Tour Blog Part 3 -

It’s the 30th September, a Wednesday morning. We left Dallas last night and have been driving for hours and hours. I played on Fox Morning News yesterday, which was an interesting and educational experience, dragging poor Bess Rogers out of bed at 7:00am, the night after a late show, to come and sing with me on TV (thanks Bess!). Last night we played at The House of Blues, which was one of the most amazing venues I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Not too long ago, Bob Dylan played there 3 nights in a row. He stood on the same stage that I stood on, sat on the same sofa the I sat on, and stood in the same green room as I did. To say I wasn’t overwhelmed would be a lie. Thank you Ingrid is all I can say for allowing me to experience that.

Last night was the first show of I think 17 that hadn’t sold out. Technically though, it had. We were due to play in the smaller venue of the two that House of Blues has, holding 450, but it sold out so fast that they moved the show to the bigger room, which holds 1600. Ingrid still managed to sell about 1200 tickets by last night though, which is incredibly impressive. So the show was still full to the rafters, and one of my favourites so far.

Right now we’re arriving in El Paso, Texas. Driving along the freeway (motorway) about 300 yards from the Mexican border. I can see the flags, and the white shanty houses, it’s beautiful. A very surreal moment for me, I’ve always been so interested in this part of America and now I’m here, looking out of the window, seeing huge, dry mountains towering above the sandy dessert, the hotels, the used car markets, and the typical American fast food chain restaurants; McDonalds, Ihop, Burger King, you know, the usual.

I’ve been informed that El Paso is fairly desolate, and from what I can tell I was informed correctly. We’re pulling up to the car park now, where we will sit all day, until about 2:00am tomorrow morning, when we leave for Arizona, and what will be the final push for my part of the tour.

This is my first taste of scenery, believe it or not. Over the past 3 weeks we’ve driven down the whole east coast and across the south of the United States and this is the first time I’ve been able to see anything. Each night we finish the show, we get into the bus, and we drive. By the time I’ve woken up, we’re in the next city, parked outside the hotel/venue, and I’ve missed everything. Something I didn’t really prepare for. I was totally ready to see everything, photograph everything, but I haven’t been able to, so this experience right now is kind of nice.

So far I’ve played Toronto, Montreal, Vermont, Albany, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlottesville, Carborro, Atlanta, Athens, Alabama, New Orleans, Houston, Austin and Dallas. Looking back on that seems insane. Every night, a new crowd, a new city and a new venue, it feels bizarre. I’ve done so much. I can’t explain what an amazing experience this has been for me, how much I’ve learned from the people I’m sharing a bus with, how much I’ve learned about myself as a person and a musician, and how much I’ve improved as a performer. I’m excited about going back to New York and putting what I’ve learned into practice there. I’m excited about moving into my new place in Brooklyn, having my own room finally after nearly 8 months of couch-surfing.

In late January this year, I decided that I was done working a job I wasn’t happy in, living in a city I didn’t want to be in, and not following what I really wanted in life. I decided to give it all up, for just 3 months in New York, just to see what would happen, to see if fate would step in, and step in it did. Eight months later I find myself sat on the Mexican border in a tour bus, playing sold-out shows every night, with a US working visa in my bag, and an apartment in New York, all because I decided to believe in myself, and take a huge risk for something I wanted. Forgive me if this seems a little arrogant, but I’m very proud of myself.

If you have a dream guys, that’s right, YOU, then go for it, don’t look back, you WON’T regret it. Just don’t tell your parents that I said it was OK!