Casey Henry

The Dixie Bee-Liners are in the northeast this weekend and we have totally lucked out on the weather. We played in Cambridge, MA, Friday night, Shirley, MA, Saturday night, and are headed to Harrisburg, PA, today, and it's supposed to be 46 degrees. How awesome is that!

In Cambridge we played at Club Passim, which is a prestigious folk club that has been there for 52 years. I had actually never heard of it, but it turned out to be a really cool place. They have a restaurant adjacent to the club called the Veggie Cafe. They served wonderful food. I had roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, and goat cheese over coconut rice. Scrumptions. A good meal like that before you play makes a huge difference.

We opened for a band called Christabel and the Jons. As it turned out, they are from Tennessee, too, (Knoxville) and play original swingy country/jazz songs. Very cool. I traded for their CD, which we're going to listen to in the van on the way to the gig today.

Last night we played at the Bull Run Restaurant. This place, which reminded me strongly of Penn Alps in Maryland, had crazy good food. I ate so much. Salad with greens, apples, roasted butternut squash, and a maple balsamic vinegarette. Ravioli stuffed with cheese and peppers over a butternut squash puree. (Butternut squash seems to be a running theme this weekend. Hmmm.) I was still full five hours afterwards. The building was built in 1740, which makes it one of the oldest places I've ever played, and the crowd was wonderful. One of my mom's old school mates from Clarkesville came, Jane Thompson. And I sold two whole CDs. I love it when that happens.

A couple of times this weekend I've had a sweaty-finger problem. I'll be playing a song, usually my banjo tune in the set, "Leroy and Liza," and I realize that my thumbpick is working its way down my thumb. I'm playing my last break thinking, "Please don't come off before the last note, please don't come off before the last note!" Luck was with me and it stayed on, but it was nerve wracking.

Well, gotta dash. We're loading the van to head to Harrisburg to play at the Stage on Herr tonight. See you there!