Music blog today.... shocker, right?

I have 4 gigs this week. That's not unusual, I guess. On tour, I play many more than that. And when I first started, I played 4 times a week regularly. But that's when I was playing crappy dives for hours at a time. This week's gigs are much much cooler, and they are all completely different.

Last night was the first of the week, the charming songwriter round. It was guitars only and a mostly-quiet (except for one obnoxious table by the stage) room of people who love songs. Danny Flanigan hosted the show that also featured a 14-year-old guitar student of mine named MC Watkins. One of these days she's going to be on Oprah talking about her first gig ever: a songwriter round at Clifton's Pizza with Danny and Brigid. Hope she spells my name right.

Anyway, it was a fun night. I tried out some new tunes, and I think they went over well. It's definitely time for a new record. Every time I save the dollars, however, the roof leaks or my car breaks. It's getting really old, I tell you. I've been anti-record-label for a couple of years now, but it may be time to re-think that stance.

Thursday, I'm playing with my pal Steve Cooley at a a private dinner party at the home of a Bourbon Royal. I'm pretty stoked about that. Plus, I get to play some fun old-timey country tunes and hear some crazy-pickin' on my own songs. That Cooley knows ALL the notes.

Friday I'm playing the first annual Oktoberfest in Germantown, over by Check's Cafe and Zeppelin Cafe (Burnett & Hickory). I'll be playing with a bass and drummer (Peter and Scott, for those of you who have the collector's lunchbox of all of my bandmates). We're playing from 7:00-8:30, and it's outdoors. Hope for warm weather, or I may break out the fingerless gloves.

Saturday is the 2nd Annual Volksfest. Last year, they somehow talked me into playing the "Beer Barrel Polka" on the accordion, which is kind of like asking a girl singer to play "Me and Bobby McGee" or a bluegrass picker to play "Rocky Top" or anyone to play "Freebird." Saturday's set is going to be a fun duo show with my über-good friend, Peter Searcy. He and I toured Europe last year as a duo, and it's been about that long since we played a true duo show.

So really, I'm playing four gigs, but they are all completely different. You could come to all four and feel like you saw four different (and spectacular, hee hee) bands. Just don't judge me if I've got on the same fingerless gloves.

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