andy moore

NEW CD: "5 in common" -- a disc with a past [part I]

I am so very proud to be presenting to you the next chapter in the Andy Moore discography: "5 in common". A collection of five distinct songs from my previous and not-so-previous past, "5 in common" is the result of many-a-Sunday-night recording sessions with my sound engineering friend, Brian Sears. This EP features songs that each hold a bit of surprise, but yet maintain their true authenticity as songs by the Andy hand.

That this CD has even made it to press is nothing short of a small miracle—for me, anyhow. With projects past, I had always had certain fabulous peeps at my disposal to lean on when it came to the actual process of getting the CD recorded and out the door. This time was different. This time, there was no one urging on the formulation of the project. This time, there was no one ushering me through the production maze. There was my little musical hand…without anyone holding it. And thus I was thrust—virtually over a matter of minute-like months—into artist adulthood. And the people all say “‘bout effin’ time, Andy.”

So here I am now, having run the gauntlet of music’s digital creation, and I’ve emerged a bonified home-recording artist of the 21st Century—a cheap but steadily-growing quality of so much of the independent music of our time. These songs may not be the most recent tunes I’ve written, but these five songs share a chemistry that reaches far beyond the namesake 4/4 time signature. "5 in common" brings five markedly different songs together by, well…uh…putting them together on a CD. No one really knows why they work together. But they do. They click. And that’s all that really matters when making a CD, I feel. The songs just have to work together…and these do. For sure, you’ll be surprised by some of the things you hear… but I truly believe that in the end, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

As the days go by, I’ll be sharing more and more about the disc and its making: who the instrumentalists are, what the songs are about, why these songs were chosen, etc. So, if you wanna know more about how my songwriter self operates, you’ll have to join me in the digital world.

In the meantime, "5 in common" drops this coming Tuesday, July 6. CDs will be available at CDBaby.com and at Plan 9 Music in Richmond, as well as on iTunes and other digital music downloading sites within the month. And of course, CDs are always available at shows... the first of which is the Official CD Release Show here in Richmond at the Gay Community Center of Richmond (at Diversity Thrift) on July 24. (See tour page for more details.)

I look forward to our fireside chats….

(And for the record: A huge thank you to Brain for putting up with me for so long. And an equally big thank you to Mel for putting up with us for so long.)

Holiday Now Brown Cow

This year, my holiday season, like most of yours, I presume, is filled with finding perfect little gifts for the perfect little people of our lives...no pressure, of course. And try as we may, it usually ends up the case that we either: a) don’t get all of our shopping done until the last minute or b) we put such fierce stress on ourselves from Black Friday on in, that we freak out and buy out costco.com’s online clearance before Saturday. In either case, it can’t be good so it certainly can’t be healthy. As much as we want to make the situation all about the giving with love, even the most mall-savvy shopper can become beleaguered by the quest and find it hard to motivate to action.

So, I’ve taken a moment, right here, right now to show to you a few items i’ve encountered this holiday season. When I’m feelin’ worn down from the endless googling, when i just can’t seem to flip through the pages fast enough, I will inevitably find something so curious that I can’t help but to stumble into laughter. From Best Buy to Campmor, Target to L.L. Bean, I’ve scoured the catalogs--i know, but they just keep coming--and I’ve surfed all the sites, i’ve even braved a few local retail shops. The search for my psychological freedom has been close. But until I do find release, I can bask in the delight of having found these precious treasures. And now you can too.

My first find is apparently the “original” Snuggie. (Don’t laugh, we’ve all thought it was a good idea at least once.) But, this is not a Snuggie, it’s a Slanket. I bet you’re saying, now, besides the usual cheesiness, what’s so fab about a Snuggie? Well, my friend, the best thing about this Slanket: it travels. Oh. Wait, what? That’s right. Travel Slanket. This one can be put in the car, carried on the train, tucked under the arm for a walk, or taken on the aero-plane...unlike the orignal Slanket that cannot travel, for it is afraid!!!! Seriously? Travel Slanket? What the gees?!? I get the Slanket: you sit, you get cold, you get warm with Slanket, you wanna be able to channel surf without getting cold again. It’s brilliant. But it’s downright gimmicky to promote a product that is only minutely smaller than its orginal counterpart--i mean, it’s still full body length--no matter how cute it’s travel bag. You be the judge.

The second item I found was less than eye catching. You see, for many who do not know, I practice the skill of carpentry in addition to songstry. So safety glasses are pretty much a given for me. However, where the weirdness really starts to feel special, where that fine line between clever idea and bad joke really begins to blur is when the front of the catalog reads “Sur la table”-- not “Lowe’s”, not “Sears”--a kitchen store? For these were not safety glasses that I gazed upon; these were onion goggles. These ridiculous eye protecting goggles shield our sensitive eyes from the tears of green onion, red onion, yellow onion, white onion and even shallots! Yay. No more tears... just like Johnson & Johnson. Terrific. I still find it difficult to believe, though, that this is on someone’s wish list. Really?!?! Should I expect my brother-in-law to see these goggles at a New Year’s Sale at Kohl’s and wonder why no one thought to give a pair to him? Is it that tough to keep a candle nearby. “No, wait, honey, the onion goggles go on the top rack.” I have one word: wow.

What else, what else. Oh course, I’m drawing a blank as I sit and type, but you get what I mean, yes??? Duluth Trading Company has another good one, milk crates. Remember when you were a kid and you’d find those milk crates tucked in the corner of your garage with the words “Property of” such-and-such dairy, and then you’d wonder why they were in your garage. Well, Duluth has now saved us all. They are offering real-deal milk crates! The best part is, of course, that they can be legally yours.... for almost $15 a pop. You’ve never been so excited. Tell me, why would you ever *pay* for a milk crate, when you can just snag one. Really. No, I’m serious. Why pay?

Dear, oh, dear. In any case, this is just a snippet of how my season is floating by thus far. I do hope you have found some holiday relief in these few passages. The season is too short to spend it in distress!

I will try me bestest to be a better blogger in the upcoming months and years. It’s been too long. I’ve missed you. And let's be honest. I sometimes have a lot to say.

As for music, keep your ears open.... And to all a happy holiday time. Sweet.

The History of Me -- Indigo Girls: Part 1

Pema and I attended an Indigo Girls concert last night at The National, a revived theater here in downtown Richmond, Virginia. While I was there taking in the intoxicating harmonies of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, I began to think back on my initial introduction to the duo’s music and just how their influence shaped my life, both musically and personally.

It all began back in the 8th grade. A new educational television network called “Channel 1” had recently been delivered into every classroom at my middle school back in Borger, Texas. One day during Earth Week, Channel 1 featured bands whose musical message spoke to that of resource conservation and whose activism included earth-friendly overtones. I believe it was on the Tuesday of that week that I first saw the Indigo Girls flash across the classroom TV screen. Riding the heels of the their most recent release Nomads * Indians * Saints, they appeared in the talking box for only a couple of minutes…. but it was just long enough for me to hear a sampling of their sound – “Hammer and a Nail” was the song – and to find intrigue in their presence. It was my best friend Marie, however, who gets credit for following up. She – musical guru so ahead of her time in that small town – went out and purchased their self-titled album and slipped it to me for a more thorough listen. And there it all began.

“Closer to Fine” became the background on my answering machine, the album Strange Fire became a mainstay in my stereo, and a few months later, when Rites of Passage – arguably the pinnacle of their discography – was released, my entire world felt a shift. I, in fact, remember the very night I purchased the album. I was in Amarillo with my parents doing some last-minute shopping in preparation for a school trip to Washington, D.C. On the ride back to Borger, I sat in the back of our Pontiac Transport and listened intently to Amy and Emily as they quietly, but carefully, introduced me to “Three Hits,” “Galileo,” “Ghost,” “Joking,” “Jonas and Ezekial,” etc. I was in awe. I knew at that moment that there was something more to what my own music could be. I knew then that my guitar held so much more potential than what it had shown me previously with the lines of the Christian music I was all too familiar with.

My love for the Indigo Girls started to turn to an obsession – but one that I needed as a young teenage girl struggling with the charged socio-political atmosphere of a small town in Texas. I loved their music and heard it with fresh ears upon every listen. I watched Live at the Uptown Lounge like it was an after-school special until the tape began to furble. Shortly after the beginning of my freshman year of high school, my buddy Cam told me that they were gay... and I was taken aback and secretly relieved all at the same time. What I didn’t know was that this news would hit all too close too home within the next few years as I began my own coming out process. For some reason, I felt that my situation was made easier with the knowledge that two people, whose music I could relate to, now shared something even more personal with my station in life. It was nice to know that I could escape to a safe place just by listening to the warm acoustic stylings of my favorite group.

(more to come...)
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On another note, be sure to check out all the new stuff on the website... including:
T-Shirts and Ringtones!

There's more to come so keep checking in!

Ciao,
andy

M.I.A. no more

if you’ve been wondering just where the heck i’ve been for the last year, read on! if you haven’t been wondering about my whereabouts, you might consider reading on for the sheer joy of reading. reading, much like singing, is a therapeutic endeavor that helps one digest after large meals, postulate ridiculous theories of space/time travel, and freshen up beautiful flower gardens.

my virtual disappearance began last march (2007) when i somehow mysteriously got roped into a t-ball coaching job. imagine me, little ol’ andy, surrounded by twelve 4-6 year-olds, each one special – very special – in his or her own special way. hmm. special in a special way, i say. my team was like the bad news bears… but much smaller and younger… and with red uniforms, not yellow. we managed to pull out a few wins in our ridiculously long and drawn out schedule, but honestly, if i didn’t love baseball as much as i do, i don’t think i could have seen it thru to the end. my motivation waned a bit when my players’ parents were more interested in getting their child to that nascar event, rather than to our game. so t-ball ran thru to the beginning of july... me clutching my sanity to the very end.

then there were august and september: the months of getting to know new friends, spending a weekend in ocean city, maryland, and t-ball recuperation. i know it doesn’t seem like much, but if you’ve ever been introduced to super stellar people in the middle of a life event (in this case, the eventful and time-consuming task of coaching small children), the actual “getting to know you” part of friendship-forging tends to get put on hold. so these months of late summer madness were put to good use in the company of several most excellent new peeps. between the trips the river, awesome games of catch phrase and the weekend construction of one attached backyard deck, august and september flowed seamlessly by… melting into a pool of good beer, yummy food, and a diet of engaging conversation and bouts of guitar hero. it was like a vacation without the dread involved in knowing that very soon you must return to work.

upon the arrival of october, i was caught somewhat off guard in knowing that one of my favorite days of festing – namely, halloween – was only a few short weeks away... and much to my dismay, i had not yet completed my awesome costume that i was supposed to sport the previous year: i was to be gaara, the most skilled and fierce of the kid ninjas from the sand village. many of you may be familiar with the anime series naruto from its airings on cartoon network. what you may not know is that my goal for the past couple of halloweens has been to recreate gaara in the flesh. much of the month of october was to devoted to finishing the creation of my costume, complete with paper mache sand gourd and authentic-looking mock ninja shoes. i finished the gourd on the 30th only to come to face the impossible task of consoling my new friends on the loss of their new dog on halloween afternoon. it was very sad. so gaara must wait another year.

when the month of november struck, it felt as if my life was in fifth gear. it felt like all was smooth sailing into the end of the year. i took a trip to chicago to meet up with an old friend, and almost instantly fell in love with the city. i’m not sure what it was about that place. it was the first time i had really had the opportunity to tourist around the city and in the company of a close friend… it was amazing. we went to the lincoln park zoo (I love zoos!), braved the top of the sears tower, and walked the pier. all in all, it was a great jump start to the month of turkey. i returned to richmond only to leave it a few days later when i ventured up to ohio to lay down a few background vocal tracks on eric himan’s upcoming cd, which i’m super stoked about! eric and i spent a few days together – i tried not to give him my sickness during that time – and then we parted ways to get ready for that time of giving thanks. that next week, pema’s folks rolled into town and it was family fun for everyone. by that weekend it was the end of november… and december was only moments away.

with the arrival of december, there are always many holiday functions to attend. this year was no different. one weekend in particular, we busted out three full parties complete with drinks and snacks. what a great flippin’ weekend! i’m not a huge party person… but any time i can pull off the consumption of yummy food with good drink to wash it down, i certainly cannot and do not complain. and thus, mid-month had come and gone. by the end of december, pema and i were gearing up for our trip to visit my family in texas. we arrived on friday night and didn’t sit still again until we had boarded the plane to return to richmond on christmas day. that saturday was doggie rescue day (long long story!!), sunday was last-minute-shopping-and-recuperate-from-doggie-rescue-day day, and monday was use-your-fat-stores-from-eating-so-much-to-open-your-gifts day. it was a great trip! always awesome to see mom and dad (love you!). and then… the end of december, new year’s with the richmond peeps… and here we are to the present.

january 2008.
i failed to mention that during my months-long hiatus, i have been playing occasionally, writing and working, and thinking and scheming. now, i’m currently in the process of getting a new EP together called “5 in common.” the goal is to get the disc done by mid-march. what you’ll hear is previously unreleased material that is paving the way for a new full-length cd due out this year. excited?? i am!
in the upcoming weeks, you’ll see new points of interest on the website, especially on the “store” page, and new shows on the up, so keep checking back. until the next update, i’m andy, and you’re not. ☺ ciao.

p.s. now you should go check out your garden!!

All Part of the Gig: the cancellation

we hit the road a little after 7pm on friday evening. I-95 – my least favorite highway in the world – was clear of standstill traffic, so we thought for sure we’d cruise into jersey without a hitch and call it a night at some trendy roadside inn. our final destination was ultimately the great city of providence, but we weren’t expected there until late evening saturday. so we took our time making the drive… heaven forbid we have to travel 9 hours in a single day… all hours occupied by bloody I-95.

just past baltimore, my cell phone sounded out it’s funky ringtone beat. hello?! it was our friend ellen up in connecticut: how are you? how’s the drive? i heard your show was cancelled. is it true?

uh… wtf?

i could hear the squealing brakes in my head. don’t panic, andy. just make a few calls. i asked ellen to check my email. any word from the venue? nothing. rats! um… I called john at the venue. nothing. rats! um… i handed the phone to pema, who quickly dialed our buddy darth todd up in concord, mass. after slaloming thru dead end websites for any venue information – pema and i were now coming upon delaware at this point – todd finally found our nugget of truth: yes, indeed, the venue was closed for the weekend because of frozen waterlines.

boy.

i always knew that gig contracts carried the “all agreements are final pending an act of god” clause, but holy bejeezus. i never realized that it actually happened… the act of god, that is. yes, i’ve had shows cancelled before for numerous reasons: change of management, sickness, et cetera. unfortunately, most last minute show cancellations are even unbeknownst to me until only hours before the scheduled gig time. in fact, on more than one occasion, i’ve found myself frantically calling peeps or searching online trying to get to the truth because a friend of a friend of a friend heard that some guy said there was a 43% chance the show might be cancelled. so, in this particularly act-of-god case, i’m glad that it was god who was responsible for the cancellation… and that it was his gossip train that got word back to me. go god.

back to my point. pema and I were now faced with the challenge of making a weekend out of our now-in-the-middle-of-jersey reality. enter: the ever-beloved i-cut girls. Our wonderful friends in seymour, CT and their gang of buddies. they said we could crash at their place, so crash we did!

we drove into the night. just after 2am saturday morning, we arrived at the home of jenn, ellen, tamrah, and 4 fine cats. we drank, we ate, we played redonkulous games, (we bought golf shoes!) and we simply had a blast that weekend… even without getting paid for the drive! :) just goes to show you what good peeps can do! we didn’t leave until sunday afternoon, just in time to avoid the superbowl and stupid bad traffic all the way home to richmond. freakin’ i-95.

andy

Truly Blessed in Virginia

So i had an experience last night that i wasn't going to write about at first... but then i just figured that it was too good to pass up. And despite the fact that the story and setting seem mostly contrived, i don't think it'll hurt to write about it.. mostly because it's all real. heck, i don't even have to change names to protect the innocent. :)

I went to a "pickin'" last night. a real, down to earth, redneck, complete-with-PBR-and-potato-salad pickin'! now, most of you may not know what a pickin' is-- i know i didn't until it was explained... and then it all made sense. a pickin' is essentially a community get together featuring some sort of bluegrass band, set in or around a barn or some kind. it features booze, music, food, and all sorts of profanities.

my experience last night, featured a small four piece: Al, Trampus, Bernice, and Billy the Banjo guy. Al, the 70-year-old front man and the son of a bluegrass legend (Bill Monroe), lives only 4 miles up the road from the venue site with his 10 coonhounds and a mule named Jenny. His incredibly cool custom-made western style boots were purchased in El Paso, TX back in the 70s for a staggering $250-- that's a lot for boots back then! And in 1974, Al recorded a album at the Rounder Records Studio in Somerville, MA. (I used to drive by that studio when i lived up in Boston!) His mutton chops were as white and fluffy as any mall santa's beard... and then he started hitting on my partner. wow. you go al!

Trampus was a younger guitar picker. a big boy, he was. and he has a great voice, with just enough twang to get yer attention... but not so much that you can't understand what he's saying. :) Trampus likes to record albums in his home studio. I'm not so sure that his home recording label goes thru all the necessary legal proceedings to be able to sell noted hits such as "knockin' on heaven's door" and "heart of gold"... but at least he's out there playing the gigs and makin' the music he likes to make. you go, too, Trampus!

Sorry bernice (upright bass) and billy (banjo), i don't know so much about y'all.

I think the real getter was when we first arrived to the scene. I believe the words out of one guy's mouth were:"they are so lost!" at which point, we knew we were in the right place. my friend doug, who had invited us to the pickin' had warned us that it would be very "country" and that we would probably be some of the yougest people out there. Doug was right. thanks for the warning, Doug. :)

All in all, it was a blast. And only here in Virginia have i ever been able to experience this. I feel truly blessed. really. i think.

See, Virginia isn't only for lovers!
andy

CURVE: october issue

holy cow, folks. i suppose this is it, eh? both the beginning and end of my folk-rocker career. i have somehow managed to slip through the editing cracks of CURVE... you know the "best-selling lesbian magazine". so this, my national press debut, must be the pinnacle, you say!? it doesn't get any better?!?! ha! never! hopefully this is only the beginning-- and the beginning alone-- of a world of positive press and infinite embrace. I have been blessed with such a wonderful musical start even prior to the first drop of ink. it's freakin' awesome. y'all are freakin' awesome! thank you.

If you wanna check it out, get the October issue of CURVE magazine. me and that blasted shovel are hanging out on page 59... just across the way from a smokin' hot photo of india.arie (btw, that's so cool that she has a "." in the middle of her name. wish i had thought of that: andy.moore . doesn't have the same feel, does it?!)

more to come soon....

Gameshow Poo!

so i was sitting at home this evening, just sorta hangin' out, when i decided to flip on the TV-- mind you, i don't have cable, and the ol' bunny ears bring in only 3 channels. I began watching CBS' new primetime gameshow revival called "gameshow marathon." Now, i should mention that i'm as big a fan of gameshows as the next fellow. Let's face it, we all have a soft spot in our heart for "Sale of the Century" and the "25,000 Pyramid".... but holy smokes! What the freakin' freakity freak is this gameshow marathon crap?!? Yes, it is a fun little ditty featuring some of our favorite celebrities...such as Lance Bass of N*Sync and Tim Meadows form SNL. But really, what is Ricki Lake doing there? and why... WHY??...is she there? remember the "ricki lake show" and what fun that was?!? well, multiply that times 3 and then divde it by 20, and that's the IQ one has to have to truly enjoy her completely lifeless personality now on this worth-missing network event. i swear, the South Park guys could go to town with her on this one. Not only does she look like a deer in headlights with her complete lack of enthusiasm... she also has a voice that could melt steel by virtue of it's shrillness. And, if anyone saw the "beat the clock" throwback episode-- the one i had the pleasure of viewing-- you would've seen the delightful white blazer she was wearing with the black floral-like detail. absolutely stunning! She really should thank the wardrobe department for that one. "Thanks Shirley!"

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Na... i really shouldn't tease like i do... but when they make it so easy! I know i've worn plenty of "i really shouldn't have"-s, and i've had home-grown hairdos of regrettable proportions, so i honestly have no room to speak... or write, in this case. But unfortunately, it's one of the few things that i've found truly comical in the past several weeks. and if it leads to a website entry, you know it's good stuff. :)

On the music front-- since i often simply voice my opinions on everything but-- there's not a whole heckuva lot going on right now in my world. I'm playing out occassionally, staying at home in the evenings, trying to hammer out some new tunes. I'm playing more private events these days more than anything right now. But on the schedule, you'll see that i'm slated to appear with eric himan at a couple of Pride Events in the upcoming months. btw, eric's great. He's got a new album due out in late summer that'll be smokin'! He's wonderfully talented, and i always find it a pleasure to play beside him. aw.

Yeah, so i'm writing songs and am always gearing up for the next album... which i have yet to make any real solid plans for. Be assured, there will be a third album, the big question, of course, is when. I have a photographer, a drummer, a studio, a bassist, a lead guitar guy, an ever-growing pack of songs, and enough greyhounds to float a battleship.... that's a start anyhow. With any luck i'll be able to put together a sound that is typically me, but with the smooth barely-produced edges of Tracy Chapman's last two LPs. I do have a title for the disc, but this one i'm saving for the release... unless there's some money to be shown... in which case, we can probably make a deal.... but not if it's as scary as ricki lake's announcing "let's make a deal." I bet that was just awful. :)

no whammy, no whammy, no whammy, STOP!
andy

m-m-m-my corona

"corona" is latin (and spanish) for crown. "ohana" is hawaiian for family. (thanks lilo & stitch) "rshi" is sanskrit for sage. and "doch" is german for any number of emphatic phrases! this being said, it's a wonder we're ever able to communicate anything with anyone. translation is one of the finest tools we're blessed with as thinking beings. it's a tool of secrecy. a necessary brain for that which we do not understand. a shoulder to cry on. a headache to reckon with at the end of any challenging semester. a box of playing cards. a jenga stack on its last weight-bearing leg.

translation, my friends, is what it's all about...

which kinda brings me to my point. that is, if translation is the key to serving the larger pan-continental masses, why not encourage the use of such an invaluable tool by implementing its problem-solving (thus somewhat unifying) capacities to stimulate openess of being. it's what we, as singer-songwriters, do on a daily basis. we sing songs that translate and communicate with people on a multiplicity of levels. and who doesn't want to be a singer-songwriter? huh?!?

well, i for one thank you for NOT all wanting to be singer-songwriters. i mean, we can all participate in the translation game at some point. but it makes my job a heckuva lot easier if i don't have to share the stage with every single one of you. competition is heavy as it is... and we all know that we singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen. so please, just let me take my songs and leap into that 12-egg cardboard container, and you can take me home and mix me in with some yummy cheese and veggies and have yourself a nice little andy omlet-- andy-and-some-other-performers-and, of course, the-cheese-and-veggies omlet. i'd like that. i'd like that a lot. i'll do the singing. i'll give you material to translate... and you make it your own. in a lot of ways, what i do and say has meaning for myself that could quite be completely unrelated to the message and meaning it has for you. and that's okay. we're all okay. just make the omlet. ingesting it can either take place or not take place. translate that! :)

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it's been a while since my last journal entry... and for that, i must be slapped 'cross the back of the hand. i've had sucha great couple of months, that it's almost too much to bear. let me list only a few of my most recent interesting life moments:
1) i watched my beloved red sox beat the pants off of baltimore.
2) i saw michael buble' swoon a packed house of 50-year-old white Richmond women.
3) i watched my turtle nearly jump out of his tank as i appraoched him one evening.
4) six little baby chickadees made their home on my front porch
5) coffee has never tasted better to me in my entire life. not even in graduate school.

now some of you may wonder why i choose to share these things. and well, my only justification is that my life consists of more than just the music i make... and well, if you've found your way to this website and/or you've heard my music before, you should know that i write from experience and that experience just happens to be embedded in this mass quantity of interests and song blurbs called andy moore. sometimes you get a little more than you bagained for. and never any less. i hope that's cool with you. cause i like you. and i want you to stay.

ciao for now,
andy

"experinential growth. wha, huh?"

you know that saying "a day late and a dollar short"... well, i've always been that person. well at least in the last few years. but it's more like "two days late and two dollars short" like when you'd get lunch money, for instance. you go to school all ready for that scrumptuous board certfied, USDA approved ~$2 school lunch, just to find out that the contents of your pocket do not exceed one snotty tissue, a tiny piece of pencil lead (guage .05mm) and perhaps a string from the inside pocket seam of your jordache jeans. just like that. i always forget my two bucks for lunch and would inevitably have to borrow money from the front office. [i always wanted to bring my lunch from home-- and i did occassionally-- but i ate primarily at school, and i'm glad i did becuase i feel i would have missed out on something really spectacular had i foregone the chance to partake of tax dollars hard at work (i.e. borrowed I.O.U.s and, more importantly, the purchase and preparation of character-rich food)] yeah, that was me.

my most recent findings tell me that once the "day late, dollar short" is in forward motion, the lateness to shortness ratio increases exponentially! holy cow! for instance, if we mathematically map out the "day late (L), dollar short (S)" equation [with "n" as the variable], it would read L^n=S^(n+1). this folks is my life. if i lose a couple of days, i'm that much deeper in the red. man. take for example credit card companies. if you can't pay a certain minimum each month, the evils raise your interest rates, thus sky-rocketing your next monthly payment, more than likely to meet empty bank accounts once again. those companies just don't learn, do they."two days late, two dollars short" is just like that... except the composition of late and short are radically other. use the hermeneutics of emotion. Where will this leave us now?

you guessed it: drained.

this is where we all just get bogged down sometimes. we hold our heads up just long enough to realize that we're in an emotionally bankrupt state of being, and in order to get out of the hole, you have to scratch and claw your way into optimism. this should not be confused with no emotion. rather, emotionally bankruptcy is a perplexing and uncomortable state that actually allows us to have emotion... but only of the depleted sort. yay. and there you have it: experinential growth. experiential+exponential growth.

my purpose for telling you all this? nothing really so much, just wanted to say that i'm kinda like that sometimes... but not when i'm not. my encounters with experinential growth are growing infrequent. just remember, i always have the best of intentions.
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this past weekend was like going back to a rockin' good summer camp. not only did i get to help raise some fundage for poor little sick greyhounds, i also got to play with my good buddy eric himan again. it all began on friday night, when shortly after 6, i raced to locust grove, VA to set up sound for a dessert party held in honor of Ricky, a sweet little greyhound, who recently lost his fight with bone cancer. there i saw shell and nickel's foster parents, as well as a whole slew of grey-lovers. we lit candles in memory of numerous pets, past and present fighters, and gave a moment of silence to them. then it was inside for some tunes and a real party to make any puppy proud. thanks to denise and shiela both for all your hard work. next year will be even bigger!! go to www.cvgreys.org for more info.

then finally [duhn-da-da-da!], my first show in richmond proper. it took about long enough. the event was for ROSMY, a group devoted to you richmond sexually-orientated minority youth. talk about a jack pot. i made new friends, saw old ones. played with eric himan again, and did a little professional networking. pretty classy, eh? gold all-around. so thanks to wayne and the rest of ROSMY, we rocked VCU. so good to play with eric again. one of his latest songs [tulsa], i swear, might win song of the year. at least from the Billboards, if not the AMA's. so haunting, so good.
after all of the mardi gras of the ROSMY party, eric and the gang and i rallied energy for a quick outing to the bar... but there was no parking... anywhere... so we all said "no thanks" and headed out sepearte ways. it was rather abrupt, but nothing puts people in a crabby mood more than being in search of a quick drink with old friends and not being able to swing the parking situation. so dumb.

and so it was on to home.

but while eric and i were talking... we stumbled onto a very interesting topic: mock derby.
hmm, what is that, you ask? guess you'll have to wait to find out.

they don't call me "pointless story" for nothing.

andy

to the darkest regions of PA and beyond

on my way back from central PA this past weekend, I saw a pokemon VW beetle: "Pika3" read the license plate. kid you not, it had two little horns and spikey tail. cutest damn car i've seen in a while. it had these fun decals all over a solid yellow body, and it was following the "nintendo hummer": a violet-blue pavement monster with a mural of nintendo characters plastered all over its doors and fenders. i swear, you see the strangest things on the highway sometimes.

show in lock haven and williamsport completed my round of musical musings this past week. i began thursday evening at lock haven university. with jay barry opening, and these huge cabinet speakers pumping music all over the student union building, we had a BLAST! good to see my friends from the area. glad that weren't too embarrased by my need to draw attention to them and the show area. i just think it's often more interesting-- not to mention easier-- to make yourself heard when you have a microphone in front of your mouth. technology: it's a beautiful thing! i hope all those peeps who were busy with vagina monologues rehearsal had a great premiere friday night. sorry i missed it. oh, and thanks to HAC for making the show happen.

next morning, i wake up at the hotel and realize that it feels like the whole building is shaking. sure enough, it is, if only in micro-millimeter increments. i open the window and see that the wind is gusting upwards of 50-60 mph. i go downstairs to partake of the ever-lovely continental breakfast, and while sitting at the table eating my golden grahams, there's a spark and a flicker: power goes out. And the staff starts freaking out. always fun to be comforted in the dark by a hotel crew unsure of what to do in the event of a power outage. i finished my cereal and took the stairs back up to the fourth floor, leaving the paniced workers to fuddle amongst themselves. it had been a while since taking a shower in the dark, but i found it to be a very relaxing experience. i gathered my belongings and left the still-dark building at 11am. road trips are full of adventures.

i made my way to williamsport just in time to sneak in a snack before the show. saw a whole load of friends at the Coffee and Tea Room there in the heart of downtown williamsport. Dave and Skip from State College, so glad you could finally make it out! Jason and Susie, sorry i didn't make it out for the post-show beverage at Club Z. but i'll make it up to y'all. next time around, i'm buying! all in all, it was a great couple of shows, and i'm stoked about the turnout and the new friends i found there... even a couple, who came all the way from Allentown. y'all rock.

Well, y'all, i now have other little projects i must tend to before my next outing. i'll be hitting the road again before you know it. Take it easy.

andy

say what? ramblings and reasons.

so the side of the soy milk container reads: (silk haiku)
"soy cows do not moo / they are udderly silent / unless they stampede" Of course, pema says, "i don't understand." to which i promptly reply, "you know, the cows. they make noise when they stampede." she says, "but there are no soy cows." and i say, "oh."

drr. let me tell you, that was one of those instances when i felt very good about myself. my intellect... never a prouder moment. and i bet you think i'm a real kool kat all the time. :)

folks, the new year is definitely here. and i cannot, for the life of me, get it through my brain that i need to start writing 2006 on all checks, documents, etc. it seems that every january when we begin the new calendar year, i seamlessly slide right on over into the new month. no bobbles, no glitches, no problem. but, oh no, this year has to be different. for whatever reason, the year 2005 has cheated 2006 out of it's rightful annual blessing for the past month. it's like the story of jacob and esau all over again. 2005 walking around all covered with hair just so he can win the blessing of mama andy. well, 2005, all i have to say to you is that no past year of mine is gonna cheat my new year. back with you. back. back!

projects are swinging this way and that. things come into the inbox.... and as quickly and efficiently as i can, i sort thru the stuff and place it in the outbox. with a little luck and a whole lot of superstitious incantations and super-secret seances, i'll be filling up the calendar in no time. at this point, it's just a matter of sift and call, send and search. the life of independent musicians is glamorous and glitzy... and yes, full of hard work. fortunately for us, you only see the high-dollar outfits and the flashy cars. that we live in rat-infested homes with holes in the roof is only one of the hard knocks that we have to endure on a day-to-day basis. and by the way, i'm just kidding.

the most exciting part of my january has been the songwriting. new things are creeping up on me and just finding their way onto paper. it's weird. i'll wake-up some mornings and find that my refrigerator poetry magnets have mysteriously arranged themselves into critical phrases and key catch-alls, little bits of song around which i am now able to fashion my next masterpiece. of course, if i had some version of refrigerator magnet poetry other than the psycho-analysis edition, perhaps my songwriting might find its way into the more positive and uplifting realm. perhaps someone out there might be able to send me the lilith fair edition or the jesus and angels edition. that'd be an upgrade, wouldn't it?

well that's it for me right now. send along those magnets when you get a chance.

don't vacation here. virginia is for lovers.
andy :)

Happy Freakin' New Year!

some of the thoughts that came crashing in on me as the new year arrived were: a) did jim henson ever do drugs? b) do greyhounds ever dream about anything other than running? c) if i eat all the chocolate, will i really get fat?
these, friends, are the kinds of thoughts that plague my mind every day... it just so happens that these were only a few of the first thoughts of 2006. what a way to begin the year!

it's already the early part of mid-january and things are looking remarkarbly up from this time last year. let's see, january of 2005 was full of studying, paper-writing, and yucky finals at good ol' HDS. well, no thank you in 2006. but i will send out a hearty "hang in there" to all my peeps there at the div school. you can do it! This year, my january is filled with reorganizational projects.... a.k.a. getting my proverbial ducks in a r-o-w. this means, cleaning house, washing dogs, selling car, renewing licenses.... you know, stuff. and let's not forget that tax season is now upon us. that's right, folks. in less than 5 months, we need to have all our tax stuff in order and submitted over to our good friends at the IRS. i'm stoked that i get to work with them every year. it's probably my longest standing relationship with anyone. ten years and counting! good ol' IRS...

the new year holiday itself was begun with my friends up in seymour, CT. thanks to ellen, jenn, zy, and mer, the 2006 kick-off party at my favorite little house in seymour (complete with cross-eyed cat and stuffed animal penguins) was an uber-success. never in one evening have i botched more lyrics to my own songs--hey, i am human--and been okay with it (because it was just plain fun) than i did that evening. i'm telling ya, those girls know how to make you feel at home no matter what. so thank you a million and four times over. perhaps we can do it again someday. btw, marisela and eddie, if you're reading this, i totally told the "sobering" story. :)

from CT it was off to up-state NY to visit some family for a week and to just lay low. and now that i'm finally back in the comforts of my Red State, it's time to put the pen to the paper again and finish up some of those songs that i've been tinkering with for what seems like months now. I hope that eveyone is having a productive, yet relaxing, start to the new year! remember, this is only the beginning... let's pace ourselves.

toodle-doodle-doo! (like with one of those new year's paper horns)
andy

End Post: i.e. Stop Sign

i feel that i need to develop the ninja skill of kage-bushin-no-jutsu (shadow of the divided art)-- you know, the skill that Naruto first masters that allows one to create multiple selves-- so as to be able to get all my stuff done; bring the word "multi-task" to a whole new level. perhaps even form a band with myself. or double-book myself. hmm. seems such a division of the self might have a lot of nasty repercussions. :)

so i arrived back to richmond this past sunday night. i left eric back on the great plains at a roadside bait and tackle shop. sorry, i had to lose the boy. he was cramping my style, and he wanted to go fishing. j/k actually, he's spending some time out there with family, and now i'm home myself spending a little downtime with my pups at the ol' A.P.T. thank you so much to mr. himan and ms. buncie at thumbcrown records! they've totally changed the way i approach this musical game. such a great learning experience this tour was. and i have to say, i had a load of fun to boot. i'm sorry it's over, but i know this is just the beginning of a time that is to be uber-filled with new and exciting experiences. all in time.

the last leg of the tour was fast and furious. i last spoke of the drive to phoenix. so cool... and so full of those big story-book cacti. the suguaro. must be the 8th wonder of the world. or so i think. we pulled into phoenix right in time to get a quick sound check at the hip little coffee joint called Mama Java's. once again, eric-- with his well- and wide-established fan base of LEFs-- pulled in the peeps and we rocked the place for a solid couple of hours. so much fun. after homemade yummies supplied by vita and mary, it was off to bed so we could up-and-at-'em the next morning to my folks house in the Texas panhandle. it was good to see them and spend a few hours with them. unfortunately, i don't get to spend nearly enough time with them. :( makes me sad to think about it... but it makes me cherish those small moments of time even more. love y'all so much! i'm such a parents' girl!

next day, we trekked it down to dallas to play at buddies II, a cool little bar down in Oak Lawn. there i saw my old friend Franceanna and met a couple of new people (sarah, erica, donna, etc.). again, fun galore and never enough time to chat with everyone for as long as i'd like. post show, frankie, erica, and i hit cafe brazil, a chain of 24hr (there is a god!!) diners tucked away in all the right places in the metroplex. the veggie deluxe sandwich was a knockout with the chips and salsa (a.k.a. my favorite snack!) and then, as the routine goes, it was off to bed.

the last show, this past saturday night, was at club maverick in tulsa, oklahoma. have to say, i was totally surprised to find such a great meeting place for community there in the heart of conservo-cowboy, USA. trust me, i know how conservative and scary the plains regions can be, so it was such a blessing that our last show was as memorable and friendly as the first. thanks to the hard work of scott and mark, club maverick provides a wonderful space for the larger lgbt community and its allies. that's hot!

after hopping a plane on sunday morning, i was an entire time zone closer to richmond. and after a few hours drive, i was back in the cozy little space i now call home. thank you again to eric himan for the incredible opportunity to embark upon my first national tour with him at my side, a well-respected singer-songwriter, fabulous showman, and trusted friend. it's been an adventure to remember... and one that i'm sure we'll try to replicate very soon. mock derby, anyone?

right now, i'm watching my oldest dog (shell) spin in circles looking for percisely the right moment and angle to descend onto the dog bed below. it's funny. hell, dogs are funny. and before i pop in another episode of Naruto, so as to avoid running the inevitable errands that must be run eventually, i want to say HAPPY SOLSTICE!(one day late) hope everyone has a fabulous bringing-in of the new year. 2006, here we come!

until i learn to karate chop my way out of errands....
andy

Precursor to Cactus... + animal...

the best part was when the mama panda picked up the baby panda—or should i say panda cub—with her mouth. holy cow, i thought i was going to die it was so cute. [from the annals of my documented visit to the san diego zoo, 13 december 2005]

so eric and i were debating about whether or not to write about the darker side of touring around the country... but we opted not to for fear that actually blogging about more negative things might in fact turn off readers. so here we are, once again, in the middle of nowhere—nowhere being I-8 just east of san diego on our way to phoenix, AZ (yes, i’m typing in the car again!)—surrounded by very beautiful, albeit somewhat acne-plagued-looking, mountains. nothing but boulders, dust, and scrubby trees. an occasional wind turbine or call box. i think i’m strangely attracted to this region of the US. i almost feel like bandits are gonna jump down from the rocks and steal our horses and take the gold.

when we left long beach, CA it was off to san diego for a show at the very attractive LGBT center there in the heart of hillcrest. thank you so much to all the wonderful people who showed up to hear us sing our songs. a big thank you to sound-man dave and hunky aaron for general organizational skills, and a thank you to The Centre for allowing us to use the auditorium. unfortunately, the lady at the hotel desk that we were going to stay at was not very nice at all... so poo on her for general unpleasantness. the next hotel desk clerk was a gem. such a sweetheart. rosalia you rock!

yesterday—a highly coveted day off—we spent at the san diego zoo. being an amateur connoisseur of zoos, i remember this zoo from my childhood years as being one of the finest... and my memory serves me well. eric and i, accompanied by his cousins from orange county, “tore up the zoo,” taking in the sights of so many animals. and while i know that it’s sad to think of these animals as being imprisoned in some way, the san diego zoo actually cares for many creatures that are near extinction in the wild, many of them hunted for their pelts or antlers, etc. so it was cool to see them at least reproducing and protected from their rather unnatural predators. all in all, it was awesome! and the best part was seeing the little baby panda rolling around in the bamboo while it’s mother was watching nearby.

The hotel movie selection of the evening: Madagascar. i know what you’re thinking, “whoo hoo, more animals!” and you’re right! i was stoked! the funniest part is that the movie characters, when washed ashore an unfamiliar “wild” island, thought they had been transferred to the very natural-feeling habitats of the san diego zoo! how fitting!

Now on the rather desolate drive to phoenix, eric and i are trying to keep ourselves amused by reading the road signs that are few and far between. a few of them are:
BORDER PATROL AHEAD
STATE PRISON
__(your name here)__ CASINO

Anyhow... it’s entertaining. you try keepin’ it real after hours and hours on the road. :)

until phoenix arrives!
andy

p.s. eric is doing the creepy old man voice again. “i got a whole freezer full of popsicles.” make him stop!

They Don't Call it L.A. for Nothing

so... after leaving the fox and goose in sacramento, eric and i headed south for the portion of the tour dedicated almost solely to palm trees and seaside surf. btw, did anyone out there know that sacramento is the self-proclaimed "city of trees"? it should get together with our arbor day friend (the state of) nebraska and throw a big party. it would be a celebration of oxygenation!

so as i was saying... we headed south to los angeles this past friday and arrived to a very lively, yet strangely easy-going santa monica boulevard. eric bought a shirt. i bought nothing. it was great... and then over to genghis cohen we flew. with bellies full of chinese food and hint of fortune cookie on the breath, we took to the stage and found out that not only did adam sandler eat there at that very place only last week (says owner JT), but the act who followed us looked just like Kenny G! my first, or so i thought, LA celebrity sighting. but, as luck would have, it wasn't Kenny G... and behold, i was bummed. btw, a giant hola to longer-time friend kubek who showed up and slipped me a couple of good mix CDs. also, thanks to all who listened so attentively and waited for me to hit the west coast. it was a great first experience in the heart of LA.

from there, it was on to eric's family house (thank you for everything gwen and clark and gang!) down in orange county. they spoiled us rotten for a solid day and then it was over and up to long beach for a gigerdoo at Choices for the LGBT Center there (thank you, Merrill). there, i was happy to be a part of a toothpick-art proposal, the very first of my music career. congrats again wendy and laura! eric and i both made a ton of new friends... and both got in touch with our latin roots-- well, i did, anyhow-- thanks to a couple of cool cats well-versed in latino culture. i know, i know, i'm a bad half-mexican, but apparently badness is par for the half-mexican course. :)

this morning, eric did a short interview on Brunch, a morning "news" program on the fairly new Q TV Network. He was a sweetie as usual and asked me to join him, so i did. we did a few songs together, and i met a christmas tree guy who was more fun to look at than just about anything i've ever seen. long hair, long beard, big red suspenders, and a gleaming white newsboy cap. it was awesome! when that was over, we hit eric's fav eats p-a-d the California Pizza Kitchen and then headed back to the relative's place, where we're now happily kicking back until our send-off to san diego for a show tonight. so that's it. we've had many laughs since sacramento... and we almost even saw disney world while driving the I-5... but, i can't, for the life of me, make a distinction between the funny and the real anymore. eric makes it too difficult. i love me chap!

i swing for the fence every at bat!

andy

p.s. a big peep in the direction of richmond!

Hey hey hey. Californ-I-A.

the drive from portland, OR to san francisco, CA was awesome. for one, the mountains there were completely unexpected. i mean, i knew that there were hills and that the lower cascades were of course in that area… but i honestly thought that we’d already done our share of yodeling and ice climbing. i am naïve.

as a sidenote, there’s a little place due south of portland called roseburg. thank you to the laudromat for sudsy washing and to the applebee’s for sit-down yummy treats. onward!

so we arrived to SF last night a bit early. we were deep in the heart of castro and thus decided to poke around in some of the shops before the show began over at moby dick’s. a quick stop at the coffee shop, pizza joint, queer bookstore, and high-end clothing shop were all the fun that we could handle before beginning the set up at the bar. i have to say, one of the most memorable pieces of pub decor i’ve seen thusfar in my twenty-something year-old life was the full 15-piece nativity scene (complete with ass and baby jesus!) set up in the above bar fish tank. the best part about the 100-gallon tank setup: one healthy looking lion fish (let’s remember these f#*kers are poisonous!) swimming around the entire thing... just like a body guard. who knew that the little baby jesus had protective peeps even in the early years. like the king of the jungle ocean keeps watch over the self-proclaimed king of the jews. so yeah.

thanks to joe and company at moby’s and thanks to all those who came out in style (vince and friends, paul, chip, etc.). after the show—which i should add was stellar and performed in front of a packed house!—eric and i were off to the motel capri just off the northern shore. this morning it was rise and shine and off to grab the essential morning cup o’ joe. for eats, i enjoyed a most delicious hummus/avacado open face sandwich with cucumbers and sprouts at a place called boulange. while out, we also did a smidge of holiday shopping and discovered that we had time to catch a flick. our choice: RENT. not sure that it was the best choice.... but the only choice at that theatre. i’ll leave it at that. mind you, it’s not that we don’t appreciate musicals, but rather that it was very tiring to listen to singing for the ENTIRE movie. we know now that we’ve most likely offended a large queer contingent with our opinion of the new production, but maybe someone at one of our upcoming shows can give us a good explanation of what exactly was going on. i should add, also, that we were both RENT virgins, so perhaps this is a partial explanation of our confusion/disapproval.

after tourist snapshots at the golden gate bridge, we’re now back in the minivan again on our way to the fox and goose in sacramento. i’m desperately hoping that my teenhood friend marie k., who has recently relocated to the area and with whom i’ve lost touch, will somehow magically find out about the show and come out and surprise me. she’s responsible for turning me on to They Might Be Giants and early computer role-playing games... not to mention early 90s AOL and a load of other trendy stuff. well... it’s time to shut down the notebook so that i might replenish my strength with a little bit of quick jack food... if one can call such things “food”. :) no offense.

off to the show!
andy

p.s. have i mentioned that i’m over fast-food vegetarianism. not a lot of variety. heck, not a lot of food.
p.p.s to all who have sent emails: thank you! i’m chipping away at reponses. all in due time.

Portland this Oregon!

We broke into the west coast this afternoon at approximately 1:43pm Pacific Standard Time. Fortunately we did not get caught. This, I owe to eric's perpetual praise of Parker Posey in her performance in "Best in Show". she is a goddess.

Up from the great salt lake regions to the flat (but mysteriously mountainous!) terrain of boise, idaho, eric and i have braved countless stretches of road marked "DEER", "ROCK", "WIND GUSTS", and/or "Icy Conditions Exist"... the latter being my personal favorite. it's so comforting to know that *they're* somewhere out there: Icy Conditions. stoked about running into those some day.

so as i was saying, we cruised into boise last night and played a quaint little place known as the Flying M, a benefit show for the Youth Alliance for Diversity. Thanks to Javier and the gang, we were rewarded with a heavy dose of Idaho Pride... a condition characterized by extreme obsession with the potatoes and car lots that apparently-- of so they say-- litter the lay of the land. who knew? well, they did. in any case, potato farming equipment is really neat... looks kinda like a shrimpin' boat gone monster truck.

Today, the trip ran from boise (city) to Portland, Oregon... a heck of a city that seems to be the envy of all the mid-atlantic hipster cities... and rightfully so. this place is great!! the drive in on I-84 was absolutely stunning. as i mentioned tonight, it looked very much like a bob ross painting... complete with happy trees and all! eric and i arrived to Mississippi Pizza, grabbed a slice, set up, and played a super-fun show for the 40+ peeps who showed up to fill the joint. it was excellent. very excellent. and then there was more pizza... and then the lethargy set in. like a wall.

the hotel is cozy as always. eric is crashed out already. and my eyes are getting heavy. so i should sign off for the evening... tomorrow there is laundry to be had, as well as a quick run thru a meadow somewhere. i'll find one. don't worry.

cheerio,
andy

p.s. peep!

Seeing the Salt of the Lake City

So we continued west... ho!
Today, during only one of our 12 hours in the minivan, eric leans over and offers me a Halls. I pop the icy blue square in my mouth, and only moments later he says, "Breathe in." so i do. "Isn't that neat!?!?" he says. I shake my head and wonder if the happy halls vapor action will ever cease to impress us as a larger social whole. i think not.

Salt Lake City... and not a moment too soon. We left Colorado Springs early this morning in the midst of a pretty decent snow storm. After clearing Denver, it was smooth, albeit very windy, sailing through the lowlands of Wyoming. Who knew that the yellowstone state had so little to offer in the way of interesting roadside oddities, etc.?! No offense, but people of wyoming, y'all need to write to the NEA and see if they can't help you out there. j/k
The drive was actually rather beautiful, even though somewhat taxing for driver eric as we cruised into Utah-- and i do mean cruise at a whopping 20mph-- through yet another storm of heavy snowy-ness and sleet-y-ness. Once we finally arrived to destination Trapp Door, we unloaded the gear and began to set up. All in all, it was a quick show, but one of the best yet if fun percentage is properly calculated. we spanked booty, if you will, in the category of sheer energy rejuvination alone! After a quick bite at The Orbit Cafe, Ron and Kevin (my new friends and beloved hosts) gave me and eric a quick tour of downtown SLC... mormon temple complex and all. so fascinating. makes me wanna give a shout out to my div school buddy will... if you're out there, i hope you're well!

Now back at the one night homestead, I'm fighting to keep my eyes open. looks like a losing battle. oh, looks like the eyes have fallen. may sleep reign supreme...

{yawn} night all,
andy

Doing Denver: Yes, Colorado.

Today eric and i found out that it's very difficult to whistle on command... particularly when you're being told to whistle a familiar tune. (now, you can only imagine what it's like with crackers!) one is constantly interrupted with "{whistling}[giggle]{whistling}[snicker]{whistling}"(you get the picture). it's tough work. well, i guess it's just as well. jefferson starship just isn't the same in mode whistle. and i somehow think that grace slick just wouldn't approve. too bad for her. she's apparently never heard miss thang here in her finest whistling modality!

Quixote's. Denver, Colorado. This is the bar almost solely dedicated to the memory of Jerry Garcia. Not exactly the kind of place you'd expect to find two folk-rockers entertaining the bar flies with acoustic guitars... especially when we left our pyschotropics back in nebraska. just kidding. eric and i played this great little bar out here, and-- even though struggling with the sound-- managed to pull off a pretty neat show packed with punch and pizzaz. true troopers we are... or well, i suspect i picked up my badge of trooper-dom-ness from mr. himan himself, but who knows. thanks to dave and tim and some new friendly faces (jennie, james, miguel, et al), our time there at quixote's was made pleasant and refreshing! ah.

Tomorrow it's on to Colorado Springs. But before we head out, i'm gonna spend the morning with my long almost-lost friend GerRee. Haven't seen her in almost 10 years, so it's pretty freakin' cool to be chillin' here at her place with her, catchin' up, knitting, you know, the usual. well, i'm not knitting, but she is, so i am knitting (essentially!) by association... which is an extra skill for me... and skills are important... bow-hunting skills, nunchakas skills... :)

All in all, this trip just keeps getting better. i swear, making music for other people is the best job in the world. y'all make it easy.

until i'm called to another profession,
andy

p.s. i would like to snuggle the baby chick. it's cold!
p.p.s. be sure to check out eric's journal at www.erichiman.com

Rewind and Review: le tour

[in my best lewis and clark adventure voice]
dear diary:
today I felt like a real explorer – one of the christopher columbus types! crossing the mighty mississippi river… braving the never-ending hills of iowa… it was an unfamiliar crawl through a land of simple beauty! one never to be forgotten. i shall never want for fields!
~andicus sparticus
[end weird voice]

so there has been a lot going on in the last week. so much, in fact, that I must begin from the beginning so as to paint a brilliant picture of mostly blues and greys. (not greyhounds, mind you!)

[begin dream sequence]
it all started back in pittsburgh on thanksgiving day. I met up with eric at the mt. lebanon abode and went from there. Early the next day, in the brisk air of the morn, eric and I set out on our adventure out west and have not looked back despite what appeared to be (at least geographically!) a “false start.” We arrived in milwaukee, WI during the onset of a snowstorm only to find ourselves longingly stopped at a nearby Burger King drooling over the new star wars watches. Reluctantly, we both walked away empty-handed, although eric, I believe, was bitten by Yoda (his species notorious for biting) on the way out for now “speaks strangely, he does.” Very curious!
We arrived to the first location (Outwords Books) where Eric did a quick impromptu set for a small group of “loyal eric friends”—affectionately referred to from here on out as LEFs. And then it was back on the road for a slow-moving, snowy haul to Lodi, WI (just outside of Madison) to get a head start on the next day’s journey to Grand Marais, MN—that’s pronounced Grand Muh-ray, not Muh-rye…as in Mariah Carey. (Unfortunately, we didn’t know that until we left the freakin’ place!?)
So up and at ‘em the next morn! Charge! We reached the extreme-northern-Minnesota-lake-superior-side-tourist village around 5pm and were introduced to our host Timouth of The Great Northern Gallery. We played some songs for the people there who were so open-armed and supportive. It was great show! And just the charm of that small town was enough to make the trip worthwhile. It’s absolutely stunning up there. Wish you could all see it.
On to Minneapolis to play the Wilde Roast Café. We arrived to a packed house only to pack it even more. It was an amazing turn out! The LEFs came out in droves! And they were all so attentive. I have to say, LEFs make it easy for me to stand up there and play some of my own tunes. It’s like insta-family… just add water… or in this case, coffee or soda.
The next morning, it’s back to Madison, WI (see what I mean about false starts?!?) to play the brand new High-Noon Saloon! I met some great new people and this time I saw very ethusiastic LEFs, namely a couple of great peeps from Milwaukee gone road-trip just to see Mr. Himan in action. After the show, they bought us $1 slices of pizza and then sent us off into the brisk Wisconsin air with, of all things, a snow-globe! Btw, all this talk about wisconsin cheese is no joke. There really is an abundance of cheese and cheese product everywhere in that state. The strange part is, I think I only remember seeing one small patch of cows… and by “patch” I mean herd, or pack… maybe even pod.
After a quick stop at Best Buy the next morning (for Eric to pick up the latest in Family Guy entertainment), it was back to the beloved highway for a quick leap into the windy city of Chicago. We stopped by the podcaster crib of Fausto and Marc, hosts of “feast of fools” (www.feastoffools.net), so that eric could chat it up with the guys about his latest release “One Night Stands”. I sat in on the interview and even got a couple of words in edgewise! So, now the thing is slated to air next Tuesday (Dec. 6) and then will be available in the archives until the internet dies, or cyberspace implodes. Whichever comes first. Check it out….please.
On to the show! We went down to the corner of N clark and grace to play the upscale Uncommon Ground. Again, we had a great turnout of LEFs and even a couple of LAFs (that’s “loyal andy friends”). Pictures were taken, CDs sold, new friends made, it was awesome. And then, of course, the inevitable: back to the road!
We trekked across the entirety of Illinois that night… last night. We made it all the way to the John Deere capital of the world: Moline, IL before we decided to call it quits. Fell asleep early in the morning and awoke to a blustery wind and not a lot of John Deere stuff. Needless to say, I was disappointed… but perhaps we were just looking in the wrong places. Anyhow, we can at least say now that we overnighted in the John Deere capital of the world if even we didn’t really get to “experience” the John Deere capital of the world.
[end dream sequence]

And here we are now: on the outskirts of Omaha (I’m typing in the minivan)… which always makes me think of Roger Stabach and those old Mutual of Omaha commercials, but perhaps now I’m just dating myself. Oh, there it is: “Nebraska: Home of Arbor Day” Who knew?!? Perhaps this is just their way of really appreciating the few trees that they have… a preservation technique that now gives them a claim to fame. Arbor day, after all, is celebrated nationwide, if not internationally! That’s a good one to stake.

More to come when we get thru this tree-appreciative land!
andy

p.s. I miss my baby chick.

Chicago: the basics