As a rare treat and send off, our first gig for the tour happened to be in our own backyard! Well, not literally OUR backyard, since that had previously been occupied by thirty ten-to-twelve-year-olds reliving the 80’s with Dawn soap and a slip-n-slide, a trampoline with no net guard (oh, calm down…), and a swing set that lifts up on the back legs when you get it going just high enough. Yes, our sweet Rudy is moving on to middle school (feels impossible to believe), and we had a big graduation/end of school send-off party to rival all others that we had thrown in previous years.
It was off the charts! Complete with a much-anticipated “first kiss” (not Rudy), a trampled dog (she’s ok now), a guest appearance by the kids’ teacher of the past three years (you’d have thought Christ himself had joined the party, based on their reactions), and several good old fashioned injuries, ranging from slipping too hard on the slip-n-slide and knocking the heck out of the back of their heads, to stubbed toes, shin scrapes, grass rashes, and one bad-ass girl got completely cold-cocked by the basket swing, resulting in her face swelling up, and she didn’t even FEEL it!!! These kiddos were champs and so fun to watch. No arguments, no whining, organized food and snack consumption, little-to-no trash left in the yard, and just an all around perfect day.
I know this has literally nothing to do with our tour, but it felt nice to recount such a sweet time in our Rudy’s growing up adventure. Plus, I think it is a deep comfort for all of us to know that, in a world where everything feels so out of whack right now, there are still kids from all different religious, political, and ethnic backgrounds that are flailing down a slip-n-slide at high speed, jumping on a trampoline into the stratosphere, sharing their first kiss, getting bumps and bruises that will be their trophies to show off for weeks to come, and creating memories to last a lifetime. Jared and I will continue to do our damnedest to always provide an environment where the preservation of joy and the human spirit are not just possible, but alive and thriving…and that also holds true in our music. (See? I DID tie it all in!)
Photos, because it was so epic!
Ok, so back to work! Our first gig was up in Seattle. We were playing g a fundraiser for the Seattle Art Museum called “Party In The Park”. Held outside at the Olympic Sculpture Park, and in true Pacific Northwest style, it was rainy, windy, and freezing cold on the 27th of JUNE!!!! Several artists were represented there and got to decorate tables in the theme of their choice. The event had a fashion show by up-cycled fashion designer, Dan, and was catered (each table had its own chef and specific cuisine)! The artists were out and in their most colorful attire, which brought some pop to the gloomy day, but it was still a struggle to battle the weather. This is how we performed… soggy, but smiling! We were honored to have been hired for such a cool (no pun intended…well, kinda) event, and we were determined to keep hot, upbeat, and fun, no matter the obstacles.
We did manage to get in a walk around the path of decorated tents and tables though! These were some of our favorites.
Once we were through with our set, we popped on the road and headed straight out of town for Boise, Idaho, where our dear friends, Steve and Ginger were waiting for us, along with a couple of great gigs.
