:: mike errico diary ::

:: Sunday, February 29, 2004 ::

2/29
day off


Turns out we're going to Nashville after all. I'm going to be opening for Keller Williams. Awesome.
:: mike 8:11 AM [+] ::

2/28 Mt Airy, NC
Mountain Breeze Music w/Jerry Chapman

the sign on the door read

NO FIGHTING
NO WEAPONS
NO DRINKING IN THE PARKING LOT
NO BROWN BAGGING

great.

something about this low, long roadhouse in the middle of Mt Airy reminded me very much of the bar scene in "Blues Brothers", with the chicken wire and the strange stares. Also, I thought of Thunderdome. But for other reasons. Mt. Airy, it turns out, is the birthplace of Andy Griffith, and the inspiration behind the old TV show with the whistling on the theme song. There are lots of stores that talk about Mayberry, and the various characters. We went to a Salvation Army and I picked up an REO Speedwagon tour t shirt from the '84-'85 tour. it's blue, and I can't think of anyone who'd look good in it. but it cost a dollar.

Jerry's great, and knows this kind of 'bar/roadhouse' playing really well. His set was full of fun Kiss and classic rock covers, and he has an infectious smile that makes it all work. A very generous soul.

Unfortunately, we don't have any covers worked up, and though i'm sure it wouldn't take long, i'd rather get new material of mine up, or simply write more material. that said, they were dancing to "be your man" which was cool to watch - i wonder if they were two stepping, though i wouldn't know if they were - but towards the end of the set a couple shouts of, "PLAY SKYNYRD!" came from the back of the bar. man, it's always disappointing when people step into a big stinking pile of their own stereotype.

then we all got hammered.

:: mike 8:11 AM [+] ::

2/27, Charlotte, NC
Neighborhood Theater

one thing i've noticed is that it's hard to write with a band on the road. the bottomless cup of coffee and the wall of silence and fluorescent light has been replaced by human conversation. Many would call that a fair trade, but the price is the writing.

17 inches of snow have fallen, and no one here owns a shovel. for real. no one owns shovels here and the city has no plows. the snow has sat on highways and sidewalks over night, and has pooled and frozen, and it's kind of treacherous out here. cars are stacked up all over the interstate. but for us northerners, this is a school day.

Peter Jennings has been talking about Charlotte's accumulations on World News Tonight. Bad sign for the show.

but it sounded great again, and a couple of diehards with four wheel drive came down and danced in the aisles. Thanks especially to Derel and Ellen for making the trip from Ashville to see the show.

We'll be back.
:: mike 8:03 AM [+] ::

new one. not sure of the title yet. played a couple times, so far. sounds nice.

ever since- mike errico

I dreamt you
I drew you
Long before I thought that I might never find you
I chased you
I traced you
And held your picture up into the light

All the weight of nights and days too long to list
All the parties I've been to, you were missed
I've waited ever since
I've waited ever since

I met you
Tried to forget you
Even though I felt somehow someone had sent you here
To me
And as if you knew me
We picked up where we left off in another life

At times I tried to settle out for so much less than this
Saved only by the hope in every eyelash wish
I've waited ever since
I've waited ever since

(solo)

All the weight of nights and days too long to list
All the parties I've been to, you were missed
I've waited ever since
I've waited ever since
I've waited ever since
I met you.

:: mike 7:51 AM [+] ::

I found out the EYELEVEL CD, elevator plans, is out. I played lap steel on about half the record, and took the photography for the packaging. I'm psyched with how it turned out.

Also, found out that the photos I took for the cover of the new Jonathan Ellinghaus record Leaving it all Behind have been approved and are now going to the graphic designer in Austin, TX. I played acoustic, lap steel and resonator guitar on a lot of it, and it's probably some of my best playing, if you ask me.

The photography also came out great. He's got a big bald beautiful head, and I took all sorts of crazy lunar landscape shots of it. I love that head. I can't wait to see what they do with the shots.

You can see these shots/buy the discs at Engine Company Records.

Cool. Now it's off to Charlotte, NC. What is next?


:: mike 9:12 AM [+] ::

2/26 winston salem, nc
ziggy's w/jerry chapman

snow is terrifying to these people. there are about 4 inches of it on the ground. scary white stuff. cold. disappears on lips and cheeks. cannot operate vehicle in it. must stay home.

a few brave souls showed, and for our efforts, the club called the gig off minutes before we went on. I somehow managed to guilt them into giving us a 25 min set after grabbing the mic and inviting everyone back to my hotel room for a solo acoustic set with a couple of six packs bought from the bar.

it was 25 degrees in the place, and we played with sweaters and hats on. we could see our breath. i grabbed the kerosene space heater from the bar area, brought it down to the stage area, and the brave souls huddled around it for warmth until we played.

but you know? we played great. they danced, and knew the words and had a good time.

I will not be daunted. you cannot stop the rock.

:: mike 9:29 PM [+] ::

Good news: Monday Morning goes to radio on March 1st. It will be the second single from Skimming. We're all very excited to see what will happen. A question came from upstairs:

Mike,

The label and the radio promoters like Monday Morning, think it’s a very good song for radio, and want to take it. Congratulations.

By the way, you are going to be asked about the "Lee Harvey Oswald on the ceiling" line. Jarring, to many people, which is not necessarily bad in a commercial context. Question is, why? Know I asked u this before, but can u give me some explanation of your thought process again?

Answer:

great news about radio promotion, and the next single. if you're psyched, i'm psyched. let me try and clarify "monday morning" if they feel it important to get on the radio.

but

i have to fly my 'artist' flag for a second and say that explanations kill a lot of the magic of a lyric. i realize we're interfacing art with commerce here, so i'll fold up my artist flag and put it back in the cedar closet. think of me inhabiting roger ebert's body for a moment, if that makes this any more fun...

there are many explanations. here are two:

1) lee harvey o. is in the song as a tribute to my friend Hal, who knows every single thing about the JFK assassination. we're close friends, we both cheer each other up when a date goes wrong...it's an inside joke. he also wrote a one man show called "acting alone" that i don't think he ever finished. lee harvey oswald is my friend hal.

2) lee harvey oswald is "the patron saint of those who act alone," a harbinger, a warning to lonely men who are afraid of telling the women they love that they actually love them. He's a lot like the Ghost of Christmas Future in "A Christmas Carol." when oswald warns the main character to "trust (his) feelings," it is pretty obvious to the listener what those feelings are...for those who don't know, the entire last minute should explain:

"i love you
i love you
i love you
i love you"

exhausted with acting alone, and reaching out, as scary as that is ("i've been here once when it wasn't right/i'd hate to blow it that bad twice"), the character pushes himself into that vulnerable world of romantic love. ironically, he does so by following oswald's advice, albeit to a completely different end.

the good news: the word "ass" is never mentioned.

hope that helps.

m

:: mike 7:10 AM [+] ::

Feb. 25 – Blacksburg, VA
Attitudes

Strange breakfast. An old lady looked at us and repeated, “A guy in here had size 16 ½ feet. Craziest thing. 16 ½ feet. This was about 3 weeks ago. You want more coffee?”

We bought a soft shell roof rack for the top of the car. Now there’s some room in here. Now we look like…well, what we are. A band.

I wasn’t expecting much from Attitudes. I was expecting attitude. I had a bad attitude. We pulled up to Attitudes, and it was connected to a restaurant called Latitudes. I drew conclusions. But I was wrong.

Drew, the promoter, is a senior at Virginia Tech, and one of those totally inspired, and inspiring guys that bands love to get out of the van and meet. He gets the Matt Wisotsky Award for Blacksburg, VA (SANAP). He had our hotel, food, sound, and load in totally wired, and made it easy for us to do our jobs. Thank you Drew.

Several fun bands were on the bill, and students who came down had a great time, even though I think I inhaled a small ball of dog hair that flew out of the harmonica at the beginning of “Springtime”. Jeff, the soundman, did as good a job as possible, muttering slightly under his breath about the DJs who come in and compromise the club’s sound system. What a team: a promoter who cares and soundman who cares. That’s rare. I wish you guys the best, and I hope to be back soon. We definitely made some new fans

:: mike 7:04 AM [+] ::

Tuesday, Feb 24 – Vienna, VA
Jammin Java

I’ve tried to play here about three times, and every time, something horrible has happened… the storm of the century, hurricane Isabelle, and the power grid explosion that darkened the east coast all occurred on days scheduled for mike errico at jammin java. I woke up to a light snowfall, and thought, ‘here we go again.’

Undaunted, I picked up Turner at his studio and then drove way uptown to pick up Toby. We quickly realized that the truck is too small for the gear. Luckily Toby had some straps, and we tied stuff down on the roof. It looks like the damn Beverly Hillbillies.

Jammin Java is a cool spot. I can’t believe we made it, this time. We sound good, and will tighten further as the tour progresses. As a band, we rolled out “underwater” for the encore, and solo, I played a new one, kind of untitled, though something like “Ever Since” or something might be the title.

After the show, I was backstage walking around with a beer in my hand, and leaned over to pick up my cell, forgetting the beer was open; I dumped half the bottle into my open bag of fresh clean tour clothes. Tour has begun.

:: mike 6:50 AM [+] ::

time in.

I’d like to dedicate the first part of this diary to the guy in DC who asked me to start it up again. He sells what he calls “Intimacy packs” to hotel chains. Intimacy packs are little boxes that high-end hotels leave in bathrooms. They contain condoms, lubrication, and of course, shampoos and conditioners. Thank you, Mr. Intimacy Pack-man.
:: mike 6:39 AM [+] ::