American Honeys

March 25th-Tallahassee, FL

***

Hello Florida. We played our first of 4 Florida shows at Bird's Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack just down the street from Florida State Univeristy. It was a fun little restaurant with a marquee above the stage with "Musical Charis" spelled correctly (surprising) 

Isabel and I indulged in some yummy fresh oysters.

Isabel ate hers raw over ice with lemon and I created my own combination of baked oysters with blue cheese, bacon and jalapenos. I know that sounds a little fishy but I think I may be onto something. It was oh so delicious! Maybe someday I'll be a professional oyster combo inventor and open an oyster shack next to our soul food restaurant/bowling alley/music school.  

We invited a local band called American Honey to play with us. They were adorable. cute. funny. and sweet ladies (and one guy too) Their set up was a ukulele, keyboard and electric guitar with some rockin' female harmonies. Ladies & gent, you rock. As soon as they get some recordings, I'll get their link up on here.

After the show, we packed up and drove another 4 hours to Blake's mom's house in Palm Coast, FL because we had to play at Finn's in Flager Beach the next day at 2pm. We arrived at 330am to a house full of beds all ready for us to crash in. Thanks Jan!

To be continued!

Mississippi vs. Missippi

March 24th-Pascagoula, MS

***

Oh my Mississippi…or should I say "Missippi" just like the locals taught me.

Pascagoula is a small coastal town in the heart of the South. We played at the Celtic Irish Pub (probably the only bar in town because this place was packed). Just about everyone we met said "I was born in the hospital half a block that a way and now I live just half a mile this a way" Besides the occasional ignorant bigot that called the boys fags, or referred to Byrons' ethnicity in a less than nice manner, or the creepy old men and their confusing pick-up lines, "Hey how are your lucky charms?"…[awkward silence] "I bet they're delicious!" [more awkward silence] 

Geez worst pick up line ever….

But besides that I met a girl Erin who shared her experience with me about Hurricane Katrina. 96% of Pascagoula was underwater and most people lost everything they owned with only 2 hours notice for evacuation. She didn't have enough time to pack up anything and when she was finally able to return to her home, she just fell on her knees and sobbed because she had lost literally everything. She had to re-located to Atlanta for 5 years until the economy got back to normal and she was able to move back and get a job in Pascaoula again. Her story  brought back memories of my trip to New Orleans 18 months after the hurricane when the majority of the city was still devastated by the storm. Boats were still wrecked on top of houses, the amusement park was vacant and thrashed, and folks were still living in little FEMA trailers waiting for simple supplies like soap and toilet paper on a daily basis. Talking with Erin was a good reminder of the need to be grateful for everything we have.

In the end, we actually had a pretty good time. A lot of people were very open to our music and even danced around a bit. One guy bought our CD before we even played because he had to get home, but ran in from the parking lot after listening to the first song and told us how much he like it. It was silly. We'll definitely stop in at the Celtic Pub again someday. 

Peace Missippi. 

Hurricanes are Dangerous.

March 23rd-New Orleans, LA

***

Most of us have never been to New Orleans before. Moe and Isabel were really excited to experience the novelty of the French Quarter. Blake has passed through  a couple times before but was never able to spend time down here until today, and Byron was so excited he 

jumped out of our moving vehicle without warning and ran around on his own for a few hours taking it all in. (Don't worry, we found him again later) I've been to New Orleans once before for New Years' Eve 4 years ago when I was on a Hurricane Katrina Relief trip, so I had a couple things I wanted to see for a second time myself. 

Our dear friend Margo scored a hotel room in the French Quarter with a huge balcony just down the street from all the action. 

We got an early start to the evening at Pat O Brian's Dueling Piano Bar with our first round of Hurricanes. 

(Now if you've never had a Hurricane, I warn you, these things may taste just like a snow cone, but they're dangerous! 4oz of 151? Pace yourself now…) We met up with Blvd Park who was busking just around the corner on Bourbon Street raking in the cash from the massive crowd of intrigued tourists. I walked around with a handful of CD's and they sold like hotcakes. Woooeee! We played together for hours having a blast soaking in the location and the energy and the people. We took turns refilling our To-Go cups of Hurricanes from Pat O's just around the corner. 

(Yes they allow to-go booze cups and bottles on the streets…crazy huh?) 

I have memories of serving mimosas at Capitol Garage and seeing my manager running down the street chasing after customers trying to sneak to-go cups of mimosa with them…but in Nawlin's, clearly anything goes!

Thank you for being good to us New Orleans, your city is so bright and fun!

Southern Hospitality

Home sweet home. This place was magical in every way. Great people, great food, great atmosphere. Saint Francisville is a small plantation community 30 minutes north of Baton Rouge, LA. We arrived in this sleepy little town and weren't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be our favorite stop so far. We've even been invited back to stay in the cabins to write our next record.   

Robin's grandchildren Blakely & Sean-David at the Magnolia Cafe

We played at a place called the Magnolia Cafe on the property of a lady named Robin who not only owns the cafe (this place has an amazing screened patio that is larger than the restaurant itself with a stage area and a bar too) but she also owns a series of 1940's style cabins/bungalo's on the property. Each band got their own separate family-style cabin with 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms with spa, kitchen and 

full size southern-style porch with porch swing to boot! 

The ladies on the porch swing

The front porch of the Musical Charis cabin

And after a home-cooked meal of jumbalaya and chicken, feta, spinach pizza we were feelin' quite spoiled. Robin went around to all the family plantations in town to invite folks out to our show, and it seemed like the whole town was in attendance. We enjoyed their company just as much as they enjoyed our tunes and after our show we were even invited down the street to our new friend Chris' treehouse/fort that he built. 

Now this was no ordinary kiddie tree house. You have to walk down a hidden trail across a wooden bridge and onto the full size deck until you come upon a set of stairs that leads down to the bonfire and back up to the lodging quarters. The treehouse is one of 3 properties that Chris owns in the area. Saint Francisville is a known for it's deep historical roots and even has 

a couple infamous ghosts in town, or so they say. 

On the steps of the treehouse

Plantations have been passed down from generation to generation so the family roots are deep here, and everyone knows each other by name. After a night of music by the bonfire, we walked back to our cabin for a good nights' sleep, dreaming about the months to come when we would play at the Magnolia Cafe every Friday night to make trade for our rent in the family cabin. 

This is one of many beautiful Southern Plantation homes in Saint Francisville

Swamp lands just outside of Baton Rouge

The next morning, we woke up and had breakfast at Robin's sister's restaurant, also on the plantation, and met up with Chris who took us out in his fishing boat along the Bayou Sara. He was an excellent tour guide through the back waterways of the Mississippi river, showing us the unique elements of Bayou life including a beautiful cypress swamp with countless yellow flowers, lilly pads and of course the slender cypress trees that grow right up from the water and up into the clear blue sky. The whole experience was something we'll never forget. 

We were sad to go, but happy to know that we were welcome back anytime. Saint Francisville was a great refresher for us and 

a big dose of Southern Hospitality! 

See you soon Saint Francisville! 

We miss you Brian Jennings! Wish you were here with us!...You'd better be on the next one with us buddy!

The Far East.

Today was officially the farthest east we've toured together in this group!

WE MADE IT! 

It's Monday in Houston and we played at The Mink, a cool little upstairs venue in an artsy fartsy part of town right by the University.  The bar staff informed us that the Monday after SXSW is notoriously the slowest night of the year (uh oh) and we just so happened to be there to enjoy it. And enjoy it we did! Though the streets were quiet and the turnout was minimal, we had a great time with the folks we met, including Adrian Bourgeois' uncle. Their enthusiasm was very nice. Musical Charis played upstairs on the stage and Blvd Park played downstairs in the patio. By the end of their set, everyone in both bands AND in the audience was singing and dancing along like we've been playing together for years. 

Except for Moe...

He was loading out some gear down the stairs, and though he successfully stepped over the missing stair (dangerous and awkward!) he rolled his ankle on the cement landing, nicely set down my keyboard case, and proceeded to fall down in agnoy. 

Oh boy, we heard a big POP and everything. 

Isabel came to the rescue with some ice and for now he's hopping around on one foot. Poor Moe. 

Party Dance like no one's watching

JMB Records stickers across the USA!

Econoline Hiccups

First of all, I still find it amusing that Blake, Brian and I spent last summer in Beeville, Texas of all places. It still seems so random and long ago. For three and a half months we were submerged in the small-town Texas culture where size does matter (from the 50 piece chicken mcnugget buckets to the huge chevy trucks) 

cowboy hats and boots are worn for functionality not fashion...

and it's ok to start drinking a budlight or scotch and water at noon. Beeville is a town where you find yourself picking up the local slang and you do it with a slight southern drawl, you actually look forward to the karaoke nights, and 

everybody really does know your name. 

Me, Rosebud, and Isabel

Only in Beeville will you find a a John Deere Kiddie Bike

I'm glad that Blvd Park got to experience Beeville with us.  Thursday night's St. Patty's day show was a hit with the regulars at the 19th Hole. Kelleen and Rosebud the owners of the bar said they'd never heard anything like it before and invited us to play on Friday evening as well which was just as fun. 

Green beer!

After our set, we stayed to sing some karaoke and no one does karaoke like Texas! With green draft beer, karaoke, and a free hotel room, what better way could you spend St. Patrick's day?

Byron dancing at the 19th hole 

Friday was another day off, so we spent the afternoon grilling at the hotel. Kabobs with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and steak…YUM! Blake also threw on some sausages and chicken drumsticks. Tekla got her first experience cooking on a grill and Byron made a great marinade for the chicken. BBQ's are fun! That evening, we went back over to the 19th Hole for a couple games of pool and an impromptu set. 

mmm...shish kabobs! 

Blake, the grill-master

Again, we got to stay in a hotel room for free, thanks to Pete, the owner of Scores (Beeville's Sports Bar) so we got some good zzzz's….

Saturday afternoon, Blake went to pick up lunch for us and called me on the way back

 "The van just broke down…" dun dun dun…

Being a Saturday at 7pm, we couldn't take it to a shop,so our Beeville friend Paul, Byron, Isabel and myself pushed the van across the street to Autozone (next door to the hotel) while Blake steered the thing.

Our little Econoline in front of the AutoZone

 We did some basic troubleshooting but were unable to get her started again, so we unloaded the gear and took it across the street to Scores (Beeville's a pretty small town) to get set up for our show. We ended up meeting two mechanics at the show that night who were in town for work,  and they were staying in the hotel across the street from Scores and our hotel (...a really really small town)

We played for a few hours at Scores and tried our best not to worry about the van…yet….Some ol' cowboy even gave  us a $100 tip and 6 shots of patron to play Wagon Wheel…So we did and it's a new favorite cover of mine :) 

My old co-workers from Scores

Rockin' the Musical Charis shirts

Afterwards our buddies, Paul, Albert and Adam took us and some of the Blvd Parkers to a small get-together just down the street where we hung out and  watched "Scum" (an independent film that Paul directed/produced that won an award for best special effects at the San Antonio Film Festival) 

Hangin' with the Beeville locals

This morning, we met up with Tim and Chris, our new mechanic friends at 10am to start the diagnostic on our beloved Econoline….

After 4 hours and 2 failed attempts she finally purred back to life! 

We couldn't have been more grateful to those two guys who gave up their only day off to help us get back on the road. Their free labor probably saved us close to $700 dollars! So, we piled in and went on a our merry way

…only to break down again just 5 miles outside town. 

We were able to drive back to their hotel and were happy to find out, it was just a timing issue which was easily adjusted. Once again, we hit the road and because of the 3 new parts they replaced, she's running smoother than ever. The breaks, fuel pump, coils, spark plugs and some other parts that I don't know much about are all working great! Let's just hope and pray this was our only breakdown. Yikes!

And here we are, writing to you from a hotel in San Antonio where we got sort of a "celebrity discount" on our room because the ladies at the front desk recognized us from "Great Day San Antonio" And so, after a long couple days, we're resting tonight so we have the energy to play our last Texas show tomorrow in Houston!

If you read this entire novel…I mean, blog, then you're a trooper! And speaking of troopers...

Go Econoline Go! You're the van of our dreams and you can make it all the way! Wooooohooo!!!!

And thank you to Tim and Chris for saving our van, we are truly grateful for your kindness and expertise!

Byron, Tim, Jess, Isabel, Blake(driver's seat), Moe, & Chris

with the recovered Econoline!

"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves."

AMELIA EARHART

South by So What?!! We're going to Beeville!

So much to blog. So little time.

Let's continue our story right where we left off...

The scene: A community-based coffee shop in San Antonio, TX
Characters: Blvd Park and Musical Charis, Chris the Barista
Props: 4 or 5 mac laptops, a few smart phones, breakfast paninis, tea cups, and a coffee table.

After an exhausting haul through West Texas, and an early live television appearance, the group of young troubadours seek solace and comfort at a local coffee shop. Though the gang has one goal in mind, to find the cheapest hotel deal in San Antonio, they work in teams, calling hotels, pricelining, orbitzing, and even expedia-ing...DOT COM!!! In the meantime, Chris, the cool barista, offers information regarding tourist attractions, the music scene and even agrees to attend the show at the Night Rocker Live later that evening...Finally Priceline accepts the bid and the group caravans over to the Alamo Inn for naptime...


And there you have it folks, a little glimpse into our everyday decision-making for sleeping arrangements and the opportunity we get on a daily basis to meet cool new folks in every city. Chris did come to our show at the Night Rocker and he even hosted 3 of our crew for the night.

Banton and Moe are too cool for school.

The show at the Night Rocker Live was memorable and extremely entertaining.

Let's just say it was an evening reminiscent of the documentary "Dig." (minus the fighting between band members part)


Sometimes you just have to let loose with the on-stage antics and shenanigans to remind you that you're playing music because you enjoy it, not because you're trying to make a buck or trying to impress anyone.

Blvd Park played an amazing set too, so amazing in fact that the audience couldn't stop buying those $1 shots of tequila for the band and putting them on stage during the set. Oh my!

The next day (Wednesday) was

our first official day "off" since March 1st!


We went down to the Riverwalk which is a couple miles of restaurants, bars and shops along an underground river. It looks like a cross between the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise rides at Disneyland. Of course, we brought our instruments and we all busked down by the river. It was quite a spectacle at times with all 13 of us singing and dancing along to the same song. The energy and enthusiasm was infectious and well-received by on-lookers of all ages. We did this pretty much all day and had a blast doing it.

Moe's new friend Jesse busking in the park

The whole gang

 Trying to get out of tickets...

 San Antonio Busking

Illegal music-making at the Alamo

We took a break to eat dinner at Lulu's (featured on Season 1 of Man vs. Food) where they serve

the biggest Texas-sized chicken-fried steaks and 3lb cinnamon rolls you've ever seen. 


After dinner it was back to the Riverwalk for more busking. We played out front of an Irish Pub where they actually asked us to come in and play a set. Blake and I played some Musical Charis tunes and Isabel played some covers. Almost everyone walking around is a tourist so we made off pretty well even though we were just there to play for fun and to spend time with each other in an awesome city.

Music brings people closer together :)

The Buckhorn Sheriff in SA

The oldest saloon in Texas

That's a lot of antlers...

Yesterday was St. Patty's Day and we returned to the small town, Beeville, TX Pop. 10,000 where we spent the majority of last summer living in a lighthouse. We played at the 19th Hole and we were able to show Blvd Park a good ol' small-town Texas good time with some karaoke after we played. All the regulars usually go home around 5 or 6pm but they all stayed to watch us play and they really enjoyed both sets.


We'll be here in Beeville for the next couple days and then we'll be hitting the streets of Austin....See you soon.

Naptime Y'all.

San Antonio Skyline

Well hello. Time for a little update from TEXAS the Lone Star State.
You know you're in Texas when people start referring to you as "ma'am"..."Yes ma'am...no ma'am..." and when "you guys" becomes "y'all" And my favorite is the possessive tense "y'all's" meaning "your guys' "

We drove into El Paso, TX (the farthest most tip of West Texas only about 600 miles from Dallas) and realized that we forgot to Ghost Ride in New Mexico....dang. We'll have to pick up the slack in Texas.

On Sunday evening we played at an awesome place called the "House of Rock-Live" We played on a full size stage with a sound system that was also full size (to say the least) but you know what they say

"Everything's bigger in Texas"

After our sets a few of us went upstairs to burn off some calories via dancing. I'm guessing we easily burned a few hundred cals each which was not the goal but just an added bonus. It's hard to find time and ways to exercise on tour you know. It was quite the dichotomy with us boogying all over the dance floor and having a good time while the locals stayed tucked away in their booths seemingly

shell-shocked to witness such an onset of amazing dance moves...haha. 

We were having such a good time that a couple girls came up to me and asked if I was "rolling"...I quickly realized that this was a reference to being on some form of mind-altering substance and I laughed and told them "No, I'm just having fun." and proceeded to coax them into dancing with us.

I don't think they believed me...haha

After a long day, we went back to the hotel and got a good night's sleep to prepare for an even longer day!

Monday morning,
We woke up. Drove 5 hours to Midland, TX. Played a cool little all ages venue. Got back in the van. Drove 5 more hours overnight to San Antonio, TX. Arrived at 4:30am. Slept in the parking lot of the news station. Got up at 6:30am and loaded on set at the "Great Day San Antonio" Show for a live TV performance. Click here to watch our segment where we performed "The Life"

Live on set at Great Day SA

Blake finds the KENS ch 5 mascot costume in the closet

Today's show was packed full of music, models, and motivational speakers. Byron and Brian fight over who gets to take a photo with the lovely ladies. 

After about 10 hours of driving and several hours of being on point for performances, we've checked into a hotel about a mile from the famous SA Riverwalk and the Alamo!

And now it's officially naptime! Got to catch up on a night with no sleep!

The Land of Enchantment

If you haven't had the chance to drive along the 10 freeway across east Arizona, you're missing out. It looks like the massive rocks were literally sprinkled into place from the sky. Piles of rocks are balanced perfectly on top of one another making for a unique desert scenery. 

Econoline still truckin' along like a champ!

We made a couple stops along the way to New Mexico to snap some photos...

Rock climbing

Looking out over the desert

Finally we arrive in Las Cruces, NM and immediately we're again curious as to how the evening might turn out. You see, the general consensus among the locals is that Las Cruces, NM is not the "Land of Enchantment" but rather the "Land of Entrapment" This was our third time in Las Cruces, and everytime, we hear from the few people that we meet that no one seems to have much interest for the arts and music. They seem negative and indifferent when they talk about the music and art scene in general. 

The girls

and The boys

So why stop here...again? Well it's on the way, and Moe has been in contact with an artistic pioneer named Kiki Rodriguez who has been living out of her car for the last year in order to see her dream come true: To open a music venue in Las Cruces. Moe and Kiki planned the grand opening of the creative art/music space "Yum Bunny" and 

it turned out to be a very interesting yet magical evening. 

In the middle of a sad little neighborhood, Kiki brought some light...well actually, a LOT of light

Kiki decorated the entire venue with bright colors, lights, and magic :)

Hand-painted mannequins from different parts of the world

Re-contructed art pieces 

The Peacock guards the rocks, crystals and corals

My blinking little robot friends

Stepping through the door of the "Yum Bunny" was 

like falling down the rabbit hole, where objects seem familiar yet foreign 

because of the new color, light and construction. She even had a stage built (which was later our bed because she let us crash at the venue) where we performed for an enthusiastic few locals. We met a few really cool people in Las Cruces who really touched our hearts. A couple of them blow glass in a workshop next door and left us a care package filled with home made incense, necklaces, and copper earrings for the girls. 

Our care package from Jackson and Mike with a note that thanked us for bringing our music to Las Cruces. 

After both bands played, we spent the rest of the night jamming, writing tunes together, listening to Kiki's own songs, and just having a good time. I think it is safe to say that this was one of my favorite shows so far. We're all very proud of Kiki and we're glad we got to be a part of her grand opening. 

Kiki sang her heart out and we sang along with her!

To all you touring bands out there, you MUST stop by and play at the Yum Bunny!