NM / CO – The western tour continues in November with shows in New Mexico and Colorado, starting at the Old San Ysidro Church in Corrales, NM (11/10), and heading north to play San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe, NM (11/11) before rolling up into Colorado for shows at The Sherbino Theater in Ridgway (11/14), Globe Hall in Denver (11/15; Patrick Dethlefs opens), Steve's Guitars in Carbondale (11/17), Lulu's Downstairs in Manitou Springs (11/18) and Gold Hill Inn in Boulder (11/19). Duo with maestro Eric Heywood on pedal steel, electric guitar, and late afternoon gas station ice cream snacks.

FLOODWATER – Saturday after Thanksgiving (11/25) we'll celebrate the return of Don McAulay from his Las Vegas residency with a post-holiday full band show at our local beer bar, the Floodwater Brewing Company in Shelburne Falls, MA., with special guest Erik Koskinen playing the first set, and Jeremy Moses Curtis on electric bass. This band in this room is like an M80 in a fishbowl. Get there early if you want to sit down.

WI / IL / MN – My old friend Pieta Brown and I have talked for years about doing a tour together, and never managed to put it together until now. I've listened to everything she's made since her self-titled debut, she sang on the title track from my album Blood Brothers – and on the song 'Monterey Rain,' from my forthcoming album – and her voice and writing both have an ethereal intimacy that I've always loved. This December we'll share the bill and the band on a brief run in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. Get your tickets now for these special shows at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, IL. (12/10), The Trempealeau Hotel in Trempealeau, WI. (12/13), the High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI. (12/14), and the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, MN. (12/15).

KINGS OF JOY – We'll close out the year with a couple outings by the Kings of Joy, two shows: The Parlor Room in Northampton (12/21), and then Sally O'Brien's in Somerville, MA (12/28). Real blues, rock'n'roll, the shuffle and swing. The music that reminds you that life is hard and strange and beautiful and someday you're going to die, and also makes you want to shake your ass, and have three drinks real fast. Our songs, their songs: Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Billy Boy Arnold, Mama Thornton, Solomon Burke, Slim Harpo. American music, not Americana, whatever that is. Come and get it.

Then 2023 is over. My new album, THE UNIVERSAL FIRE will be released into the wilderness of digital commerce in 2024, and the boys and I will be out on the road behind it throughout the year. More about that when there's more to tell. Until then, send this email to your friends in the towns where we're playing, and we'll see you when we see you.

NOVEMBER 2023