“No Sleep Til’ Brooklyn”

I think it would be against my personal values to update from any place other than a coffee shop, so I sit now in “The Brooklyn Coffee House” in Mahopac, NY writing this entry. It’s been an incredible week since I last let you know what’s up. I’ve toured from Athens, GA to Johnson City, TN to Washington, DC to Lititz, PA to Brooklyn, NY to Pawling, NY to NYC and now I’m hanging home in Mahopac, NY.

Check out my beautiful and inspiring backyard, as well as my family’s stoic dog “Tucker” pondering the intricacies of life as he gazes off towards the lake.

Athens, GA

Such a cool college town. These were my two “off” days even though they were very “on”. I went chicken-catching, good beer drinking, hip-hop/poetry open mic attending, double sorority house show playing, dive bar $2 huge shots of Jack Daniels shooting, comfy couch surfing, local burger eating, and various forms of adventuring. Definitely an awesome city which I’d love to return to on my way back down. I recommend you go to college here or send your kids here for an amazing 4 years.

Johnson City, TN and Washington, DC

(The Rookery and a squinted, sunny-eyed look of the Washington Monument)

Playing at the Acoustic Coffee House in Johnson City, TN was awesome as always. It’s such a cool, hippy-vibed spot in the middle of the Tennssee mountains. All the people there are unique and awesome and very appreciative of touring musicians. It’s like a haven through a tough road of touring.

Good ol’ Washington, DC…My old stomping grounds. I went to the University Maryland and used to work for Paramount Pictures in DC, doing promotions and publicity. Now, that was an awesome job. It’s always great to go back to a city I spent a lot of time in. Playing an acoustic dinner show at The Rookery was intimate and great because many of my college and home friends were there. Definitely a very cool venue which I think is going to get very popular over time. I’m hoping to play another dinner show on the way back down in January.

No Sleep Til Brooklyn – Lititz, PA to Brooklyn, NYC

So, this is where I really identified with the Beastie Boys. After spending an awesome afternoon in DC (free museums rock – the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Natural History were amazing), I drove 4 hours to Lititz, PA, played a 2-hr dinner show and then drove 3 hrs to Brooklyn, arriving at 1am to get some pizza and crash. Hanging in 3 cities in one day…Definitely one of the more intense drives of my tour.

Speaking of Lititz, PA – it is a very cozy, cool town in Amish country (right outside Lancaster). Another one of my favorite places to play. The town was buzzing with people and has a very classy, old-school vibe with a bunch of chocolate-shops and mom-and-pop stores. Sadly, my camera battery died and I have no good pictures to show… oh well… next time!

I’ll update about the 2 NY shows next. They were excellent. No matter where I travel in the world, I always love NYC. An incredible, lively city. Pics & vids soon….

Peace,

Brett