That night we went to what I was told was a legendary hole-in-the-wall to see Cray’s new band play. I guess you would describe the venue as a honky tonk. It was a club so no-frills that the stage was backed with wood paneling like a suburban TV room and only had two different colors […]
I didn’t wake up so much as come to in a somewhat dingy hotel room in Nashville. The curtains were shut but a line of bright sun made it past one edge. I could hear two snores, one that was definitely Flip and another one from the floor beside the bed. I could also hear […]
I was still sitting there with my bag unzipped and a guitar case open when I realized another Melissa and Remo argument was in progress right outside the door. “You don’t understand what it’s like,” she was saying. “I have to be with him all the time.” “He needs someone with him, but Mel, there’s […]
Here’s the thing about what happened during the show in Atlanta: everyone thought I was drunk off my ass. I wasn’t. After what Clarice had said I didn’t dare sneak an extra drink in before the show, no matter how much I tried to justify to myself that I “needed” one. I didn’t need one.
[TW: Racism.] I’ve been here before. I had that thought repeatedly at Lakewood Amphitheater. The loading dock was familiar. The men’s room was familiar. A particular part of concrete hallway was familiar. Over there was where Jonathan kissed me. And there was the spot where Courtney tore Dave a new one. But most of all […]
Our next stop was not, in fact, the same venue where I got burned in the eye. Which was good. That had been a kind of weird little music hall called Bayfront Auditorium. Nomad was playing a much larger place, actually, the Suncoast Dome, a brand-new sports/multi-use venue which hadn’t even been built yet back […]
The show in Orlando was fun. I figured Remo needed to get his mind off his family angst so I pushed him to play with me a little on stage, turning one of my solos into a long jam that I threw to him and after burning through a round he threw back to me […]
If you know me and you know Remo by now you can guess that the next day no one said anything about the night before, and we didn’t treat each other any differently than usual, except maybe slightly less ball-busting. This time, though, I could see the effort that went into Remo maintaining an even […]
I called Ziggy when I got upstairs. I got his machine. I left the number of the hotel and my room number. Then I opened the minibar wondering if there was any Gatorade in there. There wasn’t, but there was Coke. And Jack. Which meant there was Jack and Coke.
Remo and I went into the hotel bar for a nightcap. I got my bourbon in soda instead of straight up since we were in Florida and it seemed more appropriate for hot weather, even though it had turned into a pleasantly cool night out. I figured I could use the hydration, anyway. And the […]