Dear Friends,

I’m so sorry for not writing for so long! I recently returned from touring with Austin Lucas and the Choir. We had a blast! Needless to say, though, I’m ready to be back at Flaco’s!

This week, we’re proud to bring you Billy Wallace and the Virginia Blues. Now, I’ve never met Billy, but I’ve listened to his music on myspace (click the link above and you’ll know him as well as I do). I’m very excited to hear him live. Here’s an excerpt from his bio:

“Wallace has spent the last six years playing in indie / folk band The Wading Girl, as well as touring in Tim Barry’s backing band. The Wading Girl has released two full length albums, two EPs and has played all over the country, sharing stages with acts like Smoke or Fire, The Draft, Look Mexico, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Bishop Allen, Drag the River, Tim Barry, Austin Lucas, and Josh Small among many others.”

Cool!

This week also marks the return of Michael Claytor & His Friends and the ADULT BOYS THUNDERBAND (who may or may not be debuting a new song tonight)

SOLIDARITY, see you tonight!

michaels and friends and thunderband

Austin Lucas

Earlier this year, I began playing music with Austin Lucas and Jason Hedges (of Company Man, and many other bands) and together we formed “Austin Lucas and the Choir.” We’ve played a couple of times at Flaco’s and at a few other smallish places. This Saturday, though, we’re debuting our sound at the Atlantic– our first not-smallish show. We will have the pleasure of sharing the stage with our friends in Greenland is Melting and The Enablers.

That show will also serve as an informal kick-off to our first tour together beginning March 3rd in Atlanta. While we are still in the process of booking some shows, the confirmed dates are as follows:

• 2/20: Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic
• 3/3: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
• 3/4: Asheville, NC @ Static Age Records
• 3/5: Richmond, VA — House Show
• 3/6: Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
• 3/8: Mt. Pleasant, SC @ The Village Tavern
• 3/10: Valdosta, GA– House Show
• 3/11: Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
• 3/12-3/14: St. Augustine @ Harvest of Hope Fest
• 3/16: Houston, TX– House Show
• 3/17-3/21: Austin, TX @ TBA
• 3/24: Little Rock, AR @ White Water Tavern

We’re getting pretty excited for this, so come out and see us wherever you can! I’ll post the remaining dates as soon as I get them.

Thanks for reading, and come see the band that brought the Friends and I together, Umoja Orchestra, this Friday (2/19) at 1215 NW 5th Avenue for a Haiti relief benefit show with Micah Shalom and the Babylonians! HOUSE PARTY!!!!

LOVE,

If you’ve read the post before this (scroll down), you may have heard that I play drums with a band called Brewster Baker. If you read the Gainesville Sun yesterday (2/4), you may have noticed that I play shekere with Brewster Baker and that we’re Gainesville’s “first legit super-group.”

Now, if there’s anything to show for what Brewster Baker has done so far, it’s really just hype. We have no recordings, photos, videos or merchandise. So, I don’t want to kill any of that hype that this article may have created right before our show (tonight at Common Grounds), so I just won’t say anything. I won’t say anything mainly because I don’t know what super-groups or shekeres are. Read it!

Super-group Brewster Baker, live music, Gainesville scene, Beatles | Gainesville.com

"Singer/songwriter Michael Claytor performs with Brewster Baker, a new band some are calling 'Gainesville's first super-group'."

Thanks to Dante Lima (and apparently Chris Hillman) for the write-up!

In other press news, INsite Magazine of Gainesville just published an interview that I did with them in their February edition. They haven’t posted that interview online, but grab a copy next time you’re at the newsstand!

Until next time…

Michael&Evan&Michael&Aaron&Sam

WELCOME TO MY BLOG.

Thanks to Hatchet Design for the sleek new look!