DONATE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD THIS ALBUM, OR NOTHING AT ALL. DONATE $25 OR MORE TO RECEIVE A PHYSICAL COPY OF THIS ALBUM ON CD. WHEN DONATING $25 OR MORE DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS, AND IF YOU'D LIKE IT SIGNED OR TO INCLUDE A PERSONAL NOTE ON THE COVER, PLEASE LET US KNOW THAT AS WELL. CDS WILL BE SHIPPED AT THE END OF

DONATE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD THIS ALBUM, OR NOTHING AT ALL. DONATE $25 OR MORE TO RECEIVE A PHYSICAL COPY OF THIS ALBUM ON CD. WHEN DONATING $25 OR MORE DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS, AND IF YOU'D LIKE IT SIGNED OR TO INCLUDE A PERSONAL NOTE ON THE COVER, PLEASE LET US KNOW THAT AS WELL. CDS WILL BE SHIPPED AT THE END OF JANUARY 2023.

The proceeds from your donations will directly fund the promotional costs of our next 2 albums coming in 2023.

Thank you for downloading this album. Before I decided to do this show and put the band together, I’d been completely uninspired and felt that musically, things had gotten stale. I needed to shake things up, play with some new folks, write some new songs and do so with only this one night in mind.

So…I booked the show on a wing and a prayer. At this point, I only had a few new songs written so I got to work. I picked up my guitar and wrote a bunch of mediocre songs those first couple of days, just trying to get my mind around what I wanted to say. Once my first "good one" came, they all poured out and started taking shape. I wrote a slew of new songs, a couple of them with my long time writing partner, Shane Spaulding, and a couple with my wife Mandy. For this show, I chose the best of the new ones, and I also decided to include some tunes I've written over the past few years but never recorded. I threw in a few Yarn songs as well. They all felt right.

Then came the time to find the band for this night. At first, I was just going to play the show by myself, raw, intimate, just me and the songs. Then I thought, "I've got to have some low end up there with me." So I called up Brian Dickel, and he was down. Then I thought, "I could use a little lead, not too much, but some would be nice", so I asked Matteo Joseph Recchio, and thankfully he also agreed to do it. Upon further review and at my wife’s insistence, it seemed we might need a little badass harmony up there, something super complimentary to the songs and the mood of the show. Heather Hannah up in Thomas, WV was the perfect choice, and she agreed to join us. After Heather was on board, I felt the band was complete. But then, I found myself at my friend Bill Stevens' recording studio in Winston-Salem, NC just messing around and playing these songs while he played organ, and I had to have him there as well. So there it was—this was the band and these were the songs.

I sent everyone demos and charts of the new material, rented a house in Roanoke, VA for 2 nights, booked a warm up show at The Spot On Kirk and told everyone to meet me at the house on Wednesday, August 10th for our one and only rehearsal. Right when we all walked in the door, I knew it was going to be special.

The rehearsal was pure fun, the songs and arrangements fell together with the greatest of ease. The warm up show on Friday August 11th felt like we'd played this show for an entire tour. So by the time we got to Johnson City, we were firing on all cylinders. The crowds were as amazing and involved as I could have ever hoped for. It was MAGIC.

This is Set One of my show at The Down Home in Johnson City, TN on Friday, August 12th. You’ll hear the cling of beer bottles, cash register dings, quite a few squeaky chairs, all my rambling banter and most importantly, the energy of the room. Just how I pictured it. Close your eyes and you'll think you’re there. I am currently working on a studio recording of these same songs, but I really wanted my dearest and most supportive family of fans to hear it like this first.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to play music for you live and on stage. As long as you want to hear it, I'll keep writing, singing and playing. IT IS MY BIGGEST HONOR.

A huge and extra special thanks to my wife Mandy. She gives me the confidence I don't fully have on my own. She was instrumental in making this album a reality. This would not exist without her.

All songs written by me with the exception of Play Freebird which was written by Mandy Christiana and myself.

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Bill Stevens at Ovation Sound, Winston-Salem, NC

Cover photo taken by Cloud Bobby Back cover and inside photo taken by Peter Montanti

Album art put together by Ahern Printing

Thank you Ed Snodderly for the use of your legendary venue and thank you Townes Van Zandt for the initial inspiration to do it.

The Band

Matteo Joseph Recchio - Guitar, Vocals

Brian Dickel - Bass

Heather Hannah - Vocals

William Stevens - Organ

Blake Christiana - Vocals, Guitar

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