Greetings from the road.
It’s been awhile since we have checked in with more than just a few lines. We’ve been having a blast putting the new album together with the help of a really amazing team. From everyone at The Magic Shop in NYC, our manager Nikki VanVoorhis, Sarah Ryan for the album art, Brian Granfors and BJ Prosper for setting the stage for the new videos, Fred Kavorkian, Mark Spencer, Brian Jenkins, Jack Tremblay for all the technical workings, all of those we see at shows that get us more and more excited every step of the way and our most vital support systems...our families. This album has been a totally different project than anything Waylon Speed has done before, and we are extremely pleased with the outcome. Higher Ground has been kind enough to put us up for the evening on April 25th, where we’ll present our new album. Rough Francis and The Sideshow Tragedy share the bill for the release show. The following day, we'll do a small show for our families where we’ll present the new album in a more up-close and personal way. We look forward to seeing everyone that we don’t see nearly as much as we would like. After all, this is the whole idea behind the new album, Kin.
We went into the studio with twenty plus songs, and ended up
with eleven. We even included “In Your Mind” a song from the first year as a
band. It seemed to fit with the rest of the new material and we thought it was
time to let it see the light of day. “On A Wire” was written in the studio,
which we have never done before. We think this method reflects the outcome in a
unique way. It was a true pleasure to work with Mark Spencer. Moving from the
piano to pedal steel and finally over to the organ, his contributions to Kin
are –in our opinion - exceptional.
We left last Friday for a 9-day tour starting in New York.
We had a great time seeing/playing with old friends. We really appreciated
the kind support and had a blast playing the newly worked setlist. It was a positive way to kick the tour off. They even put us
up for the evening in the attached apartment upstairs from the venue. Although
over-worked by many musicians before us, the hospitality is what counts.
We then made our way to Oneonta, New York. Over the past few
years, we have had the opportunity to work closely with Ommegang Brewery. They
have gotten behind us and invited us to be a part of some really great events
they present. The staff at Ommegang is an awesome group of people promoting quality music and exceptional beer. It’s a win-win if you ask us.
We had the opportunity to play and hang with Chuck Mead
(BR549) and his Grassy Knoll Boys at the B-Side Ballroom. What a fantastic group
of players including pedal steel player Carco Clave. Unbelievable. If you're ever through Oneonta, stop at the
B-Side, say Hi to Wayne and look at the menu. You won’t be disappointed.
We got a good skate in at the park in Oneonta. It’s
a nice setup for being all cement. We even made a new friend Josh who came out to the show. Later on we checked into Christopher’s, an
Adirondack themed hotel we have stayed at many times before. For some reason,
we default to this hotel although there are many other options. It was recommended by Crystal at the Novelty
Lounge our very first trip through Oneonta. I guess it just stuck.
On Sunday, we made our way to the Purple Fiddle in Thomas,
West Virginia. We had a successful Sunday night show, and made some new
friends. Thanks to Ben the engineer for exceptional sound at The Purple
Fiddle. Our friends invited us to an after party at The Whiteroom Art Gallery
where I captured the video below. Noah said it was dream come true to be “the
piano man”.
Today is a day off in Thomas, WV. We met a
mechanic last night named “Sparky” who rotated the tires on the van this
morning for us. We've also been offered to stay another night at The Purple Fiddle. Tattoos, pool and songs are in the mix. The hospitality in Thomas is some of the best.
Keep in touch everyone, and we hope to see you all real soon.
Love,
Waylon Speed
April 14th, 2014.
