Summer Tour Highlights:

BEST SHOW: Fire On The Mountain Blues Festival - also featuring Angela Strehli, Derek Trucks, and Norton Buffalo.

BEST LODGING: Oxford Suites in Chico, featuring microwave, refridge & hot tubs!

BEST MEAL: "Garlic Night" at Big Ed's in Reno

BEST DANCERS: Sierra Nevada Brewery, Chico!

HIGHLIGHTS:

Traveling through my old stomping grounds in Sonoma County on the way to our show up on the Russian River, in Guerneville. So much beauty all around, and more vineyards and wineries than ever! Great to see some old friends - thanks for your support John and Katy, Pat and Lee Davis, Laurie M. and her husband Chris, and the still wild and crazy sonoma county musical celeb and my pal, Randy Sequira.

Arriving a night early in Reno and sitting in with old friend Nina Gerber's fold duo with Molly O'brien. Nina produced Molly's latest CD and did most of the guitar work on the record. Nina is one of the most gifted musicians I have ever known.

Fire On The Mountain - Located in the heart of the old gold-rush territory known as the "Motherload," the town of Sonora, and it's neighbor Columbia are classically preserved old Western mining towns.

As we arrived at festival sight, Angela Strehli and her band, featuring Mike Shermer on guitar (he's a monster!) and Coco's former bass player Steve, were cranking out a tight, low-down, set of Texas blues! Angela looked and sounded in top form and has always been a source of great inspiration for me as a classy woman in the blues. Despite the 101 degree reading, her band's set really got us in the mood to play! Of course the crowd was somewhat laid back in that heat, but totally with us, with a few crazy's even dancing in the direct sun!

After our set Derek Trucks' band took the stage and changed the pace with their brand of jammin' jazz-infused "bluesion." Derek's band is made up of the highest caliber of players, and they react to every musical idea he throws out! His tone and chops are amazing, especially for a young man of 20! He invited me up to join them for a shuffle and I was honored! Derek and band feel great!

The head liner, Norton Buffalo and band was up next. Long time member of Steve Miller's band, Norton is a harmonica virtuoso, who many of you may remember as the guy who played the harp solo in Bonnie Raitt's "almost-hit remake" of Del Shannon's tune, Runaway. Norton has also made several albums with slide man, Roy Rodgers, and about to put out another solo album himself... has it been 20 years?

It's certainly been 20 years since Norton and I have seen each other so it was a jolly reunion back stage! I know I was amazed at how great he still looks (I wonder what his thoughts were?) and we tried catch up on 20 years gone. I was just getting going back then, somewhat of a "wanna-be" with my little blues band, "Kokomo" opening shows for Norton, Charlie Musselwhite, Elvin Bishop and the like. Norton had long time bay area favorite Johnny V. on guitar and as the sun sank behind the hills and the temperature dropped, Norton and band rocked and brought the audience to their feet! Within minutes, they were belly up to the stage and an endless sea beyond! In the true spirit of the festival, Norton invited both Derek and I up to jam on several tunes, and Norton was the total pro at orchestrating trade offs. The crown went wild, and all was well in the Motherlode. I sure enjoyed my conversations with Derek too, he is a very sensitive and deep player and person.

In San Francisco, at Biscuits and Blues, we had musical visitations by Johnny V. on guitar who joined up on Bald Headed Baby adding slide, and Chris Cobb who played out the second set with us, adding his incredible repertoire of blues, jazz and rock chops.

Thanks to Dave Kohls once again for being my guitar tech for all six northern California dates! Dave, you are the best - you rule the planet! I was so lucky that Dave had this window of time available, as his regular gig is with Robben Ford. But he and Robben had just completed a cross country tour with Phil Lesh and friends, and jumped on with us. What a luxury for me! Dave - there's still room in our van...!

With a day off in San Francisco, we played tourists and I had the enjoyment of being tour-guide to first timer... Alan! We did Haight Ashbury, the ocean, Coit Tower, drove the van down "Little Lombard Street" cruised all over town and ended up with dinner in Northbeach at a super Italian joint, Little Joe's! And guess who popped in for dinner with a lady friend...? Steve Ermin! It's a small world after all! And I am reminded that I did, after all having lived in the bay area for 10 years, leave a big chunk of my heart in San Francisco.