Jeremy Porter Road Blog

Road Blog: Friday June 23, 2017 - Lexington, KY

Road Blog
Lexington, Kentucky – June 23rd 2017

As soon as we left Dayton the remnants of hurricane Cindy reared their ugly head again and it started pouring like hell. Gabe was at the wheel as we finished up the second disk of KISS Alive! before listening to St. Vincent, The Parasites, and then Def Leppard – Live in LA 1983, which was the bonus disc with the deluxe edition of Pyromania. Somehow, Gabe always gets the shitty driving shifts, and driving through that intense rain and Cincinnati traffic wasn't fun. We checked into our hotel, took care of a little business, and headed over to The Burl for the early show. By now, the rain had only become worse, falling in buckets, nonstop. There were flood warnings issued for the entire region and there was literally a river flowing through the parking lot of the venue. It was brutal.

We played The Burl a couple years ago before it was even officially open, and since then they've put a lot into making it an amazing venue. It’s in an older part of town called the Distillery District, which is a collection of old mills, warehouses, and distilleries that are being re-purposed as restaurants, brewpubs, and music venues. The Burl itself is incredible – a long, wooden room with a loading ramp that serves as a smoking area, a great stage with a beautiful stained glass logo hanging behind it, and a huge marquetry silhouette of Kentucky off to the side. We ordered a beer, chatted it up with the bartender, who we'd met last time, and waited, hopeful that the rain would stop, to load in. He's a super nice dude who's done time in some bands with some Detroit friends of ours.

Before long Paper Bridges showed up, who we'd met after playing a couple of the Squallfests with them. Their singer Ben Aubrey is a great dude who I always thought looks like General John Bell Hood, who fought for Texas, under Lee, in the Civil War. I met their guitarist Chandler in Ypsilanti, MI last year when he came through with N.P. Presley & The Ghost of Jesse Garon. He reminds me of a young Waddy Watchel, who plays guitar for Stevie Nicks and Keith Richards, among others. Their bassist Nate (NP Presley himself) is a great friend who I always love seeing. Across the room I spotted a familiar face – J Tyler, from our pals Those Crosstown Rivals. I haven't seen him in a couple years and that's way too long. Big hugs all around, and it was no time before he was giving me shit just like always. Everyone was worried about the torrential rain, and we knew we were in for a slow night, but there were people coming in, and by the time Paper Bridges hit there was a bigger crowd than we expected. They played a fantastic set, super high energy, great songs, and a lot of fun to watch. There are some great bands in this city, and they're one of my favorites.

We hit around 7:30 and had a blast. Lexington has always been one of our best cities, and even though the weather and early start time scared some people away, we had a great time playing for the people that were there. The sound at The Burl is top notch, and Nate was front and center singing along. By the time we were done, the rain had stopped, and it was time to party. We sold some merch, said goodbye to some friends, and headed over to a pizza joint across the street. After that, Gabe and I went over to J Tyler's house for some drinks and hanging, while Pat stayed at The Burl for the late show with his friend Virginia. It was great hanging out with J Tyler and his friends, and a nice come down after the show. Patty picked us up around midnight, back to the hotel, and early lights out. Lexington was, once again, amazing. Thanks so much to The Burl and Paper Bridged and everyone who came!

Today Patty and I hit the Fun Dome here at the Clarion Inn where I shot some hoops for the first time in well over a decade and Pat hit the pool and sauna. We're meeting up with Nate for breakfast, then we're heading south to Fun Ranch – an annual party hosted by our dear friends Vibrolas at their family farm near Waynesburg. There are bands from all over the country playing all day long, including some friends we rarely get to see, and it's always a great time. The skies are looking clear, and it should be a great day.