After a long drive from Texas, Jon and I stop in for a night in Port St. Joe, Florida to see my friend Deb and to play for some of her homies. It was good to feel the warm Florida air (especially since it wasn't blazing hot yet), and to know that we were at least closer to home having arrived back in the Eastern Time Zone. Well, depending on where you stood - the town was pretty close to the line, a situation I imagine local teenagers try to exploit concerning their curfews.
That night we make it as far north as Columbus, GA to crash on my inlaws' floor. We have to have the van back to the rental company by 1pm before heading over to WUGA's studio at the Continuing Ed Center here in Athens so that Jon could be featured on Robb Holmes' "It's Friday" program. If you're an Athens musician - and you can get by with a stripped-down acoustic performance - "It's Friday" should be on your list of things to do. Robb is a great host, a fun guy to talk to, and your Mom will proud of you.
I'll be honest - at this point, I'm pretty tired. We've been on the road for a couple of weeks or so, mostly breaking even, and playing some good (but not great) shows in a few states, and frankly, I'm ready to sit on my couch and be lazy for a while. I'm pretty sure that by now it will be hard to find my house, or at least see it from the street, thanks to the incredible mutant-like growth of the weeds that dominate my front yard. But I'm ready to try and find that home, and I've sharpened my machete.
Jon finishes up, it's a great show on-air, and we split up to go find our wives. Sleeping in the van with Jon has been okay, but let's face it - there's no real comparison. She's worth hacking my way through my front lawn/jungle to find.
Saturday night Jon plays at Hot Corner, which is a favorite venue of mine in town. Yeah, you have to set up your own PA and there's no cover so you're living off "tips" and merch sales (I say "tips" because I've never actually seen anyone leave any), but I love that room. And playing with your back to the window that faces Washington St. is wonderfully random. Tonight, David Owen comes up from Augusta to share the stage with Jon, and the room is out of places to sit comfortably. It's nice to see a bunch of familiar faces after our trip, and the show is better simply because it's better to be home.
Later, I look to see the overall damage done to our bank account from the soaring gas prices and other road expenses. After tallying up the expenses and counting the sales, I'm surprised to see that we actually finished up in the black, if only by a little.
Was it a good trip? Heck, I don't know. It all depends on what rubric you use to grade such things. Is it worth doing again? I guess my answer right now is a firm "probably".
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