If you think Bearfoot is truckin’ right along and having a wonderful time taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself along the way, you’ve pretty much got it right on the nose. Since our last post, we’ve seen many great new towns, venues, and ski hills, played many shows, and hung with many friends! Where to begin!?
We’ll start with Portland. Great city. Not to be missed! The venue was Mississippi Studios, the beer of choice was Deschutes Mirror Pond, and the vibe was chill. First of all, we had our honky-tonk singin’ hero Kaleb Clauder and his band on the bill with us which made all of us super-psyched about the evening going into it. Secondly, many of our Alaskan peeps found their way out to the gig to show their support, making it feel like a home-town crowd. Then, to further sweeten the night, our former band-mate and good friend Annalisa Tornfelt joined us onstage for a few songs and an emotional re-union of kindred spirits. Needless to say, much music and merry-making ensued well into the night and early morning.. PS. Check out our newfound friend and musical inspiration, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside!
Portland was a tough act to follow, but we were thrilled to get to Mt. Vernon where we got to spend a beautiful day off hiking around the hills of Northwestern Washington with some more good pickin’ buddies of ours’ from Alaska. Another friend-filled show, and Bikram class later, and we set out for the small, scenic town of Sisters, OR where the skiing portion of our tour could finally begin. Admittedly, Hoodoo Mtn. was not the most challenging hill ever, but much fun was had while Mike and I got our “ski legs” back into shape after a month in the van! We also managed to shake them out a second time after an 8 hr. drive to our gig in Boise, ID at Bogus Mtn. One word to say about that day… FRESHIES!!
After a 3 day multi-performance and workshop tenure in Pinedale WY, our trusty steed (the yet-to-be-named van) drove us to the motherload of skiing and pickin’ – Big Sky MT.The Big Sky Big Grass festival was a first for Bearfoot this year, and totally rocked our world!! With an amazingly enthusiastic dancing and listening crowd of rowdy ski bums rocking and cheering during our late-night set at the bar, we instantly felt right at home.. ..needless to say the skiing “wasn’t too shabby” either!! With the different interests of our band members in mind, one could venture to say that the amazing crowds, epic skiing, and good-timin’ atmosphere weren’t even the coolest parts… Some of us might argue that getting to watch perform and jamming with some of our best friends’ bands ie. Crooked Still, The Infamous String Dusters, and The Traveling McCourys may have been the best part…
I think that I’d be safe in writing that everyone’s fun meters have been pegged out for the last couple of weeks as Bearfoot’s western range grows wider and wider on this tour. We’re just getting to Grandma and Grandpa Hamre’s house, so I’m signing off.. Please stay tuned in for the next exciting episode of Bearfoot’s adventures!
Site Design by: iDesign, Inc