The Congress Spring Tour 2010 v1.1

Schmeadows and his dog Dupree

We arrived in Richmond and had a day and a half to rest after our 26 hour drive. Our first gig was at The Capitol Ale House in downtown Richmond. It was a nice room and we had around 175 people out to the show.

The Congress + Todd Harrington and Joey Keys

On Friday, the 14th, we had an opportunity to play the Dominion River Rocks Festival -- a yearly festival in Richmond that combines extreme sports (kayaking, bmx & mountain bike races, obstical courses, etc...) with multiple food/artisan vendors and live music. The Congress had a wonderful opportunity to share the stage with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. They are an amazing band and super nice folks to boot.

Check out the drummers awesome 'stache

After the performance with Grace Potter, The Congress was invited to play a after show party/jam session at a very cool place called City Dogs. We got a chance to let loose a little bit and play some tunes for fun. Friday night was a great way to cap off a couple of great shows in Richmond.

Downtown Richmond

Really????

Saturday morning we headed out to Norfolk,VA to play an afternoon gig at a restaurant called The Painted Lady that is owned by a friend of Jonathan's. We arrived a little late due to massive construction and traffic getting into Norfolk and we were told to not worry about playing -- simply to take a seat on the patio, enjoy a cold beer and some fresh crab.

Uh... OK.

That was a great treat and a nice and welcome introduction to the cuisine of the Atlantic coast. After lunch, we had a 30 minute drive to The Jewish Mother, which is a legendary music venue/restaurant located in Virginia Beach, VA. We played to a strong crowd of around 80 people but I think we were a little worn down after the drive from Colorado and the subsequent gigs in Richmond.

Sunday, May 16th, we headed from Norfolk to Wilmington, NC to play at a cool venue called The Soapbox -- a combination bar/music venue/laundry mat(!) We met up with Scott's brother who was "hanging on a yacht" waiting for us to get to town. We were invited to said yacht before heading to the soapbox for a cold beer and a few minutes of chill time on the water before loading in. I'm telling you, this lifestyle really sucks sometimes... any of you who are thinking of pursuing a career as a struggling, touring musician, I strongly discourage you. I'm not sure how many people are cut out to eat fresh crab, drink ice cold beer and sit on yachts before rocking out at a bar-laundro-music hall.

Aiight, fellers and felletes... I'll continue to pic and post as much as time allows. We're only 5 shows into a 14 show stretch, I'm sure there will be plenty more to come.

Sionara