Back By the Bay

Six days after pulling out of Brooklyn we're back in Berkeley. Day two on the road I decided to challenge myself to drive the entire length of I-80 though Ramona was more than happy to spend some hours behind the wheel. 2,901 miles later we made a victory lap around the Bay: through Berkeley and Oakland, down to Palo Alto to see some friends, up to San Francisco for dinner with my grandma then on to San Anselmo for a barbecue.

The show at Matchless on June 12 was the best way I've ever left town. The Elephant Army played a hell of a set to open the night then Philipp, Elijah, Bill, Drew and I closed it out with a cover of Woody Guthrie/Jeff Tweedy's California Stars off the Mermaid Avenue record. Drew and I sang it as a duet, he was on keys, Bill on mandolin and, of course, Philipp on drums with Elijah on bass. The recording is linked below.

It was an emotional night, but instead of feeling like the end of an era I had the strong feeling that it was a new beginning. I'll be back in New York at least a few times a year and now my friends back there have a reason to come out to the west coast.

First thing I did when we crossed the state line near Truckee, CA was text Drew that I was resting my weary bones underneath California Stars that night.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR VERSION OF CALIFORNIA STARS