Robyn’s Reflections on the Red Dirt Tour 2017

As the dragon eats miles with wheels,
we are seasoned by places and steeped in communal time,
edges overlapping
state lines crossing
Frontier lands expanding
As we manifest our anticipated dream

From the Mojave desert to the swamps and the mighty Mississippi, from the powdery white sands of the gulf coast to the red hills of Oklahoma, our eyes witness the landscape.  Large semi trucks rattle and hiss, cows clutter in stalls, refineries glimmer, familiar brands reappear at truck stops, the map cannot tell how sight deepens into the complex process of moving and processing all that becomes human life in the post industrial age.

So much magnificent water. Rivers and bays are now the vehicles for transporting barges full of products and our waste. Still, the trees stand in the swamps and maintain life and beauty. Egrets perch and hawks soar, Ravens blessing us with their presence and a feather.

My heart is sore from opening with joy of the adventure, compassion for the sensitivity of my dear friends, learning to let go of resentment when I feel like I’m “doing more” than other people, realizing we all have our part to contribute and grateful for the deepening teamwork and threads of communication, even when the lessons come the hard way. 


The band’s sound has evolved as our coexistence coagulates, our groove is more confident as we share the shows with hundreds over the internet. Local characters in the bars like Virgil, Jeff, Grace, Rowdy, RJ, Harry, Katie, “loudmouth”…make playing music worth it, even if only a few people are there on a Monday night… southern yells can count for triple!  We know we have touched people with our music, so in some ways we have already reached our destination.

The Dragon makes for a fine home, sheltering us day and night. People see him/her on the road and their eyes shine with delight! The bus hums steadily on the interstates, a grind and a jump into and out of gear, pulsing stops and a shudder before coming to rest.  Perhaps this is all his/her dream to see the country? We’re glad to oblige, and Billy, Nick and Anthony have taken the wheel and the steps on the pedals and clutches to steer our music into places across the country.

Pretty epic when I think about it.


Though the miles can feel monotonous, the countryside and culture changes so much every several hundred miles, and it’s such a great way to travel when we can move around and have our own space and not have to be confined to sitting all the time!


It may be epic to be on the road, but it’s also humbling when your pockets are empty and you have to pee on the grass next to the asphalt. Comfort is found even in the white and orange lights of rest and truck stops and the intermittent whining hum of the interstate.

Fireworks, cracklins, tumbleweed…

After Thanksgiving the soundtrack in rest stops becomes Christmas…in Winslow AZ they start even earlier with the annual parade the week beforehand. Fry bread, hand crafted art, herbs, and balloons, bubbles, and toy guns!

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony took the wheel to bring our drivers up to three, he also bought us Pizza hut in Sonora…on top of playing drums on a shaking stage in Houston…

Nick live streamed our shows to hundreds of people, and stepped up to the bus driving plate with confidence and ease… becoming an electrician while the bus was on the move so we could have power to charge our phones and play music through a speaker…

 

 

 

 

 

Kai Lana and Robyn made a delicious medicinal soup outside of El Paso while the guys got the dragon moving again after he needed more fuel…a blessed occurrence considering we may have gone down the road and gotten stuck, but luckily we figured out we’d run out of fuel at the Xpress filling station…

Billy created bunks for all of us to sleep in, taught the gentle road wizardry of dragon driving, unloaded equipment and ran sound for most of our shows…

 

 

 

Jeremy climbed in and out of the belly of the beast to unload equipment, played Pokemon with passion, kept us going with the jams, and navigated the ways even through illness…

Kai Lana held space with grace, taking photos and videos, uplifting our spirits during the shows, shared advice on the road, and helped us sell much merch…

Dis the tripod slept with all of us, showing us how to get rest on the road, and showed the love by refraining to eat our stuff. She met her match with Daqs and the dogs at Emily’s house in Florida, making friends and getting her fill of running and play. Such a sweetheart, she’s growing into the ultimate road dog.

I learned how to surf the dragon while cooking and making coffee…balancing pots of boiling water in my hand and moving with the bumps and curves!  Though I’m not tall enough to reach the pedals of the bus, or strong enough to maneuver without power steering, I was able to book shows for us that turned music into money into fuel for the journey.

The experience of witnessing a father-daughter reunion and sharing Thanksgiving with friends and relations new and old was worth it; making it all the way to Florida for special moments and Billy schooling us at the pool table!

 

We have all gotten our “sea legs” as the majority of the days we’ve been driving and riding the waves of traffic and rivers of interstates and highways; the worst day was being bogged down in the swamp of a standstill in Louisiana …it took us 12 hours to go 300 miles…

We’ve been time traveling as we cross state lines, from Pacific to Eastern, most shows we arrived on time, except for Houston, but we still rocked the White Swan!  (Note to self: never drive West on I-10 the Sunday after Thanksgiving!)

I’ve learned that giving away without expectations is of benefit to all and so it benefits the one who gives, and to trust that we’re all doing the best we can.

I’ve learned that grief comes in many forms, that something small to one may be something big to another. Choosing kindness and gentleness can be difficult in the moment when time and tempers feel short, but these moments together are really all we have. This point in space and time will never be repeated in the same way. So I’m going to strive to choose kind words and gentle actions, especially with those I love. What benefits one benefits one another.


Being in a traveling band is so much more than just playing music together, though it’s being in the service of music that moves us. We have all contributed to manifesting this dream, like feathers on a wing supporting flight. We have depended on each other, given of ourselves, and trusted in what is possible. We may have lost some things along the way, through tears, missed words, passed opportunities, or egoic pride, but that just leaves more space for what we have gained in love, understanding, compassion, and collective consciousness.


The landscape is as vast, wild, varied, and manmade as our hearts. We have traveled uncharted lands across both.

 

 

 

Thank you for reading these words I wrote while we were on tour!  <3 Robyn

Cuddle Up!

After much collaboration and cuddling with these tracks, we’re joyful to release this studio recording of “Cuddle Up” today!

Stay tuned…we will be releasing more recordings weekly leading up to The Dragon’s Red Dirt Tour!

More Haikus to Portland and Klamath Falls

{Here’s the account of our weekend travel and shows up in Oregon!}

Saturday, December 17

Corvallis –> Portland, OR

Showers, breakfast, yum

Billy breakfasted with Steel

a little ether

~

To Portland we go,

Through the ice and snow on roads

not going so slow.

~

Arrived early at

The Analog Theater

We’re well received there

~

Portland vibes and scene

We rocked and rolled longer on

Stage for snowy crowd

~

JGBD Band

Brought people out in the snow

and Robyn got drunk.

~

Portland bus antics

Some recorded, some questioned,

Our friends are awesome.

~

Kyler hosted us,

Had to leave early to go

South to Klamath Falls.

Sunday, December 18

Portland –> Klamath Falls, OR

Winter wonderland

Through Willamette Pass, we stand

Beauty all around

~

Oregon mountain towns

The Dragon sure likes it here

We are sailing smooth

~

We meet with Victor,

who guides us to our parking,

Enter The Pikey!

~

We have mutual

love for this place and magic

unfolded on stage.

pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…

~

Continuing DAtour with Haikus

Friday, December 12, 2016

Ashland–>Corvallis

The Dragon, Awake,

Slumbers in Jackson Wellsprings

We head to Grant’s Pass

~

Fuel filter gasket

Air leak and no pressure in

It was pretty rough

 

Grant’s Pass re-supply

Other cars flying by us,

Had to stop again.

~

Two ravens flew high,

Blessing our safe passage

Hour to work, jam, pray

The Dragon purrs when

We arrive in the mountains

Like he’s home again

~

Over big mountain

passes, we are flying fast

Now we are late, but

~

No one arrived at

Samm’s house in Corvallis ’til

We found snowy town.

~

We played acoustic

in the warm old house, birthday

Enjoyment to all

(drunk cat.)

~

{Once we got to the snowy mountain passes of Oregon, we experienced a relatively smooth ride, experienced epic scenery, played amazing shows, meeting fun folk along the way…tell you more about it next week!}

From the Dragon’s Log: More Locational Haikus

{I was inspired to write down what transpired on this tour in the form of haikus, partly because the name #zenmountainpoets  emerged through some haikus that Billy and Victor were writing while hanging out in San Diego.  Here’s the account of the next couple days}:

Wednesday, December 14: Fairfield, CA –> Ashland, OR

Soul Christmas Music

The earth quakes, some are awake

Missing piece aligned

~

Raining on the road

Gas station to rest station

Pulled over in Weed

~

Shasta energy

palpable as we journey

into the mountains

~

Raining in Ashland

Oberon’s is warm, friendly

Fairie folk abound

~

Enjoying the sound

Gordon guides us to Wellsprings

near Bear Creek Greenspace

Thursday, December 15: Ashland, OR

Re-organ-izing

The Dragon’s wiring grounded

Toil and caring hands

~

Mechanic Billy

Anthony and Jeremy

Logistical Team

~

Near Jackson Wellsprings

so Amaris and Robyn

make the pilgrimage

~

The healing waters

Lithia and connections

Sauna, showers, yes…

~

{more to come…}

 

From the Dragon’s Log: Robyn’s locational haikus

Monday December 12, 2016

Morro Bay –> Paso Robles

Batten the Hatches

Bus surfing is key to ride

In-synch gas station

~

Paso Robles –> Sebastopol

Twenty miles per hour

Jamming music brings us pow’r

Finally landed.

~

Tuesday December 13, 2016

Sebastopol

Fuel pump research day

Friendly forces combine to

Help us play on time

~

Christmas decorates

Apple pie and coffee ate

Timmy keeps bar great!