An Eventful Weekend

So I've tried to keep myself pretty busy the last few weeks now that I've been doing music full time. Recording and doing some weekend touring. This past weekend may have been a bit overkill. Two cd releases in two days. One in St.George, The other in Salt Lake City.

I drove down to STG Friday morning, stopping in once in Provo for some "Cafe Rio" and then Cedar City for one of my favorite "FREAL"milk shakes. I showed up to the venue (Jazzy Java) around 530pm. To my suprise it was a really nice venue. They had a great set up and it sounded great. I opened for Dave Krietzer (www.myspace.com/davekreitzermusic ) and it was a really fun show and I was able to meet a lot of new people. There should be some footage up really soon of the show as well. I will be playing many more shows with Dave in the future. I spent the remainder of the night hanging out at Iceberg and consuming chicken fingers,onion rings and even more milkshakes. Even though they weren't really milkshakes...they were ice cream in a cup.

The next morning I took off for Salt lake City after participating in a easter egg hunt. I loaded into the Rose Wagner Theater not knowing what to really expect. It was honestly the nicest venue I have played to date in Salt Lake City. It was a real theater with red curtains, gorgeous design and all the works. I had the pleasure of opening for one of my favorite local artists Josh Rosenthal (www.myspace.com/joshrosenthal). It was an amazing show and this was my favorite SLC show to date. I hope to play with him more in the future. He is an inspiration to me and I look up to him in so many ways.

My buddy Chad Braithewaite (http://www.faces-photo.com/) came by and took some new photos during and after the show and it rounded off a perfect evening. I've never really had pictures capturing Salt lake City so well. I'm so blessed to have such a talented friend. I got back late and just crashed on my couch and watched "Into The Wild". Good Times

Opening for some old friends

Last night was just one of those sets where everything seemed to go right. I've never seen The Circuit so packed in my entire time here in Utah. (Thank you Sam Salisbury!)It was a sold out show and I was lucky to be a part of it. I have played with 3 out of the 4 bands that I opened for last night and it felt really good to be amongst friends. Jonatahan Jones New Band "We Shot The Moon" played amazing and I sang along to every tune. The Higher always put on a killer show and Seth and the rest of the guys are the nicest band I've ever met. Let me just say Sherwood is better than ever. I think every year they outdo themselves with their recordings and with their live show. Last night was just living proof of that. Houston Calls put on a great set and they even said a few kind words about me. I honestly didn't want the night to end.

I got on stage alittle earlier than expected and I only had a 25 minute set. A lot of people missed it. So I spent a few hours playing for people outside who couldnt get in to the show. Taking requests and a lot of them were suprisingly old songs. Nothing like a good singalong session to end a perfect evening. I should have some photo's up of that real soon. Thank you all for making this music worth playing.



set list: freakish(saves the day cover), seventeen, promise, summer sends its love(sherwood cover), parades, keep driving, with or without you

Another Night in Provo

So last night I was put right in the middle of a 5 band bill at Velour. Usually this can be quite an awkward situation for an acoustic guy. But it wasnt so bad at all. The first two bands were Great. "Lives of Famous Men" and "The Real You". Then the two bands that followed were some of my good friends. Mury www.myspace.com/murymusic and the one and only Broke www.myspace.com/broke .

Mury is a combination of a 3 bands that I have played with in the past 4 years. They have a great sound and are really starting to come into their own. When I watch Broke shows its like I'm watching my older brothers play. Joel is just a freak of nature and I've never met another musician like him. Dave is one of the coolest guys I've ever met and I tend to ramble on about gear with him from time to time at the House of Guitars where he works. As for Rob, well lets say the guy has some chops and you can see how passionate he is about music. Its inspiring to say the least.

I honestly missed Velour. I would have to say that it feels the most like home to me out of any other place. Corey Fox and Michelle are always a pleasure to talk to when I'm there and I just love the feel of the place.

I've decided to do a headlining show there in April where its just me. it will be a stripped down acoustic show where people can request whatever they want. This should make for an interesting night.

set list: the district sleeps tonight (postal service cover), seventeen, promise, right here, with or without you (u2 cover)

Opening for Benton

The usual Provo gig consists of a very familiar atmosphere for me. Velour and Muse are two rooms I have gotten very used to over the last few years. But walking into the Covey Center for the Arts was an entirely different experience. Its located off center street. It was a auditorium hall with a fantastic sound and beautiful lighting. The whole night seemed to take on a unfamiliar feel but I think its good to have a change from time to time. It was a huge stage and I was off centered to the left. can you say awkward?

I got to hear a few of Bentons songs during sound check and it honestly felt like I was opening for a national band. It was beyond impressive and he has really come into his own. I've known Benton for the last few years and its been a trip watching him progress. Simply amazing and this is just the beginning for him.

The lighting was so good that there were portions of my set where it was pitch black. I couldnt see my peddles and I was pretty disoriented at times. It was a rough night to say the least but I got through the set and I guess thats all that matters. The crowd was fantastic and cheered during songs and was beyond responsive. I was pleasantly suprised.

I guess the show was recorded and I should have some footage up soon. Well I have a day off tonight and then its back down to Provo tomorrow to play with Broke City and Mury.

set list: seventeen, at the seams, landslide/my own skin, promise, with or without you

First of many...

So I just posted "Across The Universe" by The Beatles on myspace. I know its pretty unoriginal to do one of their songs simply because I don't think anyone can do them justice and they have all been done a million times before. But I just love the song and it was a lot of fun to do.

I've pretty much locked myself up in my room the last few weeks and recorded over a dozen songs. I'm really excited to show everybody what I've come up with. The whole covers record will contain songs that mean the world to me and I can't wait to share them with everyone.

I'm going to post a new one every week on myspace until I start selling them at shows. So hopefully this gives people something to look forward to. There should be 10 in all.

Back to Ephraim

I hadn't played Snow College in 3 years. For many reasons. But I actually recorded my first record "Some Place New" underneath Fat Jacks Pizza. Which is actually called Rons now. So me and this place have history. One of my first shows was opening for The Aqua Bats at Snow College.

It was pretty amusing getting off I-15 driving through the canyon/desolate highway, passing numerous amounts of sheep and cows. As we reached main street you still coundn't help but still smell the slight odor of turkeys in the air. Theres nothing like being back! It was also 20 degrees colder than Salt lake was that day. I pulled up to a huge stage setup in the Activities room just like 3 years before.

It was an amazing experience. Just the reaction of everyone there was worth the trip. I couldn't believe that everyone stayed through the whole thing. An awesome Montana band Goodnight Sunrise opened the show. I followed with an hour set. This was my first headliner since Feb 9th so I was a little rusty.

set list: Seventeen, At The Seams, Landslide/My Own Skin, Promise, Name, Right Here, Damnit, Colors, With or Without You, Golden, Parades

After a experience like that I hope to come back often. Even though a show was cancelled this weekend in Cedar this was still a fantastic weekend.