The Characters:
Lionel Young, violin/guitar/vocals
Jay Forrest, drums/vocals
Kim Stone, bass
Andre Mali, trumpet
Dexter Payne, Sax/harp
Ricardo Pena, keys/guitar/vocals (not on the road trip part, is flying in and out, so he won’t make an appearance until the third act: “Memphis”)
Honey Sepeda, cook/problem-solver/distraction/den mother
Byron Cage, former drummer for Jason Ricci & New Blood
Morris and Germaine, cat
9:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 1, 2011, Memphis. Heidi and I are sitting at her kitchen table drinking coffee, answering emails, and chatting softly while the lazy men sleep. A soft rain is falling, and not so soft snores resonate throughout the house.
Built in 1922, Heidi’s house is beyond charming, cozy, and whimsical. It’s in mid-town Memphis in the Cooper-Young neighborhood. We arrived around 4:30 p.m. yesterday to a balmy 60 degrees. With the freezing cold of St. Louis behind us, we all felt weatherly blessed. After unloading, catching up with Heidi, and a quick glass of wine, Dexter, Kim, and I took off for a long walk around Cooper-Young. For my Colorado audience, I can say with full authority that this neighborhood could be dropped near downtown Boulder, and fit right in, socially, architecturally, and charmingly.
