Well, at least the sun’s out. But the roads are worse today than they were yesterday. Not sure what tomorrow will bring, with some snow on the way tonight. This isn’t Iowa, where I lived for five years, where winter was just an inconvenient part of life and folks just dealt with it, and for the most part, dealt with it extremely well. This is middle Tennessee, where TV reporters are actually spending air-time discussing at length the icicles hanging from car fenders. And though we get a taste of this stuff every year about this time, inevitably the jackasses are out there on the frozen highway, doing 75 (before losing control) like it’s middle of May because we got to git to Wal-Mart . . . although the Wal-Mart don’t ever close. Sorry if I seem cranky with this behavior–but we see it every winter, without fail. Because it’s mostly ice this time, there’s only so much the plows can do, so the citizenry must rely on its own sound judgment to minimize accidents and such . . . and that sound judgment seems to always be in inverse proportion to the amount of frozen precipitation present.
The big news is: tonight’s show at Nathan P. Murphy’s in Springfield, MO has been cancelled because of road conditions described above. Look forward to seeing you when it’s a little warmer and drier out.
So, because I’m staying put today, tomorrow will be a long one: a 9-hour drive to Kansas City, followed by 5 performances between 9pm and 3am. At this point, all I can do is laugh . . . and hope for the best, all the way around. All this as part of the 27th Annual Folk Alliance International Conference. On Saturday, Feb.21, I’ll be playing Vangarde Arts in Sioux City, IA, splitting the bill with my dear friend and eastside neighbor Amelia White, who will be accompanied by another neighbor and impeccable musician, Sergio Webb. I’ll have Steph Graham on bass and Jim Viner on drums–should be a great night! And then there’s that absolutely fine Mexican restaurant there for breakfast tacos next morning . . . yum.
Oh yeah: Happy Mardi Gras! Travel safe! Stay warm! See you soon–
We wondered if you’d make it to Springfield. Probably a wise choice, we’re only 90 miles from there and the roads are pretty bad.
Oh well, we’ll see you next time you’re in the neighborhood!