June 2022
Dear Fisherfolk,
If you ever saw the movie Hoosiers, you might remember the scene when the coach of the small town Indiana team preps his players for the state basketball tournament. He asks for a tape measure to check the measurements of the court in the giant gym where they're about to play. Everything in the state championship gym measures exactly the same as the hometown gym. It's a revelatory moment.
Music and live performance have gone through incredible changes in the last 46 years. Playing for live audiences has been the same since the beginning for us. We step on the stage, grab our instruments, and do our best to share music and perspectives to bring us all to a higher place. We've played bigger and smaller venues in some pretty strange times but our relationship with you has remained as unchanged as a basketball court. We're grateful to still be doing this!
Our schedule is picking up as we head into summer. We're just back from a wonderful week at the 50th annual Kerrville Folk Festival. We got to play a set with Wheatfield and several performances as Trout. Kerrville is hot, dusty and magical.
In the wee hours of one morning, we visited the Moontower Stage and backed up Meadow Makers on a couple of songs. Meadow Makers are Dana Louise Idlet and Noah Richmond. Ezra used to sing Lullaby to Dana when she was little. On this magical morning, she sang Lullaby and Ezra sang harmony. You can watch the clip here.
Trout will be playing at the Moccasin Creek Festival in Effingham, Illinois on June 17th and 18th. We've driven through Effingham lots of times and even stopped to eat at their Cracker Barrel but this will be our first time to play there!
We'll also visit Greensburg, Indiana to play a free show on June 15th at the Rebekah Park Amphitheater.
As summer heats up, we'll drive to the northeast to play some familiar places as well as our first time at the Bryn Mawr Twilight Concert Series. Dates are still being added so check our tour schedule on our web page to stay up to date.
These are indeed strange times. Keith thinks the refs should start calling some fouls. It's jungle ball out there. There's lots of trash talk about the divisions in our country. Those divisions are easily exploitable no matter which team you play for. We hope our music is something that unites all of us in a common experience. It's kind of funny to think that even an opinion on trying to bring us closer together might be controversial. Have we mentioned that we have a new album out?! If you're looking for something to listen to while you're waiting for us to come to your neighborhood, might we suggest you pick up a copy of Safe House? In the words of Ezra's friend and mentor, Fred Holden, "it'll be all right when it stops hurtin."
Troutfully yours,
Keith and Ezra