Today we’re heading to Indianapolis, Indiana after a couple days in St. Louis, MO. It was a nice break to have a couple days to check out St. Louis. We woke up bright and early at 7:30 a.m. to hit the road. We still see a lot of corn, but there is more civilization like homes and farms to break up all the corn fields. All the green trees and grass makes me miss my Midwest roots! I love the mountains and beaches of the West Coast, but the greenery and seasons of the Midwest are absolutely beautiful. I also miss the enormous brick homes and the sincerity and friendliness of the people.
I’m currently listening to Ani DiFranco, Every State Line, which seems appropriate for this drive because we continue to cross state lines. She is also one of my favorite music idols. Her songwriting is incredible and she is from Buffalo, NY, where I was born. Going across the country is pretty amazing because every state you stop in there are different people. I haven’t been to the Midwest in a while so I forgot how great the people are. There’s something about not having as much that has you reach out to others and offer whatever it is that you do have! We’re on our way to Amy’s (Beau’s girlfriend) parents home (Maria and Freezell). Looking forward to our show at The Rathskeller tonight!!
We couldn’t have asked for better hospitality! Maria and Freezell welcomed us to their home with food and drinks labeled according to where everything was and gave us a place to sleep for the night. Amy’s nieces (Beau calls them his “Penguins”) and family came over before our show to visit and her nieces each wanted to play the violin. I played a song for them and had each one of them try out my violin. I have to say that was a big highlight of the visit because they tried to play just like me. They are natural born fiddlers! It was great to meet Amy’s family and spend at least a little time with them. Now onto the Rathskeller!
The Rathskeller was a great venue. It was set up as an outdoor event, but we soon had to go inside because of the huge thunderstorm that was brewing. Highland Reign took the stage first and killed it with their Celtic Folk sound and the bagpipes. It was great hearing the bagpipes again, reminded me of my time at The College of Wooster and waking up to them every day. We took the stage after Highland Reign and played for about 15 minutes before the storm was very close so we moved inside to a smaller space, but a great stage with an aisle way. The hospitality at The Rathskeller was also great! Wayne, the bartender took great care of us with food and drinks. We had a couple of harmless hecklers that followed us inside and loved our show by singing along, playing the air guitar and drums (hilarious), and sticking around for the whole show. Needless to say another fantastic show with some great merchandise sales! On to Midlothian, Illinois.
– Cami Smith
