BDL day at the Zoo!!

UPCOMING SHOWS
05.17.12 - The Box (Charlottesville, VA)
05.18.12 - Town Park Gazebo (Damascus, VA)
05.19.12 - Back To Your Roots Celebration (Glade Valley, NC)

Tuesday, May 15


This will be a mini-travel blog post about our day at the Columbus Ohio Zoo.

First of all, this is a Wookie paradise.  In case you don't know, Ashley has spent a lot of time working in the scientific field, with birds particularly, and so he was very excited about this opportunity.    I had to get a pic of him as we were walking in, complete with his safari hat, binoculars, and notepad to write down what birds he sees.   Right after I snapped this pic I told the guys that if Ashley wasn't in the band then we probably wouldn't have a travel blog.   He makes traveling more interesting to say the least.  




One of the funniest things that happened was Ashley putting the binoculars to his face, finding an exotic bird with them, and in a low voice he says, "Ohh...yeeaah..."    Joey almost fell down laughing.   We thought it was funny that he brought the binoculars, but then every one of us started using them.

 The shot of this leopard was one of the best shots all day long.  

We were able to watch one of the zookeepers interact with this huge gorrilla, getting it to climb up to get food.   The size of these gorillas is amazing.  

One of the oddest animals we've ever seen.  It's the only animal that is kin to a giraffe!

A Manatee!!

The largest bats in the world!  The are called Flying Foxes.

Koala Bear

An Arctic Fox

Fish!!

One of the most amazing things we saw was this huge brown bear swimming and playing in the water only a foot away from us (behind the glass).   Being this close to such a powerful animal is unlike anything we've ever experienced.  

We found the rare and elusive WOOKIE in his natural habitat.  I was able snap this pic. 





















I wasn't sure how I would feel about visiting a zoo.  It has been a long time since I've been to one and have obviously developed quite the affinity for animal rights since then, but what stuck out to me was how many of these animals were either on the brink of extinction or close to it.  Each exhibit showed the current populations of the animals, and it was alarming to see that we are losing so many animals at such a fast pace.   Overall it was a great experience, and I thought a lot about how vital it is for all of us to be able to experience the diversity of this amazing planet at close range.   Gaining a sense of the beauty and diversity of all living species will only help us foster a sense of kinship with the planet and take steps to preserve all the living things around us.  

SPREAD THE LOVE
We would LOVE for you to help us out with the street team activities. If you'd like to help promote an upcoming show, email streetteam@ufomusic.net and we will set you up with everything you need. We've got great e-flyers, widgets, and other tools you can use to help promote online, so if you've got Internet access, you can help! If you want to hang up posters, hand out flyers, and talk to real people, feel free to print up the digital posters. And of course, we'd also love your help over at the merch booth! Check out the list of places we could use help spreading the love.

05.17.12 - The Box (Charlottesville, VA)
05.18.12 - Town Park Gazebo (Damascus, VA)
05.19.12 - Back To Your Roots Celebration (Glade Valley, NC)
05.24.12 - Prison Brews (Jefferson City, MO)
05.27.12 - Quixote's True Blue (Denver, CO)
05.31.12 - River Jam Concert Series (Charlotte, NC)
06.01.12 - The Pour House (Raleigh, NC)
06.08.12 - Empty Glass (Charleston, WV)
06.15.12 - High Rock Outfitters (Lexington, NC)

April 25-28: Farewell Blues - Dan's last run with us

UPCOMING SHOWS
05.10.12 - 40 Watt (Athens, GA)
05.11.12 - Party On The Plank (High Point, NC)
05.14.12 - Woodlands Tavern (Columbus, OH)
05.16.12 - Mad Frog (Cincinnati, OH)

Hello out there, all you Big Bus Lovin' Daddios!!

As I write this, we are finishing up a long run in Florida, which I'll tell you all about in next week's post. I'd like this week's post to focus on Daniel's last week or so on the road with us; we had some incredible shows and felt a tremendous outpouring of love for him and all of us as we go through this transition. So Dan, this post is for you! We love you and thank you for everything you've done. 

April 25-26: Nashville and Johnson City


I've already told you all about the amazing Kickstarter party a few weeks back, which turned out to be the perfect afternoon for us and nearly 100 longtime, dedicated fans. It was a really special and emotional day for everyone. Many people there were seeing Dan with BDL for the last time, so I wanted to mention it again in this write-up.

The next early Wednesday morning found us loading up the Love Bus for the long drive to Nashville. We have been honored to make three previous appearances on the Jim Lauderdale-hosted weekly live music show, Music City Roots; this time, we were especially excited to share the stage with the legendary band Leftover Salmon. The Loveless Cafe served up their famous chicken and biscuits before the show, and there was a packed house by the time we took the stage.

MCR streams the whole show online, and you can watch the archived version right here! Make sure to check out the other great bands, and the big jam at the end.

Watch live streaming video from musiccityroots at livestream.com

The show ended early in the evening, so we had the rare chance to go to a local brewpub for an afterparty jam to hang out and relax. Joey took this photo, so I can't really explain what's going on here.  We were joined by two great friends and two people who are "fan of the week" alumni,  a follow Spartan Jamie Bryan, and our great friend from CA, Jenny De Guzman. 

Our friends, The Volunteer String Band, were playing the after-party and got us onstage to play a few songs for the packed house.  

On Thursday, we again had a fairly long drive over to Johnson City, TN. We played a new-to-us venue there, the Galaxy Lounge. There was a good crowd, and several people were in costume. The venue also had people doing face and body painting.

If there was a costume contest Gaelyn Porter would have won!

I have no words for this picture....

April 27-28: Winston-Salem and Lexington

Friday night found us back in Winston-Salem for our first ever show at Ten O One. Dan wanted it to be a big celebration, so we made it one! We had a really fun, energetic crowd, a series of special guests on stage including Bill Stevens on keys, Lauren Caudle, Jennifer Clowers, and Stacy Jones, and a few surprise cover songs (including "Sweet Child of Mine). We let Dan do a lot of talking, especially in the first set. You can listen to and/or download a great recording of the show here, thanks to our archivist, Travis Viars.

On Saturday, we started the afternoon with a set at the Lexington BBQ Cookoff. We always have a good time in Lexington at our High Rock Outfitters shows, so it was great to see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. Dan's family came up for the show, and his sons sang on a couple of songs. Check out his boys on stage with the banner they made:

We invited all the kids in the audience to come up on stage; the only rule was that they had to dance.

No matter where we all go, this will always be family.

We had one more show that day, at a wedding in Eden, NC. We love playing private events like this; and please know that if you ever hire us to play your wedding or event, we will put our best foot forward, as evidenced in this video:

Dan, we wish you the best of luck, and much love to you. Love Bussers, the Bus rolls on, and we will see you very soon!

We are sitting here in Athens Ga, finishing up a 9 day run through Florida, and I would like to encourage all our faithful fans to come to High Point tomorrow to the Party on the Plank event.   I know many of you are wondering about our next phase and this will be a great introduction.   As the late great Bob Marley sang, "Everything's gonna be alright....Everything's gonna be alright..."

SPREAD THE LOVE
We would LOVE for you to help us out with the street team activities. If you'd like to help promote an upcoming show, email streetteam@ufomusic.net and we will set you up with everything you need. We've got great e-flyers, widgets, and other tools you can use to help promote online, so if you've got Internet access, you can help! If you want to hang up posters, hand out flyers, and talk to real people, feel free to print up the digital posters. And of course, we'd also love your help over at the merch booth! Check out the list of places we could use help spreading the love.

05.10.12 - 40 Watt (Athens, GA)
05.11.12 - Party On The Plank (High Point, NC)
05.14.12 - Woodlands Tavern (Columbus, OH)
05.16.12 - Mad Frog (Cincinnati, OH)
05.17.12 - The Box (Charlottesville, VA)
05.18.12 - Town Park Gazebo (Damascus, VA)
05.19.12 - Back To Your Roots Celebration (Glade Valley, NC)
05.27.12 - Quixote's True Blue (Denver, CO)
05.31.12 - River Jam Concert Series (Charlotte, NC)
06.01.12 - The Pour House (Raleigh, NC)
06.08.12 - Empty Glass (Charleston, WV)

The BDL family grows by ONE!

UPCOMING SHOWS
04.27.12 - Ten O One (Winston-Salem, NC)
04.28.12 - BBQ Capital Cookoff (Lexington, NC) 12-2pm


Greetings, all you Big Bus Lovin' Daddios!

April 15: Kickstarter Party

We continue to be blown away by the incredible support you all give us, and the success of our fall Kickstarter campaign for Let It Grow is certainly no exception. We were amazed when a big group of Love Bussers pooled their money to make a big donation that earned them a private party, and we spent an amazing afternoon and evening with music, friends, and love. After "regular" weekend gigs in Boone and Mooresville, it was great to be able to relax and socialize on a laid-back Sunday afternoon.

Dickie and Jenn Clowers graciously hosted us at Dickie's family farm. We played at their wedding here almost exactly a year ago!

The gorgeous location for the afternoon festivities

Acoustic set under the Home Tree

The BDL "Family"

Our favorite ghost wanted to be a part of things, too

Big thanks and big love to everyone who was there. It was a really special afternoon for us and hopefully for you!

April 20-21: Beaufort, NC and Richmond, VA


To sum up last weekend, we got to spend some time at the beach:

We'd like to thank our great friends in the Beaufort area for taking us to breakfast on the beach.  
Scott, Katy, Jeb

A few hours on the beach is a luxury

...and with our friends Jackass Flats in Richmond:

Jackass Flats taking the stage at The Camel

______________________

As many of you know, Daniel has decided to stop touring with BDL; this weekend is his last on the road with us. Dan, we love you and look forward to the next chapter in your story. I'd also like to take this opportunity to welcome Scott Moss as the new singer for BDL. Read the full announcement here, and see Scott in action in this video:

SPREAD THE LOVE
We would LOVE for you to help us out with the street team activities. If you'd like to help promote an upcoming show, email streetteam@ufomusic.net and we will set you up with everything you need. We've got great e-flyers, widgets, and other tools you can use to help promote online, so if you've got Internet access, you can help! If you want to hang up posters, hand out flyers, and talk to real people, feel free to print up the digital posters. And of course, we'd also love your help over at the merch booth! Check out the list of places we could use help spreading the love.

04.25.12 - Loveless Cafe (Nashville, TN)
04.26.12 - Galaxy Lounge (Johnson City, TN)
04.27.12 - Ten O One (Winston-Salem, NC)
04.28.12 - BBQ Capital Cookoff (Lexington, NC)
05.01.12 - Beachside Tavern (New Smyrna, FL)
05.02.12 - Guanabana's (Jupiter, FL)
05.03.12 - Skipper's Smokehouse (Tampa, FL)
05.04.12 - Cafe DaVinci (Deland, FL)
05.06.12 - Hurricane Bar and Lounge (Delray Beach, FL)
05.07.12 - Dog Star Tavern (Fernandina Beach, FL)
05.09.12 - Mellow Mushroom (Jacksonville, FL)
05.10.12 - 40 Watt (Athens, GA)
05.11.12 - Party On The Plank (High Point, NC)
05.17.12 - The Box (Charlottesville, VA)
05.18.12 - Town Park Gazebo (Damascus, VA)
05.19.12 - Back To Your Roots Celebration (Glade Valley, NC)

Birthdays, Darth Vader, and More Birthdays

UPCOMING SHOWS
04.13.12 - Murphy's Saloon (Boone, NC)
04.14.12 - Bathtub Gin (Mooresville, NC)


Greetings, all you Big Bus Lovin' Daddios! We have a guest blog poster this week: Jenny Viars (or, as you may know her, Dancing Lemur)!   When it comes to making sure things get done in the BDL org Jenny is probably the most important person we have.  The entire operation would literally fall apart if it wasn't for her and Travis Viars.   So, without further ado, here's JENNY.  

Birthdays!

Hello there, everyone! We're going to skip talking about the recent shows this week and focus on what's really important: band birthdays!


Somehow it works out that almost all the members of BDL have spring birthdays, so we've had some fun weekday music-filled celebrations the last few weeks. (Chasper's birthday was all the way back in January.) First up was Joey, whose March 6 birthday coincided perfectly with a Tuesday Night Jam at High Rock Outfitters. We had lots of special guests, and an incredible guitar cake!

Ashley turned 40 last Monday (April 2). Stacy Jones planned an amazing Star Wars themed surprise party, again at the Tuesday Night Jam. She also made a tie-dye cake--perfect for Ashley!

On the left, various Star Wars posters hung up behind the food table. On the right,  3-D galaxy game.

Tie-dye cake!!

Lauren Thomas made awesome lightsabers out of pool noodles. So of course we all admired them from afar, while respecting her craftsmanship. Except these two.

"Stop it! No YOU stop it!"

We arranged for a surprise mystery guest to arrive at set break (there is video forthcoming, as well).

Any guesses on who is beneath the mask? As it turns out, Darth plays drums, too, if that provides a hint.

If you haven't figured it out yet, here's Darth (with Stacy) post-reveal:

Finally, on April 11th we celebrated the b-day of a very special person: Jim Lauderdale!   Wait, no. That's just what Brian wanted me to say, because it was actually his birthday (although it really was Jim Lauderdale's birthday, too)! That's right, our favorite banjo player turned...well, we'll just say 21 again. Tori Steinberg managed to surprise the reluctant celebrator with decorations, party hats, fake mustaches, and even a cake with a photo of Jaxon on it.

Mustaches make everything fun!

Bluegrass banjo birthday boy

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate our favorite musicians' circles around the sun! Hope to see you all soon (like at one of the shows listed below)!

Dancing Lemur and Big Daddy Love






SPREAD THE LOVE
We would LOVE for you to help us out with the street team activities. If you'd like to help promote an upcoming show, email streetteam@ufomusic.net and we will set you up with everything you need. We've got great e-flyers, widgets, and other tools you can use to help promote online, so if you've got Internet access, you can help! If you want to hang up posters, hand out flyers, and talk to real people, feel free to print up the digital posters. And of course, we'd also love your help over at the merch booth! Check out the list of places we could use help spreading the love.

04.13.12 - Murphy's Saloon (Boone, NC)
04.14.12 - Bathtub Gin (Mooresville, NC)
04.20.12 - The Backstreet Pub (Beaufort, NC)
04.21.12 - The Camel (Richmond, VA)
04.25.12 - Loveless Cafe (Nashville, TN)
04.26.12 - Galaxy Lounge (Johnson City, TN)
04.27.12 - Ten O One (Winston-Salem, NC)
05.01.12 - Beachside Tavern (New Smyrna, FL)
05.02.12 - Guanabana's (Jupiter, FL)
05.03.12 - Skipper's Smokehouse (Tampa, FL)
05.04.12 - Cafe da Vinci (Deland, FL)
05.06.12 - Hurricane Bar and Lounge (Delray Beach, FL)
05.07.12 - Dog Star Tavern (Fernandina Beach, FL)
05.08.12 - Silver Dollar Music Park (Glade Valley, NC)
05.09.12 - Mellow Mushroom (Jacksonville, FL)
05.10.12 - 40 Watt (Athens, GA)
05.11.12 - Party On The Plank (High Point, NC)
05.12.12 - The Loft @ Benchwarmers (Salisbury, NC)

March 23-24: BIG/BIG Show and The BIG River Cleanup in Asheville!

UPCOMING SHOWS
3-29-12 - Live Bar (Greenville, NC)
3-31-12 - T-Dawg's Backporch Hootenanny (Lafayette, GA)


Greetings, all you Big Bus Lovin' Daddios!

Last weekend seemed shorter, with only two nights of shows, but in between we got together with some fans and did the river cleanup.

Friday, March 23: Burlington, NC.   The BIG/BIG Show


We really love playing Fat Frogg in Burlington, NC, near Elon College. We knew it was spring break for the college, so we had no idea what kind of crowd to expect; but we had our biggest turnout there yet! It is the hometown of our good friends Big Something, so of course there were some cross-band jams.  You can listen to the show HERE!

Casey from Big Something playing Big Country with us.   He killed it!

Joey on stage with Big Something.

Our intrepid photographer Jenny Viars got a great shot of the band!

Saturday, March 24: Asheville, NC


We had to head out early Saturday morning for Asheville, so we could help out with the Love Bus River Cleanup at the Swannanoa River. A couple of student groups got a head start that morning, so Eric from Asheville Greenworks led us to the section we would be working in. It was too cold to be down in the actual river, but there was plenty of work to be done on the banks and along the road. It was amazing how much trash and recyclables we picked up. All total, 49 volunteers collected 62 full bags of trash and recycling along a 4-mile stretch of the Swannanoa River. We're looking forward to making this an annual event that will grow every year!  Extra special thanks to the two people who keep The Love Bus going, Jenny Viars and Stacy Jones. 

Give us weapons and we will battle

River Clean Up ROCKS!!

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round

This pic shows our FANS OF THE WEEK 

With organizer Eric Bradford

Joey and I found our way to an old campsite on the river bank.  We managed to pull out several bags of trash and even a tent that was full of trash and was just rotting.  After taking a picture of our huge trash score we realized that it was probably once the home of the ghost that has been following us lately.  

Our sparta friends Beth and Marcus Edwards were kind enough to let us go to their beautiful home to shower and hang out before the gig. Thanks, Beth and Marcus! This is the gorgeous view from their back deck:

Our show at Jack of the Wood drew our best Asheville crowd yet! Someone even told me he was visiting from out of town and was told the BDL show was THE place to be that night. We always love hearing stuff like that! My friend Aaron Burdett opened up for us.  I've known Aaron from our Boone days and he's one of the best songwriters around.  I encourage you to keep up with him here. 

Aaron Burdett

We also continued the Love Bus events and had a raffle benefiting Asheville GreenWorks, which raised about $50. Thanks, everyone!

Thanks everyone and we'll see you soon!

Brian and Big Daddy Love
Lonesome Banjo Chronicles

SPREAD THE LOVE
We would LOVE for you to help us out with the street team activities. If you'd like to help promote an upcoming show, email streetteam@ufomusic.net and we will set you up with everything you need. We've got great e-flyers, widgets, and other tools you can use to help promote online, so if you've got Internet access, you can help! If you want to hang up posters, hand out flyers, and talk to real people, feel free to print up the digital posters. And of course, we'd also love your help over at the merch booth! Check out the list of places we could use help spreading the love.

3-29-12 - Live Bar (Greenville, NC)
4-6-12 - Jake's Bar & Grill (Columbia, SC)
4-7-12 - Bucked Up Super Saloon (Kernersville, NC)
4-13-12 - Murphy's Saloon (Boone, NC)
4-14-12 - Bathtub Gin (Mooresville, NC)
4-20-12 - The Backstreet Pub (Beaufort, NC)
4-21-12 - The Camel (Richmond, VA)
4-25-12 - Loveless Cafe (Nashville, TN)
4-27-12 - Ten O One (Winston-Salem, NC)