today is saturday

we've spent most of today driving through the state of 'unbridled spirit' - kentucky, of course. we've watched 'american psycho', listened to boys II men and eaten many sun chips, but we've still got almost 200 miles before we'll be able to rest our weary bodies. it's snowing out and james smith is a champion of inclement weather conditions

we spent thursday and friday at a marriott in downtown memphis, where we were participants in the the annual folk alliance conference. there were tons and tons of people there, walking around with any number of acoustic instruments and a wide array of fashionable folk music attire. we saw a lot of music, but our favorite act was 'the parkinton sisters,' a group of 5 sisters with more talent than the 20-floor hotel could hold. check them the heck out on myspace and see them when they play in your town - 'cause they will.

tomorrow we're playing the illustrious 'mountain stage' in charleston, west virginia - we're not quite sure when the broadcast will be (it's an NPR show!), but we'll be sure to let you know when we find out more details. we're opening for 'the drive-by truckers' and only playing for 16 minutes (yes, they were that specific), but we're super stoked about it.

in other news, we ate at morgan freeman's restaurant in memphis last night and DAYAM was it a classy joint. amazing live blues music was the perfect compliment to our delicious southern food feast. we were so excited by the meal that we almost got kicked off the trolley we took back to the hotel. but we didn't, so it all worked out.

that's all for now...hope you're warm and snuggly wherever you are...
the lead sled

it's snaining

why yes, i DID just invent a word.

SNAIN (noun): a precipitation that combines, in even parts, both rain and snow in order to create the saddest possible weather condition.
Boy, this snain is really making me feel blue.
If it doesn't stop snaining soon I might just have to sit in an empty bathtub and cry.

ok, so it's not really that bad. and luckily we've got some great jams going in the ol' Lead Sled to ward off any true despair. but MAN, just when you're ready to usher in an early spring...

today is the first day of our last burst of touring before a 3 week break - our first real break of 2009! we've been having such a blast touring all over the place for the past month and a half, but a break will be truly wonderful. personally, i plan to sleep for 2.5 weeks of it. i've got some bear hormone pills that are supposed to work wonders...

so right now we are heading in the direction of memphis, TN, where we will spend the next 3 days as participants in the illustrious Folk Alliance Conference of 2009. we don't know very much about the conference, but here is the badass postcard that james designed for the occassion:
we hope they like us and want us at all of their folk festivals. EVERY SINGLE ONE!


keep your chins up kiddles, this snain, too, will pass...
love,
the lead sled

does anyone really like those candy hearts?

we are all in agreement that they are pretty much the foulest candy ever invented. yeah, sure, those messages are cute and fun and whatever, but does that make up for a disgusting, chalky taste design? we think not. (except for Smith who puts them on his cereal.)

hi. we're driving straight up the center of virginia right now, with cows on either side and mountains in the distance. it's pretty great...a perfect backdrop for a valentine's day drive. we're all holding hands, of course. and eating tons of chocolate. mmmmmm.

we played last night at a place called 'the box' in charlottesville, VA (the town where dave matthews band basically got their start). we had a last minute (ahem) change in plans, but thanks to the unbelievably pro skillz of our management team everything went off without a hitch! good times.

we also played on a local radio station yesterday (106.1, the corner), and i found this seed pod in the parking lot:

it reminded me of a classic episode of 'are you afraid of the dark,' in which two boys receive a magical monkey claw that grants wishes but always in the most negative way possible - kind of a 'be careful what you wish for' situation. it's a really scary episode. anyway, the monkey claw looked just like this seed pod.

we had our first show ever in north carolina a few nights ago, and we FINALLY learned what a tar heel is. finally! do you want to know? ok, then we'll tell you. the term 'tar heel' dates back to the civil war - it was a nickname given to the confederate soldiers from north carolina who were known for sticking to their ranks rather than retreating, as though there was tar on their heels. did we mention we love etymology?

we also had a great time at DC9 earlier this week. in addition to being a super fun club, it was also the site of our first-ever custom designed puffy paint tshirt sale! what am i talking about? oh nothing....just a super cool awesome new thing we're trying out for fun. keeps your eyes peeled for them at the next show you attend!

on one final valentine's note...
regardless whether you're feeling good, bad, glad or sad, we want to be your valentine today.
so if you don't have one already, we're yours.

....and we don't want to see you talking with anyone else.

seriously.

don't even look at another person....
you wouldn't want to set us off on one of our jealous valentine's day rages.
TRUST us.
if we hear that you've been talking to other potential valentines, we're gonna snap.

BIG time.


happy valentine's day friends!
~the lead sled

apple sweet apple

we're almost home. we recognize the skyline and it feels great. only 3 nights in our own beds before we're back out on the pavement - talk to you then friends!

roll on spring!
the lead sled