2003-05-28 - 3:34 p.m.
April 1, 2
We left for the next tour late. We intended to be off by 6pm but it was 8:30pm by the time we actually set out. If we could make Washington, PA (near Wheeling, W.V.), it would put us within 4 hrs. of our first show in Dayton, Ohio the following evening. I read or slept as Andy drove and we crashed (you know...slept) in the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania.
The drive from Washington to Dayton was marred by car problems. Andy’s Volvo is approaching 200,000 miles and with Volvos, that usually means the electric system is about to crap out. His electric overdrive went on the fritz so we had to find a Volvo dealer in Columbus for a replacement. It was a relay that was actually very simple to replace. The problem was that it started to crap out again after about 30 miles. A quick call to his mechanic for some advice and we’re on our way again. We had to clean the ends of the fuse socket that controlled the overdrive. Why can’t cars be simple like when we were kids? I used to set the points on my 65’ Olds with a matchbook!
The Canal St. is a small but classy venue in Dayton, Ohio. Lot’s of great artists play or have played there. People such as, Dan Bern, the Rev. Horton Heat and the Asylum St. Spankers are amongst the current artists who play there. Muddy Waters, Jim and Jesse McReynolds and Willie Dixon are some of the “old guard” artists who used to grace the stage here.
My nephew David makes it out to the show. He teaches high school music here in Dayton. It’s great to see him. The house sound man was playing a great record by R.L. Burnside called “Come On In”. It’s definitely on the list to get.
It’s a fun show and the bartender is friendly and makes great martini’s!
After the show we check in to the hotel and the usual routine begins. I turn the TV on; hold the remote for a while to prevent the inevitable channel surfing. Andy will eventually grab the remote and declare, “Flipping now.” This time however, he quickly lands on a documentary about Joni Mitchell. It was terrific! She was such an incredible writer. She was the whole package because she played and sang so well on top of the great songs she wrote. I don’t mean to talk of her in the past tense but her recent output has not been as great as her early works. After it was over I vowed to go out and get the first album at my first opportunity.
