What a fall!  Autumn, that is to say.  We've been home in Seattle for about a month now, enjoying the rain, the farmers markets, and playing music again with the usual suspects...and the time has already come to hit the road again!  I'm very excited to be playing some mandolin and bass with The Starlings for their NW x SW Gravity EP release tour...we've got dates lined up for the next month or so in OR, CA, AZ, NM, TX, OK, MO, and IA...check out http://starlingsmusic.com for all the details.

The last few weeks of the bicycle tour were incredible.  Here's a little rundown, and check out the sampling of videos in My Videos that I've posted:

Belgium!  I can't say enough how much we loved it here.  Spent a good chunk of time in Antwerp with some awesome folks and spent our days cycling around the flat city, drinking fantastic beers, going to hear some amazing local shows, and playing our own garden party as well.  We caught some really great sunny weather that lasted pretty much the rest of the trip.  We cycled over to Ghent for a day...a beautiful ride to a lovely, quiet little city criss-crossed with scenic canals and delicious frite stands.  Cycled to Bruges the following day for a little medieval sightseeing and some very rare beers, and even made it out to Oostend on the coast to hear some music and to catch up with some friends.  We hit several different really cool flea markets in Belgium, and picked up some gifts here and there for folks back home....we began to really notice the added weight, so it was good that we were nearing the end of the heavy-duty bicycling portion of the trip.  We were on our way to

France!  ahhhh, a little vacation.  MoZo has some good friends in Nimes, the south of France, so we took a train down there to soak up some of the hot hot sun and relax.  We spent several wonderful days lounging around, checking out ancient Roman ruins, drinking wine, playing cards and dice, and eating buttery food (including escargots and cuisse de grenouille!!).  The French train system seems unfriendly toward bicycles...we spent quite a bit of moolah to reserve a space for 'em en route to Paris, only to battle crowds of people shoveling suitcases into our "reserved" room...and we had to squeeze through narrow miniature doors (a stressful, sweaty experience) with all of our things one by one in the minute-and-a-half the train stayed at the station.  sheesh.

Paris!  We loved it.  Arrived at Gare de Lyon on a bright sunny afternoon and set out leisurely to cycle 8km to our friend's apartment...a path that took us along the banks of the Seine, past the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde, Jardin de Tuileries, and of course, the Eiffel Tower.  I posted a video of this here...we both felt amazed that we had arrived there, in Paris, at the Eiffel Tower (cheesy and tacky though it may be, it is an iconic image) with all of our heavy stuff.  It was cool.  Those last few days were lovely...our flat had a view of the ET and a sweet little balcony perfect for sipping coffee in the morning.  Every day was hot and sunny and we wandered the city on foot, drinking wine by the river, and eating bread and cheese.  It was hard to leave Paris, but the morning we left was overcast, so we took it as a sign that it was time.

Plus, we had a wedding to get to!!  We flew into Boston with a couple days to spare before attending and playing at my sister's wedding.  It was great to see all my family, and nice to have a bit of buffer before getting back to Seattle.  Ease into the time zone, ya know?

That's that I guess.  I'll keep on keepin' y'all in the know with the goings on of the music and stuff...see ya at a show!

-Moe

An overall summary: It has rained every single day of the trip so far, save for possibly one.  Funny though, after the first week we'd gotten so used to it that we'd set out on a cloudy, slightly drizzly day and exclaim, "great weather today!"  And, truth be told, cycling those grueling country hills is much easier without hot sun beating down on your back.

Week 1 (England):  We arrive in London unscathed, catch up on sleep for a couple of days, assemble our bicycles, and head north for a 3 day stint at the Limetree Festival in Yorkshire.  Very hilly, tough cycling, but beautiful countryside - lots of neat hedges & stone walls dividing endless rolling hillside pastures.  Ruminants grazing and gazing at us as we slowly pedal by.  Limetree was great fun..we camped for 3 days, played a couple of cool sets, and heard tons of great bands.  Our couchsurfer host in Leeds (www.couchsurfing.org) was at the Fest & took back some of our heavy bags....so our looong ride to Leeds on Monday was considerable lighter & easier...thanks Lizzy!
     Took a train down to Bristol the next day and had a nice show at the Prom...the audience was very very attentive, and the Prom broadcasts a live video feed of the stage to various screens throughout the venue...it was a great first "proper" show.

Week 2 (Ireland): Started off with a long travel day...cycle in the pouring rain to the Bristol train station, get to Fishguard Harbour in Wales, ferry over to Rosslare, Ireland across the Irish Sea, and cycle another 16k or so to the B&B/dairy farm in Kilmore Quay.  It was a beautiful day in Ireland...the ride was gorgeous....the sun was getting low in the sky, the fields and clouds and crumbling castles were turning lovely shades of pink.  Stored our bikes in the barn with a horse to keep an eye on 'em...I posted a couple of photos of this.
     Cycled off to Waterford...it was rainy and hilly, but beautiful.  Took the tiny 5 min ferry across to Passage East...it started pouring during this, we're huddled together and shivering on this open air barge kind of laughing (or maybe it's only in hindsight that I think we were laughing)...we keep marveling how amazing these situations are, whether it's pouring rain or sunny hillsides or hushed audiences & bright stage lights...they're all enjoyable in their own way, & we keep thinking this is what we're doing right now...it sure isn't eating Snickers and watching TV.
     The Waterford Spraoi Festival is awesome.  Three full days of the best street performers from around the world.  MoZo gets a sweet apartment for the weekend & plays a couple different sets each day at various points around the city.  The rain tries to prevail, but there's no stopping the giant robotic birds on stilts, the French ballet dancers suspended from a crane, doing an entire routine horizontally on the old city wall, the clowns, the gymnasts, and all the other musicians.  It was a great weekend and our old friend & Ireland manager Joe Z. surprised us by coming down from Dublin for a day.  We drank a ton of Guinness and whiskey and had a grand old time.  Even squeezed in an in-studio on WLR FM to promote our Wednesday gig.
  Back-tracked East a bit for our gig at Colfer's in Carrig-on-Bannow.  Have a great time at the show and are treated to an after-hours performance by the owner, John Murphy, who is an excellent traditional harmonica player.  MoZo, Joe Z, et al drink many many pints and I pick up a few tricks on trad. harp...

Week 3 (Ireland):  We head to Co Cork for a couple of days.  End up in Cobh, the port town where upwards of 2.5 million Irish emigrated to America and elsewhere, including my great-grandparents.  Aimee does a live call-in radio interview for a station over in Co Clare to promote our gig next week, deftly answering all the questions about Blues Filter Through songwriting motives.  We do some busking along the boardwalk & on Friday step into a tiny pub with our instruments still on our backs...2 mins later, we are seated in the corner w/ 2 pints of Guinness, instruments in hand...we were greeted with cries of "the band's here!" "what'll you have!" and "Here, take this seat!"  We stayed long after hours, singing, playing, and trading songs w/ another singer/guitarist.  Danny's Bar in Cobh.  It's great.  Go there and tell Danny we say hi.
     We train up to Ennis, then cycle over to the coast to Doolin, a tiny town w/ a big reputation for excellent trad music in every pub, every night of the week.  We use Doolin as a home base, and go on 2 awesome day trips from there.  Monday, we cycle north up the coast (and take lots of pictures), head west to Ballyvaughn, then cut back down through The Burren, a dramatic landscape full of exposed limestone rock formations.  Stunning, stunning views around every corner.  Tuesday, we ferry over to Inisheer, the smallest of the 3 Aran Islands, and spent a few misty hours tramping around.  All 3 nights we hear fantastic trad music in various pubs.
     Set out Wed afternoon, cycling south down the coast through the Cliffs of Moher toward our gig in Milltown Malbay.  It was misty and rainy setting out, and I get my favorite photo of the trip so far: Aimee cycling off into the mist with an O'Brien castle looming at the top of the hill.  It sums up a huge part of the trip that is difficult to put into words.  The sun comes out as we arrive at the Cliffs, making for some nice pics.
     The Milltown show is awesome, they clear out the main floor and set up rows of chairs for the audience.  Very attentive crowd, and we even feel cozy enough to play Hello Kentucky!, it's Irish debut!  It goes over very well, whew.
     We cycle back to Ennis, then train to Dublin for a 5 day stint at Joe Z's pad.  Play a great in-studio at RTE Radio 1, Ireland's largest national radio station, then busk down in Temple Bar by a farmer's market to promote our show.  Fun show Sat night, and we spend the next few days busking down on Grafton Street, getting some business done, and hanging out watching movies.

Week 4 (Ireland and Scotland):  We train up to Belfast, then cycle north to the port town of Larne...Northern Ireland is a different landscape, and we have a difficult but gorgeous cycle through the hills (mountains?).  Take an early ferry the next day over to Trron, Scotland, and have a brilliant day cycling up the coast.  The weather is great, and Scotland has some amazing bicycle trails....the majority of the trip was spent on a bicycle-only path, weaving through 2 different wildlife refuges and stunning landscapes.  The downpour starts after we get settled for the night in a cool B&B! 
    An easy coastal cycle and ferry crossing the next day, and we are now on the Isle of Bute.  Playing a show tonight at the Victoria Hotel.  It's pouring rain outside.  I think I'll go eat a Snickers and watch a movie.

-Moe

Well, we've been busy.  In the last 2 months Aimee and I both got some new old bikes, loaded up on spare parts and tools, gathered our touring instruments, played a lots of gigs, and hit the local roads for some distance rides.  We've spent a lot of time cycling to most of our shows, but one of my favorite recent trips was out to the Bellevue Art Museum to see Gary Berg's piece in The Book Borrowers exhibit, which featured some amazing sculptural works all created from books.  The ride out there was long and windy, and in an effort to get used to carrying weight, we each brought 2 full panniers (a pannier (pronounced /ˈpæniər/) is a basket, bag, or similar container, carried in pairs either slung over the back of a beast of burden, or attached to a bicycle or motorcycle.)  It was a beautiful day, and despite some horrendously marked trails, we made it there safe and fairly sound.  The ride home was easier (isn't it usually?), but the trip had us both mentally paring down exactly what we would be bringing for 2 1/2 months overseas.  1 pair of pants?  maybe 2?  same for shirts?  How many socks??  We'll smell something fierce I'm sure, but I think as we're hauling ourselves around the Scottish Highlands, we probably won't give a damn...the ounces-lighter load will be a blessing.  right?

As far as our instruments go, they've gone through a few adjustments...Aimee picked up a little secondhand (Chinese) Ludwig snare (handily sawed down to a piccolo size by woodworker Joel Cain).  I've been slinging a 1928 Gondolier parlor guitar, though I'm beginning to fear it may be too fragile for the trip...anybody know of a functioning half-size guitar here in Seattle that can take a beating and is up for grabs?  Whatever the final line-up, it makes for a nice little band, and we'll probably post some photos soon.

Anyway, we've also been hard at work doing some promotion and planning for our send-off show at Conor Byrne on Friday July 10th.  The Starlings just finished a brand-new fantastic mini-album that they will release that evening, so it's an extra-special show!

Enjoy the summer everyone.

~Moe

It’s been a busy couple of months!  First of all, we had a great time at the CD release show, and sure feel pretty lucky to be part of this ol’ music community here in Seattle.  Thanks again everyone who’s a part of it!

We’ve also been working on getting Blues Filter Through into the ears of all you people out there, and locally KBCS and KEXP have been giving it some spins…and if you’d like to hear more, feel free to drop them a line at:

KBCS: dj@kbcs.fm

KEXP: dj@kexp.org

 

If you’d like to buy your own copy of Blues Filter Through, please do at either the Ballard location of Sonic Boom Records, or online HERE.

 

Aimee and I are firming up our plans for the big European bicycle tour this summer, starting with deciding on exactly what kind of instruments to bring.  I got a new (old) parlor guitar that’s super cool, light, and full of character while Aims got her hands on a little piccolo snare, cymbal, and cymbal clamp.  I think plans are in the works to also build a new and lighter washboard, but we’ll see about that.  We’ve got some great festival dates lined up in the UK and Ireland, as well as scattered shows extending all the way down into Germany.  Some of ‘em are posted in the show calendar, and we’ll be updating it soon!

 

This past weekend, The People for Puget Sound organized a river cleanup in Tukwila along the Duwamish, and MoZo was tapped to play for the volunteers.  We gotta start getting in shape sometime, so we headed out early for a nice 21-mile (kilometers soon, right?) ride through several of King County’s best bike trails.  The weather was beautiful, and Mt. Rainier kept peeking through around bends in the river…made us both exponentially more excited for this summer’s tour.  Had to stop a few times to check the map, but all in all, the trip was free of major trials and tribulations.  We got to the site and spent our time singing songs for the volunteers who were tearing out huge brain-like root balls of blackberry bushes… “Spanish Pipedream” was a big hit.  We headed back mid-afternoon, this time with the Seattle skyline beckoning to us for 30 or so kilometers.  It had its own kind of charm.  The route took us along some industrial train tracks, and we raced a Burlington Northern for a bit…we won too, they move slow down there by Safeco.  Got home in time to play a set at Bop Street Records in celebration of National Record Store Day…went home with some Tears for Fears.  A good day.

 

The gardens look great, what with all the garlic, cabbage, kale, spinach, and radishes deciding overnight to reach for the stars.  Asparagus is back at the farmers markets.  Spring seems to be flying by already, like she stopped by for a visit because it was Sunday and she had to.  The afternoon stretches, and feet start tapping. 

 

We’ve got a few cool shows coming up locally, namely a Seis de Mayo show at the Tractor.  Mark your calendars now, you’ll want to come listen to a nice early show as you nurse those hangovers…

 

See you around town!

 

~Moe

I'm blogging as I listen to Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River" while sitting in Albuquerque sippin a Sierra Blanca pale ale. local New Mexico fare, ya know. Aims hopped on The Starlings' tour bus this morning to spend the next few weeks cruising up the coast with those 'birds, thus bringing to a close the Fall '08 Moe Provencher tour.

We got into Oakland last week after an uneventful flight, and promptly crashed at our friend Scott's house. Spent the next day lazing around Oakland, readin' the Onion, and gathering the PA for our Friday evening Berkeley show. Beckett's Irish Pub is a cool little brick pub, with a small hearth in front of a blazing fire that served as our "stage." MoZo did a short set to open up the evening, and gave it our sweaty best before taking a break and getting the "real" band up there...Aims broke out the Slingerland, I got my hands on Scott's Guild, and we were joined by the aforementioned Scott Simón playin' some sweet Les Paul licks and Jeff Hodges blazing away on the fiddle (guess I don't know what brand...). The next 2 sets were a blast...I got to basically chill and let the band do their stuff (and sing some verses/choruses once in a while)...it was sooooo cool to hear some of the new tunes with a whole new feel...I hope to get the band back together again in the future for some more rockin' times...

Spent the next couple of days at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival at Golden Gate Park...5 stages throughout the park, totally free, and (2 years in a row!) totally sunny, beautiful weather. This year I saw Elvis Costello, Odetta, Greg Brown, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, Steve Earle, Justin Townes Earle, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, Buddy Miller, Guy Clark, Verlon Thompson, Joe Purdy, Hazel Dickens, and a song or 2 of Iris DeMent, Ricky Scaggs, Earl Scruggs, Iron and Wine, and Robert Earl Keen. I also MISSED Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Nick Lowe, The Gourds, Peter Rowan, Carlene Carter, Richard Thompson, MC Hammer, Robert Plant, Allison Krauss, and TBone Burnett. and a bunch of others. Can you believe it??

MoZo busked our hearts out in between sets of our favorite artists, and had a fantastic audience the entire time...met some great folks, got some CDs out there, and generally felt complete the entire weekend. I'm sure we'll throw a MoZo blog up there with more stories.

Highlight's from HSB included:
Ralph Stanley singing "O Death" a capella.
Odetta singing "House of the Rising Sun" to end her set. It was incredible and haunting.
Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, and Buddy Miller playing a set together
Elvis and Emmylou singing "Love Hurts"
Steve Earle bought a MoZo CD (thanks Steve!) while we were busking near the main stage after Ricky Scaggs' set, then hung around listening to another tune...

Sunday brought us another long day of sunny outdoor music listening and playing, while the night brought us to our show at the Hemlock with Tippy Canoe and Misisipi Mike. Tippy's set was awesome, and I think Aims and I were a little nervous to follow it up. I got to play Scott's Guild again (thanks Scott!)...we opened the set, backs turned, with "Over the Hills and Far Away" in homage to Tippy's Led Zeppelin introduction...I think at least 3 people got the joke...at any rate, we had fun, Misisipi Mike was great, and we were grateful to play with such honest, music-loving folks.

We headed down to Los Angeles the next day for our show with Immigrants and Navigators at Genghis Cohen. Caught a bus from the airport to the venue and had an hour or so that we killed lounging in a Whole Foods cafe, people-watching. I & N are a super-cool band, and we were thrilled to finally get to play a show with those guys...I got to play Jeff's Guild (thanks Jeff!), and Aims and I chilled on stools for the set...probably our best duo show so far...attentive audience, and we played some stuff we haven't tried in a while without the esteemable Bob Rice. LA politics aside (ask me about it), it was an awesome show, and I look forward to hearing/playing with those guys again.

We took a day off the next day (sort-of), and chilled at our pals Wayne and AnnMarie's pad on Venice Beach. MoZo did a little busking on the boardwalk, saw some celebrities and sunsets, then bought a bunch of pizza and beer and settled down to watch the debate with some friends. It's much less disturbing to watch these things when a peanut gallery is present, believe you me.

Now we've made it to Albuquerque, Aims is off to re-trace our steps, and I'll have a few days to visit friends and do some organizing...ya know, new record release, Euro tour, etc...I'll keep you all posted. In the meantime, during this blogging experience I've also heard Jerry Reed's "Lord, Mr. Ford", Bob Dylan's "God gave Names to All the Animals" Little Feat's "Willin'" and, oh yeah, "Country Roads." Not a bad soundtrack, I guess.

Thanks again to everyone who made the last 9 days so memorable, and especially Aimee Zoe Tubbs for being the coolest dang drummer/singer/washboard/piano player EVA!! you rule.

A quick summary:

Got 14 tunes recorded in two nights at Jack Straw last week....myself, Aimee, Bob, and Joanna got set up nice and sweet by Doug Haire, then tracked everything live. It was soooo fun. Never recorded an album quite like that before, it was a great experience and I think the keeper takes highlight the energy in the room. Mistakes are golden.

Aims and I are off for a few shows down the West Coast. When I return, I'll spend a few sessions sweetening up the tracks with some overdubs here and there, and I expect the record will be mixed at some point in November. More on that as it happens.

in the meantime, happy (belated) birthday Julie Andrews!

~moe

The trip back East was awesome. Our string of shows kicked off with a Friday night at The Montague Bookmill, an old (you guessed it) mill on the banks of the Sawmill River. Aimee and I had met up that day with Joy and Tom of Starlings fame, and the 4 of us headed west early in anticipation of a relaxing afternoon. The Bookmill is every bit as picturesque as you could hope...a beautiful old rambling building, filled with nooks and crannies and books and comfy furniture...all with the steady roar of the river in the background. We spent a lazy afternoon wading in the river, reading books, and drinking beers from the Lady Killigrew Cafe...I believe the Smutty Nose was my favorite IPA. By 8pm, it was still a little hot and stuffy in the upper room where the performances take place, thus it was decidely empty. We needed to entice all the happy folks lounging in the sunshine up into the space so....with Aimee on washboard, Joy on banjo, myself on mando and harmonica, and Tom on guitar and dueling cross-harp, we marched around the courtyard doing a spirited rendition of "Lay My Burden Down." We were likely the best marching band performing at the moment in western MA....

Well, we got a few folks up to hear the show, which ended up a very relaxing, kind of in-the-round performance between myself and The Starlings. It was really great to hear some of their new tunes, and Millsey played a smokin' solo on The Grind...the space was so nice that we stayed long after the show, hanging out in the dark with the books. It'll be fun to play that room again.

After the next few days full of family weddings and such, it was time for our show at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge. I was lucky enough to have the esteemable Joanna Maria sittin' in on bass that evening...the three of us had a chance to run through a few songs the night before, though the "practice" was relegated to the sun porch of a Plymouth cottage. No amplifiers were on hand, but the frame of the house was a convincing enough replacement, and I'll be damned but Jo managed to keep her headstock in exactly the right place in the doorframe, and how can Aimee play drums that quietly with so much groove??!?! She is what Bob Rice calls "pure music."

So the Lizard Lounge show was incredibly fun...The Starlings sounded fanasttic, we had a great crowd, and I got to sit in with them on all my favorite tunes...I've realized that side-(wo)men have all the fun, and I need to practice the hell out of that old Supertone so I can land more gigs doing just that. It was especially fun during my set to actually hear (for the first time) the basslines Jo had come up with...made me smile the whole show. Also, Tom Parker slayed the whole room with his harp solos on my Kentucky drinkin' song...a definite highlight of the evening for me.

The next day found the 4 of us heading north to the Elysium Arts Folk Club, a cool venue inside of a sprawling mill on the banks of the Salmon Falls River in Rollinsford, NH. It was what we call an "intimate" show, though it may have been my favorite venue. We all spent some time staring at the wild, swirling river, had ourselves some Maker's and brownies, and played another relaxing set. The Starlings and I traded off blocks of 3 or 4 songs, with quite a bit of overlap...I toned down a few of my more frenetic songs, and it was nice to play them in a different light.

We spent our last full day in MA hanging out in sunny Gloucester, swimming for long hours in a near-by quarry before heading over to the Rockport Music Festival. I was lucky enough to sit in on The Starling's set, though I'd hurt my eardrum in a death-defying cliff jump earlier that day, so I can't comment much on the sound of the show...pretty sure they sounded great, but I make no promises about my own performance...

All in all, it was a fun string of shows, and it's good to be back home. We've got a bunch of cool shows coming up in the next couple of months, check 'em out....and I guess I'll see y'all around.