Currently, I am out on the road with the Dubs, tearing it up around the eastern US. Our show the other night, sharing the bill with Josh Ritter and the Sam Roberts Band, was a huge success; thousands gathered on the shore of the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky to see the outdoor summer concert. As I write, we've just arrived in Dublin Ohio for the Irish Festival here, one of the largest in the States.
Looking back through June, it's been busy times. The Young Dubs June tour stretched from the Pacific Northwest all the way to St Paul. The gear and the guitars held up very well, and the band is very tight now, playing alot of songs from our new album, "Saints And Sinners." Radio has been kind to us as well, and not a week goes by that we don't stop in on at least a couple of stations to give an interview and live acoustic performance.
Radio performance is always a surprise, in the sense that you never know how big the studio is! Occasionally, we've played in a studio which is big enough for the entire electric band, like at KBCO in Boulder, Colorado (ok, a production that big will give us a head's up!) But usually, it's the DJ's mic, and a couple other microphones, and we all have to gather around just like in Oh Brother Where Art Thou! It's an honest experience, because we as a band have to play dynamically and make it work, no effects - just guitars, fiddles, and voices. I enjoy not having all the rig to play through, for a song or two... very purist.
I had the chance to record a session at Bright Orange Studios in Los Angeles while on a short break in early July. Good to be working with Jon Mattox and Matt Forger again! Those guys are great producers, and their projects are always interesting to play on.
Some great shows coming up with the Dubs on this tour; lots of east coast dates, Colorado stops, the St Paul Irish Festival with the Drop Kick Murphy's, and the 4 day Tonder Folk Festival in Denmark are all happening in August. I'll tell you all about it on the other side.
Cheers,
Bob
July 31st
