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Read Chip's words about life on the road, recording in the studio and much more...

March 13 - 23, 2004 - Colorado & Texas (SXSW)

March 13 -- heading for Boulder, Colorado (PLAYING ETOWN TOMORROW)

Tomorrow we'll play ETOWN - a heralded national radio show... syndicated to more than 200 stations... we've been wanting to do this show for a while ... so we're extremely glad Nick & Helen Forster invited us... they produce the show ... he's also a brilliant musician (guitar, mandolin etc.).. she is also an actress/vocalist.

We arrive at 10:45 ... John Platania is waiting for us... great to see him again... also waiting for us is a nice & very informed guy named Scott... a volunteer... who will get us where we need to going for the next few days.

we arrive at the 5 star Boulderado Hotel... one extension of which has four palatial guest apartments.... Samite, the other headliner for tomorrow's show has one of the apartments... the rest are ours... WHAT AMAZING ACCOMMODATIONS!! THANKS HELEN & NICK!


March 14 - Sunday

Boulder is one of my favorite cities on the planet. Carrie gets up rather early & has a great, peaceful walk through town. A bit later, after a quiet breakfast, John & I head for Rob's... a terrific guitar store a few blocks from town. I test out a "road" Martin... a shallow bodied guitar made of composite materials (not wood)... I like it, but I'll pass for now. Gibson may be hooking me up with a J45 next week.

note: I need to put away my Gibson 160E soon ... it's just too precious for the road.... and the electronics have been giving me trouble.

We're only two blocks from the Boulder Theater (home of ETOWN)... however, since I'm still limping a bit, Scott picks us up & takes us to sound check.

MEET OUR GREAT FRIEND & WORLD CLASS BASS PLAYER, KEVIN SMITH AT THE VENUE (he came in a day early to say hi to his mom)... sound check goes smooth... Kiko (house) & Justin (monitors) do a great job

i'm finished sound check n time for my emergency dentist appointment! - yes, I know it's Sunday... & I don't know a dentist in Boulder - but first try I talk to a nice young dentist who agrees to see what he can do to help. Dr Michael Adler... part time Falcon trainer... fixes my broken bridge in no time flat & I'm back in time for group rehearsal at 4:45.

note: apologies to writer Brian Atkinson ... waiting to do an interview with me re: my thoughts about Townes.... hope you got my message, Brian... email me at the TRAINWRECKRECORDS.COM web site... let's set something up


Back to rehearsal.... Nick decides to do an - Uganda meets New York meets Texas - version of "Wild Thing" as the final song..... Samite & I will start... me playing guitar... Samite on Kalimba... me on guitar... then everyone joining in... it rocks in rehearsal.

THANKS TO ETOWN for the great buffet that awaited us after sound check... thanks Laurie (Warners Burbank in the good old day) for bringing it in.

E-TOWN THE SHOW - A few songs by Samite - interesting stuff - Kalimba, loops made as he sings... chant singalongs from the audience... well done, my friend... then we do a few songs .. then a loose nice/fun interview with Nick... then some more songs... then more Samite... then the "Wild Thing" fest... which was so much fun with Samite singing pretty answer riffs to the chorus... just a bunch of fun... great to play with John & Kevin again... great job boys...


THANKS TO ALL OUR GREAT FRIENDS AT ETOWN... NICK, HELEN, SCOTT, DONNA, JIM, LAURIE, JUSTIN, KIKO, STEFAN & all the others.. one of the great things about this show is that despite it's loose feel on air... it's very professionally put together... from the minute you are booked on the show, the staff leaves nothing to chance... from the pick up at the airport to the stage plot to the exact type guitar amp needed... WELL DONE!!! .... BIG THANKS FROM CARRIE & ME

After the show we said hello to many, including:

Scott... thanks for all the plays at work!! (airplane co.), Mitch... great to see you again... hi to Dave & Nancy... thanks for sharing the kind words re: our harmonies (I feel the same way as well)... Liz.. thank you as well for the kind words re: the stage presence... Hi to Aime... that's a first for me... hope to see you again... hi to Ted & Mine ( a first as well ... Turkish name?)... Hi Dave, Jim... see you at SXSW... ALAN... GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN MY FRIEND... thanks for your support & hope you keep playing the music... see you next time... hi to David... get back to that fiddle... we'll look for your sister's name (Opera singer, Patricia Anders?? ... was that it?)... hi to Mikel & all ....

great to meet Kevin's mom, Lois & brother Tim, wife Kim & daughter KAMA... bless you for soon making Lois the youngest looking great grandma in history. Also hi to Kevin's others friends .... & hi to John's friends Dave Glasser... who owns the great record mastering lab in town... (Air Show) & wife Anne.... Patti &b Dean... so nice meeting you "after hours" at the party... so good to see great to see you all till next time... all the best from Carrie & me


March 15 .... KCUV RADIO show

Michael... thanks for getting us to the radio station on time... best of luck with your new taxi job!

Thanks to our friend Danny Birch for setting this up .... great doing this "loose" half/hour spot with Leland Rucker... one of the heralded music writers in the area... now moonlighting on this rebel station.

Had fun doing a few songs mixed with some good conversation... THANKS ... SEE YOU AT SXSW, DAN


Mar 15 - our AIR WEST plane is delayed in Denver... they switch us to a direct United Airlines Denver/Austin flight - we arrive earlier than we would have on Air West ... at 9:45 ------ good deal!!... well, almost... just as in Glasgow, all the luggage made it .............. except mine.


Mar 16 - Austin, Texas

John... a very nice young cab driver becomes my "personal shopper" for about an hour. One visit to Target and I have all the emergency clothes I need... plus shaving stuff etc... a quick stop at a shoe store finds a pair of new Converse All-Stars and I feel like I'm stage-ready!

Afternoon

Carrie & I rehearse with guitarist, Redd Vaulkaert (Merle Haggard) & keyboard player Earl Poole Ball (Johnny Cash plus, plus) for tomorrows Austin City Music Awards Show.... a big deal thing explained more in later notes.

MAR 16 --- DINNER & MINI PERFORMANCE AT MIKE's PUB

WITH HAKAN OLSSON & HIS BUSINESS FRIENDS & ASSOCIATES FROM SWEDEN.... RECORD STORE OWNERS, FRIENDS ETC

played a few songs & got a chance to say hi to some terrific people including our great friend Ralph & his family from one of our all time favorite record stores in Gothenburg, Sweden & others including Morton, Claes, Anders, Hakan (another one) - just a great group... including some wives & children.


Aug 17 - SXSW - AUSTIN, TEXAS

This is the third anniversary of the meeting between Carrie & me... & this is the place we met... that's an extra reason for our anticipation of this week .... the other reasons are (ASIDE FROM STAYING AT MY FAVORITE PLACE IN AUSTIN... THE HOMESTEAD SUITES HOTEL... with my friends STEPHEN, PRICILLA, CAMMIE , ROCKIE & ALL...... THANKS STEPHEN!!... hi to Claudia)

1) SXSW IS THE BEST MUSIC WEEK IN THE USA

2) WE'LL SEE MANY ARTIST/FRIENDS PERFORM

3) WE'LL SEE MANY BUSINESS & FAN/FRIENDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

4) INCLUDING OUR GREAT FRIEND HAKAN OLSSON FROM MALMO, SWEDEN

note: we will click glasses with our great friend many times during this week

5) WE'LL SEE MANY OF CARRIE"S TERRIFIC FAMILY & AUSTIN FRIENDS

6) WE'LL PLAY THE AUSTIN MUSIC AWARDS SHOW - THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME ANYONE HAS EVER PLAYED IT TWICE IN A ROW!! --- WHAT AN HONOR!!

7) WE'LL PLAY FOR SOME OF OUR BEST FANS


note: I received the very sad news that an old high school friend of mine passed away rather suddenly. Art Malesardi & I played on the Stepinac High School basketball team and were good friends back in those days. More recently I would see Art & his wife Pat (& many of my other Stepinac friends) at all our New York shows & they would visit my ex-wife Joanie & me every Christmas day (Joan has a wonderful party every Christmas where all family friends gather).... although I didn't see Art that often, I still considered him a "pal" in the truest sense of the word. Art was a big fan of the duet stuff & we will dedicate this weeks events to his memory.


AUG 17 (St Patrick's Day)

THE AUSTIN CITY MUSIC AWARDS SHOW (audience 2,000 plus)

Our now dear friend & one of the most respected reviewers in the country (& part of the committee that determines the artist's invited to play), Margaret Moser, invited us to play for an unprecedented second year in a row.

Margaret suggested we play as a duo in order to make the performance different than last year. However she loved Carrie's "light bulb" idea of doing two songs as a duo & surprising the audience with Redd & Earl joining in as we sing our tribute to them & Austin, Texas... "Dirty Little Texas Story" ( with Kevin Smith joining in on bass).

And and that's what we did... In honor of St. Pat's (& at Margaret's request) Carrie & I sang & played "Oh Ireland" from our latest CD. Although it was just Carrie & me, the crowd was with us... then we played "Don't Speak In English" & had many in the house singing along ... so far ... so good.... THEN WE INVITED REDD, EARL & KEVIN ON THE STAGE..... AND ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.... there were constant cheers, applause & excitement for the words & solos -- particularly for Redd & Earl -- as we drove through "Dirty Little Texas Story", "Sweet Tequila Blues" & "Wild Thing".

WHAT A NIGHT!! .. it wasn't the kind of event where we got a chance to meet many in the audience... but hi to a few including

Leif (pronounced "Life") ... a great friend & heralded on air personality from Gothenburg, Sweden.... hi to Gretchen... congrats on booking so many X-SXSW artists ... all the best to you & wish your brother all good things with his label... hi Martin, Bill, George, Booka... Elliot ... keep your head clear ... we need you... & all the rest thanks for a remarkable night

of course love & hi to Carrie's lot, Frances, Katy, Leslie, Tom, Edward... & CHARLIE... CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR HALL OF FAME NOD!!!


AUG 17 .... really looking forward to this day... we're paying some
"outside" SXSW events for friends who have been so supportive of us these past years.

VENUE #1

THREADGILL'S - SPONSORED BY REVERED CRITIC & REBEL, JOHN CONQUEST

it is just a 100 yard walk to this venue from our hotel ... Threadgill's is owned by our great friend EDDIE WILSON... Eddie owned the world famous Armadillo Word Headquarters back in the 70's... we opened there for Tom T. Hall in '74... got 4 standing ovations... got Eddie "hooked" and he became an honorary band (Ghost Train) member.. he then dropped everything and came with us to LA!!

GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN EDDIE!! (and partner Abe... great to meet you as well)

THE SHOW - 12:30 PM

note: all performances are limited to 45 minutes to allow for as many acts as possible

IT DOESN'T GET MORE FUN THAN THIS.... THE PLACE IS PACKED... A FEW HUNDRED PEOPLE IN A COOL OPEN AIR BACK YARD .. GREAT STAGE... GREAT DAY... GREAT FANS... DAMN, WE HAD FUN!! Highlights are hard to pick as the audience was so into everything... let's go with "Him Who Saved Me", "Sweet Tequila Blues", "I Wasn't Born In Tennessee" & "Wild Thing".... but, again, we were really into this entire set

Hi to so many including:

Carrie's family & friends including Frances, Katy, Leslie & Tom. Our Texas Music Group friends ... Heinz, Randy... (& thanks for all the help yesterday, TRISTAN!!) .... & MARK PUCCI ... our great publicist/friend... great to see you!!

A special hello to LILLIAN & brother Alex & mom & dad, Tom & Mary... great seeing you again & again... thanks for the sweets... they didn't last long!!! ... and special hi to Zea ... thanks for asking for "Sweet Tequila Blues"... we'd sing it for you and Lillian anytime... love you both!! ... HI JENNIFER... BONNIE & SONNY ... Sonny ... please, please ... return calls!!.. Hi Julie & mom Barbara... great to see you... hi Mary, Mole (from Brixton)... that was some party in Brixton!! ... thanks for reminding me... Hi Mercedes (U.T.) ... all the best with school & fun ... hi to mom... please come again... Tom ... hope Evan likes the CD... Hi Sue Ann... LAURIE & BILL (Carrie's violin teachers)... so good to see you... & THANKS!!!!! If it weren't for you, there would be none of this!... Bob.. good seeing you at the Makor & here... Hi Simon... hope Chris likes the CD.. tell him we'll see him soon .. Hi Les... from Bristol... good to see you ... DAN ... SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS!!... GREAT TO SEE YOU MARK ... LOVE TO BARBARA... Hi to Richard from Brighton,..... HI TO JOEL, "REESE"... SAY HI TO NITA... (not Anita), ... hi Ronnie... sounded great with James.... see you in N.Y.... Hi to Jay from Indianapolis...

JACK ... great to here "Wild Thing" got you kicked out of school & in more proper directions... see you soon!! ... Hi Sharon (Shannon??) from Dallas... hi to Mark from Knoxville... John ... looking forward to hearing your CD... HI JAMIE (from the Gougers)... great to see you... next time I'll here you... HARRY... FROM NOTTINGHAM... "The Trouble... " is one of my favorites as well.... great to see you again... BILL... & ALL THE REST FROM NEW ZEALAND... so great to see you boys!!!!! ... let's figure a way for us to get there!! ... really appreciate your kind words.

HI TO STEVIE - tell Arleigh we missed him... see you next time Arleigh ... MIKE ... from France .. great to see you... email Florence... HI DAVE & DANNY (Mgr) from Threadgill's... good to see you boys... HI HOPE... did you catch up with Bonnie?.. Hi Kate,\ (BELL SOUND N.Y.... wow... what memories!!) Alex John & ??? forgot one brother... let me know... Hi Lillian... & cousin Matt (Moorhead State)

AND MR. CONQUEST.... THANKS JOHN... WHAT A GREAT DAY!!!!!

VENUE #2 ----- 5:30 PM -

The TWANGCAST/AUSTINAMERICANA.COM SHOW this is an out door event sponsored by my friends R.W. & Bill

What a nice deal ... another outdoor venue... the clouds threatened but held back... thanks Scott for the great sound... Debbie... loved playing at your place. Added a very inspired "Big River" & "Angel ", to what we played a few hours ago... great job John & Kevin!!! (the boys were on fire!)... Carrie was totally on... loved the back-and-forth with her all day today! ......... just another slammin' back yard party... what a terrific musical day.... just loved it!

Hi to:

Sherry, Heico (from Germany)... Bliz... Tom... Bob.... Hi to Brenda & all the Groovy girls from "THE GROOVY DOG BAKERY".... great to see you... hi to Morton from Oslo... hi to BILL & ERNESTINE ("Ernie")... hi to R.W.'s friends Bill & Miriam ... great to see you both...

R.W. .... exercise.. diet... stay healthy, my friend... thanks to you & Bill for a great afternoon!!... see you soon.

LATER THAT EVENING

10:30 PM - went to see Ray Wylie... at Saxon Pub.... Hi judy ... what a show ... hi to Noel & brother & wife... John & Bob & cousin... Dennis??... & John & Nina & all ...

note: one very nice guy came up to me and, in all seriousness, said; "I don't think I've ever seen a person getting so much enjoyment out of working... " He was a true fan... I kind of think he felt good about that... or glad to be a part of that... but it was a serious thought ... and a reminder to me of how fortunate I am (to have put the gambling life behind me ... to have met Carrie... to be playing with John, Kevin & my other great musician friends.... to have the amazing TMG association... etc.) & I would never feel that way way if it weren't for the back & forth of the greatest fans on the planet. I always feel we are truly "in this together!"

so I know all he said to be true.... I'M ABSOLUTELY GUILTY AS CHARGED.


......... with thoughts of my pal Art, I'll say goodnight


MARCH 19 --

had breakfast with John Platania (JP) & his friend... music bus impresario (Sheryl Crow/ & many others... stopped by our label (Lonestar Records) to say hi to Heinz, Rob & Randy.... checked out some Gibson guitars at a local guitar shop... THANKS STEVE FOR DRIVING US AROUND.....

then met up with Hakan (our Scandinavian rep & great friend)... saw old friend Kris Kristofferson play (solo!!!) at the out door Town Lake Stage (just 2 minutes from our hotel) ... went back stage & said hello... great to see him .... saw friend Al Banetta (John Prine's manager... who again told me how much he & John loved "The Trouble With Humans"... we're playing some shows with John in May.

had dinner with JP & Hakan on the east side... stopped back to see Joss Stone... the young (18 year old) R&B wonder.... great!!! ... hope I can write something for her.... went to the New West party/showcase.... great stuff... The Flatlanders, Delbert, Dwight Yoakam

Hi to all who tapped me on the shoulder... it's so nice to be "seen"... hi to Sylvia... sorry I wasn't able to talk as you walked in ... Carrie was ringing... Hi to Al & lovely friend from La... great to see our world-class engineer of the duet CDs, Huck Bennert (in town for a wedding & some SXSW)... friend Jimmy La Fave... James from Nottingham... Hi to Peter... wish he was here... Hi Garth & Kathryn... The Swedish contingent... Morgan, Claes (pronounced Clars???), Anders (torn tendon... hence crutches) & Hakan... not to be confused with my other QUITE LARGE... 6'9'' friend..... & magazine friend John & beautiful wife Laura??

March 1 - 7, 2004 - Scandinavia

Mar 1 - Oslo

I had a bit of a rough night as I needed to change rooms to get the proper ventilation (a window I could open)... everyone else seemed to rest well.. but Petter’s cold is worse.

A friend from Playground Music (home of my great friend Hakan Olsson) Elen meets us at the hotel & escorts us to sound check - great to see you Elen... Steeg is the sound man & a great one... we check & Carrie & I head back for a quick Scandic dinner & change... the boys stay at the venue.

I call home ... Joanie confirms what I heard earlier from Flo... Angelina walked to the mike at the Academy Awards to the tune of “Wild Thing”.... OK by me.

Mar 1 - the show ... Oslo -

VENUE - Club Bla (Blue)

Loved playing “Mono” the last two years... Hi to Runar & our friends there. We wanted to stop by & say hello... but just didn’t have the time.... Club “Blue” is terrific as well... kind of like New York’s Mercury Lounge. There's a monster gaudy chandelier hanging outdoors in the alley... Carrie cracks up when she sees it.

it’s a great night ... the sound is terrific .... THANKS STEEG ... ... lots of young people in the audience ... as well as some older fans.... highlights: maybe “Say Little Darlin” medley, ”Don’t Speak In English”, “Laredo”... don’t think we ever were more inspired with these two... “Big River” ... “Fall”, “Once again... One day... Will You Be Mine”... and other new ones... “I Need Some Help With That” & “Big Moon Shinin”... highlights at least for us .... as it’s the first time we,we've played these songs... & “All The Rain” & “We Come Up Shinin”

I lost my notes here ... so from memory and a note or two.... Hi to:

Torgier... thanks for the scotch... & friends / fans Grethe & Marethe.. ??? ... so good to see you before the show & feel your enthusiasm... hope to see you soon again... Torgier ... thanks for calling your Trondheim friends!! . ... HI VIVIAN.... great to see you ... HOPE LILLIAN LIKES THE CD... hi to Ole Tom, & friend Jergen... Linna’s dad ... sorry I missed your name...so nice talking with you... hope your friend Claus likes the CD... & thanks for bringing your lovely daughter to the show... Linna... hope you enjoy the CD ... & hope to see you & dad soon.... Hi to Eivind (violinist!) , VIDAR, Jan, ... & Lochstger... look forward to hearing your CD... Hi Martin... glad you were there!!... & to all the rest... including the group that stayed to the end... hope to see you “guys” again

A great night at a great club... we would certainly like to come back here!!

THANKS TONI & VIVIAN for being so unbelievably cordial... & ERIKA (thanks for the invite) ... & Elen from Playground... Elen... hope Peter is better ... tell him I missed him... Hi to Nick (is he still there??)... & Jan Eric... ??? is he there as well???

See you all soon


March 2 ---- heading to Bergen

VENUE - Madame Felle’s

Petter heads home to Gothenberg. It will be just Jonas, Carrie & I for two shows... we’ll pick up Petter on the way to Steninge on Friday. It’s an 7 plus hour train ride from Oslo west (slightly north) to Bergen and no words can describe this scenic journey.... awesome... majestic... amazing is at least a place to start. Rather soon after leaving, and for the rest of the trip, you are riding through Norway’s snowy mountains with lakes and fjords resting at their bottom... or riding on top of the mountains... like in a low flying airplane through the clouds. Most of the passing areas are only slightly inhabited. Just beautiful!

We were met on arrival by the venue manager (the guy who hired us to play), Ola.... a very nice character with a quirky sense of humor. He takes us to the venue, which is part of the Radisson Hotel. We love this - as we can eat there, rest there, shower there, take an elevator downstairs plug in and play.

We meet our terrific booker (agent) for the Norwegian tour, Trigva.... great to see my friend again. Our sound man Daniel (actually moonlighting... we hear his real “job” is playing guitar). He gets us good sound fast.... so we get into the routine mentioned above and hit the stage at 10:30. (SHOWS IN NORWAY & SWEDEN USUALLY START LATE).


THE SHOW

It’s a small pub-like atmosphere, with good viewing for all. It holds around 100... it’s not packed but it’s full... every seat is taken. I break a string during the third song... we take short break for repairs and are back at it in a few minutes. Somehow the “problem” brings us on more intimate terms with the audience. It’s like they rather quickly feel sorry for you & this “we’re in it together” thing takes over. IT’S ALWAYS LIKE THAT!!... SO HERE'S SOME ADVISE FOR OURSELVES AND OTHER ARTISTS... IF YOU WANT TO BE SURE TO CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE... SCREW UP EARLY!!

The audience... some young... some old.... is with us throughout. It’s always great to see the staff & your promoters having a good time as well... and that surely was the case here with terrific new friends... manager/bar tender Elisbeth & door person Anelena as well as Trigva & Ola. Highlights were many... let’s go with “Big River”, “Find Me A Killer”, “All The Rain”, “Fall”,” “The Trouble With Humans” & “We Come Up Shinin”.

We played until 1:00 AM. ... said hi to many including: our new record store owner friend Inge & his friends Sophie & Tommy ... all the best with your own stuff Tommy.... thanks so much to all of you for traveling so far to get here!! ... Mike ... thanks for coming with your lovely friend & thanks for the nice press.... Frank ... so good talking to you .... good luck with your booking business ... hi to Whit & the “Hot Club....” gang if you see them before we do ... Helge... so good to meet you... all the best with your drumming gigs ... also Hi to ... Bjorn, Bjorn & Bjorn.... Sidsel Iren (that IS the correct spelling), Tor, Marten & Anita... Arne & (another) Tore... this time with an “e”... and all the others who made this such a memorable night.

TRIGVA - THANKS FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS.... OLA thanks for being so cordial and for all the late night “extras”... THANKS ELISBETH!!!

hope you keep the place going so we can do it again!!!


Mar 3 - off to Trondheim (city of the Viking king... & historical capital of Norway)

VENUE - CREDO (web site - restaurantcredo.no)

We get only a few hours sleep... we’re on a plane by 10:30 and in Trondheim by 11:30. We’re met by one of the venue owners... a great guy named Tor... HISTORY... Tor & two friends (each an expert in different aspects of restaurant stuff... wine, cooking & music/bar stuff) ... decided to quit their previous jobs and join forces a few years ago... RESULT... THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GOURMET RESTAURANT/ MUSIC VENUE IN ALL OF NORWAY.

TOMORROW NIGHT, BEFORE SHOW TIME, CARRIE JONAS & I WILL FEAST ON A FIVE OR MORE COURSE GOURMET MEAL... WITH THE FINEST OF WINES SERVED FOR EACH COURSE... WE WILL THEN ROLL ON STAGE AT 11:15.


LATER

it’s 10:40... I’m back at the hotel... we’ve just finished the meal.... UNBELIEVABLE!!!! .... we’re to meet downstairs in 10 minutes... on stage in 35 .... talk to you later

-----------------------------

OK, I’m back....

here’s a description of our feast

1) Champagne - excellent... very crisp & dry

2) a yogurt/ lime foam starter served in an elongated minute shot glass like... glass

3) starter #2 - a croquette made from dry cod & potatoes, lightly fried with Spanish piquillo (red pepper) .... resting on a bed of arugula

4) a minute portion of Broccoli soup.. with muscles mixed in housed in a tiny candle holder-like container glass (with gray horizontal lines encircling).

5) a George Bruer Riesling 2002... delicious ... not very sweet.... just nice

THUS FAR ..... AMAZING... ..... Carrie just said.... “I’M SO, SO....
HAPPY!!

6) First main course ... Baked artic char ... lying on a bed of finely
chopped carrots, parsley, cabbage roots (turnips) & squash... served with a puree of cauliflower with a garnish of bean sprouts.... oh my!

7) the above flowered by a delicious Spanish wine from the north west Albarino region... slightly fruity in flavor.

8) main course #2 ... Baked cod topped with soy reduction ... with cod tongue (fried in a light batter) alongside.... with boiled cherry tomatoes & a small chopped section of leek with pomegranate seeds sprinkled about.

9) an Italian red wine is now served in preparation for main course #3 ... “Trerose” from Montepulciani ... this northern region wine is earthy, smooth and amazing!

10) main course #3 ... Venison... shot just 18 miles north of here ... served with a strong flavored ox sausage.... mixed with Fennel, raisins & red & green chile peppers.. along side green beans on a slice of turnip.... this Venison has little “gamey” flavor... & absolutely melts in your mouth! ... Carrie just said... “oh my God!!’ .... twice

11) An Austrian Weinreider is now served ... this is a white chardonnay ... a heavy desert wine

12) next comes the Caberales cheese from the north of Spain... wrapped in grape leaves stored in Kegs for 6 to 12 months... served with amazing hazelnut & raisin bread.... OUT OF THIS WORLD STUFF

13) another pre- desert wine is served ... it’s another Riesling... this
time a sweet one... very nice

14) desert #1 - blood orange Terrine with vanilla ice cream topped by a tiny cigar-like sliver of chocolate... my goodness!

15) here comes Churchill's crusted port ... (oh would Lucinda have just loved this stuff!!)

16) here it comes ... chocolate terrine & strawberry sorbet & nachipear boiled in black currant

UNBELIEVABLE!!!! .... WE”RE DONE!!... THE BEST MEAL EVER.... SERVED & EXPLAINED BY OUR FRIEND KJETIL.... IS NOW OVER... WE HAVE AN HOUR AND A HALF TO REST & REJOICE BEFORE HITTING THE STAGE!!


THE SHOW

The venue is in the bar area above the restaurant... it holds about 100 people... there was big soccer match tonight which, we’re told, has kept some away... but it’s a nice full house anyway

we’re on stage at 11:20 ... Jonas’ first couple of solos are “off the charts”... showing the effects of all the wine... this gets Carrie & I smiling.... the audience is terrific & since it’s a late night start, most have had as much to drink as us, so we’re “in it together”... The sing-along on “Dance With Jesus” is quite spirited tonight & sets the stage for a loose... no holds barred show... don’t get me wrong... you could hear a pin drop on “Fall” & “The Trouble With Humans” & all the sensitive ones... just a damned great group .. we finish at about 1:30 with an almost reverent sing-along of “Holy Shit”... WE LOVED PLAYING THIS SHOW TONIGHT

Hi to all the terrific people we met tonight, including:

Kjetil... so glad you got a chance to see the show tonight!!... LOVE TO SVANHILD!! ... ARE ... heard you talked about us on your show... THANKS!! .. all the best with your band & upcoming show... TOBIAS... THANKS FOR THE BRUNCH... THE BEST BLT I EVER HAD!!!... hi Finn... so nice seeing you... JAN... best of luck with your music... Hi Peder... hi to Trigva’s friend Helga... GORDAN great meeting you ... & Marie!! ... no excuse next time! ... see you next year, GORDIG... THANKS FOR THE SOUND!! .... Hi Lena, Tore,
Anders, Benta, Karen, Ole, Kathrine, Erik... hi to Lena, Bjorn, KAISA ...
and hi to TOR... glad you came back... JAN... GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PLAYING... and hi to Karin & Anders (designers ... great to see you!) , Benta, Anders... & all the rest ... Carrie & I love this place

hi to OlA KVERNBERG... thanks for being there & bringing the CD in the morning... by the way... we loved it!!! ... reminded Carrie & me of Chet Baker’s sound and phrasing.

TOR.... THANKS MY FRIEND FOR EVERYTHING... IT DOESN”T GET BETTER THAN THIS ... Sorry about the ticket & the football ... or, if Taylor rules apply... congratulation!! ... All the best to Ingrid, Anna, Joanna, & Jacob .... and send our regards & thanks to Heidi & Calle.


MAR 4 - heading for Stinege, Sweden (on the west coast of Sweden... just below Gothenberg.

VENUE - GOSTAS (Ulf’s place)

After very little sleep (the show in Trondheim ended about 2:00 AM... and we stayed a few hours after)... we took a noon plane to Oslo... picked up our van there... headed to Gothenberg... where we picked up Petter.... & arrived in Stinege at midnight. Michael, the chef, had food waiting for us & Ulf (the proprietor), as usual, had the single malt ready. THANKS BOYS ... nice to meet VVen as well.

We have been really looking forward to this... we not only love playing the venue... but our now good friends Jan & Gunnell allow Carrie & me the use of their charming cottage ... on the sea.


MAR 5 ... After a good breakfast at Gostas, Carrie walked... I rested... and later we had some coffee and cake & good conversation with Jan & Gunnell & best friends of theirs, Rolf & his most inquisitive wife... Barbara. GREAT CAKE & PIE, LADIES... THANKS SO MUCH!!

we sound checked at 6:00... Carrie lost her shoulder rest for her violin... but friends Hans & Anna (terrific musician/singers,... who open for us here on a regular basis)... came to the rescue ... they called a music store & one was sent over in time for the show! THANKS “GUYS”!!

THE SHOW -

WHAT A GREAT NIGHT THIS WAS!!! MY GREAT FRIEND HAKAN & HIS FAMILY WAS THERE... MONICA, ELEN, YENS & fiance, (Hakan is from Playground Music -... the company that distributes our records) also there were our friends / fans Lars & Marita ... Jan Ake (& friend Gilbert) ... Rune & Irena... & Anders & Maria ... all travelled far to be with us...

It was so good to have Petter back with us keeping the groove going ... it makes it easier for Carrie & I to lose ourselves in each song. And that’s surely what we did tonight. And Jonas was terrific. He & Petter are such a good team on & off the stage. THE PLACE WAS PACKED... it supposedly holds about 120... but I think there were over 150 there tonight...

We did our 2 sets as usual... so many highlights... “Extra”, “Big River”, “Same Damn Car”, “Once Again... one day... will you be Mine”, “Fall”, “All The Rain”, “We Come Up Shinin”... but I particularly loved the way we did “The Trouble With Humans” tonight... Carrie & I extended the phrasing a few times just because that’s where our vibe was taking us... and the boys stayed right with us.... total “chill” time for me... WELL DONE BOYS! --

and I can’t say enough about Carrie.. she’s simply amazing. I can’t wait to take the stage with her every night & get that “on fire” feeling.... what a blessing!

After the show, aside from those already mentioned, we got a chance to say hi to many... including:

Our friends Maria & Johan (we sang “The Ship” for them last summer... for their anniversary)... Kay & Kicki ... who will, one of these days in New York , (with daughter Joanna.. living in New Jersey). ... hi to Kurt (thanks for always being there), Lennart... you as well.... also hi to Goran, & Marriann, Theres, Anders, Agneta, Bength, ....

and of course... Jan, Gunnel, Barbara & Rolf... glad you all were there... THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING US FEEL SO WELCOME!!

And all the rest of this great audience... this was one hell of a night!

THANKS FOR HAVING US AGAIN, ULF.... SEE YOU SOON

March 6 ... heading for Gothenberg

had breakfast on the run, courtesy of Ulf & Chef Michael... said hi to Ulf’s son Max , his lovely wife Marie & precious little daughter Isabelle..... got on the road at 12:00, arriving in Gothenberg at 1:40.

INSTORE -- at a music store whose name is translated, “Record Choppers”

This place, Waterloo Records in Austin & Bills in Plano TX are my favorite record stores on the planet. Said hi to our friends Ralph, Lasse & Bill & played for a very enthusiastic audience for about 30 minutes.... said hi to many including:

Asa... whose little (months old) daughter Sigrid was so much fun to see as we played... great to meet you... Hi to sister Tove as well... hope you can make it to the show tonight... Hi to Anders, Bjorn, Michael... see you tonight... you as well, Ann... and Mauritz... see you in a few hours... Hi Josephine... hope Kalle likes the CD... Hi Lars.. thanks for your amazing support... Hi Jorgan.. Lennart... we’ll try to remember to play “Hole In The Midnight” for you tonight... Hi Stefon... Ole... Mattias.

We love playing here... LASSE & RALPH... thanks so much for the scotch, candies & the CDs......... RALPH... SEE YOU IN AUSTIN!!


MARCH 7

THE FINAL EUROPEAN TOUR SHOW - GOTHENBERG, SWEDEN

what a night! - we knew this was going to be good at sound check. This was the first time we had seen this venue..... a nice size room with a nice warm feel ... even though there’s a bar in front & a bit to the right of the stage... it seemed more of a listening room vibe... warm., elegant cool with a fairly large stage.

Our soundman Johan got us great sound very fast... After a very good dinner (beef stroganoff) at the venue, we were on stage at 9:15. THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS... THANKS SO MUCH JOHAN... LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU NEXT YEAR

We had heard that the ticket sales were a bit slow... only 70 plus before the doors opened. However there was a very good walk-up and the room was packed ... all standing.... there was a nice age mixture here... lots of reverent young people that were Black & Blue America fans and now totally into the duets as well. And great friends Anders, Irena, Rune, Maria, Lars & Maria were all there as well. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!

Carrie loved the sound on stage & was loose & amazing... she wore that lovely lace top... haven’t seen that for a while... the blend of our voices was so good tonight, it was easy for Carrie & I to stretch the harmonies and got to new chill factor places.. Jonas played some off-the-charts solos ... WELL DONE, MY FRIEND... GREAT JOB ON THE ENTIRE TOUR... we focused a great deal on home town hero Petter ... putting him on the spot with many bass solos, so he could show mom & dad (Whimsy & Anders) & girlfriend Jaana & all his friends what great stuff he was doing these past few weeks.... GREAT JOB PETTER!! WE’LL DO IT AGAIN!!

This was a terrific & very vocal audience... letting us know they were totally with us from the start.... highlights for me were “Extra” (Jonas played some amazing stuff & Carrie sold it big time), “Once again... one day... will you be mine”, a requested “Storybook Children”, “Fall”, “Big River”, & “We Come Up Shinin”... which ended one of the truly great nights on this amazing tour.

Hi to:

Tove.. thanks for keeping your word... sorry we couldn’t party afterward with you & Jonathan... see you next time... hi to the terrific “in time” foot stompers Linnea & Anders ... so good to see you again..hi to Lennart for the “Hole In The Midnight” request.. hi to Gusta, Erhard, Mats, & another Erhard (from lovely daughter... wish we got your name), Pernilla, Linnea, Peder, Andreas, Daniel, Carl, Henrik, Mikael & friend Goran... great to see you guys! ... Stefon... so good to see you again... send me that EMAIL ... thanks for the nice words re: “Getting Older Looking Back”... AND HI TO THE GREAT YOUNG FANS IN THE VERY FRONT & THE YOUNG DANCING GIRLS RIGHT BEHIND... SO GLAD YOU WERE THERE!!!

A special hello to Lars & Evalena (expecting their first child in 3 weeks!)... GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN... GOD BLESS... TELL ME WHEN HE ARRIVES!!

February 26 - March 1, 2004 - Scandinavia

Feb 26

Carrie & I are into our third day of wonderful R&R here in Stockholm. We're staying at the Hilton/Scandic which sits on a hill overlooking The Satltsjon (the Salt lake) with the old town of Stockholm on the other side, just a five minute walk across the bridge. This afternoon we'll play a bit of music in preparation for our Sweden/Norway tour which begins tomorrow. Carrie's been doing a lot of walking... through the old town... with it's many lovely boutique clothing shops ...... and beyond the old town into the high end fashion district. THUS FAR... SHE HAS BEEN SHOWING AMAZING RESTRAINT!!! ..... NOT ONE PURCHASE!!! ... aah, but there's still one afternoon left! I've done a bit of hobbling, a bit of shopping... visited the Town Hall where, in the large blue Room, the Nobel Prizes are awarded... checked out the new casino ... where I determined that.... due to machine card shufflers which shuffle the cards constantly - after each hand is played... the advantage of the card counters is eliminated. Two nights ago, we had dinner at one of my favorite all time restaurants... a lovely quiet place called Naglo, which sits just behind the Opera Plaza yards beyond the old town. And last night we had another interesting/excellent meal at an unpretentious restaurant that's part of the music complex where we'll play in two days, The Nalen. Each night we've ended the evening by visiting our friend Sten, at his bar/restaurant/music venue, the AKURAT (played here 4 years ago) - which is the home of the best bear & single malt scotch selections IN THE WORLD. I am not exaggerating here... there can be none better... hundreds of scotches to choose from... from the newest, to the rarest... and the same is true for the beer selection... truly an amazing place. note: wrapped up our vacation with a nice dinner at Naglo, then some good whiskey & scotch with Sten at Akurat... it seems like I've known & been friends with this guy forever... so good to meet his girlfriend, Maja... look forward to seeing him at our Stockholm concert in a few days.

Feb 27

- heading for Hassleholm vacation's over ---- time to go back to work. We pick up our rented van at about 10:30 ... Jonas meets us there and with map in hand we're on the road at 11:00. This tour is a bit crazy as we are ping-ponging across Sweden for the next few days before heading for Norway (not the promoters fault... just the way the venues fell in). Today we're traveling from the upper east of Sweden to just above the Southeast tip.... a little town called Hassleholm. We played here last year & I was here once before that.... so we'll see some familiar faces in the crowd & with the great & warm staff. Looking forward to this one. We take the E4 south and arrive 5 plus hours later. We call Petter who is traveling by train to from Goeteberg, Miraculously without planning, he is arriving at the Hassleholm train station exactly as we pull into town. He literally is walking out the doors as we pull up to the curb. So sorry to hear that he's had a very difficult trip - standing between train cars for 4 plus hours. He tells the story with a good sense of humor... Petter (and Jonas) are definitely low maintenance band members .... much appreciated by Carrie & I. We check into the City Hotel... say hi to now old friend Janet (Janet & husband Persey own this nice, but modest B&B) ... we hear our friends / fans Rune & Irena & Anders & Marie are staying here as well. We'll look forward to seeing them later.... we arrive at the venue ... a youth center (no alcohol served) at s 6:00...ay hi to sound man & stage man, Johan & Johan & manager, Mike (pronounced MEEKAE)... great guys... they send us to the best restaurant in town where are pre-ordered meal is waiting as we walk in... terrific food ... interesting vegetable salad ... cajun chicken... salmon etc... beautifully prepared. we're back on the venue by 8:15... on stage at 9:00 ... introduced nicely by the head of the center, Lars.

FEB 27 - THE SHOW

Last year when we played here there were quite a few students in attendance - it's some sort of vacation ... evidently the kids are in the mountains, skiing,. So it's an older crowd tonight... with a few youngsters sprinkled in. But the rather small venue (150?) looks full. Most Swedish audiences show their appreciation in a far different manner than those of other countries. If they like a performance they clap for a long time... rather than cheer. The polar opposite of Austin... or Ireland. The sound monitors on stage are perfect tonight making it easy for Carrie & I to give our best.. & the applause for each song is extremely long. Toward the end of the first set the electronics in my guitar blow out.... right in the middle of "Dance With Jesus" ... so we finish that song with a real revival - acoustic ending and end the set with somewhat quieter... but still most effective ... readings of "Extra" & "Angel Of The Morning." During intermission we're at first sure the guitar cannot be fixed for the show. THEN MIRACLE OF MIRACLES! ---- A YOUNG GUITAR TECH GUY, NIKLAS (19 years old) .. WALKS IN THE DRESSING ROOM... loosens THE STRINGS... PUTS HIS HAND INSIDE THE GUITAR... TIGHTENS SOMETHING & SHAZAM!!!... WE'RE UP & RUNNING!!! ....... THANKS NIKLAS... SEE YOU NEXT TIME!! The guitar holds up.... the second half is so loose and spirited... several highlights... but the one I remember most is the rap in "Wild Thing"... where tonight I tell the story of Petter's difficult train ride and my promise ... for all his troubles... to make him a star tonight... and so I give him 3 featured bass solos in a row... one by himself.. then with Jonas... then with Carrie... the audience went nuts!! - We ended with a spirited "All The Rain"... and a requested "Holy Shit" ... which had the audience singing along.... JUST A GREAT NIGHT!! Hi to: old friends Lars, Marita & Jan Ake.... & Rune, Irena & Anders & Maria... great to see you again... see you in a few days... hi to Chris, Johnny & Annike... Eva & Jan... Lisa, Marggareta... HI JOUNI... nice to see you.... hi to MATS... thanks for the kind "Bootleg" comments ... Per & daughter Jessica (18?) ... thanks so much for being here!! ... Anders & Olle - from Austin (B&B America stage production) ... great to see you again.. & Bength (WITH THE ADDED "H"... for some odd reason) & Bengt (with the normal spelling) ... HI TO John, Erik, Roland, Marcus, Rebecca & Stina... Kare AND HI TO ALL MY GOOD FRIENDS FROM THE VENUE.... Mike, Johan & Johan, Besnek, Jesper... Hi Malin ... great to see you all!!... Carrie & I appreciate your help & kindness.... THANKS! I wind down the evening with a a drink of good single malt with a couple of friends... great to see you boys!... MIKE... forgot to mention... THANKS FOR THE SCOTCH!!

Feb 28 -

Back to Stockholm We leave Hassleholm at 10:30, arriving in Stockholm shortly before 5:00 - The venue "Nalen" (a terrific "arty" theater complex) has put us up in a hotel... THE Berger JARL ---- I'm expecting a modest small room.. I GET A MODERN DESIGNER PALACE SUITE ... WITH TERRACE... CARRIE GETS THE "MISS DOTTIE" DESIGNER ROOM NEXT DOOR... WITH SMILING DOTS ON THE WALL ABOVE THE HEADREST... CERTAINLY NO REAL COME DOWN FROM THE 5 STAR HILTON. THANKS STEFON!! We sound check with a great soundman HAKAN... had a great dinner at the club's restaurant where Carrie & I had enjoyed a meal a few days before.... & were on stage a few minutes after 9:00. This place is so cool.... tables & chairs holding about 125 with standing room in the back for 25 more.... a modern but warm setting. THE PLACE WAS PACKED!!! ... amazingly... even with vacation in force... it was a younger crowd than we've been used to - probably over 50% in the 20 to 30 range,.. & they roared when we hit the stage! WHAT AN AMAZING NIGHT... ABSOLUTELY AS GOOD AS IT GETS!!... CARRIE, JONAS, PETTER WERE SO LOOSE, BRILLIANT.. every song was a good adventure for us... it was so good to see the audience so responsive to Jonas (in his back yard) & Petter n... who had many friends in attendance... way too hard to pick a standout as the audience was so into everything. We had several requests... honored most... including "Dirty Little Texas Story", "Son of A Rotten Gambler" & "I Wasn't Born In Tennessee"... which were all appreciated to the max. said hi to many including: Sten & sister Mia... THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING A PART OF THIS ADVENTURE, STEN... so good to see you MIA.... also WONDERFUL TO SEE MY OLD UPSALA FRIENDS... JENNY, ANNICA & JENNA (WHOSE BIRTHDAY WE CELEBRATED IN UPSALA 2 YEARS AGO WHILE SHE WAS IN AUSTRALIA)... so sorry we missed you later... Carrie & I got to the upstairs bar as it closed... hoped to see you at the KGB up the street.. but you never came... PLEASE EMAIL US ... IT WAS SO GOOD TO SEE ALL OF YOU..... hi to SOPHIE , ALBIN, MARTIN, MALIN & HENRIK (AGAIN & AGAIN) & ALL .. MY GREAT FRIENDS OFF TO MY LEFT... what a great group you are!!! ... can't wait to see you next time!! ... also hi to Jan & Erik... Adele & Emily... wasn't Petter awesome!!! ... Johanna & dad Johnne (thanks for bringing your terrific daughter, Johnne)... GREAT TO SEE YOU BOTH!!... ANNA ... so surprised & happy you were there... looking forward to your email... hi Daniel... tell Lovisa I got her message... I think he's pretty great too... hope to see her next time... HEY ROGER... thanks for being there!! .... Hi TOMAS, CHRISTER & KERSTIN... so good to see you.. ,... & oh yes... great to see Michael & Chris... who saw the B&B stage production of my life's story 2 years ago in Austin... GREAT TO SEE YOU BOTH... HI TO KAROLINA & friend & Stellan... whose friends came to BB KINGS in N.Y. .... CATARINA... always so good to see you... your boy was amazing again tonight!!! ....... great to see you all... this was a very special night for Carrie & me ... (& the boys!!) Olaf ... great to see you... THANKS!!! Hakan .... GREAT SOUND!!!!... thanks for taking the time ... Stefon... THANKS FOR HAVING US!

Feb 29 -

on the road to Oslo, Norway We partied a bit too much so we were all a bit slow responding to our agreed departure time of 12:00 ... the nine passenger van (6 seats removed) got on the road at about 12:45. It's an 7 plus - trip, so we decided to catch up on the last chapters of our Grisham book on cassette, The King Of Torts... so far it's been superficial in every aspect... but we were hooked enough to want to know how it ends. just before arriving in Oslo we heard the final words of the final chapter. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT READ THIS ABSOLUTE PIECE OF GARBAGE.... IT'S A HORRIBLE BOOK, POORLY TOLD... ABSOLUTELY NO REDEEMING VALUE... FILLED WITH INACCURACIES ABOUT HUMAN BEHAVIOR & SIMPLE LOGIC...... so glad it's over... whew!! We arrived at 8:00, got settled in our very comfortable Scandic Hotel and headed for a terrific dinner at an Indian restaurant down the street... there was no show this night .... it was good to know we could stay in one place until the show tomorrow night. Feel a bit bad for Petter who developed a bit of a cold.

February 17 –24, 2004 – Ireland Tour

Feb 17 - Maidstone to Brighton

Tomorrow we will be heading for Ireland (Belfast) on Easy Jet ... with strong weight restrictions for luggage. Carrie got the very good idea of pruning down our luggage and shipping stuff home. We put unneeded stuff in garbage bags and decided we’d mail it from Brighton.

Since the hotel we stay at in Brighton has a few floors to climb, depending on the room, I got the very good idea of putting today's necessities... best pair of jeans... 2 new T-shirts... tooth brush etc.. in another little bag... one boot include ... (still minor swelling.. so not quite able to fit in the left one) ... but, as John said... the “good idea” was a bad one since I broke a pattern of travel... and when we arrived in Brighton, some two hours away, I discovered I left the little bag in the lobby of the Ramada Inn.

Carrie says not to worry... If we have time, we’ll go back & pick it up tomorrow.

Feb 17 - The greatest little B&B in England

Paskins B&B... with our friends/owners Susan & Dave & John & Roger... GREAT TO BE HERE SUSAN - THANKS FOR THE UPGRADE... MY ROOM IS A PALACE!

THE VENUE

Good friend Mike Lance has booked us in The Hanbury Ballroom... what a pretty room.. we have a bit of a problem figuring out how to get the monitors working due to the high ceiling.. but sound man Joel is a big help and we’re finished with enough time to get a bite to eat at a friendly curry restaurant in hobbling distance.

THE SHOW

The place holds 160 and it’s packed... and what an amazing audience... great to have Don Richardson (bass) & Dan Hale (drums) back on the team... missed you guys! ... THE BAND WAS AMAZING TONIGHT.. JOHN, PLAYING HIS LAST SHOW FOR A FEW WEEKS (due to some US production commitments) , WAS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT... the interaction between Carrie & me was very strong despite some slight monitor problems (there was a brief sound monitor outage that had us singing our last song of the first set, “Angel Of The Morning” much quieter than usual... but it worked for us rather than against us as the audience became absolutely reverent).... again it would be hard to pick a highlight song, as the reaction to every one was so strong... If I had to choose, I’d have to give it to “Once Again, One day ... will you be mine”, “Find Me A Killer” & “Fall” tonight.

lost my tour notes, but from memory & some help from Mike.... HI TO:

11 YEAR OLD CRISTAL... SO SORRY YOU COULD NOT GET IN... your mom Paula?? (is that right?) & Grandma Marj told us what happened... NEXT TIME YOU COME TO ONE OF OUR SHOWS CARRIE & I WANT YOU TO BE OUR GUEST... YOU CAN COME BACK STAGE WITH US BEFORE THE SHOW... SEE YOU SOON!

Hi to... Sandy... thanks for the interview... Ashley & Paul... thanks for always being there... Jeff... thanks for call the support (I’ve got writer’s cramp!)... Bob ... thanks for bringing your son-in-law.. I’m upset with myself for not remembering his name... hope to see you both again... Mike... thanks for bringing half the neighborhood. ‘till next time... DAVID & TOLI (ANATOLI)... great to see & talk to you!... Pierce & Sheila... Bruce... thanks for the “Oh, Ireland” request... WILLIE... great to see you always, my friend... GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK TONY!!!... thanks for selling the CDs.. see you soon!!

AND THE GREAT STAFF & NEW FRIENDS... JOEL, BEN (THANKS SO MUCH< MY FRIEND!!), MARY & MATT & ALL ... great to see you... Carrie & I send our best

THIS WAS AN AMAZING NIGHT!!! - Thanks to all our great friends in this area.. hope to see you all soon!

NORTHERN IRELAND (Phil Sinclair territory)

I always dedicate my Ireland shows to the memory of Phil, a wonderful .... most loved guy... a record store owner in the triangle area, he had passed my 70’s albums to all of his friends and so was responsible for my fan base in the north... I got the chance to say hello to him in the hospital on my first trip to Belfast about 6 years ago... Phil passed away shortly afterward. His legions of friends will never forget him.

Feb 18

Carrie & I arrived in Belfast shortly after 3:00 PM, picked up our Budget mini-van & headed for Stroke City

note: an apostrophe before “Derry”... was an effort to have one name of the town to satisfy all - the idea invented by renowned DJ Gerry Anderson... previously the loyalist’s called it “Londonderry”.. nationalists called it “Derry”.... SO, GERRY'S NEW SUGGESTED NAME WAS “’DERRY” --------with that idea in mind, I wrote and recorded a song called “Stroke City Girls” ... it was on my “Black & Blue America” album... and was somewhat of a hit in Northern Ireland a few years ago.

Arrived at Da Vinci’s Hotel in ‘Derry at about 6:00 - LOVE THIS PLACE – WE PLAY HERE , EAT HERE & SLEEP HERE.... TONIGHT’S A NIGHT OFF... THIS IS GREAT MINI-BREAK FOR US!!

Our good friend from Sweden Jonas Jorensson (guitar) &b Petter Erikson (bass) arrive and are ready for rehearsal at 7:00. This is our first time playing with Petter and we are thrilled that he is so prepared.... and so good!!!

We have a great meal at Da Vinci’s classy restaurant & hit the sack on the early side - GREAT TO BE HERE!! -

LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING JOE GALAGHER, OUR PROMOTER... HE”S AS GOOD AS IT GETS IN THIS FIELD... HE IS SO HANDS-ON PREPARED..... he’s already set us up with a free amp for the tour... just as a favor.. not part of his job description... THANKS JOE!!


Feb 19 - 10:30 AM

BBC RADIO - WITH LEGON’DERRY HOST GERRY ANDERSON

IT DOES NOT GET MORE FUN THAN THIS -

Gerry had us on for a while - it was like a bunch of friends sitting around and talking with a couple of songs mixed in - of course we played “Stroke City Girls” & “Oh Ireland”... This was so much damn fun!!

note: it would have been a little cumbersome to fit the double bass in the small studio, so Petter joined in by sitting & slapping his legs for some extra rhythm on the up tempo songs ... & Jonas did a fine job playing guitar through a small practice amp.

Thanks Caroline, Sean & Column & all... see you soon

After the show & after a bite to eat Carrie & I caught up with some business calls to the US... GREAT NEWS ... WE JUST FOUND OUT WE WERE INVITED TO PLAY E-TOWN... one of the most respected nationally syndicated radio shows in the US... we’ll fly to Boulder, Colorado on March 13 for a March 14th show.

We sound checked at 5:00 with engineer & friend Brian... although the room is set up a bit strange - extremely lateral, with much of the audience on the far left & far right... & a big bar 25 feet from the front of the stage... & pillars blocking the view throughout the room... BRIAN GOT US SOUNDING SO GOOD THAT I HAD NO FEAR THAT WE”D “REACH” EVERYONE.....


Feb 19 THE SHOW - at Da Vinci’s

Again... the place was packed.... every possible seat was occupied.... and the audience was totally with us from the opening bell ... PETTER & JONAS were so ready & so great... they sounded like they had been playing together forever (in fact, they had just known each other one day). CARRIE WAS AWESOME!!

THIS TURNED OUT TO BE ONE BIG PARTY... but don’t get me wrong... when we played the serious stuff, like “Him Who Saved Me” & “Fall” ... you could hear a pin drop.... highlights were too numerous to mention... but the place absolutely erupted when we performed “Stroke City Girls”.

WHAT AN AMAZING NIGHT

We said hi to so many, including:

John & Caroline (see you in Rostrevor!) & friends Kate & Rownan ... so good to meet you Brian & Josephine (who sat next to Carrie & me at dinner earlier) ... Jim & Katie.. Liam ... Khyla & mom Katie ... from Australia... happy birthday Katie... thanks for the “B&B” request Khyla... play it for you next time ... Marie... so good to see you again front & center with your three friends... thanks for bringing them ... what a great group... hi to Seamus, Dymna & Knox (last name??) ... HI MARIE!! .. ... GREAT TO SEE PHIL SINCLAIR’S OLD FRIEND, JOHN with friend Claire ... loved talking with you about the town council stuff ... good work with the recycling etc.. I noticed an effective drop off on the way out of town ...

Hey to “what’s your name again?! Arthur!! ... hope all is well ... thanks for the long walk here ... & prayers for mom in that better place ... HI MICKEY.. great to see you again!!! ... all the best Sean... good to see you ... BIG JOHN... THANKS FOR YOUR GREAT SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS... see you in Dublin... Hi to Gloria,& Liam, Dave, Preston, ... Hi Angus & Jillian (from London).. hello Eilidh ... pronounced Eillie??? ... so nice to meet you ... hi Merwyn, & Margaret & Frank & Gerald

Hi Leo, Alan, Patricia, David.... Special hi to lovely Wendy ... thanks for waiting so long to see Carrie & me ... Hi Brian & Patricia... maybe we’ll see you in Cork one of these days... Hi Willie & Gerry... Hi Gerald... thanks for getting the CD for your friends Sheena??? & Mark ... John.. at Amnesty International... I know you were here in spirit ... see you next time ...

AND TO ALL THE REST OF THIS GREAT GROUP ... CARRIE & I WISH YOU THE BEST... GOD BLESS & HERE’S TO NEXT TIME!!

A MESSAGE TO THE GREAT STAFF AT DA VINCI’S

including MELDA, AMANDA, FIONA, MARIE & GEORGE ... what a warm, friendly & helpful group.... look forward to seeing you next time


Feb 20 - On road to paradise -

Headed south west (on route A5) from ‘Derry at about 12:30, we passed through Omagh (I believe home of the terrible market bombing tragedy in the mid 90’s) arriving along the coast of the Carolinford Lough (which opens into the Irish Sea) at around 3:30. This coast, which looks across the water to the southern Ireland hills, is as pretty a drive as you’ll see.

We’ve been looking forward to this ever since it was booked. We’ll play at a community Center sponsored by a “the Rostrevor Writer’s Collective” -- headed by an amazing woman named Sadilva & friend Martin.

The last time we played here it was raining & cold.. now it’s sunny & unusually mild... we arrived at our friend Raymond’s Glen Beigh B&B at 3:45... which sits along side the river... breathtaking!! .. said hi to Ray’s lovely wife Patti (not there last trip) ... and checked into our most comfortable rooms.

Sadilva stopped by to pay me in advance & introduce me to her 22 year old son, a terrific young man named Donard. My amazing new buddy has been dealing rather heroically with the effects Down’s syndrome. He was in good spirits, but mom informed me that the combination of just getting over a cold and a weak heart would keep him from the concert tonight. I asked if he could come by for a private little concert in the morning at the B&B. just before we left for Dublin. They both seemed happy about that ... so we made plans for a late morning get together.


SOUND CHECK & DINNER

We sound checked from 6:30 to 7:30, then head across the street to one of the loveliest restaurants on the planet ... where, compliments of the “Collective”, we enjoy ed an amazing gourmet meal.


THE SHOW

The auditorium-like community center hold slightly more than 200 ... was sold out. We met Sadilva & Martin in the adjacent kitchen area (our large tuning space)... and after Sadilva’s lovely intro, we were on stage at 9:10.

The audience was with us from the start. They applauded hard after each song, & particularly appreciated the efforts of our Swedish friends.. who with only one rehearsal and one show under their belt, were like veterans with the material.

Highlights were hard to find with such enthusiasm for everything... but let’s go with “Sweet Tequila Blues”, “Hole In The Midnight”, “Angel of The Morning”, “Big River”, “Fall”, “Find Me A Killer”, “Wild Thing”, ... & of course “Stroke City Girls” ... with half the audience singing along ... we encored with “All The rain” & with the enthusiasm overwhelming & the audience not budging from their seats... we came back & finished with an inspired version of “We Come Up Shinin’”.

It seemed like the entire audience stuck around to say hello. Great to meet so many, including;

Tony... sorry I didn’t get a chance to find out more about you and why the wheelchair... but great to meet you & and your lovely wife Audrey... God Bless ... Hi to RANDALPH & HEATHER .. see you at the restaurant next year ... thanks for bringing your friend .. BRIAN .. HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN .. Hi to the IRELAND FAMILY ... see you soon Tom .. Margaret & Hugh ... great to see your smiling faces off to my left .. LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN ... Hi to Dhrese & Fidelma (faithful one) & Jeff ... great to see you “guys”

HI JAMES ... OUR 7 YEAR OLD NEW FRIEND!!! ... great to walk the room with you! .. ... all the best Trevor ... Hi to Susan, Tony & Anne ...CRISTEN .. WISH YOU WERE HERE ... GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR SINGING!! ... hi to mom ...Hi to Mal & Denis (not Dennis) ... HI hi to Michael, Patricia, Pius & Therse... LAURA .. sorry you had to leave so soon .. Hello Marty... we’ll get to “John Tucker’s on the Wagon Again” next time ... hi to Martin & Betty & Gerry ... Pete ... so good seeing you again... BRENDAN .. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT (from one J.C. fan to another) ...Hi Dermot .. relax ... it doesn’t get better

Eamonn & Sheree... We’ll look for prtty daughter Kate at The Cobblestone ... Hi Randy... so good to meet you ... Gerald & Geraldine .. Great to meet you!

THE ALL GIRLS ROSTREVOR BAND (ages ... we’re guessing ... in the area of 14 - 17)

FIDDLER, LORRAINE, GUITARIST, PATRICE, MUTI- INSTRUMENTALIST SHIELA (HARMONICA, MANDOLIN, PIANO, GUITAR & VOCALIST, ABBY

SO GOOD TO TALK TO ALL OF YOU... SEND US A TAPE... ALL BEST WISHES

HI JOHN & CAROLINE ... THANKS SO MUCH FOR ATTENDING BOTH SHOWS ... wish you could come to them all ... please say hi to Rownan & Kate ... hello to Tony & Bernadette, Martin & Gerry ... Vincent & Veronica ..great to see you again!! ... Hi to Angela & Therese & ... Hi Damian ... see you next time... Hi Pat & Margaret ... & Trevor ... great to see you again (last saw Trev when Carrie & I played at the Grand Old Opry in Nashville) ... look forward to seeing you & Glenise in Dublin & Belfast ...

And to all the rest .. Carrie & I thank you for great spirit ... we truly love coming here

After some good conversation about the art of making “hooch” and local politics (with a Bush Mills Black chaser) with my friend Raymond, I hit the sack at about 3:00.


Feb 21 .... THE MORNING SHOW

DONARD, Sadilva & husband Leo arrived at the B&B at noon for what would be THE MOST MEMORABLE CONCERT OF THE TOUR .., JUST 5 SONGS.. but when DONARD joined in for a rousing last chorus of “Wild Thing ... IT ABSOLUTELY BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN!! .... GREAT JOB DONARD... SEE YOU SOON... WE LOVE YOU MY FRIEND!!

Feb 21 - heading for Dublin

By the way.. the 6 seater-van we have just fits the big double bass (with travel case), the borrowed amp . guitar, fiddle and all the luggage ... thanks to Jonas & Petter’s ingenuity

Carrie’s at the wheel again - She’s used to driving on the left side by this time - my foot has healed enough to drive -- but Carrie - probably a bit afraid to take the chance with a “novice” - opts for it.

We are hooked on Grisham’s “King Of Torts” (on cassette) ... but in a bad way. Carrie & I have concluded that it is a most poorly written book, and not well read ... way “overacted”. However, we’re on tape 16 of this disaster ... we’ve put in our time and we want to fid out what the heck happens.

The last time we came to Dublin (2003), it took us multiple turns and much time to find our hotel - the same one we’re staying in this time (The Chief O’Neil) The UK cell phone we’ve been using for the past few weeks works in England & Northern Ireland... but not in the south..... since we can’t call the hotel for directions, we just keep pushing on. We arrive in Dublin around 2:30 - we’ve taken one road for an hour... we ask a bus driver to point us to the area the hotel is in ... he points straight ahead ... and after about 10 minutes of “straight ahead”, in the maze of the baby & carriage) cross the street ... I look off to the left & say, “ Carrie, stop the car.. turn left ... there’s our hotel!!” ----- what a fortunate hesitation!!

The Chief O’Neil hotel is pricey ... but terrific.. made of modern industrial material and designed to conserve space and look trendy-cool ---- it’s weird, but new & fresh & fun. We rest a bit, have a bite to eat at 6:45 at an excellent restaurant just outside the door .... another 3 course affair ... we’ve had a few of these recently ... it’s the third course we’d better watch out for.

The venue is 100 yards from the hotel. We sound check at 7:30 with an understated, but terrific soundman Paul. We head back to the hotel to shower & change & return at 9:30 - we’re on stage just before 10:00.


FEB 21 - THE SHOW - THE COBBLESTONE - DUBLIN

For some reason this intimate venue (holds about 100), was not booked until a few weeks ago ... however, despite little advance warning, a powerful bunch of fans are there for us -- not shoulder-to-shoulder but a nice crowd.

The audience is very vocal in their support. We know right away this is going to be a good night. Jonas & Petter are loose and great and the fans are loving all our efforts. Carrie’s stage monitor shorts out somewhere in the first set, but she manages to get through it without totally singing herself out. The problem is fixed at half time

Just as we are starting the second set, Gerry Anderson (famous No. Ireland DJ) walks in with his son & fiancé & others. We get in a great groove right away..... Highlights are hard to find again since the audience erupts after each song... let’s go with the medley of “Midnight On The Water” into “Say Little Darlin’”, “Fall”, “Him Who Saved Me”, Laredo”, “Big River”... & 6 stars for the “Wild Thing”, “All The Rain”, “Holy Shit” (by request) ending.

WHAT A BRILLIANT NIGHT ... THANKS TO ALL FOR COMING

Hi to:
Gerry Anderson... thanks for making the effort to come .. & thanks for all your support - we must have had 50 or more people tell us they heard us on your show - doesn’t anybody have a day job?? ... also, nice meeting son David & girlfriend, Treasa... thanks for bringing them

Great to see TED & THE GIRLS, NIAMH (pronounced NEVE) & AILEEN ... so glad you were there - we miss not playing for the gang at last years venue ... your coming brings some of those great memories back ... also hi to Pat ... thanks for all your support.. thanks for the info ... and daughter SHONA & Steve ... you know it’s always special to see you ... Shona, hope you get off the crutches soon... Hi to Inch, Karl & friends Roli (the expert ‘roler”) & Louise... hi to Denis & Paul & Frances... great to see you again on this side of the water ... Barry, thanks for coming... hi & love to Jenniand 2 month old Sadie... HI JOAN... GREAT TO SEE YOU... TELL MAGGIE HAPPY BIRTHDAY - WE MISSED HER & LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HER NEXT YEAR... Hi Mick... all the best... TOM FROM BOULDER... WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE... I”LL TELL JOHN HEY & have a great vacation ... Matt... thanks for giving Carrie our “charts” for planet readings... remember the #1 ... that will help you keep it as simple as possible... To “Olivia” lover, Gary.. hope you like B&B AMERICA.. find the better kind of “horses” there ... TED & LOISE... I met you just before we left ... what a nice couple... I really hope you come to the next one ... God Bless

ALSO...... TOM -(the owner)... thanks for your support, my friend..... PAUL - GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN... THANKS FOR YOUR GREATV WORK WITH THE SOUND!! ... Jackie.. see you soon, my friend


Feb 22 - Belfast here we come

We leave at 12:30 -- (last night was a late one - in bed after 3:00) – King Of Torts is on board with us again... corny-bad as usual... but somewhat informative regarding big money law stuff --- just somewhat ... but we’re addicted and persevering.

Arrive in Belfast at 3:30 - in time to catch up with this tour-note stuff and head for sound check - Carrie aborts her shopping trip for a bit of cheating... SHE HAS A BURGER KING!!! ... SHAME SHAME!!... she’s “caught” by Jonas & Petter or I may never have known!!

I didn’t inform the venues properly about the addition of a bass player. Therefore sound check takes a bit longer than normal. soundman Jonathan does a good job fixing some would be monitor problems, We’re finished in time to go back to the hotel for a shower & change. I have some soup on the run ... no need for Carrie ... she’s hat her sinful burger.


FEB 22 --THE SHOW - THE LIMELIGHT - BELFAST

We were supposed to play at a venue owned by our major-league promoter Eamonn McGann .... called Auntie Annie’s which holds 200 packed. After we did the Gerry Anderson radio show, the sales went through the roof. And so they moved us to this larger venue ... also owned by Eamonn, which comfortably hold 250 to 300. What a cool place this is! Early birds can get tables & chairs... the rest stand off to the side or in the rear bar area.

When we left sound check at 7:45, there was a huge cue.. 50 yards down the block. Carrie & I could hardly believe it. However, it still didn’t prepare us for the size of the actual audience and their response when we hit the stage. The place was packed and excited.

I love playing for this audience. They’ve been so with me since I came back to music after the gambling years. They know what I’m about and have always gotten the best of me. Many of them got to know me because of a guy named Phil Sinclair, a record store owner from the north who turned all his friends on to my music in the 70’s. He passed away shortly after I visited him in the hospital back in 1997.

I dedicate this show to Phil.

The audience loved the efforts of Jonas & Petter and let them know it. Carrie is now a star here and they let her know it as well. This was one of those amazing nights where the audience and performers are totally locked together... again, so hard to pick highlights. Let’s say all 28 songs... with an edge to “Fall”, “...Killer”, “The trouble With Humans”, “Wild Thing”, “Angel... ”, “Let’s Leave...”, “Sweet Tequila...” & “All The rain” (I left out 8 others... this is too hard & thus inaccurate)... WHAT A NIGHT!!!

Hi to:

Andrea & Dave... it’s been far too long ... Brycie, my friend... same goes for you... love to Laura... Gerry & John... at the bar in the back.. YOU”LL NEVER GET RID OF ME!! ... Gerry & Teresa.. (saw us at the Grand Ole Opry ).. great to see you again!! ... Hi to Lee ... James... Murice & jimmy from the Wales venue ... Ivan & Claire... great to see you ... TONY & PAUL... the “WILD THING” guys in the back... GREAT TO SEE YOU!! ... Hey Eugene!! ... Hi to Philip, Bernie & the family... Hi to Brian, Flo & Rob, Patrick & Sharon??, Damien ... great to see you again ... Gail & Jim & Ian ... remember the Rotterdam!! ... KEVIN, Jannine, Philamina ... great to see you! ... Ray ... yes, we loved doing the John Prine show... we’re working with him again soon ... Hi Angela & Elizabeth ... HI Michael... hope Paul &Katie like the CD ... Jim .. great to see you ... hi to & love to Margaret & daughter Briege (love that name ...

And all the rest... a heartfelt thanks .. thanks see you soon...

Special thanks to the wonderful staff hear... Gary, Jonathan, Mary & all the great waiters & bar staff... & security... THANKS DAVE & LESLIE ... THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND FOR THE GREAT DECISISON TO COME HERE!!


FEB 23 - ONE LONG TRIP.... THEN VACATION TIME

Left Belfast at 12:30 ... after a 5 hour stop in England & a plane to a remote Stockholm airport... and after a one hour plus bus ride, Carrie & I arrive in Stockholm’s city center at 11:00. We stay in a not too comfortable hotel for one night. However in the morning I opt for the Hilton, overlooking the water and the old town. PARADISE.

Carrie & I will vacation here for 3 days ... maybe do a bit of writing. The first date of our tour in Sweden/Norway is Feb 27.

Jan 16 – 22, 2004 – The Winter Texas Tour

Jan 16, 2004 – Austin, Texas - Strings Attached series

We’ve been looking forward to this for a while. Held at a beautiful old church (St. David’s) - in this series, the headline artist plays without their band, using instead Will Taylor’s musicians with the emphasis on arranged string parts.


The Show - Despite the pouring rain, the first show was packed - approx. 400 in attendance. The second show, live on the radio?, was well attended as well. Great Job Will - and thanks Ed, Charles, Brad & Steve - Carrie & I loved playing with you all.

What a terrific audience - it doesn’t get better - it was so crowded that Carrie’s family were forced to sit in the pews on the altar... with a great view of our back sides!

Great to say hi to so many - including Frances, Leslie, Momma, Tom, Marie, Jim, Marc, Chip & Theresa, Dave & Donna, Doc, Loretta, Vance, Susan, Sumi, Kelly & Diane, Amy, Nisa, Jimmie, Rebecca, Jon... Renne, thanks for getting a CD for Dierdra... great to see Clark... congrats on passing the bar... & SHERRY... love seeing you

What a MAGIC night.


Jan 16 - Emergency Room

My left foot had been bothering me for a while - after the show the pain was severe - I immediately took my boot off and hobbled around to the autograph table - after, I hobbled to a late night bar with the TMG staff - then, after not being able to sleep due to the pain, I hobbled to a cab and went to the emergency room of the local hospital. The doctor said “maybe a re-break of an old bone ... but maybe the gout... take these pills.”

After, I hobbled back to my room... packed and hobbled to Carrie’s car and off we went for our show in Dallas.


Jan 17 - Dallas Texas - Sons Of Hermann Hall - hosted by radio station KHYI

Our friend Bruce Kidder at KHYI has been a strong supporter of our music - he and his DJs including good friends Bret & Dan, are the main reason people in Dallas know who we are - They really knew this time - between the radio play and a couple of features in Buddy magazine and the Dallas Observer.... and the hard work by our promoter Mike Snider... Sons Of Hermann was packed - what a great night - Carrie was amazing - we were loose and inspired - Kevin Smith & JP were simply wonderful - For two and a half hours I forgot about my foot pain and just glided through this magic evening - WHAT A TERRIFIC AUDIENCE!!! - AN ABSOLUTE NIGHT TO REMEMBER!!

Said hi to many, including; David... thanks for getting the CD for your dad... Ted, Susie & David, Kelly & Dee, Shirley & Harvey, Craig & Maureen, Jeff (thanks for the Seven Days mention), Craig & Cyndi, Brittany - thanks for driving off the road to hear us!! - Steve & Jannell, Gloria, Melissa (Jeff’s sis), Dan, Lenny & sarah - thanks for giving CDs to your folks - Sue & Winn, Bill & Linda - don’t forget... you have to be “EMAIL READY” by the next show (SOMEONE PLEASE REMIND THEM!!)... and, of course Tara & Chad - love you guys ... GREAT. AMAZING PHOTOS!!!

!0:30 - John, Carrie & I headed for breakfast with Chad & Tara - managed to sleep last night.... but the foot hurts like hell.


After a brief stop to see Chad’s terrific photos... we headed back for Austin.... stopped at Fredericksburg to play a benefit for KFAN and our friend Rick Starr - love doing this!! - after John, Carrie & I relaxed over a great meal at the Four Season’s... we stopped at The Continental club to hear Red, Earl & the boys play some great stuff - Carrie & I did a guest appearance... for the first time playing, “Dirty Little Texas Story” with the guys it was written, in part, about (Redd & Earl)


Monday - Jan 19

We met our new bass player for the Houston (Mucky Duck) show, Harrington Price. We rehearsed in the downstairs meeting room at the Homestead Suites Hotel. The entire staff here goes out of their way to make us comfortable - hence the invite to use the meeting room to rehearse. - THANKS STEPHEN & ALL - Harrington was terrific and has a great attitude - we worked hard & left Harrington to go home to San Antonio and practice - no worries here.

Carrie & I then had a delightful lunch with Joyce Harris & her friend Steve - they both work for the Dallas Morning News - Joyce - who writes an up-close piece with celebs for the Sunday edition - had seen us for the first time in Dallas and got permission from her boss to come to Austin to do a piece on Carrie & me - THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ENTHUSIASM & THE LUNCH JOYCE - HOPE TO SEE YOU AND STEVE SOON

Foot update - it’s killing me..... but I get lots of sympathy.... not a bad trade-off.


Jan 20, 2004 - live in-store performance at Cactus Records in Houston

LOVE THIS PLACE - we saw Kimmie Rhodes play here a little over a year ago - met the manager Quinn - He and all the staff were terrific - This was Harrington’s first test under fire - he passed with flying colors!! We played for a little over 30 minutes to a most enthusiastic group, then got a chance to say hi to many... (see Mucky Duck notes)

The Mucky Duck - Houston - Jan 20

We always look forward to playing here and seeing old friends Rusty, Theresa, Shane, Claire & all... hi Elisa - there was a great turnout tonight - had so much fun doing this show... Harrington was great!! - John was so inspired and Carrie was so loose and amazing – Rusty has asked us back on Mar 23 - we’ll see if that works.... hope so

got to say hi to so many here and at the Cactus including;

Sylvia... great to see you & Mario again... thanks for bringing Rick Noriega - GREAT TO SEE YOU RICK - ALL THE BEST WITH YOUR EFFORTS - WE’RE LUCKY TO HAVE REPRESENTATIVES LIKE YOU... thanks for the late dinner as well... also Jim... thanks so much for bringing so many & for your kind idea for our relaxation . . . Amanda & Amanda.. loved seeing you both... you are so inspiring!!... Mike... we’ll tell Katy hi...Adrian & Cindy... Thank Jennifer for us!... George & son Eric ... great to see you ... keep on pickin’... Hi Becky... glad Michelle brought you... Hi Michelle... thanks for selling the CDs... Hi Melissa... hope you come back again... CLARK & SHERRY... YOU’RE THE BEST... LOVE TO SEE YOU... hi to your kind friends... Michael & son, Nathaniel... so glad you could make it... hi to John... Carol & Fred... great to see you... let’s you & me kick the sticks before too long...

also... from Cactus... Suzanne... hope Jarad liked the CD... Monica, Tore from Sweden... David.... Dave & Judy... Bente, Carol... Gary... heard us in New Braunfels...Tom... hope Debbie likes the CD... Al... hope you can get some of the back stuff... Gary & Janice... hope Barb & Willie like the stuff... Joe, Robert & Terrie..., David (thanks for always being there)... and Carla... Kat... Chris... hope Will likes it... Tim (the West Tx guy)...again, Jim... THANKS FOR BRINGING THE GANG including.. Kevin, Laura, Steve... etc...John & ?: from Wisconsin... Gordy... good luck with your own thing...

also... if someone can get a message to Christie ( a lovely school teacher from Houston who usually attends our shows) please tell her I’m sorry about Austin.. and that I look forward to seeing her soon


Jan 21 - radio stops

KULP - it was so good to finally say hi to my friend Clinton Robinson in El Campo - “Cinto” has always had great taste in music - loved talking to him over the years -thanks for all your support, my friend - and all the best - hope you can get your terrific format back

KTXN - Victoria, Texas - “live” show - 7:00 - 8:00 PM

We’ve been looking forward to this for a while - great to see Jeremy Halliburton & friends - Radio doesn’t get better than this- Jeremy is a terrific host - he asked a few key questions and then let Carrie & me do our thing for this spirited small group of friends - including;

Joe, Chiqui, Big John, Kelly & Brody, Beast & his best friend Roper, Dee, Ken, Chris & Mike??, Rod... thanks for the room! ... sorry I’ve forgotten a few names including the interesting lady who writes and promotes for a TX publication... & Owen & Steve.. great seeing you guys .... AND BLAINE ... WHAT A PRO.... GREAT SOUND!! THANK YOU So MUCH ... AND THANK YOU AGAIN JEREMY... this was so much fun!! ... hope we can do it again


Jan 22 - Lakeway Community Center - with Carrie’s Grandma & friends

Carrie’s grandma, Frances Nail (famous short story writer) will be celebrating her birthday in a few days.. this was sort of a pre celebration performance for her Lakeway friends - Kevin joined us for this mostly acoustic show - had so much fun - it was really a trip to see this group chanting “Wild Thing” - PS... Carrie put on a great show for Grandma!!

KRXT - Rockdale TX - after the show, Carrie & I drove to Rockdale to visit DJ/MD, Bill Gregory, and sing a few songs - loved the visit - well done, Bill - Hi to owner Charlie & lovely wife Viva - proud to be associated with this most cool TX Chart station.

Foot Update: Pain is down about 50% but still some swelling.


Jan 12 - New York BB KINGS - opening for the Del McCoury Band

This is the first time we played here. Jim Whitney, who played bass with us on the CD, joined Carrie, John & me for this show. The staff here was wonderful as well -Hi Katy & Gary & all - so helpful - this is absolutely an artist friendly place. It was great meeting Del & the boys. Hope we can do it again.

Thanks to all our friends including Eileen & family, Kendra & family & friends, The Shickshinny gang, Sam, Dara & friends & new fans, - This was a great night. Hope we can come back here & headline in the near future.


New York - The Bottom Line - Jan 8

We were never sure if this show would be a “go”, due to the constant threat of NYU closing the place down. I had written a protest song against it’s closing - Rosanne Cash had led the chorus sing-a-long. If the club were forced to close, the song would have hit the airwaves immediately. Thank goodness negotiations have been promised and our show was not cancelled.

The Show -

The CBS morning show, the lead piece in the NY Times and word of mouth had its effect. The place was packed. Anton Fig & Tony Mercadante joined John, Carrie & me. What a great audience. The Westchester contingent - the Stepinac bunch & the Colony Crew & friends were out in force. But along with these wonderful supporters was a group of new fans, including Meg Ryan.

I want to particularly thank the staff of the Bottom Line for being so supportive over the years - Jim, Josh, Tara, Neil, “T”, Tony & all... love you guys - hope things work out & that we see you soon again.

It was so great to play to this wonderful group. Thanks to all for attending.

Jan 25 – Bottom Line post note

We learned this week that The Bottom Line was unable to negotiate a new lease and closed. We wish the best to Alan and all the staff. Hope to see you re-open again soon.

June 28, 2003 -Oklahoma City, OK - The Blue Door

GREAT TO BE WITH THESE PEOPLE.... Greg & Teena... they don't come nicer... got married a few weeks ago... Congratulations ..... what a great wedding .... THEY SHOWED US THE VIDEO AFTER THE SHOW .... what a great WEDDIING!... Rich (D.J. personality... Rick Caldwell).... TOM & PAT .... Lloyd & ? ... JOHN & KIM.... - B.J. ... thanks for being there.... good luck with your wrestling team!) !.... RODNEY.... HAROLD... ROCKY {FROM N.Y.... FROM CRESTWOOD... the home of my wonderful ex-wife & best friend, Joanie...

My sons great friend Andy, my dear friend as well, was getting married tonight in Long Island ... tried to call several times ... couldn't get through.. Congratulations to you and Meryl - Andy... see you soon!

Note: We were staying at the Marriott in Oklahoma City .... after the show I stopped at the Marriott bar for a drink before going to bed ... I said hi to a lovely young girl who was attending a raucous wedding reception there - she had to leave for a few minutes and I ended up talking to a couple of very nice guys "Money" (actually on his drivers license) & Ryan .... I soon found out Ryan had recently (only 1 year) married Chris ... the girl I said hello to ... & Money was married to the other prettiest girl in the place, Mara? (MONEY, CORRECT ME HERE) newlyweds... only 7 days!

Money kept saying... "Man, I know you... you're a rock n' roll star! Where do I know you from?" ... I kept saying I'm just a folk/country singer/songwriter... you've got me confused with someone else!.... He kept insisting... then he said .... "NOW I RMEMBER... JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE WE GOT MARRIED... MY WIFE & I SAW YOU ROCK THE HOUSE IN ATLANTA... AT THE VARIETY PLAYHOUSE WITH THAT PRETTY FIDDLE PLAYER... WE HAD COME TO SEE ROBERT EARL KEEN ... BUT WE LOVED YOU GUYS... YOU WERE AWESOME" ... well needless to say, that was a wonderful ending to a cool night... the four of us ended up having a drink together ... Money & Ryan promised to keep in touch.... hope to hear from you guys! It was great meeting you!

June 27, 2003 - Dallas, TX - Sons Of Herman Hall

O.K. .... this is a very special venue .... I'm not sure about the 'Herman' influence..... Herman saved a German community from the Romans a while ago.... whatever.... THE PEOPLE HERE ARE GREAT.... Chad & Tara.... great to see you both again... I'll email when I get home ... but, Chad, remember... if you break up... Tara gets the CD and comes on the road with us!.... great to see you both.... Charlie #1 .... all the best with your charity golf tournament for aids kids...wish I could be more a part of it .... Leo... Sandy... you got the first autograph... so good to see you... Mikeela... you've been there since Pat Green... thanks so much for helping sell the CDs and just being such a friend & best regards to Montanna - tell him I'll track him down next time....Mark & Barbara... great to see you both... sorry I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO TAL;K TO YOU LATER....DR. JOHN JACKSON.... THANKS FOR coming & bringing your friends... Sherry, Katey & Tamara... appreciate that!... see you soon.. hi & love to Becky... Steve... looking forward to seeing you in October... thanks for being there... John told me that your friend Cinco got his nickname either from being the fifth born or having no trouble downing a fifth of anything in one sitting! - which is it?! Hi Kim .... Charlie #2 - thanks for the good conversation at the bar after the show... see you soon...... and HERB & PETER ... HERB IS THE Head Honcho DAY GUY .... PETER ... THE NIGHT honcho at Sons of Herman...., thanks for the welcome... so good seeing you both ... and Michael SNYDER.... OUR BOOKER... THANKS, MY FRIEND... we'll keep doing it ... and LARRY.... thanks for being there ...and FRONT ROW... AT BILL'S.... (with the hat... a good guy ... name? let me know) & all the rest... THANKS FOR BEING THERE ... hope to see you soon.

June 26, 2003 - Austin, TX - The Shady Grove

Thanks to all the KGSR people for having us here. With all the support from Jodi Denberg (KGSR) John Aielli, Larry Monroe at KUT & all the other DJs and writers in Austin, we had a wonderful turnout here despite a late afternoon downpour ... This is one of coolest outdoor venues ever. They set up a hundred or so chairs in front of the stage, but the entire area surrounding that set-up can hold 5 or 6 times that and the place was packed. Special thanks to our terrific hostess, Sarah who made us so comfortable - luv you Sarah... hi to your other half, Boone... other staff Ethan, Matthew, Coy... thanks for the support... Madi... thanks for helping with the CDs

Met so many terrific people... including Andrew who saw us at Ziggy's with Robert Earl in Winston Salem... Dot... thanks for the Nail ladies story!! ... Francis... you're such a part of this forever ... your stories are so amazing and have put me to sleep many a night.... Katie & Lesley... luv you so.. Celeste & Penny.. Mario.. hope the competition went well...Cindy, Jim & Lee, Michael Priest, my great friend... so good to see you always... the whole clan, Tommy, Anna, Jan, Richard, Andrea, Gretchan... I heard Bill Davis was there (Bill was Carrie's violin teacher & is a family friend) ... and I also heard Earl Poole Ball was in the back someplace (wish I'd have seen you Earl... I would have reminded myself to play "Dirty Little Texas Story"... which I totally wanted to play!)... Shela, Anna... Judy... Peter... .. my great friends Sonny, Bonnie, Jennifer... Dick & Pat Buffler./.. and front rowers, J.W. ... great to meet you great to you.. Dave, Roanne & Peter ... and all the rest - thanks so much .... it was a special night for us!

June 24, 2003 - Houston, TX - The Mucky Duck

LOVE THIS PLACE! - Rusty & Theresa... thanks for having us back!

This was such a great night - played here twice this year and have quickly made lots of new friends - including Ted & Lynne, Dennis & Mathew ... which one brought his son & new wife?, Mark & Malissa (I think) ...Jim ... hope you're feeling better... (you better be!!.. we need you!) - thanks for bringing bro Steve... Rich & Claire (SXSW & here ... thanks!)... my friend Christin? - always great to see you... thanks for bringing your school friends.. look forward to seeing you again... Mark (electrician) - are there any CDs you don't have? - thanks for such total support ... Bob & Jeremy... nice seeing you at the end of the show ... Denise & daughter Claire and boyfriend Court (I think) ... thanks for the request - "Him Who Saved Me" is a favorite of ours as well.... thanks to the extraordinarily polite young man who bought some CDs for his friend Vic (short for a pretty girls name... was it Victoria or Victorine? .. let us know)... Hi Paul ... hope Myphuong likes the CD... ... Mark & Melba ... great to see you both ...
Mark we'll try to do better with the mailing list stuff starting tonight! - James... great to see you ... Hi to Paul... nice meeting you (hope you taxied home!).... to the lovely couple up front & all the rest.... thanks for a great night!

Of course a special hello to Clark & Sherry (Carrie's cousin & his lovely wife) ... and friends ... just love seeing you ... Carrie's Grandma, Sylvia ..... thanks for always being there for us! .... and the great staff... great to see you again Bonnie ... you as well Cumi... thanks for waitressing for us.... so nice to meet you Claire... and Shane... great to see you my friend... hope you get your own place one day... We'll play for free! - thanks for the Irish... I needed that!

June 23, 2003 - Austin, TX - Some bar in town

After a terrific dinner at Carrie's mom's domed home attended by Bill & Audrey as well, John & I went to celebrate Mattson's lovely girlfriend Carrie's birthday - and got the great news! - BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS MATTSON & CARRIE WILL HAVE MADE THEIR WEDDING VOWS IN LAS VEGAS NEVADA....
CONGRATULATIONS!!.... LOVE YOU GUYS.

June 22, 2003 - New Braunfels, TX - Gruene Hall

Bill Chambers and his sometimes singing partner Audrey Auld opened for us. They were terrific together - closed their show with an old Brown Family song - "I Was Lookin Back To See" not sure if that's the correct title, but
it's a great song and Audrey & Bill really rocked it.

We love playing this place - Our great friend Mattson Rainer at one of the premier alt-country radio stations in the U.S., KNBT - has been so supportive of my music since I returned to playing and he single handily built us a base in the New Braunfels/San Antonio area. It was a great Sunday afternoon turnout comprised mostly of what has now become a bunch of great old friends including Steve & Barbara from Casbeers in San Antonio, John & Beverly Conquest... Dave... photos & more photos... his wife and parents ... Helga... Martha... & Jim, thanks for all the support & great press... great to see you again ... Roche ... thanks for the amp! - Greatly appreciated - hi to Sue, Dave, Steve, Walter, John, Mary... and the very nice lady who mentioned Hank Ballard and Luther Perkins ... if you read this - Email me and remind me of your name.... and of course some of the Rodriguez contingent was there .... Tom, Katie, Charlie (Charlie's daughter Lilly) & friends

Thanks for the good sound Al and assistant Mandra? (I know that's not quite it - let me know) thanks for selling the CDs and sound and all - you were so helpful!

The entire staff at this place is so nice - Nanette & all... THANKS SO MUCH.

Great to be playing with our great friend & terrific upright player "Dixon's Daddy".... Kevin Smith ... so great to be playing with you again Kevin.

June 20 & 21, 2003 - Lake Tahoe, CA - Mary & Chuck Knoblock's 40th Wedding Anniversary

This was great fun - John & I headed for Reno... then drove to Lake Tahoe to join my kids, Kristian & Kelly.... my wonderful ex-wife Joanie ... grandkids Riley Jo & Kate and other family and friends to celebrate this occasion - Chuck & Mary and our family have been the best of friends for a long, long time - Carrie headed back to Austin to visit family & friends and get a well needed two day break.

June 19, 2003 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Zephyr Club - opening for Kasey Chambers

I should mention that Bill Chambers played a 25 minute solo set before us in Boulder and was quite good - again, Bill, like Kasey, played several good originals combined with well chosen others from writers like Mary Gauthier.

RE: Salt Lake City - Arrived late afternoon, checked into a world class hotel called The Peery - a preserved old structure with classic styled rooms - it doesn't get better than this! (801 331 0073) - great staff - THANKS B.J. for being so cordial, helping us find a rehearsal space and making those Zero copies for me! Arrived in time to have a brief rehearsal with our new friend and terrific upright bass player Jim Stout - who proudly showed us the cutest pictures of his newly adopted Chinese little girls - THANKS FOR BEING SO PREPARED JIM - GREAT JOB!

Another nice gig -VG sound - thanks Gary - the one draw back was that the room was a bit noisy - people clapped like hell after each song but there was a nonstop rumble from the bar area - so it was somewhat difficult to project the gentler songs - we rocked more - like we would do opening for Robert Earl Keen. It was the same for Kasey & Bill - we all agreed it was not the perfect "listening room," but the people were very nice - only got a chance to say hello to a few as by the time Carrie & I got to the CD sales area Kasey's show was about to begin --- Hi to all the supportive people we met there as we wandered through the crowd including Pat, Susan, Peter, Steve, Lindsey, Dave, & Big John... see you next time.

We watched Kasey's show upstairs where Nash was doing sound - another great show. Carrie, John & I love her new song... I think it's called, "I want a Pony."

June 18, 2003 - Boulder, CO - continued

One of the great things about opening for someone you like is that when you're finished you can relax and watch their show. Kasey & the boys were simply terrific - she is so attached to what she's singing - and the band serve all the songs well - very little "flash" - just very cool playing.

Only one negative in Boulder - we had parked the car behind the theater in what we thought was the theater's space.... WRONG! - Carrie & I decided to leave the car there for the night since we had a few drinks - Kasey & the
boys drove us home in the tour bus &then they headed for Salt Lake City - when Carrie went back to get the car in the morning, she found out it had been towed! $175 dollars later, we got our car back and fortunately made it to the plane on time - I said to the nice lady at the private towing place, "damn... this is a pretty steep charge" - she replied... "yes, that's true, bet you won't do it again!" She's right and maybe if I can keep that rational for other things as well... it will be a lesson worth far more than $175.

Oh, by the way - we loved the hotel we stayed at here

THE MILLENNIUM HARVEST HOUSE - 303 443 3850 Request the East Wing

June 18, 2003 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theater

John, Carrie & I flew in from Santa Barbara, arriving in Denver on the evening of the 16th - rented a car and drove to Boulder, checked into the hotel and got some well needed sleep. The next day we headed further up the mountain to meet - and rehearse with - a highly recommended upright bass player, Eric Torin who would join us for our show.

We rehearsed outside his friend Brian's back yard recording studio where I also got a chance to record a few songs.  These were kind of special ones as I had written for my dear friends Chuck & Mary Knoblock - whose 40th anniversary celebration I would join in a few days. That celebration would take place on Lake Tahoe on the Cal/Nevada border.

Regarding Eric - he is a terrific player and we can't thank him enough for being so prepared.   Carrie & I had dinner with Eric, his girlfriend Casey  & their friends Amanda (another acclaimed bassist from Nashville) and a singer/songwriter who was heading for Telluride - a nice guy whose name escapes me for the moment. After dinner we went back to the hotel - Carrie wasn't feeling all that well - sore throat etc. - and needed to get to bed ASAP.   Bill Chambers (Kasey's dad) called and asked if we would join him, Kasey & band for a drink at their hotel. Carrie decided to stay in bed and I went off to meet our soon-to-be new Australian friends.

MEETING KASEY CHAMBERS AND THE BOYS

This was a long awaited meeting. Carrie & I had met Bill several months ago - he said he was a fan of my 70's recordings. We gave him a copy of our CD, "Let's Leave This Town" and the next day he called to tell us how much he loved it - and shortly after he told us how much Kasey & the band loved it as well. Kasey said Carrie was her favorite singer. We had been huge fans of Kasey's recordings and Bill had sent us his solo CD, which we really enjoyed - so this mutual admiration society stuff had been in full swing as I entered the bar of their hotel.

Bill got up so I could sit next to Kasey - also at the table were "Worm" (tech plus, plus. great friend of Kasey), B.J. - band members B.J & Glenn. and tour mgr Greg. It was like I was talking to a bunch of old friends - just the nicest damned people - Kasey is as down to earth person as you can meet - no pretensions here. Had a great night talking about music & gambling - Worm seemed to particularly like to hear about my gambling exploits.

THE SHOW AT THE FOX

Despite the fact that John had guitar problems two songs into the set it was great fun. The audience was totally with us from the beginning. Met some terrific people including Michael & Mason who have been supporters of my music for a long period of time - and are way into the duet stuff - Malinda. thanks for taking the time to say "hi" - Jason at the bar - thanks, my friend. hope to see you soon. and special thanks to Katie --- our hostess who did everything possible to make us comfortable.

One problem - first it was the single "Sweet Tequila Blues" - by Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez - that was fine - then it was the single, "Extra" by Carrie Rodriguez (with "with Chip Taylor"..  in small print!) -  right there stuff started heading in the wrong direction - finally in Boulder in the dressing rooms, there were 2 arrays of food & refreshments. One was labeled "FOR KASEY CHAMBERS & BAND" ----- the other labeled, "FOR CARRIE RODRIGUEZ & BAND!" ... will somebody please tell me what's going on?

June 14 through June 15 in chronological order:

(when we are unable to get daily entries from Chip we will sometimes group related entries together and print them chronologically so that they are easier to read)

June 14, 2003 - San Francisco, CA, Bottom Of The Hill (open for The Gourds)

Kept the rooms at the hotel for an extra half day, so we could shower and change just before sound check - We planned to leave immediately after our show to make some headway toward our next venue near Santa Barbara, some 5 hours away. We need to arrive there by just after noon the next day - so we'd like to get 3 hours driving in tonight -John arrived at 2:30, we had some lunch together, rested a bit and headed for the venue.

The Bottom Of The Hill is a very cool place - a bit like the Mercury Lounge in New York - One of the bartenders there, Cimeron recommended a place to eat - and we headed for a cool restaurant wth outdoor seating down the block. We got back as The Gourds were finishing their sound check - I had done a panel thing with Kevin a few years ago at SXSW - He & the boys are very nice guys.

After our sound check, as I was standing outside the place, a car came to a screeching halt and a lovely young lady said, "Hey Chip, great to see you!!" As I was trying to figure out where I knew her from, she said, "don't worry, you don't know me, we all know you and really love your music!" "We all;" was Tracy, Natalia & the guys in the back seat Dave, Dave & Jason - a great bunch. So, if you read this, THANKS FOR THAT! It was sure great to know that somebody knew who we were! - Hope to see you all soon

The place was packed (300 plus) - and the audience, including our new friends, was terrific - Met my daughter Kelly's old roommate from B.C., Megan - and several others nice folks including Kevin (real estate salesman?), Lynn, Ken (writer/photographer). We only caught a few songs from The Gourds before heading toward Santa Barbara - Sorry we had to leave so soon, we really like their vibe.

Drove three and one half hours - picked a hotel to rest our heads - we don't do as good a job as Chuck - the only place we could find that had rooms was overpriced and dingy - wish I remembered the name so I could advise you never to stay there - but the next morning the sun was out, and we were all in great spirits heading for the festival.

June 15, 2003 - near Santa Barbara, California - The Live Oak Festival-

This is as good as it gets - Wonderful cooperation from the terrific staff for the last several months for this show - everything ran like clockwork - Marisa, Ginelle, Lana, Patti and all - THANKS SO MUCH!!! - Marisa, thanks so much for suggesting Ken Hustad to play bass - KEN, YOU WERE TERRIFIC! THANKS FOR BEING SO READY! - loved doing the songwriter workshop and the main stage was amazing - met the nicest people including, Richard & Cathy - Happy fathers day Ric (they have 4 boys), Rebecca, Jake & daughter Whitney (mom & dad better bring you over next time!), John, Warren, Cat & Rob, Joe, Steve - the musically talented Maureen & Suzanne (with the painted notes etc on your pretty faces), Dave & son Dan? who next time will come back stage and play me his version of Wild Thing and dancing Jackie - great to see you all- hope to be back soon

June 12 through June 14 in chronological order:

June 12, 2003 - Henflings (near Santa Cruz, California)

We arrived yesterday in San Jose - drove down to Santa Cruz - and are staying at a small cabin-like hotel on the water called the Ocean Echo recommended by our friend and a DJ at KPIG (as cool a station as there is in the U.S.), John Sandage (AKA Sleepy John). This place is paradise - I was worried about the lack of air conditioning, as a cool room at night is a must for me. However, kind of like Cape Cod, the evenings are quite cool in Santa Cruz, and there was a wonderful breeze.... so it was absolutely comfortable.

In the morning I found a wonderful "health food"-like breakfast place 50 yards from the hotel. I had my usual eggs & bacon and brought back a tofu, avocado & tomato omelet for Carrie to open her eyes to. Shortly after, we had a bit of a rehearsal with guitarist, Jim Lewin, who would be subbing for JP (who would join for our next show in San Fran). Jim was terrific and well prepared (we had sent a CD of our set to him a few days previous). Carrie & I then headed for another cool station, KUSP where Sleepy John was "moonlighting" an afternoon show. We played some of the new songs at John's request and finished up with "Angel Of The Morning."

Henflings is a sort of bikers bar up in the mountains about 30 minutes from the water. There wasn't a lot of promotion or any press for the show so it wasn't a full house like our previous show a few months ago at the Kuumba Jazz Center, but the audience was terrific! Mary, Claire, Deena and other new friends sat front and center - long time fan and friends Jamie & Elizabeth sat in the second tier (thanks for driving all the way from Sacramento Elizabeth!). Hi to Mark, Jamey (like Carrie, didn't you mention there's some Lubbock TX on you're family tree somehow?), Steve, Cindy, Dave (great to meet you... thanks for the kind words) and all the rest - including the helpers there... Russ, Neil, Rene (thanks for the great food!) and the other staff - thanks for making this a very special show for us - SEE YA SOON!

June 13, 2003 - San Francisco, California

It took Carrie & I a little more than an hour to reach San Francisco - then another half hour on a ramp waiting to enter the town. My friend Chuck Knoblock, a VP at Train Wreck, is handling all the hotel booking for us - we were all concerned about finding a reasonably priced hotel near the venue - but Chuck found the perfect place - a refurbished landmark hotel on 5th St called The Pickwick - not much on the outside, but a palace on the inside - for only $65 a night - GREAT JOB CHUCK! And thanks also to Joan Howe who makes great travel arrangements for us. While I settled down to watch a bit of the US OPEN golf championship and later The Nets/Spurs game #5, Carrie went out to look for some tank tops - preferably in white and pink to match her made-in-Spain, designed-in-England outrageous one-of-a-kind cowboy boots which are highlighted in lovely pink.

After the disastrous for me - good for any Texan finish of game 5 Nets/Spurs, I decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal so we went to the upscale restaurant next door, Padovani's - IF YOU'RE IN SAN FRAN... YOU MUST VISIT THIS PLACE! - The head chef Philippe owns and runs this place - according to the staff he was the most famous chef in Hawaii and ran the best restaurant in Honolulu before coming here. It's only been open weeks but in a short time I'll bet it will be hard to make a reservation - Carrie had a lovely fish dinner... I had steak & vegetables - so special & delicious - normally we don't have desert but we indulged tonight with a small bed of tapioca pudding with peach strips and banana slices topped with streaks of a sort of raspberry sauce - unbelievably great!

Phillipe, his wife (who manages the place and is not above cleaning a table!) work 7 days a week and seem to love what they do - they are best friends with previous Le Cirque celebrity chef Daniel Boulud who now has a few famous restaurants in NY. One interesting thing Philippe told me was "I don't allow any swearing in the kitchen and if someone makes a mistake there I'll have strong words - not for the person who made the mistake - but for the person who noticed it and didn't take the time tell him and possibly help him correct it." It was great to end the night having a cocktail with them and some of their staff including the sous chef Patrick and waiter Ronald.

Mar 27, 2003 - Las Vegas, NV

I'm sorry I didn't report the final day in Austin - I'll try to remember and fill you in later.... but for now....

The family plus vacation with wonderful ex-wife Joan, daughter Kelly & her
husband Frank, son Kristian, grandkids Riley Jo & Kate.... vacation....  has
come to an end - sorry to say goodbye to the family & my ex-gambling partner
Ernie & his terrific wife Melinda - but looking forward to the days ahead -
waited at the Vegas airport for a flight to San Jose - strange stuff - the
war on one screen, the quarter finals of the NCAA on the other . . . met
Carrie in San Jose, took a cab to Sata Cruz - staying in a place overlookig
the water - beautiful, relaxing - we'll get back to work tomorrow . . . looking
forward to that!!

Chip and Carrie's March Trip to Texas:

MARCH 7-14, 2003 in chronological order for easier reading:

March 7, 2003 - Oklahoma City, OK - The Blue Door

Carrie, John Platania & I traded the N.Y. snow for a 70 degree Dallas day and headed for The Blue Door in Oaklohoma City - just ouside the city we found the venue - a leaning run-down shanty on the outside, but inside the feel of a very cool Baptist/revival hall - WE LOVED THE VIBE OF THE PLACE!

Greg Johnson lives in the house/venue, so the shows become sort of his house party, where everybody brings their own cooler containing whatever. Greg and his friend Michael couldn't have been more cordial. A mix up with the schedule found us with absolutely no publicity, but the small audience made up for that with their amazing enthusiasm

Hot Club Of Cowtown's bass player, Jake Erwin joined us for the first time and did a fine job - by the way, this place has an excellent sound system!

It was good to meet so many new friends, including Greg's co-DJ friend Rick Coonor AKA Rick Caldwell, J.B., Roger (hope you get that computer soon so you can see what we're up to & keep in touch). The nice custom boot maker from just ouside of O.C. - by the way, who was the nice guy I met just before the show who knew so much of my history and mentioned how much he appreciated the wide range of my work etc. - was it Mark? - let me know

Carrie reminds me to tell you that this venue books very cool acts like Alejandro, Tony Joe, Kevin Welch, Keiren Kane etc.

And yes.... thanks to Eric Hisaw for opening for us - suggested by John Conquest - we were rehearsing with Jake in the back room so we missed much of his show - but from what we did hear, he's special - and a very nice guy as well

It was great to be playing with John again... just like old times... comfortable & inspiring! .... and Carrie played mandolin tonight - it's a new instrument for her this year but she seemed quite at home with it and sounded terrific!

WE CONTINUED TESTING SOME NEW SONGS TONIGHT - one of the highlights was the first of hopefully many Taylor/Rodriguez compositions, "Confessions From Newport News" (tentative title)

The only negative thing is a health issue - Carrie started with a sore throat a few days ago and she's slightly congested today - my sore throat started yesterday and is continuing. It didn't seem to interfere with the performance tonight but we're concerned as we have all these important Texas dates coming up this week including The Austin Music Awards on the 12th. Being invited to perform (and present awards) at the AMAs is certainly one of the highlights of my return to music - and it's a dream come true for Carrie as well - We would hate not to be OK for that - John seems to be holding up O.K., although he did mention he might be feeling the start of something.

March 8, 2003 - Dallas, TX - Sons of Herman Hall

Named after Herman The Great who stopped the Romans from invading Germany - THIS IS A VERY COOL PLACE - Carrie & John informed me that this was a lodge for only German people until after WWII - the lodge members give of their time to make the artists feel at home - bowling was one of the main recreations here - the lanes are still downstairs but inactive and kept only for historical reasons -

GREAT SOUND!! - THANKS KEVIN - GREAT BAR! - THANKS MICHAEL - HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON! - our last night with JAKE ERWIN on bass - THANKS JAKE - great job! - we'll hook up again.

There was a wonderful spirit in the room tonight - some friend/fans... Gerrit, Kees & Anna from Holland on vacation stopped by - Great to see you! – we’ll see you in your part of the world in a few months.

So many terrific new friends in the audience.... including... -Jocelyn, Ryan, Mark & Stacy (see you in Austin!) - Steve, Noreen, Terri (nice pictures!), Wendy & friend Linda (look forward to hearing you and sister Beth - what's that web site?)... Desmi with the cool stage blouse and cowgirl hat and friend Wendy - My great friends Dr. John Jackson (by the way John, the low grade fever still persists but your special medicine will take care of that on awards night)... & Mark Mundy & Barbara (it's always so good to see you again)

Chad... thank you in advance for your pictures... & Tara... in the unlikely event that you & Chad . . . remember the CD goes with your stash and I can be reached at this site & will respond immediately.

AND GREAT TO SEE CARRIE'S LOVELY COUSIN AMANDA & TERRIFIC BOYFRIEND SCOTT! - Don't forget about your European groupie vacation - & SAY HI TO BROOK - WE MISSED HER!

THANKS MICHAEL FOR BOOKING US HERE - CAN'T WAIT TO COME BACK!!

For the first time ever we played a brand new Taylor/Rodriguez composition, "Memphis, Texas" - the audience seemed to love it - yes, there is a town in Texas called Memphis. It's a little town in the Panhandle where Carrie's grandma lived for quite a while

Carrie still is slightly under the weather, however no worse than yesterday - she's a trooper and didn't let it effect her performance. My sore throat remains, but I'm not congested yet and so far it hasn't interfered with my singing ... John is holding up as of now - so, for the time being, we're handling it OK.

March 10 - Austin, TX - SXSW film showcase & more

The SXSW Filmfest precedes the music fest & several artists were invited to play for the film participants - They set up a small stage with seating for about 100 people within their main room where the display booths are located - we had quite a nice turnout & the audience was super enthusiastic - many people outside the performance area stopped what they were doing & listened to the show - talked with several fan/volunteers including two film/music buffs from Buckingham, England... Mike & Pearse... very nice guys who last saw us play at the Borderline. They've invited us to play at their venue next time we come to England.

Health & Beauty Report

Carrie got a terrific hair cut - all the curls still intact - wore a jean skirt for the first time in a while - she looked great - John & I wore our usual cleanest dirty shirts & jeans.

Carrie's cold is mostly gone - mine is getting quite a bit worse... so far John is fine

Evening Activity

Randy - THE TEXAS MUSIC GROUP CEO (& friend) - took me to a doctor -THANKS RANDY! - she loaded me up with some pills - hope something works. The best medicine I got was that my friend Hakan, the most respected roots aficionado from Playground Distribution in Sweden - THE GUY WHO SINGLE HANDEDLY BROKE Black & Blue America in his part of the world and did the same with the duet album ... had arrived in town - He, his friend Eddie (a great blues musician/expert from Austin) John, Randy & I went to dinner at Guerros, a great Mexican restaurant - halfway through dinner we met up with our old friend, Lucinda Williams (we've heard a few tracks from the new CD and they sound KILLER!),  Lucinda's lovely new assistant Cara, writer Margaret Moser (who wrote a brilliant piece on Carrie & I and was largely responsible for us being selected to perform at the Austin Music Awards, brother Steve who does a fashion column for the Chronicle, and some other friends one of which, Mandy, played fiddle with Carrie's dad years ago.

It was a great night.... always love talking with my great friend Hakan about music & tequila... he has such a passion for both.... by the way, "Sweet Tequila Blues" was written with him in mind.

March 11, 2003 - The Mucky Duck, Houston

Carrie, John, Kevin & I met in the parking lot of the Homestead Suites in Austin. I particularly like this place - reasonable rates, a large room with kitchen, close to cool clubs like Egos and The Continental and several terrific Austin restaurants like Guerros where we ate with Hakan & friends last night.

Kevin needs to drive his large station wagon to carry his upright bass, so Carrie & I headed for Houston in her car, with John riding shotgun with Kevin. On the way down we got to hook up our new XM satelite radio. It's a pretty cool thing... you can pick from 100 selections.... news, alt country, bluegrass... listened to a lot of the latter on the way. After about 2 and 1/2 hours we started driving through the outskirts of Houston.... one strip mall after another... soon we arrived at one of the coolest music venues in Texas, the legendary MUCKY DUCK.

I was disappointed that the nice people who run this place, Rusty & Theresa were not able to be there..... due to some problems moving in to their home after a bout with the Black Mole (from what I gather this is some sort of fungus that can cause a health risk - I believe certain parts of Texas seem hardest hit with this problem) - certainly hope all is well with that. However the terrific staff, Shane, Bonnie, Jesus, & all made us feel at home and Rusty's son Mike put the final touches on the sound check.

Another reason we look forward to play here is that much of Carrie's extended family and friends live in the area. So it was great to see Carrie's grandma Sylvia (who passed up 3 meetings to attend!) - sorry I forgot many of them including the young man who went to school in Boston... Laurie & Apollo - Carrie's dear cousin Clark... a soon-to-be attorney & his lovely new inspiring bride Shelley who has spent much of her time caring for the less fortunate. And thanks for bringing all your friends... hope we'll see you all again soon - are you coming to SXSW?

Just before the show, Carrie and I went out to the car to listen to us do our guest DJ segment on XM - we got to play whatever we liked.... the few minutes we heard sounded like fun - I think it will air again on the 16th at 9:00 AM Eastern time on Cross Country XM.

RE: THE SHOW

It was a loose fun show where I injected a spur-of-the-moment tribute to Hank Ballard who recently passed away.... and tested many of the new songs. It was another great audience - it was totally like we were in it together - John & Kevin were terrific and Carrie her usual magical self on fiddle & vocals... she left them breathless with her "Wild Thing" interpretation and the brand new Taylor/Rodriguez penned "Memphis, Texas" was again a major highlight.

SUMMARY: There was a wonderful comraderie between the audience and those on stage - we made several new friends including:

RON & RICK (two friends who worked in advertising together...Rick's has shifted to bottling... or some such thing). Nice talking with you both!

STEVE, an extremely knowledgeable music fan, who has been looking for the Taylor/Gorgoni produced 60s album of Evie Sands, "Anyway That You Want Me" which he remembered from High School - Hope Amazon is still selling the Japanese import - good luck in finding it, Steve.

RANDY - who last saw me back in 91 when I left the racetrack for a brief month to tour with a songwriters -in - the -round thing with Rosie Flores, Darden Smith & Midge Ure. Hope the picture of you and Carrie turns out O.K. - send us one!

another STEVE - working full time in music - loves 60s stuff - Thanks for your kind comments on the passion of the music. All the best with your own stuff!

JIM - nobody should be allowed to retire so young! - good luck with your help stuff at Baylor - thanks for the kind words

THE NASA CREW - was it Harold?? – any way nice talking with you - Hi to your cohort!

KRISTI - see you in Austin!! .... and Kristi #2, Carol & Bill - thanks for being front row!! - hope to see you all soon.

HEALTH UP-DATE

I'm not sure which of all the pills I'm taking is doing the trick.... but I feel somewhat better... Carrie & John are fine.... WE ARE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR SHOW AT THE AUSTIN AWARDS TONIGHT, MAR 12 --- IT IS SUCH AN HONOR TO HAVE BEEN INVITED!

March 12, 2003 - Austin City Music Awards - Austin Music Hall

What a great night! - haven't been as excited about playing a show since John, the rest of my band, Ghost Train, & I played Armadillo World Headquarters in 1974. Several thousand people jammed the place and the reaction to our show, here where Carrie was raised, was awesome. The sound system was amazing... John, Kevin & Carrie were brilliant.

Only 5 featured shows tonight and we were one - what an honor - saw some old friends, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Earl Keen, Ray Benson & several others.... Willie was there.... Lucinda as well ....... I presented 2 awards with Gram Parson's lovely sweet daughter, Polly & author/groupie extraordinaire, Pamela Debarres - a very nice lady.

The fans constantly stop to say hello, they always make you feel that you've made a new friend - spoke to several hundred so I could never mention all.... ... Steve on the bicycle, Wendy, Michael were the last names I remembered as we left the building.... thanks to all who said hello.

We have a big day ahead of us.... been invited to several afternoon shows... SXSW is constant music for 4 days.... then we have sort of an anniversary show at Cheapo Disks at 6:00 PM.... this is the record store where exactly 2 years ago I first saw Carrie play fiddle and decided to ask her to join me on tour.

Tonight, after that show, we're going to break open the potent Mescal firewater Dr. John Jackson kindly gave us and toast to a great couple of years!!

March 13, 2003 - CHEAPO'S DISKS

TODAY WAS THE TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF WHEN I FIRST HEARD CARRIE PLAY FIDDLE!

We celebrated with a show at the exact place where I heard her doing an in-store - CHEAPO DISKS.

The place was packed - John, Kevin, Carrie & I had so much fun - the audience was absolutely terrific! - KURT from Germany, Pat, Terry, Cory.... Randall from Tennessee, Alice, a poet who recently wrote a tribute to the late Hank Ballard (don't forget to send me a copy!)... Vance - just back from Massachusetts where she heard "Sweet Tequilla Blues" and got homesick for Austin.... welcome home Vance! ... Vincent - great to see you again... Herman - thanks for your kind words.. and all the rest... THANKS FOR BEING THERE - WHAT AN ANNIVERSARY!!

Thanks Jason for having us play at your cool place and hi to your talented mom.... love your Billy Jo portrait hanging on the back of the stage!

Celebrated later with a sip of Dr. .John Jackson's MESCAL - DAMN, THAT STUFF 'LL KILL YOU ..... loved it! THANKS!!

March 14 - Hillbilly Lane Party (Twangcast - Americana Online)

85 plus degrees... no clouds.... what a day for a cool packed outdoor/backyard party hosted our friends R.W., Bill, Karen, Fred & all from the cool internet radio station Twangcast and Americana Online. It was kind of a make-shift sound deal, with my guitar running through an amp as there was only one DI for Carrie's fiddle ... but it worked fine... again it was just a bunch of friends or new friends sharing some time together... and again we added some of the new songs to the mix and the audience appreciated that.

Lots of new faces to thank for their support including: Bill, Ollie, Marcia, Karen, Rick & Claire, Dave, Allen, Greg, Aimie & Graham from the cool bluerass band that preceded us (plus manager Dave) -- thanks to Mark Mundy & John Conquest for showing up again.... Steve... I'll try to hear your station in Vegas next week... Lee & Dee - Hope we can work out playing your venue (The Austin/Acadia Connection in Maine) ... we'll talk tomorrow..... just a bunch of wonderful friends to play for... a terrific afternoon

After the show Carrie & her half brother Wills (a great young guy... 16 yrs old... who Carrie recently (most happily) got re-acquainted with & John & I headed for a bite to eat... Carrie misjudged the angle of a curb and badly damaged the steering mechanism of her car while trying to park... on the bad side of the ledger, the damage is rather extensive and costly.... on the good side is we got to meet a couple of nice mechanics.... Sam & his friend and a lovely couple Stephanie & George (and their damned cute dog) who recognized us at the repair shop and stopped to say hello - so we'll look at the silver lining, make some new friends and get the car fixed.

Seymour (thanks for the kind words... talk to you soon)

I forgot to mention Will & Florence from the U.K. are in town - they were responsible for all the terrific radio and TV exposure we got over there these last several months - Will is here drumming up business for his publicity/promo company and Florence is gathering interviews etc. to advance her catalogue of interviews and performanes in the roots music area. John Cale's (Velvet Underground) manager is partnering up with Florence and will be making a presentation of this cool footage for a possible BBC documentary or series. So far Florence has footage of Robbie Fulks, Oh Susanna, Tom Russell, Dale Watson & others.

John & I just got back from a controversial ending to a terrific Lucinda Williams concert. Lu and the crowd wanted more.... but time was up....and her show was ungraciously halted... nobody wins out in those cases. Hakan Olsson, John & I toasted to the future of heartfelt music, with a sip of Dr. John's Mescal.... ooh, is that stuff smooth....time to hit the sack!

Health - I'm at the tail end of the cold - still fighting off coughing fits on stage - but it's not so bad and I feel better - everybody else is fine -

Note: 3 shows tomorrow ( we've added a guest appearance at Alejandro's bash) - looking forward to all of them.... then heading for my yearly sabbatical to visit my ex-gambling partner -Ernie & family, with my terrific family - ex-wife Joanie, my kids (Kristian & Kelly) & amazing grandkids Kate & Riley Jo..... we all always look forward to that!!