Day 8 (Saturday) Hogfarm Studios, Biddeford, Maine

Writing this entry from the barn at Hogfarm Studio, I asked Matt to help me because I slept the entire ride here from NYC. Well, I have come to find out that Matt partied as hard as I did last night and slept even more than I did on the road. I guess that means we'll write about last night's afterparty and skip right to tonight's gig. We both had different experiences than the main group last night; let's start there. Right after the show Matt and the rest of the band (except me) took a subway to Rebecca's place in Harlem. He stopped by just to know where it is and to put down the sleeping bag, then he went out to a cab. He took it to the Village and then went to Smalls, the hot spot where New York jazz musicians go to jam after their gigs. About that time I had finished gathering my extra-sparse survival bag (mainly my computer in case I was called by OTC) and went out with friends, separately from the band. I did not expect this night to go the way it did. Who would have thought that in the city best known to outsiders for being tough and cold that I would find one of the warmest sets of friends I have met since I travelled Europe? While I was picking up some corn flavored ice cream to replenish the party supply, Matt was walking the last two blocks to Smalls. As he rounded the corner, two guys with instruments were on their way to the subway... Matt stopped them "Hey guys, do you know where smalls is?" It was just down the block. "Why, are you playing?" they chuckled. Yes, Matt was going to sit in for a song or two. "Heh, good luck" they said and walked off. Matt stayed at Smalls, listening and even playing a little, until about 4 in the morning. On his way back he got out of the cab and soon realized that he had gotten out 13 blocks too early. So Matt had the pleasure of crossing 13 blocks of Harlem at 4:30 in the morning. There were people "face mugging" him left and right, he says, giving him plenty of evil looks. But the Doctor kept his cool, even when an oncoming pedestrian spit directly at his immediate path. I, on the other hand, was having a slightly different evening, I watched Oh Brother, Where Art Thou for the first time and had a memorable break from the hard pace of the tour with a great set of new, but warmhearted friends. When morning came and it was time to go, I was not ready (and had not slept!), but at the same time I was more buoyant than I even could have hoped.

We left New York, and a forty winks later we arrived at Hogfarm Studio, where we were greeted with homemade soup, cider, lasagna, salad, showers, and a beautifully-kept building from 1880 by Gil and Coco, the loveliest couple of people ever, I am convinced. I don't know how this is happening, but it seems like every stop on this tour tries to outdo the last. The (very comfortable) barn and the house are clearly extensions of Gil and Coco's love for what they do.

We played with Andy (Tom Thumb), a gent with an intriguing banjo picking style that particularly caught Justin's attention. Then up came Dustin Hamman (Run on Sentence) with a variety of lighthearted and deeper songs with occasional vocal "instrumental solos" that captured the character of each instrument to amazing detail. Trumpet and musical saw made the biggest impression on me, but there were several more, each sung in style with an artistry that would make the instrumentalists themselves jealous. Midwest Dilemma played last. We are starting to have more fun with our more familiar songs, and the extra time spent on new material is paying off. I can't wait to get started on that next album.