December is here and the New Year is just around the corner and I still can't believe that I haven't written what I have wanted to about this past summer. I haven't been disciplined at all lately about writing - although songwriting is a different story - I have come up with a couple songs over the past couple months that I've been happy about. But from the beginning of my journeys I've been wanting to write about the roads I've traveled, and this summer I covered about 30,000 miles - from July to October. I spent a good deal of time in the truck stops across this country, Starbucks (free wifi you know), Flagstaff, saw lots of family and friends, ate and made some good food from LA to Seattle, to Nashville and Austin, heard and saw countless hours of music and epic scenery pass by my car windows. So here's a bit of how it went:
The following day after Kim and Justin's 3rd of July party in their backyard in Pasadena, which was an amazing gathering of people coming together to enjoy some music, friends, drinks, fireworks, I loaded up my car and headed for Phoenix to start off the summer tour. Lauren Austin, my friend and musical collaborator, was flying in that evening from Nashville and she made it early enough for us to catch a fireworks show right from the freeway in Tempe. We crashed at a friend's house that night and were able to relax the next day at another friend's house who had a backyard pool. We lounged around, escaping the 105 degree heat until we had to rehearse and get ready for the show that evening which was at the Sail Inn, just west of downtown Tempe. We had Cates, the drummer, sit in with us and we had a good sounding set and I saw that once again Lauren and I are just able to pick up from where we left off before - like the months and miles don't really matter.
(Kim Grant at the head of the table - on the left - on the 3rd of July)
(Old Californio onstage in the backyard)
Since we had a couple days before the next gig, we headed up to Flagstaff and were very happy to get out of the Phoenix heat. Down in the valley it had been around 105, but up in the mountains it was a nice 85 during the day - warm enough to enjoy the pool at the motel, but cool enough in the evenings to be able to relax outside and enjoy some beers - which is exactly what we did. Flagstaff is one of my favorite towns in the US - it just has a great feel to it - the air is clean and crisp, and even though during the summer the traffic can get things a little slow, it just feels right. I was a little sad when we had to leave town to make our next show but I knew I'd pass through again soon enough.
(a mellow summer evening in Flagstaff)
The next gig was in Gallup, New Mexico and my friend Wydale helped me set something up at this bar/restaurant in the downtown area. I had been through Gallup quite a few times in my life. It's a little town that you almost HAVE to go through if you're driving across the country. Since it's a border town - right on the edge of the Navajo Reservation - there are lots of Natives around and it's obvious that you're in Indian Country. Before the gig we had some gear to buy (cables, stands, etc.) and found a music store and ended up walking out with an electric mandolin too, which was something that we really needed since Lauren was getting a little lost in the sound. The set that night was a good one and we had fun - and the new mandolin added a lot to it.
After the set in Gallup, we drove on to Albuquerque and stayed with some of Lauren's family. After a good breakfast we hit the road for Colorado where we had to be in Colorado Springs for a country music fan fare event that Lauren got booked into. We also had a gig in Denver that evening too and we had a limited amount of time to set up Lauren's booth for the weekend event. Luckily everything came together and after a little delay, we made the gig. My cousin sat in with us on bass and we all had a good time. Since it was a coffeehouse that served beer and wine in the neighborhood, a lot of parents with their kids were there - and the kids took to the dance floor which was a sight to see.
(Lauren, myself, and Chris Evans at KJ's in Denver)
After a late night, in the morning we rushed down to the fan fare deal in Colorado Springs - but we soon found that no rush was needed. The whole event was sparsely attended with many of the acts on the bill using backing tracks. It was a very strange weekend - we mostly just sat there - waiting for something to happen - waiting for people to come in - waiting to play. The band Sherman was there from Austin, a band that we knew and appreciated, and who had members we had met in May when we played a house party in Austin. Later that evening we met up with them and others who had been on the bill at a local bar and were able to play again. I guess the best part about the weekend was that the fan fare people put everybody up in a nice hotel - so it was good to get back to a decent room after it all.
(Sherman onstage in Colorado Springs at the Fan Fare show)
Since we didn't have anything booked for a couple weeks we decided to spend a few days over in Lauren's hometown of Grand Junction, on the western side of the state. After the rushing and driving around the previous days, it felt good to stop and be in one place for awhile. The first evening as the sun was setting we went up and had happy hour up on the roof of her dad's house. The town is surrounded by mesas in the distance and storm clouds hovered over the landscape as rain fell from the dark sky. It was a stirring sight to see. The house had a nice patio and during the days I sat out there and did some writing - in fact, it's where Lauren and I came up with our first song. The rest of the time, while we were there, we did some playing, some drinking - including a tour of some local wineries - visiting with Lauren's friends, visiting with her family, checking out some old haunts, and even a 2 mile jog which was a first for me in a long time.
(the happy hour view in Grand Junction, CO.)
As the week was coming to a close we knew we had to head back to Nashville. I didn't have anywhere to be for another week so I didn't mind driving all the way to Tennessee where I had planned to hang out for a couple days and catch up with friends there, then make the trek back to LA. We crossed back through the mountains again, passed through Denver, then headed out to the vast open plains. We passed through Salina, Kansas and into Kansas City and the midwest, where the hot, humid, summer heat would hit us as we took our breaks on the road. I was happy to see St. Louis since I knew that meant we were only five hours away from Nashville. We crossed the Mississippi River and just kept rolling along. Soon we were coming into Nashvegas and again I was glad knowing that I had a few days to rest.
Unfortunately things took an unplanned dramatic turn the following day. After completing some errands around town we went to work on changing out one of Lauren's headlights in her car. One of the pieces wasn't fitting correctly (we would find out later, it was wrong) but Lauren kept struggling with it trying to get it to fit. She had to step away and went inside and I continued trying to make the part fit. As I was focused on the work, two guys walked by and said hey which I didn't think much about since it was 7pm and plenty of daylight out - and people had been jogging up and down the streets just moments before - and I really wanted to get the part in. But a couple minutes later the two guys came back - one had a gun and they both came up close. The other guy said - Don't move - and searched through my pockets and looked though my wallet and grabbed my phone. I had no money on me and they asked- Where's the cash? - I don't have any - I answered. They took the wallet and phone and started walking quickly to the alley behind Lauren's house and again said - Don't move - then they were gone. Lauren had been on her back porch and heard them come around the corner to a waiting car where they jumped in and sped off. We called the cops and they showed up quickly and immediately went searching the surrounding neighborhoods. About two hours after it was over was when I was finally able to settle down.
After the police left and before I went to meet up with my friend for a much needed drink, I cancelled all my cards, reported my phone stolen, and planned to hold tightly to my police report of the incident since I had no ID. I was worried about driving back across the country since I really had no other proof of who I am. I was very happy to hear that my cell phone company said I would get my new phone in a day and a half since I really didn't want to travel without one. After thinking about things, I knew I had to cut my Nashville visit short so I could get back to California and get my drivers license replaced as soon as possible, since I had a whole lot more driving to do over the next couple months.
The drive back to the west was fairly uneventful - which is a good thing really. I crossed Arkansas and Oklahoma and stopped at a rest stop in Texas before Amarillo and slept for a few hours in my car. I awoke as the sun was rising which lit up the eastern sky brilliantly. I made my regular stop at a Starbucks in Amarillo so I could charge my Ipod and phone, check into what had happened on the web and get some caffeine in my body. After I was properly charged, I kept driving on the 40 and after most of the day behind the wheel I pulled into Flagstaff again to rest for a while. I crossed the desert in the dark and made it home in the early hours of the morning.
(a panhandle Texas morning at about 6:30 a.m.)
After getting some much need rest I decided to head to the DMV to start the replacement process. I was in and out of there surprisingly fast - which I was very happy about. I caught up with my family one night and told them my stories but soon had to hit the road again so I could make my next gig up in San Francisco at Grant and Green in the North Beach part of town. This was to be my San Francisco debut and I was looking forward to it and to going into the city which I hadn't done for close to 10 years.
Not too long after I pulled onto the San Francisco streets I remembered how they were a little confusing and that I should have looked at a map, at least, before driving into town. I used my new phone and it helped me figure out where I was and where I needed to go. I made it right in time and was glad to see some old friends I hadn't seen in a long time and my cousin Jason at the bar. I was happy with the way things went and afterwards a group of us went to get food at Tommy's Joynt which had incredible sandwiches - I chose a brisket one that so flavorful and juicy, and huge - and though afterwards I was full, I wanted more - but I knew I had to wait until next time. The next day after breakfast with my cousin I drove back down the 5 and made it to my home stage at The Cinema Bar in Culver City for my gig that evening.
(Tommy's Joynt in San Francisco)
The month ended with a big show at The Echo and Echoplex in Echo Park that Kim Grant helped put together. On the bill were so many good bands, Old Californio, The Whispering Pines, I See Hawks In LA - mostly locals - with Dave Alvin, one of my heroes, headlining. The areas were packed, and the crowd which was made up of friends and musicians, and friends of musicians, drifted from stage to stage (there were three of them) for the 9 plus hour event. At the end of the show I was so glad that I was back in town for it because the bands I saw were unbelievably good and it was an inspiring gathering of people.
(Dave Alvin at the Echoplex)
