Just back from a short tour out to Chicago and back to promote our new release 'Cody's Dream' .
Mike Elkins (bass) and I zig zagged cross country , stopping every now and then to play some music and to taste the local favorites , Lemp (brewed in St.Louis) was the winner , hands down. I did taste a whiskey at Kiki's that I enjoyed but can't seem to remember her name , maybe someone could refresh this memory of mine ?
Other highlights included Kansas City where we met some of the nicest folks I've encountered on this here planet .... but then again , Denver and Salt Lake were awfully generous as well !
Speaking of Denver and Salt Lake City , Mike and I took the scenic route to the Bar Deluxe and were treated to one of God's most beautiful landscapes , it was truly a spiritual experience , driving through those cliffs, canyons, rocks and rivers , I kept waiting for the ghosts of a thousand natives to appear on the scene to guide us on to our destination or better yet , to take us away with them , a spaceship would have sufficed as well .
I want to thank Drew Church who filled Jim Sangster's shoes so well at our opening of the X show at The Showbox last month . As many of you know , X has been a favorite of mine as far back as my memory serves ! They did not disappoint !
Also joining us for the X show was a favourite chanteuse Rachel Flotard who delivered her usual brand of humor , beauty and song , thanks Rachel , hope we'll meet under the bright lights again soon.
Our trip to SXSW this year was a great success , seven of the nine of us performed in front of some very enthusiastic audiences and our last show landed us a deal with a new booking agent , a gentlemen named Matthew Mentele at ERP (Event Resources Presents) will take over our bookings immediately , he can be contacted at 920 432 6678 . His profile will be featured in our "top friends" or:
matt@eventresourcespresents.com
Other SXSW highlights included seeing Roky Erickson with Billy Gibbons , Nicole Atkins and The Sea , R.E.M. and Amy Lavere , I was also granted the good fortune of sitting in as guest vocalist with the Sadies on 'Mother Of Earth' by the Gun Club ! For me , it doesn't get any better than singing one of my all time favorite songs with my favorite band of the North Americas ! If you haven't listened to The Sadies or The Gun Club, do yourself a big favor and go out and buy yourself a few of their releases !
Also had a chance to spend some quality time with Ian Moore but sadly , I did NOT get to see him perform but did get to hear some of his new demos and as you can imagine , they were amazing and once again , he's raised the bar for the rest of us aspiring song writers !
I've also been keeping busy as a drummer , new credits include the latest by Jayme Dawicke , Carrie Akre and a debut by Ryan Purcell called Kick The Dirt (produced by Johnny Sangster) that I've been listening to over and over again , glad to hear that his new record is getting regular spins on 'The Roadhouse' with Greg Vandy(www.kexp.org)
This summer Jim Sangster (bass) and I will be joining Robyn Hitchcock as his rhythm section for a performance in Chicago on July 12th at a festival that I have not yet learned the name of but will forward as soon as I do. Jim and I are quickly moving in on Sly and Robbie to take over as "session rhythm" to the stars! Watch your backs boys !
I'll also be back in the studio with Trentalange this spring to record songs for her second release , her new demos suggest a girl on a bridge between the land of goth and paisley pop ! My kind of girl!
Speaking of new releases , my wife and I are at work on our latest collaboration , she's due for release on May 2nd and we're still unsure of her name or title but we're sure that she'll be the most beautiful release of the new century ! Stay tuned for details and photos !
This Saturday April 19th I'll be playing a set of music at Easy Street Records (Queen Anne/Seattle) with Jesse Sykes , 5pm , Free , All Ages , what's not to love about that !?
More performances are listed on our page , including a Bumbershoot and Seafair date.
Thanks To All Of Our New Friends from Here To Chicago and Back , we already miss you !
Love,
Mark