They have a branch of Gibson’s factory at the MALL in Nashville, TN. It was cool to wander from the food court to the Gibson Mall outlet and then get to watch people making these beautiful guitars in the next room. Tony Laiolo at Norm’s River Road House in Nashville, TN playin’ and pickin’ and often grinning, though occassionally just sardonically grinnin. Okay, we met Jamie well playing at Cafe Coco in Nashville, TN. She’s like, my new favourite human in a stripey shirt. She drew a buff surfer and this is her buff surfer face. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Dave Pahanish at the Beer Sellar in Nashville, TN. Whitney and Freddie = affection in strange trousers. It was a lot of fun to stay with them for our time in Nashville. They have a beautiful home and a contrary cat and Freddie even plays Magic. Really well. Too well, actually. He made me cry. Me and the General Lee in front of Cooter’s in Nashville, TN. I am such a happy, happy puppy. West Mary performing at the Downtown in Morristown, TN. The show was completely out of the way but was strangely one of the most fun we’d played. Huge speakers and a happy, happy enthusiastic owner. There was much rockin’. Heather and Dave Pahanish playing at the Beer Sellar. It was so bizarre to see Dave outside of Pennsylvanian context. He is one of the most amazing performers we know and has moved to Nashville to be a full-time songwriter. And, like everyone else, to play to often empty rooms for a pittance of tips.
We finally get to head home today. Our zig-zagging path that has slalomed us from Maine to Missouri is finally leading us to Maryland and we couldn’t have asked for a better send off. Last night we played the Blue Horn Lounge in Chapel Hill, NC to a very decent chunk of quite attractive crowd and a very happy owner. We sold a bunch of CDs and even won their open mic contest… so we have an excuse to come back in December!
We’ll be heading north with a vengeance in the hopes of beating a bit of the DC rush hour traffic but at the moment we’re still trailing our consciousness-feelers in the wool of waking. Slowly we rise. Slowly we’re cleansed in our morning ablutions… slowly we pack the truck… but once we pack the truck we’ll be like lightning! Except we’ll probably stop for coffee. And then we’ll BOLT!! Unless we need gas. But after that we shall attain 70mph and never slow barring traffic lights and traffic cops and traffic in general.
We’ll make it to the Perk for open mic in any case. I promised.