We want to do something special this week. This is a guest blog from one of our good friends, a great fan of the band, and a part of our family, who went on this past weekend’s trip to Georgia with us. Thank you Eric Savage.
-TDG

I still remember about 3 years ago meeting at Mitch, Justin, James and some other friends at their house before heading out to Toddy’s on a Friday night. What I heard when I walked up sounded like a high school garage band,. There were 3 other guys playing with them I’d never met. And they were all pretty excited about getting this band together to play a show in the Old City. My thoughts were not the same as I was to ready to go out that night. It’s crazy to look back and see what has culminated. Needless to say my thoughts now are not at all what they once were and that has become very apparent to me the last four months.

Four months ago I started tagging along with these guys on their out of town shows and really had a chance to see what the music and band is all about. These guys have really welcomed me into their family and what they are doing is so much bigger than what they realize. It really is amazing to see the turnout when they play a show at Barleys and its packed upstairs and down with just about everyone in Knoxville we know and a lot we don’t. The coolest thing it when they are playing a show that is 4 hours away and the majority of the crowd is singing along to their songs. That’s when I’m blown away and I can see that this is going to be much bigger than expected.

The trip started Friday when we all loaded in the van and headed down to Atlanta where they had a show at Vinyl. The venue was great and the folks in Atlanta  were really digging the music. The guys, with Cozmo sitting in, played a few of their new songs and if you haven’t got the chance to hear them live yet you definitely should make it out to the next show. They make me really excited about the next album. This show set the stage for what was going to be a legendary weekend.

The next morning we woke up and headed out to pay homage to the creator of Southern Rock and the best slide guitarist to ever live, Duane Allman. When we arrived at Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon it was probably the prettiest cemetery around. We meandered around for probably 45 minutes on this 65 acre property looking for the grave until we realized there was a map that we walked right past. When we finally located the grave it was surreal moment and we were all left a little speechless. There’s something about the death of a person who was truly great at something to make you a little introspective. This was like a trip to Mecca for the band because they channeled something from the site of Duane that most definitely carried on to the nights show.

We arrived in downtown Macon around 8:30 at The Hummingbird and set up. The band was slated to go on at ten and I must say that I was a little nervous looking out at the sparse crowd. By 11 when they decided to go on the placed had filled out and had a crowd that came to get rowdy. What happened next was amazing and left me speechless. They played their hearts out that night giving The Hummingbird every bit of rock ‘n roll energy they had, giving the crowd so much energy it felt like an oncoming freight train. Every song just as big and loud as the next that kept you on your toes all night.

I must say that as fun as the shows are it’s the rides in the van that are best part of trips. The van has added a positive element to the band unlike any other. I feel like the constant laughing at and with each other, the 100 degree temperatures in the summer, the smell the next morning after having eaten 45 Krystal’s in it the night before, waking up in it (at least for 2 of us), rocking out to “Come On Eileen”, and the plethora of randomness in the floor of it makes for the great energy and positivity that you see on stage. In the van it’s like your best friends living room, comedy club, and juke box on wheels.

My only regret at this time is not going on these trips a lot sooner than I did. I think I speak for a great number of family, friends, and fans when I say I can’t wait until were traveling as a job on a bus and the world knows how great the music is. I have feeling that it may be here sooner than we think.

Much love,

Savage