Rockin' our wayto The Big Appleand The Windy City . . .

Marti & I are in Chicago this weekend to help celebrate the wedding of Kristin Rosebrough to my first cousin Tom Demetrion. Congratulations, kids!


We kicked off this trip to the States with a couple of action-packed days & hot nights in New York City.


On our first night in Maximum City we watched the Red Sox crush the Rockettes of Colorado at the House of Brews Sports Bar on West 46th Street, a few doors from our digs in the VIP Suite at Jody & Emmett's brownstone. Game One of the World Series down, our beloved Sox took another one the next evening. (They won again last night as well.) More to come on the World Series & our New York-Chicago escapades in the next post to this page. But first . . .


The run-up to our trip rocked to the beat of lots of live music, no surprise to regular readers.


We spent a rollicking evening at New Morning with Austin-based honky-tonk hero Dale Watson.


The Paris Krew was out in full force that night. We mostly hung out at the bar. Shown here with Marti are our pals Rick & Michel.


In da house: Tom & Nate. (I call this the "before" picture of those two knuckleheads.)


Encouraged by -- or perhaps, despite -- our carrying on & heckling from the bar, Dale & his rockabilly-style trio turned in a great show. He played & sang a couple of Merle Haggard songs for Marti's benefit: "Silver Wings" & "Mama Tried." Can't do better than that!


Our friend Eric McFadden -- an amazing guitar player & songwriter -- came to town. We met our buds Des, Mike & Rick at the Café de la Danse for that slammin' little show.


Marti & I had heard Eric play with George Clinton & The P-Funk All Stars & we met him during his stint with Stockholm Syndrome, but this was the first time we'd seen him doing his own material. Accompanied by the splendid Paula O'Rourke on bass & vocals, this gig was way fun. We chatted with Eric for a bit afterward. He's a chill dude.


Oddleif, our favorite Viking, came to visit Marti & me from his home in Norway. He's a fellow music freak, so we took him out to hear some good local sounds.


The three of us caught a Latin Quarter bar gig by Paris Soul Man No. 1, John Simms. John was marvelous, comme d'habitude.


On another evening we went down to Saint-Germain des Près to check out some cool jazz. A televised Rugby World Cup match had crowded thousands of folks into the bars of that quartier. Many fans were forced to watch the giant screens from the street.


Our destination was the elegant Café Laurent, where our jazzy friend Christian Laurent holds forth at the keyboard every weekend.


Oddleif was taking a bit of vacation time in order to follow the Derek Trucks Band on a few dates of their Europe tour.


A large contingent of the Paris Krew came to the DTB show at the Trabendo. Here Marti is flanked by Ben & Michelito.


Oddleif's long-distance squeeze Teena joined us for the Paris concert. We all schmoozed with DTB members after the show, including Kofi Burbridge (keyboards, flute & vocals).


Here's our Krew with drummer Yonrico Scott . . .


. . . and with Derek & lead vocalist Mike Mattison. Not only did DTB rock our world at the Trabendo that night, but they're great guys as well.


We wrapped the evening's adventures with late dinner at an old school La Villette restaurant called Au Boeuf Couronné. The Oddman & Teena departed early the next morning enroute to more DTB shows in Italy. We had a super time with them.


One last show before we go: our friend Rick kicked down a pair of tickets he couldn't use to a concert by kora master Ballaké Sissoko at the Théâtre de la Ville. The kora is a twenty-one string lute-harp. Sissoko led his kora-percussion ensemble on a marvelous musical journey through Mandinka griot territory.

A few days later Marti & I embarked on a journey of our own. To New York & Chicago & back again.