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December 20, 2008: The Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA
Canceled due to Blizzardocalypse 2008.We didn’t exactly end the year on a bang…
December 6, 2008: Red Bicycle Bistro, Vashon Island, WA
{w/Lincoln Barr} Gotta Get Right >Big Black Sleep >All You Shadows / Lake Of Fire / Dry Up Like A Dream >The Reaper’s Son / World Alive (Hank Williams Sr.) / Skoal Bandits / {w/o Lincoln Barr} Sweat Through >Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Suicidal Revival / Seen The Glory / John The Revelator (trad.) / {w/Lincoln Barr and Patrick Porter} This World (Was Alread Over) / {no Patrick} Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
I’ve seldom had a dull night playing on Vashon Island, and this one was no different. The audience fluctuated throughout the night, but we had such a great time on stage that it onlookers had no choice but to hold on for a wild ride.
December 5, 2008: The Brick Tavern, Roslyn, WA
{w/Lincoln Barr} Gotta Get Right > All You Shadows / Lake Of Fire / World Alive (Hank Williams Sr.) / Dry Up Like A Dream > The Reaper’s Son / Skoal Bandits / This World (Was Already Over) / {w/o Lincoln Barr} Cold, Cold Hands > Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) > Sweat Through / Down At Silverdam / Suicidal Revival / John The Revelator (trad.) / {w/Lincoln Barr} Big Black Sleep / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
The Brick was dead, which is a drag because it’s a huge room to play to with nobody in it! Lincoln made the most of the RJM set by antagonizing the few audience members who hung out for the duration. The Dark Pioneers set was played to a sporadic audience, supplemented with friends Anna, Bill, and Mark, plus the guys of Red Jacket Mine.
December 4, 2008: Fado Irish Pub, Seattle, WA
SET ONE: Gotta Get Right > All You Shadows / World Alive (Hank Williams Sr.) / Dry Up Like A Dream > The Reaper’s Son / John The Revelator (trad.) / Skoal Bandits > The Sharpshooter / Golgotha Drone / Suicidal Revival / Cold, Cold Hands
SET TWO: Lake Of Fire >Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Rusty Blade / The Final Blow / Down At Silverdam > All Through The Book (NEW) >Messenger Angels >Help Me Make It Through The Night (Kris Kristofferson) >Weeds Grow Around >I Am The Rust
SET THREE: Sweat Through > Cool Your Guns / Commotion (CCR) / Let The Wind Know / Seen The Glory >Together In The End (NEW) / Long Black Lilies / Goin’ Out West (Tom Waits) / Dead Leaves
We said goodbye to Fado. We’ll certainly miss the staff who treated us so well for our entire run! Then we hit the road for two nights of strange doings with pals Red Jacket Mine.
November 8-11, 2008: Recording at Two Sticks Audio, Seattle, WA
Basic tracking for album #2! 11 tracks live in the studio with Brad Zeffren once again recording and special guest Lincoln Barr on electric guitar.
November 6, 2008: Fado Irish Pub, Seattle, WA
SET ONE {NW solo}: Dead Leaves / Season f/t Crows / Rusty Blade
SET TWO {w/TDP}: All You Shadows / Sweat Through > Way Down In The Hole > Dry Up Like A Dream > The Reaper’s Son / World Alive / Down At Silverdam / Seen The Glory / The Final Blow > Messenger Angels > Help Me Make It Through The Night / Suicidal Revival / Long Black Lilies / Skoal Bandits / Cold, Cold Hands
SET THREE: Gotta Get Right >Lake Of Fire >Cool Your Guns / The Sharpshooter / Big Black Sleep / This World (Already Over) / Rusty Blade / Let The Wind Know {debut!} / Golgotha Drone / Weeds Grow Around {debut!} / I Am The Rust
We debuted two more songs slated to be recorded for album #2…and about 10 people heard them. The writing was on the wall as the corporate HQ that runs this pub decided to pull the plug on Thursday night entertainment. We were to go back in December for one last go.
October 25, 2008: The Central Saloon, Seattle, WA
Gotta Get Right / Lake Of Fire > Way Down In The Hole / Cold, Cold Hands / Sweat Through / Down At Silverdam / {w/Lincoln Barr}: This World (Already Over) / World Alive / Dry Up Like A Dream > The Reaper’s Son / All You Shadows / Skoal Bandits / Big Black Sleep / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
This was surely the loudest venue we’ve ever played, which makes sense since they typically host metal concerts at The Central. The audience was generally uninterested–save for the two jackasses who repeatedly shouted out for “Tenacious D Tenacious D Tenacious D!” (as if repeating the band name like a mantra would suddenly interest us in playing a song by them)–and yet we made a decent cut at the end of the night. I would like to play here during tourist season, when Pioneer Square is typically more lively.
October 2, 2008: Fado Irish Pub, Seattle, WA
SET ONE:Gotta Get Right > All You Shadows / Lake Of Fire / Way Down In The Hole > Dry Up Like A Dream > The Reaper’s Son / World Alive / Down At Silverdam / This World Is Over / Seen The Glory > Messenger Angels > Help Me Make It Through The Night / Suicidal Revival / I Am The Rust
SET TWO: Rusty Blade / The Final Blow / SweatThrough / Commotion (CCR) / Cold, Cold Hands / Cool Your Guns / Big Black Sleep / Skoal Bandits / Long Black Lilies / Goin’ Out West / The Sharpshooter {full band debut!} / The Golgotha Drone {debut!} / Dead Leaves
The crowds were getting thinner as tourist season had ended, the economy started going downhill, and the weather started to turn cold. At least we got to debut a couple of songs.
September 20, 2008: The Sunset, Seattle, WA
Gotta Get Right / Cold, Cold Hands / Sweat Through > Dry Up Like A Dream > The Reaper’s Son / Down At Silverdam / Seen The Glory / {w/Lincoln Barr} Skoal Bandits / All You Shadows / World Alive (H Williams) / {w/o Lincoln Barr} I Am The Rust
Our CD release party was a total blast and we shared our first bill with friends Red Jacket Mine. The Dimes started the show with a killer set. Wish I could have seen more of it, but I was pacing nervously back in the green room waiting for our set. It went off without a hitch and we had Lincoln join us for several songs. Great turn-out and great fun.
September 6, 2008: Sunbanks Rhythm & Blues Festival, Electric City, WA
Gotta Get Right / All You Shadows / Lake Of Fire > Way Down In The Hole (T Waits) > Sweat Through > Dry Up Like A Dream > The Reaper’s Son / World Alive (H Williams) / Cold Cold Hands / The Final Blow / Seen The Glory / Down At Silverdam / Messenger Angels / I Am The Rust / {encore} Dead Leaves
In bed by 4am and back up by 9:30am, Sam, Brian, and I were looking pretty ragged over our free continental breakfast. My voice, especially, was rough after two 3 hour shows in a row. We rolled into Sunbanks–a campground on a lake with a huge stage (complete with a pro-audio and lighting company!). Beautiful location! The trouble began almost immediately as my gear was not working. I pulled all the cables and effects apart trying to figure out why I wasn’t getting any signal from guitar to amp, only to have everything start working upon plugging back in. Strike two was the sunshine cutting across the stage, making it impossible to read my effects, especially the stage tuner, which I need to see after all these multiple alt tunings I needed to do. One of the sound guys rigged up a temporary cardboard screen that helped shield the display a little–though not enough when the sunlight kept traveling. 5 minutes before we were to start playing, Billy (our gracious host & m.c., plus he hired us!) asked if we would like to start early.
Talk about rattled–I had only just got my rig working. He gave us time and talked us up to the slowly gathering audience venturing from their tents and campers after a Friday night of partying. What followed was perhaps one of the worst performances of my life. I’m talking BAD. I’ll spare you the details, comic as they may be, but I couldn’t win for losing…okay, at least twice I tuned my guitar a 1/2 step sharp since I couldn’t read my tuner, only to discover the wonky string mid-song. I also forgot to wrap my guitar cable around my strap and stepped on it and yanked it out of the jack. Twice! The second time right before the climactic last chord of “Dead Leaves”. Scraaaaaaank-chunk-then silence.
“Wait for it,” I said trying to cover, “wait for it.” I plugged in and we all slammed the last chord. “Thankyougoodbye!” This was all being recorded by a professional company. Can’t wait to hear the results.
Beyond my own personal trauma (and Brian, whose brushes exploded during The Reaper’s Son, sending a spray of tiny metal bristles between Sam & I), it was still a fine day and we took our time heading home to enjoy the incredible view through the mountains.
September 4, 2008: Fado Irish Pub, Seattle, WA — September 5, 2008: Zola, Spokane, WA
SET ONE: {NW solo} Seen The Glory / Maggie’s Farm / Season f/t Crows
SET TWO: {NW & TDP} Sweat Through / Way Down In The Hole (T Waits) / Dry Up Like A Dream > The Reaper’s Son / All You Shadows / World Alive (H Williams) / Long Black Lilies / Commotion (CCR) / Big Black Sleep / Dead Leaves / Cool Your Guns / Suicidal Revival / Cold, Cold Hands
SET THREE: Gotta Get Right / Lake Of Fire / Rusty Blade / The Final Blow / Down At Silverdam / This World (Is Already Over) / Seen The Glory > Messenger Angels > Help Me Make It Through The Night (K Kristofferson) / Skoal Bandits / I Never Cared For You (W Nelson) / Goin’ Out West (T Waits) / I Am The Rust
This was the band’s first road-trip out of town, starting off with our monthly gig at Fado, then the long drive to Spokane to play our first gig in town (with a pit stop along the way in Electric City, WA to check in to our free hotel rooms, courtesy of the festival we were playing at).
Zola was a very cool restaurant & bar with a quirky design scheme (personal favorite: amusement park tilt-a-whirls converted into booths) and some really REALLY great food. The audience danced their asses off, even if some songs didn’t seem to call for such! A lot of fun to play for a lively crowd, the only drawback being the long trip back to our hotel in Electric City, followed by an early wake-up for our show at the Sunbanks Rhythm & Blues Festival (we were on at noon).
August 9, 2008: The Comet, Seattle, WA
All You Shadows / Gotta Get Right > Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) > Sweat Through > Dry Up Like A Dream > The Reaper’s Son / Down At Silverdam / This World (Is Over) / The Final Blow > Messenger Angels (live debut!) > Help Me Make It Through The Night (Kris Kristofferson) / Cold, Cold Hands / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
Perhaps one of our best shows to date! We were the only band playing that night (Leland Leichman and Rob of Highway both played solo), and the Saturday night crowd was ready & waiting for it. Tight transitions and solid performances all around; I even through in a rendition of “Messenger Angels” (from ‘Future Warnings/Field Recordings’) sung over a droning guitar loop to cover Sam’s transition from electric to acoustic bass.
Other than spotting The Dandy Warhols in attendance (they had just played the KEXP BBQ across town), this was cut-n-dry rockin’ in the first degree…[ALTERNATE ENDING:] until I got into a knife fight with a drunken street walker! After dodging a blow to the head with a stiletto boot heel, the cops arrived and broke up the fight. Before they could place me under arrest, I slipped away into the night and drove home like a maniac, my ears still ringing from a show well played.
August 7, 2008: Fado Irish Pub, Seattle, WA
SET ONE: {NW solo} lost…
SET TWO: {NW & TDP} Gotta Get Right / All You Shadows / Way Down In The Hole (T Waits) / Sweat Through / Dry Up Like A Dream / The Reaper’s Son / Commotion (CCR) / Suicidal Revival / Cold, Cold Hands / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
SET THREE: Lake of Fire / World Alive (H Williams) / Skoal Bandits / Long Black Lilies / Down At Silverdam {full band debut!} / This World (Is Already Over) {debut!} / The Final Blow {new version!} / Help Me Make It Through The Night (K Kristofferson) / Big Black Sleep / Dead Leaves
First of two shows in town in a single week–I try to avoid that whenever possible, but we pulled it off (in other words, plenty of people showed up to both). The band has worked on tightening our sets with less banter in between songs and semi-seamless transitions. To help, I purchased a Boss RC-2 Loop Station, building guitar loops to carry transitions while I’m either tuning or switching guitars. A little clumsy on my part, but I think there’s a lot of potential to be mined in the future.
This was also the first night that Sam switched from his acoustic upright to an electric bass! Coincidentally, it was for the live debut of three new songs…well, technically, only was “new”–This World (Is Over). “Down At Silverdam” was a staple of my solo shows for quite a while, but we gave it a very funky On The Corner/Miles Davis treatment (with a touch of Zeppelin’s “The Wanton Song”). And “The Final Blow” was in need of reinvention–it never felt appropriate playing the Creeping Time-inspired arrangement with Brian and Sam, so we gave it a 50’s spin with some vanilla soul-flavored syrup. (Very few of those words make sense to me upon rereading them.)
July 13, 2008: Red Bicycle Bistro, Vashon Island, WA
SET ONE: {NW solo} Dead Leaves / Season f/t Crows / Lost Highway (Hank Williams) / {NW & TDP} Sweat Through / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Dry Up Like A Dream / The Reaper’s Son / All You Shadows / Commotion (Creedence Clearwater Revival) / Suicidal Revival / Cold, Cold Hands
SET TWO: {NW solo} Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan) / {NW & TDP} Lake of Fire / Rusty Blade / Help Me Make It Through The Night (Kris Kristofferson) / World Alive (Hank Williams) / Big Black Sleep / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
The last of three shows on Vashon for a while and we were helping wrap up the island’s annual strawberry festival. After listening to a low quality recording of this set (thanks to my trusty Zoom H4), I determined that I was way off my game–it felt like a rough couple of sets, and the audio confirmed it. With a day of crowds and the hot sun, I think the last thing anyone wanted was loud music, so it we played to a fairly empty house; a dinner crowd came in by our second set. We made enough in tips and CD sales to cover our ferry fare and, after my shave and a haircut the day before, I was told that I “looked like an insurance salesman, but [I] rocked.” One of the stranger compliments I’ve ever received.
July 3, 2008: Fado Irish Pub, Seattle, WA
SET ONE {NW solo}: Dead Leaves / Season For The Crows / Lost Highway (Hank Williams Sr.) / Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan)
SET TWO {NW & TDP}: Gotta Get Right / All You Shadows / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Sweat Through / Dry Up Like A Dream / Long Black Lilies / Commotion (Creedence Clearwater Revival) / Cold, Cold Hands / Help Me Make It Through The Night (Kris Kristofferson) / Suicidal Revival / Rusty Blade / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
SET THREE {NW & TDP}: Lake Of Fire / World Alive (Hank Williams Sr.) / Skoal Bandits / The Reaper’s Son / I Never Cared For You (Willie Nelson) / Big Black Sleep / Goin’ Out West (Tom Waits) / Dead Leaves
A crazy night at Fado: it was the eve of the 4th of July weekend, so most folks had a day off, there were a lot of tourists in town, plus a Mariners game had let out. Loud and rowdy night, so we put on a set that was, according to my friend Lincoln, “scary.” Maybe it was my frustration seeping into the performance, no thanks to the table full of yacht-club yahoos that sat directly to my right who talked over the music for all of our first set. This was also the night when, before the show, a guy claiming his dad sent him to “scout us out” for Geffen Records approached me (I covered that topic in my blog a while back). Strange night, though ultimately a good time.
June 28, 2008: Red Bicycle Bistro, Vashon Island, WA
Back on Vashon the 2nd of 3 shows, this being the first time playing with The Dark Pioneers. Fun audience, even if my obscure references fell flat (perhaps the first time the question “What’s a mirkin?” has ever been asked in a public space). Had a great time opening up for Ian Moore & The Lossy Coils. I’ve been a fan & friend for some time and it was great to see he & the band put on one hell of an epic set (2.5 hours with no breaks), concluding with an encore played to the crowd gathering on the street.
June 21, 2008: Red Bicycle Bistro,Vashon Island, WA
Backbone Campaign Benefit
{NW solo}: War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
“War Pigs” went over well, considering the night was mostly folkish acoustic numbers. Less wackiness this time (no stompbox, no “finger failure”, no special guest shaking a maraca on the side of the stage, etc.), so I was better able to enjoy my 4 minutes on stage. Had to (repeatedly) convince Bob Krinsky to turn up the amp to facilitate some “rocking”; folks got a kick out of that. Great night & another success for the Backbone Campaign, plus a couple of friends came out to the island to watch me play, which put extra pressure on one song–I had to make it worth their ferry fare!
June 14, 2008: The Shanty Tavern, Lake City, WA
You Gotta Get Right > All You Shadows / Lake Of Fire / The Reaper’s Son / Commotion (Creedence Clearwater Revival) / Suicidal Revival / Rusty Blade / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Dry Up Like A Dream > Sweat Through / Help Me Make It Through The Night (K. Kristofferson) / Cold, Cold Hands / I Am The Rust
Completely forgot to write about this show and now it’s nearly two month’s out (and it feels like two YEARS out at this point). What I recall: it was fun to share the stage with my buddy Sam Russell now that we each have our own bands (minus our friends in Creeping Time). Discordia kicked off the show with a tight set, though distinctly the odd men out when paired with The Harborrats and The Dark Pioneers. Oh well…beer was spilled, pool balls did clack, and we played a sloppy (but energetic) set in what is one of the last dive-bar/roadhouses in the city.
June 7, 2008: Conor Byrne, Seattle, WA
SET ONE: Gotta Get Right > All You Shadows / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) > Dry Up Like A Dream > Sweat Through / Long Black Lilies / Commotion (Creedence Clearwater Revival) / The Final Blow / Suicidal Revival / Rusty Blade / Cold, Cold Hands
SET TWO: Lake Of Fire / World Alive (H. Williams) / Skoal Bandits / The Reaper’s Son / Big Black Sleep / Dead Leaves > Help Me Make It Through The Night (Kris Kristofferson) / Goin’ Out West (Tom Waits) / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
With two sets under our collective belts at Fado, it was breeze to play two sets at Conor Byrne. A bicycle race blocked off the street in front of the pub until 8:30, but overall it brought a lot of foot traffic to the show; coincidentally, I only knew about a quarter of the audience in attendance, so it was good to play for a lot of new faces.
Our friend JD Hobson opened the night–he’s invited me to play many times at Highway 99 and, as a fan of his music, it was great to finally return the favor. We also met Katie Sawicki on the last stop of her three week tour. Beautiful voice and songwriting, but Conor Byrne on a Saturday can be unforgiving if you’re playing solo acoustic–or with cellist Emily Stanback, in this case; thankfully, they pulled it off (talkers be damned)! We were up after 11:00 and delivered the goods, though I managed to blow my voice out by song three (with another 18 songs to go). A fun night that went a lot better than the last time we headlined (the dreadful, feed-back ridden, rain-soaked July ‘07 show). Thanks to all the newcomers who braved the bicyclists and be-spandex’ed masses.
May 26, 2008: Northwest Folklife Festival, Seattle, WA
{NW solo}: Dead Leaves / Season For The Crows / World Alive (Hank Williams) / All You Shadows / Rusty Blade / Suicidal Revival / Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan)
Back at Folklife for the first time in two years, and let me tell ya, it was great to play indoors this time. A great stage & seating arrangement was created in the lobby of the new opera house, so this was certainly deluxe accommodations by any means. All the drum circles, buskers, and the crowd noise was reduced to a whisper, and the only minor drawback was fewer patrons were prone to walk in; the place remained at least half-capacity for my entire set, so I have no complaints. My promo copies of ‘The Dead Leaves Sing’ went fast, and I even noticed someone following along in the lyric booklet while I performed–no pressure!
Afterwards, I had plenty of friend’s performances to catch (even an unexpected run-in with my friend Scott Andrew), plus a chance to see what was probably–sadly–the last Creeping Time performance ever. Michael Spaly was leaving for Boston the next day and the band that had performed with me on ‘The Dead Leaves Sing’ and at countless live shows went on hiatus, possibly for good. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a reunion tour.
May 15, 2008: Fado Irish Pub, Seattle, WA
SET ONE {NW solo}: Dead Leaves / Season For The Crows / Suicidal Revival / Lost Highway (Hank Williams) / Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan)
SET TWO {NW & TDP}: Gotta Get Right / All You Shadows / World Alive (Hank Williams) / The Reaper’s Son / Lake of Fire / Big Black Sleep / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Skoal Bandits / Help Me Make It Through The Night (Kris Kristofferson) / Rusty Blade / Suicidal Revival / Cold, Cold Hands
SET THREE {NW & TDP}: Dead Leaves / Three Days > I Never Cared For You (Willie Nelson medley) / Long Black Lilies / The Final Blow / Dry Up Like A Dream / Sweat Through / Goin’ Out West (Tom Waits) / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
We had a great show at Fado, our first time performing two full sets of music as a band. (It looks like we’ll have a monthly run of “First Thursdays” here starting on July 3rd!)
After the house monitors refused to work–plus a misunderstanding that we were to bring our own microphones–my solo opening set suffered in the rush to get going. Once the band was up, however, we had a great time sans stage monitors (luckily, the house speakers allowed Sam & I to hear our vocal harmonies) and managed to sell a lot of CDs with nothing but a table and a money jar. Very responsive audience and friendly staff (special thanks to Mark and Sinead!); other than our significant others being hit on by some sleazy jackasses, it was a great time for all.
April 30, 2008: Conor Byrne, Seattle, WA
A Tribute to Willie Nelson
SET ONE: Three Days (Willie Nelson) / Help Me Make It Through The Night (Kris Kristofferson) / I Never Cared For You (Willie Nelson)
SET TWO: All You Shadows / Suicidal Revival / Rusty Blade
While the Tom Waits tribute featured more than twice as many artists and was a truly chaotic affair, the Willie tribute didn’t run quite as smoothly. I won’t go into that here, but instead I want to give high-fives to the great group of musicians that played that evening. Since there was still time left before midnight (each of the six acts were only playing 2-3 songs), Brian, Sam & I played a few more originals, followed by an “all-star” jam version of “On The Road Again.” After all seemed to be winding down, my friend Jeff Fielder came in and played three more Willie tunes. Despite my protests that I needed to pack up and go, I couldn’t leave Jeff hanging, so I played some slide over “Whiskey River.” A very zen, after-hours moment as the bar was nearly empty by this point…actually, it’s my favorite memory from the whole night.
Thanks to Liz for braving the sound board and rescuing both my slides from under the stage, Alana for setting the show up, and all who played, sang along, shouted drunken slurs, etc. I actually thought I heard someone yell out “Ronnie Milsap!” at some point. If only I had worked up my version of “Stranger In My House.” Oh well…
April 27, 2008: The Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA
Gotta Get Right [premier!] / All You Shadows / Lake Of Fire / Long Black Lilies / Sweat Through / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Suicidal Revival [new version!] / Rusty Blade / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
The Dark Pioneers & I shared the bill with our friends in Carrie Clark & The Lonesome Lovers, The Lucky Suns, and Andrew Vait. It was billed as a matinee/happy hour show (5-9p) and things got off to a rocky start when there was nobody to run sound…for over an hour. After the show started an hour late, it ran a little more smoothly, right up until the point my mic stand went flaccid (twice) and the straps on both my guitars decided to pop off at inopportune moments. Sam, Brian, and I gave it the hellfire and had a lot of fun with it.
Forgot my memory book (again), but thanks to all my friends, old and new, that made the show a minor success (it <i>was</i> a Sunday, after all).
April 18, 2008: St. Clouds, Madrona, WA
SET ONE: Dead Leaves / Season For The Crows / Scrapyard Lullaby (Chris Whitley) / Lake of Fire / Seen The Glory / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Sweat Through
SET TWO: All You Shadows / Lost Highway (Hank Williams Sr.) / Dry Up Like A Dream / Suicidal Revival / Rusty Blade / Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan)
Another solo show at St. Clouds and better attended. Sharing the bill with Dayna and Greg (of Carrie Clark & The Lonesome Lovers) and their side-project The Gem Saloon. A good night overall. Thanks to Dayna & Greg, Lincoln & Christian, Chris & ?, Leilani, Lori & David, Gage and everyone at St. Clouds.
April 8, 2008: Highway 99, Seattle, WA
SET ONE: {solo} Dead Leaves / Season For The Crows / The FInal Blow / Lost Highway (H. Williams, Sr.) / Scrapyard Lullaby (Chris Whitley) / Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan)
SET TWO: {w/The Dark Pioneers} Lake of Fire / World Alive (H. Williams Sr.) / All You Shadows / Cold, Cold Hands / Dry Up Like A Dream / Sweat Through / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Rusty Blade [new version!] / Cool Your Guns / I Am The Rust
No rest for the weary. After a late night drive and time at the day job, I was playing the Washington Blues Society Blues Bash that night–much to my surprise, WIRED!, the band playing the electric set, had to cancel at the last minute due to an injury. The Dark Pioneers to the rescue! After some initial confusion as to when the show was to start, I played a solo set followed by the electric set with Sam & Brian, who arrived in the nick of time. It went well and, as expected, I slept like a baby that night. Also forgot my memory book, but thanks to everyone who came out!
April 7, 2008: Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
Intro Moan [impromptu] / Dead Leaves / All You Shadows / Season f/t Crows / Dry Up Like A Dream / Suicidal Revival / Lost Highway (H. Williams Sr.) / Cold, Cold Hands / The Way [premier] / Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan)
Hands down one of the coolest venues I’ve ever played at–underground parking lot with a door straight to the green room and stage, a fantastic restaurant above, a hotel on the premises (even though Jodi & I chose to drive straight back to Seattle that night), and a very accommodating staff! A guy could get spoiled like this. I played solo and was the un-official headliner for the night (a Monday), but there was still a decent turn-out and I was surprised how many people stuck it out until midnight (did I mention it was Monday?). Adrian H w/Jay Raker, plus Nathan Gaunt from Australia–hard acts to follow, so I had to turn on the afterburners just to keep pace. A great night and a lot of fun.
Thanks to Adrian for making this show possible, and Dustin (sound) and everyone at Doug Fir for being so cool. I forgot my memory book and I’m writing this a month after the fact, but huge thanks to the late night squad that kept me company.
March 21, 2008: St. Clouds, Madrona, WA
SET ONE: The Final Blow / Season f/t Crows / Long Black Lilies / Lost Highway (H. Williams Sr.) / Suicidal Revival / Way Down In The Hole (Tom waits) / Lake of Fire
SET TWO: Rusty Blade / All You Shadows / Whiskey Girl (Gillian Welch) / Seen The Glory / Scrayard Lullaby (Chris Whitley) / Down At Silverdam / Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan)
A solo show, sharing the bill with Jill Cohn. A stranger night–St. Clouds is a great restaurant in Madrona and they had a record sales night/dinner rush that lasted right up until the time I started playing. The place had cleared out save a few people…I gave it my best and had some killer food, to boot. Thanks to Gage, John, Aaron, and Dayna; Bill & Anja, and Jodi.
March 12, 2008: Highway 99, Seattle, WA
Sweat Through / All You Shadows / Seen The Glory / The Reaper’s Son / Rusty Blade / Season For The Crows / Cold Cold Hands / World Alive (H. Williams)
READ THE BLOG ENTRY FOR ALL FOUR SHOWS
February 23, 2008: Conor Byrne Pub, Seattle, WA
Lake of Fire [premier] / All You Shadows / World Alive (H. Williams, Sr.) / The Reaper’s Son / Cool Your Guns [premier] / Big Black Sleep / Way Down In The Hole (T. Waits) / Dry Up Like A Dream > Sweat Through / Cold, Cold Hands / I Am The Rust
[SEE ABOVE FOR BLOG LINK]
February 12, 2008: Richard Hugo House, Seattle, WA
Local Flavor: A Fundraiser for Next Stage Theatre
Sweat Through / World Alive (H. Williams, Sr.) / All You Shadows / Big Black Sleep / Dry Up Like A Dream > Dead Leaves / The Reaper’s Son / Cold, Cold Hands / I Am The Rust
[SEE ABOVE FOR BLOG LINK]
January 29, 2008: The Entertainment Show @ The Sunset, Seattle, WA
SET I & II: Sweat Through / World Alive (Hank Williams, Sr.) / Dead Leaves …act break… Big Black Sleep / Cold, Cold Hands / Dry Up Like A Dream / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / I Am The Rust
[SEE ABOVE FOR BLOG LINK]
January 18/19, 2008: The Spur Bar & Grill, Park City, UT
FRIDAY SET: Dead Leaves / The Final Blow / Season For The Crows / Long Black Lilies / All You Shadows / The Reaper’s Son / Rusty Blade / Cold, Cold Hands / Sweat Through / Down At Silverdam
SATURDAY SET: Seen The Glory / Skoal Bandits / All You Shadows / Dry Up Like A Dream / Big Black Sleep / Suicidal Revival / Long Black Lilies (a capella)> Rusty Blade / Season For The Crows / Sweat Through / Dead Leaves
January 20, 2008: Broadway Center Theatres, Salt Lake City, UT
Sundance Film Festival Music Showcase
NO SET LIST: Just songs picked at random from the set list in my head…
January 11, 2008: The Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA
Sweat Through / World Alive (Hank Williams, Sr.) / Skoal Bandits / The Reaper’s Son / All You Shadows / Big Black Sleep / Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits) / Cold, Cold Hands / The Final Blow / I Am The Rust