We rolled into Memphis around 1 o'clock in the morning. It was strange driving into the city that had been our home for the past 5 years. We had been away nearly 4 months and somehow in that span of time it was no longer ours. It felt like bumping into an ex - remembering the things we liked about the city, but knowing all the reasons we left… Kinda bittersweet. Our good friend Matt and his wife Natalie were hosting us for the weekend and we were incredibly grateful for the king size bed and our own private bathroom. Having our own space had become a well appreciated luxury. We got up early the next morning to spend some time with our hosts, then headed over to Corey's former place of employment - The Academy of The Percussive Arts - to participate in the 2nd Annual Drum Coalition. Corey's brainchild, Drum Coalition is a weekend event in which The Academy brings in clinicians and brand reps to educate and inspire the drum community. The weekend is filled with clinics, recitals and performances - not to mention some amazing sales and lots of free gear. The first Drum Coalition was a huge success and it was great to see the legacy live on even in Corey's absence. We spent most the day at the Academy - catching up with the community that had become family to us through the years. I snuck out for a few hours to visit my former employers as well… I guess when you spend most of your waking hours at work - your co-workers become some of your closest friends...
The next day we headed out to Nashville to visit Corey's brother, (my new brother in-law!!!!) Shane. Shane and Corey lived together for 3 years while we were in Memphis. Their apartment, better known as the Wolf Den, was always decked out with antlers, wolves and furniture made from scrap wood. Shane took most of the decor with him to Nashville when he moved, so his place felt more like Memphis than anything else. We felt right at home. Our Nashville show fell through last minute, so we ended up being able to spend some great quality time with Shane as well as my former roomie, Chrissy. Having moved half way across the country - it was a true blessing to spend time together. To top it off, our dear friends from Carolina Story were playing in Nashville that night, so we we able to catch up with Ben and Em and catch the last show of their Soul Stormin Tour.
After a day of catching up with family and old friends we headed back to Memphis to pack up Corey's "office" at The Academy - a 5' X 5' storage space that contained the equivalent of 2 full drum sets. I tell you what - i may have a lot of clothes... but this boy has a LOT of drums... And drums take up a LOT of room. Thanks to Corey's packing prowess however - a skill he attributes to playing a lot of Tetris back in the day - we were able to fit everything in our mobile home. The van was packed to the brim when we left Memphis... requiring a co-pilot at every turn. You don't realize how much you depend on your rear view mirror until you aren't able to use it...
We headed north toward St Louis - a long flat drive through farm land. Our show was in the small town of Columbia, IL, located 20 minutes outside of the city. We had actually played in Columbia before - two years prior on our Migration Tour. Our very first attempt to get on the road, The Migration Tour was one week long, included 5 shows and 900 miles from Minneapolis to Memphis..... That trip gave us our first taste of the road and opened up relationships that we still treasure to this day... It was on the Migration Tour, that we met Dave, frontman of the bluegrass band, Silverbacks. And it was Dave who set up the show for us on this tour. It's amazing to me that two years later we are still reaping the benefits of those seeds sown. The Lord truly has a plan far larger than we can comprehend.
We played for an intimate crowd, mostly friends and family of the Silverbacks. Our good friend Chris came out as well, and we had a great time reconnecting with yet another Visible Music College alum. The Silverbacks opened the show with some old school and new school Bluegrass, and we all closed the show together with a group rendition of Amazing Grace. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. Lots of stories were shared. It felt more like a family get together than a show. Afterwards we went back to Dave's house and spent the rest of the night socializing with the Silverbacks crew. A vibrant and loving community, they were a complete joy to get to know.
We went to bed late and woke early to make our way to Eau Claire, WI. 9 hours away, Eau Claire would be our last night on the road.... Though we had one more show to close out the Honeymoon Tour, it was in Minneapolis.... home. We drove into Wisconsin with mixed feelings. Our travels had left us exhausted, but wanting more. We were glad to be nearing the end, ready for a break, but sad to see it all come to a close. So much planning and preparation. So much work and effort. So much adventure and blessing. And it would soon be over....
We were playing at a benefit concert for a local charity called Feed The Need. The organization was founded by our friend Sean Jones whose love of the arts and heart for service inspired him to host concerts to raise money for Feed My People Food Bank. Corey met Sean two and a half years ago when he toured with the band Redefined in Red. Sean's one man band Survive The Drive was one of the 5 acts that made up the Infection Tour. With his quick wit and extroverted personality he became a quick friend to Corey and has been ever since. The benefit concert was hosted at Pizza Plus, which despite the names, is a swanky, modern, artesian restaurant/bar. We were headlining the show, playing with 4 other bands. The place was surprisingly packed for a small college town and the acoustic/folk show was surprisingly diverse with styles ranging from Jason Mraz-y indie pop to eerie theatrical Glam folk. Who knew Eau Claire had so much to offer? All were amazing and we were happy to meet some great musicians near our neck of the woods. We connected with one band, a husband and wife-to-be duo called Scrimbo, who had just completed a self booked European tour. We were inspired and impressed... maybe we'll plan our text tour in France... Honeymoon Tour 2.0? All in all the night was a sucess... through ticket sales alone we raised nearly $2000 worth of food! Corey and I may have eaten about as much in pizza.... Pizza Plus can make a mean chicken gorgonzola pizza... mmm.
We spent the night at Sean's parents house - camping out on the same basement floor that Corey slept on 2 1/2 years ago on the Infection Tour. We woke to the sound of a pug sniffing at our door and spent a good portion of our morning being entertained by the same strange creature. Then Sean met us at the house for some chocolate chip waffles before we hit the road one final time. The short 90 minute drive to home was filled with reflections on where the tour had brought us, and where the Lord would lead next. One thing we were sure of, He was with us every step of the way and so He would continue. The fields grew more and more familiar as we neared the Minnesota border, the sun shining crystal clear in the cool fall air... until finally we turned onto my dear gravel road. Having built so much momentum, it seemed easier to just keep going, keep moving. An object in motion, stays in motion after all. But we had reached the end. It was time to put on the brakes, to reflect, absorb. One show to go, but our travels completed. The end of the road.
No comments:
Post a Comment