Well we are back from our trip to Europe, and we have put together the biggest Photo Blog – Road Journal ever.  We were robbed, we ate some good food, we ate some really crappy food, and we had some great times, and great shows.  Above all some great shows.

Our plane was late, and we had to spend 24 hours in Philadelphia.  This was one of the first things we saw once we finally got to Ireland.  Already we were confused.

This is a row of Irish Pubs in Kilkenney, Ireland.  They look an awful lot like Irish Pubs in the US, and they have Budweiser on tap everywhere!  John Cleere’s is the white one with red trim.  We played there, and it was killer.

A church in Kilkenney, Ireland.

We were told that you could get a pint and a prayer on every corner.  Here is yet another cool church in Kilkenny, Ireland.  This time with graveyard.

This is an alter inside the Black Abbey in Kilkenny, Ireland.

Kilkenney Castle, Kilkenney, Ireland.

Weird Statue in Kilkenney, Ireland.

This  is outside of Buckingham Palace.  I believe that is a giant pile of poop.

This is one of those soldiers who doesn’t talk or move.  London, England.  A couple of them did give me a dirty look and a nod for getting too close.

Protesters very close to Big Ben.

Near Buckingham Palace, Breezy feeds a squirrel rice krispy treats.  Two things here… One, Who knew squirrels love rice krispies.  Second, if you look back through the blog archives here you will see that this is not the first time Breezy has fed animals by hand.  She is like the beastmaster.

Near where Breezy fed the squirrels the Rev. Peyton stands in front of a famous London Plane tree.

The  London show was one of my favorites, and we had seen some amazing things.  Little did I know the clothes I was wearing in this picture, in front of Big Ben, would be the clothes I would wear for the next two and a half weeks.

This was the menu at Water Rats, the venue in London.  Toad in the Hole with Gravy?

The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.  These fellas dress old fashoined, but their firearms are mean and modern.  I wouldn’t mess with them.

See what I mean.  Mean and modern guns.  A guy near their said it like this, “They are proper soldiers.”

This is Rainer.  He was our driver for a lot of the tour.  He had to bring the bad news, that while we were playing  the show in London… All of my things were stolen.  For two weeks I had to wear the same clothes.  I just  hand washed them in the sink.

The thieves busted the window out of the van, and got my computer, clothes, medicine, and song journal.  Everything.  I still had my guitars though, so thank god the tour continued.

This is  the world  famous Brighton Pier in Brighton, England.  It was beautiful, but really really cold.  I have never felt wind outside like that except for during a storm.  The donuts on the pier were killer.

Amsterdam is beautiful.  There is water running down the streets like Venice, Italy.  You can take a boat taxi.  I was amazed at how clean Amsterdam was.

Jayme and the Rev. Peyton stand in front of the Flying Dutchman as it makes it’s way down a  canal in Amsterdam.

In Amsterdam we found an “ethnic” grocery store that sold American food.  This is a picture of the stuff in the window.  We couldn’t help but laugh… and buy a bunch of crap.  Jayme and Breezy bought Mountain Dew.  I got Root Beer.

I knew that there would be legal weed in Amsterdam, but I didn’t expect stuff like this.

They really frown on taking pictures of the working girls in the red light district in Amsterdam, so I had  to take this picture on the sly.

Small European truck in Amsterdam.

Big Dutch Shoe.

We stayed on this boat in Harlingen, Holland.  The beds were pretty comfortable.  Beats the floor any day of the week.

This was the bathroom on the boat.  The shower was right above the toilet.  No curtain or anything.  You just shower over everything!  See the drain!  We ran into a few of these kind of bathrooms.

I took this from the boat at night after the show.  Pretty awesome.

Jayme feeds a zebra.

Jayme is a Zebra.

The Rev. Peyton stands in front of the fun statue of the “Bremen Musicians,” Bremen, Germany.

A gold wall in Bremen, Germany.

This man stood in the middle of the square tapping a book and shouting toward the sky.  I asked some kids what he was saying, and they said he was crazy, and I said yeah, but what is he saying?  They said he is talking about Jesus.  A street preacher, I thought to myself.

The police then came and arrested him.  This freaked us out a little bit.  Some of the crowd cheered, but an old man took up his cause for a while. No one could explain it to us exactly.  I wondered what his crime was.

An old couple walks under an old tower in Ulm, Germany.  Birthplace of Albert Einstein.

This was on the door to the reception area of the hotel we stayed at in Ulm, Germany.  I know the first line is “Love is.”  The second line is still a mystery.

Dave, our tour manager, challenged people all over Europe to a drinking contest.  He was undefeated.  First up was Rainer our driver.  Rainer gave him the best competition, but still lost.  We had a lot of fun with Rainer.  He was a good guide.

Next up was our next driver Lars.  Dave beat him pretty bad as you can see.  Lars was one of the nicest people I have ever met, and I think Dave freaked him out with his speed drinking.

Lars ran out of gas on the Autobahn.  Dave and Jayme went looking for gasoline.  Jayme returned and said Dave kept going and he decided to come back.  30 minutes later we see Dave running with a gas can.  We measured it out, and we think Dave had to run almost 4 miles to get the gas.  Lars was amazed.  Between the drinking and the running, I think he was freaked out.  Dave did it all in 30 minutes, half of it with 10 liters of diesel.

In Ulm we had our only real day off with no travel or transportation.  We went to a carnival.  Here we are eating Brats that are a half meter long.  They are broken in half and doubled over the bun.  Pictured are tour manager Dave, Jayme, Driver Lars, and The Rev. Peyton.

This is maybe the scariest ride I have  ever seen.  Breezy and our tour manager Dave rode it.  Jayme, our driver Lars, and myself watched from the safety of the ground. Ulm, Germany.

Jayme is on this Space ride at Carnival in Ulm, Germany.

Most of the rides had English names and/or American themes.  This was the “American Grab.”  It was a big bunch of “Crane Machines.”

This ride was strange.  “Swing Time.”  Kids just  stood up and bopped around while this thing tilted and spun.   It was like a weird dance party.

Most of the food that  in the United States we think of as “German Food,” is actually Bavarian Food (Southern Germany).  Brats, Kraut, and Giant Pretzels like this one in Ulm, Germany.

I was a little bummed out being around all these American style rides and a fireworks show at a carnival that except for a few things  might have been in the US.  I really wanted an elephant ear.  I kept talking about it.  On the way out we saw this  guy getting ready to put ham and cheese on what looked like an Elephant Ear!!!!!!  I stopped him, and I asked Lars to see if they had cinnamon and sugar.  They did!  And even though the  guy thought it was weird to put cinnamon and sugar on a “langos,” he agreed and I got my Elephant Ear.  It  was awesome.

A couple of  tractors work the German Countryside.

This is how you work the laundromat in Germany.  All in German.  We were clueless.

Every now and then things would be lost in translation.  I think they mean “Live Show.”  In the red light district  of Hamburg, Germany.  Just  like Amsterdam’s only smaller.

This is a public toilet in Hamburg, Germany.  The lights depict these little fellas peeing into a pot of gold.  That  really struck me funny.

The Tyrrhenian Sea part of the Mediterranean Sea, Livorno, Italy.

I don’t know what this fella was doing in the Adriatic Sea near Cesena, Italy.  It looked like he  might have  had little things floating around  in the ocean too.  If you know what that device is let us know.

Breezy and  I stand in front of the  Leaning  Tower of Pisa.  Man it was pretty awe inspiring.  I can’t explain it.  Huge and it really does lean.  Looks  like it is gonna  fall.

Street musicians in Oslo, Norway.

Field of yellow flowers in the Czech Republic.

This was an energy drink/condom combination we  saw in Germany.  Pretty funny.

Swiss lake.  That water  is really that  blue.  That cliff is really that tall.

Another section of the lake.  It was massive.

Bird bath statue of a boy strangling a goose.  Near Livorno, Italy.

Castle in Cesena, Italy.

Strange Statue in Cesena, Italy.

The Moon looks  down on Cesena, Italy at night.

A pair of Norwegian Moose.

The pedestrians in Norway are sharp dressed.

Happy Troll statue in Norway.  Norway loves trolls!

Norwegian Lake.

We had  to take the van on a bunch of ferry rides.  This is from the ferry in Norway.

Breezy walks down a hill in Norway.

This is quite a vista in Norway.  Check out the giant waterfalls.  They look like little white lines.

Norway is pretty far North.  I part of our travels took us through a place that looked like this… In June!

We stayed in this house  for a couple of days.  A lot of Norwegian  houses have grass on the roof.  Pretty cool I thought.  From far away they blend in with the  mountains.  Like camouflage.

These  kids came  in second  or something in a  “Norway Idol” type singing competition.  We were told they were  famous and we should get our picture with them.  Here it is!

This is a Viking dog collar found in a burial mound of a viking.  Even their dogs were bad ass.

This a ship at the Viking Ship museum.  This is an actual ship that was buried with a Viking Queen.  They buried the whole ship filled with treasures and artifacts.

This is the Oslo lighthouse and a giant Stena Line Ferry.  We rode the Stena Line from UK to France.

Breezy in front of a cool boat in an Oslo Harbor.  Oslo, Norway.

This is Oslo, Norway.  That giant ship in the back is the Stena Line.  It is pretty far back there.  Then there is the broad side of a huge sail boat.  Look at the cars over to the side for perspective.

One  of the coolest shows of the whole tour was put together by our friend and Norwegian Promoter Andree.  It was in a big Junkyard.  you can see some of the cars in the right.  That car to the left of  Breezy has a big ax stuck right in the  hood.  You can see the handle to the left of Breezy.

Breezy in the  Junkyard.

The  Rev. Peyton in the  Junkyard.  Norway.  The  trip was a real adventure, and we made  so many friends.  If you have any pictures send ‘em in.  Get ready for a killer Summer.  Festivals and shows all over the USA and even Canada.  From the Vans Warped Tour to Austin City Limits Fest.  From Indiana to California.  Please help us get the word out, and thanks for all the help at home and abroad.  your pals, The Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band.

We had a great time in the American West.  It was our best West tour ever.   The crowds were amazing.  Thank you so much.  The shows would be nothing without you.  Here are a few pictures from the trip.

This is our van in West Yellowstone.  The weather was rough, but so far this winter we have been pretty fortunate regarding weather.

Here is a shot through the inside of the van while we drove through Yellowstone.

Icicles and a sunset in Crested Butte, CO

We stopped off at the Burl Gallery in Kerbyville, OR.  Everything is made out of burl, and there are some great burl artists.

I wish I had more pictures of the great art – mostly I have pictures of the grounds.  Here is a tree house.  Jayme made his way up there.  Can you see him?

Jayme in a Burl Gallery tree house.

Cool old car at the Burl Gallery.

Ole’ Connie Sue.  At the Burl Gallery in Kerbyville, OR.

Jayme kneels along the Smith River in Northern California.   We had a day off, so we went fishing.

Jayme skips a rock across the Smith River.  Jayme is one of the best rock skippers on the planet.

Bridge across the Smith River.

An old timer pointed us toward this tributary of the Smith River for viewing redwood trees.

Jayme and I decided to wet a line.

Here I am casting to the other side.  I really needed my fly rod for this kind of stuff, but my bass rig is all I bring with me on the road.   Fishing is fun even when the gear and weather ain’t really right for it.

Breezy at sunset in Crescent City. CA.

I was standing in the same spot when I took the picture of Breezy, but I just looked to the left and got this picture.  It is a house on the rocks in Crescent City, CA.

Sunset and a Seagull, Crescent City, CA.

We drove a while out of our way to get to this redwood tree you can drive through.  Our van was too big.   The trombone goes wah wah wah waaaaaaah.

This is a “One Log House.”  Myers, CA.

Elk in the mist in Northern California.

These elk had just locked horns, but I missed the pic.

We got pretty close to this one.  I love sneaking up on animals.   Do not try at home!

We had another day off, and we decided to do more fishing at Lake Casitas in Southern California.  I have tried to research cool places and cheap or free things to do and see as we travel around out here.  This lake had super cheap boat rentals.

Breezy drives the john boat on Lake Casitas in Southern, CA.

Lake Casitas has a bunch of really strange birds.  Here is a not very good picture of some black ducks with white beaks.  Pretty strange.

It was starting to get really cold here at Lake Casitas.

Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach, CA.

This is close up on the bottom right of the above photo.   Look at all the shells in the holes.

Breezy and I sit on the cliffs. Ocean Beach, CA.

A small cove at the Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach.

Breezy at the pier at Ocean Beach, CA.  It is the longest pier on the west coast.

Sunset picture taken off the pier at Ocean Beach.

This is the stage at Club Congress in Tucson, AZ.   It is an amazing looking venue.

Breezy rocks out on stage at the Granada Theatre in Dallas, TX.  These great live shots were taken by Bill Ellison.

A great picture of Jayme at the Granada Theatre in Dallas, TX.  We need more great live shots of Jayme.

The Rev. Peyton at the Granada Theatre, Dallas, TX.

Breezy here proving once again that she is the queen of the washboard.  She has really taken the washboard to another level, another place.  At the Granada Theatre in this photo she set it on fire… literally.   Her playing is no gimmick, no hokum cheesy jug band schtick.  She kicks ass on that thing, and I think will prove once and for all that the instrument is serious.

We went to the true home of Santa Claus.  Where?  Soon enough, but first we go to Delaware.

Bird’s sit on a dock over looking a bay in New Castle, Delaware.

We went to New Castle, Delaware while on tour, because it was in the book 1001 places to see before you die.  We found this graveyard.  It reminded me of graveyards in New Orleans or Savannah.  Check out this name… Chauncey Pettibone Holcomb.  That is a name.

More of the graveyard in New Castle, DE

Gone Home, Check out the cat on the ledge.

We broke down in New York, and the tow truck driver let Jayme and our tour manager Dave ride in the van on top of the truck.  I am sure it is against the law, but we appreciated the lift.  This is a view from inside the van on top of the flat bed!

Jayme and our tour manager Flava Dave wave from a john boat on Deer Point Lake in North Florida.

We went fishing on Dee Point Lake before the show in Panama City, FL.  The water was like glass.  I have never seen anything like it.

More at Deer Point Lake.  You can hardly tell that it is water.  You could flip the picture and it would be the same.

Deer Point Lake, FL.  The reflection is amazing.

Spanish moss hangs on a tree on Deer Point Lake while the moon is high and the sun goes down.

This is a picture from Madison, WI.  The crowd was great.  It was a special night.  I can tell you though, the last few weeks have been really special.  The shows coming to the close of the year have been some of the best of the year.  We don’t take you for granted.

If you travel to the North Pole all you will find is ice and polar bears.  If you want to see Santa Claus you need to come to Santa Claus, IN.

Santa’s Candy Castle, Santa Claus, IN.  The building was designed by artist Emil Strauss.

Inside you’ll find… Candy!  Including one of the largest selections of different flavored candy canes in the world!

Bench in Santa Claus, Indiana.

And finally the Giant Santa Claus Statue in Santa Claus, Indiana.  We still have our Holiday show in Indianapolis, IN and New Year’s Eve in Denver with Flogging Molly before we kick off our west coast tour.  See you all then!  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

We have been working hard lately and traveling hard too.  I got to do some much needed bass fishin’, but it wasn’t quite enough rest and relaxation, cause I ended up a little under the weather.  It happens, not to worry – I am fine.  We have some great pics of some fall leaves, some beautiful bass, and some great pics sent to us by an amazing photographer and friend, Greg the Mayor of Broad Ripple, IN.  First those pics from the archive…

This is part of a series of photos taken after our instore performance at INDY CD and VINYL in Broad Ripple, IN by Greg the Mayor of Broad Ripple.   http://www.myspace.com/themayorofbroadripple

This is part of a series of photos taken after our instore performance at INDY CD and VINYL in Broad Ripple, IN by Greg the Mayor of Broad Ripple.

This is during the instore show at Indy CD and Vinyl.  We are pretty new to doing instore shows, but they have been a lot of fun.  We love doing our part for the indie cd stores.  This is another from Greg the Mayor of Broad Ripple.

This is part of a series of photos taken after our instore performance at INDY CD and VINYL in Broad Ripple, IN by Greg the Mayor of Broad Ripple.

This is part of a series of photos taken after our instore performance at INDY CD and VINYL in Broad Ripple, IN by Greg the Mayor of Broad Ripple.

Jayme performing inside Indy CD and Vinyl.  Another by Greg the Mayor of Broad Ripple.

This is part of a series of photos taken after our instore performance at INDY CD and VINYL in Broad Ripple, IN by Greg the Mayor of Broad Ripple.  I thought these were worth sharing.  Greg is a talented person.

Fall in the Adirondacks of upstate New York.  The reds in this area were amazing.  I didn’t get a super photo here, but the red had to be shared.

Fall Color along the Sacandaga River.

Another shot of the Sacandaga River.

We get a flat tire in the rain south of Cleveland, OH.

Fall Color in Travelers Rest, South Carolina.  Looks an awful lot like those NY pics doesn’t it.

Nice Bass caught pitching to a log in Travelers Rest, SC.  It was caught using a baitcaster reel that was a gift from some friends at Quantum.  Thanks Fellas!

Kiss my Bass.  Travelers Rest, SC

Will Rogers Statue at the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, OK.  Will Rogers was a pretty amazing figure in American History.  Look him up if you don’t know.

When WIll Rogers Died, his wife got several telegrams and they are at the museum in Claremore, OK.  Here are two.  Roosevelt and…

Laurel and Hardy on Will Rogers.

Rare Snow Geese near Burlington, VT.

Keep Spreading the word out there friends.  We get by thanks to you all.

Thanks to everyone that helped our new album “The Whole Fam Damnily” debut at # 4 on the Billboard Blues charts! It is a great start, but we have a long way to go! Keep playing the record for your friends, and if you haven’t got it, then get it! And now… People wanted more pics from Revstock, People get more pics from Revstock! To headline a music festival in your name is an honor, and to do it 2,394 miles from home is an even bigger honor. Here we see festival goers enjoying the Big Damn Music at Revstock ’08 in Ashland, OR. Picture has been censored to protect the innocent.

A shot from behind The Rev.

The handmade sign out front of the festival!

A pic of the front of the crowd from above.

You can see here where the last picture came from

!
Breezy rocks out at Revstock ’08.

A shot from the front row.

Another shot from behind The Rev.

Jayme rocks out at Revstock!

Homemade Revstock ’08 t-shirt! Next year maybe we should have official shirts!

Rev. Peyton and Festival Promoter, Clint Clark, go over permits with the Ashland, OR police before the festival began.

The great band Ha Ha Tonka warms up the crowd as people start to gather at the main stage!

This is Clint Clark, frontman for the band Pater Familias, and the man responsible for thinking up, promoting, and doing logistics for Revstock! He pulled it off in fine form!

Members of The Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Ha Ha Tonka, Pater Familias and more, pose for a picture after the successful completion of Revstock ’08!

Hope to see you at Revstock ’09! Get “The Whole Fam Damnily.” Thanks for everything! And thanks to Clint Clark and Dave Searle for these photos!

It has been too long since I posted one of our photo blog/road journals. We have been busy working on the release of our new album “The Whole Fam Damnily.” It comes out August 5th! And now… The Miss Edna in Saugatuck, MI.

Superman watches over Metropolis, IL way down on the Ohio River.

More from Metropolis, IL

Check out this awesome tattoo on a fan from Ohio. It is the Rev. Peyton face from the Big Damn Nation album cover, complete with an inked in Rev. Peyton signature. What a supreme honor.

We are fortunate to have been able to meet some really amazing people across the world. Our dear friend Jason Webley introduced us to another one, Amanda Palmer. She is in the Dresden Dolls, and these are pictures from the home in Boston where she lives. It looks like something out of a twisted fairy tale. Amazing to say the least. She was kind enough to let us all stay there when we toured through Boston with Jason.

This is more from Amanda’s house.

Lighthouses off the coast of Virginia. I put these two pics together.

One of the last real Mississippi Delta Jukes in existence is Sarah’s Kitchen in Clarksdale, MS. Miss Sarah said that our last show there set an attendance record. What an honor. Here we are with Miss Sarah herself outside of her famous establishment.

This photo is taken inside Cat Head also in Clarksdale, MS. Here I am with our pal Roger Stolle. He promotes shows and owns Cat Head – one of the coolest places on the planet. Folk art and Blues music record store. We are lucky to know someone as dedicated as Roger.

A giant metal chicken made out of car bumpers. Brundidge, AL. Words cannot describe how killer this is.

Breezy and Jayme stand in awe at the highest point in Alabama with Otis Gibbs who was opening for us on tour, and Dave our pal who has been on the road helping to tour manage, etc. We drove hours out of our way to get to this point. I can’t say we were disappointed , but it wasn’t the vista we expected.

Otis Gibbs figured we should get a picture in front of this landmark spot in Nashville, TN while we were there.

While driving through Post Falls, Idaho on the way to Seattle we passed Big Al’s. Breezy and I celebrated our anniversary at the Mud Bog’s being hosted there.

This is a photo of “Hogwash” at the Mud rally in Post Falls, ID.

Our first headlining music festival, Revstock 08, was a HUGE success. Hundreds came, and everyone had fun – even the cops. Here we see a young lady posing in her homemade Revstock shirt.

This is the sign that volunteers painted for outside of the festival. This event really was special. Unfortunately I only got a few pics. If you have some please send them in, or post them at the new forum at www.bigdamnband.com.

This bridge over the Snake River in Idaho is massive. BASE Jumping is legal there! One of the few places in the world.

Below the bridge we saw this posted.

The Snake River Canyon, Twin Falls, ID.

Over the last couple of months we have seen some of the most amazing waterfalls in the world. This is Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, ID. At 212 feet, the falls are higher than Niagara Falls.

Jayme stands near a smaller waterfall just yards from Shoshone.

This is Jayme hiking the Smith River.

This is the wooden indian that stands guard at the O’Brien Country store in O’Brien, OR.

This is the restroom at the O’Brien Country store in O’Brien, OR. They give you a key attached to a giant fly swatter for the facilities.

This is Horsetail falls. It is just outside of Portland, OR. The 178 foot high, 15 foot wide Horsetail Falls plunges down a cliff on the northwest side of Larch Mountain in the shape of a giant, white horsetail. Just yards from Multnomah Falls.

This is Multnomah Falls. It is spectacular. You can find it on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Multnomah Falls is the second-tallest year-round waterfall in the US. The water of the Falls drops 620 feet from its origin on Larch Mountain.

In addition to giant waterfalls in Portland, we had giant donuts. This is from Voodoo Donuts in Portland, OR.

Our van overheated on top of this mountain in Northern California. There was a giant plaque near here that commemorated the State of Jefferson. In 1941 part of Northern California tried to secede from the union. This spot was deep in the heart of the short lived rebellion.

Jayme and Breezy stand in front of a redwood tree in Northern California.

Here Jayme stands ON a redwood tree.

This man tried to sell us this Goofy Hat in Atlanta, GA.

Breezy at the old fort Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, FL. The show in St. Augustine was really special, and we ended up getting some great pics while there.

This picture is through the window behind where Breezy was standing.

The fort is rumored to be haunted. This is the room that was discovered that supposedly had bones in it.

To get to the room you have to crawl.

Church in St. Augustine.

St. Augustine graveyard.

Palm tree in St. Augustine

Man on a unicycle in St. Augustine.

On the other side of the country in Malibu, California we spotted this seal or sea lion out in the water. At first Breezy thought it was a dog drowning. In her defense it did look like it!

This is the pier at Ocean Beach in San Diego, CA. It is the longest pier on the west coast. You can fish without a license too!

For what ever reason we ended up seeing all of these waterfalls, and it wouldn’t be complete without this one, Niagara Falls. This is Breezy and our pal Dave. Breezy is cheering as we are all being drenched. They give you rain coats, but the sheer force of the water throws “mist” and water everywhere. It is awe inspiring.

We took a trip aboard the “Maid of the Mist” it goes right up to the Canadian part of the falls – Horseshoe Falls. When we travel we can only do cheap or free things when we find any time, and the boat trip was pretty cheap. I couldn’t believe it. Would have been worth it at twice the price.

This is a picture of the American falls at night. The American side has a light show on it every night.

Ostrich racing in Altoona, IA.

Camel Racing in Altoona, IA.

This is an amazing piece of art is hanging on the wall in Incision Tattoo in Phoenix, AZ. Mike, one of the owners has hooked me up with tattoos, and I love them. People have asked for photos of them, but I have none. Maybe I’ll get some for the next blog. Mike did a great job by the way! Don’t forget about the new album, and check out the new look and the new forums at www.bigdamnband.com

We just got back from Norway, and before that… being out on the Green 17 tour with the amazing Flogging Molly tour was incredible. Even Flogging Molly’s crew was bad assed. They took care of us like we were paying them. I’ll get to that, but first some random pics from earlier in the year!

Jayme in a beach cave near San Diego, California.

Water on a rock in Northern California.

Coconut on the beach in Palm Beach, FL

Jayme stands on the banks of the Smith River. Check out that blue water. Amazing.

The Portuguese Man of War.

A misty beach in the redwood forest of Northern California.

Jayme walks near the Smith River.

Parrot in San Diego, CA.

Rainbow over a field in Florida.

Red Berries along the Smith River.

The bus was photographed in Colorado in the mountains somewhere between Denver and Aspen. It could be yours…

The sun sets behing rocks and surf in Northern California.

Now for some pics from our tour with Flogging Molly on their annual Green 17 tour. This is Breezy kicking ass in Atlanta, GA.

Photos by Todd Gay Photography taken at The Chance Theater, Poughkeepsie, NY.

Photos by Todd Gay Photography taken at The Chance Theater, Poughkeepsie, NY.

Jayme tears it up in Charlotte, NC.

Breezy rocks out in North Carolina.

The crowds along the tour were extraordinary every night. Flogging Molly treated us like family every single night. When they asked us to go out with them, we had no idea how huge it would be for us. What an honor. The bands that opened for us on the tour were awesome as well. I have no good pics, but Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, The Mighty Stef, and the Cherry Cokes were all bad assed.

Dennis Casey, lead guitar for Flogging Molly, is in throwing up a cheers to the crowd. They are intense!

Dave King had me get out my guitars in the parking lot of the venue after the show so we could sing gospel tunes. It was freezing, but it was a bunch of fun.

Indiana Jeans – a kick ass cowboy store in Montreal, Canada!

What? Toronto, ON.

Nathen Maxwell, bass for Flogging Molly, joining us onstage helping us sing a song with my bull horn!

Jayme’s girlfriend, Brandi, came out with us for a spell, and they decided to get married while in Vegas. I performed the ceremony at the House of Blues on the stage after the show, and Flogging Molly was the band.

Flogging Molly played the wedding march/here comes the bride, and then some celebration music!

Nathen Naxwell introduced us to some cool fellas in at Jersey City Tattoo. We got matching tattoos of our home states. You can see a photo of it at his myspace page on our top friends. I added to it later in Phoenix, AZ. maybe the next blog will get some pics.

At the end of the night we would join Flogging Molly for their last tune, and I think this picture sums it up pretty good even though everyone isn’t in it. Photographed left to right… Dave King, Jayme Peyton, Bob Schmidt, Yours Truly, Washboard Breezy, and Dennis Casey.

After we left Flogging Molly we went to Norway. We found out that in Norway they love Trolls.

This is from inside of the hotel we stayed in. I thought this was a cool picture.

Lillehamer, Norway

American Hamburger! Smakker Som Biff indeed!

Eskimo?

The is a section of the largest lake in Norway.

A painting inside the hotel in Lillehamer.

A flask covered in seal fur!

Snow!

Tall chimney in Lillehamer.

Old Steam Engine in Lillehamer.

Needs no comment.

This fella drove all the way from Sweden to Lillehamer to see the Big Damn Band play. What an honor!

Norwegians love their viking heritage. I thought this sign was creepy, but this bar was awesome.

We were told that this church was over 800 tears old. Notice the cool viking style dragons!

How would you like your norwegian hot dog? Choose a location in the United States. Sides include Mashed Potatoes and Shrimp paste! This was at the Airport in Oslo! The Norwegians were great. They really made us feel at home, and we can’t wait to go back. Keep checking out the schedule, and we’ll see everyone out at the shows. In the next few months we are going to be in just about every region of the US. Dates are added all the time, so check regularly. Help us get the word out about the shows. Go to www.bigdamnband.com and print our posters to hang, and most important… write, email, phone, or somehow tell your friends about the shows! Thanks for everything. Sorry it took so long to get a blog up, and thanks to everyone who donated pictures!

The blog starts here in Clarksdale, MS this time. Here we are hanging out with our old buddy T-Model Ford and his grandson Gentle. T-Model’s hat says, “You have the right to remain silent, so shut the hell up.” He hit on Breezy, and Gentle tried to buy Jayme’s drums.

Here is another one of T-Model’s Grandkids decked out in Big Damn Band gear! This is at Cathead – the greatest store in the world.

Gentle with his sister. She came dressed in her Big Damn Band shirt!

After hanging with T-Model we went to the Hopson Plantation to hang out with T-Model again, and some of our friends who have made appearances in the blog before like Tony and Janice from our European Blog and Blue Mike. Breezy took this picture of me behind the Hopson Plantation near this cotton field.

This is Breezy and me on stage at the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (The King Biscuit Blues Festival). We were very proud to be included in the lineup. It was really hot and sunny out. A great day for playing.

This is Fayetteville Arkansas at a big biker rally. We played at the legendary George’s Majestic Lounge for the fest.

There were two groups of people in Fayetteville dragging crosses around trying to get the bikers to stop drinking and come to Jesus. From the Indy 500 to Mardi Gras in NOLA these folks are always out there. These two seemed young to me though.

This is a dog with a Harley Davidson hat.

Ashland, WI was a cold way to start the fall.

However when some ladies at the show in Ashland decided to take off their tops, it warmed things up.

This sign was on a beach in Ashland.

This is the oil and grime on the beach. You could see the contamination.

In Oklahoma we stopped at this Cherokee trading post. I bought a knife. This is actually a giant painting that was really far away on top of the trading post.

This is on stage in Lubbock, TX. That was a special night. We love the folks in Lubbock!

More in Lubbock, TX

This is at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX. A great slice of Americana.

More at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX.

All of the cars had been recently painted with this Hell Week stuff. Elsewhere in Amarillo we saw some windows that had been shot out, and the people at the businesses blamed this hell week stuff at the high school.

I thought this picture of the ranch at night looked weird.

This picture is courtesy of Jambase.com. This was taken at the Joshua Tree Roots Music festival. An amazing lineup, and a great bunch of people all around.

We got another flat tire in a New Mexico desert.

Here is the desert where we blew it out.

We came back to the Grand Canyon to show our friend Patrick who was on tour with us. He helped us out greatly road managing etc., so we returned the favor by showing him this.

Another pic of the canyon.

This tower overlooks the canyon in the national park.

This is our buddy Patrick at the Grand Canyon.

A desert flower at the Grand Canyon.

Jayme jumps for joy at Sunset Point in AZ south of Prescott, AZ.

This is a prickly pear. An edible cactus that is everywhere in the southwest. Know this plant. It might save your life someday.

This is a cow in the road near Meteor Crater. It was 15 bucks each to see Meteor crater, and we couldn’t swing it. I tried to get around the fence to see if we could get a view of it, but no such luck. It is like fort Knox.

Some ruins near meteor crater.

Throwed Rolls at Lambert’s Cafeteria in Ozark, MO.

In Chicago we were standing on the street when we heard what sounded like a bomb going off, and little pieces of wood and fiberglass rained down on us. It was no bomb, but actually this truck getting stuck under the train tracks.

It peeled the top off like a can of sardines, and threw stuff everywhere. I couldn’t believe how close we were to it when it happened. The guy got out, and told Breezy that he didn’t have a license and the truck was in someone else’s name. He said he was calling his buddy to come say he was driving it. Just then the cops came.

The cops hauled him off, and some special tow truck came and wiggled it backwards after they let the air out of the tires. What a mess! We are currently on tour in the Northeast, and we have been working on a new record. You all are gonna love it. Hope to see you all soon!

Well we have had some amazing shows this summer, and some amazing adventures. We’ll get to those soon, but this time the blog begins somewhere in Montana west of Billings. This is a forest fire off in the distance. At this point we are many miles away.

As we came around the bend (still miles away), we passed beneath the smoke from the 1000′s of acres of trees being burned. It blocked out the sun and made the sky dark in this strange way.

Our van blew a belt.

Jayme and this fella fixed it. We were back on the road headed to Seattle then Canada!

We arrived at the Canadian border with all the correct paperwork/permits/passports etc. The line on I-5 to get into Canada was three and a half hours long. We patiently wait our turn, get to the front of the line, and then are told to go into the customs office. There we are questioned. They pull my brother aside. We are then informed that Jayme is not going to be allowed into Canada. What?

Yes, Jayme was banned from Canada for some stupid kid stuff years ago. The Candadian border guard said it was his discretion, and he just decided not to let him in. Now before you think that my brother is a bad guy, there was even an article written in the one of the Canadian papers about Americans musicians booked at the festival being denied entry into Canada. A lot of really big names and headliner acts were turned away. We weren’t the only ones who had trouble. We will be able to get it worked out we believe, it will just cost money, and that is really what this kind of thing is all about… money. HOWEVER! Breezy and I decided to go on in and make the shows, because one thing is for sure… come hell or high water we always make the shows. We had to turn around and wait an hour at to get back into the US, drive 35 minutes to a greyhound station, and we put Jayme on a bus headed for Glendive, Montana. That is the station closest to where we would enter back into the USA.

We had to wait another 3 hours in line to get back into Canada without my brother. All in all this was over an 8 hour ordeal. Breezy and I drove all night, and got to Salmon Arm, BC at 4:30am. We stopped to sleep somwhere in the Canadian Rockies, and I don’t know if I ever felt so far from home in all the travelling I have done. We didn’t know where Jayme was, what we were going to do when we got there, or really what was going to happen. When we got to the festival we were greeted by very friendly Canadians. They were wonderful, and totally sympathetic to our woes. They helped us find a local drummer named Josh to fill in. Despite having NO rehearsal time, Josh did a great job on the drums. It wasn’t the same as having my brother of course, but he did pretty good. It ended up being the highest CD sale day of the whole summer. We couldn’t believe it.

We saw beautiful things in Canada. This is a Canadian Pacific train, which was really cool.

In Canada’s Glacier National Park it snowed on the van… in August!

This is probably my favorite picture from Canada, and Breezy took it! She demanded credit for it!

More of the Canadian Rockies while we were on our way back to the US. We still didn’t know what had become of my brother. The trip from Bellingham, WA to Glendive, MT was a 40 bus ride, but we had been away from him for more than 40 hours. The US border patrol searched our van on the way in, and held us at the border for about 45 minutes. Then let us go.

When we got to the truck stop in Glendive, MT where we were supposed to meet up, Jayme came walking out of the woods. He was out of money, and had been hassled by some of the authorities. He went into the woods to hide so he wouldn’t get picked up for vagrancy. He said, “I have never been so happy to see you two.” We felt the same way.

We made trakcs across North Dakota, but stopped to see this beautiful place.

Our giant hoosier homecoming show was awesome. The place was packed, and we couldn’t have been happier to be back home in Indiana. The crowd was one of the best crowds I have ever played for. The Vogue is a giant place, and it was an honor to play for a packed house. We recorded the whole thing for a live Big Damn Band record, and the rough mixes sound great! I can’t wait for you to hear it! Here is a video made by our friend Ryan Hupfer at Indy Mojo. And a couple of reviews of the show. Indy Star and Nuvo.

These pics from the Indy show at the Vogue theatre are courtesy of amazing concert photog and dear friend – Kristen Leep… http://kristenleep.com


Breezy at the Vogue! http://kristenleep.com

I am proud to be a Kentucky Colonel from the other sunny side of the Ohio. http://kristenleep.com

Jayme at the Vogue. http://kristenleep.com

We stopped of at Prairie dog town to see the world’s largest prairie dog. If you have read previous blogs you know we have attempted this a few times, but the place is always closed. Not this day. Here saw a lot of animals, and also this five legged cow.

This is a bobcat at prairie dog town.

Breezy feeds a goat at prairie dog town.

And yes here Jayme and Breezy stand with the world’s largest prairie dog.

Jayme at prairie dog town.

Jayme feeds prairie dogs.

A rattler at prairie dog town.

A cafe sign in Minnesota.

This is the view from the stage at the Broken Axe in Moorehead, MN (Fargo, ND). This picture is not very good, but notice that the stage is 13 feet off the ground and above the bar. The crowd is vary far down and away. It is the most unique set up I have ever seen. There are some really nice folks there.

Here are some pics from our show at Red Rocks in Denver for the Monolith Festival. This was taken by Laurie Scavo. Here is a fun You Tube Video of the show.

Breezy Rocks out at Red Rocks.

Jayme at Red Rocks.

Another great Red Rocks pic taken by Laurie Scavo.

Monolith Festival, Red Rocks, Denver, CO.

The amazing crowd at Red Rocks for the Monolith Festival.

A Rainbow shines over the van in Carbondale, CO. This was the brightest rainbow I have ever seen. The pic does it no justice. Below the purple you can see more colors, and it was a double rainbow!

Part of a burger king billboard flew off in a windstorm in Kansas and hit our van. Thanks for a great summer, but be on the look out for an even better fall!

Well we had a hell of a close call with a hitchhiker on the way into the Northwest. More on that later, and more on some of these great shows, but first…

Some mailboxes in New Mexico. In the background you can see an “Indian Jewelry” shop. We stopped at that same one on a previous tour.

We performed at Club Ebony in Indianola, MS for a fundraiser for the venue. The place is legendary, and it was a supreme honor to be the headliner of one of the nights. Look it up. Everyone has played there.

The folks at Club Ebony were really kind to us, and we left town feeling really good about the whole thing. I am so glad we were able to be a part of it. I wish I had a picture of Mary Shepard the owner of the club. She just wrote a book about her life running the club.

Whenever we go to Indianola we stop by the Holly Ridge Store in Holly Ridge, MS to say hey to our friends. They have pictures of us up in there from when we played the Holly Ridge Blues Festival. They even had our CD out on the counter because they had been listening to it! You can see pics from that in previous photoblogs.

My patron saint Charley Patton played at the Holly Ridge Store, and he is buried about 500 yards from the place. To the left sits the railroad tracks. The Cotton Gin is behind the camera. It is one big giant mississippi blues cliche, but of course, because Charley Patton was the first blues star. It is fitting for him. He died years before Robert Johnson ever recorded a note.

Next stop New Orleans, and wouldn’t you know it we walk up on them making a movie here – just like before in LA, CA.

We played at the world famous Maple Leaf. This is where they had the first live music show in New Orleans after Katrina. This was our first show in New Orleans since Katrina. It was beautiful playing this club. The Oak Street crew is legendary! It seemed to me that New Orleans was making a comeback. The oldest parts of the city weren’t hit that hard by the storm. There is still a long way to go though.

These pictures were captured by James a fan who drove from North Alabama with some buddies to see the show. What an honor!

More at the Maple Leaf.

We stopped by the Maison Bourbon to see Jamil Sharif play. He played Back Home Again in Indiana for us.

This is one of my favorite places in New Orleans… The Columns Hotel. We couldn’t afford to stay there, but we ate there. Maybe next time.

I snapped this picture of a weird fortune teller machine on Bourbon Street, and the building across the street reflected so much in the glass it came out clearer than the creepy skeleton.

Bourbon Street hasn’t changed since Katrina.

We drove out to the ninth ward, and we saw images like this everywhere.

The signs show the kind of businesses thriving out here.

Almost all of the buildings still have paint like this on them. I really don’t know what is going to become of the neighborhoods that were hit the hardest. People don’t really seem to be living in most of these houses.

This was taken inside St Louis Cemetery 1.

This was also taken inside St Louis Cemetery 1.

This was also taken inside St Louis Cemetery 1.

Ida, Louisiana.

Trucker Chapel at a truck stop in Beto Junction, Kansas

We played a festival in Kansas and they put us in the Wyatt Earp Inn. It was nice of them, but it was especially cool for us, because of the Otis Gibbs song about Beto Junction and the Wyatt Earp Inn. Haven’t heard the song? Well it isn’t released by Otis yet. These pics are for him!

Snake River Canyon, Twin Falls, Idaho. Can you believe it? This is Idaho. Beautiful huh!

Here we are on stage at Pickathon in Portland, OR. This festival turned out to be awesome. The lineup was outstanding.

For our late night Pickathon set in the barn I got dressed up. I decided to keep it real in my string tie. Much love to all my Kentucky Colonel brethren!

This is Breezy going to town in the barn.

The barn show was a highlight of the summer for me!

Jason Webley joined us on stage for the last half of the show, and it was really great. Here we are playing the song Mud, a song off of Big Damn Nation. We of course had to play Two Bottles of Wine! It was perfect. The record we released with Jason in May is sold out! Jason promised it would be limited edition, and I apologize if you didn’t get one. There is always ebay…

The crowd was awesome in the barn at pickathon. I mean awesome. We do our best to bring it whether there are five people or 5000, but man it is so easy with a crowd like this.

On the way out of Oregon we played in Ashland. Another fantastic crowd in Oregon. We got these great pics courtesy of Clint from the opening band Pater Familias. It was great sharing the stage with them!

That Ashland crowd makes things easy!

Jayme is rocking out in Ashland.

I think Jayme and Breezy are helping me sing the song Mud here too!

Ok… I promised you all a story about a close call with a hitchhiker, so here goes… We picked up a hitchhiker on the way to our show in Eugene, OR. Hitchhiking in Oregon is legal, so everyone does it to save gas money. We realized this guy was a psycho about 2 miles down the road – it was too late. After going around and around with the guy, he fesses up that he is an escaped con. Apparently he escaped from some kind of prison camp for drug addicts in Oregon. Later we found out that he had four pistols in his bag and a stolen cell phone. He said he robbed a bank. He called Breezy’s phone so he could get the number of the stolen phone. I was driving, and he was watching me like a hawk in the rearview mirror. I had the mirror trained right on him, so the feeling was mutual I guess. Well at one point he is really shakey, and he reaches into his bag and looks at the mirror to see if I am watching. My first instinct is to go for my pocket like I am carrying a gun. He put his hands up and said, “Easy man, I am just reaching for my bible.” He pulled out some kind of book after reaching farther into the sack. I am no idiot. There was no way that was his plan, but at this point I am feeling pretty good. Now he thinks I have a gun.

Now he really changes his tune and wants to be our best friend. He was trying to lead us way out in the cascades. The closer we got to the exit the more excited he got. He kept yelling for us to turn up the music, and he was rocking back and forth. We all got the feeling he was working up the adrenaline to try another run at those pistols. Pretty sure it would have ended up bad. I told him we needed gas. He said, “You don’t need gas, don’t stop the fucking van.” I lied real quick and told him the guage was broke. We pulled into the gas station with a lot of people around and that is where we left him. A gas station in Pleasant Hill, OR. He got real pissed when I told him it was the end of the line, and he tried to push me. It had little effect on account of the fact that I am a large fella. Anyway I just reached in my pocket and told him to get lost. Bluffed him again. I need to start playing cards again. This picture was snapped by Breezy as we drove away. He is right inside the door of the gas station. I kept trying to get her to get a picture of him, but she was too scared.

I don’t have any pics of the shows in Utah, but they were fantastic as well. The crowd at Burt’s is always so kind to us.

The Big Damn Van is still runnin’, we are still runnin’, knock on wood. Canada, Washington, Indiana, you name it – we are comin’ for ya. Thanks to you all for making these shows so special. We really appreciate it when you all send in pictures from the shows. We obviously can’t take them while we play, and we love putting pics from shows into the photo blog!