It’s January again, and we’re going back to Cali (which always reminds me of the Notorious B.I.G. song of the same name…). Or rather, we’re here already, and just late in writing this note about it. We’ve already been down in Big Sur and Ventura (where this picture was taken, on an exceptionally windy day), and now we’re up in the piney aromas and sunny skies of the foothills, in Murphys. Thanks to all those who made this possible! It’s been a wonderful week, and we’re looking forward to much more. Hope to see you out there!. Oh, and in case you didn’t get the email that we sent to the California list, here it is, because, well, I’m pretty proud of the sheer strangeness of it:
Peanuts? Peanuts. Some love ’em, some love to hate ’em, and some don’t mind them but would rather eat something else, thank you very much. If this doesn’t make any sense to you, just bear with me. The humblest of all the nuts (in my opinion), the peanut isn’t as trendy a snack as the almond or the cashew, doesn’t have the high class cache of the hazelnut or the pecan, and lacks the exoticism of the brazil nut. In fact, it isn’t a nut at all, rather a legume, finding it’s way by name into the family of tree nuts by virtue of it’s similarities and in spite of it’s differences. It is the people’s nut, the most economical and quietly sustaining… nutritious, and dull only if you don’t care to explore it’s possibilities; it can be quite surprising if one takes the time. OK. What the hell am I talking about? You are in California, and I’m talking about peanuts because I’m eating them on an airplane on the way to California, and I’m on that airplane because I’m going to meet fellow Bee Eaters Tristan and Tashina for our yearly turn through your fair state. We look forward to this every year, and not just as an excuse to flee from the frigid east, but also because we just love California, and can’t wait to run through the redwoods in Humboldt, clamber down cliffs in Big Sur, squander time by the sea in SoCal, and hike the hills in the Bay. And, most importantly, play music, and hang out with the good people there, such as yourself. So, to bring this all together, I would like to humbly posit that the Bee Eaters are the peanut of the music world: unassuming (ie, we’re terrible at self promotion) yet sustaining, unexpectedly surprising and… well, we may never be as ubiquitous as the peanut, but I like to think that wherever we do show up, we bring a unique recipe made of very simple and earnest ingredients, one that will nourish the soul and keep you on your toes. Bee Eaters. Peanuts. Dig. If I’m reaching here, and/or this is the weirdest email you’ve ever gotten from a band, well, It’s been a long day sitting on airplanes, and a guy’s gotta do something to keep himself from going bonkers. We hope to see you out there, and to share some tunes, songs and stories with you!