Walt floors the crowd during his scorching take on Young MC's "I Come Off" during the Willie & Me set at the Copper Penny in Wilmington, NC over July 4th weekend. 

T-Minus three weeks and counting

Probably hit me today that we are actually packing our cars in two weeks and actually driving across the country to actually start a new life. Today was my last free day for about a week and a half. The next few days will be split between D.C. visiting Hinkle and Oak Island visiting parents. Phish is playing Hampton on Monday, and I debated making the long drive there to catch what would probably be my last Phish show. But, you know, sometimes you just have to hang up the spurs and let it go. I guess that it is what this summer has been all about.

The past couple of months have been much quieter than I had imagined. It was certainly busy with weddings, beach bumming, and bartending. But with no Panic on tour and an all-around Heisman from most other bands on the jam scene, my wheels have considerably less miles on them. Was able to catch some Umphrey's McGee for the first time, and I'm still reeling over their ability to weave their 80's style with what one friend called 'Jam-Metal'. Also got to catch the Drive-By Truckers in Winston-Salem during another episode of Who Can Drink the Most PBR Tonight, starring me and my buddy Shivers. Since I was awake for most of the drive home, I think I won. Looking forward to the Dead / Warren Haynes show in Raleigh, which will be the last one at Walnut Creek for awhile. Seeing another show there will probably just make me ache that much more for the music venue heaven that is San Francisco. And last, but certainly not least, my final show at my dearest venue the Cat's Cradle will be, fittingly, one of my absolute fav's - Sonic Youth. I couldn't have asked for a better going away present.

In even stranger news, Brock and I have been invited to appear on the TLC show A Makeover Story. They are going to be shooting it right here in Chapel Hill over our last weekend in town. Though skeptical at first, especially after seeing the bloated soccer moms they had on the first episode I watched, I was assured that the show was taking a new direction and trying to be a little more "edgy". While I'm excited to be on the show, I couldn't be more steeped in anxiety over the thought of looking like a freak in front of not one but two million viewers. But then, I guess if their audience is used to seeing overweight women on the verge of menapause stripped of their perms and shoved into leather pants, then Brock and I should be a humorous reprieve. Right?

Hopefully I'll figure out how to add photo albums to this crazy log, so everyone can see our last days as North Carolinians and our plight across the continent. If you haven't already seen the latest Urban Hiker literary magazine, check it out. Finally got one of my stories published in there. Outside of that, I'll probably check back when its three days and counting. So, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from this year's Carolina Week-by-Week.

"If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."

-Alice Longworth, wild child daughter

of President Theodore Roosevelt