If you told me 2 years ago that I would end up having a home away from home that I didn’t want to leave in Washington DC, I would have seriously doubted the claim. However, the Mansion has turned into just that. Our time in the District last week was really great. Both of our girls came in for the weekend and we started off with a well attended and fun show at Shamrock Music Shop in Purcellville, VA. Owner Scott Kinney has ties to the blockbuster movie and series of books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid (he’s the real life big brother of writer Jeff Kinney), and is a down to earth good guy. I don’t think he really knows what a great performance space he has above his store, but hopefully he has a better idea of it since Brian and I rocked the place. We did a nice 90 minute set then an encore, and as it was the first time we had ever done a full show as a duo, I’d say we won.

We played a house party in Alexandria on Saturday night and Brian got to see lots of old friends from when he lived in the area. We also managed to taste one of the best Chicken Pot Pies ever at the Daily Grill on Saturday afternoon. Come on, you knew there would be food involved…..

Sunday was such a beautiful day that Julie (my girl) and I decided to get outside and see some sites. It was her first visit to DC so we headed for The Mall and the Lincoln Memorial, The Vietnam and Korean War Memorials and the Washington Monument. It was a beautiful early spring day in Washington. We had a nice crowd for our show at the Mansion on Sunday night. The energy of that place is really beautiful. I had a great time. We did the show with no p.a. so it was intimate and cool. We had old friends and new in the audience. A girl I went to school with in NJ many (many) years ago showed up and her boyfriend offered us a private tour of the Capital building for Julie’s birthday the following day. Once more I was struck by the incredible opportunity of being an artist at the Mansion.

The rain on Monday drove us indoors and we headed to the National Gallery for Canoletta and Gauguin exhibits as well as a beautiful lunch in the Garden Cafe. Dinner and Martinis at the mansion and then off to the capital. I’m sure I visited the Capital when I was a kid, but the majesty and history of building was no doubt lost on me. The artwork alone is overwhelming. I could have stared at “The Apotheosis of George Washington” on the ceiling of the rotunda for hours. Next time I visit I’d like to get up close to it on the catwalk. We stayed up too late listening to music and I knew the morning would come too quickly. And it did.

Time to pack the guitars and head off to our next stop, New York City. I put Julie on a shuttle to the airport and Brian and I had to leave. It was hard. I was ready to cancel the next two shows and spend a few more days at the mansion, but the show must go on…….

Here’s another poorly shot video for ya. I cut my own head off, but it sounds pretty good. It’s Brian and I at The Mansion…….  enjoy

When I left off, I had just arrived in Nashville from my quickly becoming legendary five day run with Jimmy Davis in Memphis. I mostly just slept my first day in Nashville, but once I was rested a bit, Brian and I ventured out to catch up with my good friend Bruce Dees. We had Bruce meet us for lunch at Bro’s Cajun Restaurant. You may have seen Bro’s on Diner’s Drive-In’s and Dives on the Food Network. I did and I was very interested in the stuffed pork chop they featured on the show. You knew I was going to talk about food a bit didn’t you?

Anyway, it’s a pork chop stuffed with pork! Slowly barbecued and doused with a homemade BBQ sauce, served on a bed of the best dirty rice I’ve ever had. I ordered black eyed peas and green beans as my sides and wondered when my plate landed in front of me if I would even get close to finishing. It’s a lot of food, but it’s so good that it’s hard to stop. I ate well past when my lunch compadres finished. I’m usually a pretty slow eater anyway, but I was determined to get as much of this glorious food in me as possible without feeling gross. The chop is moist and the sauce is tangy with the pork shoulder stuffing coming out as the star. Underneath became a mishmash of dirty rice and black eyed peas, all seasoned perfectly with a little bit of heat coming through every now and then in true cajun fashion. It was a great lunch and the next time I’m in Nashville you’ll know where to find me.

Brian and I had to hit the road by 6 am on Wednesday to make our WDVX radio appearance in Knoxville, TN. WDVX hosts and broadcasts live a daily Blue Plate Special lunch time concert from the Knoxville visitors center. There was a nice crowd of 40 or so and we shared the hour with the very talented Ben Carroll. Truthfully I was fairly delirious all day. Up at five and movin with 4 hours of sleep is a bit unusual for me I’ve been hearing about this show for a long time from both Jimmy and Walt. They’ve both been guests more than once and love the show and host Red Hickey. Brian and I both enjoyed listening to Ben Carroll’s performance and spent a little time sharing road stories and small talk. Then it was time to get moving again. The road won’t wait and we had many miles to go…….

Brian checks out the tub in the Presidential Suite

Uncle Tony’s String Band. Jimmy Davis (guitar,vocals),   Tommy Burroughs (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Eric Lewis, (guitar, vocals), Harry Peel, (drums) and Tony Sneed (bass). All but Eric are original River Bluff Clan members. For the uninitiated, River Bluff Clan, is an amazing americana band that came together in Memphis after Jimmy left the pop, MTV days of the late 80′s. From time to time, they still get together and do what they do……

So I sit at a table in the bar and the boys launch into the first song. All I remember thinking was, holy s..t! I’m going to have to play the second set with these monsters! They fired up into a bluegrass heavy set peppered with just plain ridiculous pickin from Eric on guitar and Tommy on mandolin and/or guitar, not to mention the singing. Now, I’d only played with Eric on Steel before, but flat pickin guitar is where he lives, and Tommy only played mando and guitar. He’s known as a fiddle player! I can’t say enough about it. It was fantastic. But, since it’s really all about me , when they took a break, I had to go outside and give myself a talking to cause I knew I’d have to get up there and give them my “A” game.

I was generously welcomed onstage for the whole second set and many transcendent musical moments followed. The audience knows and loves these guys and couldn’t have made me feel more at home. Have I mentioned that I’m starting to love this town? They like music, that’s for sure.

After playing with the Mystiqueros for 5 years, I can be pretty picky about bands, but I just found out why Jimmy fits in so well when he comes to Texas…..  He plays with a bunch of badasses! I wish you coulda been there or that I could express my pure joy and listening to and sharing the stage i=with these incredible musicians. We get to do it again Sunday with Walt Wilkins joining in. Walt gets to town today and we’re playing a show with Jimmy tonight. More music, more fun, more Memphis comin right up.

I tried to take some video with my phone last night but I drained my battery and it sounds terrible….  sorry, I’ll try again.

Lindsey managed to capture this song “We’ve All Got Our Marks To Make”, written by Drew and Walt Wilkins, in such a simple and fun way. I hadn’t heard this song before, and I really like it. I don’t get to see Drew play very much. That’s part of the working musician thing, you don’t gee to see your friends play very often. I got forwarded an email with a link to this video. It took me a few days to sit down and watch it. Worth the wait.

It may not be the next “Thriller” video, but it’s fun, creative, it sets a mood for the song that I really dig, and as far as I’m concerned Drew is right; Lindsey is and 11 year old super-genius.