I sent this to Jeff Wilkins from the Gazette in Schenectady NY for press. He wanted to write a route 66 storyline into our travels. This was my response. enjoy it with all the typos and bad grammar! Its Tracy.... I wouldve gotten right back to you, but a nice family of musicians who saw us playing at a Farmers Market in Westborough MA, took us in for the night. Their son had a classical recital, their daughter was getting ready for fiddle camp, dad kept me busy talking about and listening to the jazz saxophonist Phil Woods and Mom made waffles!..... Grab whatever shots you feel are best. I like all of the ones you mentioned. I remember Route 66. Im 34 and started playing in cover groups at 13 in NC, although I was playing guitar at the time. Ive played that song on numerous occasions For our Root we started up in Mendocino in Laytonville, and then we decided to wind down the coast(quote from my song Lets Go) along Rt. 1 going back through the Bay Area, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Big Sur, San luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Venice Beach, Long Beach, and into Leucadia and San Diego. When we started wed only played together for a few months and had only a short set. We developed our material by busking on the street. Then we graduated to farmers markets, little venues and then pubs/restaurants. When we started, it was a leap of faith. I had been playing jazz guitar and experimental guitar in groups in Oakland/San Fransico. I had my own afterschool music program for at risk youth for almost 7 years. I was laid off before I decided to hit the road with Cass. I just started singing again with her a month or two before hand. I also had just started playing the four string banjo which is now my mistress and only instrument Ive played for 8 months. . .I taught my self and have developed a unique style or so Ive been told(by banjo players in Appalachia and the south. They were all pretty supportive and fascinated). We were trying to escape the cold by going through Rt 10 heading east....but we hit the freeze as soon as we passed through Joshua Tree. It warmed up in Phoenix and Tuscon a bit, but the nights were cold. Luckily or more a testament to the goodwill and trust of some folks out there we were welcomed in to many homes with insane hospitality(a saint named Peter referred to his behavior in that way) We made it into Billy the Kids old stomping Ground, Silver City, through the gila national forest, across the white sands and into Las Cruces where a family took us in for Christmas. We played a shelter on Christmas Day to cheer up those who we really down and out. The only place we played in Texas was Austin, where we met Railroad Tye and the amazing fiddler Eddie Dickerson. Texas aint a good place for californians especially on the border. Looking at Juarez from El Paso gave me the chills.... Louisiana was amazing. In Lafayette we were welcomed in by a retired Cajun accountant for a week after seeing us jam with Cajuns at a farmers market. He said it was because the boy was smiling from his heart, when he played. He even took Cass out Cajun Dancing. He introduced us to loads of local players who seem to never stop jamming...all night, all day : ) New Orleans was tough but amazing. We made 60 dollars busking in half an hour, but then the locals started. Totally kicked our ass. We couldnt compete with the volume and amazing costumes. A young art purveyor and gallery owner took us in. Florida was beautiful and finally warmer. We looped the entire state. At a point I lived in a Parking lot in Gainesville where i wrote the song Volcano while Cass was taking a break from me and working at a farm. The gulf coast was amazingly beautiful... the keys as well...i could believe the size of the mansions on A1A... we went canoeing in New Smyrna Beach with a host and saw dolphins....As far as music goes...why does everyone in florida play on top of kareoke machines? We camped on Jekyll Island. Then I was busted for a pot charge in Mcintosh County GA...they ran me off the road and proceeded to search the car....I was able to plea down everything but lost all my savings. Skip that place but New Brunswick GA is full of awesome people and great venue called Tipsy McSways...the only hippies friendly place there We started through Appalachia in Dahlonega GA....We didnt have a show. It was St. Patricks day, rainy and cold. Cass asked the local oyster bar and restaurant if we could play. They said yes and they fed us some of the best food, we earned handsomely in tips and they then proceeded to buy us a hotel room! Rest of Appalachia was awesome too. The people in East Tennesee are the most open, they have no walls up. And then can play! We wandered out to Nashville, busked and met someone on the street who offered to interview us for a radio show! We meet folks at the Honeyfolk jam in Burnsville NC who were amazing. They took care of us and drove all the way out to Johnson City TN to see our show there. At the Snaggy Mountain farm, Jared took a great video of us playing Reuben which is now on youtube. We didnt have a video before. We were snowed on in Asheville, but stayed with an elementary school teacher who took us play for her students. In southwest VA, we meander through the Crooked Road Music Trail, hitting up every old time and bluegrass jam we could. From abington to independene to galax...etc They were really supportive of my unique self taught banjo style. One really great player asked for lessons, but I think he was just being encouraging.... We made it to Charlotteville, VA where we finally recorded through the kindness of songwriter-activist extrodinaire Cobblestone. We didnt have much in terms of recording until them. Through his generosity, and by CD sales, our bank account is growing again. We then went to D.C....which the culture there scares me. the opposite of East Tennesse. Then baltimore which was really awesome. Its a ghetto full of goodness. Up through Philly and then to the Pocono Mountains to visit my mom. We played in NYC, the lower east side to enthusiastic applause. We met super friendly folks in Forest Hills Queens at a Farmers Market. Who wouldve thunk it. NYC has changed alot. I was born in Queens in 1979. I barely recognized my old hood. Now were are in New England, busy as can be. Westport CT, Mystic....I never knew about all the ghettos in CT...new loundon. We nearly had a sleepless night in Williamantic. Theres so much dope there and gun shots. Cass was scared sleeping in the van. Rhode Island was awesome...a great couple put on a house show for us in North Kingstown and gave me their copy Alan Lomaxs Folk song Compendium. Providence was cool, Cambridge as well. Ivy Leauge spots. Northampton was really progressive and cute. Weve made a good chunk of change this week and have two days off. The Coventry CT farmers market was amazing...(we took in 400 dollars) Im in Gloucester now writing this. I only wrote 1/1000th of the places weve been. But I feel that its bigger than Route 66th. Its more about lemons into lemonaide and faith in the kindness of people than just getting kicks. : ) Hope this helps. Thank you so much for helping us out Tracy
Posted on: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 18:30:31 +0000
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