As the van soars across I-40, it’s hard to recall what all has happened over the last few weeks.  From the Mississippi gulf coast to the mountains of North Carolina, the mayhem has been on a beer-drenched tear through the Southeast gathering up new fans along the way.  

The May tour started in the big easy early this month.  Accompanied by ragtime roadster Mr. Pokey LaFarge as support, the south Louisiana shows were full of swinging cowboy boots, smiling faces, reckless abandon, and first-time bliss.  We quickly headed back to Mississippi for a few private shows before heading out on a 3 week run across the Southeast.  

The boys were all smiles as they zoomed across Alabama to the first show in
Auburn when tragedy struck.  The van died.  After several professional and unprofessional predictions, the mayhem string van was diagnosed with a blown transmission.  Luckily, we were able to catch a limo to our afternoon gig at Hardee’s to unveil the new prime rib thickburger!  Two days and 4 grand later, we had the van back on the road headed towards east Tennessee for several shows in the heartland of country music.  

Midway through the tour we had one thing on our minds:  rest.  So, we loaded up the van with supplies and set up camp along the French broad river for 2 days of picking, singing, eating, drinking, and sleeping.  We even managed to wrangle up some new fans down by the river.  

We took a few weeks off in January to regroup from the Colorado run but are back in full swing and ready for the spring.  Just saw some crawfish being cooked the other day and I forgot all about the fact that there is no heat in the house.  But it will all be good soon; during the few months of perfect weather they call Springtime in Dixie.  That said, this winter was nothing short of freezing during our excursion out to the snow-covered peaks of Colorado.  At a memorable show in Leadville (Captain's 30th b-day party), the temperature reached -30°F, I guess global warming doesn't apply to the highest city in the USA.  We also did a breast cancer benefit show at the Lazy Dog in Boulder, where the bar and the band donated profit for the cause.  After seven shows in a row in Colorado we ended up on good ole' Colfax Avenue at Sancho's Broken Arrow.  Saw lots of old friends, met some new ones and after the show we high-tailed it straight through the cold Kansas night and made it back to Oxford in time for Parrish's x-mas party.  When the festivities ended we slept a few hours and headed straight down to New Orleans where it was a breezy 50°.  All in all it was a good end to '07, even got to take a tour of the Coors brewery (Red's 5th tour).  

Well, well, well...

Much has passed since we last spoke but fear not... we are still alive and well well well.  Fall in Mississippi was filled with blooming cotton, smoking ribs, cold beer, pretty women, lots of pickin’ and another losing football season for Ole Miss.  Ahhh well, at least the mosquitos weren’t too bad this year...  And the show in Oxford after the LSU game was probably the craziest one in the books.  Our good friend Pokey LaFarge came down from Louisville to open up along with Ferd from the Hackensaw Boys, who played the whole second half of the show on the fiddle.  In November we shot down 55 to the Black Pot Festival in Lafayette, Louisiana - incredible cajun food, music, dancing, waking up on the ground tangled up in someone else’s tent you thought was yours.  Go next year, or you’ll never know what a party is meant to be:

Back Home

Well folks, the mayhem string van has landed safely back in the soft cotton of the Mississippi hills.  After bathing in the rivers of Austin, the ship was steered across the bayous of South Texas and Louisiana where we stopped for the last 2 shows in the great city of New Orleans.  The shows at the Maple Leaf were a blast, cumulating with the PA exploding and the band jumping down into the crowd and finishing the tour off the way bluegrass began... acoustic hootin’ and hollerin’!

After a huge feast with friends and family in Leland, everyone got about a week of rest before the van geared up to Nashville and we went airborne back to Colorado for a show and wedding in Boulder town.  The 72 hours of madness that ensued will not be forgotten soon, arriving at the Nashville airport at 4am without a wink of sleep and having to convince the airport security to let us board the plane.  In a matter of hours we were transported to the mountains and had a great crowd at the Lazy Dog that night.  The Weinberg wedding on Sunday met all the hype that surrounded the event, with banisters crashing onto the dance floor and new moves being invented on the spot, MC Palmerica guided the whole reception with humor and grace...  

 

Colorado/Texas

 

Colorful Colorado