Me and the band were in Chicago last weekend, braving the bitter cold. We were supposed to play at FitzGerald's in the side bar, while the big show happened in the main room.

As often happens, communications got crossed and the owner of the club didn't know we were playing. But blues legend Lonnie Brooks and his band were gracious enough to let us open for them, and use their equipment. We played to a packed house who went pretty crazy for us.

As a bonus, in between Lonnie's sets the club showed a film clip from "The Express", a movie about Ernie Davis (played by Rob Brown) who was the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. The country club in Texas wouldn't let blacks in, so instead they went to hear a blues band. It was filmed there at FitzGerald's and Lonnie and his band were the musicians in the scene. It nearly brought a tear to my eye!

Billy and I drove straight home the next day. From Chicago to Austin, braving snow, and ice storm and bad food. Home safe and sound.

Hey Gang,

Winter is here, which means it's time to VOTE for your favorite Austin bands and musicians!

Plug this into your browser:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/feedback/musicpoll/08/

And if you're so inclined, here's some people I think are worth voting for (just my humble opinion).

Roots Rock- Colin Gilmore Band
Rock- Clay Nightingale
DJ- DJ Tweedy
Country- Flatlanders
Folk- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Female Vocals- Sally Allen
Male Vocals- Johnny Walker
Electric Guitar- Gary Clark, Jr.

Bass- Billy Crompton
Drums- Ehren Lorfing
Keys- Bukka Allen
Misc. - Richard Bowden, Fiddle
Songwriter- Colin Gilmore

And most importantly: Jo Carol Pierce for Hall of Fame

So, before my gig at One-2-One bar with Wayne Sutton and Kevin Carroll, I slice my left index finger open while cooking. Pretty good too. Took a while to stop the bleeding. Nonetheless, I played with a bandaid. At first I was cautious to not to use my index. This stifled my playing so I eventually said screw it and used it. Hopefully it didn't damage it further.

Wayne and Kevin put on a dazzling show with some off the cuff chops accompanying each other. I stayed out of the way for the most part, but got thru the set alive. Great club. Never knew about it till Wayne asked me to play. Takes a lot to get me to come down town anymore. Year's off to a good start. Tammy's family dared me to play poker on New Years day. I suck at poker, and kicked everyone's ass! Hope my beginners luck lasts all year.

It's now time to get a leg up on wrapping up the year and to begin to break into a gallup for next year. I figured out a way to make new year's resolutions work. Begin the minute the resolution occurs to you, and when the year turns, you'll be ahead.

Odetta just died, I read. I got to see her a few months ago in San Francisco. Her shoes will be tough to fill, but every generation needs someone like her.

Right now, I'm slowly writing and dreaming up the new album. The songs I already have will be tied together by songs not yet fully written. I'm reading about the human brain. The prefrontal cortex, to be exact. It's strange to be reading about the thing that I'm using to read, act, comprehend the idea of reading and comprehending that I'm reading about it.... and so on. A universe unto itself, infinitely complex. And capable of being destroyed by something so simple as falling off of a tall building. It's almost funny!

Just beginning to begin the new album. Breath of fresh air, to say the least. Creative veins have been clogged for some time. The air is beginning to feel like Winter, even in Austin. And Winter is a good time to let old leaves fall off, and prematurely tell the new ones to start growing. Curious to see and feel what shape the album will take. Won't know till it's in full throttle mode.

A lot of people thought this day wouldn't come in our lifetimes. I feel good about this. I'm looking forward to the years to come. It's a new era, and I'm happy to be a part of it. The work starts now!

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival they call it. And to emphasize the "Hardly", one of the ones to kick it off was none other than MC Hammer! I missed that one. Also missed Robert Plant and Allison Krauss. But on Saturday morning my dad (Jimmie Dale), Billy, Rob Gjersoe and I got up in the morning and played our set to a good sized and enthusiastic crowd. Boz Scaggs and Peter Rowan heard it and were impressed. My dad was generous enough to let me sing one of my own songs (Keep Your Hand Close to Mine) and we sang "The Way We Are" together.

After that, the weekend was a good time, though a somewhat drunken blur. I struck up a conversation with Patty Griffin and advised her on where and where not to play in Lubbock or Amarillo. She was charming. Hung out with Tammy, Billy, Ana, Casey, Jeff, Allan, Sylvie, Ana Egge and millions more. Some of the highlights were Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello (caught the tail end of his set). Nick Lowe demonstrated his songwriting ability with just him and his guitar. Richard Thompson played the guitar like no one else can. Made it sing. Louden Wainwright III yelled and hit the strings with force. Iron and Wine put on a good show but couldn't get the crowd to clap in time (go figure).

This festival is defined by several things. For one, it's free to the public. Warren Hellman puts the whole thing on with his own money. Noblesse Oblige at its finest. You are free to come and go as you please, there are spots in the grass to lay down on and any conflicts seem to be resolved quickly. On one hand, it's just a treat that people can enjoy once a year, then go back home to the real world. On the other, there is certain to be microcosms of the possible real world-abroad in this gathering. Am I wrong?

Now time has officially stood still. That's okay. There are moments where the whole meaning in life is to have no meaning whatsoever. Time doesn't pass. When you walk, you're standing still and the sidewalk passes by. Bits of trash blow by in slow motion. A homeless man asks you for a cigarette and if you don't smoke, you say sorry, I haven't got one. Something's bound to happen to upset this precious moment. I'm asking it to. But not too soon. Only a few hundred miles away, people are dealing with great loss; of loved ones, of homes, of electricity. And here in Austin, everything seems to be sleepy still.

Musically, things are crawling by, as they should be. In a week and a half, Billy and I will be in San Francisco, backing my dad at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Our October Tuesdays at Momo's will kick in, and we'll be on our way to Arkansas and Memphis. And by then, I'll have something to write about again. But for now, it's hollowness through and through.

The rest of the tour was the full band. We flew the Bennet brothers to San Diego, all the way from Chicago. With those two and Billy, I felt unstoppable. Played at Cafe Boogaloo in Hermosa Beach with 50 Cent Haircut. We got our feet wet, re-introduced each other as a band and sold some CDs.

In San Diego we played at Lestat's. Mario Escovedo rocked the show solo-style and we got a recording of ours. That's the show where we figured out what we sound like as a band when we're doing it right. Couldn't have asked for a better introduction to San Diego.

The Beachcomber was rowdy as ever and after we finally figured out the sound system, we belted it out there (even when the cops did their rounds thru the bar). Always good to see the folks in Silver Strand. At our Hotel Cafe show in LA, we tried to fill the place and got about 1/2 way there, thanks to some good friends/fans. Jason and Paige even drove down from Oxnard! We stayed the night with my cousin Rachael and her roommate was Hal Sparks, from Queer as Folk, Talk Soup and Dude Where's My Car? Very good hosts.

We then drove out to Pioneertown, in Joshua Tree national park. Played a good, but rugged show at Pappy and Harriet's. That place has true character! Victoria Williams got up and sang with us. She sounded beautiful as always. We introduced her to the Texas tradition of starting Pancho and Lefty without being able to finish it. But then we sang Long Black Veil and she was incredible! Hung out with Bingo, Rachel and some more locals that night, then the next day we were homeward bound. Now we don't quite know what time zone we're in.

Never a dull moment (except miles in the car).  Grass Valley, sold out show at Evangeline's.  Sand City, hung out with Mike Nesmith (from the Monkees) and played a live interactive show at his studio, then played with Champagne Sunday at Big Sur.  Great acoustic duo and great folks.  Steep mountains a mile in the sky.  Champagne Sunday got to play to a lady dancing a crazy dance that was part "Thriller", part Limbo and part God knows.  San Francisco, we opened the show for Penelope Houston.  Very impressed with her songwriting and her band.  They were kind to have us.  Just played in Felton at Don Quixote's and considering I had Billy with me this time (and much better sleep), this show was a vast improvement on my performance there last time. 

Now we're in San Diego.  Picking up the van and the Bennet Bros tomorrow.  Bouncing back and forth from LA to San Diego several times for the next few days, then it's home sweet home.