Me with an old friend leaning on a barbed wire fence, Crawford TN 12/17/16
Happy holidays, friends,
I’m glad to say I made it back safely from my epic 6800-mile tour out west and back, which provided just enough drama to keep things interesting: a blowout on I-5 in Salem, OR that led to getting all four tires replaced; my aforementioned one fan in Ashland, OR getting kicked out of the venue ten minutes into the set (for being “too high” . . . really???); my first romance with tire chains (and the break-up was pretty rough–a lot of yelling in the dark and rolling around in the snow); an unexpected overnight delay last Friday due to insane road conditions–precisely 31 degrees and roads completely ice-covered. Sure would be nice if Google could alter their navigation algorithms to include weather-related road data–I got sent onto a two-lane highway northwest of St. Louis because of a wreck-related delay further south–and it was 100 times worse than the route I’d been on. Then six miles into the detour traffic was stopped because a semi had rolled over and blocked both lanes; I had to turn around and go back to my original route. By the time I stopped in Chesterfield MO, I was so relieved to have gotten a hotel room at all that I didn’t care what it cost; everyone was bailing, stopping for the night. But I was seven hours away from my show at Hippie Jack’s in east TN that was the next afternoon, so I had to leave Saturday morning at 6:30. Intense, but I made it. And had a wonderful time. Thanks to all of you who attended in person or via the stream. It was a great way to end a big adventure.
For any of you last-minute gift shoppers (I count myself among you), if you order any KG merchandise from the store page (http://kg.kevingordon.net/store) we’re offering a free upgrade to Priority Mail shipping (U.S. only) for the next couple of days, through Thursday evening. (Being USPS Priority Mail, specific delivery date isn’t guaranteed, of course, but it’ll help expedite things.) Just select standard shipping at checkout, and we’ll take care of the rest. Email me if you have any questions: kevingordonmusic@gmail.com
I played one of my favorite venues on this tour–a little place in what some would call the middle of nowhere: Byron’s Tap in Pomeroy, Iowa. Byron Stuart has been a tireless supporter of live music for years, bringing me and so many others in to play his place. Unfortunately he’s now facing some significant challenges and could use a little help; read more about it here:
I’m convinced that live music helps build community among people who might not otherwise get to know each other–therefore, this is about a lot more than helping out a business.
I’ll be writing again sometime over the next several days, hopefully offering up a year’s end post that’s a little more thoughtful and expansive–but now ain’t the time. Safe travels, if you’re doing such over the holidays, and I hope we can all find real joy being with loved ones, staying present in the here and now and (at least somewhat) removed from the unreal world of screens and social media. (I’ve been watching Black Mirror lately and even though it’s sci-fi, it’s really affecting my view of how tech has changed our daily lives.)
Be good, be well; stay warm. I’ll be back in touch soon. Cheers!
Kevin
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