TOUR DIARY: The Order of Time

Been looking forward to this week for a while! My pal Valerie June, who has a brilliant new album called ‘The Order of Time,’ invited me to join her on the last lag of her record release tour. Valerie and I toured together back in the summer when my album came out, and I became completely obsessed with her new tunes, which she was just starting to preview then. Folks are gonna be hard pressed to put out a better album this year, so I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy. ANYWAY, the shows kicked off at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC. The venue was unbelievably beautiful, with pew seating and pristine acoustics. Sixth & I opened in 1908, and there’s something magical about playing old rooms like that. It was a sold-out concert and I couldn’t have asked for a more receptive audience, too. I was a bit nervous taking the stage because I was trying out a new guitar, a new microphone (thank you Ear Trumpet Labs!), and a new reverb pedal for the first time all at once, but after a few songs I was able to relax and settle in.

I got up early the next morning so I could get to Philly in time to catch my friend Strand of Oaks play a killer Free at Noon session for WXPN at the World Cafe Live. Tim’s got a stellar new album of his own out now called ‘Hard Love,’ and I’m excited to crank the vinyl copy I picked up at the show.

From the World Cafe I headed over to The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall for a little bit of history. The weather was brutal and I was pretty sleep deprived, so after an obligatory picture with the bell, I made my way over to The Trocadero to rest up for the gig. Philly was a rowdy, loud crowd. You could have heard a pin drop at Sixth & I but The Troc is a standing room with a totally different vibe. There was an audience member who, at the top of her lungs, threatened to beat the shit out of anybody who didn’t shut up during the quiet parts of Valerie’s set, so high fives to her. The Troc was an amazing old theater with so much character. It was opened in 1870 and hosted musicals, vaudeville, opera, and burlesque in its days.

Tonight, we’re back home in NYC for the last show of Valerie’s tour at Town Hall. Gonna be a blowout!