MUMBO JUMBO – May 2013
I’m writing this from the peace and quiet of a smooth flight from Phoenix to Boston, thoroughly soaking in the modest but delightful luxury of a spacious window seat in an exit row. And yes I am tired… but in a good way! I just finished the first leg of my summer tour, an 18 show, 30 day road trip through 22 states from New Hampshire to Arizona. This is the first day of a three week vacation and I’m so looking forward to the cookout out on the beach tonight with close friends on the coast of New Hampshire! Two days later I head off to Eastern Europe for a 15 day beer sampling walkabout through Prague, Budapest, Slovenia, Austria and Bavaria, almost all new destinations for me.
I normally love performing on the road but this most recent trip took its toll on me as I was sick for most of it. A two week stomach flu followed by a sinus infection and a touch of pneumonia. I only mention this as I wasn’t my best for some of the shows and I apologize for that, but it’s always an agonizing decision whether to cancel road dates or to tough it out. The silver lining is that it made me appreciate my generally good health even more and increased my empathy for friends who aren’t feeling so well. Some deranged bastard recently mentioned to me that it’s possible I’m getting older and perhaps should slow down a bit, but at my age there’s little time for that.
On another note, I recently came to the realization that I always think of my calendar year as beginning on November 1st as that’s when I end my summer tour and return home to begin the year anew in Key West! So yes, Parrot Heads, on my own Key West calendar the annual Meeting of the Minds festival is in fact always on New Years!
So since November 1st -the beginning of the Key West New Year- I’ve played about 110 shows, recorded and released a new CD, driven about 10,000 miles and enjoyed way too many late nights at The Smokin’ Tuna Saloon with lots of friends so it’s no wonder I’m a little weary and looking forward to a break!
Speaking of the new CD, I really want to thank all of you who have purchased “Sol Searching,” and also want to express my deepest gratitude to the fine folks at Radio Margaritaville on Sirius/ XM and Beach Front Radio for all the air play.
One of the songs getting a lot of airtime is “Boston Saturday Night” (Any Old Town in New England), which has prompted a few questions about the timing as the CD was released the week after the tragic bombing in Boston. Actually that song was written about my favorite city a year ago and was in the duplicating process in Nashville on the fateful date of April 15, but I’m sure all Bostonians would appreciate how many of you across the country have taken to the song! Hey, I have even seen some Yankees fans singing along, “There’s nothing so red hot white and blue as a Red Sox hat on a girl like you!” I never thought I’d see the day!
So my friends, that’s it for this month! As I soar over St. Louis towards Boston, I’m going back to my book, The Last Train to Zona Verde by Paul Theroux, my favorite travel writer. If you can’t travel this summer, read one of his books, it’s the next best thing! See you soon and back on the road out west on June 13th!
June-July Schedule
June 13 – Fini’s Landing; Tucson, AZ
June 14 – House Concert; Bonita, CA
June 15 – Afternoon House Concert; San Clemente, CA
June 15 – Evening House Concert; Claremont, CA
June 19 – Brewforia; Eagle, ID
June 21 – Food For All; Livingston, MT
June 26 – House Concert; St. Paul, MN
June 28 – The Brink Lounge; Madison, WI
June 29 – Trader Todd’s; Chicago, IL
June 30 – Skyview Lodge; Presque Isle, WI
July 12 – Whistler’s; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
July 13 – Private Event; Burford, Ontario, Canada
July 14 – Jim Bob Ray’s; London, Ontario, Canada
July 17 – Club Gerz; Des Moines, IA
July 18 – Gus’ Food & Spirits; Coralville, IA
July 20 – Private Event; LaGrange, IL
July 25 – Gin Mill; Ellicottville, NY
July 26 – Gin Mill; Ellicottville, NY
July 27 – Conchy Joe’s; Landsale, PA
July 28 – The Stephen Talkhouse; Amagansett, NY
July 30 – Tuckahoe Inn; Beesley, NJ
Please visit the website, as new gigs are being added!
As always, thanks for listening!
Scott
Copyright Scott Kirby 2013. All rights reserved. www.scottkirby.com
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