After our first good night’s sleep of the journey we got up and ate at the Cracker Barrel. We’re Crackers afterall. Or maybe that was the day before. It’s all blending together now.
We played with a fine band in Charlotte called the 2$ Pistols at The Evening Muse, a cool brick walled bar with a bartender who wore a bikini top under her overalls. Classic southern look. It was a full house and the crowd was enthusiastic. We sold a pile of CDs and pulled well at the door. Best dough yet and it was much needed to defray the costs of getting all the way across the damn country. Next day was Raleigh. We played at the Pour House. Friendliest crowd yet. Marianne at the Pour House put together a nice afternoon show. Great sound man and system. Two great sets of music. The band is gelling into a loose, tight country rock machine. And that’s not an oxymoron.
It was also our good friend Mona’s welcome to town party. Mona recently moved from LA back to Raleigh. She is a Cole’s regular and a fine, long time friend of the Hawks. It was fantastic to have her at our first shows on the the road. One special treat: her seven year old nephew, Tristan Mackie, got up and sang “Papa Stopped The Wagon.” No kidding. Every word. It was amazing. Look for video of this event up on the website soon. Afterwards, Mona cooked us a fine meal of vegetarian lasagna and garlic bread at her new home. She also served cantaloupe, grapes, cucumbers, green peppers, carrots. We needed the fruits and vegetables badly after so many meals at the Waffle House. North Carloina was good to us. Hope the rest of the tour goes half as well.