I was really sorry to disappoint Kristen by being sick. We didnt’ get to experience much of Nashville – but as is her wont – she found us an amazing breakfast place where we probably had one of our best meals of the whole trip! 
There’s nothing quite like having a vicious (and viscous) cold to keep one from enjoying one’s wanderings. While in Nashville we mostly stayed in-doors, didn’t go listen to much music, didn’t PLAY much music and I tried SO VERY HARD not to make anyone else sick. The drive from Nashville to Louisville was more of the same, me being miserable. We didn’t even stop for this guy… or for the Kentucky Corvette Museum – the latter being a TRUE shame because a couple of weeks after we passed it, a goodly portion of their collection was swallowed by a sudden sinkhole. Sigh. In Louisville, KY we rolled into the open mic at Mulligan’s Pub & Grille on Wednesday, January 22nd. I was amazed by the house band and especially by the singer’s control of it. Kristen and I played our little hearts and then settled in to support our friends including singer/songwriter Dan Bowlds. He had a bunch of new tunes and good times were had. Kristen and I were offered a gig by the management on the spot. Which reminds me… I’ve got to call them…
We’re back to a monochrome world again, but now it’s all the snow of the east coast storms that have covered the earth all the way to where we were this morning in Louisville, KY. It’d been getting pretty damned cold out in Saint Louis, but as we head home it just gets colder and colder and colder – and now the ground is covered in snow as far as the eye can see in all directions. We’re riding just below the Indiana borderthrough Kentucky towards Ohio – and the world is sugar-limned and stunning – and also better viewed from the inside of a swiftly-moving well-heated Hyundai.
And speaking of the Hyundai, the Weaselmobile hath crossed her first 20,000 miles today and she’s filthy. Depending on how tapped out I’m feeling I might have buy her a scrubbing when we get back. She’s salt and snow-crusted and has the sign of plenty an unwiped boot on the interior. I consider her now well and truly part of the ilyAIMY family.
I don’t think of Louisville, KY as ever getting really cold, so yesterday was a vicious psychological surprise as the windchills dipped back below zero and we scurried from place to place with our gloves and jackets AND flannel shirts AND COATS all bundled on top of one another, trying not to slip on the ice of poorly (if at all) treated streets and sidewalks – I swear, I think only one in a dozen people in Louisville must own a snow shovel and fewer still know what to do with them. Fortunately, they don’t have the Catonsville habit of claiming ownership of every shoveled out space with lawn furniture or this trip would’ve been really, really frustrating.
After rolling into town and discovering a new sushi place (Kristen’s like a bloodhound when it comes to great restaurants – I think I’d trust her instincts over local recommendations at this point) we met up with a couple of friends at Mulligan’s for their open mic. We were joined by the Bard In Blue (Matthew Presley) and singer/songwriter Dan Bowlds and had a really great time at one LOOKS and FEELS and SMELLS like a sportsbar – but what turned out to be a really supportive music space.
The house band was really, really great – old-school R&B and country washed over us as waited for our moment to shine – and whereas I don’t normally like places with a house band that’s itching to jump on stage with you, these guys were a) really relaxed, b) really friendly and c) really, really, really good. In our world of acoustic folk music, we rarely get the opportunity to listen to such solid electric guitar, such wonderful bass playing and such a solid set of pocket players. I think we also had been listening to this sort of old Motown / country / western sound all day coming out of Nashville, going to the Johnny Cash museum and listening to Johnny Cash all the way from Nashville to Louisville… I just needed some fuzzy sounds with spring reverb in my Life.
Who knew?
I picked up a copy of Matthew’s new book, traded some tunes with Dan and then made our way back to crash with our friend Divinity Rose. As usual, she’s got her fingers into about a billion different projects and I’m constantly amazed and slight dumbfounded by them. I frankly know some pretty amazing people.
Sorry about the ADD of the Journal right now – I’m on a LOT of cold medicine as I foist the shit from my system. I’m feeling better but I’m definitely being a little spacey when it comes to multitasking, plus it looks like we’re about to become a little compressed on the highway (rubber necking over a disabled vehicle) AND Kristen and I just realized there’s banjo in Dexy’s Midnight Runners song “Come on Eileen”. All-in-all we’re in a very, very distracting environment.
Greetings from Cincinnati!
