse still. We decided to turn on the local radio in the van to see if we should be concerned. At that moment they announced a tornado on the ground RIGHT where we were. I mean RIIIIIIIGHT where we were. I yanked the van off the interstate and into some parking lot where we all jumped out and ran into a Border’s Bookstore to take cover with all the other patrons. The manager came and unlocked the door and let us in. Why Borders? I have no idea. I know in a tornado to stay away from windows and such. But probably a good idea not to seek shelter in a place that would have 10,000 some odd projectiles blowing around if something were to happen. Luckily, we were all fine. But the drive out was full of mangled buildings and blown off roofs. Pretty crazy. So we get to Mobile and go to do our radio interview and the station is off the air. Cool station, so hopefully they’ve got their tower fixed and we can do it again next time. Got my feelings hurt by the world’s angriest lesbian before the show over our parking place. We’d been at the club for like 2 hours and I pulled the van forward so we could load in down this sidewalk. 8 minutes later I come out and this gal and her gal are pulling into our spot. I nicely asked if she’d mind moving to another spot right BEHIND that one and explained that was where we’d been all day. That I’d just moved the van for us to load out. I’ll spare you all the specifics about how angry she was and just say that it ended with her explaining repeatedly and angrily that this was the ‘fruit loop’ and it was gay pride week. That ‘me and my kind should stay at OUR bar.’ I make light of it now, but it really did hurt my feelings to deal with anyone this upset and truly hateful. The guys from ‘her’ club even tried to talk to her and she was still a bitch(actually I think in the end I did refer to her as a ‘horses ass’) Now I don’t want this reflecting negatively on any of my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters out there so lets just all join hands and get along together in wishing a big happy yeast infection to both her and her girlfriend! Kumbaya motherfuckers! Perhaps it was karma that led to the 3 hour delay on the highway of Mississippi the next day when our U-Haul blew a tire. FYI: If you’d like to speak to the dumbest people in the world, rent a U-Haul, drive it, have a problem, call the 800 number they give you and just sit back and enjoy. Truly THE dumbest people I’ve ever dealt with. I’ll summarize by saying they COULD find us a repair place in Massachusetts and Missouri. They COULD NOT however find us one in Mississippi. Which by the way is what MS stands for you 5th grade educated douche. Thankfully, if you do have to call them, ask for Phyllis. She was AWESOME. I mean this sincerely. If she’d not gotten on the phone(after no less than 8 other morons) I may have had to just light the damned trailer on fire. But as you can see, I’m not bitter. We made it to Oxford for the show at Proud Larry’s late as hell, but ready to play. Thankfully Erson had some pals to help us load in and out which made the throw and go set up LOTS easier. Got to hang with our ol’ pal Anderw with whom we’d made the America EP. He’s got a great thing going down there with his studio and we’re already talking about going back down to work with him again on this blues album that we’ll be doing later this year or early next. It’ll be a lot of fun getting to work together again. Speaking of recordings, I’ll let the cat out of the bag a little early and say that we’ve just set aside the time(Aug 10th-Sept 17th) to record the next album. I won’t give away any more than that as there’s still lots of tread on the tires for “Draw The Curtains.” But just know it’s coming. In “Draw The Curtains” news….THE VINYL IS FINALLY HERE!! No skips or nothing this time!! You should all be getting details soon on how to order it and stuff online and I think it’ll be available at shows soon too. It sounds killer if I do say so myself. haha. “Washed By The Water” is the new single from the album and who knows, you may even be hearing it on the radio soon. We did a radio edit version that cuts off part of the end. Trying to get it in under 5 minutes, which shockingly enough is too long for most radio stations these days. It turned out good and really didn’t take away from the original feel of the whole track. Hope y’all will dig it. Well, I’m just squawking like a monkey in a tree, so I’ll let you go. More news soon. Be well and thanks for all the continued love and support.

Hanging back in Nashville before heading out for this brief solo run later in the week. That should be fun. Good chance for me to get back into some old songs plus work on a few new things.

So we left off in LA. Well this show was sort of a bust. We were going out to the west coast with the intention of this being something it just wasn’t. We got there and only got to play 40 minutes, no soundcheck, etc. It was really a bummer. But I guess we should just feel lucky to be onstage in such an illustrious room on such a wonderful lineup, right? It’s LA baby. Good news, we’ll be back in January for a REAL show and damn I can’t wait.

Erson and I flew home on Sunday so that I could handle some business/family stuff around here. The plan was to meet the band back in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately the weather threw a wrench in that so then that show got cancelled(luckily too we’ll be back in Jan/Feb). Now we were really feeling like this whole run might be a waste of time.

We decide to regroup in Denver. The Walnut Room is a cool little place. Great crowd, the show was lots of fun. WCUV had me in earlier in the day and it was good to meet all those folks. They’ve been playing “Washed By The Water” quite a bit and it was good to get a reaction from that tune. We’re hoping to make it back by before the Boulder show in February. Got to see our old pal Jordan which is always a pleasure.

Headed out the next day, post Cracker Barrel to get to Oklahoma City. Insert blizzard here. After being towed out of a rest area(ridiculous, ridiculous, ridiculous!) we limped down the icy roads only to end up in a Super Wal-Mart parking lot for the night. The state trooper at the off ramp was cool. They were trying to divert all trucks/buses to some parking area as this was the only exit in Kansas for like a million miles. They didn’t want folks parking at the Wal-Mart, but being a fan of rock and roll the fella just sort of let us “slip” through. Thank you kind sir! Now we as much as anyone else love to support the ‘little guy’. The mom and pop, local retailer. But I’ll tell you what, in the middle of Kansas, in 2 feet of snow and ice, after being towed off of a ditch, at 1 am, really damn hungry, there are few things better than the warm glow of the corporate gluttony that is the 24 hour Super Wal-Mart! After a lean cuisine, some chips and a copy of the Bourne Ultimatum, all was well in our little worlds.

Woke up the next day and dug our way out of the parking lot and got back on the road for OKC. Took a while, but we made it. The Wormy Dog is quickly making it’s way onto our top 20 list of places to play. Few and far between are the clubs that actually DO have an audience that just comes to hear, see and enjoy live music. Well folks, this is the place. Just a little slice of honky tonk heaven in the middle of Oklahoma. Can’t wait to get back to it soon. Thanks to everyone for coming out and rocking with us.

So that’s really it. Hopefully I’ll find time in the very near future for some sort of holiday shopping for friends and family. If not, I guess it’s “Draw The Curtains” and a Will Hoge t-shirt for everyone.

I’ll check back in later to update you on the solo shows and gush over how excited we are about our upcoming dates with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. Yep, it IS gonna be kick ass.

So the Michigan show went really well. Best show there yet. Thanks to those that came out. Tonight was the first ever ‘real’ show in West Virginia and it was killer. Cool room. Hope we’ll make it back.

Now I know lots of you have had things to say about the review I posted on here. Well, as a thank you I sent Ms. Cowan a lovely bouquet of flowers. Now, here’s the fine folks at the Michigan Daily’s response to that. This just keeps getting better and better…..

Being a publicly adorned artist is somewhat of a precarious position. Not unlike (but certainly to a lesser degree and more light-hearted nature) W.E.B. Du Bois’s concept of double-consciousness, the artist has to view himself not only through his own eyes but also through the eyes of his/her detractors. Some artists handle this position particularly well, taking criticism and written critiques with immense amounts grace and understanding: The artist realizes by placing oneself in the public eye there will certainly be those that don’t like his/her contributions to the artistic world. Then there are those that are wholly ungrateful and condescending towards the process. These artists can’t accept that there will be people that dislike their art. Certainly a difficult thought to accept given the heartfelt and personalized nature of said art.
Will Hoge is the latter of these artists. The Daily recently published Caitlin Cowan’s review of Hoge’s latest album Draw the Curtains with a score of 1/5 stars, something Hoge apparently feels is a grave injustice. And why shouldn’t he? He almost certainly poured his heart and soul into the album only to receive a, to put it bluntly, rather terrible rating. But rather than taking one on the chin and passing this review by, possibly citing other, more positive reviews of the same album, he found it necessary to not only demean the author but also send a little gift for Ms. Cowan.

Sitting in the office of the Daily yesterday was a vase containing two to three dozen sweetheart roses (so we’ve assumed) with a note that says, “Thanks doll. See you tonight. Love, Will Hoge.” A childish and unnecessary move full of indignant, hedonistic and downright masturbatory self-inflation, Hoge feels the need for vigilante justice and this is his method. Since when did Will Hoge become the Kanye West of indie-rock, resorting to parochial antics to garner more press?

The fact of the matter is, Hoge isn’t a musical visionary. He’s done nothing especially exceptional. He’s done nothing that’s mind-altering. And, most importantly in this instance, he’s done nothing to impress Caitlin Cowan: Apparently, his only detractor. Don’t get me wrong, Hoge is no push-over. He’s unquestionably a respected and talented artist. I’m not trying to deny him any of that.

But to act as mindlessly shallow as Hoge did in response to this review simply shows the maturity he inhabits and respect he deserves. On that note:

Will,
Thanks kiddo. Don’t come back.
Love,
Chris Gaerig
Daily Music Editor

My ol’ pal Caitlin Cowan up at the Michigan Daily has done a great sum up of the new album, if not my whole career. Just wanted to share with all of y’all. Thanks alot babe.
Will Hoge needs your sympathy – he’s a “burned out junkie truck stop saint” with a “suitcase full of empty dreams” and a “head full of Hank Williams songs.”

Apparently, he also has a raging case of cliched bullshit syndrome.

Every scrap of press surrounding the Nashville-born singer promises things like straightforward rock’n’roll, blue-eyed soul and working-class sensibilities, none of which he commands. And though his bland songs are the Wonder Bread of the music industry, his website proclaims that he “eschews all gimmicks” and brings “energy and passion to an idiom that sometimes seems devoid of inventiveness.”

Exactly which idiom Hoge is trying to reinvent, however, remains a mystery. Hoge has been compared to everyone from Bruce Springsteen to American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. But to say that Hoge sounds like Bruce Springsteen would be equivalent to declaring that eating at Olive Garden is no different from dining at a waterside trattoria in Venice.

Hoge sounds like everyone else: a trait that doesn’t bode well for him or his latest album Draw the Curtains. He casts his net wide and sucks in everything around him. He doesn’t sound like his influences (Otis Redding, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters), he sounds like he’s aping them.

Draw the Curtains sounds like a first effort, a stab at the majors. But Hoge has released two studio albums and almost a dozen live and independent cuts prior to this release. At this stage in a musical career, it’s time to grow up, find your sound and polish your craft. Instead, Hoge’s latest album sounds like the misguided endeavor of a singer-songwriter fresh from the college bar scene.

At his best, Hoge’s smoky voice is shaded with sincerity. The plaintive acoustic “I’m Sorry Now” and the title track thankfully sound less like the galumphing blues rip-offs that clutter the rest of the album, and are the best tracks on the disc for that reason. But at his worst, he slogs through a morass of tired blues riffs and awkward expressions. He forces his voice to growl and bend in places it shouldn’t.
“Washed by the Water” is almost insulting in its shameless derivation of everything from blues to gospel and back again. Hoge sings about the broken levees of New Orleans while backed by a boisterous choir and driving piano. This would be an acceptable topic if Hoge hadn’t seen fit to sing the song in an exaggerated vernacular that isn’t his own: “Damned old levy / Well they knew that it would go / Been talking ’bout it / since before my daddy’s born / Ain’t nobody listen to what a poor man has to say.”

His countrified slang and sense of solidarity with the city’s displaced inhabitants comes without any warning, and it seems disingenuous to toss in a song about a politically and racially-charged event in the middle of an album that sounds more like a long night of drinking than a call to social consciousness. It’s not his story to tell.

It isn’t the corny lyrics or pedestrian tunes that kill this album, it’s the fact that Hoge seems to have no idea who he is. He grasps at the idiosyncracies of other singers instead of taking hold of his own, and the result is abysmal.
On the album’s last track, “The Highway’s Home,” Hoge sings in a somber tone, “Fill the tank / I’m movin’ on / I’m sorry honey / But this highway’s home.” But after digesting an hour’s worth of his bogus blues, there’s no need for Hoge to apologize – he just needs to leave.
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
Will Hoge
Draw the Curtains
Rykodisk

So we were supposed to spend today shipping out the first orders of the vinyl copies of “Draw The Curtains.” Much to our disappointment, there was an unknown “flaw” in the pressing. It was all great until the title track which has a nice big fat skip in it. DAMN IT!! Good news, we caught it before they went out to y’all and everyone else. Bad news, it’ll be another 3-4 weeks to get it fixed. I’ve never pressed a record before so I don’t know if this is common or not but I’d like to think it went like this…..

The dude pressing the vinyl was so into the music that he stripped down buck naked. He then started dancing his ass off. Eventually in the midst of some twirl some pubes fall off onto the record. That’s what causes the skip. It’s Mort the pressed vinyl guys pubic hair. At least that’s what we’ll say…………
See y’all soon.

Actually the title has very little to do with the post other than the fact that said movie is on silent in the background on AMC as I’m typing this. Things are going nicely thus far with the new album. It’s not even been ‘born’ for a week and we’re super proud of it and the feedback from all of y’all thus far. Sorry to a few folks who didn’t get the preorders yet. A few were returned and we’re remedying that problem right now. They’ll be to you soon. And the bonus live CD’s are gonna be shipped to you all. THEY ARE NOT in the original shipment. So don’t go thinking we screwed you outta something. haha. There’s another live recording that is gonna be available for free when you purchase “Draw The Curtains” at any of the CIMS stores(Coalition of Independent Music Stores). Adam2 and myself just finished the mixing of the live show from WFPK’s live lunch and they’ll be pressing that soon to be included there. WFPK also has officially added the single so be listening and thanking them for that too. Hopefully that’ll be a good excuse to get back to Louisville soon.

Knoxville Thursday was fun. Came back home for a free show last night in Nashville and that was a blast too. We played at B.B. King’s which is a place I’ve only been once, on opening night, to hear B.B. King, so it was cool to be on the same stage. Adam was out of town for his brother’s wedding so our old pal Jason “Slim” Gambill held down guitar duties and did a smashing job. He’s the guy who led us to Adam so it was good to play with him again and I thank him for allowing us to rock! Reese came down and joined us for the whole show on organ and it was still a pleasure. Plus Maureen came down for “Washed By The Water” again and was equally as cool. It was not our ‘normal’ crowd so it was cool to get a chance to turn some new folks onto what we’re doing as we prepare for our big super duper electrical acoustical rock and roll circus extravaganza hometown new album party on Oct. 27th at the Exit/In. Don’t get me wrong, 3rd and Lindsley was GREAT! But that was just the new album plus a couple of songs. B.B. King’s was lovely, but it was a free show and a very strict ONE HOUR time limit. So 10/27 at Exit/In, you better be prepared!! Hell, we’re excited already. Do come join the party.

Today was the rarely seen Saturday OFF. For us that only happens about 7 times a year so it was nice. Gearing up for an early departure in the morning to head to the Anderson County Fair in South Carolina. Our SC horn players are joining us again so it should be a good time. Hope we’ll see y’all there. Jack Daniels+Funnel Cakes+Sunday+Good Friends+Rock+Roll=kick ass.
Bye Bye.

So today is the day! “Draw The Curtains” is now really an album. Out there for the whole world to buy, steal, burn, love, hate, etc. Feels good I must say. Thanks for all the support y’all given us thus far to enable us to continue to make records! There’s a new music player here on the myspace site that is a really easy way to download the album for 9.99. Our Will Hoge techies tell me it’s a much better thing than we had there before. I’m taking their word for it. Of course you can still run down to your local music retailer and pick up a dozen or so copies there too. Hopefully this little album will keep us busy for a while.

Speaking of busy, Greenville was great on Thursday and Friday. I love the Handlebar. I love John Jeter and the staff there. I always leave there feeling great about what we’ve done. Had a horn section on Friday that was just killer! We’re hoping they’re gonna join us again for the Anderson County Fair on Sunday night.

Saturday in Asheville was ok. I just don’t feel like we catch on with the folks in the Asheville quite like we should. Saw some friends and such and it was fun nonetheless.

Sunday night we were back home in Nashville for the live WRLT Sunday night show from 3rd and Lindsley. It’s important to mention that the folks at Lightning 100 have been so incredibly supportive of me all the way back to ‘Carousel’ and that just means the world to me. 3rd and Lindsley isn’t a room that I’d want to try and play the big rock show in all the time, but for what we were doing on Sunday it is the PERFECT place to play. To Ron and all his cast and crew(who have also ALWAYS been there for me) my most sincere thanks as well! So the point was to present the new album in order. Something we’ve never tried before and it was fun as hell. The band was killer. Everyone was really on. We had a bunch of special guests which usually leads to at least one train wreck onstage, but everyone nailed their parts. CT Blackmore joined us for “Draw The Curtains” and played a sax solo instead of the horn part on the album and he was great. Ms. Maureen Murphy joined us for “Washed By The Water” and blew me away. I’d only gotten in touch with her the day before. She’d not really even heard the tune much before sound check. But my brother told me she could sing and be damned he was right! Pete Finney, who played pedal steel on the album, joined us for “The Highway’s Home”. To hear steel played like that almost brings a tear to my eye. It really was so sweet it almost distracted me a couple of times. Then we move on to Reese Wynans on B-3. We’d brought Mr. Wynans in for 3 songs on the album right near the end of recording and it really helped pull the whole thing together in the end. So we invited him to come and play those 3 songs live as well. He of course KILLED. Inspiring each of us to play better and more soulful with each note. We’d decided during sound check to show him “Sweet Magdeline” so he could sit in for one additional song after the live radio part was over. Cool. So we start playing “Better Off Now” and it’s cool because we’re now using Molly on fiddle and all four of us(Adam1, Adam2, Molly and I) are singing on it and it just feels good. But in the second chorus it just starts to feel even better. I look back and Reese is playing B-3! Erson is laying down KILLER piano parts. Ok, lets do it. Reese laughingly tells me, “…it’s ok, you’re not paying me by the song.” Funny. So he just stays in the band for the rest of the show. “Someone Else’s Baby”, “Pocket Full Of Change”, “Hearts Are Gonna Roll”, “Ms. Williams”. He kills and has not ever even heard the songs before. The whole night was really a pleasure. Looking back I can say I’ve never had more fun playing music. Don’t get me wrong I’ve had other nights that were AS MUCH fun, but none that were more. Hasd lots of familly and friends there so that just made it all the more special. My old friend Chip, who was my product manager at Atlantic made it out which was nice. John Shanks and his right hand man Jeff who helped make “Blackbird…” happened to be in town and they were out. It was great seeing them. Ken Coomer our producer was out and about and I’m hoping we made him proud after all the hard work he’s done for us over the last couple years. So post show I dropped Llama and Siggi off at Robert’s and took the bus and went home. A wonderful night the whole way around!
So this week we head to Knoxville on Thursday and then the Anderson County Fair in SC on Sunday. FYI….FREE SHOW IN NASHVILLE ON FRIDAY. Yep, I said it. FREE SHOW IN NASHVILLE ON FRIDAY!! Here’s the deal. You’ve got to get tickets through WRLT or some street team folks will be handing them out in downtown Nashville the night of the show. A ticket will not guarantee you can get in, it’s first come first serve, but it’s FREE! BB King’s on 2nd Avenue in Nashville Friday Night. Please listen to WRLT for more details and we’ll hope to see y’all then.
Ok, that’s it for now. Thanks y’all.

So we’re on the doorstep of the release of “Draw The Curtains” and things feel really good. Started with a great show in Columbus on Thursday. Wonderful crowd, so into the show, even the new songs. It was great. The radio station there has also just added the single so hopefully that’ll help y’all with spreading the word for when we come back. I do love the Basement.

Friday in Louisville started with a live lunch at WFPK. GREAT TIME. They’ve got such a killer set up, plus it’s such a great station. It was a pleasure. Big room with a nice Steinway for Erson to play. We stripped it down and it was just beautiful sounding in there. We kind of pissed all over the first verse and chorus of “Draw The Curtains”, but hell, it was a noon performance and we ain’t even up that early usually. Luckily, the end was strong so noone really noticed. The show that night at Headliners was great too. Another great turnout and really has us feeling like Louisville is turning a corner for us. Got to share the stage with Scott Miller and the Commonwealth. They’re fantastic. Scott writes really smart, catchy, good songs and his band is equally as good. I’ve know his drummer for a long while from Nashville so it was good catching up with him too. We’re already trying to figure out how to work out more shows together.

Drove home afterwards, slept in our own beds(or at least some of us did, the others slept in their own bunks outside my house) and then headed to Mucklewain. I’d love to tell you it was crazy packed with thousands of people, but it wasn’t. Scott Miller got quote of the day as he sauntered onstage and asked the crowd, “…um, did y’all all come in one car?” I spit sweet tea out of my nose. Funny. Anyhow, back to the point. Mucklewain was just awesome! Such a phenomenal line up. Got to see Scott and his band again. Jason Isbell and his 400 Unit were right before us and they’re better every time I hear them. If you’ve not gotten that record, do it. Drivin n’ Cryin’ was great too. Garrison Starr just killed it!! She’s so good. Such a pure pure voice. Plus she’s got an ol’ pal Bones Hillman playing bass. I met Bones as the bassist for Midnight Oil when we were out working with them years ago. He’s a wonderful bass player and his harmonies with Garrison were stunning. Adam and myself were just blown away as we watched. Anyhow, saw a few other friends, ate fried chicken, soy-sage quesadillas, drank sweet tea and just enjoyed a beautiful night in the country. Plus was BACK in my own bed by 2 am. Pretty good day all around.

So we’re spending the next 2 days getting all of the pre-order stuff packed and shipped. It’s like a little band assembly line in my den. We’ll catch you up on all that soon.
Adios.(Spanish for au revoir)