so my excuse for not posting lately is that my computer is broken, which isn’t really that great of an excuse. it’s just not fun trying to type a book from an ipod (first world problem). but alas, here i am, and i’m going to do my best to catch those of you who care up on my life.
in late november and the majority of december, laura and i were riding around on a tour bus with our musical heroine, brandi carlile. for the first time, she went out on a solo acoustic tour—just her, eight guitars, and a grand piano. as expected, she did not disappoint from an entertainment standpoint, playing slow mournful tunes like “before it breaks” on the piano one minute and then a version of radiohead’s “creep” on her drool-worthy gretsch tennessee rose the next. by the end of the tour, she had us singing four songs with her on stage, including an a capella version of “amazing grace” at the end of her set. one of the highlights of the tour for me was our show in atlanta, where the venue has especially great acoustics. i’ll never forget standing at the very front of the stage—past the microphones—singing a song that is recognizable to everyone, whether they’re god-fearing or not. every person in that crowd was singing “amazing grace” with us, and i have never felt such love for complete strangers.
but brandi, just as a person, is ten times more wonderful than i ever imagined. she has been nothing but a light to laura and me, giving us pep talks when we were discouraged and reminding us that enthusiasm is key in all aspects of the music business. she even offered to let us come up to her house in seattle on january 8th to work on demos in her in-house studio, an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. the tour ended on december 20th, and we left it stronger, happier, and six friends richer.
we’ve now been home for almost three weeks. it’s been so peaceful being back here. i love alabama even more every time i come back. i always cherish the times when i get to be in some kind of routine again, and this one came just in time. christmas and new year’s were both glorious, and in the past week i’ve gotten to go back to my grandparents’ old place three times to walk in the creek and explore the woods i know so well from my childhood. for some reason, i feel like going there has put me in the right state of mind again, a reminder of where i came from and what started this insane journey i’m on.
this sunday, we’ll be going to seattle to stay with brandi while we crank out some new tunes. we’ve got a bunch of songs and we’re eager to make these demos with some inspiring people, so that we’re one step closer to making the second record (which is happening in march, by the way). after this short trip, we’ll be between nashville and home, writing songs and gearing up for album #2. we leave for europe on the 23rd and come back on the 8th of february, then play a few shows in the US while doing some more writing.
so that’s where i am. i hope that wherever you are and whatever you are doing, that you’re happy. and if you aren’t, i hope you’re working toward it. best wishes to you in 2012!
