Last week's tour with Beki Hemingway

Following last Wednesday's big performance at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Beki Hemingway and I had the rare opportunity to play some additional shows in WI and and MN. Big thanks to all y'all who came out to hear us, and special props to those of you who reminded us that you've been attending our individual shows for nearly two decades! To quote Beavis and Butthead, "You're old."

THURSDAY
Copper Rock Coffeehouse, Appleton, WI
This event hearkened back to the late-90s coffeehouse era when Beki and I cruised the highways of America playing small shows for mildly entertained patrons. The place was packed but the attention levels were low (except of course for the few folks that actually came to listen to us!). A bit challenging for us as performers, but about halfway through the evening we got over the indifference and loosened up the set, improvising some pretty awesome covers of "Please Do Not Go" by the Violent Femmes, "Something So Strong" by Crowded House, and "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" by Joe Jackson. Other highlights included audience requests for obscure tunes like "Deadly Life" and "Xian Bookstore."

FRIDAY
Dunn Brothers Coffeehouse, Linden Hills, Minneapolis, MN
Thanks to a much friendlier atmosphere, plus a sizable crowd of personal friends, this gig became one of my favorite coffeehouse shows of all time. I got to back up Beki on some of my favorite songs from her albums including "Sinsick," "To Spare You," "Hanging Up the Phone," "Better Vision," and "Over With." Plus, we yet again pooled our rather vast collective mental well of cover tunes and delivered "I've Forgotten What it was in You..." by Maria McKee, "Rio" by Duran Duran, and "Missionary Man" by Eurythmics.

SUNDAY
Centennial United Methodist Church, Roseville, MN
John Kerns (bass) and Troy Alexander (drums) joined us again for this evening of music. Highlights included some really cool hymns from the Methodist Hymnal ("God who Stretched the Spangled Heavens," "Jesu Jesu"), loud electric versions of "I Love You with All of my Mind" and "Grip," a duo acoustic set featuring "Mary's Song" and "You Never Last Where You Land," new songs "Get Behind the Wheel" and "Lose My Mind," plus a closing all-star jam on "No More Walls" with Lloyd Garrelts and John Simshauser from the band Echelon. Thanks to all at Centennial UMC for the wonderfully warm welcome.

Not only did I get to play that evening concert on Sunday, but I also began the day with a cool gig: playing guitar for the birth-to-three Sunday School kids at church. Here's me rocking the Lambs group...musical highlights included "This Little Light of Mine," "Criss-Cross Applesauce," and a instrumental version of "Wheel in the Sky" by Journey. And look, there's my Godson Erik in the photo...he's probably thinking, "Hey, quit it with the '70s tunes and play something from the Escape album." Kids these days.

This past week of shows with Beki was great fun, and it was nice to play some of those songs we sung so often in the Chicagoland era. Beki flew back home tonight, but not before we had a chance to co-write a tune, and demo another one. Stay tuned for news on future shows with Beki, and visit her newly evolving webpage.