We entered Ann Arbor on game day. As we drove passed the stadium and the tens of thousands of tailgating Wolverine fans it looked like a medieval siege: with the stadium/battlements in the distance, surrounded by the encamped army with their banners and flags flying, smoke rising from the charred flesh of the assorted animals being cooked, the anticipation of the coming battle in the air.

I’ve always liked this town. Its an easy place to get around on foot and it has all the amenities needed for the traveling musician; comfortable coffee shops; a good music/instrument store; good independent used/new book and CD stores; lots of restaurant choices and an engaged audience. This was one of the first towns in the US where we established an audience. We played many shows at The Blind Pig, which, as a young band, were gigs that helped to build our confidence.

Another reason that we like this place so much is that Skippy lives nearby and always shows up to cook for us. Today he unveiled his famous “Medicated Goo Gumbo”. Extremely tasty.

Tonight we played two shows at The Ark, which is a legendary music club. It is a great little space that we have, unbelievably, never played. Both audiences were amazing. The second show was definitely our best so far this tour.