Otis Gibbs

2008-08-28T16:14:00.010-04:00

Mouse!

I came outside and found this little guy trying to find sunflower seeds in my empty bird feeder. I was wondering where all of the seeds were going!

2008-08-14T16:22:00.006-04:00

Chocolate Gravy

When I was a kid, my grandma would make us a special treat every now and then that she called "Chocolate Gravy." She learned most of her recipes from my great grandmother who traveled across the country in a covered wagon. Grandma died about twelve years ago and I assumed the recipe died with her.

About a year ago, my favorite Uncle Mike died, and as the family was sorting through his things they found a box full of recipes. It turns out that whenever my uncle stopped by to see his mom ( my grandma), he would ask her about some old recipes that she had memorized and he would write them down. He preserved a lot of family favorites that would have otherwise been lost. One of those favorites was Chocolate Gravy.

I took the time the other night to make this recipe and good lord was it sinful! You can dip biscuits in it or simply eat it like pudding. I'm posting the recipe here for posterity's sake.

CHOCOLATE GRAVY
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir dry ingredients together. Mix in milk slowly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Add butter and vanilla. Let cool for a few minutes, then serve. This recipe makes two bowls like the one in the photo.

It won't take long before the bowl looks like this.

2008-08-12T12:22:00.002-04:00

Union commercial

I should point out that this has some language that will most likely get you into trouble at work. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'll warn ya anyway. Thanks to my buddy Matt in Milwaukee for sending this my way.

2008-06-24T19:48:00.005-04:00

Hit and run accident in Chicago.
I was in a car accident after playing a memorial show for Utah Phillips in Chicago last week. It was 1:30 a.m. and I was sitting at a stoplight. I sat there for fifteen seconds or so and BAM! I was rear ended and pushed out into the middle of an intersection. I was pretty dazed so I sat there for a few seconds. My glasses were thrown off of my face and I couldn't find them (they were later found in the back seat). After a half minute or so I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a blurry white car backing up. The car went around my left side and drove off up ahead of me. I squinted and strained trying to see their license plate, but I couldn't make it out. I'm blind as a bat without my glasses. As they drove by I heard a voice shouting at me out the window. It said "GET THAT BROKE F*CKER OFF THE ROAD, BITCH!" It wasn't one of humanity's finest moments.

I called 911 and waited at least a minute or more for someone to pick up the phone (Chuck D was right, 911 is a joke). It took the cops an hour and ten minutes to get to the scene. When they arrived they didn't even get out of the car. They told me to drive to a police station and fill out a report. I told them that I was from out of state and I had no idea where the closest police station was. They told me that there isn't a chance in hell of ever catching the person that fled the scene and that I shouldn't even report it unless I wanted to report a claim to my insurance company. Then they drove off. It was 3:30 am in Chicago. I got in my car and drove to Michigan.

My back and neck hurt like hell for the next few days. I'm feeling fine a week later. My rear passenger side door on my car no longer opens and the rear end looks like hell.

2008-06-03T17:53:00.004-04:00

"Songs with Something to Say"

Billy Bragg was nice enough to give me a shout out in the Wall Street Journal this weekend. I'm not sure that I deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Bob Dylan, The Clash, Chuck Berry and Sam Cooke, but I'm happy to take what I can get.
Thank you Billy!

Click here to read the Wall Street Journal article.

2008-05-27T15:01:00.004-04:00

John Byrne gets some press

The good people at the Indianapolis Star (Dave Lindquist)recently did a story about some Indianapolis guitar heroes. One of the people featured in this story is John Byrne. John played steel guitar and electric guitar on "One Day Our whispers." If you enjoyed that record you should read the story and watch the video because john was a big part of that record. Click here to read the story!

I'm friends with some of the other fellas and they are monster players!

2008-05-24T12:03:00.006-04:00

Transporting human remains

I've become obsessed with reading through the jobs section of craiglist. It's amazing what employers expect workers to do for so little money. This is a perfect example. After reading the listing I felt compelled to email the guy and find out more about the job.

................

transporting human remains
Reply to: job-653035116@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-04-23, 8:21AM

Applicants must live in the Madison/Inglewood area or around these areas. Please don't email about this if you live outside Davidson County. Our response time is crucial. Drivers will be loading and transporting human remains. Must be over 21 yrs of age due to insurance restrictions, able to lift 150+ pounds, valid drivers license and clean driving record. Drivers needed are for days or nights. Weekend work also available. Pay varies...drivers paid per call. If interested, email me with your name and number. Will get back to you as quick as I can. Thank you for your patience.

....................

Hello-
I live in East Nashville and am interested in this job. Give me a call and I'll tell you more about myself and you can tell me more about the job.
Thank you kindly
-Otis

..................

This job isn't for everyone.? We go on crime scenes and house calls. We are responsible for placing the body in the body bag and transporting to the Medical Examiner?or Funeral home.? This job does require someone that can lift 150+ lbs.??Most calls you will have another person helping you.? I am needing someone that can be on call for 24hrs and can go when called.? Time off is fine as long as we have?enough notice.? We provide the van that you will need for transporting.? You are paid per call and most calls don't go over an hour.? We do have a dress code that has to be followed - no blue jeans or?t-shirts.
?
Thanks

.................

I'm still interested and I understand why this might not be for everyone. You say that the pay varies, does this mean that some calls pay more than others or does this simply mean that some weeks you get more calls than others? How does the payroll work and what does the job pay? What's the lowest amount I should expect to be payed per call and what is the highest amount.
Thank ya kindly
-Otis

.................

Pay depends on how many calls you go on that week. In town (local) calls pay $12.50 for first hr then after that it goes over that first hr, pay moves to $8.00/hr...out of town calls pay $8.00/hr. Calls are based on how many deaths there are for the companies we contract with. Some weeks may be very busy, some may be slow. It comes and goes. Most of the guys now avg. $200-$400/wk - this is based on the number of calls that you want. Sometimes you may be where you can't go (eating dinner, etc.) so you can't take it. The more calls you take, the more money you make. Smile You are paid by check on Fridays we provide van and all needed supplies including gas for van. If still interested, let me know and I will get your number to the owner.

Thanks again.
Dennis

................

Thanks for sending that but in all honesty I was expecting this to pay better. If I understand correctly, I can expect to get a call at 3am, get out of bed and go load a dead body? Since most calls take an hour I can expect to make $12.50 for that? I'm truly not trying to be difficult but that's a lot to ask of someone for so little return. If I'm misunderstanding something please let me know.
Thank you for your time.
-Otis

2008-04-29T16:12:00.002-04:00

UK tour photos!

Hello friends-
File this in the better late than never category. I learned a few things while touring the UK. Blood Pudding is nothing that a Hoosier needs to partake in, Crumpets are everything that this man needs when he can't find a biscuit, The Clash played their first gig at The Boardwalk in Sheffield and Americans have no business driving in England! Now on with the photos!

Angel of the North -just outside of Newcastle Upon Tyne

Statues -where The Tyne meets the North Sea

Scottish border -We hit a snow storm in Scotland that was no fun to drive through. did i mention that Americans should not be allowed to drive in the UK? I can't describe how cold we were standing there taking this photo. The wind was relentless. It felt like we were being mugged by a gang of snowmen.

More fun in the snow!

It was a great gig in Glasgow!

Freezing my ass off at Stonhenge.

My best buddy Todd with a shameless product endorsement.

I can't remember where this was taken but i think it was outside of Sheffield.

This is the photo that ended a long friendship. Todd was cussing and complaining about driving in the fog and on the opposite side of the road when he would rather be taking photos. I was leaning out the window when i took this not so great photo. He hasn't talked to me since.

The Cluny in Newcastle is about as good a gig as a fella could ask for. These are some of the nicest folks and they genuinely love music. What more could you want?

Avebury Ring -This is older than Stonehenge and well worth the drive.

London -We knew it was going to be a good gig when we walked in and saw the Freddy Fender backdrop. This was the rowdiest gig and there were a lot of people singing along to "The Peoples Day." Good times!

London Swan

Todd in a London subway -I joke about my buddy Todd because he's a good sport but he's also a wonderful photographer. Please go visit his photography page by CLICKING HERE and tell him that I said that he's an asshole!

Protester in London -Although we agreed with most everything that this lady was saying, she was by far the most annoying person I've come across in a while. We walked up to her to say hello and she never shut up for the next hour. Literally! I marched in protest to the war before it started with a half a million people in Prague, a few hundred thousand in Vienna and with 18 people in Indianapolis but that lady stole one hour of my life that I'll never get back. Preaching to the converted or anyone else might be fun on the pulpit but it's a little tiring in the audience.

My new best friend in London

I'm a long way from Wanamaker.

Chicken coop outside of Gloucester.

Rainbows along the roadside.

The Musician in West Leicester.

I did some shows with Sam Baker on this trip. Sam is a great songwriter and a beautiful man. I strongly urge you to do yourself a favor and listen to sams music by by CLICKING HERE. I recommend "Odessa." It has a long intro before it gets to the song so be patient. (recommended if you like Townes Van Zandt, Leonard cohen, Tom Waits etc.)

I apologize to the people and the towns that I don't have photos for. We had very little down time on this trip and the photography suffered because of it. I'll try to make up for it on the next tour.
Thanks for giving a damn!
-Otis

2007-07-03T14:03:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

boiled peanuts and bottle rockets

i was fortunate enough to be invited to tour with the bottle rockets last fall. we did a stretch of dates in the northeastern united states at the end of last year and then a couple weeks in february through the southeast. here are some somewhat random photos of my travels.

this is a boiled peanut stand somewhere in south carolina. i survived on
nothing but boiled peanuts for nine days in a row and i returned a better man
because of it.

chicken reflection -yeehaw junction, florida

bait shop outside of athens, georgia

lincoln memorial -washington, dc

bleachers in arlington cemetery -arlington, va

store wall detail -somewhere in rural georgia

these last three photos were all taken by my buddy todd fox. please click on this link to see more of his photos. he is featured in the current issue of black and white fine art photography magazine. needless to say i'm very happy for him.

me onstage with the bottle rockets in macon, georgia.

hanging backstage with mark and brian of the bottle rockets in charlottesville, va.

onstage in lake worth, florida.

thanks to all of you who came out to the shows and thanks to the bottle rockets for inviting me to tour with them. i have quite a few photos from these dates so i may post a part two photo blog if there is enough interest.

feel free to subscribe to this blog thingy!

2007-07-03T14:01:00.000-04:00

Monday, October 16, 2006

billy bragg tour

in early spring of this year a friend of ours in austin, texas (laura thomas) asked if i'd be interested in playing at a homeless shelter in austin during south by southwest. we said yes. she asked us to pick between two days and we said that it didn't matter to us. she said that she needed us to decide so....we flipped a coin and chose friday. she then informed us that we would be playing at the homeless shelter with billy bragg! billy and i ended up having a great conversation and he enjoyed my set so much that he asked me if i'd be interested in doing some shows with him. i was more than happy to take him up on his offer.

me and billy at caritas soup kitchen in austin, texas.

billy at the alladin theater in portland, oregon.

i didn't have much spare time to take photographs but i did manage to take a few. here are some random images.

salmon ladder in seattle, washington.

fishermen in fog seattle, washington.

i have no idea what this game is called or how to play it but i really enjoyed watching the old men sit around playing it. two men would play while a dozen or so would stand around cheering and laughing (most likely trash talking). i watched for two hours or so. san francisco, california.

i'm not sure whose grave this is but i found it to be interesting. hollywood, california.

grant, mushi, billy, vaughn and andy. billy is blessed with some wonderful folks around him. there was no shortage of laughs back stage!

if you have any photos of the shows please feel free to post them here.

2007-07-03T14:00:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

deep in the heart of texas

war mother.

he said that his name is jack marvin and that he is lee marvins cousin. i don't know if it's true but i do know that he was the most cantanquerous person i've met in quite a while. he served in three wars and didn't like to talk about it. he spends most of his time sitting on a park bench in san antonio whistling at girls passing by.

this might be the smartest bird i've ever seen. it was waiting for cars to pull of the highway and park in the lot across the street from the alamo. after the people left it would swoop down and eat dead insects off the grill of the car. pretty damn bright for a bird!

derrick frazier was executed two days after this photo was taken.

self portrait in a funhouse mirror.

carls corner truck stop.

these last few photos are of the residents and sights of luchenbach, texas.

2007-07-03T13:58:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

cowboys

i had the good fortune of spending all of august in austin. i spent most of my days wandering the countryside with my camera and most of my nights on a barstool. here are some photos of some of the people i met and some of the things that i experienced.

i want to send out a special thank you to my friends cameron and jenn for letting me stay with them at their place in austin.

i have quite a few more photos from texas that i'll be happy to post if anyone is interested in seeing them. thanks for allowing me to share these with you.

2007-07-03T13:56:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

town for sale

i was sitting on a barstool last week at a bar in bastrop, texas. i was asking some fellas if there were any ghost towns near by and after a short while the conversation finally came around to someone mentioning mcmahan, texas. it's a tiny town that's been all but abandoned. it's been around for about a hundred years. the population peaked in the 1960s at 250 people and it's been on a steady decline ever since. a local rancher started buying buildings as they became available in hopes of preserving the town. he's now the owner of what's left of the town and he's trying to sell it.something about this whole story struck a nerve so i decide to drive out to see it for myself.

after spending about an hour chatting with a fella that runs the local BBQ
joint i started thinking that i might be interested in owning my own town. i checked into it and you can buy the whole town for 215 grand. to tell the truth i think that it might be a little bit overpriced but i'm still interested.

i told amy about it thinking that she would send me to a psychiatrist but she was more interested than i was. who knew?

i like the idea of being boss hog and owning a whole town. we could set up speed traps and live off of the money i get from speeding tickets. i could become a cult leader and set up a compound where everyone would worship gillian welch as the one true savior. we could build the worlds greatest roadside attraction featuring the worlds largest statue of harry dean stanton that would lure weary travelers to us from all over the world. we could open up an artist colony where we could house artist that needed somewhere to create without the distractions of everyday madness. there are way too many options to keep up with. i like the idea of just moving out into the middle of nowhere and just telling the world to kiss our asses.

i'm doubting that we'll go through with it but who knows. i've done dumber things!

2007-07-03T13:54:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

a week in england

thanks to everyone who helped make my trip as wonderful as it was. we made
a ton of new friends and were treated like long lost family members.

the strange looking building on the right is the venue that i was fortunate enough to play. it's called the "sage gateshead" and it's an amazing facility. i opened for guy clark and played to a sold out crowd.

the tyne bridge. newcastle and gateshead are seperated by the tyne river.

view of the tyne bridge from our hotel room window.

another view of the sage and the tyne river.

here are some photos from durham, england.

yummy!

cowboy shadows in the sage

i don't know what in the hell this is about.

i'll leave you with some random images from the train

2007-07-03T13:52:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

random roadside encounters (part 1)

"carhenge" alliance, nebraska. we drove a few hundred miles out of the way and risked being late to a gig in omaha just to see carhenge. it was worth every mile. this is easily in my top five favorite roadside attractions that i've been fortunate enough to visit!

the nerds among us already know where this was taken but for everyone else it's riverside, iowa.

church folks protesting an adult film store outside of uniontown, indiana. the man in the second picture yelled at me for about twenty minutes about fire and brimstone. every time i tried to smile and make nice he'd start screaming out bible verses. the woman just stood in the background quietly. he eventually ran out of scripture and asked if i'd like to take a photo.

2007-07-03T13:48:00.000-04:00

Thursday, July 06, 2006

a week in nawlins

thanks to everyone that came out to the shows in nawlins. i was fortunate enough to be a small part of a reconstruction effort led by a group of hoosiers that took a week out of their lives to rebuild a house in the 9th ward. there are good folks in this world who are trying their best to help out. now if we can get the white house to do it's part we might be able to make some headway. individuals can help individuals but it takes a federal government to reclaim a city.

here are some photos of people that i met on the trip

a couple of fellas tryin to beat the heat. the man on the left spent four days stranded on his roof after katrina. he saw dozens of helicopters flying over each day but they never stopped.

he said "my name is stephen as in saint stephen". i told him that i've seen the mummified hand of saint stephen in a cathedral in budapest. he said that it wasn't his hand and then started talking about the bombing of dresden for twenty minutes.

live oaks are beautiful!

a bible that i found in the wreckage of the lower 9th ward.

this is a photo taken by my buddy todd fox. i think that it sums up the entire experience pretty well. be sure and visit his page at www.myspace.com/toddfoxphotography

here are some random photos of some wonderful street musicians.

2005-08-29T18:48:00.000-05:00

Originally uploaded by otisgibbs.

for the first few days that i was in nashville
i was staying at the nights inn downtown.
it wasn't the nicest place but the price
was right. on my second morning there
i walked outside and found this man.

2005-08-29T17:43:00.000-05:00

greetings from nashville-
i've spent the entire month of august in nashville, tn. i've been doing
a residency at the basement. it's an awesome venue and i wish every
city in america had a similar place. the shows have been very well attended
and i've met a lot of new friends. nashville is a great place to sit on a
barstool. and brother....i've been sitting on some barstools ;). i'm a little
bit homesick and i miss my girl a lot but beyond that....life has been treatin
me pretty swell these days

2005-03-15T18:41:00.000-05:00

aurel is a shepherd that we me outside of sighisoara. we saw him with his flock about a half mile off the road walking away from us. we chased him across a corn field trying to get his attention. todd and i were about to give up when radu managed to catch him. we would have never caught up with him without radu. aurel is a remarkable man. he sleeps outside under the stars in the snow all winter long. sometimes in sub zero temperatures. he is a living breathing dinosaur, he's the cowboy of the old west and he is one tough S.O.B. (photo by otis gibbs © )

2005-03-15T18:31:00.000-05:00

this is elana and vasilica sitting inside one of the two rooms that make up their house. this is where they make the shoes that they sell at local markets. elena is a beautiful woman who radiates strength and confidence. she is one of those people who have who are able to make you feel calm just by being with them. (photo by otis gibbs © )

2005-03-15T18:25:00.000-05:00

shoemakers cat (photo by otis gibbs © )

2005-03-15T18:24:00.000-05:00

we visited a family of shoemakers who lived in a shack on the outskirts of a small town. this was one of the more humbling experiences i've had. these folks were amazing . they have been given so little in life but have managed to live independently. i wish that i had half as much knowledge as this family has. they are truly at one with their environment. this is aurica. (photo by otis gibbs © )

2005-03-15T18:16:00.000-05:00

this is george and his donkey somewhere outside of brasov (photo by otis gibbs © )

2005-03-15T18:14:00.000-05:00

ion and his horse gypsy (photo by otis gibbs © )

2005-03-15T18:12:00.000-05:00

we visited quite a few monasteries in romania. they were always quiet and peaceful. this is one of the many monks that we met (photo by otis gibbs © )

2005-03-15T18:06:00.000-05:00

these men were hauling hay back to their farm when we met them in the marmures area of romania (photo by otis gibbs © )

2005-03-15T16:44:00.000-05:00

i've logged well over 10,000 miles in the last month. needless to say i've been having a hard time catching up on my sleep. my buddy todd and i spent five or six days in amsterdam. we enjoyed ourselves but i have to admit that it wasn't my favorite place that i've visited in europe. i think that i would enjoy living there much more than just visiting. it would be nice to live in such a liberal society. quite the contrast from indiana. the only problem was that everything is so damn expensive. i payed 12 dollars for an omelet. if we would have been there a few more days i may have run out of money :)

we hopped a flight to bucharest, romania for 16 or 17 days. the dollar is a whole lot stronger in romania. our friend radu drove us around and showed us the country and we had a fabulous time. romania is a beautiful country with so much to offer. the people are the friendliest people that i've met in europe. it remains undiscovered for the most part by tourist which makes it even more interesting. it seems unspoiled by the west. i've read that some people claim that romania has one foot in the past and the other in the future and it's pretty accurate. when you see horse carts sharing the roads with hummers it all starts making sense. i'll post some photos that i took in the next few days to give you a better feel for how the trip went

be sure and check out radus sight at www.outdoorholiday.com and tell him otis said hey ;)

2005-01-31T18:05:00.000-05:00

i've been doing a lot of recording at home lately. it's
pretty funny watching me try to get through a take
without one of the animals around here making
a bunch of noise. we have two cats "mackensie"
and "emily sparks"...emily prefers to be called
"baby kitty". we have one dog named iris. it's
about impossible to get them to chill out for more
than ten minutes at a time. i guess it's all part
of being and independent artist :)

2005-01-31T16:37:00.000-05:00

i've been busy getting ready for my trip to europe. my flight leaves
in less than a week and i still have a dozen things that i need to
take care of. i guess some things never change.

2005-01-30T13:59:00.000-05:00

"elvis is alive museum"...wright city, missouri

2005-01-30T13:51:00.000-05:00

somewhere in kansas?

2005-01-30T13:47:00.000-05:00

john wayne birthplace ...winterset, iowa

2004-10-17T19:25:00.000-05:00

hey friends-
i've promised myself that if i'm going to
continue to do this here journal thingy
that i'm gonna have to reveal a few
things about my personal life every now
and then...if you knew me you'd know that
i enjoy keeping my personal life personal
...having said that..

after playin in milwaukee the other night
i decided to drive back to indianapolis
and sleep for a few hours before heading
to cincinnati to play that night...i've been
on the road for most of the last month or
so and i was looking forward to getting
home to see amy...i got home and went
to bed and after a half hour or so amy
came in and woke me up...she said that
my dad had just had a massive heart
attack and that i need to go to the
hospital...i cancelled the gig in cincy
and went to the hospital

he was in a coma...the doctors said that
he went without oxygen for quite a while
and he had suffered massive brain
damage...he stayed in the icc unit for the
next few days until he died on tuesday
...he was 59....he was far too young

we buried him yesterday in the cemetery
in wanamaker indiana

2004-10-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

"Simplicity is always a virtue. One kid on a
riverbank working out a Stephen Foster
tune on his new harmonica heard from the
correct esthetic distance projects more
magic and power than the entire Vienna
Philharmonic and Chorus laboring (once again)
through the Mozart Requiem or Bach's B
Minor Mass."
-Edward Abbey

2004-10-07T10:29:00.000-05:00

greetings from milwaukee....
i played in st. louis night before
last and had a real good time....fred
(the owner) was one of the more
accommodating individuals that you are
likely to come accross....he's a true friend
to the touring musician...i knew that things
were gonna go well when he had a six pack
of fitz's root beer waiting for me when i
arrived....one of my hobbies is checking out
locally made root beer from whatever city
i might be playing in....fitz's is made in
st. louis and it's pretty good stuff

i'm sitting at the bremen cafe in milwaukee
right now...this is the first time that i've been
here during daylight hours...i've played here
a few times but i never realized that they
would make me an omelet....i'm a
sucker for a feta cheese omelet!!!

i'll be playing a fundraiser tonight for
russ feingold....he is the only senator that had
the guts to vote against the patriot act....he's
the only one that had the common sense to
insist that maybe the senate should be
able to read the patriot act before voting
on it...sounds like common sense to me

2004-09-29T16:11:00.000-05:00

this is the hotel room that i stayed in when i was in
wichita a couple of weeks ago...it may have been
the nastiest place i've ever slept (and that's sayin
something)....it only cost twenty dollars and when
i'm on the road i'm always trying to save a little
cash...needless to say i slept on top of the blankets

2004-09-29T15:22:00.000-05:00

you can watch the video of the woodsongs
show that we taped at www.woodsongs.com
the staff is all volunteer and they were a lot
of fun to hang with...maybe my favorite guy
was larry....he was cool enough to drive me
around lexington and he took some photos
of the taping...i'll post them here when he
sends them to me

garrison starr was great to hang with and so
was her guitar player cary beare...we have
quite a few mutual friends....there might be
something to the whole small world theory
...garrisons songs are really good...i hope that
things go her way...it sounds like she has
some good things happening career wise
...give her website a looky look at
www.garrisonstarr.com

2004-09-29T15:12:00.000-05:00

you may be wondering who this guy
is that i keep mentioning named
charles...his full name is charles spivey
and he's helped me out a lot...especially
this last week...he drove me from
nashville to lexington and it made my
life a whole lot easier...he's one of those
rare people that truly loves music
and wants to help folks that he digs
...if you are curious about him you
might want to check out his website
at www.thebourboncowboy.com

2004-09-29T14:49:00.000-05:00

i'm back home in indianapolis for a few
days and then i head out to boston to
play at club passim...last week was
like walking through bizarro world...i
could get used to hangin out in
nashville...the show at the station inn
went great...i met lots of new folks
and had the pleasure of having ken
coomer sit in on drums...he played on
my latest record....it would have
made more sense for us to play the
songs that he recorded...but we
decided it would be more fun to
throw him a curveball...he hit it
out...we played "daughter of a truck
drivin man" with him to close the
set....i remember lookin off to the
side and thinkin to myself "wow!!
...that guy looks a lot like steve
earle"....it was him...it's not every
day that steve earle comes to a fellas
show..he said some nice stuff to me
afterwards and then we bitched
about bush for a short while....it
was very nice to say the least

i played a show the next day at
the basement...talk about a great
venue for acoustic music....it's very
small and very dark....the sound
was great and the crowd was into
it...very intimate setting....i was
part of a party put on by eric
babcock of catamount....eric was
the founder of checkered past
and bloodshot records and he's a
very cool guy....it was really nice
of him to let me on the bill...you
can find out more about catamount
at www.catamountco.com

2004-09-29T09:28:00.000-05:00

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we,They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
Dubya
Washington, D.C. 08.05.04

2004-09-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

this is from a recent show that i did on nashville public
radio with grey delisle and mark erelli......this was one of
the many highlights of my trip to nashville last week

2004-09-28T20:58:00.000-05:00

yuckin it up with mark erelli :)
markerelli.com

2004-09-28T20:50:00.000-05:00

grey delisle warming up the room
greydelisle.com

2004-09-27T13:45:00.000-05:00

greetings from lexington, kentucky....
i just finished playing a song on wkyt....it's
a local cbs affiliate....it was funny seeing me
next to the lovely faces of daytime tv :)...i am
always such a beautiful man in the morning

i'm getting ready to head over to the kentucky
theater to do the taping of "woodsongs old time
radio hour"....this is a great program....it's not
hard to get excited about being broadcast
over 417 stations around the world...i'm doing
the show with garrison star and i'm looking
forward to meeting her...good times!!!

i'm a little bit behind on tellin y'all about nashville
but i'll do my best to fill you in over the next
few days

2004-09-24T08:40:00.000-05:00

i'm still in nashville....i stayed out way too late
last night at the no depression/new west
party at the mercy lounge...lots of folks
came up and said hi...it was nice meeting
people that have been digging my new record
...it was a fun party....i just crawled out of
bed and i feel like someone beat the hell
out of me with a tire tool...did anyone get
the name of that dog that shit in
my mouth last night?

i'm heading downstairs for the free continental
breakfast....hmmmmm

2004-09-23T13:15:00.000-05:00

greetings from nashville...i feel like i should
sing a chorus of the jason and the scorchers
classic :)

file this in the "it's a small world" category...i
walked up to the counter at ear ex-tacy
last night to check in and the fella at the counter
said that he saw me play in estes colorado
last year...we have a couple of mutual friends
named tyler and laura who were getting
married in the mountains...i must have met
him there....tyler and laura just moved to
oslo norway...we were chattin about how
we both miss them and stuff...ya never know
who you are gonna run into on the road

charles arranged to let me stay in an
apartment last night...some girl who's name i
don't know let me stay in her place while she
was gone...she has a pet rabbit named rizzy that
kept me company most of the night...in case ya
ever run into a pet rabbit...they love raisins...i
fed that rabbit raisins for half the night

i just settled into the hotel room here
in nashville...but that's a whole different story

2004-09-22T19:22:00.000-05:00

go figure...i just saw the fellas from the
silos having dinner at the same restaurant
the we were eating at...who knew?

2004-09-22T14:39:00.000-05:00

greetings from louisville, kentucky
...i played a hank sr. tribute
at the exit inn last night in nashville....it was a show
put on by billy block...billy is one cool ass mofo....he
really knows how to throw a party and make
everyone there feel like they are the most important
part of the evening...he's also a damn fine drummer
and i was lucky enough to play a couple of songs with
him...it was a nice way to start a hectic week

i had a fellow walk up to me last night...he asked if i
remembered him and i had a hard time placing his
face...he said his name was mark miller and i
immediately remembered him....he was in a band
called the ex husbands back in the nineties...i met
him in 94 or 95 at a party in austin, texas...we
chatted on the phone off and on trying to work out
the logistics of playin a show together but it never
happened....mark is now doing his own thing in
nashville...he must have one hell of a memory
and he's an awful swell guy to hang with

we stayed out way too late chatting at a bar next
to the exit inn....i don't remember what the place
was called but it was nice and quiet...it was a good
place to sit and chat with friends...billy block and
andy moore seem to know more about
indianapolis' jazz heritage than most hoosiers...for
shame

i got up at six am this morning and headed to
louisville...i had to be on air at wfpk at 11am...mike
kenney was cool enough to drive me up here on his
way back to Indy (mike met nick Lowe last night so
his head was in the stars)...I made it with only a
couple of minutes left to spare and the on air
thing went well...My buddy Charles spoof came by
and picked me up and took me over to his place so
that I could chill out for a while...He's the fellow that
set everything up today...Yah gotta love charles he's
good people and he gets stuff done...i'm doing an in
store at a cool indie record store called ear-extacy
at 6pm and then i have to head over to air devils at
9pm and do a show...too much stuff for one day?...no
way...gotta take your swings when ya can

i just found out that the silos are in town tonight but
i'm doubtful that i'll be able to make it...i dig me
some silos

i'll be heading back to nashville in the morning...looks
like a busy weekend for me

2004-09-20T13:52:00.000-05:00

worlds largest van gogh goodland, ks...needless to say this is a reproduction

2004-09-20T13:50:00.000-05:00

grave of mother jones in mount olive, illinois

2004-09-20T13:49:00.000-05:00

about 35 miles east of dodge city i came across a field full of metal sculptures...most of them were bashing the government...the guy seemed to have an equal hatred for bush and clinton....most of the sculptures were made out of old road signs and had moveable parts that spun around like windmills....i think that the name of the town was mullinville, kansas

2004-09-20T13:43:00.000-05:00

this is an abandoned cafe in genoa, colorado

2004-09-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

i'm gonna do my best to post some photos from
my travels....i'm a sucker for roadside stuff...here
are a few from last weeks trip out west

2004-09-20T11:04:00.000-05:00

portrait of the artist as a young kitty

2004-09-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

this is the kitty in search of a name...she likes sleeping
in empty cd boxes

2004-09-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

deanblossom was fun as usual and the lafayette
brewing company show was wonderful...i hope
to return to the brewing company sometime
soon...the crowd was very polite and attentive
and they were nice enough to laugh at my bad
jokes.....we all need that every now and then

2004-09-18T11:59:00.000-05:00

i'm back home for a couple of days but not
for long...i'm getting ready to head over to
a friends house....he's the fella that
played upright bass on my latest record
...he has an annual bluegrass pickin party
that he calls "deanblossom"...it's always a
good time....i'll only be able to stay for a couple of
hours and then i'm gonna have to drive up
to lafayette indiana to play a show...i'm
playing with indie legends "the vulgar
boatmen"...if ya haven't heard them you
should do yourself a favor and check them
out

i'm tired of being in the car but it's part of the
deal when you are a musician....i love traveling
but it gets a little rough sometimes when you
are doing all of the driving by yourself...traveling
four or five hundred miles in one day and then
playing that night wears on a fella...i'm not
complaining or crying...i'm just trying to let
y'all inside my world a little bit....it's not easy
to be completely honest on a public forum
like this but i realize that it might make for
more interesting reading if i open up a bit
....so there

the cat is still without a name

2004-09-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

greetings from kansas city....the show at davies last
night was awesome...the crowd was small but the
folks that were there made me feel great....i met
some fellow wobblies and some folks in a cool band
called "gaslight"....the place is the epitome of a rock
and roll bar...i can't wait to go back

i'm getting ready to make the drive to columbia, mo
....i'm playin at the music cafe tonight....it should
be a good time...and then i get to head home for a
couple of days

2004-09-14T17:03:00.000-05:00

greetings from wichita, kansas....have you
ever tried garlic salad....if you haven't you
need to....it's like home-made cole slaw with
a ton of garlic in it....there is a root beer
stand here in wichita called the"nu-way"...they
claim to be the only place in the world that
serves it and brother it's worth the trip...there
is a lady that has worked there for 50 years
and i think i'm in love with her :)

i'm waiting to head over to john barleycorns
to play some songs...wichita is a pretty swell
city...i like it much more than dodge city...i'm
getting a little homesick but i do love my
travels...i just miss the folks back home

the folks on tv said that bush got special
favors from his billionaire daddies friends
to stay out of vietnam .....ya think?

2004-09-13T14:55:00.000-05:00

greetings from dodge city kansas....i've been on
the road for the last week or so and i've been
having a blast...i played in fairplay colorado
this weekend at the "south park music
festival"...it may have been the most fun that
i've ever had at a festival...fairplay is a tiny town
in the rocky mountains....the people that live there
are some of the most genuinely friendly folks
that you'll ever meet....and they love music....every
musician that i talked to claimed to have had a great
time as well....i can't wait to do it all over again

we met a really cool fella that took us fly fishing
yesterday...we were somewhere near leadville all
nestled between the mountains...we fished a little
pond next to the arkansas river...needless to say
...it was a good day to be us

2004-09-06T01:02:00.000-05:00

the cat is still without a name

2004-08-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

my buddy todd and I have this hobby….we like to visit the graves of
people who seem interesting to us….i did an on air thingy at whhp in
farmer city illinois a week or so ago and we figured while we were in
the area we may as well visit the grave of edgar lee masters in petersburg
….he was a poet and is most famous for writing “the spoon river
anthologies”…when we pulled up there was a cat sitting on his grave…it
looked like the cat hadn’t eaten in a while and it was obviously a stray…it’s
scrawny and flea bitten…..i walked around the graveyard for about an hour
and the cat never left my side…it followed me around like a little puppy….we
figured that we better feed it so we drove back into town and bought some
cat food and brought it back to the graveyard…when I got out of the car the cat
took off running towards me from about twenty yards away….it inhaled the food
like it hadn’t eaten in a week…that’s about the time that todd and I broke
down and took the damn thing home with us….it’s one of the best cats I’ve
ever been around…it sits on my lap every time I sit down and sleeps under
my beard at night…I was going to try to find a home for it but amy and I fell
in love with it…it’s stuck with us :)….i wanted to name it edgar but it’s a girl…then
I wanted to name it emily (sparks) (from masters poem) but we are still
Undecided…any ideas?

2004-08-26T12:32:00.000-05:00

it was nice meeting some new friends in charlotte last weekend....everyone that
i met was so dang nice to me....i had a great time .....it was great hangin with the
fellas in BR549....they are some of the more genuine musicians that i've
met in quite a well....i'm really enjoying their new line up...they had me wanting to
dance and i'm no dancer

i walked across the street after my soundcheck to the evening muse and saw richard
buckner soundchecking....i said howdy and stopped back by after my show and
caught his last two songs....i wish i could've caught more

i did an on air thingy at whay in whitley city ky a day or so later...they have been
really good to us and we are thankful for it....they have a big signal...i was able to hear them
for fifty miles or so on my way north...they played a song called "hey john ashcroft" by
a band that i think is called "american ambulance"....very fun stuff....the song is straight
up rock-n-roll and i'm a sucker for that