Thursday, October 16th, 2008

Manchester on the last day of the tour. The GPS got us lost AGAIN. I have decided that the makers of the "Road Angel" GPS system are secretly laughing at us for believing anything it says. I am a little sad that we are leaving tomorrow. We had a great time with Pete and all his family last night in Liverpool. Keith from Treehouse showed up and played a couple of songs from the old days and I was instantly transported back to 97 when we were on the tour to end all tours.

Many thanks to Henry Priestman for his help and support. Henry invited me to share an hour long live performance on the BBC Mersyside with him. It was the kindest of gestures and really gave us a lift. Pete and I have written a couple of songs since I've been here and I am very happy with them. I can't wait to get home and start the recording process again. Thanks to everyone in the UK who's kind words and smiling faces has made this tour a great success for us. We look forward to many years of tours to come.

Edwin

Friday, October 10th, 2008

Just arrived in Edinburgh after an amazing night in Newcastle. Last night was definitely the best night of the tour so far. Crowd was tuned in to what we were doing and the room sounded great. We got to go on the radio in Nottingham and play a couple of songs and do my first BBC interview. I am really looking forward to playing here in Scotland tonight. I will post tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

Edwin

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

On the DOUBLE DECKER Bus

Here we are the day after the London show.

I had such an amazing time playing last night. It felt like the old days, crammed on a little stage playing for the love of playing. I was shocked how many people from London knew our music andI was happy to take requests from our new London crowd.

We got two parking tickets yesterday totaling $200 and Pete was furious. We have discovered that parking tickets are like Kryptonite to Pete Riley. He really HATES them. Mick Cusato has been running sound for us and being consistently hilarious. Craig has been overly chatty. He sits in the back seat of the car jabbering on about this and that, never taking a break from his observations.

Being over here has reminded me again of why I love playing music and reinforced my appreciation of the support that we have in the U.S. We are so blessed to have the friends at our shows. Dave "Bucket" Colwell from Bad Company showed up last night and I had a great time hanging with him. I can't wait for his new record to come out. I am singing two of the tracks for that album. I look forward to the rest of the UK tour and beyond. I will be leaving updates as the time goes on.

Edwin

Monday, September 29th, 2008

I'm at home after a great weekend playing New Orleans, Huntsville and Virginia Beach. It was great seeing Ivan Neville and having him sit in on our gig. We finished our gig and went and sat in with Ivan's band at the Maple Leaf Bar on Oak street. Jacques Imo's is next door and we had the most amazing dinner sitting outside on the sidewalk.

Huntsville was awesome. There was a great big crowd there to hear Styx and we enjoyed playing for them. Virginia Beach was excellent. We played outside next to the giant statue of Neptune. The night was beautiful and the crowd was the rowdiest of the weekend.

I want to thank everyone so much for your continued support especially during this questionable economic time. I look forward to our trip to England and gigs with Pete.

Edwin

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

I am in the Portland airport and it occurs to me that almost everyone in airports looks irritated. The skycaps seem irked that its raining, the thinly veiled smile of the ticket agent belies a simmering disdain for me and my guitars. I know once I hand them over they become an outlet for the frustrations of TSA and baggage handlers. Travelers seem generally put out that they are third in line at Starbucks to get their non-fat-half-caf-caramel machiatto. It always makes me laugh because not that long ago if you wanted to travel across the country you signed on with a wagon train and took your chances crossing the prairie in the back of a wagon. I'm sure that people still complained about all the inconveniences of the day. (arrows in the spleen, outdoor bathrooms, tornadoes, sickness) I am just as guilty of this unfounded impatience but I try to remind myself that we have it better than all of our ancestors and most of the free world. I am going to endeavor to improve my traveling attitude.

Edwin

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

I am at a friends house getting ready for the show tonight. I had a great time today visiting the radio stations in Portland and I cant wait to play the Aladdin theater again. What an beautiful day in Portland.

I am sad to leave the west coast tomorrow, This has been a great run of shows but I can feel my voice starting to wear a little thin from all the shows. It will get a much needed rest in a few days. I am looking forward to writing with Maia Sharp next week. We are collaborating on new material for my upcoming album of originals. Thanks for all the great shows.

Edwin

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

Drunk people who talk too loud and feel the need to interrupt my stories to demand songs can sometimes be a useful comic foil. That is where their usefulness ends.

I love and appreciate someone calling out the name of a song they want to hear once. I usually hear the request and depending on the night and the set list, I will try to work that song in. I try to read a crowd and follow subtle cues to choose the songs that I will weave in and out of a set of acoustic songs. When the mutual respect in the room is high, the chance for special musical moments increase exponentially.

When I find myself "babysitting" a loud patron the natural flow of the night is interrupted. It's not difficult to deal with the occasional loud mouth because I love playing music and I played for years in far more hostile situations to get here. I really feel bad for the others in the crowd who come and tell me how the "mouth" ruined their experience and made them generally uncomfortable. These situations occupy the "minor annoyance" folder in my lifetime desktop so I respectfully ask that If you find yourself turning into the "mouth" a t the show, try to take a minute and consider all the other members of the audience who have a desire for a musical experience equal to your desire to gain attention.

If you can't get it under control please ask one of the security people to hit you in the face with a pipe.

Edwin

P.S. The last line was just a joke. Have fun today.

Thursday, August 21st, 2008

Here I am in the Lincoln Navigator. In these trying economic times we decided to fly out to the west coast and drive in a Hertz rent a car. This thing looks like something that J Lo would b riding around in. Pearl white with chrome rims. I am surprised at how great it drives though. It has air conditioning in the seats, I have never seen that before. It gets 12.5 MPG Thats awful. Our bus gets 8 MPG and it weighs 60 000 lbs.

The shows have been so much fun. I loved the HOB show in San Diego and we had a good time at the Canyon club last night. We are looking forward to the rest of the week and thank everyone for making this tour a success.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Will Hoge.

Edwin

Monday, August 11th, 2008

I am on the bus behind the theater in Bethlehem PA. We just finished sound check and WOW what a great sounding room. Last night in Greensburg was so much fun. Great crowd and another great sounding room. It is always a challenge to change gears to the acoustic shows because I don't usually write up a set list. I usually just go where the night leads me. Last night I was reminded of some songs I had forgotten and I really enjoyed playing. I especially enjoyed Prayer to St. Peter last night. Thanks to John Gorka for giving us that song! Everyone have a great weekend

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

Hello from backstage at the HOB Orlando. We just arrived from an amazing two days of music and travel. We had a great time meeting everyone at the fan appreciation event in Myrtle Beach. That went very smoothly and we got to rehearse promise of you and we added it to the set list. Thank you for being so kind and generous with your attention and support of this band. We travelled up to Long Island and played a great event for our friends the Waughs last night. It was a beautiful night and the room sounded great. We are preparing to rehearse this afternoon and add some new songs to the set for the show tonight. Two big thumbs up for Spirit airlines and Southwest. They are at the top of their game. Have fun this weekend.

Friday, June 27th, 2008

Backstage in Nashville at City Hall…

Great Venue...but unfortunately a large retail chain has bought the space and it will be closing this fall. I am always sad to see a live music venue go. I remember when the Bayou closed in D.C. I went and got one of the bricks from the demolition and I still have it today. The amount of amazing music that permeated the walls there was worth preserving. Another live music space that is no longer with us is the "subway" in Jackson, Mississippi. Down in the boiler room in government housing was an illegal blues bar that served up real blues and cold PBR and proof that music transcends all barriers.

I am in love with the new Al Green record. Don't miss this one!

Congratulations to Tez, who ties the knot tomorrow. And we are happy to play with our old friend Dave Harrison for the next two nights. The show in Indy was special and we loved seeing everyone after the show. Thanks to the Naked Chopstick for a great lunch! Mr. Burchette has crafted a baritone guitar for me and I have been playing it nonstop at home but I used it yesterday for my radio performances and I love it to death! It is the nicest instrument I have ever owned. I can't say enough good things about it. Time for sound check.

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Hello from the backstage of Cleveland House of Blues...
We are back out on the road after just releasing "Nobody's Fault But Mine". We have had a good tour so far. Happy to find Headliners in Louisville and we loved going back to Bogart´s in Cincy. Bogart´s is like an old pair of Chuck Taylor high tops. Without the smell. Nice to see some old friends before the show. Tez is knockin´ my socks off every night with his singing, and we gelled a lot quicker than I anticipated. I loved singing the National Anthem for the White Sox while we were in Chicago. Manny and I went early and were treated like KINGS. What a great organization. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the HOB in Chicago. I hope to be playing there for the rest of my life. I am saddened by the loss of George Carlin. He was one of my favorite comedians of all time. He will be missed. I love his book "Brain Droppings". We have been furiously rehearsing the songs for the Chastain show with the symphony everyday at sound check. I am happy to revisit these songs and look forward to rotating them in to the set. Thanks for all the kind words and support. Edwin

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

Notes from The Road (the Military tour!)

We were so excited to recently have the chance to travel abroad and play for the troops all over Europe, and for selected shows in the Middle East and Africa (the Djibouti jokes never get old!).  A sincere and heartfelt 'thank you' to MWR and Armed Forces Entertainment, and the awesome folks that helped us get there safe and sound and took amazing care of us (Karen, CPT Erik, George, Erin, Taeko, Mike, all of our fantastic flight crews, and many, many others).  Finally, but most of all, we want to thank all the servicemen and servicewomen who welcomed us with open arms and sacrifice to keep us all safe and sound every day.  We came home from the trip with an enormous sense of gratitude, respect, and friendship for our Armed Forces, home and abroad, and so we thank you, most of all!

From Edwin:  The MWR Tour was an amazing experience.  I cannot express the gratitude that I feel towards the troops and their families for the tremendous job that they are doing.  We met families who have been apart for more than two years of active duty.  I can't imagine how hard that must be.  These men and women hold their heads up and bear the burden with dignity and grace.  If you see a soldier in an airport, please be sure to thank them because most people don't realize the sacrifices they are making.  I can't wait to do more of these tours in the future. 

From Larry:  Our military runs on Burger King, Red Bull, and iPods. They are the best in the world!... (more later)

Larry's awesome tour video here

And Manny:  An incredible experience...simply AWESOME!!!

And Tez:    The MWR tour experience:  First off It is a great thing MWR and Armed Forces Entertainment are doing for the troops and their families. In all locations we performed in the soldiers and their family would comment on how it brings a sense of home to the foreign land that they have made their temporary home. The smiles on their faces were very rewarding. The different cultures and food were great also. The whole experience was humbling and made me much more appreciative of being an United States citizen....

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

We are looking forward to heading overseas to visit the U.S. troops at the end of April – STAY TUNED!

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