EAR-X-TACY

I received some disturbing news yesterday that Ear-X-Tacy, my local record store in Louisville, has officially closed its doors after 26 years. I spent countless hours there growing up, mostly peering through and purchasing a wide selection of 7'' records and cassettes from tons of great local bands. Ear-X-Tacy was always super supportive of local acts, letting pretty much anyone and everyone sell their music through the store. It was a Louisville institution and will be missed very much by a large number of people, including myself. Technology has certainly given us quite a few advantages over the years; the Internet has made it easier to consume and absorb all types of media than ever before. As technology evolves, there are always casualties along the way of course; this never makes it any easier, however, for those who are the casualties themselves (or directly affected by them). Since music is such an integral part of being alive, I feel confident that things will somehow stabilize in the future to allow artists to be fairly compensated for their efforts. But that time is not, obviously, at hand. So in the meantime, let us keep making and sharing music however we can, paving the road ahead for those who will one day enjoy that world.

Thanks Ear-X-Tacy.

Ear-X-Tacy - Wikipedia

CITIZENS UNITED (DEMO)

GET THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ALL TOGETHER AND CREATE A PLAN
GONNA BUY THE ELECTIONS SO THE GOVERNMENT’S AT OUR COMMAND
GONNA GROW THE CORPORATION,
WE’LL BE VOTING BY THE DOLLAR NOT THE MAN
GONNA PLUG AND BUILD THE BRAND

IF OUR CANDIDATE’S A WINNER WE’LL BE RICHER THAN WE EVER THOUGHT
ALL THE POLICIES THAT BENEFIT THE COMPANY WILL BE IN THE PLOT
WE’LL EXPLOIT THE MASSES!
DON’T WORRY BECAUSE WE’LL NEVER BE CAUGHT
ALL THE POLITICIANS WILL BE BOUGHT

YEAH WE’LL HAVE A NEW WORLD ORDER
AND WE’LL TELL EVERYONE WHAT TO DO
YEAH WE’RE GONNA GIVE THEM THE BUSINESS
OF A FINANCED GREEDY COUP
YEAH WE’VE GOT THE CASH RIGHT HERE
WE’VE GOT THE WHEELS IN PLACE
WE’RE GONNA BUY THIS TOWN
WE’RE GONNA FEED THEM CAKE
AND THEY’LL SWALLOW IT ALL
UNTIL THEY’RE BURIED IN THE GROUND
YEAH UNLESS THOSE FOOLS WAKE UP
AND FINALLY SEE WHAT’S GOING DOWN

FAREWELL MALCOLM

A good friend of mine, Dr. Malcolm Partin, passed away yesterday. When I was a senior in high school, I made the decision to attend Davidson College in North Carolina. During my first semester there, my class schedule included a history course on Early Modern Europe that he taught every year from 1968 until he retired in 2000. As a freshman, my attention was certainly divided between several different avenues, though every time I attended Dr. Partin's classroom I was immediately ushered into a world of scholarship that demonstrated how impressive teaching can be and the thirst for knowledge that permeates those who witness it being done well. During my time at Davidson College I took every course Dr. Partin offered. Not only was he my academic advisor, he was a friend who would always listen. He was the best teacher I've ever had. We'll miss you very much, Malcolm. Thank you for everything.

WONDERLAND BALLROOM (8.24.11)

I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to capture more audio from the tour. All the details and responsibilities of being on the road and doing everything by myself apparently resulted in a slight failure of documentation. Although the tour was big success, that was definitely a hard lesson learned and something I will certainly rectify in the future. But for now, here's one entire set that I do have for you. It's from the very first set of the tour at the Wonderland Ballroom in Washington DC.

As you'll hear, there's a fair bit of talking in the background (I wouldn't say that the audience was exactly rapt); a pretty good set regardless though. By the way, one of my favorite parts happens about halfway through the last song - if you hear it too let me know. Thanks for listening!

1. Here's A Few Words
2. Weights & Measures
3. I Let It Lie
4. The Golden Ratio
5. Calm
6. Symmetry Pursuit X
7. Apartment
8. Falls of Rough
9. Nonetheless
10. Easy As Pi
11. Luminosity
12. Intermezzo
13. An Alien Communique
14. The Ideal Citizen
15. Men Who Die Young
16. Should I

HOME!!!

Over 8000 miles, 25 shows, 17 states, 6 weeks total out on the road - I'm going to post some more content over the next couple weeks (audio, video, photos, etc) though for now I need to catch up on some much needed rest - but even before that, I have to say how wonderful it is to be back in Boulder with Brooke - I've missed her so much while I've been on tour - thank you so much my dear for all your endless love and support - you're amazing!

ALMOST HOME

I'm in Des Moines, Iowa. I'm performing in Omaha tonight at the Side Door Lounge, which is a little more than two hours from here I think. It's the last day of the tour and I'm very anxious to get home, but very excited about playing my first show in Omaha tonight. The past six weeks have been pretty amazing - there have been so many big and small priceless moments that have come and gone so quickly it seems - and aside from all the great venues and shows, the most important and satisfying element has been reconnecting with all of you, talking with you before and after the shows, staying with you at your homes, catching up over a meal - as much as I love performing, seeing all of you while I'm out on the road is what keeps me going - I won't ever forget how awesome my fans are - thanks everyone so very much.

RIGHT HERE IN RIVER CITY

I've been in Louisville over the past few days after playing the last gig in a four week stretch of shows that started last month - I only have three more dates left before I get back to Boulder on the 28th - I'm playing an assembly tonight at the school where my friend Ben teaches, which should be a good time (it's my second such show of the trip actually) - and I'm staying with my parents, who still live here near Cherokee Park in the Highlands - it's been nice to see the old neighborhood and see some old friends for sure - on Friday I head up to Chicago for a friend's wedding, then start the last three shows on Sunday in Chicago, Monday in Iowa City, and Tuesday in Omaha before I drive more than several hours back to Colorado on Wednesday. Overall this tour has gone well, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting back home...

ANOTHER TOUR UPDATE

Everything's going well here on the road - I'm doing 5 shows in Tennessee and Kentucky over the next few days, after which I'll be able to take a few days off before heading up to Chicago and working my way back out to Colorado. The past couple weeks have included some amazing shows at some great venues - I've had some awesome conversations with people along the way too - plus I've stayed with several close friends, which has been absolutely wonderful - overall it's been an outstanding tour so far and will hopefully continue to be so through the end of the month. I thought about listing some complaints about some small things, but I don't really feel like complaining at the moment. Right now I have a very comfortable bed for the night, plus the first home-cooked meal I've had in quite a while (thanks Nick and Wendy). I'm going to write a post in detail about everything that has happened and everyone who has helped me out over the past few weeks, but for now I want to say thank you so much for being so supportive of a traveling musician...you guys are all amazing...thank you!

AT LEAST IT'S SOMETHING...

Okay I know this is brief and doesn't have much in terms of content, but I simply haven't had time to post much over the past few days of the tour - turns out that driving takes up a lot of time when I could be doing other things (like sleeping). Rest assured that I shall be posting more as soon as possible - for now, I just want to say thanks to everyone I've seen over the past couple weeks - whether you've given me a place to stay or come to a show to catch up or even met me for the first time, thank you - you're totally super awesome big time.

Okay then, off to Georgia now...more coming soon!

TOUR UPDATE

So far the tour has been going fairly well - I'm in North Carolina right now getting ready for a week of shows here before heading off to Georgia, Florida, and then Tennessee. It's been really great to see some old friends and meet some new fans along the way - the private parties have been especially nice because I have more time to hang out with everyone before and after, plus play a lot of material from the Cast Iron Filter days that people have enjoyed hearing again.

So far my only complaint is how expensive gas has been - the oil companies have made it extremely hard for people like myself who travel for work to make a living - but I'm not sure what I can do about that at the moment unfortunately. Regardless, everything is going well and will hopefully continue to go well - there are some very exciting shows coming up all throughout the Southeast, so please come out and say hello if you're not too busy.

Hope you're all having an awesome day.

All the best,

Dustin

SCOTT AND RAVEN

I've spent the last two days on Capitol Hill in Washington DC waiting for the start of the tour on Wednesday. This past weekend I was very fortunate to attend the wedding of Scott Shupe and Raven Owen-Beyer, two very good friends. Scott was the tour manager for Cast Iron Filter, a band I was in during the early aughts - he kept everything organized and safe, taking care of us on the road and allowing us to concentrate on the music at hand - I've thought a lot about him while arranging this tour, about all the responsibilities he heaped upon himself over and over to help us live our dream one show at a time - if I can muster just a sliver of his ever-present tenacity on this journey, I think I'll be alright. Thanks again for everything Scott - may you and your wonderful wife have many happy days ahead.

SO IT BEGINS...

I've left Colorado and set out on the road for the tour. The bad news is that Kansas still sucks to drive through. The good news is the 5:30 Kickback at the Drury Inn in Kansas City. Three free drinks, plus snacks? Oh yes of course. Chicken fingers and mac & cheese? Here you go. Hot breakfast with waffles and biscuits & gravy? Ummm ok. But yeah - Kansas - sheesh...

GUITARS FOR VETS

Hey everyone,

I'd like to tell you a little about an organization I'm supporting called

Guitars for Vets

- they're a non-profit charity that provides veterans with guitars and musical instruction to help combat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

In the words of the organization,

"Whether we agree or disagree with the decision to go to war, one thing is for certain: there are men and women who bravely fight for and honorably represent our country. As a consequence of war, many of our soldiers come home with physical and emotional injuries. They need our help."

If you would like to support this important institution, just click on the image below to be taken to their website - they accept donations as well as guitars to give to the veterans participating in the program - thanks for any help you can offer!

TOUR PLANS

I’ve been working on putting together a tour for late August through September, researching venues all the way from the far reaches of Washington State to the coasts of Florida.

To be honest, it’s a rather daunting undertaking, finding places to perform that have the semblance of conduciveness to what I do musically – there are countless venues out there, but a precious few that actively support independent artists hailing from far and wide that may not have the highest draw.

But that’s not the point exactly – what I really aim to accomplish is to reconnect with as many friends and fans in as many places as possible before fatigue and budget force me to do otherwise. When it comes down to it, going on the road is really one big plan to repay the kindness that you’ve shown me over the years – it’s you who takes the time to listen to my music, to read these blog posts, to watch the videos of performances, to support my creativity through your donations – I don’t take any of that for granted – not for one millionth of a second.

And since I’m under no pretext that I can do all this by myself, I humbly ask for your help through whatever means you can muster, whether that be a suggestion of a place to play, an idea for an inexpensive place to spend the night, someone who might host a house concert, any advice on how I can bring you a great show and honor your support.

If you have any thoughts, please, by all means, let me know.

Thank you as always,

Dustin