We’re smack, dab right in the middle of our tour!

We had a day “off” today that wasn’t really a day off with 15+ hours of driving from Boston to Detroit. It sounds painful, and, maybe, at times, it has been a little tiring, but with Dear Creek caravan-ing with us, it’s been McDonald’s (We’re lovin’ it).

We’ve hit a few snags/challenges here and there. Most were within the first 12-36 hours. Kate and I both became sick (nothing too serious) the morning after our first show in Columbus, OH, and last night, in Boston, Nate had a brush explode in the middle of Don’t Go. Heather had to fly back to Chicago almost immediately following our New York City show (she’ll be joining us again for the rest of the tour starting in Detroit) and was bracing herself for a 2 hour night nap at Laguardia. Mostly, we’ve been learning to embrace the unexpected.

There’s been such a steep learning curve throughout this entire process, from planning and booking, to playing and traveling. Nate and I keep talking about the process of playing night after night in front of such diverse crowds, with varying attention spans, as a kind of intensive performance workshop for the band. There’s no time to get hung up on small mistakes you made that nobody noticed, and frankly, there’s no point getting dragged down by a single, human mistake. We’re learning that every moment playing a show is a brand new moment, and that you can change the feel of a set in a hot minute. The audience wants to see a good show and if you are willing to give it to them, they’ll love yer everlovin’ soul forever. Plus, I swear, it’s the mistakes and serious foul-ups that have made us increasingly more resilient.

We’re gon’ be so effing tight for our final show at Bub City, y’all.

And the bands we’ve been lucky enough to have the chance to play with!!! Guys. Seriously. Such beautiful sounds with so much talent. Our favorites have been the young band from Richmond called The Dogwood Tales and the family band from Boston, Opal Puckett. Check them out. You’ll thank me.

So many different types of venues on this tour. We’ve played a fundraiser in Ohio for Alex’s cousin (Dear Creek), a house show in Richmond, VA that brought me back to my years living a bohemian lifestyle as a whitewater raft guide in Tennessee, and the renowned T.T. the Bear’s in Boston. Each show has been amazing, a workshop, a unique adventure and a fugging wicked time.

ALSO: The Waze App, y’all. Fer serious. This app has saved us countless times in the midst of terrible traffic jams in cities none of us were familiar with. Plus, I’m pretty sure that both Nate and Heather are Waze ninjas because of the trip. Nbd.

How have we entertained ourselves, you ask with breathy anticipation? Well, Heather introduced us to the comedic stylings of Pete Holmes on Spotify. We now have some obscure band catchphrases that, even when repeated for the 13th time, make us giggle uncontrollably. (See above.)

All in all, we’re so incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to do this, to tour and to share MIDWEST. We’ve encountered overwhelming amounts of hospitality (mad shout outs to Andy and Kate’s moms, Alex’s aunt and uncle, Kate’s sister, and of course, my own sweet momma), kindness from strangers, new and old friends and fans. We’re excited to be beginning the second half of our tour here in our namesake region.

Looking forward to seeing your beautiful faces out there in the crowd.

All the love in the world,
N