Thursdays with Ross

Memphibian-turned-Yankee Ross Rice has been back in Memphis these last several weeks settling up, playing gigs and finalizing the mix on his second album, Dwight. So far the record sounds amazing and will definitely be a worthy follow-up to his first effort, Umpteen (it should be, given that it has taken 8 years to make). So while Ross has been in town, he has played several gigs at his old haunt, the Blue Monkey. I knew that this week and next week would probably be my last time to see him for a very long time, so I drove to Memphis last night after band rehearsal to catch the show. I can’t tell you how insanely talented this guy is, and what a great show he puts on. I’m such a big fan, I made him a website for free and set him up on myspace. Check him out.

A Thursday night trip to Memphis will wear a man down, though. Ross finished up at 1:30, we were hanging out until after 2, talking about everything and catching up (with me drinking lots of coffee). I got on the road around 2:30 and got home at 4:30. So I’m running on two hours of sleep right now. Hopefully I can stay awake today.