Upcoming shows this week. Click here for details.
07.03.12 - Fun Fourth Festival (Greensboro NC)
07.04.12 - Palm Room (Wrightsville Beach, NC)
07.05.12 - Live Bar (Greenville, NC)
07.06.12 - Outer Banks Brewing Station (Kill Devil Hills, NC)
07.07.12 - Ted Constant Convocation Center (Norfolk, VA)
07.08.12 - The Backstreet Pub (Beaufort, NC)
We've been asked one question over and over: "Did you get to hang with Willie?" I will go ahead and answer that one now: no, we didn't. (Well, one of us did, but more on that in a moment.) Willie's bus pulled right up to the steps of the stage, he walked up the steps, played his show, and then went right back to his bus. When you are a living legend you can do what what you want.
Overall it was the best experience we've ever had; other than not hanging with Willie, it was the perfect day. Opening bands usually hope to play for about 30-40% of the crowd, but Willie fans are prompt and I think we played for around 90% of the people that came out, around 3000 people. We were supposed to play for 60 minutes, but after our soundcheck the production manager came and asked us if we wanted to play for 75 minutes. Of course we said "YES!" By halfway through our set, we looked out and saw a lot of their crowd on their feet dancing, which was an amazing experience. We were told that Willie's staff really liked us a lot.
Right after we got offstage we walked into the movie star Owen Wilson, who has been a friend of Willie's since they made a movie together a while back.
We've already had people start coming to shows and telling us that they saw us here and are now huge fans.
Here is a link where you can download or stream our set for free, compliments of Travis Viars.
Is this really happening?
I decided that I should wear my "fancy hat"
Check out the crowd in Joey's glasses.
We don't know why he breaks so many bass strings!
During soundcheck I told Scott to look down at what he's standing on. That's Willie's rug!
Yeah, this is fun.
The biggest crowd we've ever played for!
As I said earlier, one of us got to meet Willie. Jenny was in the right place at the right time and was able to go onto his bus and take pictures of the land owners and was able to get them to take a picture of her. As much as Jenny does for us we wouldn't have chosen anyone else to actually make it onto the bus. This was perfect. From Jenny: I would have rather dragged all of you with me! It just happened so fast, I went with it. I accomplished my main goal right before this photo: I put a copy of Let It Grow into Willie's hands. Who knows, he could be riding down the road listening to BDL right now!
Having fun backstage
Possibly the most famous guitar ever. A Martin N-20 named "Trigger"
It's amazing how strong his voice still is.
It was just an incredible night for us all. We want to thank everyone who has helped us get to this point. We couldn't have done it without y'all.
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.
Upcoming shows. Click here for Details.
07.04.12 - Palm Room (Wrightsville Beach, NC)
07.05.12 - Live Bar (Greenville, NC)
07.06.12 - Outer Banks Brewing Station (Kill Devil Hills, NC)
07.07.12 - Ted Constant Convocation Center (Norfolk, VA)
07.08.12 - The Backstreet Pub (Beaufort, NC)
07.12.12 - Martin's Downtown Bar & Grill (Roanoke, VA)
07.13.12 - Altamont Theatre (Asheville, NC)
07.14.12 - The Loft @ Benchwarmers (Salisbury, NC)
07.18.12 - Rapture (Charlottesville, VA)
I actually wrote this last week, before the Willie Nelson show, but things got hectic and it never got published. So, here is some major catch-up work. We have some local NC shows this weekend so we hope to see a lot of y'all.
We're a little behind on our travel blog because, well, we've been traveling...go figure. Things have been going really great lately. We found out that we're opening for Willie Nelson, which is kind of a big deal; and this past Saturday in West Virginia I got to stand onstage and play with Larry Keel and Keller Williams at the late night all-star jam, which was a huge honor.
I do want to relay a compliment that we received earlier that day. We were part of a 3-day festival in Morgantown, WV at a beautiful amphitheater right on the river. After our 2:30pm slot, the festival promoter came over to us and said he had something to tell us. He said that his sound engineers never compliment anybody....ever. But they called him to the stage and told him that BDL was the best and tightest band on the entire festival roster, period. That really makes me proud of all the hard work we've put in, especially with all the change we've had lately.
Ok, a little catch up time.
On May 1st, our great friend Scotty Lewis, formerly of the band Jackass Flats, drove from Richmond to Winston-Salem with his drums and a bag of clothes and hopped in the van with us to head out to Colorado. (The first thing Scott Moss said was, "Sweet! I'm not the new guy anymore!") We had a fantastic trip out there and back and Scott put together a montage of photos with music behind them. I will say that we were welcomed with open arms out there. The festival promoter told us he predicted that we would sell more cd's than any other band....and we did. It was a great first trip out west.
There's one particular evening that I would like to try and describe here, since we're all friends. Every now and then you'll experience a night where you just run into the most amazing people, all of whom seem to be vibrating on a higher level than your average person, and the hours just fly by like minutes.
We were all hanging out at our cabin after the music finished up on the main stage and talking about how beautiful that part of the state is and how much we enjoyed being here. After a while Ashley, my friend from college Eric Dahlgren, and I decided to walk down to the late night bonfire stage where a Durango, CO band called Jack Ten High was playing. The stage was down a hill at a small amphitheater with a large fire pit in the center, since these grounds mostly serve as a youth summer camp (hence the cabins). As we walked through the woods we noticed that there was no fire like there had been the night before; instead at the top of the amphitheater there were large lights, like the ones that might be used for nighttime road construction. We had heard earlier that there was a fire ban because of high winds.
As we walked up we immediately noticed that this band was top-notch. All seasoned musicians who know how to rock and groove with each other, and they were similar to us as they easily combined both rock and bluegrass styles, and they featured an electric banjo and dobro as well. In fact one of the most amazing moments of the entire night was listening to them take Dylan's "Senor tells of Yankee Power" and seamlessly morph it into Pink Floyd's "Breath." At that moment, both Ashley and I knew that these guys were kindred spirits. The three of us found a spot to the left of the stage and just soaked in every note down to the bone. These guys were amazing! The lead singer, Russ Crossland, was very tall and skinny with hair bursting out of his hat and shooting down his chest like fast moving whitewater. His hat was completely pulled down to the bridge of his nose as if it was a sign that he was inside the cosmic world of perfect musical vibrations and had no desire to acknowledge anything else in front of him. To me he looked like he was from another world entirely. I leaned over to Eric and said, "I'm pretty sure that guy is an alien."
The music had us completely transfixed and we started to notice that the single pine tree beside the stage was lit up by the big flood lights up the hill. This magnificent tree stood well over 80 feet tall and seemed to be dancing with the music that was floating up into its branches. The wind was giving it a consistent motion that reminded me of those tall dancing figures that you see at car dealerships, but instead of moving randomly the tree had a found a laid-back groove that had a deep appreciation for vibrations that were being sent up through the trunk and branches.
As we started to assimilate into the scene around us (we're musicians, the notes come first) we saw that the large fire pit at the base of the amphitheater had a single white glow-stick that was sticking straight up from the center of the pit. We also noticed a silver fire extinguisher that was laid by the chopped wood about 20 yards away. Ashley looked at me and we both knew what had to happen. He walked over and picked up this fire extinguisher and carried it back to the fire pit. He looked up at all the people sitting on the benches with definitive look of "Trust me. I know what I'm doing and I will save you all." He opened up that fire extinguisher on that lonesome glow-stick creating a huge cloud of whiteness. The hiss of the extinguisher finally stopped and he walks out of the white cloud with the fire extinguisher over his head and throws it down and reaches his arms to the sky and says "You're welcome!" and charges triumphantly into the woods. This is the greatest story that didn't actually happen. We played every detail of this story out in our minds until we were falling over laughing so hard about it.
As the band finished their set and started packing up, a couple of the guys walked over and introduced themselves to us and said they had caught part of our set earlier and really loved it. One thing I've noticed over the years is that musicians are typically shy people and won't make a huge effort to get to know each other until we've heard one another play. But after bands have heard each other, and really dug each other, then the vibe is completely spun around and flipped on its head. You go from mild acknowledgement to near best friends in a matter of moments. I don't think it's a matter of sizing people up in a snobbish way; I think it's more of a letting your guard down because you've found someone that is so similar in mindset. It's a pure comfort factor; since a lot of musicians are shy with different levels of insecurities and even social awkwardness, hearing someone play the notes that you might choose allows you to put down your guard and let someone in quickly. It is a sense of sharing the same life and experiences, and we can be completely honest with one another and have no judgment whatsoever.
We quickly discovered that the members of this band all have a very deep understanding of bluegrass music and decided to start a picking circle. In fact, the drummer, Pat Dressen, was a solid mandolin player that knew every single bluegrass song that was called out and would have made Mr. Monroe proud by "playing it right." After burning through the great Scruggs instrumental "Ground Speed," the banjo player, Hap Purcell, leans over to me and says, "You know, this is always amazing. You meet someone from across the country and you can completely connect because of Earl Scruggs." He was exactly right. How many artists have left such an amazing footprint that can bring complete strangers together to be as tight as brothers in a single evening? There aren't many, but Mr. Earl Scruggs is on that list.
One of the more interesting aspects of the night is the cops would charge down through the woods in their 4-seater golf cart, surround the picking circle for about 30 minutes, not say a word and then just disappear. This happened several times and we could never explain it. We weren't sure if they were keeping us in, or keeping something out.
We declare this picking circle SAFE!
As hours floated away and the picking wound down, we found oursleves sitting on a front bench with the bass player and moose hunter, Jimmy Largent. (seen in the picture above) Now we've met some pretty amazing people in our travels but Jimmy was pretty unique. As the conversation steered into the amazing things of this world, he, with great confidence and wisdom, explained to us that the most sacred item was the tear of a unicorn as it gave birth to a cabbage patch kid. He also told us the story of the time he met a forlorn unicorn with a flaccid horn. You see, the vast majority of these animals are very happy and live wonderful lives, but every now and then you might meet one that is down on its luck. Jimmy told us of all the various things he tried to get the horn to rise back up, some of which can't be repeated with a straight face, but I'll just say he really tried. But in the end it was of no use. It was up to the unicorn to find its way.
We explained to Jimmy how that certain pine tree was dancing to their music earlier. Without losing a beat Jimmy bends over and slaps the ground like a silver back gorilla and gallops over to the base of this tree raising up and takes a huge whiff of the tree. After a few deep breaths he leaps up and bear hugs the huge base of this tree and tries to shimmy up to the top branches, but after only making it a few feet up he falls backwards and lands on his ass. As we are laughing at this entire spectacle I think to myself, he's never going to get up that tree. He picks himself up and starts the entire process over, and this time he just barely gets a few fingers over the bottom branch. Now this was absolutely one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed in my entire life. Once he got into the branches he starts moving effortlessly up the tree, never stopping or hesitating on any certain branch. The only way I can describe it is if you think about the recent Spiderman movies where he climbs buildings with a fluid motion of arms and legs working together and never stopping. We would lose him every 10 feet or so when the branches got thick, and then he would appear again, moving flawlessly with no wasted motion. I'm pretty sure he climbed all 80 feet of that tree in less than a minute. We were speechless.
After he made his way down, we all agreed that that was the most perfect way to end the night and went our separate ways to get some rest. And as I was lying there, all I could think was that I have to try and share this with everyone. If you've made it this far then I hope you've enjoyed it. Both Ashley and I agreed it was one of the most interesting nights we've had on the road yet. We can't wait to go back and visit our CO bluegrass buddies, and If you make it out there look them up. Just tell them you know us and they will take care of you, and it won't hurt if you can burn through a tasty version of "Ground Speed." Thanks Earl!
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.
06.21.12 - Local 506 (Chapel Hill, NC)
06.22.12 - Blue Bourbon Jacks (High Point, NC)
06.26.12 - The Pour House (Charleston, SC)
06.27.12 - Goombay's Grill and Raw Bar (Kill Devil Hills, NC)
06.28.12 - Hoss's Deli (Newport News, VA)
06.30.12 - The Otter House (Fredericksburg, VA)
07.04.12 - Palm Room (Wrightsville Beach, NC)
07.05.12 - Live Bar (Greenville, NC)
07.06.12 - Outer Banks Brewing Station (Kill Devil Hills, NC)
07.07.12 - Ted Constant Convocation Center (Norfolk, VA)
07.08.12 - The Backstreet Pub (Beaufort, NC)
07.12.12 - Martin's Downtown Bar & Grill (Roanoke, VA)
07.13.12 - Altamont Theatre (Asheville, NC)
07.14.12 - The Loft @ Benchwarmers (Salisbury, NC)
07.18.12 - Rapture (Charlottesville, VA)
We spent 10 days playing through Florida and Georgia at the beginning of this month. It was quite a trip, to say the least; but overshadowing the new venues and fans was the fact that it was our maiden voyage with Scott Moss, our new singer. Even though we knew that we had made a great decision, it's always nice to first see a crowd's reaction to the new lineup, and the fans didn't disappoint. Here are some highlights of the trip.
The first gig at The Beach Side Tavern (which was 3 blocks away from the beach) was a good warm-up gig for us. We were able to work through any nerves and hesitations about learning an entire show with Scott in just two practice sessions.
We also had to make a quick stop at the beach, just long enough to say "hi." Here, our resident bird expert is showing us how sanderlings interact with the water. Wook never fails to impress.
The second gig at Guanabana's was great. We pulled about 100 people up to the stage and they absolutely loved us. This is when we knew for sure that we "had it." We connected with a crowd that is not used to seeing banjos on-stage, but they were totally into the show and every song. We knew the music was good, but it was such a relief to know that we can completely connect with a crowd and get them fired up.
The third gig was at one of the best venues we've ever been to, Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa, FL. We played between sets of a Grateful Dead cover band who has been playing there for over 12 years, and again, the crowd loved us. The guys in Uncle John's Band told us that we had the best crowd interaction of anyone playing with them in 5 or 6 years.
I joined the band for a few songs in their second set and then was able to just sit back and enjoy hearing some of the best music ever made.
Skipper's Smokehouse in the daytime. It completely transforms at night and feels like a parking lot of a Grateful Dead show.
Sitting in with the house band, Uncle John's Band
After the show at Skippers, we were invited to go across the street to another venue where a local roots band was playing, The Apple Butter Express. They invited me to sit in with them, making this the third band I played with that night. Yes, we fell in love with Tampa. Here's a video of us playing the classic "I Know You Rider."
This is the manager of this Best Western in Bradenton FL, he took a liking to us and helped us get rooms for the rest of the trip.
Egor, the White Egret that comes and eats eggs and grits every morning in the front of the Best Western
We finally had a day off, and we just so happened to be at a beautiful beach: Fernandina Beach, FL. The following picture is a rooftop bar where we hung out, and after dark we ended up playing a couple of acoustic sets for some new friends that we made. So much for the day off!
We FINALLY have a day off at the beach.
A nice sunset at Fernandino Beach FL.
We met up with an old friend from Stuart, VA, Chris Prutting, for a place to stay in Savannah, GA. Check out his festival, The Front Porch Festival in Stuart. Our friends Big Something will be playing there this year.
I love the streets of Savannah GA.
The last pic is at the hotel after our gig. At 3:30 in the morning, we were sitting outside working on new ideas for songs. Like Bob Marley sings, "Everything's gonna be alright!"
I'd like to say one last thing before I sign off. I know that it looks like we've been through a lot of change lately, and I can understand that it could look like we've hit a rough patch; but trust me on this, things have fallen into place for us better than we could have even imagined. At this stage of our musical careers, we have made a promise to ourselves and each other that we will make decisions that will strengthen us, no matter how hard they are. We have a core group of people that are all completely dedicated to living up to this promise and our outlook for the future is as bright as it has ever been. Thank you for sticking with us though all this change. The next time you see us, just close your eyes, open your ears, and hear the music that fills the room. I think you'll be as happy as we are.
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.
05.24.12 - 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)
06.14.12 - Galaxy Lounge (Johnson City, TN)
06.15.12 - High Rock Outfitters (Lexington, NC)
06.16.12 - Quincey's Pizza (Damascus, VA)
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)
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.
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)
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