Hello from Hot Springs, Arkansas!
To pick up where I left off, in southern Missouri- I spent a nice three days at my parents place, resting from the insanity of the two weeks preceding. It is always a good spot to do such a thing. I also organized my life, leaving the things which were not absolutely essential to the tour, and my travels in general.
Paring down from not much already to even less is a really interesting thing to do, as it always lets me know what I really need. In 2007, when I hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail, all that I really needed to walk that distance could fit in a backpack. In this case, all that i really need fits in the trunk of my car, and on one of the back seats. I have a feeling that I could probably pare this down a bit more if I really tried. Taking only what I need for months at a time also tends to have a residual effect on my life when not traveling. After I did nothing but walk for 6 months, I discovered that I had zero interest in most material items, and did get rid of a significant amount of things, none of which I regret, even three years later. I have in fact forgotten what most of those things were by now.
So I streamlined my operation, so to speak, and suddenly felt like I was going to head out on tour for real. I made more copies of cds, and bookmarks, and in general, organized all my merch into one small briefcase that I found in an alley in Chicago months ago.
On Wednesday, I headed south, to Fayetteville, Arkansas. I had never been there before, and so had the interest of someone visiting a town for the first time. Or at least, the sort of interest that I feel when visiting a place for the first time. I got there much earlier than the show, and so was able to explore quite a bit, which I always find appealing. There was a book store that was so huge, and maze like that I almost got lost in it. There were books everywhere, extending five feet above my head, in every direction. And the corridors were slim, which gave the added effect of being in a massive place. I was impressed. I really enjoy bookstores like this, and there seem to be so few of them that exist. But at least they do exist.
Aside from that one wandering into a shop, I pretty much just stuck to walking around the town and taking in the space in that way. Fayetteville is a nice town to do such a thing in.
The show was at a bar called the ‘Smoke and Barrel Tavern’. My friends Adam Faucett and William Blackart played this show as well. They both have quite a good following in parts of Arkansas, and so the place was fairly packed. Check out their music sometime if you get a chance. They are both quite talented, and I often refer to William as ‘the greatest living songwriter’- mostly because I believe that he actually is.
It was a difficult place to play acoustic music in, because it was just noisy. But I enjoyed myself nonetheless, and the bar was happy with the turnout, so paid us really well at the end of the night.
Adam, William, and I headed to Russellville after, which was about a two hour drive, meaning that we didn’t get settled until after four in the morning, which is not uncommon in the world of playing music every night. Russellville was the town that the three of us would play on Thursday night.
That show was at a place called the Starfox House, which is a house show series run by a girl named Kalli. She is really into putting on great shows in Russellville, which is a town just teeming with folks who are quite skilled at playing music, but from my understanding, have few places to play. So it’s nice that she puts such effort into this sort of thing, transforming her house into a venue of sorts every other week or so. Having myself been a curator of a house concert series in Chicago, I understand just how much work goes into creating a successful show, and always appreciate when I see others doing it.
After a great nights sleep, I awoke at about noon, and discovered that I was the first person awake. So I headed out to try to find some wifi to do some emailing and such. I did discover the Russellville library, which is the best place to go for internet if you are traveling. While I was there, I wondered to myself how far away the Arkansas High Point was. (High Point= Highest point of land in the state. Naturally, there is one in every state, and some people make a goal of doing them all. I’m not sure if that is my goal yet, but I am interested in them). I discovered that Magazine Mountain was only an hours drive from where I was currently, and seeing that I had several hours until the show, I decided to head over there.
William had told me that there was a road that went almost all the way to the top, so I was even more interested in going. Not because I don’t like climbing mountains, but more because I don’t like climbing mountains in extreme heat. Since every temperature gauge I passed was saying ninety eight degrees, I wasn’t really in a mountain climbing state of mind.
There was indeed a road that went most of the way to the top. The drive was nice, and there were some great overlooks.
There was a short path to the actual high point of Arkansas, which was surrounded by trees, and did not have a view of any sort. on the way up, I came across an abandoned amphitheater that was built by the WPA in 1939. It seems that in the 70’s, the rocks were loosed by ice and weeds, and the place fell into disrepair. It was a fascinating thing to find.
I managed to make it back in plenty of time for the show, which started around 8 PM. There were six or seven people playing, which is a lot of people for a show. But everyone was really good, and several of the acts only did 20-30 minute sets. Of the three shows I played this week, The Starfox House was definitely my favorite, and where I was best received. One girl came to see the show because her last name was Darby, so when she heard I was playing, she knew that it would be good. Adam and William played really good sets. I am consistently impressed with almost everything they do. Seriously, give them a listen. In a time and culture so lacking of originality, they are really a breath of fresh air.
William and I headed to Hot Springs the following day, along with Kalli. Her parents live nearby that town, and happen to be on vacation this week. So, she is watching the place for them, and William and I have been invited to stay until Wednesday. It is really good of her, and her folks, to have us stay here.
The show in Hot Springs was at an amazing venue called Maxine’s. From my understanding, the place changed hands a little over a year ago, and the new owners sunk a ton of money into renovating the stage and soundsystem. This place is really a gem of Arkansas, and music venues in general. The entire staff was quite friendly, the sound was stellar, and the owners of the club were actually present at the show, which doesn’t happen as frequently as one might imagine. They prided themselves on having been to every show they booked there, which was over 200 in the last year, and even mentioned that they had been listening to my cd in their car for a week prior to my performance. Astounding. Plus I got an invite back, which is always a good thing.
Despite everything being right for the show, I think the only thing missing was being paired with a band that made sense for me to open for. Even though the entire room was quiet, and seemed appreciative, once the headliner started playing, I realized why I didn’t sell any cds. They were a bluegrass band called ‘Mountain Sprout’- extremely good at what they did, and very much a bar band, in every sense of the word. Almost every song was about drinking, and getting drunk, and having a beer. They even had a closing song which went something like ‘get out of this bar, cause its closing time, and lets take the party to my place.’ They were a fun band to watch, and they had a slap bass player who was out of control amazing. Actually, they were all quite good.
So that was Friday night. Saturday, William and I were supposed to play a place in Little Rock, but that got canceled last minute, for reasons which I am still not completely clear on. But that is ok. We went to see the movie ‘Inception’ instead, which was interesting, although unfortunately, I felt like it was somewhat hollow. Can’t complain too much- it was a compelling enough movie to be inside of for almost three hours and hardly even notice. If you have seen it, we can discuss it in greater depth. If not, it is the sort of movie that I really wouldn’t want to give anything away.
And now we are staying at that house in the country, just outside of Hot Springs, which is a nice place to be. The next show is Wednesday night in Memphis, followed by many shows, almost a show a day, up through Nashville, then Louisville, Indiana, and Michigan, before coming to my next break, which is at the end of the first week of August. Should be a great time!
As always, check out the tour schedule on myspace to see if you are in the vicinity of any of the places I am playing, or know anyone who is. Also, as always, if you would like to help in any way- be it help with finding a show, or a place to stay, or just a recommendation of something in a particular area to check out- all these things are definitely appreciated!
All the best to you!
Chris Darby
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www.myspace.com/chrisdarby
www.chrisdarbymusic.com
www.facebook.com/chrisdarbymusic
Shows This Week!
July 28th
P and H Cafe
Memphis, TN
July 29th
Richards Cafe
Whites Creek, TN
July 30th
Drifters
Nashville, TN
July 31st
Old Louisville Coffeehouse
Louisville, KY
(early show- 7 PM)
Mag Bar
Louisville, KY
(late show- 9:30 PM)
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