The meadowlark is a very cool cafe that regularly hosts live music. The owners are big supporters of local music, and I always make great new friends when I play here. This was a wonderful, relaxing start to the tour.

http://meadowlarkcoffee.com/

This was my first time in Sioux Falls and my first time playing at Black Sheep Coffee. I had a wonderful time playing here and I made some great new friends. I can't wait to come back again!

Honey feels like a secret underground lounge in the heart of Minneapolis. It has brightly painted brick walls, Picasso-esque artwork on the walls, fancy chandeliers, and with the lights down low feels urban and funky. The staff is incredibly nice as well. This evening I shared the stage with two other fabulous Minneapolis acts, The Ericksons and The Wapsipinicon. The Ericksons are two sisters who play beautiful folk rock music. I met the Ericksons when came through Saint Louis and played and show at our house one weekend when I was living there. It was a treat to see them again live. The Wapsipinicon were quite a treat as well, playing some engaging, dynamic folk rock. Old friends and new friends made for a great evening here in Minneapolis.

The Rock House is very cool. It's a combination music school, coffee shop, venue in the beautiful Chicago suburb of Wilmette. The owners were very kind, as were the students I met and the folks who hung out and watched the show. Great vibes at a great venue!

The River Music Experience is one one of the coolest venues I've ever played in. It's a combination music roots museum, venue, and cafe, with each part occupying its own, distinct section of the building. I played an afternoon show on the stage in their cafe, and as I was setting up, a crowd of kids on a school excursion were heading into the museum. The stage was great, the sound was great, the staff were great, and the folks who hung out and listened had very kind things to say. On top of that, my grandfather accompanied me and watched me perform. It was an excellent show.

The Renners have a long history in Walnut, Illinois. Here, I spent some time with my grandmother and grandfather exploring some of this history.

The Jefferson Warehouse is a venue run by a very cool family. It's only been around for about a year and a half, but is making a name for itself as one of St Louis's best small venues. This was the perfect place for our show in St. Louis. I was particularly excited about this show, as I got to share my new music for the first time with my Saint Louis friends and family. On top of that, I performed with label-mates My Molly, a folk-rock power duo of drumming guitarry vocal harmony deliciousness. Closing the evening were the impressive Saint Louis group Last to Show First to Go who played some rock music that had a truly unique feel and a very engaging presence. This was a wonderful evening, and I truly can't wait to return to Saint Louis again.

The show this evening took place at the Hope Community Center in Clinton Kentucky. Most days a church, some days a music venue, this was a very cool building with a great crowd of Clintonites who came out to see Maiden Name and myself. Having been friends with Clinton-based website House of Locals for a year or so, I was happy to finally come out and see the town in person!

Banter is an excellent cafe/music venue run by some very cool people. Denton is like a secret music city just north of Dallas-Fort Worth. I felt such good vibes at this venue and in this town in general. Everyone I met was exceptionally kind and interesting. I had a wonderful time performing with my friend, a delightful local Denton musician, Kelsey Schneider. I will definitely be coming back here soon!

The show at Cheer Up Charlies was by far one of my favorites on the tour. With an outdoor stage, multicolored string lights, and a suspended parachute covering the seating area, Cheer Up Charlies is exceptionally charming. Sharing the stage this evening were Chairs, an electronic looping artist from Asheville, NC, and three other local Austin artists. Kellie Ann Grubbs, Luke Kalloch, and Jesse Wooten each took turns performing acoustic versions of their songs. I was honored to share the stage with such fantastic songwriters on a lovely, relaxing evening with an attentive and gracious crowd.

The final show of the tour was a great one. The 806 is a very cool lounge/music venue/cafe located on historic Route 66 in downtown Amarillo. I shared the stage this evening with local Amarillo band Deer, Daniel, who played some fun, catchy, undeniably well-written and well-orchestrated pop rock. There was a great crowd of folks here to share the evening with us, including folks I've met before on my trips through Amarillo who it was a treat to see again. I can't wait to come back to the 806 soon!