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RAFFLE!
Damion
is having a free raffle with the first prize being a free hour and
a half concert at your house/party/private event (within a 2 hour
radius of Baltimore) and 2nd prize being a free copy of his latest
CD-DAMION WOLFE. No catch, all you have to do is send an email to
booking@damionwolfe.com by July 15, 2009. Winners will be notified
before the end of July.
NOTES
FROM THE ROAD:

ANDREA AND NICOLLE DROVE ALL THE WAY UP FROM BALTIMORE FOR THE
SHOW!

SOUNDMAN EXTRODINAIRE: BRAD

BRETT AND CAROL CAME UP FROM BALTIMORE TOO!

CHAMELEON CROWD

MORE CHAMELEON CROWD

THE LANCASTER CREW!

DAN AND DANI! (I played at their wedding last year)

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE MARTIN
06/26/09
Just wanted to blurb about how great of a time I had last night
opening for Martin. He was a super sweet, personable guy and complimentary.
Of course his set was incredible! One of the funny parts of the
night is when I showed up for sound check with all my effects and
such...and then there he is...just one guitar, one mic and one
amazing voice!! And, he sounded like a true one man band. It was
great just to be able to watch him. My only sadness was that he
didn't give me any sort of shout out as the opening act...but I
suspect that he may have forgotten my name...oh well. It was still
a great time and he graciously agreed to do a pic with me.
I had a blast doing my set. It was just so frickin'
great to be on a big stage with a big sound system,
lights
and an incredible
crowd at The Chameleon. I was also doing some twists
on my set like jammin' out the end of SOME MORE
with some
loop
action (I'm
finally learning how to use the damn thing) and
enjoyed the preceding morph of 99 RED BALLOONS
into it. Also
great to
play BRITTANY
again...even
though it was the "slower" song of the
evening.
Here's
the set list:
3 AGAIN
ITTY BITTY
99 RED BALLOONS/SOME MORE
BRITTANY
CHOOSING MATTER/SIR DUKE
MOUNTAIN
These sort of shows are the sublime for me: the chance to not be
a bar singer providing white noise and covers and instead really
get to shine and do my own thing. I'm grateful for the opportunity.
Special thanks to all my friends from Baltimore and MD who came
up: Jean, Brett and Carol, Andrea and Nicolle and the Lancaster
crew: Sue, Jimmy and Dan, Mike, Colette, MJ, Becky and Jess,
Nate, Craig and Kumiko, Smiller, Mat-tthhewwwww, Sue and Jamie,
and Dan and Dani.
Thanks for reading.
Damion

w/Ryan and Matt @ Brew and Bean-Tallahassee, FL

w/Brandy and crew @ Drunken Monkey-Orlando, FL

w/Silver,Martika,Martine,Curtis,Cara & Liz @ Drunken Monkey-Orlando,
FL

Drunken Monkey again

w/Justine and Stacy @ Drunken Monkey-Orlando, FL

w/The Town Ground Crew-Newport Richey, FL
PONTIFICATION AND EDIBLES
If we enlist in the bliss of auspicious opportunity and season it with stalwart
dalliance...then goddam it, something good's bound to eventually happen -
I always say (ok, so I don't always say that, but it seems apropos for the
end
of this tour).
I always hear famous bands say something like (again please forgive my busted
quotations key on my keyboard...) yeah, by the time we got into the 2nd or
3rd week of the tour it seems like (musically) things started really coming
together.
Or, I heard someone say the other night, we are playing these songs better
now than when we first wrote and recorded them because we've had time to
rehearse and perform them live more.
Well, I adamantly concur. We all know
that I'm
at the
bottom rung of the touring ladder...there are no contracts, few guarantees...I'm
lucky that if when I show up at the venue they still know I'm coming...much
less have my posters up. But even with us peons in the chain, these truths
are universal
across the board. When you're on the road performing to new faces and personalities
every night you just hope that if nothing else you will be able to reach
one or two people who will respond to your music favorably....not just in
the way where
the artist's self-gratuitousness is getting its rocks off, but preferably
in a manner where the methodology is organically providing something inherently
good
for the listener and performer both...perhaps creating an audio-spiritual
synergy, if you will. You can't please everyone, but at this point in my
life if I can please
one Ill take it!
Friday night at Java Monkey in Orlando, FL was a delicious event. Not only
was I intoxicated all night from the aromas of Chef John's kitchen, but I
had loved
ones and their loved ones show for the show. Thanks so much to Brandy (who
I met at a show in D.C. who came out and brought her crew), Curtis, Cara,
Elizabeth,
Silver, Martine, Martika, Stacy and Justine. It was a fun show for me and
I was pretty proud of my performance.
Saturday was the ultimate show of the
tour and
took place at Town Ground in Newport Richey, FL. There was an intense amount
of dubiousness heavy in the air when I first arrived to load in - nobody
was there, my posters weren't up, they had just been through an ownership
change
and nobody
seemed to know if there was music that night, etc....It grumped me out a
little at first. But eventually my old man ways were washed away by the persistent
amicability
of Jackie, the barista girl, and the good crowd that eventually showed. There
wasn't a big crowd by any means, but the guys that were there were really
fantastic to me and I had such a great time! George and his family came in
and so did
Donna and Renee. Special shout outs to my skater buddies who were hangin
in the back
at the beginning of the show. My set last night was something like this:
ITTY BITTY
3 AGAIN
GET UP GET OVER
SMALL MUSEUM
BE YOUR MAN
DO THE MATH
WRAP YOU UP
TREASURE
CARRY ME
CHOOSING MATTER
ENCORE: BEAUTIFUL BETHANY BARISTA GIRL
Well now on to the real important stuff - eating!....I've been trying my
best to eat well on this tour, although after shoveling down Mama G's scrumptious
ravioli
on Wednesday night I've been fighting heavy food urges. So to celebrate the
end of the tour, I will be indulging in a feast of edibles that perhaps aren't
so good
for you, but taste mighty damn fine!! Then, it's back to the gym when I get
home on Wednesday....
Thank you all so much for staying tuned in during TOUR DE SOUTH ALA 2009.
Special thanks to Webmaster Horn for keeping the site updated (check him
out a WWW.HORNOGRAPHICS.COM)
and to everyone who came to the shows.
Love,
Damion

w/Christine and Ryan @ Mama G's-Clayton,GA

w/Michele Gaglio and crew @ Mama G's-Clayton, GA

w/Fletcher, Nebula, and Christine @ Mama G's-Clayton, GA
VERY VERY VERY VERY FUN!
Wednesday night at Mama G's in Clayton, GA was a blast!! Clayton (also where
Deliverance was filmed) was filled to the rim with cool people, not to mention
cool Italian
food, at Mama G's. Papa G, Mama G, Mickey G, and the rest were a great bunch!
I got to see my old roommate, Christine, and her husband Ryan and their two boys.
We got to play catch up and talk about the old days in Fredericksburg, VA. It's
beautiful country down that way and everyone treated me so nicely. It was a 50/50
set of originals and covers and I was super happy that they were open to the
original material. Michele Gaglio, who was the ring master, was extremely gregarious
and gracious. Thanks, Michele. I ended the show on TREASURE and since a bunch
of folks brought their hand-drums down we did it as a drum ensemble and it worked
out pretty well considering they'd never heard the song! Then afterwards the
drumming
continued on for a while.
Today I had a long journey for about seven hours from Clayton to Tallahassee.
I
was
having to do a little slap face to stay awake but I made it and hit a pretty
cool Cuban restaurant down here...fried plantains-yum yum!! This is my first
time in Florida's capital and I like the vibe here. Ryan, one of the owners,
agreed to let me play here at Brew and Bean Coffee last minute after my show
in Savannah
fell through and he too has been extremely cool. I was playing to all college
students who I must admit were extremely responsive and appreciative despite
being in the middle of studying. I was a bit surprised but grateful.
I've had tons of song ideas while on the road, but none of them completed. When
I get home I'll begin the transcription process from my tape recorder. One song
I'm thinking about is a Heckler Song. My friend Curtis Earth suggested it -for
some reason last month brought all of the assholes out of hibernation, and some
of them to my gigs...so we figured having a prepared song response to such
animus would be a good survival tactic.
Now after a very long day I'm very wound up but hoping to settle in soon. I really
want to thank all of you who've been reading and staying in touch from the road.
Friday I'm in Orlando and Saturday Newport Richey.
Damion

w/sarah
@ Java Monkey-Decatur, GA

w/jim,melissa,kathleen @ Java Monkey-Decatur, GA
Hey Gang, just a quick update from the road. I'm outside Atlanta at a Panera
(one day I'm going to write a book about knowing the hot-spots to frequent in
order
to use the internet, cheap food, pottie, etc..). Last night I performed at the
Java Monkey in Decatur. Even though it was an under-attended and apathetic crowd
who sat miles away from the music, I was fortunate to have Melissa, Kathleen,
Jim and Sarah come down and hang out. They really helped save the night and it
was great to briefly catch up with Melissa and Sarah. I knew Melissa from when
she used to live in PA and I grew up with Sarah and her brother, John in Ashland,
VA.
Despite the trend of this tour continuing to be fairly low key, I really had
a great time performing last night. I think, musically speaking, I did my best
performance yet....also just shook things up a bit more with some experimentation.
I did a funky, slowed down version of 3 Again, and even performed Sandwich Man
at the behest of Melissa. She also wanted to hear Beside Me and Reckoning, but
I sadly hadn't played those songs very much in a while and so I didn't feel prepared
enough to whip them out on the fly. I told her, that I think she, her friend
John, and my Mom, were the only ones who liked those songs so that's sort of
why I had
semi-retired them. It was flattering she wanted to hear them, though. I had
fun playing some of my new tunes for her since it had been a couple of years
since
her
move to GA.
Heading on up to the Mountains here in a few minutes to play at Mama G's. I'm
looking forward to it and seeing my old friends, Christine and Ryan, and meeting
the
very sweet and accomodating Michele Gaglio.
Thanks for reading and looking at the pics,
Damion

w/Morgan
@ Acoustic Cafe-Johnson City, TN

w/Lynne-owner of Quotations Coffee-Brevard, NC

w/Caroline in Weaverville, NC
I SAW A TURTLE...
...and I don't think he was too impressed with yours truly. Somewhere near
Lynchburg the other day I pulled off at a rest stop. I saw a rather mature
turtle wanting
to cross the road, so I slowed down and beeped. When I came back five minutes
later,
he had already crossed the road and was making his away alongside the parapet.
I stopped to give him a friendly human warning to be careful and he/she looked
at me as if to say "Shut up, I know what the hell I'm doing!" So
I mosied onward, sort of humbled and humored by Sir/Madam turtle's indignancy.
Sunday I did the
cruise to Johnson City, TN through Boone, NC up through the Tennessee Blue Ridge
and its illustrious lakes. I performed for a polite crowd at Acoustic Coffee
House. The show was actually broadcast as an internet radio show which I didn't
realize was happening til I got there for set up. Isaac and Morgan were especially
gracious. Isaac loved the talk box action on GET UP GET OVER.
Monday morning
I went down to Weaverville to meet my buddy, Caroline. Caroline is quite the
hiker and so she took me on a brief jaunt up part of a mountain. It was a beautiful
day surrounded by the sanguine greenery of Mother Earth. Couldn't stay long 'cause
the show at Quotations in Brevard was at 4pm. This was my 3rd show at Quotations
- a great coffee shop in downtown owned and operated by Lynne Montague. Lynne
has
always been great to me. When touring, some of the most difficult dates to fill
are Mondays. Lynne has always been gracious about letting me perform there on
Mondays. It honestly wasn't my best performance...it was one of those days where
I felt like I had two left feet, and two left hands for that matter. Still, I
pulled
off a few good moments and sold some cds. Thanks to everyone who was there!
Set List this afternoon:
-BE YOUR MAN
-SMALL MUSEUM
-GET UP GET OVER
-BEAUTIFUL BETHANY BARISTA GIRL
-MOUNTAIN
-TREASURE
-3 AGAIN
-DO THE MATH
-ITTY BITTY
-97
-CHOOSING MATTER
-BESSIE
-CARRY ME
I don't play CARRY ME much in my set, so it was kind of fun just to throw it
in
for a change. Although it was probably the Hit (imagine quotations around Hit
because my quotations key is broken) from my first CD I became burnt out on it
for a few years.
One of the cool things about traveling through a lot of these small southern
towns is just seeing remnants of the old south still around (meaning bbq joints,
old general stores, the nature, sweet tea, etc) and a lot of the more new age/revived
downtowns featuring a real eclectic mix of folks-hippies, new agers, rich folks,
transplanted professionals, etc that bring new ideas and enhanced old ideas.
It's been very cool trekking off the beaten path a lot on this tour. When I left
Brevard, it was still early so I got to take some backroads down thru NC, SC
and into GA, where I am now.
My neighbor, Melissa, commented that I'm all about the food and I think shes
right...I am an unsophisticated foodie. On this tour I'm trying to watch my boyish
figure
so I'm trying to go to Subway and eat salads.....not where I really want to
be eating (bbq, fried chicken and the myriad of pastries I keep running into).
Alas,
I shall wait til next Sunday when the tour is done to indulge in my lustful food
fancies.
Thanks for reading and to those of you who've been staying in touch while Im
out
on the road!
Damion
SOUTHBOUND

w/Heather
and Meghan @ Good Cherry-Forest, VA
Ahh Sisters! @ Good Cherry-Forest, VA

Baristas Extrodinaire, John and Jen @ Good Cherry, Forest, VA

First CD Purchase of Tour!

w/Joyce-owner of Diversity Den, Concord, NC

Jeanie and Roshita @ Diversity Den, Concord, NC
As I whipped around the D.C. beltway over to 66 and hooked around to 29 S.
bound on Friday, I realized that I was not feeling musically or emotionally
prepared
for this tour…even more than usual - I hadn’t rehearsed as much
as I wanted and my mindset was not focused on being away for two weeks. Still,
when
I arrived at my first show in Forest, VA, I was really grateful for the opportunity
to play there and the good people I met.
It was a slow night by most standards,
yet some good folks stayed around and heard a set. I didn’t get to meet
all of them, but the sisters and Heather, Meghan and Pam were all super cool,
as well as Baristas John and Jen. (John made a killer chocolate milk and Jen
hooked
me up with some super duper goodies). Heather was my first CD purchase of the
tour (please see posted pics). Her favorite songs were Be Your Man and 3 Again.
Meghan said she loved Itty Bitty.
As some of you know, I make most of my living
playing at bars and private events where the format is 80% covers, with a few
originals mixed in. The reason for such being is that this pays the bills. The
coffee shop gigs and tours give me the chance to play shows where I feature most
of my own songs, yet the compensation is usually considerably less. The reason
I make mention of this is to preface the mental and emotional adjustment I go
through in my head. I love, love, love the chance that I get to perform my originals
and that there are folks willing to listen. Still, ironically, it takes a bit
to
fall back into a groove of playing a full set of my own stuff. I always joke
with the crowds about how uncomfortable it is having people actually listening
to me because I'm so used to getting tuned out at bars. I usually in turn receive
a smart-ass (but well intended) comment from an audience member that helps lighten
things up and bring a laugh.
Saturday I made my way back out to 29 after a brief stop at Best Buy to pick
up a usb cord for my camera (I left the other at home). After having lived
away from Virginia for so long, it was nice to be reminded of how beautiful
it is
as I sailed thru Danville over the North Carolina border. It was also nice
to see
that as I sailed further south some people seemed to be just a little more
friendlier….something
that I hate to say I find lacking in Baltimore and surrounding parts. Oh, and
I also saw a Golden Skillet!! Does anybody remember that? They were around Richmond
when I was a kid…brought back some memories.
I arrived in Concord for my
show at Diversity Den and started setting up around 6. Joyce, the owner, is
a trip! She was there with her friend Jeannie and then later some of her friends
from out of town came by and so did Roshita. Unfortunately no one else showed,
so the set was brief. I hung out with Roshita, Jeannie and Joyce for a while
before I packed up and headed over to the local IHOP where I am presently.
I
played
ITTY BITTY, SMALL MUSEUM, BE YOUR MAN, GET UP GET OVER, 97, WRAP YOU UP, and
FREESTYLE/SIR DUKE (not in that order). I've been focusing so much this past
year on writing material geared toward Nashville and publishing that I've fallen
a
bit short in writing new stuff to feature out at my own shows. So I revived
an old song I've been enjoying performing again called DON’T SELL OUT
OF HER.
Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes along. I hope you will keep checking
back for updates. I'm a little dry in wit and banter tonight, but I'll try and
make
it more exciting as the week progresses.
Thanks for reading,
Damion
UPDATES

I just wanted to let
all of you ITUNES fans know that the new re-mix of HOW I LOVE MY MARYLAND is
now currently available for download here.
We remixed it at the end of 2008 and threw in a new bass line...sounds pretty
phat. Hope you can check it out.
Copies are now available at THE RED TREE in Baltimore:
921 W 36th St
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410) 366-3456
Thanks for reading,
Damion
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