It was Fun While it Lasted

I’m back on the road again, having spent only one all to brief week at home. My destination this morning is Ashley Ohio and the Buckeye Dulcimer Festival where I’ll teach advanced hammer dulcimer classes and give a performance or two. Angie and I will be there through Sunday.

The last couple of weeks of the Yanni tour went by like a whirlwind. I was so focused on finishing my own projects that I almost didn’t notice everyone else was just as busy working on their own projects. At some point toward the end it was as if we all collectively decided we weren’t going to get much else done so why don’t we just enjoy a little hang time with our friends. I’m glad I did as I already miss my buds as they all begin the next chapter of their lives.

Hussain (URL) arrived home from the tour and flew out the the very next day for a week of shows with Al McKay. He just arrived back in LA Monday and said he had a great time and got to meet James Brown. When I talked to him yesterday he was having coffee with his wife Marita and making plans for a vacation.

David (URL) made it back to Australia a couple days earlier than expected and surprised his wife Cindy and daughter Jedess by attending Jeddess’s 11th birthday party. When I get back from this trip David and I are going to set up web cams so we can video chat from time to time.

I spoke to Alfreda (URL) Monday of this week as she was already aboard a cruise ship on which she’ll be performing for several months. They were just getting ready to push off into the Atlantic and she was calling to say bye. No one would have ever guessed that Alfreda and I would have become the best of friends over the past couple of years. I’ll miss her, and we talk on the phone any time she’s in the states.

I haven’t given Walter (URL) a call yet but I know he’s on top of the world after arriving home to be a daddy. His newborn is now five months old and I know he has his hands full giving his wife Hosannah a break from constant infant care.

Zach and I have talked on the phone a couple of times working out details for our upcoming Chattanooga Waterfront Grand Celebration gig which involves Hussain and my band ‘Hammer On!’ as well. Zach is making plans for a research project in Italy for which he’ll be leaving in a few weeks.

I guess I don’t have time to chronicle everyone’s new course, I haven’t even had time to write about my own.

I spent all of last week putting my solo show back together again as I’m mostly back on my own. There is very little time to practice when on tour so I was feeling pretty rusty and a bit apprehensive about only having a few days to prepare for upcoming gigs. My nerves eased as playing my repertoire revealed I hadn’t totally lost my chops. I’m excited about getting to spend several days next week practicing with the ‘Hammer On! guys.

There’s so much stuff to write about that I don’t really know where to start or stop. In the coming days I’m going to try and post more regularly, but I’ve also said that in the past.

Next week’s gigs include a St. Patrick’s Day (3/17) fundraiser concert at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, a Saturday night (3/19) dinner concert at Carlisle Village Inn in Sugarcreek Ohio and a Sunday morning (3/20) performance at Liberty Christian Church in Powell Ohio.

I have a lot of pictures and a short video from the last couple of weeks of the tour ready to post but I have to wait until I get somewhere with a high speed internet connection. I’m writing this update as we head north on interstate 75 through Kentucky. Don’t worry – Angie is driving.

Angie and I have completed the brochures for the Chattanooga Dulcimer Festival, June 24 – 26, so email or snail mail me if you need a registration form and brochure. I’ll post everything that is in the brochure to the CDF web site, if you can download it there and save some trees I’d appreciate it. Email Angie with registration for requests: angie@danlandrum.com

Speaking of email, I am sooooooooo behind it is not even funny. After I get this posted to the web I’m going to spend the rest of the trip, which means until Angie gets tired of driving, catching up. - TTFN ¶ 11:56 AM