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.  

Alexannapolis

Alexandria vs. Annapolis.

The first two shows as a trio are complete.  And my fingers are covered in blisters.  This upright bass is a monster.

Typically, Alexandria would win this due to the fact that Hotel Monaco has robes and is one block away from where I enjoyed my post show Chipotle burrito.  But, Roy went to the Naval Academy, so that really swings things the Annapolis way.  I'm just not sure yet.  

Oh my gosh!  We're on tour with Joan Osborne.  And she's on tour with Richard, who gets my vote for best bass player on this tour.  Everyone in her band is just amazing.  And they're cool.  It's all working out just fine.  But CK isn't here, so we're writing post cards to him.  

This is interesting- every time we order food, I'm glad that I got what I ordered instead of what Lera ordered.  It never misses.  No matter what city, restaurant, bar, club, gas station, food cart, grocery store... I just order better.  I believe I've mentioned it before, but the secret is to as often as possible, get the BLT.  I cannot stress this point enough.  Because it's not even really filling.  It's light, but it's bacon.  And often it's on Rye.  

We drove through the nation's capitol yesterday.  Lera's first.  We showed her where government is made, tried to find the White House and found the Arlington Cemetery instead, so we decided Lera wouldn't get to see where Obama lives.  And also, Lera will believe just about anything you say about history or government if you say it with confidence so I also showed her the underpass where JFK was shot.

Onward.  Tonight we storm Philly.

Alexandria vs. Annapolis or what is commonly cited as the Roy vs. Chipotle debate.

Hotel Monaco.  Lera looking famous.  Ben looking rad.

"That's it?"- Lera Lynn.

Hello Ck.

I feel like it might be appropriate to copy and paste Ben Wills' last blog post about post SXSW exhaustion. Only I'd need to double whatever units of measure he was employing. Dead. Tired. I might sleep for an entire week upon homecoming.  We played Club Passim last night in Cambridge, Ma. Great times had by all. It was the last night of tour with Sarah Jarosz and such a sad departure. We were all just getting to know eachother. Guess we'll just have to make it happen again ;) Needless to say, we blew it out last night. Margaritas abound. I just can't believe the Ben Lewis didn't partake! Ben Wills would have looked on with disappointment. That's a first I never expected. Look at him being all responsible. He's finally growing up! I, on the other hand, have regressed. I might have slept 4 hours before we schlepped it to the radio station for a shakey live show/interview. But what are ya gonna do last night of tour? The choice is clear.  I'm at the Boston airport and I want to slap the person who decided to put arm rests between all the chairs. Come on man. Help a sister out.  Athens, it'll be good to see you again.  --LL

Y'all like Clam Chowda?

We had a day off. Much needed. Sometimes vacation makes work seem harder when you return. The crowd in Fall River, Ma. made our "work" seem a little more like vacation than vacation. We're still adjusting to the totally silent Jarosz audiences who erupt in applause after every song. Even the applause is shocking to me. The 30 seconds seems like an eternity from the stage. Anyway, it's obviously a welcome change. As an artist, you really couldn't ask for more.  We spent the first half of the day hiking in Middletown, RI, just outside of Newport, in the wildlife refuge. The Rhode Island coast is a conundrum. It's the warmest, coldest, sunniest, foggiest place I've ever been. Ben ate 5 bowls of clam chowder in 2 days. Guess he's been trying to get his 2-year authentic supply down the gullet before it's 16 hours away.  Last night we played at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River. Great place. Lots of character. I believe it's an old paper factory (not mill--it smells great) circa 1900. Now it's an art gallery/creative space. It made me miss our bassist, Ben Wills. Being that he's a visual artist, I'm sure he would've enjoyed the place. Surely we'll pass through again with him in tow.  On the highway to the danger zone. Driving and navigating in Boston is never boring, never easy. We're playing our last two sold-out shows with Sarah Jarosz tonight at Club Passim in Cambridge. Last night Alex Hargreaves asked "So you guys down to party tomorrow night?" I, of course, immediately and enthusiastically said, "Yes!" Sadly I so easily forgot in that moment that tomorrow will be slammed. We're doin an early morning radio show in Boston before we catch a plane home. One disappointment after another. No hang time with the sweet Jarosz crew, no boozin, no more shows. Dang. Guess we'll just go home and sleep in. Ha. I'm such an asshole. Still feeling really lucky and embarassed when y'all slips from my mouth, --LL

Ben hikes like a leprechaun.

Sunnies, foggiest, coldest, warmest place ever: Middletown, RI.

The Best Kept Secret of Mass: Northampton

The problem with fun towns and good people is that you usually carry a reminder of them with you all day; a hangover. At least hangovers don't usually mean you had a shitty time. I for one had a fantastic time in Northampton.  Two things about this tour are new: 1. We're playing solely acoustic 2. We're in the Northeast for the first time.  I'm not sure which variable is to blame but we've sold out of cds. What a great problem. The fans of Sarah Jarosz seem to understand how helpful their purchases are. Could they be truly altruistic or is there another force at work there? Regardless, I dig it.  Ben and I have our first day off since New Orleans. How long ago was that? 10 days? That's not so bad. We're taking advantage of a friend's unoccupied  Rhode Island beach pad. She says there's boards, wetsuits and beer waiting for us. Maybe I'll finally catch a real wave. We're coming down to the last few shows of the tour. I gotta admit, I'm a little sad about it.  LL

Our new friend and protector in Northampton, Amanda.

What we did pre-show in Northampton.

Our little rental car has been treatin us right.

Live Free or Die

Live free or die. That's the phrase I'd say best describes our life design. It's also the phrase that is on every New Hampshire license plate. These people gotta be great if even the government-made tags state such a motto.

Londonderry, I never really met you. When we did have an opportunity to check out the actual "town," Ben was distracted by a quick game of "kick a small rock around the parking lot with Nat Smith." I have to admit, I joined them for a kick or two.  Fun times. Real, real fun.

So far, this tour has had me see the early morning light more often than not. Last night after we played, we drove from Londonderry, NH to Boston to stay with strangers; very nice strangers who gave up their own beds for us. It took an hour to find a place to park. And we had to be up by 7am to either feed the meter or move the car. We just decided to stay up and clumisily drove around the busy and confusing streets of Boston looking for some food. There's plenty to choose from. With full bellies and half empty heads, we're off to Northampton, MA., not to be confused with North Hampton, NH.

Rest stops in New Hampshire have liquor stores.  Even better!

LL