The Carolinas

March 31st-Charleston, SC 

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Continuing on into uncharted territory for the Charis, we made our way to South Carolina, Charleston to be exact. At this point in the tour, some of the days seem to blend together. Because of the discount we get from our buddy Patrick for Choice Hotels, we find ourselves checking in and checking out of a Sleep Inn or Comfort Inn several nights in a row sometimes forgetting that we're in a new city everyday. Some cities stand out more than others but 

it's pretty cool to look back at the places you've traveled just in a few days. 

Charleston is one of those cities that we probably won't remember much about the venue, the city, or the show itself. But we will remember the people we met here. Moe and Isabel ventured out to flyer before the show and they came upon a bowling alley where they met a group of kids about our age. They ended up coming to our show at a fun little place called Jimbo's Rock Lounge that was within walking distance of our hotel (Sleep Inn #12) and we had a great time hanging out with our new Charleston friends.  

April 1st-Charlotte, NC

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The moment we drove into the neighborhood where the venue was located (The Evening Muse) we were in love. 

It was a condensed little pocket of all things artsy. 

Several art galleries lined the streets as well as a vintage clothing store where we got a pair of Charlotte Hornets suspenders for Blake and a black straw top hat for me, and a Yarn Shop! Many of the walls were covered in 20ft tall murals exhibiting the city's love for art, music and community. I've never seen a neighborhood with so many outlets for artists. 

Around 6pm the streets started to fill up for the bi-monthly gallery crawl. This event is similar to the Second Saturday Art Walk in downtown Sacramento, except that it is jam packed into one neighborhood. There were vendors outside and bands playing inside and outside up and down the street. We played at the Evening Muse and it happened to be their 10th anniversary celebration. 

We met a lot of folks who really have a deep appreciation for music 

and it was an honor to be so well-received by them. 

After the show we went to a college party hosted by a kid that Moe met earlier that day. He invited us to come over  and bring our instruments in case we wanted to play a few songs at the party. When we arrived, everyone was very warm and welcoming. Byron played his congas along to the DJ's beats and we accompanied him with our tambourines and egg shakers. 

Thank you Charlotte, NC for showing us a good time. 

April 2nd-Asheville, NC

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Asheville. Cool town. Cool promoter. Cool venue. Party bus that picks up 40 people at the venue you're playing at to take them to another venue across town during your set and drops them back off at the venue you're playing at for an after party after you're already finished with your set….not so cool. But hey, we still had fun with the handful of people that stayed behind to watch us play, the promoter Vairme was a sweetheart and earlier in the evening 

Blake and I got to eat some good sushi at a Japanese Hippie Restaurant. 

Can't complain about that!