Cosmic Country Revue - Tour Recap☟
Still reeling from my first UK tour. The post-tour blues set in quick, yet I'm grateful for the life I return to in Portland. Six days on the road with Dave Mack (tour/merch/vibe management), Guy Whittaker (drums), Mark Armstrong (bass), Bobby Lee (everything all the time) and Joe Harvey-Whyte (pedal-steel) did a number on me. Couldn't imagine traveling with a group of kinder or more talented individuals. Walked away with five cosmic partners and one hell of a touring band.
Endless thanks to every sound engineer, promoter, DJ, ticket-buyer, host and audience member for taking such good care of us each night. A life-affirming trip that I'm still up on high from. Special thanks to Bobby and Dave for making this tour a reality just over a year after we planted the seed. Hard to find the words for how much this one meant for me. Below is a quick recap how it all went down. Here's a playlist of everything we had on in the van. Smash that play button before going any further.
Day 1 (Saturday):
Land at Heathrow. Meet Dave Mack - a birder, DJ, patent attorney and altogether incredible human . Head to his home in Doncaster (South Yorkshire). Meet his 20 (!!!) year-old cat named Chloe before heading to Sheffield to meet Bobby Lee, his wife Donna, daughter Elsie, and Joe Harvey-Whyte for the first time. Bobby cooks us a feast. Grab a beer at Sheffield Tap, a historic bar built into the platform of the Sheffield Railway station. There is beer on draft called Bernard!
Day 2 (Sunday):
Slow morning in Doncaster. First crumpets of tour. Dave takes me on a countryside drive to Conisbrough Castle before meeting the rest of the band at Bobby's rehearsal space. The studio is called Portland Works! Ran through my set with Guy, Mark, and Joe before taking a break for dinner + one final run through before our first show the next day.
Day 3 (Monday):
Jet lag is setting in. More hang time with Dave and Chloe. More crumpets. Load into the Abbeydale Picture House, a historic cinema opened in 1920 by Lord Mayor of Sheffield now operating as a venue, community space, etc. Stunning building with insanely tall ceilings. Joe plays his first ambient steel set and I am pinching myself. Watch my first ever Bobby Lee set and know I'm in excellent hands/company. A very solid, sold-out first night. And we're off.
Day 4 (Tuesday):
Pick up the van and head to Pontefract, a market town in West Yorkshire. Jet lag has fully set in but I couldn't care less. Running on empty. Also where the Haribo factory is (not enough time for a tour unfortunately). Can't get over how cool the pub/venue is (The Robin Hood). Packed room! Finally get to meet Mark from Torn & Frayed (one of the best mix series). Starting to lock in even more with Joe, Guy, and Mark. Great energy.
Day 5 (Wednesday) :
Solid van hangs on the way to Hereford, a cathedral city on the River Wye. Record shopping at Found Sound Records. Another beautiful, historic venue - the GWRSA Rail Club. Met Rhodri Brooks (great musician/steel player) who came all the way from Wales! DJs are spinning seriously cosmic jams. Vibes are strong all around. Staying at my first Premier Inn. Whiskey night cap (thanks Dave).
Day 6 (Thursday):
Have my first 'full english' and we're off to Manchester. More record shopping (duh) at Kingbee Records before heading to the Talleyrand. Perfect small room. Another packed, sold out show this time with more dancing and grooving. DJs absolutely crushed it and I am once again reminded of why I love doing this. Joe and Bobby Lee are both on fire at this point. Have my first good cry standing next to Dave as Bobby, Mark and Guy play ‘Sacred Swimming Hole’, the first tune of Bobby's I'd ever heard back in 2020.
Day 7 (Friday)
Back in the van. We're headed to London (where Joe is from). Load in to Paper Dress Vintage and get the sound dialed. Ramen for dinner nearby and meet Sue/Steve (our gracious hosts for next two nights) who have gorgeous home and the cutest cats. Another sold out show! Beer in the green room is called Cosmic Warrior. Old friends, new friends. Flying Mojito Bros and None More Records DJ Sets. An emotional set for me. More choogle, more boogie. Dancing at the afterparty. I'm full of beans.
Day 8 (Saturday)
Wake up at Sue and Steve's. Homemade breakfast saves me. Hang with the cats, admire their collection of books, records, snoopy memorabilia, etc. and make our way to Brighton for the last show! Getting emotional already. Sun is out and it’s a picturesque day on the water. Donuts on the pier. Last show at Folklore Rooms in Brighton. Projections by Janie! Joe plays ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ as part of his set and I have my second good cry of the trip. Russ from TSPTR puts on Natural Child before my final set. All is right in the world. Perfect end to tour. Back to Sue and Steve's before heading to the airport in the morning.
Day 9 (Sunday):
Quick breakfast before getting dropped at the airport. More tears. Final hugs. Sunny picks me up at the airport and I'm back at work the next day.
‘Chet’ (feat. William Tyler)☟
Earlier this month we premiered ‘Chet’ (feat. William Tyler), the second single from Western Sky Music (5.12.23). ‘Chet’ is an instrumental homage to Chat Atkins and dollar bin magic at the record store. Over the years I've made a habit of grabbing any album of his I come across. These albums formed the base of my collection and Chet’s playing opened the door to country music for me. This tune started when one of his albums began to skip on a Sunday morning. Instead of advancing the needle I sat and listened for quite some time, letting it wash over me and eventually capturing the loop on my phone. I used it as a guide to inform mood and texture. Once the band had an arrangement, I reached out to William to add some of his signature shine to it. It's quickly become one of my favorite instrumental tunes to perform live. I hope the ‘country gentleman’ himself would have dug it.
A quick reminder that today is another Bandcamp Friday - a great time to pre-order WSM on vinyl (a la carte or bundle) or snag a copy of YBTM.
Spring Shows☟
Excited to have lots of great shows on the horizon. I’ll be joining cosmic (kosher) country comrade Dougie Poole at Polaris Hall in Portland on April 27th before our run of dates with Fruit Bats next month. All tickets on sale now. Only a handful of tickets remain for the Revolution Hall show in Portland. Will be my first time performing in Boise and Vancouver. Please come say hello. I’ll have copies of Western Sky Music on the merch table for the first time!
Interview - Primitive Man Soundz☟
Had a nice chat with Primitive Man Soundz this week. Dug in on first musical experiences/influences, my songwriting approach and the stories behind a handful of songs from each of my releases. Read the full interview here + be sure to listen to their podcast here (one of my current favorites).
Headcleaner March ‘23☟
Your subscriber only playlist for March has landed. Enjoy.
Excellent playlist, heartening words, great pictures! Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Going to listen to Chet now.