Reporting in from the road. I’ve had a great tour, in terms of both musical satisfaction and career development.
This past weekend was MagnoliaFest, my favorite gig of every year.
Friday morning: opened the mainstage w/ an hour-long solo set, well-attended and well-received. Broke in a new song, “If Only I Existed.”
Friday afternoon: looping workshop w/ Arvid Smith. Huge audience response, great feedback later.
Saturday night: Closed the Music Hall w/ an 80-minute set backed by all five Waybacks (for which we REHEARSED, even!), Joe Craven, and Bryn Davies on two songs. Several people later told me it was the highlight of their weekend.
Sunday morning: rehearsed vocals w/ Peter Rowan and Bryn Davies, then performed “Catfish John” in front of a full house on the Amphitheater Stage during the Bluegrass Jam, with Tony Rice standing right next to me and playing lead guitar. Also onstage were Warren Hood of the Waybacks, Alan Dalton on banjo, Sharon Gilchrist on mandolin, and Carroll Clements (Vassar’s cousin
and lifelong musical partner) on guitar.
Sunday evening: sat in w/ Donna the Buffalo on “Positive Friction,” with a long, DEEP jam in the middle.
All facets of my musical talents and skills were displayed over the weekend, and the feedback – from audience and musicians alike – was entirely positive. Best of all, people were talking about my SONGS.
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This tour started at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia, on a bill with Caroline Aiken and Ralph Roddenbery. I had pedal steel ace Mark van Allen with me, and Mark and I joined Ralph for some of his set. The day before that gig, I went up to Caroline’s house and rehearsed with her and Satoshi Ueda, who she met in Amsterdam and who came over to play a couple of weeks of gigs with her. The three of us worked up two of Caroline’s songs, “Dry Spell” and “Between Hello and Goodbye.” Satoshi and I also did some jamming, with me using my loop station. Here’s a photo of Satoshi with his gekkin (aka “moon guitar” or “moon zither”), a three-stringed instrument he used in our jam at Eddie’s.
The next night, October 14, I improvised with the wonderful Joe Craven at the Melting Point in Athens, Georgia. I’ve got video of that, as well as audio of course, and I’ll get it posted as soon as I have some time.
Tonight I open for the New Riders here in Atlanta; then it’s two more solo shows and home. I’ve got a house concert in Forestville CA with Jim Page, and the Honky Tonk Hippies ride again on November 16 in Santa Rosa.
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