Russell’s Rundown
What a unique experience spending the 4th of July weekend celebrating the beauty and variety of americana music at the Sound Lab in Sutton (London) and Maverick Festival with our UK (and all over) friends and fellow humans.
The band that rides tight stays tight - Andrew
Upon arrival I experienced a bit of anxiety learning that my bass had been left behind in Orlando, but the production teams at SoundLab and Maverick were quick to find replacements. It was a real treat to play Scott Warman’s (@scottwarmanbass) Pino Palladino edition P-Bass for our Friday night set.
After a jet lag induced early awakening Saturday morning, I grabbed a tasty toastee from a local bakery and meandered through the streets of Woodbridge. I eventually found myself on a footpath along the River Deben, a truly pastoral vista of English countryside. Six miles upriver from the North Sea, the river was at low tide and the small sailboats rested on their kneels in the today’s flats. Several folks were rowing the river in single sculls. The serenity of this morning scene gave undoubtedly was a source of inspiration for the ambient music of local son, Brian Eno.
While Johnny and Beth were heading to Birmingham for a songwriters round, Andrew and I headed back to Maverick to catch some more music. Being there all three days was a great way to see so many artists and get to hang with them afterwards. We had a good time jamming with Chris Murphy, violinist extraordinaire. This man must have a nuclear reactor for a hear because his energy is never ceasing. Along with Chris, we were joined by Jim Maving, of The Autumn Saints, for our rendition of Sugaree during the Bob Weir and Donna Jean Godchaux tribute jam (which was amazing!).
After the festival Sunday we ventured north and met our friend Craig Gould at the Tamworth Tap for their American Beer Festival. After winding down there we found a hotel, but unbeknownst to us it was right next to a loud sports bar getting ready for the England-Mexico World Cup Match that wouldn’t start until 2am. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep while the sports bar was blaring loud music and young fans were shouting during every tense moment, I found a more adult pub and settled in with a pint to watch the match. It was a great, competitive game and worth staying up for and I had some good conversations with locals that had stayed up for the early morning match.
The next morning we headed to Heathrow and Andrew and I parted ways with Johnny and Beth. We had a group hug and selfie celebrating a successful and validating week of shows. It was a long flight and drive back to Montgomery, but I relish the opportunity to do it again!