Tomorrow I’ll be returning home to MN after 6 weeks on the road playing solo acoustic shows.  It was a great time.  I apologize for not keeping up the tour blog as promised…guess I was too busy taking everything in to type the play-by-play as it happened.  I did jot down plenty of notes though, and I hope to post a recap in the next few days of the various adventures, some of which might also turn up in a future song.  In the meantime, I’ll just give you the quick tour stats and also the information about this Friday’s show at the NEW Acadia Café in Minneapolis, where I’ll be happy to tell you all about it in person.

SPRING SOLO TOUR 2009 BY THE NUMBERS

24 shows played

0 broken guitar strings

31 states driven through, including every state east of the Mississippi except Wisconsin and Michigan

10 versions of the English language

10,100 miles driven in total, all with the CRV’s Check Engine Light burning brightly

12 Small Strawberry Shakes from Dairy Queen

15-20 Five-Dollar Footlongs

46 correct NCAA tourney picks, including UNC over MSU in the finals (thanks, I know you were wondering)

1 extremely supportive girlfriend/part time roadie

Several satisfied fans

Many wonderful memories

THIS FRIDAY APRIL 17^TH AT THE ACADIA*

*New Location at Cedar and Riverside across from the 400 BAR

www.acadiacafe.com

FREE SHOW, ALL AGES

9PM = Watson

10PM = CONSOLATION CHAMP (mostly John R solo acoustic)

11PM = Joey Ryan (solo)

Hope to see you at the show.  We’ll be going back to work on the new album and posting some summer shows soon.  Check the sites

Adios!

JR

www.consolationchamp.com....

Champ on MySpace....

Champ on Facebook....

Champ on iTunes....

.. ..

here are the dates and cities for the upcoming spring solo tour that begins next week…complete with a few new shows added out west this May!  Check out website/myspace/facebook for venues and details. 

Sat. March 7th Chicago IL
Sun. March 8th Indianapolis IN
Mon. March 9th Nashville TN
Thurs. March 12th Dallas TX
Fri. March 13th Austin TX
Sat. March 14th Austin TX
Sun. March 15th Austin TX
Mon. March 16th New Orleans LA
Tues. March 17th Gulf Shores AL
Fri. March 20th Wesley Chapel, FL
Sat. March 21st Orlando FL
Mon. March 23rd Decatur GA
Wed. March 25th Washington, DC
Thurs. March 26th Johnson City TN
Sun. March 29th Asbury Park NJ
Tues March 31st Wilmington DE
Wed April 1st New York NY
Thurs April 2nd Campton NH
Fri. April 3rd Burlington VT
Sun. April 5th Boston MA
Wed April 8th Bridgeport CT
Thurs. April 9th Morgantown WV
Fri. April 10th Cincinnati, OH 
Sat. April 11th Lexington KY
Fri. April 17th Minneapolis, MN
Sat May 9th Denver, CO
Sun May 10th Lincoln, NE
Sat May 30th Santa Fe, NM....

Thanks as always for spreading the word to friends and family in these towns. 

See you soon,

John R.

Winter is here and so are some stellar CC rock events:

Iowa Public Radio Performance.  On Friday Dec 5, Chris and I taped an interview and performance in front of a live audience at the Java House in Iowa City.  The show is called "Java Blend with Ben Kiefer," and it will air on Iowa Public Radio on Dec 20 and 21.  For more information on the show, visit their website.  We will be sure to keep you posted on when and where you'll be able to stream/podcast.

Dec 20th Peace House Benefit show at The View in Uptown.  A great event benefiting a great cause.  The Peace House Secondary School provides a home and education for AIDS orphans living in Tanzania.  I will be providing some entertainment with a solo performance from 10 to 11, although the party will begin at 8:30 and will last into the wee hours.  There is a minimum ten dollar donation at the door, and you may want to arrive early as a big crowd is expected.  Check out the details here. 

Dec 23rd Holiday Show at the 400 Bar.  In what has become an annual tradition, we will be donning some Xmas attire and taking the stage at the 400 Bar to rock you into Holiday shape.  Doors open at 8pm.  The silky harmonies of Invisible 2 Women will kick things off at 9, followed by the comedy team of Matt Houchin and Ross McNamara, aka "The Bloomington Bros." (www.bloomingtonbros.com).  We will finish out the night with a festive extended set that will get you on that dance floor and keep you there til the music stops.  Be there!    

Finally, a quick note about the night Chris and I had the privilege of opening for Ben Sollee at the 400 Bar.  It was a very memorable Tuesday.  He played solo and most of the songs were just him and a cello...and it rocked!  'Twas a pleasure to be on the same bill.  Also I picked up his most recent record which I have been enjoying.   

see you soon,
John

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

October 24th Minneapolis Show.  Our first full-band show in a while happens Friday, October 24th at the good ole 400 Bar in Mpls!  Consolation Champ will be joined by local favorites Joey Ryan & the Inks, Beau Kinstler and Martin Devaney.  Should rock…times and info are as follows:

doors open at 8pm
Joey Ryan & the Inks - 9pm
Consolation Champ - 10pm
Beau Kinstler - 11pm
Martin Devaney - 12am
tickets $8, 18 plus

New record, spring tour.  We're going to start recording our next album later this month.  It will be an exciting process and a learning experience as always.  Not exactly sure which songs will make the cut, what we'll call it, or when it will be released.  That of course is the fun part, and we'll keep you posted along the way.  Also, you can expect another Spring Solo Tour in March and April, this time to the East Coast!  A reminder that city and/or venue recommendations are always appreciated.       

Hope to see you at the show later this month! 

Cold Feet

Four songs from CC's debut album "The Invitational" are featured in Cold Feet, an independent film by Ross McNamara and Ryan Jones.  We attended the premier screening of the film at the Riverview Theater this past summer and had a great time.  The four songs used were "Wonderful Unknown," "Checkout Girl," "Tomorrow's the Start," and "Texas."

For more information on Cold Feet, check out www.coldfeet-themovie.com.

Hear that?  It’s the sound of Wyoming on a Saturday morning.  About to head south an hour and a half to Denver for the second-to-last show of the tour.  The shows continue to go well and the long drives haven’t caught up to me as much as I thought they might.  Some quick highlights from the past week:

- At the show in Phoenix, I received a request I’d never received before.  "Do you know the Itsy Bitsy Spider?" asked a 3 year old boy from the back of the cafe in between songs.  I didn’t quite remember all the words but with the audience’s help we were able to turn in a stirring rendition complete with hand actions.  Of course after that, the next request was for "The ABC’s," and I decided to invite the little fella up to sing that one himself.  He nailed it, but it sort of back fired as he no longer wanted to leave the stage or the microphone, and he just kept attempting to start the ABC’s over and over again until his mother finally pulled him off the stage (literally).  Watch out for this kid on the rock n roll circuit in about 15 years...he’s already shown an ability to take over the stage.

- Got to spend some quality time with family out west.  I met my new 2.5 month old "neice" in the bay area, who is an amazingly happy little girl.  I then headed up to the Lake Tahoe area for a show with my Aunt Beth and her singing partner Larry, who is also the owner of the Tahoe Guitar company.  Larry built me a custom ax about two years ago, and it was nice to get to bring it into his workshop and have some tweeks made by the luthier himself.  We also did some trout fishing in the Walker river, which seemed miles away from anything.   

- Salt Lake City and Cheyenne shows were intimate and enjoyable.  The Wyoming Tribune Eagle did a little story before show, which you can read here. 

I better hit the road.  So long from the mountains!

--John

You can now purchase the new "Lobos Pattern" EP on iTunes!

I just witnessed my first ever hole-in-one on the golf course.  The feat was acheived in a pre-show round at the Oakwood golf club near Phoenix by none other than Tom Richards!  TR was using a 6 iron on the 153-yard par 3 and hit a perfect shot that bounced twice before landing in the jar.  The best part was before the shot when he jokingly declared "I haven’t had my hole-in-one yet this year...watch this" just before taking his swing.  Of course he never had a hole in one in his life and I had heard him make that exact quote about 50 times in previous rounds.  But this time it was meant to be...what a moment.

On the heels of this good omen, it’s now time to have some lunch and get warmed up for tonight’s gig at Mama Java’s in Phoenix. 

Rock n Roll!

JR

Good morning,

Week two of the spring solo acoustic tour is nearly in the books, and all is well in Texas and New Mexico.  Austin, TX continues to be one of my favorite cities, even more so that Austin, MN if you can believe it.  The Saturday show at the Irie Bean was outdoors on a gorgeous evening.  Some familiar MN faces even made surprise appearances in the audience, and they were rewarded with some songs about ice hockey and hot dish.  The golf clubs were also broken out for the first time on Saturday (does it get more rock n roll than playing a little golf on the road?).  The end result was pretty horrible (100+), but there were some good shots sprinkled in, and best of all it was about 82 and sunny (sorry to rub it in, MN folks...heard it’s been snowflake-city up there the past two weeks).  Special thanks to Jon E for the hospitality in Austin.  Also, I had my first experience with Chille Rellenos at Matt’s restaurant before the show.  They are recommended. 

Easter Sunday was spent reassembling the caravan with Dad and driving across 2/3 of Texas.  The journey from Austin to El Paso was about 8 hours, and no easter eggs were found along the way.  We got there in the evening and were able to drive down along the Rio Grande aka the border between El Paso and Juarez, Mexico.  The contrast in buidlings/homes from one side of the border to the other was even more eye-opening than I expected.  I can certainly understand why so many people attempt to cross each day.  Nearly all the authentic mexican restuarants were closed for the holiday, so we had our Easter dinner at Chili’s.  Unfortunatley, honeybaked ham and Aunt Po’s Cheesy Potatoes were not offered on the menu.

The most sobering moment of the tour thus far happened on our way from El Paso to Santa Fe on Monday.  About half way through our trek on I-25, we passed by the aftermath of a terrible accident where a car had apparently crossed the median and collided with a motorcyclist coming the opposite direction.  That night we were watching the news and it turns out the two people who collided were first cousins.  Here is the story: http://www.dchieftain.com/news/78895-03-26-08.html.  (NOTE: I don’t mean to draw extra attention to an obviously horrible tragedy, and my thoughts go out to the families of all involved.  God knows there is already too much coverage of negative news and crime out there, but I had to mention it as I was extremely shaken by the eeriness).  Certainly put things in perspective and made me even more appreciative of my family, friends and the opportunity to live free every day.

On a much more positive note, I really enjoyed my time in Taos and Santa Fe.  The Adobe Bar at the Historic Taos Inn proved to be a great room for acoustic music, and folks from all over (including Orono, MN, Milwaukee and Fargo) were part of a wonderful audience.  It was also very fun returning to the Cowgirl in Santa Fe for last night’s show.  Amazingly, at each of the two New Mexico shows, there were 5+ people on the dance floor getting down to solo acoustic music.  And we’re talking about some chill stuff here (Lobos Pattern, Checkout Girl, Italy, etc), not Country Boy or Ring of Fire.  Prettty funny.....I’ll go out on a limb and say it may have had something to do w/cold beverage.  Other enjoyable Santa Fe moments included an evening tennis match (again...hardcore Rock n Roll!) at the beautiful Sangre de Cristo club with mountain view, and a delicious Buffalo Burger dinner complete with New Mexico’s own Green Chili--thanks Aunt Missy and Cousin Daisy!      

Next destination = Phoenix, aka FEE-NEEX.  I’ll check in with you soon.

Take care,
JR