January 2012 Tour: Day 2

1/10/12 Buccaneer Lounge, Memphis, TN

The Sweets and I were lucky enough to open for a singer/songwriter named Amy Lavere back when I lived in AR. She is a talented young lady whose music is really starting to take off. I recently heard an interview of her while listening to NPR. She's been touring all over the US and Europe. When we opened for her, she and her band were impressed with our performance. We exchanged CDs, and the band members she played with, that I have kept in contact with, said that they listened to the album quite a bit while on the road. I kept in touch with her fiddle player, Krista, who hooked me up with the gig @ The Buccaneer Lounge. I shared the night with Amy's guitarist, Dave Cousar, who has a regular gig there on Tuesday nights.


Dave was amazing. I love his style. He's got a looper and cool effects going on that he plays with during his performance. He plays a variety of styles, but I think I like it best when he gets real dark and bluesy. He reminds me of Nick Cave at times, but with a higher voice. Another fellow came out and played a few songs as well. His name is Josh Cosby, and he's in a band called Star & Micey. I really enjoyed his performance. He's got a nice, smooth guitar style, and his voice is incredible. He played a cover of Boys II Men's "Water Runs Dry," and really pulled it off, with all of the vocal intricacies and everything. I liked his original songs too. Can't wait to check out the full band.


That night, we stayed with Krista and her husband. They were so accommodating. They made us dinner, and took us to a cool coffee shop in town the next morning. The place was called Underlands. It was a big coffee shop with tons of art everywhere. The tables and chairs were painted by local artists too. It's a really artsy funky atmosphere. There's also a small shop inside that sells local arts, crafts, jewelry, and handmade soaps. Krista said that the Sweets and I should play there sometime. I guess they have music on the weekends and have a real good turn out. I definitely want to do that next time I come back this way.


I get to practice with the Sweets tomorrow, and I'm so very excited to see them again!!!