What a Weekend!!!

   I had such an amazing weekend! I feel rejuvenated and focused on the upcoming year!
   Friday, I drove through heavy rain to get to the Big Stone Gap Visitor Center for a show put on by Botch Boys Productions with my old friends in Scratch River. and my new friends in Quit Everything. I don't know that I can put into words what this show meant to me, but I'm going to try. I grew up in spaces very similar to this one. Those spaces and the people in them taught me so much, including something that has led me to becoming the person I am: all we have is each other. My sincere hope is that this space continues to flourish and grow, becoming an escape for folks young and old who just need community, inspiration, and motivation in these strange, dark times. Seeing T-Bone's son Max get up on stage with Scratch River and hearing Lloyd talk about his wife, who is expecting their first child made me feel old, I've gotta be honest, but it made me feel so full of life and love as well. 
   Quit Everything took me back to my younger days, before I became primarily an acoustic, solo artist. They carry the torch of punk rock in a way that few do anymore, which was refreshing and invigorating for me. It's always nice to be gut-checked at my core. Can't forget those principles and leave them behind just because I"m not "punk" anymore. 
    All in all, it was an amazing night, and I'm looking forward to being back in that space. We're already making plans! Huge thanks to The Visitor Center and Botch Boys Productions for doing such a bang-up job giving people a place to enjoy music and simultaneously giving artists a space to do what we do and be ourselves.
    Then on Sunday, I returned to the campus of Emory & Henry University and the studio of 90.7 WEHC for Appalachian Artists Live with Kevin Edwards. Kevin is a long-time supporter of me and my music, as he is for so many of my friends and peers. The radio show is just the latest in a .long line of things he has done to give extra support and promotion to the local and regional music scene here. We had a great time catching up and talking about my new songs that will be released some time in the first half of 2025. I'm getting so excited for everyone to get the opportunity to hear these recordings! Talking about it makes me feel really good about the long, arduous process I've been through for the sake of these songs. Being back on campus at Emory is always interesting. I spent two full years there, and while I failed out with flying colors, I learned so much about myself. I will say, I thought very little about those days as a student. As I have done with many repurposed venues over the years, I've created new space in my brain for what that campus and radio station mean to me. I've taken back those memories and comparmentalized them in a healthy, meaningful way, I think. Anyways, it was great to be back on the air of WEHC and all the sister stations in Southwest Virginia. The episode will be on the Appalachian Artists Live podcast feed in the coming days. I hope you'll take the time to listen!
    It was a wonderful weekend, a practice in a credo I'm living to the max these days: Joy and community are forms of resistance. I hope you are all finding ways to stay grounded and sane!