MUMBO JUMBO MARCH 2017

NEW ENGLAND SPRING

Greetings from Maine, and yes, that’s saltwater ice! I’m here in the boathouse studio to put some finishing touches on a song or two for the new CD, and celebrate the coming of spring in the north country. I know my celebration is undeserved as I wasn’t here for the dark, dreary months of November and December, didn’t slog through the snowy arctic clippers of January and February, or even suffer through the latest spring blizzard. However, I did suffer through record cold last night when it dropped to 12 degrees with a vicious wind.

It’s New England and most of us from these parts love it, even if a few of us may no longer be tough enough to hang through the entire long winter. Families tend to have long histories here, and friends often last a lifetime. I once thanked a buddy for inviting me to his house for a big catered party. He shook his head and muttered into his scotch, “Oh no, this is my wife’s party. My family hasn’t thrown a party in over 200 years.”

OLD FRIENDS AND MEMORIES

I had drinks last night with three friends I’ve known forever. We always recall the baseball game we played in 56 years ago in the makeshift diamond in my back yard. I think it’s such a vivid memory because it was my sixth birthday party and my father, acting as informal umpire, chose to bellow me “OUT!” on a called third strike. On my birthday. When I was six!

Lovable curmudgeons are plentiful in these parts and my father was one of the greatest, although it took me 30 years to find the humor in his ways and appreciate the fact that, without him, I never would have ventured down the troubadour’s road. I’ve read over and over that it generally takes at least one impossible-to-please parent to launch a child into the arts. He played that role perfectly.

I picked him up many years ago in my brand new black VW Jetta at the Key West airport. Before he even said hello he leaned in the window and asked, “Why the hell did you buy a black car?” Ten years later I proudly picked him up at the same airport in my brand new camper van. He was barely out the terminal door when he barked, “Jesus Christ, why’d you buy a white van?” When I presented him with the first recording of my songs in 1991, he removed the cassette without glancing at the cover, stared at it and said, “I’ve never seen one of these cassettes where the label has rounded corners.” That was a stretch, even for him.

A NEW CD AND UPCOMING TOUR

Twenty-six years and eight CDs later, I guess I’m still trying to fix the rounded corners. My next CD will be titled Chasing Hemingway’s Ghost. I wrote the title track with Matt and Andy Thompson and will head to their studio in Nashville on May 8 to begin recording.

In the meantime, I have several shows at the Smokin’ Tuna in Key West before kicking off my summer tour on April 19 in Venice, Florida, with James White at our annual concert in the historic train depot. The show always sells out, so reserve your tickets soon.

On April 20, I’ll be stopping by Radio Margaritaville in Orlando to chat live with JD Spradlin, and the following night perform at the Roasting Room in Bluffton, SC, a wonderful listening room and new venue for me. On April 27, I play another new venue, the Gentle Moon Cafe in King’s Mountain, NC, and then return to the beautiful Turnage Theater in Washington, NC, with guitarist Dave Edmisten and harmonica monster Gary Green. After a few private shows, it’s on to Louisville, Cincinnati, and our annual event for our friends at Four Season’s Ford in Hendersonville, NC.

After a week in the studio, I’ll head north to the Ashland Coffee and Tea’s Mainline on May 13, the Big Owl in Maryland on the 14th and then a New England show or two. Then it’s on to Texas and points west. We’re finalizing those details now and will keep you posted via Facebook. You can also find all shows through June on my website.
 
Speaking of Facebook, if you are not on my page, please come on board. It’s ScottKirby with no space.
 
Thanks for listening.

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