Last night we played the legendary Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va. I had one of my best shows of the tour except I ran out of time!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh I was so pissed. I just tried to squeeze too much music in the encore and we had to cut short the Mellow Mood sit in. Most of these bigger rooms have strict curfews. That means there are a ton of superfluous rules and regulations. PS. I have a more-than-slight aversion to rules and regulations especially when it involves playing music. Anyhow, it was extremely frustrating to have the clock ticking so ferociously while I’m trying to play my songs for the good people of Virginia.  It started when we were a couple minutes late getting to stage…we were just about to leave the bus when Mark spilled a kep cup of red wine all over the Houseman’s stage clothes. Jeff was so pissed! He had to change his whole everything, it was a big cup of wine. Anyway we had a good show but I was frustrated and I just felt cheated by the time. But honestly, it’s my own damn fault.

After the show we had the insane P-I-G tournament on the backstage B-ball court. Sorry, I had to devastate those kids from the west side and bring back the fundamentals of strategic PIG competition. I told Shef from OZO I’m ready to take him and any of his boys one on one.  So bring it on!

So don’t hate y’all. Today we are in Vienna, VA at the famous Wolf Trap Amphitheater. It’s another one of these classic venues. Sonically correct, beautifully constructed and landscaped. It’s really a very nice venue in the same league as Red Rocks and The Gorge.

I definitely stayed up late last night but I had a surprisingly productive day. We sound checked at noon continuing our work on some of the new tracks. We have been focusing on “Lottery” and “Grandmother” which are both coming along nicely. After that we had a rare “Band Meeting” to talk about the new record. The meeting went very smooth and we made a top secret plan to finish the “Down and Dirty” record.

Then I rounded up Shef from Ozo and the slightly Stoopid horn section of De La and C-Money to work out this new joint “City Livin”. The song sounds so smooth with the horns. We will do it tonight. When I was heading to the bus for a jog I ran into a bunch of the Ozo dudes perpetrating on the hoops court so I had to step in for some ruff house. I took one game but had to give some charity to the Ozo fellas (I didn’t want them to be all depressed for their show ya know). Anyhow that felt good as sh!t to run.

Now I’m gonna take a nap

Rock it

G

I just woke up and blaaaang here we are, home Philly Rocks. We had an amazing night in Boston last night (except for almost getting cut off at the end) Ahhhh.  I wanted to play at least another 30 mins. I’ve really got to watch the time better. No worries though, I thought that was our best show at the Pavilion and the crowd was sold out. Thanks you Boston! The Summer Haze tour is on the east coast now and I feel completely at home with all of these cranky east coast mofos.  How ya doing…

But seriously, I am amped to be playing at the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing tonight. I was born about 20 blocks from here and raised even closer. I am playing my neighborhood tonight and it feels good.  Philly rocks because:  Its dirty, phunky, skateboarding, graffiti, cheesesteaks, folk fest, soft pretzels, Eagles, Sixers, Phillies, Phillies Blunts, love park, liberty bell, declaration of independence, Independence Hall, south street, music, G. Love, the Goats, the Roots, Dr. J, Benjamin Franklin, Rittenhouse sq, Fairmount park, Special Sauce, South Philly, Jersey Shore, Atlantic City, Ong’s, Rhythm and soul, John Coltrane, Edgar Allen Poe, Willy Penn, Lorenzo’s slice, WIP sports radio, the TLA, the Katman, Chuck Treece and the Fellas, the Eyes Gallery, my Mom and Dad and all of yous Philly motherphuckers.

C U tonight- one

The summer is almost over??!!!! What? It’s such a bittersweet feeling. I’m up in Boston and I can feel it in the air cooling down in New England for sure. I’m actually wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt. It’s just such a melancholy time, in June and July you feel like the summer is never going to end but then August comes and right when you’re so heavy and thick with the summertime vibrations that first blast of cool air hits you and you just know September is coming. Well, at least I don’t have to start school anymore. That was always tough.

Tomorrow is Boston then on to Philly, the two most important towns for my music. I got my start playing on the streets, parks and subways of these two wonderful cities. It’s definitely a double homecoming.  To think that this very summer 15 years ago I first got my street performers license to play Harvard Square.  Now I’m headlining the Pavilion in Boston and it looks like its going to be sold out.  That’s sick! It’s the same thing in Philly too. All I can say is thanks to everyone that has ever listened and supported throughout the years! Philly in the house! Boston in the house.  It’s gonna be a blast. Honestly, after Red Rocks I think I’m ready for anything now.

Thanks

Peace and Summer Haaaaaze

G

I’m just leaving Pittsburgh where our show was rained out!!! Rewind <<<<< Last night we played Kansas city and a great crowd came out in the hazy, hot and humid night for a killer show by all 3 bands. We had a beer after the show and hit the road for a 16 hour drive to Pittsburgh. When we arrived, the concert Promoter said that because of T-storms coming in we had to cancel the show. I felt terrible. There were about 100 or so people that had showed up early for the show in the pouring rain and they were already soaking wet. I talked to the crew and we decided we would do a small acoustic show for the peeps. So, with the help of my great crew, Jimmy Jazz and I rocked out a cool mini set for the gathered:

Booty Call
Rainbow
Hot Cooking
Milk and Cereal
Shooting Hoops
Beautiful
Cold Beverage

I busted a string, a freestyle on Cold Beverage and then we were out. I literally ran to the car and we hauled ass to the airport where I just made the plane to take me to Boston…what a day. I felt so bad that the show was rained out and hopefully they will rebook it for next year. I want to thank everyone for coming out today and hopefully the mini set eased the pain. It definitely made my day.

Thanks

G

We just got to Kansas here and my head is still spinning from last night. Red Rocks was siiiiiick. I can’t thank Colorado enough for showing up so large. Both Miles (Slightly Stoopid) and I agreed that there is something special about the way people love music in CO. What a great crowd, It was super hype!

Ozo started off the evening with a killer set and the crowd never stopped jamming. Slightly Stoopid had an amazing set and honestly I knew that was going to be a hard act to follow. But we did and I think we had a pretty hot set. The crowd stayed live and my guitar was singing. Jimmy Jazz pulled off a hot solo in “This Ain’t Living”, Mark and Jeff crushed as well. For the encore we were blessed with Tristan Prettyman coming out from SD to join us for one of our best renditions of “Beautiful” (thanks to KBCO for blowing it up in Boulder). Mellow Mood had just about every musician on the tour on stage. We closed the set out with Sauce and Jersey and sealed the deal.

Thanks for everyone coming. We will be back!

I gotta go to sound check…tonight Kansas City here I come.

Peace

Tonight is actually early Friday morning, August something, 2007 at 2:41 am. I’m lying in my bunk on the back of the bus. The bus is rolling through the deserts of New Mexico on the way to Morrison, Colorado. I can’t sleep.

I’ve just been practicing up all day getting ready for the show at Red Rocks which is now about 18 hours away. I’ve already written and rewritten the set list about 20 times. I’ve ran some old tunes, worked on finger exercises and scales, noodled endlessly and worked on a song Jeff and I are writing. It’s fair to say I’ve done my work. This is a good thing as I’m hoping tomorrow I can just get up and flow straight through to the show.

We’ve got some cool musical surprises planned for what I’m considering to be the biggest show of my career. Jimmy Jazz is telling me to stop thinking and freaking out about it and I think he’s right I should. And I’m going to stop thinking and rethinking about it as soon as I stop typing and this old bus rocks me to sleep.

Trying to write this set list has been the hardest thing. I wish I could just play every song I got then it would be easier. It’s tough cause maybe I will get to play around 15-20 songs. The thing is I’ve got hundreds. What should I play??? Anyway, I’ve picked out 20 of the best plus we’ve got a special guest. Hmmmmm...Can’t tell you who yet it’s a surprise. See you when the sun is rising high. That’s my word bet, get ready to rock Red Rocks So steady when that sun sinks and the night time rises, sky-high-shooting stars ain’t the only thing that shines. Get your shine on tonight

Peace out

G