Doing solo, solo

I can think of a lot of things that one lonely person needs on the road, but I can think of two things that are crucial: 1. cruise control, 2. someone who has or does mother children. Cruise control is obvious. Why a mom? It's simple. They're just concerned about you, especially if you happen to be sleeping in their home and are a singer of songs that they enjoy, even if you are a total stranger. Yes it's true, the fans are very important, but not as important as the mothers that you meet along the way. They're the ones who really get you through the tour. "Would you like to do some laundry? Can I make you a to go cup of coffee? Can I fix you some dinner? Would you like to take a bath? I made you some apple brownies." seriously, you don't get that sort of hospitality anywhere except from a mother. And then you hit the road again, well-rested with a full belly, clean jeans and the warm fuzzies.

I'm just leaving St. Louis, where I played the 4th of 8 shows with The Wood Brothers. I stayed two nights with friends of a friend of friend, Mike and Kelly. Kelly is a mom. Now you know where I'm standing. Well, I'm sitting actually, I'm driving, sort of. I've got the cruise control on and I'm typing this with my voice. Ah technology.

I'm headed to Bloomington Indiana, Twin City to Athens Georgia, or so they say. This is my first ever solo tour. Solo driving, solo loading, solo performing, solo everything. This wasn't the original plan, but Ben Lewis' flight was canceled due to hurricane Sandy, and so here I am. Anyway, it's really not so bad. In fact I'm seeing this tour as a rite of passage. I could see it being harder if the Wood Brothers weren't so sweet.

Four more shows and four more cities to go and then a long ass drive home to Nashville. Wish me luck!

Oh and happy Halloween!

Lera

NYC- Ali

I just want to throw it up for Ali.  Grazie Mille.  Sorry if I stay at your home too often.
You are a shining star onto the world.

Grazie Mille.

WOW! My face looks red.  

I've "Ben" Everywhere Man

Grand Rapids MI
Cleveland, OH
Chautaqua, NY
Westhampton Beach, NY
New York, NY
Ridgefield, CT
Philadephia, PN
Newport, RI
Lowell, MA

Not everywhere, but certainly several places, and hung out with some pretty great people.  The Davis's of Chadds Ford are wonderful people with a beautiful new deck.  And it was at their home that I finally watched Blazing Saddles.  Fantastic.  Mel Brooks and Willy Wonka are a fabulous team.  I would love to do a remake.  I would be Willy Wonka and Cleavon Little would be played by, oh I don't know, how about... and Don Cheadle!  BOOM!!!!  Now that's a remake.
And as we are on the road with Jerry Reeds grandson, Jerry Roe (who is the drummer for kd lang), I've also been dreaming of growing a mustache remaking a little film called "Gator."  Jerry Roe would play Bama McCall and I would be Gator.
I would also love to play Batman.
If you have any other suggestions of remakes that the Lera Lynn band could possibly dream of starring in, please post it on Facebook.  If someone comes up with one that makes me "LOL," I'll send you a shirt or something.
Ben's mom sent me a Rubiks cube.  It's really frustrating when you can't win.  It's a youth puzzle, and there's a million kids on YouTube that can do it.  But me... I'm just a big idiot.
We're playing Hyannis tonight on a stage that spins around!  If I said I wasn't excited, I would be a liar.

Creepy Obama Thing in Westhampton Beach.

Lera isn't ready in this photo. 

Worlds weirdest mascots.

Rotating Stage!

Practice.

The SPACE Between Fort Collins and Grand Rapids.

Sometimes you forget about things you love or move on from them for one reason or another. But forgetting means you can later rediscover. Last night in Evanston, IL., I had the opportunity to rediscover the magic of something I once held near and dear; whiskey. Bourbon to be specific. Having recently spent 2 weeks in England, driving in a backwards car on a backwards road, I wasn't able to spend as much time as usual with my old friend. Upon return to the US, as some of you know, I was hit with a quadruple health challenge. I tried everything imaginable, except whiskey. Let me tell you, Whiskey truly is a cure-all.

How is it that the road delivers us wonderful people all the time? I guess the universe approves of our ventures. We played at Space, where the owner put as much, if not more, thought into the green room as the live room. Super super rad there. Can't wait to go back. We also met the coolest, sweetest couple last night, Ernie and Quinn, of somewhere south of Chicago IL. Ernie opened the show for us and then opened his home to us for the night. They built us a fire outside, played fiddle tunes and made us pancakes for breakfast. I slept better than I have in weeks. What have we done to deserve this? Nothing probaby.

Being on the road also presents challenges, especially with respect to finding mail recepticals. Lately we've been chasing down mail people and asking them to send out our postcards. I wonder if they think they're about to be accosted, ony to be handed a pile of ridiculous post cards. You're welcome. --Lera

Fort Collins

Katie is a cat lady.  And a cat lady is a nemesis to the band, no matter how sweet, how generous, and how amiable a person is.  The Ben’s will never fully accept a keeper of cats.  Meow.  We hate our allergies. 

As we drive through Nebraska, I reflect on our time spent in Colorado.  To quote Lera Lynn, “Colorado is possibly the worst climate for a South Eastern bred singer for two reasons. 1: It’s dry.  2.  I can’t hold my whiskey.”  To quote me, “I’m from Colorado, I love it here, please stop talking about the altitude.”  One actual downside about Colorado, no Bank of America, which has led me to invent a game.  It’s a race.  First person to find out where I am, kill me and take my wallet wins way more cash than anyone should ever carry in a wallet, much less a child Velcro wallet. 

Nebraska is a perfect state for pondering questions in ones head.  Can my pin number be 5 numbers long?  If so should I switch my pin to P-I-Z-Z-A?  How much do stuntmen make a year?  How far away can Chicago be?  If someone killed me and took my wallet, how long until they guessed P-I-Z-Z-A?  I wonder what Lera’s pin is. 

You know what?  Nebraska is pretty.  We’re 82 miles from Kearny. 

You have until 12PM, 8-8-12 to kill me.

Meow!

My first burrito of the trip.  Today I had the privilege to watch a man eat a burrito, and then begin and encore burrito!  10:40 AM.  Fort Collins, Colorado.

Colorado

Dear Fans of the Blog,
I am sorry.  I am sorry that I let you down, yet again and failed to blog overseas.  More than once.
- Lera

Buon Giorno!  I'm in my home state, Colorado!  Rad.  Adam came all the way from Utah and the Knutsons were there, and my family and the Ebel's and it was Suzanne's birthday, and and and my brother had too much to drink and I'm sure today he has buyers remorse for spending like, over $100 on things he probably could have stollen out of our van.  I'm saying... I would have trusted him with the keys.
Lera has altitude sickness, jet lag, allergies and womanly times happening right now, so she's a blast.  Flat tire on E470.  Our first one.  Got it by running over a Browning shotgun choke. It was a real treat trying to figure out how to get the tire off the bottom of van... it was a mess.  Good thing Jeremy showed up and saved us from what would have been certain lateness.
Ricky came too!  All the way from Florida.
Every time I visit Colorado I wonder why I ever moved away.  What?  So that I could ultimately meet Lera and have to ride around in a van with her while she steals my Advil and tells me to stop playing my Indian flute that I bought at Heritage Square?  Hindsight = 20/20.
So many good things.  Anyways, I'm sort of busy.  I'm going to go try to find Bama McCall's grandson and hang out with him, because yes... I'm on tour with him.  And they say sequels are never as good as the original...

Our address for receiving mail is:
PO Box 214
Athens, Georgia
30606
We'd love to hear from you.

BOOM!

And now... it never happened.

I hope he gets the job.

I'm such a horrible keeper of the blog. Apologies. I know all of you have just been hanging on to the edge of your seats, anxiously awaiting my next post. Well, I have an almost excuse for my neglect. We're in the UK. Internet access is rare when you're driving all over. NO more excuses. We're relaxing in the Lake District in England after a week of traveling and performing and driving on the wrong side of the road. I will say, I'm almost a master at wrong-side driving now, except when backing up. It's backwards twice so that it's almost right. Whatever the case, it's a real brain fuck.

We played at the Secret Garden Party in England. No one told us that we'd have to traverse acres of suck-your-feet-down mud before getting to the stage. No one told us that we'd want to have water proof shoes either. I started with Chaco's. Ben with his lizard cowboy boots. Poor boots. They're in need of repair now. Eventually Ben just went barefooted. Even the costumed party goers on who knows what were giving us funny looks. We might have been 2 of 5 people in that 20,000 person festival without the rubber boots. Oops! I'm told by several that while we were on stage, playing our folky duo set, a man approached the stage and exposed himself to us. Ben says they made eye contact. Luckily I was distracted by something and missed this altogether. Phew! If you're ever in England in the "summer,"and looking for an experience, go to the not-so-secret Garden Party.

We played our first set on a river boat. Everyone gets drunk midday. They walk around on the boat and sit and listen to music. It's a good thing. I'd do it again. And again. Mary Ben's Girlfriend met us in Newcastle just before boarding the boat. I'm really glad she's here.

Tomorrow we're headed back to London, then up to Perth, Scotland to play a couple shows before heading down to the Cambridge Folk Festival. I can't believe we're already half way through this trip. I am anxious to get back to Ben Wills, and hear some bass on these songs, I can tell you that. Ben, we love you.

http://instagr.am/p/NYm0hgSgXb/
 http://instagr.am/p/NYnukRygX_/

ATHFEST

Holla at ya Athens, Ga.  Athfest might be the best reason to live in Athens…Aside from Kelly’s Jamaican Jerk Chicken. Our night shared at the 40 watt with Modern Skirts, Quiet Hounds and Twin Tigers was one for the books!  A real ho-down!

And then David Prasse happened.  Prasse and friends have the unique ability to once a year turn Little Kings into the coolest day party found in these parts.  Got a chance to perform with Thayer Sarrano, The Empties and some others.  Just a real great time. 

Thank you to everyone who made it out.  It was hot.  It was crowded.  It was fun.  JB’s polish sausage was back!  And mine fell in the back of Lera’s car on the way home.

And my Grandma Wills was there.  How do you like that? 

Post show couch sitting.

Additionally, our Day Trotter has been posted.
 http://www.daytrotter.com/#!/concert/lera-lynn/20055803-37383037
This makes me want to draw all of our photos.

ATL

Lera Lynn here. Here being home. At last. Ben Lewis and I played in Atlanta last night, which is familiar and close enough to Athens to be included in the feeling of being home. But tonight we play in Athens, our real home, which is always splendid. And then we get to make the 2.5 minute drive to our own respective beds. Last night was our first of three shows with Todd Snider. What a character. He makes me feel like Mother Teresa. The Variety Playhouse was a fun room. I can't believe how wonderfully attentive the audience was. Makes me think, if you can weather Athens discerning fans, you can likely survive in some pretty rough crowds. Thanks for making me tough, Athens. Atlanta delivered us this guy, Seth. Seth wanted his chest signed. And like everyone who asks for a body signing, he asked me to write something really witty. All I could dream up was the literal. Thank you Seth for your enthusiasm and please thank your lovely lady lawyer friend who was there cheering me on as I debated how to traverse your dewy chest hairs. Oh this life. From now on, I'm only signing ladies ;)

Seth 

Carrboro NC.

Well howdy folks. Last night we opened another show for Paul Thorn at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC. A fine establishment with even finer staff. We were made welcome with handshakes, smiles, and a few six packs of beer. Beautiful. The crowd was exceptionally welcoming and we made a good deal of top-notch friends (two fellas by the name of Jody and Chris just to name a few). I'm getting way ahead of myself though. The main reason for coming to Carrboro was to get close to Chapel Hill so we could swing by one of the greatest restaurants in the entire world...Time-Out. Roughly 8 years ago I had the great pleasure of eating at this gourmet producer of foods and I've had a burning desire to return ever since. Their claim to fame is that they serve Thanksgiving food 24/7/365. Needless to say, Lera went without. Overall review, not quite everything I remembered, but definitely some tasty eats. Highest quality grease for sure.  Post show, we loaded into the van and left in search of shelter. We found a La Quinta sandwiched between a Red Lobster and a Bowling Alley. Done.  Upon entering said Quinta, we encountered a cop, a manager, and like five 8-year-olds. Their parents had locked them out of the room for some "private time" and they were up to all sorts of tomfoolery at 2 in the A.M. After a few threats of child protection and the long arm of the law, the hoodlums were wrangled and returned to their hotel cell. Afterwards, we were honored by Manager Margaret and inducted into the La Quinta rewards program, established by the late Mr. Quinta back in 1936.  A Spaniard fella! This is a high honor and only given to the most thrifty of folks. It is now today and we're headed back to the Cat's Cradle because I forgot a pair of pants there. Then off to Winston Salem for one more show and home tomorrow! Go America!

Time-Out.  Michael Jordan has eaten here.  So have the Ben's.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Wes. Our faithful Charlotte host, started signing our merch last night, as we allowed him to "hang" with us behind the table. Wes is not in the band, everyone, but he could be if he wanted to. 

Then a new fan, who bought our last flaming el camino shirt asked me to sign it, only after having Paul Thorn sign it first. This is the very thing I addressed in a recent post, wherein I signed the Punch Bros shirt. Now I know for real how it feels. It's just fine. I signed my name much larger than he did. Just fine.

Paul Thorn gave me a lunch box with a Moonpie inside, stating, "I know how it feels to be an opener." Wes ate the Moonpie.  And now I know how it feels to be an opener of lunch boxes.

Additionally, we now have a PO Box.  So it would be great to get postcards back from you as well.

Lera Lynn

PO Box 214

Athens, Ga. 30603

A big special thanks to Paul Thorn.

Please send us mail.

Punchy punchy punchy

My mom used to always say she was punchy when she was tired and manic. I can't think of a better way to describe the way I'm feeling now, having spent 3 days with the Punch Brothers and bidding our farewells last night. Farewell for the Punch Brothers means more bourbon. More bourbon. Maybe a beer and some more bourbon. Thank you for everything. Go get 3 hours of sleep and sleepwalk your way through the airport. We were in bed at 2:30, awake at 5:30. Now we're on a plane again. Headed to Charlotte.

But first, the Palladium in Carmel, IN. Wowza. What a venue. I don't think I've ever seen a nicer theater. Last night Ben Lewis and I got to use the ol' single condenser mic setup. The audience was completely silent. Sometimes you can't tell if it's an obligatory silence or if they're truly enjoying themselves. But I think they liked it all right. Lots of people got in a line to have us sign things. It's always awkward when someone wants you to sign the t-shirt of the other band. I always fear that later, when that fan asks them to sign it, they'll see this as distasteful. Oh well. My name is on a Punch Brothers shirt now floating around somewhere in the world. Good.

Brian Merch Guy. Great guy. Real sweetheart. Someday it's my goal to afford him on the road. He's a badass. Not only does he collect vinyl, he also photographs all of them and posts them online for people. I thought I was organized. You might think you are. But Brian Merch Guy will school you. That's who you want managing your merch. Some day...

For now, I'm sizing up this bench at the Atlanta Heartsfield Airport, waiting on my connection to Charlotte. Gonna see Ben Wills and the van there. And Wes. Gonna play a show at McGlohan Theatre tonight after 3 hours of sleep and a few too many bourbons. Punchy. To say the least.

Until next time, LL

My bed at Heartsfield airport in Atlanta.  

Punch Brothers an Ben Lewis.

Sunrise drive to indy.

Our car.  Their bus.

Weir miniature wedding table? At Clarion Hotel?  Why?

Motor magic city stick

Detroit. Ever since we've been on the way to the venue, the Magic Stick, Lil Kim's song, "Magic Stick," has been infinately looping in my head. Her lyrics are explicit. You've been warned.

One thing I realized last night at the Magic Stick... I need to get a handle on my profanity. Today I've made it my goal to forego profane expression. Fingers crossed.

Last night I walked back stage, just after the Punch Bros started their set, to fill my glass with wine. It was there that I discovered the off-center brilliance of those guys, only this time it had nothing to do with music. Low and behold there was a piece of chewed gum on a piece of new bread. I suspected it was the work of Noam Pikelny. I was correct. Please see exhibits 1 and 2 below. The thing that blew my mind was the proximity of said act to the waste recepticle. To take it a step further, he admitted to removing the bread from the bag specifically for the gum. He could've put it on the wall but he's a nice guy.

In the basement of the Magic Stick is a bowling alley. With some borrowed socks I donned the shoes and took home 3rd place (or was it 4th?) in a post-show roll with the whole gang. Turns out, I have finisher's luck. Kindof. Ben bowled a 68. But he had some extra style points. Of course. --LL

You're seeing the heads of Chris Eldridge and Ben Lewis and the pre-bowl stance of Paul "Arco."

One of the Punch Brothers gum on a piece of bread.  (Close up.)

Bread with gum, on the table.  (Lower left hand of the picture).
Trash can.  5 ft away.  (Upper right).

Who's feeling awesome now?

Punch-drunk hoe-down

I'm really not an overly emotional person. I mean, I'm sensitive to others and compassionate but I don't do a lot of crying; at least not in public. When I saw Dave and Gillian at the Georgia Theatre last fall it was a full moon and I cried like a baby through most of their set. That was a first for me. Last night the moon was full(ish) again and listening to the Punch Brothers was a second, but the feeling was more euphoric this time. Holy Jesus they are overwhelmingly perfect and inspiring. I stood among the sold out audience of Cleveland, Ohio's Beechland Ballroom and felt like I was floating around somewhere close to the ceiling. How did we get on this tour with them? Dreams coming true. Quite a satisfying feeling. What's more satisfying than that? Playing old Patsy Cline songs with Chris Thile and the guys on their bus til the wee hours. Yep.

Oh yeah I should mention that the voice you should be reading this with is mine, ol' Lera Lynn here. Lil Benny Wills is relaxing at home for the next fews days with Ck. I hope they're having as much fun as we are.

Excited to come back to Cleveland in August. Really fucking great audience. Very respectful and energetic. Tonight we're in Detroit. Tomorrow we have a day off which I plan to spend sleeping ;)

Us in our rental Versa.  We still haven't figured out how the door locks work.  Very mysterious.

Charlotte NC- Myrtle Beach SC

Charlotte is great because of a few things.

1.  Wes Kent.

2.  Elvis is alive and well.

3.  The Evening Muse.

Wes Kent is that kind of guy who is down.  "He's on the level", as Lera Lynn might say.  For realsies.  And he's in chef school.  And he's quite possibly as much of a Chipotle enthusiast as Ben Lewis and myself.  But he doesn't have internet so it was impossible to write about him yesterday.

Evening Muse is cool.  I love the idea of having early shows and late shows.  That group was crazy fun, and we were blown away with how many of you came out.  Wes and myself partied until 3 AM listening to iPhone music and chilling by his pool.  Come to think of it, we were in Charlotte for 20 hours, and I went to the pool three times.

Myrtle Beach is cool because of a few things.

1.  They let us play on the board walk.

2.  Mike McDonald dances.

3.  I love ferris wheels.

We did two sets and in between, Lera disappeared and me and Ben were preparing ourselves to get on stage without her and perform a skit.  It would have been mostly improvised but the general arc would have been that Ben is a sheep and I'm a shepherd.  And then handstands.  But Lera showed up just in time and we'll have to wait for some other lucky audience to watch our theatrics.

Wes Kent and Lera.  Maybe the greatest picture of all time.

Elvis Aaron Presley.  

We played next to a ferris wheel.  The beach is directly behind us.

 

Mike McDonalds.  His face almost looks like a mask, and I mean that in a good way.  Best dancer in Myrtle Beach.

Wilmington NC

We've stayed the night in some pretty nasty places, but this one takes the cake.
But first, our first night ever in Wilmington, Soapbox Laundro-Lounge, wonderful club, awesome sound guy, awesome owner and awesome crowd.  Steve came out. Mrs. Leigh's Mom and Miss Leigh's sister came and surprised us... the evening was just really great.  You, or at least I wouldn't think that a music venue/ actual laundro-mat wouldn't work, and we'd be wrong.  That place is crazy rad.  Our first of many shows there I hope.
And then we decided that it was a good idea to try to drive to Charlotte, and ended up in a Budget Inn in the middle of nowhere.
Upon entering said motel, it was clear that I wouldn't be sleeping underneath covers.  We pulled the covers back anyways just out of curiosity I suppose and the bed was full of hair.  But that's probably the usual when instead of a bed frame your mattresses are just on top of bricks.  Lera put on a pair of my suit pants and one of my shirts- popped collar- to ensure that none of her skin touched the sheets.  Ben Lewis attempted to hang a hammock in the room from the front door to the bathroom door in hopes of not touching a single piece of the room.  And me... well I took the bass out of the soft shell case, and slept for three hours in my case.  Then I move outside to find that the entire motel is booked with migrant workers who were outside waiting for their rides to work, so I have a cigarette with them, and then try to fall asleep in the van as they wander around in the parking lot.  They laugh.  I laugh.  I admit to myself that there's no way I'm going to fall asleep.  I fall asleep.
But I'm serious when I say, I love doing this.  Upward and onward.  Charlotte NC tonight.
Good.

If you need a postcard, just send us your address.  Leralynnband@gmail.com

Ben will even write you one as he drives.

Hammock attempt.  

Lera's bed.  Tile floor.  Bricks.  Mattress.

Chinese magic traps bought to celebrate not being murdered last night.

Ye Olde Chuck.

Charleston, South Carolina.  This is where America played its first game of golf.  This is where America opened it's first museum.  This is where the opening shots of the Civil War were fired.  So yeah... it's pretty hard to concentrate on playing music when you are aware that you're in a city that breathes history. How am I supposed to concentrate on playing Wolf Like Me when I'm too busy thinking about the fallen comrades in the Battle of Fort Sullivan?  I'll tell you how... by being a pro.  Which I'm not.  So South Carolina had 12 casualties while the Brits had 200+.  Not exactly a bad showing for early America.  I sort of payed attention in history class.  Or, Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia.  So all of those facts might be wrong.  Because their content is user generated.
Lera is pretty convinced we saw two small tornadoes yesterday... in South Carolina, which according to Wikipedia is the tornado capitol of the world.  Well, at least it's about to say that on Wikipedia.
Good.
I need a burrito.
Sending off another batch of post cards today.  Just a reminder, if you want a post card, just email us at LeraLynnBand@gmail.com.  And ultimately you'll get a post card.  Or something.  Hopefully.
Good.

You decide.

New reading material. 

Ben Lewis sleeping.  Like the Indians did.

We Record.

We are recording a record.  This is nice because it allows us to also go to the pool sometimes in the afternoon.  And isn't that the point of the whole thing anyway.  

Big things have happened.  Ben and I both received hair cuts.  Lera showed me kneeboarding and pontoon boat drinking.  And I graduated college.  The last grade I received... B+.  That's above average in the traditional American grading system.  

Isn't it a wonderful feeling, graduating college and using ones degree to pretty much ride around in a van and do "something" for thirty to forty-five minutes a night.  

To all who have applied for post cards, they have or should be arriving any day.  Well done.  I love sending post cards.  I haven't decided if I'm going to send one to Blake Davis.

Recording bass.

Ck is a sock-no shoe kind of guy.  Which is ridiculous. 

My hair is way shorter now.

Post Osborne Tour.

I learned how to play the stand up bass in two weeks.  And then I played it for the Punch Brothers.  Dammit.  Mistake.
Going over the trip now.  Had a blast and met one gazillion cool people.  Mr. and Mrs. Leighs parents were outstanding hosts.  They even treated us to after show ice cream and booze.  That's one step away from just flat out throwing us a surprise party.  AND they sent me my boots after I forgot them.  I guess I need to send Sallie some mixes or CD's or something.  Oh, wait.  A postcard.
I'm going to take time right now to say, if you'd like a postcard from the band while we're on the road, just email us your address.  Leralynnband@gmail.com
It's not a guarantee, but it increases your chances.  Stamps aren't free, but on the main page, our cover of Ring of Fire is.
The best thing that can happen is when we laugh on stage.  During a song.  During the final song.  And we can't really finish.  You're welcome TV on the Radio.  Miss Lera and Myself caught a case of the giggles about thirty seconds to early in Knoxville.  No matter.  We got it back together in Nashville the next night at 3rd and Lindsley.  Our booking agent took us out to lunch just to prove to us he doesn't like chickpeas.
I used to think about how cool it would be if I knew the way a song went and then went to the bands show and then the singer would be like, "Oh no!  Our bass player can't play this song tonight!  Can anyone please help?!?!" and I'd get pulled up on stage and then I'd show Joe Perry a cool backup vocal for Sweet Emotion that they never sang before and he would do it every night for the rest of time.  Well, Ben got to play mandolin for Joan Osborne the last four nights of tour, and that was pretty rad.  See you in Davenport.

Mr. and Mrs. Leighs parents insist on only owning the coolest of things.

Why is North Carolina so pretty?

Bennet Lewis playing a weird tiny guitar with Joan Osborne.

NPR Mountain stage.  More people were there than what it looks like.

New York to raLEIGH

New York.  Terrytown.  Old timey.  The venue held 840 people, and coincidentally, 840 people came to the show.  The good people of Terrytown are just wonderful people. Could be my favorite show of the tour so far.  Could be.  And its right next to Sleepy Hollow.  Yeah.  That's right.  Sleepy Hollow is a real place!  Ichabod!
Side note.  Quiozno's on the New Jersey turnpike is awful.  I couldn't eat mine and Ben was upset that he ate his.  We're officially a Subway band now.
Then New York City happened to me.  And Ali.  What a delightful person.  What a laugh.  And she's one of those people who laugh at the fact that they're laughing and it just goes in a circle.  Me and Lera got in a fight with a guy who runs a karaoke bar.  And then we ran away and got separated and I got lost in Manhattan, which turned into a big ordeal.  And now I have a bruise on my arm.
Sent post cards.
Got up at 5:30 AM, so that I could sleep in the van while Ben drove us to raLEIGH!  Leigh runs Raleigh pretty well.  She keeps the city clean.  And she makes waffles.  Maybe.  I'm watching her try right now.  Actually enough time has passed now to confirm.  She does indeed make waffles.
The good news is that soon I'll get to see Mr. and Mrs. Leighs' parents.  The sad news is that we're about to Leigh-ve her and head on down to Charlotte.
The good news is that my girlfriend gave me a cd with The Welcome Wagon on it.
The bad news is that Lera has a cold.  Watch out.
"It's so hard to sing when you have a cold, and then it takes like two weeks to get better."- Lera Lynn

My easter celebration.

Team NYC

Leigh painted this art for Ben.

Look at Leigh.  Trying to make waffles.