http://darielb.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/barefoot-movement-old-time-with-a-twist/

It’s gonna be a riot!

-Noah

Your first few months, and for some lucky few, even your first few years, can be blissful, full of energy, cooperation, and creativity.  But as anyone can tell you, the newlywed butterflies soon fly away and you must settle into the daily grind.  The everyday part of your life together can be the most trying aspect of your relationship, though it doesn’t have to be any less rewarding.  New and inevitable trials come your way the longer you stay together.  It’s like driving—no matter how good you are, the longer you’re on the road, you’re eventually going to be in an accident.  Of course, it’s easy to see eye to eye when things are going well, but the down times, in between tours, or when you have to tediously practice for what seems like no reason, this is when the seeds of discourse are sown.  You also have to learn to live together, often in small, uncomfortable quarters, like a tour van.  You learn each other’s habits, weaknesses, and shortcomings.  Take it from me, there’s no better way to really get to know someone than to spend three weeks together in a motorized box that rumbles down the highway, often with no alone time, little sleep, and limited leg-room.

http://eartothegroundmusic.com/?p=1604

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Hope your love-day gathering doesn’t turn out like ours did….!

We landed in Oxford, at WLUS 98.3 FM, my former place of employment during my community college years.  We prerecorded a radio segment for their Sunday night program The Homegrown Hour that will air sometime in early March.  I have very fond memories of that radio station and it was wonderful to be back with our current lineup.  Speaking of which, I must say that I am so very happy with the band at this point.  For those who have been following us for a while, you may know that we have had a few personnel changes over the past few years.  This is to be expected since the college days can be a bit challenging.  But now with Tommy, Quentin, and Hasee, I feel that the band is in a really great place.  Of course you can’t rule out the possibility of changes in the future, because life is anything but straight and narrow.  Hasee and Quentin still have some schooling left, so that may present a few issues as far as scheduling.  But let me say that for right now, this moment, no matter what the future brings, I am contented and feel that we are in the right place together at the right time.  I love these guys, I really do.

After recording the show, we went to dinner and then back to my parent’s home where we practiced our set for the next evening’s performance.  We were very worn out by the end of it, but we hadn’t played together in quite a while, so the practice was much needed.

The next morning we got up early to get some photos taken.  It was absolutely freezing!  The wind kept blowing, which didn’t make the good shots any easier to get.  But we definitely got some gooduns’, despite the frigid weather.  So then it was on to Virginia Beach for our first performance of 2012.

I have never been to Virginia Beach and I’m sad to say that our performance there didn’t familiarize us with the town very much.  We drove in, played the show, and left immediately afterward, so we didn’t even get a glimpse of the ocean.  But hopefully the folks at Tidewater Friends of Folk Music will have us back and we’ll have more time to explore on the next time around.  At any rate, its basically torture to play the beach in January!

The show went very well and the people there were very nice.  My voice was on the rocks the whole time as I have recently recovered from what I feel sure is some derivative of the black plague!  But I reckon it held out okay!  My parents drove the 3 hours and 15 minutes to see us, even though they had seen the same songs performed in their living room the night before!  After the show, we had an awkward moment when I went onstage to get my fiddle, and the rest of the band followed me, thinking I was going on for an encore!  The crowd looked at us awkwardly and I at them… ohh silly me, making everybody feel weird!  We subsequently were greeted by the most friendly crowd!  One woman spoke to me about Martha’s Song, and about her family member’s experience in Vietnam as an army nurse, which is the subject of the song.  It was a very nice conversation and I am always so happy when someone in the audience can relate to that song.  Any song really, but that one is very dear to my heart.

The ride back to Oxford was jovial.  We listened to Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Police, and other music at random from Tommy’s iPod.  Quentin singing Robert Plant is a real treat only few of us have had the pleasure of witnessing!  The next morning we had sausage, pancakes, and eggs for breakfast, courtesy of my Mother.   Back to Johnson City we headed.  Quentin slept on the couch in the back of the van while we rattled along.  All the snow was melted off of the mountains.  It was a very busy weekend, and while it was exciting, it was also bittersweet.  We had so much fun, and to think we have to wait another month to play again!  Ahh well!  We’re filling our time with practice, learning new material, and getting ready for Folk Alliance, and recording album number two this May.

Next up we’re back at Down Home, then headed down in Myrtle Beach!  Till then, stay warm!

Noah

Time for a quick recap of the year!  In one twelve-month, we released our debut album and had our CD release show at Down Home here in Johnson City, played the memorial service for Harry Wesley Coover – inventor of super glue and other notable products, added several new states to our “played there” list, played on stage with Jim Lauderdale, had a blast at Floydfest X, where I got to sing and play with Peter Rowan on the Workshop Porch, were nearly eaten by a New York City subway and subsequently played a show with guitar, cello, melodica, and fiddle (thanks Dave Eggar and Or Matias for saving our skins!), survived our first earthquake as a band, broke our previous record for tour length, and therein, length of time spent together and not killing each other, jammed at Hippie Jacks, had two auto accidents, were mentioned in a song by our friends Driftwood, came close to being pummeled by falling trees next to a river in Chattanooga, wrote a whole mess of new songs, signed with a booking agent, found the perfect sized bass player, jumped in a few rivers, made many new musical friends, played over 60 shows, and last but not least, acquired a paper piñata from a McDonald’s in Erie, PA which has since been the statement piece of décor in our van.

Indeed we had quite a year.  Our best one yet, I might add!  We’ve been so lucky thus far and we’re so thankful to all those who have put us up, bought our CDs or other merchandise, and supported us in any way, even with just a nice Facebook comment once in a while!  A heartfelt thanks from all of us to you!

Noah and the rest of us Barefooters