We’re All In This Together

It’s 4 am. I can’t sleep. Maybe it’s all the coffee I had at Jammin Java in Columbia, South Carolina tonight. Maybe it’s the steak and eggs I had at Waffle House before Shawn and I came back to the hotel. Not sure. Whatever it is that’s keeping me up, I feel like writing… We left Tuscaloosa early today, so we could get to Atlanta in time for a meeting. That went very well. You’ll be hearing about that sooner or later. From Atlanta, we headed to Columbia. I was supposed to go on at 9 pm and we got there at 9:03. I basically jumped out of the van, went down the stairs into the club, plugged in and played. Afterwards, I went back to the merch table to help Shawn with the custom t-shirts.(We have a portable heat press now, and we can make shirts to order. Very cool.) A couple people came by and said they drove all the way from Clemson to see me, but missed most of the set. “Would you be able to play some more songs for us?”, they asked. “Sure”, I said. So, we went upstairs and out onto the curb in front of the club. When I got my guitar out and looked out at them, I realized there were a lot more there than I thought. Maybe 15 or 20. I have to admit, I was a little overwhelmed. I think it was around 11 when I started to sing. The street was empty, except for our little gathering. I took a couple of requests and played for 20 minutes or so. I just kept thanking them for being there and wanting me to play for them. It was one of the best nights I can remember in a long time. I keep thinking about their faces. How they sang with me out on the street. It probably looked weird to people driving by, but so what. We didn’t care. Man, I live for nights like that.

Hello there. It’s been some time since I’ve written to you on here. Forgive me. It’s not because I don’t care. Lots of stuff going on right now. The record is in the process of being mixed. In the mean time, Shawn and I have been dreaming up some new ideas for marketing the album and touring across the country once again. I’m sitting in a bar (with wireless internet!) in Lafayette, Louisiana right now. We drove here from Houston last night, slept in the van until 8 am and checked into a Motel 6. I got up and went for a run today and almost died. It’s pretty sticky down here in the bayou. You kind of always have a thin film of sweat on your upper lip at all times. Very attractive. Let’s see what else…on this tour I’ve hit some of my favorite stops and seen some of my favorite people (you know who you are). I’ve also played some new places. It’s always good to add some more stars to the tour map. The big news around the Andy Zipf camp is a bit top secret. Shawn has come up with something pretty extraordinary again. All I can tell you is that it has to do with the new record, how we will bring it to you and how we will take the next step in touring, etc. You’ll know when it’s time. Until then, stayed tuned. Keep on. I will see you again soon. We are, as always, in this together. Love to all. - Andy