The Galt Line Beer and Sausages Tour Day 4 and 5

Day Off… and then on again-or- Slim Crowd

We woke at 6:30. Now, this is not the usual time we would stir on a day off, but there was free breakfast to be had. We pulled on some clothes and tip-toed down to the office. The layout was meager, but we piled our Styrofoam plates high with Danishes and English muffins and tiny cups of juice. We snuck out again and ate our breakfast in front of the news.

Before we realized it we were waking up again at 11. Then we did something truly magical, something that only the most intimate of couples can experience. We did nothing. We cracked a bottle of wine, ate ice cream from the convenience store across the street, and dozed in front of movies for the whole day. Blythe ended up sleeping for nearly 7 hours in the middle of the day.

The next day, we had things to do. We prowled to a Costco and had our tires rotated (which took nearly 3 hours). We ate lunch at a generic mid-level restaurant chain and wandered a commercial park while we waited. We mailed off posters and fliers to some remaining events on the tour. We took a short dip in the pool, and then it was time for another show.

Raleigh seems to be a wealthy city. It has wide, swept, and empty streets. There are plenty of expensive and lonely looking bistros and street cafes.

 When we pulled up to Slim’s, we were greeted by 4 blank faces that were turned from the bar. We set up in near silence except for one intoxicated patron who asked us to play some blues and selected Hendrix tunes. We obliged for a $20 tip.

Soon Bullfrog arrived, set up, and whisked out again. He was playing another spot that same evening. After a few beers we launched into our set. There was nearly no reaction except for one very nice guy named Tillson, who said very excitedly that he loved playing rockabilly drums, and would love to play with us some time. After the set, a young woman named Courtney said she liked what we were doing. Other than that… nothing.

Bullfrog returned and enchanted the meager crowd with some fingerpicking blues and hot-jazz favorites, along with a few originals. The crowd seemed to like him quite a bit.

 We weren’t too discouraged by our slow night however, because we had a room waiting for us. In minutes we were back in the soft bed for a final night.

We dozed to Conan O’Brian’s lilting voice, eager for our show at Acoustic Coffeehouse the next day, but reluctant to leave our comfortable little roadside motel room. Oh, the sacrifices we make for our life as musicians on the road.

Tomorrow… Reunion with Bloodroots Barter and a nice show at one our favorite spots.