Tales from the Road Vol. 9: Ala-BAMA!!

First off, my apologies for the tardiness of these blogs.  Yes, they are coming in a few weeks late but nonetheless comprehensive and I promise to improve upon my immediacy.

Anywho, let's catch up.

Alabama.

Or as my favorite movie character did say with flaunting emphasis, "Ala-BAMA!!!" (Forrest Gump obvi).

It was a legitimate pleasure finding ourselves in the Yellowhammer state (Wikipedia).  Our first stop found us in what has historically been called the "Pittsburgh of the South"; Birmingham.  It was dubbed so for its strength as an industrial town; producing a lot of steel amongst other products in its time.  (Too many semicolons?).

Birmingham fit like a cozy shoe for us rust-belters.  We were hosted by the excellent Birmingham Mountain Radio for an intimate interview/acoustic performance prior to our show at The Nick with The London Souls.  A righteous night it was of grungy, gritty rock and roll in one of America's great dive bars where attitude will eternally thrive.  Sharing the bill with a true blues rock revival outfit in The London Souls was certainly a thrill.  We hope to repeat the experience!

Following Birmingham was a stop in Auburn where we visited our old friend Wild Man Steve to perform and chat on his wonderful radio program: Wild Man Steve Radio!  Without a doubt it is always about the music there which gave us some solid inspiration for another greasy night in Jacksonville, Alabama where we rocked Brother's Bar.

From here we had a very welcome, extended stay in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  All I can say is, "When do we come back?"  We had the absolute privilege of rocking the glorious outdoor stage at The Hangout, part of the Countdown to Hangout Music Festival series sponsored by Mobile's WZEW.  And what a time we had.  Little did we know coming into this gig that we would be performing an hour and a half past curfew due to the crowd's intense demand that night and the following three days as well.  We felt right at home in Gulf Shores and enough thanks cannot be given to The Hangout staff, especially Chris Swinney,  Tim Camp at 92 ZEW for making it all possible, The Southern Rambler, and Stephanie Drake Photography for their fervent support.

Read more about our experience in Gulf Shores here: Southern Rambler Interview & Stephanie Drake Blog

On our way to the final stop on tour in New Orleans, we had a quick visit to WZEW 92.1 in Mobile, Alabama for a very pleasant performance and interview with 92 ZEW's own Tim Camp.  After a necessary chow down session at Mobile's famous Dreamland BBQ, we were on our way to The Big Easy.  As always it was a magnificent occurrence just being in the city that birthed jazz and boasts a funky character unlike any other in our great nation.  Our show at Checkpoint Charlie's was certainly a treat.  Although the visit was unfortunately brief it was utmost enjoyable.  Until the next time through I shall have to be content to dream of gumbo and brass bands.

But for now, it is time to make our way back to our temporary homes until the next run.

Til then,

Ty

Tales from the Road Vol. 8: Southern Ramblin'

From Towson, Maryland we had a brief intermission in Virginia Beach on our way south for some rest and work on new songs.

Afterwards we continued to Columbia, South Carolina where we visited 92.1 The Palm WWNU.  Mike Allen was a very gracious host to us and executed a splendid interview.  A class act for sure and we appreciate all the spins we have been getting from The Palm.  We look forward to a return visit!

In Columbia we also had the pleasure of experiencing the classic Southern staple of "Meat and Three".  For those of you that aren't hip to the aforementioned, Meat and Three refers to a portion of meat (who saw that coming?) and three sides of vegetables.  Nowhere like the South to get yourself a  robust meal.

Following Columbia was a stop in Atlanta, Georgia.  Good ole Hot 'Lanta, always a great place to be.  We did an exquisite in-depth interview at East Atlanta Village Radio with the lovely Margot Chobanian.  They were kind enough to accommodate us for an hour long program in which we were interviewed and performed a number of acoustic renditions of songs from our new record World On Fire.  Thanks so much for having us EAV!!  You can check out the program here.

Our trip to Atlanta was completed with a rockin' show at the legendary Smith's Olde Bar.  It was a thrill to play this classic venue once again and we were fortunate to share the bill with the wonderful talents of Alex Guthrie and Hoosier Daddy.  Great stuff gents.

Next up it's Alabama baby!!

More soon,

Ty

Tales from the Road Vol. 7: East Coast Extravaganza Continues

Next stop from Ocean City on our Spring Tour was a very pleasant visit to the studio of WRRW Revolutionary Radio in Williamsburg, Virginia.  It was a treat to be featured for a full hour of 28 North, quite a rare circumstance and we are very grateful for the opportunity.  You can check out the show in Podcast form here at 102.5 WRRW's website.  Much thanks and appreciation to Ed for hosting us.

Afterwards, we jetted up to the Baltimore area where we had another fabulous in-studio experience at Towson, Maryland's 89.7 WTMD.  It was truly a fantastic privilege to be featured on WTMD's Live Lunch concert series at the station's handsome state of the art facility.   Much thanks to Scott Mullins for having us!  And ye citizens of Towson should relish in the benefit of this beautiful studio which the station so generously puts on free lunchtime concerts weekly.  Also, it was delightful to share the bill with Baltimore's own Super City who performed a fabulous set.

Our visit to Baltimore was capped with a superb sandwich experience at Potbelly's.  Delicious.

This then concluded the East Coast portion of our Spring Tour and from here we will be traveling southwards.

More soon,

Ty

Tales from the Road Vol. 6: Ocean City Baby!

For the initial portion of our Spring Tour we spent some time on the East Coast.

The first stop was lovely Ocean City, Maryland where we had a wonderful visit to the Ocean 98.1 WOCM studio.  They took us in and gave us the royal treatment straight away, drinking beers and chatting it up like only the beach towns know how to do.  DJ BK welcomed us in a very lively interview and let us rock out live in the studio.  And a beautiful studio it was; directly upstairs from the bar and displaying a beautiful view of Chesapeake Bay.  Looking forward to a return visit for sure.

We then proceeded to play a show at the elegant Fager's Island which boasted a magnificent sounding live room and marvelous food to boot.  Crab cakes, crab cakes, crab cakes.  In the word's of The Who's Roger Daltrey, "The best I ever haaaaadddd!".  That's one thing Maryland undeniably has reign o'er... Okay enough with The Who ref's.

Fortunately it won't be long before our return to the Ocean City area as we will be performing at Ocean 98 sponsored Mayday Playday on Saturday May 10!  Cannot wait to have a blast at this killer festival in America's coolest small town of Berlin, Maryland!

We shall continue the adventure in the next installment.

'Til then,

Ty

Tales From the Road Vol. 5: Whirlwind Weekend

We continue our adventures on the road with a rapid trifecta of shows at a trio of our favorite stomping grounds.

First, we start at The Grape Room in Philly.  Good ole Philadelphia.  The city of brotherly love as they say.  That and cheese steaks, funky sounds, and brutally curt sports fans.  Love the place.

We had a fantastic show in "The Yunk" (Manayunk; Philadelphia neighborhood) and we greatly appreciate the dedicated, loyal fans whose unfaltering support always brings out the best in us.

After a late night cheese steak we quickly zipped over to Cleveland for a fabulous homecoming, for some of us, at Mahall's (pronounced May-hallz for the uninformed).  As always, the crazy Cleveland crew was rowdy and rambunctious, providing us with the special brand of energy that makes our shows in the Rock & Roll capital a truly elevated experience.  Thank you Cleveland! (Reference to Spinal Tap always intended).

The following day we made the short trek to Pittsburgh for a second homecoming show in Market Square downtown to headline the first ever Dream On Festival.  This wonderful event was put on by Omicelo and DreamCream Ice Cream.  There was excellent music, beautiful people, elegant downtown Pittsburgh, delicious ice cream, dreams... what more could you desire?  Needless to say we had a blast rocking out for everyone there and we look forward to the festival's return.

Up next on the calendar is a three week tour that will have us traveling first to the East Coast and continuing to the Deep South.  I'll be chronicling those adventures for you all in the next couple weeks.

More soon,

Ty