The Kitchen Sink Stayed Home

It didn’t rain. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that for the past year, it has seemed the skies have been holding back until we have a show. Okay, I’m not narcissistic enough to believe in some sort of divine conspiracy, but when it isn’t raining, I take note. It was cold as all holy hell, but you take what you get. And, I suppose you northerners wouldn’t call 50 degrees all that cold.

We made it to Winston-Salem with relative ease. To my surprise, Darby didn’t bring the kitchen sink. She and Kim accused me of shaming them into traveling lighter. I know they were just trying to economize last time. I have just been such a drifter, packing light is second nature. For years, I owned nothing more than what could fit in my car. Durham has settled me a bit. Though, I do wonder if I will ever stop getting the urge to try new places.

We were a bit nervous to play Elliot’s Revue because we had heard they have issues with noise. Knowing that we like it as loud as possible, we lightened the load a little bit more by taking smaller amps. It was really an exercise in self-restraint.

From the moment we walked in, Jack, the bartender, made us feel at home. He immediately gave me the lowdown on the night’s proceedings and handed me a beer. Less than ½ hour after arriving, Mike, the soundman, showed up with a huge smile. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever met such a nice soundperson. He was very conscious of what we needed and really stayed on top of things. Even as we were sound checking, the crowd was talking to us and the majority of those folks stuck around.

It was a new experience in a way that we were the only band playing that night. We had 2 hours to use as we wished. It was also very strange to me because I couldn’t really read the crowd. They seemed like they were hanging out in their living room. At one point, I began to wonder if they were even listening. I really try hard to be involved with the audience, but they seemed happy doing what they were doing and nodding their heads. But, as soon as we finished each set, they really friendly and we unloaded quite a bit of merch. . It’s not often that we play a place and hang out to drink afterwards. Given that we were away from home, it was even more shocking.

Elliot’s Revue, in someway, made us feel as though we were in our living rooms too.

Time for an Evolution

It may seem that I have been a little quieter than usual, but I assure you, it's the calm before the real storm begins. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes in our camp. For a few months, I have been feeling an internal need to grow into more of our potential. Upon starting this project, neither Darby nor myself expected the support, reception or constant gigging we were about to face. We are most grateful, but I feel it's time to evolve a little bit further than our initial expectations of ourselves.

The next couple of months will see us going a little lighter on the shows than we have have over the past year. We are not wussing out. In fact, little could be further from the truth. We are getting ready to begin recording our first full length album and would prefer to shift our focus a bit while doing so. In addition to that and in our usual DIY style, we will be, with S67's help, screenprinting our own shirts and working on a proper press kit. We are also going to be adding many of my new and older songs to our set. And I will be working hard to get one version of us or the other out to neighboring states this winter.

On top of all of this, we have joined forces with new partners in crime, Subdivision 67. We are thrilled to be part of such a positive and talented group of DIYers. Motivation like these folks is rare, and it's an honor. Please hit the link on the side to learn more.

On a more personal note, we have added a new member to our V9 family. His name is Coal Train. For a few months, I have been carefully considering (especially with the thought of touring alone) adopting a puppy. I went back and forth and came to the conclusion that if it were meant to be, it would happen. Animals have always had a way of finding me. During the consideration process, it seemed that every dog in Durham knew what I was thinking. Everywhere I went, I made a new friend. I really didn't expect it all to happen so quickly, but upon going to a party last Friday night and being told Coal was shelterbound, I knew what I had to do. By Sunday, he was laying on the couch with me watching movies. He is an awesome dog. He only barks at the door, loves my cats, and even knows a few commands. Let the evolution begin.