What an amazing 2011 it's been so far! Turned 60 (or 30, v. 2.0) painlessly and tunefully among friends & family and singing with Stephen Lee Rich, Norm Siegel, & Dean Milano at Grounds For Appeal in Berwyn in January. Had a productive and fun Folk Alliance in Memphis mid-February, terrific house concert for Crows' Nest (Andy & Darlene, thank you!) in Upper Sandusky (which is neither near nor north of Sandusky), OH; and our opening gig for Red Horse at Carnegie Lecture Hall in Pittsburgh went far beyond what we'd dared to dream--we kicked butt in front of a packed house (over 500!) and are eager to come back next year (we've been invited). Thanks to Tricia and the dedicated staff of Calliope Concerts for doing a great job of making us feel welcome and special and helping us give the audience our very best. Had wonderful family time in the VA suburbs of D.C. with my sister, niece and friends (also made some valuable club contacts). And this past weekend, not only took in the Baltimore Pen Show but also had a delightful time playing Conewago Coffee in Elizabethtown, PA (thanks, Marti!) with our good friend Aaron Nathans (formerly of Madison, now of Wilmington, DE) opening; and at Aaron's invitation, playing both the Delaware Songwriters' FAWM Showcase in Newark, DE and the open mic at the Kennett Flash in suburban Philly's Kennett Square, PA. The latter turned out to be an audition, which we passed with flying colors: we'll be back there in August, this time for a gig! It's one of the area's top folk venues and we're delighted to be in the company of some terrific and well-known performers. Tonight back in Pittsburgh had a lovely dinner with my friend Randy Hoffmann, catching up on our doings since last I played Confluence with SASS! back in 2007. (Look for us there in July).
No real weather adventures (yet--we're headed into flood country tomorrow & Wed.) on the order of our little I-57 thrill ride in Feb. '10. We managed to hold the road despite wind, sleet & ice en route to Montpelier, OH; but apparently, 7 semi-trailer rigs and an SUV between there & Upper Sandusky did not. We dodged a couple of HUGE "snow bullets" there: 10" overnight as we slept in Montpelier, and another 4 or so overnight in Upper Sandusky. But out in farm country road crews take snow removal seriously--driving was no problem and even the county & township roads were clear and (mostly) dry. By the time we got to Pittsburgh the ice & snow from earlier in the week was gone; we had nice mostly mild weather (interspersed with some rain & minor chill) in northern VA all week. Heavy rains didn't dampen our fun in the Wilmington/Philly area; and Sunday's snow in Pittsburgh was long gone from the roads by the time we pulled in tonight. Hope our route up to northwestern OH tomorrow and home Wed. will be above the waterline!
Just a reminder that on Sat. 3/12 we'll be playing one of our very favorite concert series, Second Saturday at Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago (7475 N. Lincoln in Skokie---just barely in Skokie) at 8 pm, with Norm Siegel opening. $8 gets you an evening of fun and entertaining folk music, plus noshes & sips available.
And the week after, Fri. 3/18 finds us up in Madison, WI at Wild Hog in the Woods Coffeehouse, Wil-Mar Center, 953 Jenifer St. (a block east of the Willy St. corridor). Admission $3/members $2, sugg. donation up to you--remember to "Phil the Pig--Wild Hog's unique tip jar--at the refreshments table. Open mic between sets--sign up before the show starts at 8 pm. Come for the State Capitol protests, stay for the music! (Because Stephen Lee Rich was unavailable to serenade the sit-in on Sat. night, the protest organizers had to go with their second choice: Michele Shocked. By all rights, Stephen could be crowing about the pecking order, but he's ever the gentleman).
That's March (unless something else crops up, which will be the subject of add'l Sandygrams). April finds me in New Orleans with Bob (long overdue alone time) with a possible gig-share; and then on to the Great Plains leg of the Attitudes tour--Iowa City, Columbia, MO; River City Folk taping in Omaha, and a return to Cafe Semolino in Hays, KS. After that, Passover & Easter.