After a productive couple days of getting work done, reflections on all kinds of things, making plans, even working on a new song, we decided to get outside TOGETHER and put some earth under our feet and some sky above our heads. We took an evening walk, seizing the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful, peaceful pathways available at the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area, and went to see about some fireflies. As foolish as it felt trying to capture this moody moon over the river, it felt even more futile to try and steal the souls from several hundred innocent fireflies by suspending their glowy-butts forever in time with my pathetic cell phone camera. Don’t get me wrong, I have a wonderful camera on my cell and it can really do quite a bit, but there’s just so much that can’t possibly be communicated through even the best of technologically advanced photographs. For instance, the heady aroma of the small, brushy valley of forest we had to walk into to see the bugs, and the cool breaths of air that rushed past us, clinging to our sticky skin like passing through cobwebs. The sounds of kids wrestling joyfully while assembling tents while parents laughed and visited. The crackle of fire pits and the smells of grilled meats and veggies, wafting towards our noses and making us salivate. The water crashing gently on the shore rhythmically, and the groups of mosquitoes, hovering patiently for their next unassuming juicy victim to arrive. You just can’t possible get all that from a photo. So you’ll all just have to take my word for it and imagine yourself with us. Now please leave, we want to make out.
Sadly, the next day brought in the weather. Big, heavy drops of rain hit the trailer roof hard, while the lighting and thunder had a competition to see whose balls were bigger. All flash and noise boys. We are not impressed. We’ve got a show to do so you need to be on your way, please and thank you. While we waited it out, checking the weather app every thirty minutes or so, we kept entertained with crosswords and coffee.
Green and lush and so lovely to look at. But we didn’t come all this way to fight with the weather. As a matter of fact, we were scheduled for this evening’s show with a Yankton town favorite, Jetley Park. We’ve been trying to do a double bill with them for at least three years! This Friday’s show was supposed to be the one! We were both going to play outside because they have two stages. We were going to be on from 6-8, then Jetley would close out the night ’til midnight or so. Well, after a lot of back and forth with the owner of the Cottonwood and the other band, they decided that since we were smaller, we’d set up inside and we’d see what the weather did, maybe having Jetley still play outside. As it got closer and closer, the final call was made for it to just be a Champagne Sunday night from 7-10 inside. We were beyond grateful for the gig because we really love performing in Yankton, we really needed the money, AND we know how much it sucks to have to cancel a gig, which Jetley did so graciously. AND, some of them even came to our show to support us! They are really stand-up folks.
Before we even got started, we had people buying merchandise. This town LOVES their merch. Over the course of the night, I think we ended up selling thirty-one shirts!!! This firecracker got the whole purchasing party started!
Absolute SUPER FANS, Greg and Nathan.
We “Don’t want to be alone!”. And we never will be in Yankton. At least a hundred plus people inside and out cheered us on for the show. Our three hour show FLEW by for both us and the fans. It was one of those didn’t-want-it-to-end-but-glad-it-did-so-we-could-have-a-whiskey-finally….or two, kind of nights. So much love poured onto us afterwards, with testimonies of love and connection being spoken to us left and right.
We’ve also started selling signed posters. This is quickly becoming Jared favorite way to multit-ass-k so we can sign and sell T-shirts at the same time!
All in all it was a super joyful night, and it felt great to be working hard again. The first of three shows, you’d have thought we might have tried to conserve some energy… well, what fun would that be?
