Week 1

I started my current tour in Oakland. I actually arrived nearly two weeks ago, but I had a few days to relax before my first show. I ended up needing them, as I caught a cold and began exhibiting its symptoms just as I arrived in Oakland! I was staying with one of my best friends, Jane, and her family. I didn't want to get them sick, but, as it turned out, her 2 year old son had a cold already, and neither Jane nor her partner ended up getting sick. I chilled out at their house for a couple days, then felt better by the time my first show rolled around. It was at the Actual Cafe in Oakland. I had so much fun there, and there was a great turn out! In addition to dozens of strangers being there, Jane came with me, and my friend Kim, who lives in San Francisco, showed up, as did my friend Sara, who lives in Portland but was vacationing in Oakland for the week. She also brought a couple of friends that she was staying with, who took us all out to the Prizefighter in Emeryville after the show.

At the Actual Cafe, a singer named Myles with a beautiful voice opened for me on the keyboard, and then I got to open for Eli Conley, who played guitar and sang very clever lyrics with a soulful voice. Eli also had a lead guitarist who played slide guitar for part of his set. They were great! During my set, I sang my heart out, so much so that -- as I was sad to discover the next day -- I ended up losing my voice. Too bad I had another show that very next night!

Physically I still felt much better from the cold, so I went shopping with Jane in Rockridge before the show. After shopping, we got some pizza, and she helped me find the BART station so I could get to SF. My show was in the ballroom inside the Green Tortoise Hostel. I found the hostel and was very excited to be in SF for the first time in about four years. I was bummed, however, to still have laryngitis. Right after I checked in, I found the sound man and asked him what I should do. He bought me a beer (with a lemon it, so, as he said, "it's good for you!") and asked me if I wanted to just try playing a few and see what happened. I agreed. We got set up, and a couple of guys were watching us from their table nearby. One of them saw my uke and told me excitedly that he had planned to leave when the music started, but that now he was going to stay. I whispered for him to not get too excited, on account of my condition. He noticed the random percussion instruments that were strewn about the stage. He offered to back me up. He said his name was Mike. I told Mike "I don't know if I can do it." He replied, "Yes, you can. Come on, let's do this!" And so we did. His drumming was excellent, and we made it through three songs. I was happy that I got to play "the Mission", a song I wrote for the San Francisco neighborhood of the same name.

After the show, Mike and his friend Jeff bought me a baklava and gave me one of the beers they'd brought in their backpack. The honey in the baklava was just what my strained throat needed. Thanks guys! I had a bed in a four-bed female dorm room. All of the other ladies I was staying with were very kind, especially Margie from Ireland, who gave me tea and cough drops. She told me that she had quit her job and was going to travel the US and Europe for several months, and then work in Canada for four months, while she figured out what she wanted to do with her life. She said that that she would gone from Ireland for a total of nine months! That made me feel a little less crazy for quitting my day job and going on the road indefinitely.

The next night I went to the Mission and had dinner with my friend Kim at Bissap Baobab, one of my favorite restaurants. They serve Senegalese food. It was nice to see that the restaurant was still there, and to see Kim again. After dinner I took the BART back to Oakland, where I spent another couple days at Jane's house before leaving for Sacramento.

On Thursday afternoon I took the Amtrak train from Oakland to Sacramento. I found the motel where I had reserved a room, then found a place to eat dinner before my show. Then I made my way to the venue, the Fox & Goose, where I got to open for a local singer named Hans, and a touring band from San Diego called Adams & Eves. Everyone was very talented. I walked away with a CD from Hans and a vinyl album from Adams & Eves. It was one of those nights that make a performer feel so lucky: you get to watch other talented acts for free!

The next morning it was time to get back on the train again, this time for five hours, to Reno. It was a beautiful ride! I enjoyed my favorite snack bar car treats -- pretzels with hummus, and a whiskey and coke -- and watched the sun and the palm trees of California disappear as we headed into the snowy mountains. The snow only slowed the train down by about twenty minutes. After I arrived, I found my hotel, the Sands, and had a quick dinner before my next show.

I had to take a city bus out to the highway and then walk a half a mile to the coffeehouse where I was going to perform. It was in the suburbs. The coffeehouse, Walden's, is a well-known spot for touring and local artists. The host, Todd C. South, is also a musician so he treats the guests very well. I got to open for a singer/songwriter named Jose Skinner and his back-up band. Jose even joined me on my set for one song, "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. It was really fun to sing a duet with him! After Jose's band's set, his lead guitarist/bassist, Eric, and his wife, Ashley, offered me a ride back downtown, which I happily accepted.

I awoke the next day to discover that my cold had never really gone away, it had just moved. Instead of being in my throat, it was down in my lungs. I spent time in the steam room at my hotel, and drank a hot toddy with dinner that night, hoping the two things would help. I also decided to give up my one-to-two-a-day cigarette habit, even though I knew that Nevada is probably the worst state to do that in. People are, of course, smoking in every casino.

Throughout the day I kept trying to go out for a little walk. At first there was an intolerable combination of wind and cold rain, so I went right back to my room. Later it looked to be clearing up, so I headed out again. This time I got to walk around for a while and see the river, until it began to snow on me. That's when I decided to have my dinner and drink in the hotel restaurant.

Finally, I awoke the next day feeling like I could breathe. My throat was a little scratchy though, but I drank plenty of tea. I got to play my last show in Reno that night at Java Jungle, another great local coffeehouse. The host, Ryan, was really cool. He gave me free tea and a sandwich. There was a small crowd there at first but, about 15 minutes into my set, a huge group of friends (maybe 20 more people) all came in together and started dancing. It turned out that two of them had just gotten married! They decided to have their reception at Java Jungle, which boded well for me! I talked to them on my break. They were all really cool, and most of them lived in a house together and were a poetry collective. They offered me a place to stay and I told them I'd take them up on it when I'm back in a couple months. Before I headed back to the Sands, Michael, the bartender from the bar below the Java Jungle, invited me to come down for a free drink. I enjoyed a glass wine and the epic playlist on Michael's ipod. Unfortunately I wasn't about to stay out too late; I had to go to bed early and prepare to depart Reno the next day. Next stop: all the way up in the Tri-Cities in WA. Looking forward to week 2!