School of Hard Knox

I slept well on Bobby Miller's sofa in Asheville.  We woke up to an overcast sky and a pleasantly cool day.  I didn't feel sore from yesterday's hilly hike after all.  In fact, I felt pretty darn good.

Several folks have responded positively to my blog!  People have reached out to me to share their thoughts on music, health, alcohol use/abuse, travel and other subjects.  I appreciate the comments I've received letting me know my blog is being read and enjoyed.  I must confess that I feel a strengthened resolve to reach my 100-day alcohol-free goal now that I've put it out there on the web and have become aware that people are reading.  I'm also inspired to try and pay more attention to what's happening within me and around me for the sake of recording it!  Plus, I feel motivated to say YES to great suggestions (like yesterday's hike even though I was tired) in order to have more to write about!  The way I see it, in no way is this a bad thing.  I've never been into blogging or journaling before, so this is all a new experience for me.  Deciding what to include and what to leave out of my posts is an interesting and challenging sea I'm trying to navigate.  That being said, we did a load of band laundry, talked with Bobby and his roommates, ran a few errands and headed out of Asheville as the rain returned.

Nice view to wake up to!

The red-haired dogs didn't know what to make of me and Brett, but they seemed to accept Mikey as one of their own.

Perhaps we should've fueled up before we left.  The gas light came on while we were on a mountain road to Knoxville.  We were mostly descending though, and Brett did what he could to conserve fuel. We made it to a gas station, and learned that Mini Pearl (Brett's van) can go at least 15 miles past "E."

Respect the 'shine!

We were able to load-in early at Preservation Pub.  We just had to drive through a narrow and colorful back alley to do it.  Once inside the pub, I noticed a version of the "frontal lobotomy/bottle in front of me" quote I had heard two nights earlier, this one apparently credited to the great Tom Waits.  Funny how certain things start repeatedly popping up into your awareness, seemingly out of nowhere.

Right up our alley

Mr. Banjo Boy

"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy." - Tom Waits

We used my TripAdvisor app to find a good deal on what turned out to be a great room at a nearby Best Western.  The XBox was once again hooked up without delay.  I, however, had another project in mind...

Recently, I had saved up some money, and just before we left for tour, I had decided to treat myself and special-ordered a Brompton folding bicycle from NYCeWheels in New York City (clever name, don't you think?).  I had done a lot of research on these bikes and test-ridden a couple while I was in New Orleans the weekend prior.  NYCeWheels let me know I would receive the bike by Friday or Monday.  I was interested in the Brompton, in part, because of its compact fold and portability.  It occurred to me that it would be great to have such a bike on the Great American Summer Road Trip 2014 Edition.  Jamie and Brooke were kind enough to let me have the bike shipped to their apartment in Asheville.  Brooke texted me that the bike had arrived today just as we were about to leave Bobby's place, so we stopped by to pick it up before we hit the road.  So as Brett fired up his Grand Theft Auto at the hotel in Knoxville, I unfolded my new bike.  The Brompton had arrived folded, but fully-assembled, except for the saddle.  I had to attach the seat myself, but didn't have an allen key.  The owner of the hotel not only found the right bit for me, but also recommended a nearby walking/bike path and provided me with directions there.  I biked to the trail, and then biked the trail itself.  It was a perfect way to try out my new bike while taking it some of Knoxville's beautiful scenery.  There were some challenging hills (especially on the way TO the trail), and I'm glad I had opted for the maximum number of gears available on the bike.  The jaunt was awesome, and the downhill bits were inspiriting.  I reached the end of the Sterchi Hills Greenway and folded up my Brompton for this product shot:

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Did I mention the staff at Best Western, my Brompton, and our first ride together were awesome?  I made it back to the hotel in time to freshen up, and we left headed back to Preservation Pub.  It's a cool place.  There are three levels, and we were scheduled to play the ground floor stage.

Time to boot up!

Preservation Pub at Knoxville's Historic Market Square

We finished sound check and had a half hour to kill before showtime, so I walked around Market Square and then checked out the Pub's other two floors to find team triva on the second floor and a treehouse-inspired bar on the roof.

Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument

The pub was pretty busy for a Monday night.  We met some friendly folks, and I think we gained seom new fans.  One guy told me that he is friends with Yonder Mountain String Band and that their lighting guy had turned him onto us.  Man, everyone in the Yonder camp is so supportive!  They've never been anything but awesome to us!  Our show went well, and my voice continues to heal.  We played two long sets.  By the end of the night I could feel our energy level threatening to drop, but we pulled it together and delivered the goods.  

Git it, boys!

Brett broke three guitar strings tonight, and was over it by the end.  I understand that he gets frustrated by the frequency with which strings break from his powerful pickin'.  There was a last minute disagreement over the band's bar tab as we were leaving that added to the overall frustration level, but we got back to the hotel and let it all melt away with Brett returning to his XBox, and me working on this post.  While we didn't make much money on this side trip to Knoxville, we at least broke even, and I'm grateful we came here.  Asheville's been good to us this tour, and I'm looking forward to returning for a gig at the Isis Music Hall tomorrow night.

Cheers, y'all!