Hyperlife, Part One

California, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma.

Some notes from a wild couple of weeks, which I’m back at home recovering from before going out for more.

After a month under an ice storm in Kansas City I did what I love to do every year when the winter’s dragged on too long and get in my truck and drive out west.

Los Angeles has the highest concentration of my friend group and so while being out there is great for many reasons, it is especially great to see so many of my friends all at once.

While in LA my manager told me I had an offer to play a few events at SXSW in Austin. I’ve been going to SXSW since 2009 and unlike most artists claim - I love going to SXSW. Or maybe I just love Austin, Texas as well as the high concentration of friends that the city and festival provide. I also love the food.

So of course, I said yes.

It’s been many years since I’ve gone strictly solo to play some shows. In fact, I truly may have never - at least in my adult life - played shows fully by my lonesome. Not just played, but traveled to and from, completely alone, just me, my guitar and truck. No companion, no tour manager. Just. Me.

I remember once seeing Phil Elverum play a sold out church in Brooklyn in the mid 2000s. I had never seen such a tight knit DIY operation where moments after the show he not only sold his own merch but then piled his gear into his small pickup truck with Washington plates on it that was parked out front and drove off into the night.

I’m not as cool as Phil, but I liked to think that my experience was a little something like that.

And so I slowly made my way to Texas, stopping first in Palm Springs where I ended up playing a Lvbl tennis tournament which was in part hosted by my tennis instructor and friend Gunner Fox. I had told Gunner I could only stop long enough to warm up with him on a grass court, wanting to do so since I had never hit on grass before, but he talked me into staying the day and playing the whole tournament. It couldn’t have been more fun.

And so I only made it as far as Phoenix that night. The next day I was so sore that I stayed in Phoenix and found a place to take an ice bath and sauna before continuing towards Texas.

The next night I made it to Odessa where it was dusty and smelled like cattle. I listened to a lot of Alice Coltrane on the drive, which works perfectly with the open landscape that at times feels like driving across the moon. The air was still dry and at that point I was beginning to crave some middle american humidity, having been out west too long.

The next day I drove through the hill country of Texas where spring was fully blooming. At one point I got lost and had to consult a map while running out of fuel in order to find a town with a gas station. Turns out maps still work, as does existing without a cellphone - if even only for half an hour. When I finally arrived in Austin the air was sticky and the sky was threatening a storm. It was a perfect re entry back into middle america.

My first day in Austin I played Baseball with the Texas Playboys and performed a few songs during the seventh inning stretch. Their sandlot diamond and whole baseball universe is that of a dream. I got to pitch a real baseball in a real game for the first time since I was in seventh grade. It was a dream come true and it felt amazing to be back on the mound. I only beamed two people. If you ever get a chance to experience a Texas Playboys game, I highly recommend you do so.

My highlight of sxsw, though, was being asked to sing one of my favorite songs with one of my favorite songwriters Ben Kweller, at his record labels showcase. I met Ben last year and we’ve become fast friends and I love the man very much. He let me sing his incredible song Wasted and Ready with him and my heart exploded. Thank you, Ben.

A few days later I played a showcase for (and they’re not paying me to say this) my favorite selzer company, Rambler. I was a bit nervous about playing a big event with just an acoustic guitar but - as usual - it was really fun, and even got shut down by the cops. It felt like the good old days and was a lot of fun.

But more than anything it was fun running around Austin with my long time friend and collaborator Rob Barbato and his friend and collaborator (and my new friend), Scott Ballew, who just released a wonderful new record. It was also great to spend time with Katies twin sister, Allison, who feels like family. The four of us ate fajitas many days in a row.

After Austin I continued my solo journey towards home and played a show in Fort Worth on the way. Remember last year I said here on substack that Fort Worth had spoken to me and I wanted to return? Well I made good on my promise and returned to play a solo show at Tulips with the wonderful Robert Ellis, who lives there. Robert was kind enough to sit in with me for Harlem River and it was a wonderful wonderful time. He’s an amazing guitarist.

The next day I drove home. I stopped for lunch at Braums in Oklahoma City with Wayne Coyne. Wayne and I have been texting for a few years but had never met in person and he was kind enough to join me for lunch. For those of you who don’t know what Braums is - it’s a my favorite fast food and ice cream from growing up as a child in Oklahoma. Wayne, like any Oklahoman, likes it too.

Wayne got a malt and I got a burger and at one point someone who recognized Wayne yelled across the restaurant; “Good to see a comet above ground!”. It took Wayne a moment but then he realized that they must have gone to the same high school as him, which was right down the road. Wayne said that their school mascot was The Comets. The poetry wasn’t lost on me, and I can’t stop thinking about that phrase.

Good to see a comet above ground.

xoxox km