Feeling Fine; Feeling Good

I haven't been this happy in a long time. I don't quite know if it's the change in the weather (85 degrees in Florida) or a change in the tide inside of me. I feel the performances are more insightful and honest than I have delivered in a long time. It's something about being out on the road that makes me feel at home within myself. I remember my parents telling me that when I was an infant I had difficulty falling asleep. They managed to find a remedy. My Dad would put me in the van, drive around and I would quickly fall asleep. Dad would make a few laps around the block and I would be sleeping like a baby (literally because I WAS a baby. hence the term). When I am mobile I feel sane. My bones are never feeling more settled than when they are in motion while cruising across the pavement at 75 miles per hour.

The bar I played this past Saturday was called Rockstarz in Ft. Myers or as the locals call it Ft. Misery. The club has only been open for 6 weeks and the owner (Allen) really worked hard at getting the word out that I was playing there. He did a solid radio, magazine and flyer advertising campaign. The street teamers were also all over the market selling tickets and popping up posters. The turn-out was great. The set up inside the venue was really intimate (small stage with minimal lighting). The crowd was really interactive and we had so much fun playing off each other. One woman kept coming up during the show and whispering her song requests into my ear as if they were secrets that only I should know. Then she would yell “WILL YOU SIGN MY ASS!!!” really loud across the bar. I told her to whisper all requests in an effort to minimize her absurdity. I must say that this show has been one of my favorites. The place was packed and I appreciate that everyone listened very intently, especially to the new songs. We had such a blast.

I have often been asked on this tour how it feels to be touring solo acoustic without the band. It is a cool change of pace. The set-up is so simplistic. Just me, a guitar and a microphone. There is never any rush or stress because it’s just a 2 person crue. Playing with this stripped down feel gives the songs a chance to breath. The lyrics and melodies take center stage over the bombast of a full band. When singing songs like “Hold On” I feel a lot closer to the story behind the song. A lot of the songs in this set-list are extremely personal and letting the fans in on the back-story and why the songs were written is therapeutic for me. I feel that by talking about these difficult times I can finally let them go and make room for new songs and new times. It is also inspiring when someone in the crowd tells you in confidence that a particular song helped them thru a tough time or helped them figure their way out of a mental mess. I can understand that some fans are torn when they see me sitting on a stool with a guitar and no agenda. To me it feels perfect for the moment. I just want to let my voice do the talking. Geeze that sounds obvious. My voice... Do the talking?

Sunday afternoon we brought the show to The Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida. The weather was still kicking at 83 degrees and it felt good to be in the heat. Chicago is in the 30’s with icy rain crystallizing the city. Dan and I snuck out of Chicago at the most opportune moment, hours before the first snowfall of the season. We have been blessed with great weather the entire tour. Hopefully it will continue thru Monday.

The Hard Rock Show was all-ages and I was excited to have all the kids show up. Their response to songs and the performance is always so genuine. When they like something they really let you know. When I did "Trees" they were on their feet and helping me with the lyrics. When I did a slow lamenting song some of them were rolling around on the ground in utter boredom. They want the upbeat and fun. I like that they don't have time for sad songs. The more up-tempo the better because then they can bounce around the room like they're jumping on pogo sticks. They take the energy of the song and throw it all over the room. I love their free spirit.

After the early set I got to hangout with my sister Jenny, my cousin Danny and his wife. It was nice to see some of the family cause it makes you feel right at home while out on the road. My cousin Danny hooked my up with the best meal of the entire trip at his restaurant Snapper's. I stuffed my face with fresh stone crab, and I was so food comatose that I could barely get out of the booth. Then we headed over to see his newest restaurant Mad Fish in St. Pete Beach. Danny and his wife really treated Dan Howard and I like gold and it was GREAT to reconnect with them and meet my cousins cool kids.

The drive from Tampa to West Virginia was absolutely brutal. We had no issues with weather and Dan didn’t get any more speeding tickets but the miles driven were just too much. 15 hours in the car and you start to go bananas. Just blank staring at the road ahead and quick stops to eat and fill up the tank. But all that really matters is that we made it safe and sound. We arrived just in time for the sound check at The Monkey Bar in Huntington, West Virginia. On every tour you have your one venue that just isn't up to speed with what is going on. No one at the club expected our arrival. The venue is only open when they have shows and they didn't have any this week. There had been a bit of communication breakdown between the club and promoter. So, the club didn't know there was a show, so no promotion of any sort. Thank our lucky stars that the mc.org, lh.com, sisterhood, Lh Fansclubs, myspace, team Mig, facebook and internet connected West Virginians were on the boards and knew I was playing. I am still floored that fans will drive 7 hours to see a show. I owe it to them to play a show a little closer so they can spend more time at the show than on the road. A special shout out to SUSIE for celebrating her birthday with us at such an "interesting" venue in such an "interesting" town.

When we got to this club in West Virginia I had a really bad feeling about the whole scenario. The club was in a really desolate area and the place was really beat up. Most nights of the week there is a strip club on the second floor. This is a pretty seedy environment. When we arrived and there was all of this confusion regarding the show, hotel rooms, dinner and all of the contract issues. I was extremely thankful that Dan Howard took total control and made everything work out perfectly. It was in moments like these that I realize the importance of having someone looking out for you while out on tour. All Dan said was "Don’t worry about anything, I’ll take care of it. Just promise me you’ll have a good show". I want to thank Dan for all the hard work he does for me. He never gets any of the glory and applause of being on stage and he does twice the work. This tour never would have been such a success without Dan making it all run so smooth and always having him watching my back. We have had a lot of laughs over the course of the last week and ½ and he has really helped to make this entire tour so much fun.

Today is a drive day to Ohio. We have chosen to take the scenic back roads and really see the state. I know it’s cold but it feels good to be getting back to the Midwest. There has been no feeling of the holidays so far on the tour. When it's 88 degrees and sunny it's hard to start dreaming of a white Christmas.

Marty Casey