TEXAS & MASSACHUSETTS
Well it's been real damn cold, and around here we have indulged in some deep antisocial hibernation to start the year. At this point I'm on week three of mostly speaking to no one aside from the people and animals who live in my house, and it turns out to be alarmingly easy to get used to, so it's probably just as well that I have some dates in February which will force me to put on my singing boots and rejoin some version of society before I forget how.
I'm kicking February off with a quick visit to Texas, including cobills in Austin and Houstonwith my most excellent friend Matt the Electrician. Matt is a great writer and a super engaging performer among many other talents (talking, skateboarding, beard growth). He also is the ringmaster of my on-and-off-again songwriting group, in which he offers up a title each Wednesday and everyone has a week to write, demo, and send in a song to go with that title. Rinse and repeat, a song a week, inspired or not. When I first joined this venture I was A. terrified, and B. pretty sure it would just be a kind of songwriter calisthenics, and wouldn't yield any "real" songs. Turns out though, if the critical, uptight part of your writer brain is convinced that nothing real is happening, it sometimes loses interest and leaves you alone - which is exactly the situation most conducive to writing curious, brave, and, ta-da, real stuff. All this is to say that a number of the songs on my last two records have originated in this group, so I feel that Matt has a special relationship to them, somewhere between godfather and midwife (midfather?). These shows will be a great time, and I hope you'll help spread the word to your favorite Texans.
I also have a nice little batch of Massachusetts shows including the Spire Center in Plymouth, a couple nights at Home Sweet Club Passim, and my other home base, the Parlor Room. For all of these MA shows I'll be joined by the one and only Kevin Barry, my favorite guitar hero. Anything Kevin plays on sounds at least 600% better than it did without him, and every time I get him on stage with me I feel like the luckiest person alive.
We're also fortunate that Jennifer Kimball is opening the Plymouth show with her own gorgeous songs, and might lend her voice to some of mine too if we play our cards right.
KEEPING IN TOUCH (or, LETS NOT RELY ON FACEBOOK)
I'll spare us all the longer essay on the challenges of trying to publicize one's tour schedule in the modern world; but one new wrinkle is that Facebook is changing their algorithm to prioritize actual "people" who are your actual "friends," which sounds like a "nice" "idea," but a side effect is that it's going to cut down significantly on the effectiveness of "musicians" such as me communicating with "listeners" like you on that platform. So, a quick review: if you enjoy getting updates from me on FB, be sure to both 'like' AND 'follow' my Facebook page, which should increase the chances of you seeing my posts. But, you might want a backup avenue of communication too. Two good non-Facebook ways to be sure you actually hear about upcoming shows (from me or anyone else) you want to know about:
BANDSINTOWN is straightforward and reliable - 'track' artists you're interested in and you'll be notified when they're coming your way.
Most direct and reliable of all, SIGN UP FOR THIS NEWSLETTER if you don't already receive it via email. (And be aware that it may show up in your "Promotions" folder unless you set it up not to.)
That bit of housekeeping aside, I hope everyone is enjoying winter in all of its antisocial glory, and I'll look forward to seeing some of you out in the world next month - *kd
Tickets and info for all shows on the tour page.
CDs, LPs, EPs, T-shirts, songbooks, etc on the store page.
UPCOMING SHOWS:
FEBRUARY 2 - The Cactus Cafe, AUSTIN, TX (cobill w Matt the Electrician) Tix
FEBRUARY 3 - Anderson Fair, HOUSTON, TX (cobill w Matt the Electrician) Tix
FEBRUARY 10 - The Spire Center, PLYMOUTH, MA Tix
FEBRUARY 22 - Club Passim, CAMBRIDGE, MA Tix
FEBRUARY 23 - Club Passim, CAMBRIDGE, MA Tix
FEBRUARY 24 - The Parlor Room, NORTHAMPTON, MA Tix