The Birchmere!

Playing at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA was an incredible experience. The famed venue is definitely all that is cracked up to be. It was a thrill to open for legendary singer/songwriter Christine Lavin, who has been so very kind to me. She goes out of her way to help up and coming singer/songwriters like myself, and it is much appreciated!There was a crowd over over 300 people, and certainly one of the best crowds I've ever performed in front of.

The day of the concert, Feb. 23rd, was my daugther Emma Lynn's 5th birthday. It was very, very hard to be gone on her birthday, so I called her from the stage at the Birchmere and 300 people say Happy Birthday to her, and then I played her favorite song, 'In My Backyard'.

I certainly hope that I will have the opportunity to play the Birchmere again.

I also want to really thank my friends Sam and Erin Hensley for great accomodations as well as fantastic local dining experiences over the weekend. Sam is a wonderful singer/songwriter (http://www.samhensley.com/), and he set up 2 additional concerts for me in the DC area, helping to make the weekend trip even better. He also opened both shows, and it is quite a treat to hear him sing. I wish I could say he has equal skills at NCAA football on the Sony Playstation, but it only seems right to mention that I did win the weekend series 6-4, as Auburn was quite unstoppable.

Somehow, I got the smaller font size on the street side billboard. Come on, I played first, shouldn't I be mentioned first? And, I am taller than Christine.

It's cold here!

I am writing tonight from the cozy house of my friend Sam Hensley in Washington, DC. I just got finished a thrilling victory in Playstation NCAA Football, as my Auburn Tigers handed the Oklahoma State Cowboys an overtime defeat.
They are predicting snow and freezing rain for tonight and tomorrow, how very nice that will be. I'm hoping not to have a repeat of my February 2006 tour to Massachusetts, where I got snowed in for 2 days!

To catch you up on recent happenings, I had a wonderful time in Daphne, AL last weekend, where some very fine folks hosted their first ever house concert. It was an absolutely fantastic crowd, for mostly first time house concert attendees, with first time house concert hosts, I was thrilled with the turnout and response. Unfortunately, I was getting over a cold, and coughed my way through the second set, but the energy from the audience helped pull me through. So many of my favortite shows over the past couple years have been house concerts, and often hosted by folks just like you who have never tried it before. If you have any interest in hosting you own house concert, please get in touch with me and let's schedule one! I've got a page with hosting info at my website (www.davepotts.com/hosting.html).

The night before the house concert, I ran sound for Johnsmith at our local Sundilla Concert Series. Johnsmith is absolutely one of the very top singer/songwriters performing today, and it's always a treat to hear him. If for some reason you're not familiar with his music, visit www.johnsmithmusic.com

I've got 3 shows in the DC area this weekend, highlighted by the show at the Birchmere with Christine Lavin, I am also doing 2 shows with Sam Hensley at local churches in DC.

Have a warm night!
-DP

In-N-Out West!

I had a nice trip out west last week, I played in Vegas and Salt Lake City, and got to see my good friends Ryan Brown and Rob Seals in LA.
The trip started out in Las Vegas with a show at Garage-Ma-Hall. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a concert in somebody's garage, but it was actually a rather fantastic venue. It wasn't quite your typical two-car garage, it was actually a permanent stage in a very, very large garage, with the audience comfortably seated in couches and easy chairs. Richard and Betty have a wonderful venue, and I hope to get back there again sometime. Speaking of Vegas, it is pretty easy to lose a lot of money really fast there, not that I would know anything about that.
I drove to Los Angeles to watch the Super Bowl with Ryan Brown, my friend and drummer of the last 15 years. It was a shcoker to see the Giants upset the undefeated Pats (sorry Jud!). What a great game to watch. Of course, now that the Super Bowl is over, it is officially baseball season. Pitchers and catchers report!

What is the best thing about going on a trip out west? It very well could be In-N-Out Burger! We don't have In-N-Out down South, but then they don't have Zaxby's or sweet tea on the west coast, I guess we'll call it even!


An early candidate for concert of the year was Magpie House Concerts in Salt Lake City, UT. I met Grant, who runs the series, at last years Folk Alliance Conference. I am so glad we were able to work out a date. There was a very full crowd of 40 people jammed into a living room, it was about as full as a room can get. As I'm sure you've heard me mention before, it's not the size of a crowd in numbers as much as their interest level and how full the room is. It was really a great show, and I can't wait to get back to Utah.

Next weekend is the big show at the Birchmere opening for Christine Lavin, I will be sure to let you know how it goes,
DP