Rainy day in Asheville
How Hank III rolls
When we got back to the apartment I found my bass pick-up. Yup, it turns out the "somewhere safe" I had put it was the side pocket of my backpack! I appreciated my friends kindly pointing out the advantages of having a back-up because I was feeling pretty stupid about "misplacing" it. Damned senility. I went ahead and superglued the pick-up back together and reattached it to my bass. So now I have my original magnetic String Charger as well as the new piezo K & K Bass Max.
Too bad I couldn't remember hiding my pick-up here!
Brett and I stopped by a local music store for an adapter we needed for our in-ear monitor system. Then we met Jamie and Brooke at a laundromat/bar/cafe called the Soap Bar and hung out with them for a good part of the afternoon while they waited for their laundry (the washing machine at their apartment is on the fritz, pardon the pun). Jamar (also in The Fritz and Jamie's/Brooke's roommate) was back home, so it was good to see him.
I went for a jog in the lingering drizzle. I enjoyed some striking and beautiful scenery. Sorry I didn't have my phone with me to take pics. There are definitely more hills in Asheville than in flat Jacksonville; they made for quite a workout. As I was jogging I thought about how humbled and honored I feel by our friends and fans coming out to see our gigs during this trip and/or telling their friends to check us out.
I'm discovering that blogging is both a convenient way to document this journey and a helpful distraction from my periodic urges to drink. I'm getting the hang of updating a draft throughout the day from my iPhone. Speaking of not drinking and technology, I'm very grateful for the articles, blogs and apps that are available at my fingertips and help me stick to my goals with information and encouragement.
We got a $45 tab at the venue, so we headed over early for dinner. We tried to catch The Fritz playing an acoustic gig at a wine bar called 5 Walnut, but the place was at capacity (nice problem for The Fritz), so we listened through the window for a while until the rain started to pick up again.
The Fritz playing to a packed house
We returned to Jack of the Wood, and the crowd was starting to grow nicely. There were two other bands and the evening was being billed as "a wild night of honky tonk and moonshine music."
Public art in downtown Asheville
Jack Of The Wood
A Wild Night of Honky tonk and Moonshine Music!
Our set went well! We all felt good about how we played, and the crowd response was positive. I felt better physically and more on my bluegrass game than last night. My voice is still not working properly, but it felt better than it has for a couple of weeks. I'm very happy about this glimmer of hope. So I'm going to continue with my regimen of water, herbal tea, elderberry lozenges, honey/eucalyptus cough drops, Singer's Saving Grace throat spray, and colloidal silver. It may not be responsible for the improvement, but it doesn't seem to be hurting.
Mikey walked over to the Orange Peel to try and meet Hank III, and Brett and I headed home. A few minutes later, Mikey returned and excitedly told us that he had, in fact, met and talked with him. Mikey reported that he had told Hank we recorded with Randy Kohrs, and that Hank was a super-nice guy. Mikey gave him a copy of The Murder Chord, the CD we recorded with Randy. Mikey's pretty stoked about the experience, and I'm happy for him.
So now we're just hanging out and partying with our hosts, plus Jake (bassist extraodinaire from The Fritz), and a couple friends of theirs. It was a bit tough to see them come in with plenty of delicious-looking beer and decline, but I'm hanging in there.
Jake is welcome to play my ol' Kay anytime!
Not sure how long I'll be able to keep up with the party, but for now I'm with old and new friends, band morale is high, and life is good.
- Jon
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