Post Date: 12/18/23
We are winding down here in our New Hampshire home, trying to make the most of this short holiday month, because 2024 tour is coming in early-- January 5, to be exact. So while we are still catching our breaths from 2023, we can't help but be Industrious Mouse for the new year.
We are ready to say goodbye to this year.
Don't get us wrong, some incredible things happened in 2023. We're trying to remind ourselves that there's no such thing as a bad year. It was just... a year with more loss than usual. Loved ones, our truck, our old camper, even our little hamster, Goo, departed us in the final throes of the year. We're taking time this month to remember, to grieve, and to get in a mind frame of acceptance. Mallory has been down with the flu for over a week, to boot. It's like the whole year is asking us to take a breath, to stop.
But also? To celebrate.
Among our professional pushes this year, we got to hang with a lot of fellow musicians-- sharing tours and coffees and late nights. We got to play a LOT of shows, spanning from Texas to Maine to Wyoming. We got to pick cherries off the tree in South Dakota with some dear friends on their farm. We got to run a 5k for the first time in New England, eat vegan burgers in Midwestern cities, and swim in great wide lakes in Utah.
And at the end of it, when the wear and tear of 8 years full time on the road finally took its toll on our home-on-wheels, we went rogue and called out for some help. And you answered. We successfully raised $21,000 and purchased outright a used 2021 sturdy, smaller 16' Casita camper which will be our new stead as we cruise into 2024. We were absolutely floored with the outpouring of financial and emotional support. We were feeling vulnerable and poor when we made that Hail Mary. We are feeling rich in spirit (and in camper!) after The Campstarter.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And if that just isn't a good way to start into 2024, it was announced that we are recipients of Club Passim's Iguana Fund-- a grant program that gives money to New England based musicians. We are thrilled and honored, and will be using the funds to fill out our home project studio so we can record more quality work from our home (we're finally saying goodbye to that Tascam cassette recorder... mostly), and be able to offer our time and resources to our local community, too.
We also had a LOT of fun with our patrons this year. We hit over 80 supporters, and with the unbelievable rise in touring costs (from hotel rooms to food to gas, estimates are at about a 30% increase since the pandemic), having a consistent support to fill in the gaps when struggling venues cannot afford to cover our expenses went a LONG way. And it was a great way to connect. We sent postcards (one more is on the way!), had monthly Get-Ups, had Listening Parties, shared secret songs, and also gave discounts on our new merch since...
WE RELEASED A NEW RECORD THIS YEAR! Damn, we almost forgot! Only This Far came out in May, and the response was incredibly warm. Thanks to all of you who bought the record & swag, came to a show, or streamed us incessantly. We are doing this for us. And we're doing it because of you. Thank you.
Finally, a look forward. While all this reflection has us worn out and ready for a December snooze, 2024 will be here as soon as we wake up. We've got dates scheduled and will be releasing more as things get solidified. We're going all the way to California and back this year in our new little camper (THANK YOU!)-- so if you're interested in having us in your neck of the woods, holler now! Above you'll see our earliest dates. We're teaming up with our pals The Honey Badgers & Flagship Romance on this run. And we're also doing some very special Love is Gross shows (these are VERY fun and festive for the lovey dovey and the cynic).
But we still have some holes to fill. If you have a spot on the map that'll fill our spots in the calendar in these regions, let us know! These dogs aren't gonna feed themselves.
All right, friends. We reckon this is our send off. We're off to recover from the flu and bake Christmas cookies and generally sleep off 2023 in hopes of seeing you all in 2024. We'll still be kicking around our socials pages & our Patreon page-- come say hi.
Warmth, kindness, and a series of fortunate events to you and yours in the New Year.