Southbound through the swamps of South Carolina, Georgia-bound and grey. It’s amazing how cold it is. We keep hoping it’ll be warmer at every step, but with another cold front pushing in even as we dive down I-95, we left Maryland where it was 30-something to get to North Carolina where it was 20 something… but at least 20 – 30 degrees warmer than it’d gotten back home. Now Baltimore’s under threat from near a foot of incoming snow and the temperatures outside the ilyMobile are FINALLY climbing above freezing, but the skies remain resolutely cloudy, grey and depressing. Overgrown and abandoned, we pass not-so-welcome centres and 18-wheelers, the former covered in dead grey vines and the latter covered in paint-dulling roadspray, lending everything around us an unfortunate uniformity.
Savannah might be warmer. Maybe. The unpredictability of the weather’s made me give up on optimism on that front, but I secretly hope to be pleasantly surprised.
The night before, back in Raleigh, NC, we were subjected to windstorms of frightening intensity. Weird dreams, songs in my head, and the jet-engine SCREAM of winds from outside meant not a lot of sleep for me, but despite that the show last night in Wilmington, NC was absolutely amazing. The stage was great, the sound was great, the audience was great – and without any fear of hyperbole WE were great too- dangerously close to the finest versions of ourselves +/- the sorry state of Heather’s drum. We’ve lined up goat and manpower back in Maryland for the moment we return, but in the meantime we’ve just got to make do with an instrument that doesn’t sound right, doesn’t feel right – and even though I don’t think most of the audience can tell the difference, we can feel the resolute suck of spirit as some of our energy just drains through the patched hole in the head of Heather’s djembe.
Note to self : is the “d” in “djembe” truly becoming regarded as a holdover of French Imperialism and the slave trade? If so do I want to update my spell check and eliminate it from my written vocabulary?
A must-visit when we’re in Wilmington, NC – Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn. Above is their Sacred Burrito Bus. It is a holy thing. And their salsa bar is… it is ultimate. Heather worshiping the burrito.
Tonight we meet up with Daniel Lee and hit an open mic or two to become better acquainted with New Orleans’ classier younger sister city and the music scene there. We shall sup from the crock pot and rock our hearts out taking advantage of someone who knows their way around.
And the car thermometer claims it to be a comparatively balmy 42 degrees outside and climbing. With any luck the palm trees won’t look absurd to our eyes in the morning…
February 16th found ilyAIMY down in Savannah, GA, our southern-most point for this particular trip. We joined forces with our old friend Daniel Lee at Abe’s On Lincoln and played their open mic, making a couple of really cool connections and landing a gig for the next night as a feature at another open mic in town. Daniel Lee performing at Abe’s On Lincoln in Savannah, GA on February 16th, 2015.
