Here I am back in the states, after spending the past ten days playing shows at the base of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. I was dumb enough to lose my phone, so the only picture I have is from the first day, which was overcast. Trust me, the Matterhorn IS there, it’s just behind the clouds. Or maybe I’m lying… you’ll never know.

I was there playing electric guitar for Chicago Mike Beck and the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Big Eyed Beans… yep, quite a mouthful! I met some amazing people and got the chance to gel with a fresh bunch of musicians. I look forward to going back to the land of freedom someday, but for now I guess I’ll settle for my single drink ticket.

Here’s me on the boat… but I’m not in it, so I could’ve gotten this picture from anywhere.

Now I’m headed to Switzerland… more stories later but gotta run cause the drummer is pulling me off the couch!

I made my way down to Memphis where I ate some ridiculously awesome fried chicken at a place called Gus’s. If you ever find yourself in Elvis-land, make sure and hit it up. Then I went through Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, an blah blah blah. It was a blast as always, and once again was loaded with good food. Especially in Austin, where I had the opportunity to play at Rachael Ray’s party at South by Southwest! Anyway, long story short, I gained 20 pounds… but not really. Well maybe, I haven’t actually weighed myself yet.

Here’s a pic from my stop at the Bourbon Theater in Lincoln, NE. I wish it was this way everywhere. My name in big bold letters warms my heart.

See? I’m quite happy about this.

And here’s me at my final show of the tour playing to a sold out room in Phoenixville, PA. Great way to end the tour!

So thanks to all of you who made it out to a show! In no way would I be able to do this with out your support, so please keep spreading the word so the tours can continue to grow.

Love,
Caleb

First time I met Reed I was on my first date with his cousin (now my wife) to see him in an Ellsworth production of Bye Bye Birdie. The dude oozed energy and entertainment right from the start, and I remember being amazed that he could dance, sing, and act so well… then I gotta to go to the wild and crazy after party at his grandparents place where Reed started playing piano. I was so blown away, and was like “Dude, you gotta play keys in my band!”. He tried to tell me that drums were actually his main thing, but I told him I already had a drummer. Apparently I took my high school band pretty seriously back then… Anyway, a couple months later I got to see him play a drum solo at his Mom’s annual New Year’s Eve show. I was so blown away that I immediately told the old drummer he was out of the band and Reed was in. He cried, but it was ok cause I got Reed Grimm in my band! We named our band Awkward Silence and played songs about girls that looked like apes and baking cookies. We also liked to play theme songs from TV shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles… Maybe he’ll bust that out on the show, since he already did Family Matters. Reed is super talented and I knew he would go far as soon as I heard he had made it to Hollywood. Everyone get your phones out and get ready to vote for Reed!

I hope you all still love me, and I promise I’ll make my absence worthwhile with an amazing album that shall be coming out in a few months. I don’t have a title yet, but perhaps it shall be called _________. Yup, that means you fill in the blank.

Love you all, and see you from the intwerweb in a few days. BTW, if you have a song idea let me know. I happen to be on a writing rampage.

It will be taking place at Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2) on January 12th and will featured musical performances from Nick Howard, Martin Rivas, and me! There will also be also be a raffle with some fantastic prizes, so bring your luck along.

The last concert raised over $5000 for the foundation and was attended by almost 200 people, so we’re hoping to beat that this year. Tickets are available here: http://tinyurl.com/cftfsb2

To learn about John and his amazing achievements visit:

http://www.johnwjungmemorial.org/about_john

I was touring with Bess Rogers and Alex Berger, and we got to play amazing places such as Liverpool, Brighton, London, and a whole lot more. The shows were cool, but this tour was more about the food for me. But then again, that’s how most of my life is. The most interesting place we played was the Isle of Man (pronounced Mon, like a Jamaican). It’s an island in between Ireland and England full of witches and cats with no tails. I didn’t come across any witches, which was sad because I was hoping to learn some new spells. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to keep on using www.harrypotterspells.net for my magic addiction.

Here’s a few more pictures of our journeys. Unfortunately, I have no proof that we actually played any music…

Note: I tried to ride the llama too, but he wouldn’t let me.

Find out all the details at http://usandthebrit.tumblr.com/. I can’t wait! Here’s a video to get you all as pumped as I am.

He’s so obsessed with being famous that he insists on wearing sunglasses on his butt everyday. Yes, even indoors. The “Man’s Best Friend Tour 2011″ will include stops in DC, Virginia, Chicago, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Denver, Texas, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Philly. If you live near any of those places we hope to see you on the road!

Pictures are funny aren’t they? I was always so awkward at taking them. Click “more” to take a look at some examples from the past ten years and you’ll see what I mean.

Awkward picture one: I was 14 years old, and even the amazing shirt couldn’t make up for my terrible hair.

Awkward picture two: I was 20 years old, and from the looks of it this is the first time I had ever met this girl… except in reality she was my fiance, now my wife.

Awkward picture three: This was just a few months ago. Notice I’m still wearing the shirt I wore when I was 14… it’s just that awesome.

Keep in mind these pictures are all before I knew about the beauty of Photoshop. You too can look stunning! I’ll have new photos up soon.

My friend Martin Rivas decided to head up a project to raise funds and awareness for victims in the Schoharie Valley. A bunch of NY based artists have donated their music for a compilation entitled “After the Flood”. I’m proud to be part of it! The album is available for download at http://aftertheflood.bandcamp.com/ . Please help the cause and get some great music while you’re at it!

Here’s a before/after image of the Schoharie Valley from the top of the Vroman’s Nose cliff, which majestically towers over the Valley. In the before pic you can make out the wee little seemingly-innocuous Schoharie Creek, on the left at the bend of the valley.