Texas Texas Texas (Part 1 of 2)

Hey kids. Been back from my Texas mini-Tour for a few days now. Sorry I didn't blog much while I was down there, but my my my, did I have a good time.

My first gig on March 14 was pretty good. I played this (fairly) new pub called Firkin & Phoenix, opening for local staple Petesimple. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous since it was my first gig back in H-Town, but I got over that pretty quick. My good friend Abby Seible (who helped me write "Everything's OK") came up and sang BGVs on some tunes and we played another song we wrote together.

The crowd was pretty good - a lot of familiar faces there. It's a nice place. However, I wasn't sure if they were watching me or the Rockets game being projected on the large screen behind me. ;)

Here's my set list:

• Now
• Light of Day
• Alone Again
• Untitled (The Man That I Am)
• May I
• Avalanche
• Rely On Fate/The Crime
• Sad Infatuation
• Not Guilty
• All That Is Beautiful
• Rich With Red
• The Way You Make Me Feel

My next gig was on March 16 at another new joint called The Corkscrew. AMAZING place. It's a wine bar on Washington Street (between Studemont and Downtown) that has a room draped off on the right, mildy lit with couches all around, for live music. Such an AWESOME place to play. I was invited by the Julian Samuel, one of the hosts for that night, to play. I was honored. I'd love to play there again.

On the drive up there, a song came on my iPod that actually got me a little choked up. I've only lived in New York for a little over three years, but it's been long enough for me to adjust to the inevitable changes that go along with moving from a city like Houston to a city like New York. And being back in Houston made me realize how much I've actually changed - not in my personality, but just how I go about my day-to-day. The way I "deal" with people, the way I get from one place to another ... the pace is so different in the City and coming back to Houston, doing things the way I used to ... I got very, you know ...

So when Elton John's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" started playing on the drive up there, I got really emotional - at a level I haven't really experienced before. For the first time, I began to really appreciate different things about the way I live my life now and the way I used to live my life. It sounds kind of silly, but I was so inspired to add the song to my set list. I've always loved the song and Elton's recording is so beautiful, but I had never played it before. So on the way to the gig, I started working out the changes in my head and when I got to the end of my set list, I went for it. Turned out pretty good ... I think. I was afraid I'd get choked up again while singing it, but not so much. I guess I was too worried about getting the changes right.

Here's my set list:

• Now
• Avalanche
• Rely On Fate/The Crime
• On the Cusp
• Alone Again/Wildwood Flower
• All That Is Beautiful
• Not Guilty
• Untitled (The Man That I Am)
• Stare (Yeah, Yeah)
• Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters

Austin was just fucking incredible. I'm gonna have to blog about it later. I've got some exciting news too! Stay tuned ...