I Gotta wear shades

Holy shit those were some amazing shows. It’s kind of like being on a road trip a long way from home not knowing if you have enough money to get back. Then, you find a $100 bill on the ground and can rest easy because regardless of what the day/road throws at you from here on out, you know there’ll be fuel in the tank. That’s how these last shows in Scotland were and now the soul is full and the future is so bright I feel like I could quote Timbuk 3.

I just played a show at the Barry Mill in Carnoustie, Scotland. It’s an operating oat mill that dates back to 1539 and is run by a delightful Irish ex-pat named Kerrin. The room was packed almost beyond capacity and even though it was a bit chilly we had a fabulous time. Truth be told, it was cold. But who cares, it was a blast and we had space heaters and my guitar stayed in tune. We sang, we laughed and we shivered but for the first time on this tour we didn’t talk about Trump. And I’m OK with that. 

Barry Mill (photo by Alan Rollo)

The Barry Mill- originally built in 1500's but rebuilt after fire in 1800's

Barry Mill

Next up was The Newport. Just across the 2 mile long Tay bridge from Dundee is the lovely little village of Newport. The view across the river was stunning and the sunset couldn’t have been better. The Seven Sons kicked off the show with a wonderful set that included what could have been the best version of “If I Needed You” I’ve ever heard. Again we had a capacity crowd and the energy in the room was incredible. Even the occasional dub step creeping in from next door was fun as it only added to ambiance. 

The Newport- nice view, huh?

A million and more thanks to Andy & Natasha, Hypercoaster Music, for the shows, their hospitality and their friendship. Gary, Alan, and Zeb it was great to hang out with you. Oh, Andy & Tash, sorry again about that little round-about debacle on the way to the Alibob…..

Now Sheffield. 

take care and keep on

Josh

What's so great about Scotland, except everything?

It's 10 past 8 in the morning and I'll be damned if the sea gulls didn't decide to take the morning off...for the most part. Maybe they're on holiday due to the fact that the sun finally came out. First time since last Sunday. Don't get me wrong that doesn't means it's necessarily warm but I'm sure I'll see some locals out in shorts today, as well as a few convertible tops which are sure to be down.

We're in Carnoustie, which is in Angus, which is in Scotland. They say Angus is the birthplace of Scotland though to be honest with you I'm not exactly sure how to substantiate that claim. It's a nice quiet little town on the east coast just north of Dundee and south of Aberdeen. You'll see some oil rigs now and then in Dundee which are docked for repair and then they'll head up the coast and further out to see just up north. Damn those things are big.

Arbroath is just a few miles up the road north. A bigger town and home to the Arbroath Smokie. No doubt I've mentioned them before but for a little recap: Arbroath Smokies are a local delicacy and sadly we've never had them. With any luck we'll take advantage of the sun today and go have some by the harbor. I also need to stop by Abbey Music and buy a few plectrums, or picks as we call them back home. Most anyone reading this knows that I'm typically not one to employ the use of these little guys but I might try to push the envelope a little bit. This decision could also be motivated by the large amount of super glue I've been using to keep my right hand together.

Last night was a wee little show at a cafe called the AliBob (at Cairn O'Mohr Winery) over near Perth. Super funky place that started in the owners boot closet 29 years ago. People had to bring their wine jugs back each week for a refill of the strawberry, elderberry, ginger or raspberry wine they made. Now, they produce 300,000 bottles each year. And you get to keep the bottle. Anyhow, it was a great warmup to kick off this Scotland run.

Cairn O'Mohr Winery. . . yes, those barrels are full of wine!

Tonight I'll play at the Barry Mill which is an old flour/oat mill that dates back to 1539. The first concert they ever had there was April 16, 2016. The dude's name was Josh Harty.

take care
Josh

Amendment: since writing this post this morning, I have tried Arbroath Smokies. . . . Delicious, but you have to watch out for the bones!

British Figure 8

Well, here we are two weeks into the UK leg of the tour and things are going swimmingly. We started off with three shows across the South right down near the English Channel. First at the Wight Bear in Southbourne, a fabulous little micro pub run by our great friends Dave & Nicola, and then headed to the Square and Compass in Worth Matravers. I've played at the Square & Compass every year I've been coming over and I must say there isn't another place like it in the world. From Charlie's cider, Kevin's chickens and Welsh sense of humor, to the people that attend it's truly one of a kind.

walking with Kevin near the Square & Compass in Dorset

Then we were off to Torquay. The home of Faulty Towers and one of the most unimpressive hotels I've ever seen. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure when it was last updated in 1961 it was fabulous. Even though the single beds brought me back to the mattress (on the floor) I used to sleep on at Grandma's house as a child, and the tea kettle would be a good charity find for a college freshman on a tight budget, and the shower spraying down the wall onto the bathroom floor reminded me of a nice afternoon at a water park in the Wisconsin Dells, and the casino carpet and flickering lights in the hallway let me experience what it must have been like to live a day in the life of Hunter S. Thompson... maybe the bar that is my taste in hotels has risen a little.

riding in luxury in the back of Suzy's VW

We were again so pleased to have a few days to spend with Suzy, Rosie and Fidget in Arundel. She put on a fabulous show and even ferried us around in the new VW.

London at the Green Note was great. Love that place. Even with the 3 1/2 hours of train travel, a "London cheap" cab ride, and a rush hour Tube excursion, the 11 minutes at BBC London was fabulous.

playing at Green Note, London

The Midlands, Round 1, were great. Many thanks to David Gray! I'll let folks chew on that one for a while. Looking forward to getting back to Leicester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Birmingham next week. Feel free to call your local BBC in any of those cities, repeatedly, and demand a Josh Harty appearance.

playing a Buddy Holly tune with Mick in Appleby Magna

Berwick-Upon-Tweed is always great, especially when you have an extra day. Thanks to Dave and Jill and of course the pool room. The YHA was great especially with the impromptu excellence of Frederick the Fabulous who baffled the crowd with his conjuring arts and stage crashing prowess.
Scottland Ho!!
Josh

Reykjavik Excursion

I woke up in Reykjavik this morning. First time for everything right? At the moment we're on a bus back to the airport to head to London but it was a fun 36 hours. Let's start from the beginning.

It started with a Van Galder bus from Madison to Chicago in the rain. Then Iceland Air flight 1805 (I think that's the right number) to Iceland. I was so excited when the gate agent informed me that we'd been seated in the exit row as that means you have twice the leg room. What he forgot to mention, though, is that Icelandic safety regulations won't let you keep your hand bag below the seat in front of you and your own seat would not be reclining for the entire 6 hour overnight flight. Even though it's only about 4 inches, it's a meaningful 4 inches. He also didn't tell me that the exit doors on this particular 757 were insulated about as well as my grandpa's tool shed that he built in 1946. He used old newspaper to clue you in on that one. A cruising altitude of 35,000 feet equals about -55 degrees Celsius or -67 degrees fahrenheit...right outside the door. These things led to a fair amount of angry TV watching and a zombie walk to the hotel upon landing. Oh, and there were no free peanuts or boxed wine.

Time for a current update or PSA. This country is f$%*@#$ gorgeous!!

 

At times it reminds me of a cross between Western Ireland/Vancouver BC/Teddy Roosevelt National Park/the Alps/the Moon.

Downtown Reykjavik has some great little bars and restauraunts. Some English stye places and even a Lebowski bar. There's a Chuck Norris Bar too. To quote their front window. "Chuck Norris once took a polygraph test. The machine confessed."


Check these things out....


It's expensive though. Really expensive. I guess that's what you get when an island imports nearly everything except renewable energy and beauty.

Oh, the geo thermal pools are amazing. Hands down the best swim/soak I've ever had.

Alright, time to enjoy the rest of the ride through the countryside on the way back to the airport.

Wait, not done yet.


take care
Josh

A shoebox and a pen.

Prolificacy. Yes, according to Webster prolificacy is correct usage. I checked. Anyhow, Prolificacy is something for which, I will strive.
I will start attending PA meetings. Procrastinators Anonymous. Morning, noon and night I will write.
I will finish this record. This month.
This is my mantra.

We've moved into a tiny little apartment, which I like to refer to as a Brooklyn style place, on Jenifer St. I say Brooklyn style due to it's lack of size. One room which serves as kitchen, dining and living space and a second that serves as a bedroom. It's quaint to say the least. Something I'm reminded of, having moved back into the hood, is an amazing lack in ability to properly park a car that seems to permeate this neighborhood. Now I know a Prius is a precious metal but it doesn't require two parking spots between these two driveways...especially on street cleaning day when the entire block is only allowed to park on one side of the street. It's also a neighborhood where people will wear on their sleeve their disdain for the governor and how they stand undaunted for workers rights(as do I), they will shop organically at the Willy St Co-op, they will proudly listen to Woody Guthrie and from the top of their lungs sing "This Land is Your Land"...but if you happen to park two feet over the curb therefore minimally blocking their driveway as to make them maneuver the Prius onto the street with a 13 degree turn of the wheel you had best be ready for a red faced, sweaty brow, all up in your space confrontation to make sure you never wrong them in such horrendous fashion again. Ever. On the brights side it's nice to have a grocery nearby and several places for a night cap within a very short walk. Hell, if you want you can get a lunch cap right around the corner. East a few blocks and it's third shift and time for a gin tonic to watch the sun rise. What I'm saying is that Hemingway would have loved it here. A writers paradise.

So now the routine is to begin writing everything. A task recently brought to me by Blake Thomas to journal like a madman. All day, every time a thought comes up find a way to make it onto a pad, in ink. Even go so far as to put these random things into a Western swing tune in 5/4." Write something fu*&&%$ crazy and sort it out later". So here we go. Wish me luck.

10-4/over & out
Josh

Now We Pho...And Pho-ing is Half the Battle.

Here we are in Frederick, MD at a Travelodge just off I-270. It's alright but the coffee is lousy. Managed to avoid the traffic on the Beltway coming out of DC yesterday which was nice after not avoiding it the day before. I'm always amazed at the level of horrible the DC traffic can plummet to. The good day continued when I found an old Yamaha guitar with a Baggs pickup in a pawn shop, which I'll likely go buy today just for the pickup...the guitar will end up in another pawn shop. In just a few days I'll be picking up a 1972 D-28 from Linus in NYC and it will be nice to get it stage ready straight away. Some may follow Facebook posts but for anyone who doesn't I'm going to give my old Gibson some time off. After a stage diving stunt it tried to attempt in the UK there seems to be a rattle and some tuning issues.

Being in Frederick meant Pho at the Lucky Corner last night before the show thanks to a fabulous recommendation from Katie Powderly last year. One day I just might open a Pho joint. Our slogan will be "Now we Pho, and Pho-ing is half the battle".  If you ever watched GI Joe, you know what I'm talking about. There was as impressive storm that rolled in and out during the Pho but it didn't stay too long and therefore our return to the Previa was a dry one. Mostly.

The Brewers Alley showcase is always a fun night. Many thanks to Rod Deacey, Ron Goad, and Todd Walker for keeping a Monday night gig running. The storm that rolled in during dinner last night was long gone by the time showtime arrived but an hour into the evening, the lights went out. Reminded me of a time in Ireland when lighting struck a large metal pole just outside the venue and out came the candles. The show must go on though.

Today we'll head north for a couple days off. We'd planned to do some camping but it looks like the weather is going to get in the way once again. Air B&B it'll be.

Over and out.
JH

Westward Ho!

Back on the road tomorrow. . . check out the tour page for details!