Live at Uncommon Grounds in Chicago, 11.14.04

Very groovy coffee-house gig in Chicago, where at least two phenomenal songwriter friends of mine, Jenny Bruce fron New York, and Doug Hoekstra from Nashville, have played before. And on another note, this is probably the last remaining picture of me in 2004 with a full beard (I shaved it off about two days later. As usual, I couldn't take it...). But there's always next winter! Also, about this show, if you go to the "Music" page of the website, and then click "Free Tracks", you can download a live recording of "Whistleman" from this show.

Minnesota moon through the rain on my windshield, 11.06.04

Took this on the way back to the motel...nice, eh?

My fingers after playing for 3 1/2 hours at Pints, Rochester, MN, 11.06.04

Blues bars man, they make ya do the WHOLE night, not like them OTHER clubs....this is what my fingers looked like after 3 1/2 hours...

"Go Fishin'" Pints, Rochester, MN, 11.06.04

Actually got a request on a napkin that night...John Prine's "Go Fishin'"...which I didn't play...don't know how...I've never been one much for requests anyhow...

Pints, Rochester, MN, 11.06.04

This is the stage at Pints, in the town of Rochester, which is home to the famed Mayo Clinic. If you squint in on this photo, you can see that the stage is right next to the ladies room...groovy...

Live at Common Grounds 11.05.04

This is me and Kreg Viesselman on-stage together. We did this show as a swap, trading songs back and forth, and let me tell you, this guy is about one of the most intimidating fellas to engage in that kind of vibe with, because every song he writes is just a monster...and he's a phenomenal guitar picker, with an unearthily powerful voice...also a very good friend, and it was great to play with him...

The "Marquis" at Common Grounds, St. Paul, 11.05.04

That's the big time, right there...Damn nice place though, I'll tell you what...very fine green tea...

Pullin' into one of the twin cities, behind "my" truck... 11.05.04

I took this through the windshield, on my way to do a show with Kreg Viesselman (namesake and image, of sorts, for "the whistleman") in St. Paul Minnesota. I took it as a good omen to be leaving the freeway in the company of another Watkins...

Live at Cedar's Lounge in Youngstown, OH 10.24.04

For those of you who've seen a Preach show before, you'll probably recognize this position, with the hand up. Pontificating, that's what it is...Anyhow, this is from the last night of the Rust Belt Mini-Tour, supporting the Hugh Pool Band. Who seriously rock, by the way...To find out more about Hugh, please visit http://www.hughpool.com/. Anyhow, the show this night was at Cedar's Lounge in Youngstown, Ohio, and it's a long-time haunt of Hugh's. We went to a barbeque earlier in the day, and everyone ate ribs. Except me. But I had a nice glass of wine...

Live at Wilbert's in Cleveland, OH 10.23.04

Kinda hard to tell these two photos apart, eh? That's 'cause I'm wearin' the same suit. Scroll down to the shots from the night before, and guess what? Same suit again...Anyhow, this is me onstage at Wilbert's in Cleveland. The shot was taken by the soundman, who was phenomenal. Kind of a tough night though, crowd-numbers wise. This was the first night of the World Series, the beginning of the end of The Curse Of The Babe. The sports bar across the street was rockin'...bah, they don't know what they were missin', we had a jam of a night, and I know that everyone who was there dug it. So yeah, go Sox and all that, but also, go Preach and Hugh!

The Tallyho-tel, Cleveland, OH

Yup. That's where we all stayed. The Tallyho-tel. Yup. That's the place. The rock and roll dream. Yup. Lovely tranvestite prostitute getting a soda when we pulled up. Squatting down to retrieve his/her Sprite in a most revealing way...Yup. That's the soda machine right there, the one in the picture. Yup.

Moondog's, Blawnox, PA 10.22.04

That's the sign for where we played that night, Moondog's. But note the signs at the establishment next door to the venue, particularly the "It's All About Legs" sign. Now that's wonderful. That said, Moondog's is an absolutely fantastic place, with a great staff, and a great crowd. Much sweat, much beer...

Onstage at Moondog's, 10.22.04

That's me, performing in front of a mural full of dogs. One of them is a rendering of Hugh. I'm the guy in front of the mural, in the grubby suit...And actually, if you go down to the next picture, from a week before, I'm in the same suit again...

At WYCE in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 10.15.04

WYCE has been incredibly supportive of "Demanding To Be Next", and they were instrumental in helping us break into the Top 100 on the Americana Radio Charts. So it was a real pleasure to stop in for a live performance and an interview with Jackson (seen here). On the wall in the backround? A painting of Robert Johnson, and the cover of a Donald Fagen album. Pretty groovy company...

Onstage at Schuler's in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 10.15.04

Took this picture mid-show, while sitting on stage at Schuler's. I took it in mock revenge for someone in the audience taking a photo. Shortly after I took this? Someone else in the audience took another shot...

Onstage at Schuler's in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 10.15.04

This was probably one of the shots in question (see above). This picture was sent in to us by one of the fine folks in the audience, one James Holland. Thanks James! And hey, anyone else out there who wants to send us some pictures, please e-mail info@preacherboy.com. Thanks...

Midwestern-Sun-Train-God

If I had to pick one image that aboslutely sums up what long drives in Midwestern America feel like, it's this one. The sun setting behind the silhouette of a passing train...wonderful.

With the road in my eyes, Oct 2004

Somewhere towards the end of my 3500 miles worth of driving by myself, I guess I started to lose it somewhat, because I started taking pictures of the road in my eyes...time to get home...

Java Joe's, Des Moines, Iowa, Oct 9, 2004

Well, I suppose this just kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it?

Welcome to Minnesota

Took this through the windshield en-route to my gig in Duluth...

Nettie's II

For those of you out there who know the song "The Bars Around Here (Ain't What They Used To Be), this is the actual Nettie's II...

Fishlippers, Omaha, Nebraska, Oct 7, 2004

Fishlip is a house. Or it's a concept. Or it's a collective. Whatever it is, it's a place I played in Omaha, Nebraska. And I played, and I played, and I played, and they drank, and I drank, and we all drank, and they stomped, and they clapped, and I stomped, and I was told that the cops came a few times, and I sang, and they sang along, even to songs they didn't know, and by the end of it all, well, I guess we'd all been Fishlipped...

Onstage at Brendan's, Denver, Co, Oct 6, 2004

This club has been a long-time stalwart in Denver's roots and blues scene, and they just recently moved into new digs, which are most excellent. The place looked great, and it was a gas of a show...

Live on KCUV, Denver, CO, Oct 5, 2004

This is me playing live on America's newest All-Americana station, KCUV, in Denver, Colorado...

Live on KDNK, Carbondale, Co, Oct. 4, 2004

What a great drive it was to this beautiful outpost in the Colorado mountains, past Vail, out toward Aspen, with the trees all in their full autumn colors, and what a great radio station, a bastion of musical and informational relevance in an otherwise blandidfied sonic spectrum...Keep up the good work, folks!

Onstage at E-Town, Oct 3, 2004

This is me mid-performance in E-Town, near Boulder, Colorado. Also on the bill were Ruthie Roster, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, and the E-Tones featuring hosts Nick and Helen Forster. I really like this shot, because it seems to convey some sort of accurately emotive sense of what it feels and looks like to be on the stage, looking out at all that darkness, alone with just your guitar, trying to communicate some sort of something, and striving for a reaction to come to you from one of those little pinpoints of light out there, some sound, some movement, some vibe...

With The Guru, backstage beneath E-Town, Oct 3, 2004

This is me with my manager, Mark "The Band Guru" Bliesener, backstage before the recording of E-Town, a nationally syndicated live radio concert recorded in Boulder, Colorado...

The Blue Shop, Burlington, Iowa, Oct. 1, 2004

This is the window of The Blue Shop, a great BYOB joint in a great Iowan river town. And believe you me, the B was Brought...

Crossing the Mississippi in the rain, into Iowa, Oct 2004

The title pretty much says it all. This was the first day of a ten-day, 3500-mile midwestern mini-tour, which began in the groovy river town of Burlington, Iowa...

With Eagle-Eye Cherry in Stockholm, September 2004

So, I got to go to Stockholm and work again with my great friend and long-time collaborator Eagle-Eye Cherry. What a treat, believe you me. Such a good guy, and so talented...Anyhow, this is us in his project studio, working on a new tune. I'm playing his extremely snazzy 1960's Telecaster, with the glowing visages of Gold Records hovering above me on the wall. Pretty darn groovy...

Talkin' Live at Schuba's in Chicago, 9.23.04

I got to support the wonderful Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys at this show, what a great band...This was my first show in Chicago as a Chicagoan...The performance was recorded that night, and we'll have something for ya to download soon, stay tuned...

Hittin' the National at Schuba's, 9.23.04

This shot was taken while I was playing "Death Letter"...it was kind of a Rockabilly/Western Swing thing that night, what with Sandy and the Boys, so the suit and tie seemed appropriate...

Morgan Stop on the L train, Brooklyn, New York

Technically not a gig photo, I know, though it was taken en route to a gig...Actually, it was taken en route to my last show in Brooklyn before the big move to Chicago. This was our subway stop in Brooklyn, and Morgan is my real and proper middle name, and so...well, so there...

M Shanghai Den, Brooklyn, NY July 15, 2004

So, this shot was taken at my last solo show in Brooklyn (before the big move to Chicago). I had just launched into "Umbrella" (from "Demanding to be Next"), as it had been requested from the audience, and on cue, nearly everyone in the place popped up an umbrella. As you can see, ever the professional, I stopped playing 'cause I was laughing too hard...

Cafe Steinhoff, Brooklyn, NY, July 7, 2004

This was taken by a true friend of the Useless Bastards (of which I'm proud to be a member), Mr. Mitch (of Roxanne and Mitch). And yeah, this was a Bastards show, "the last one before the big move to Chicago." In this particular photo we have Bryan "Park" Miller Bastard, and myself, Preach Bastard. I believe we're in the middle of "My Ruby Mandolin," which you can hear if you go to the "Free Tracks" section of the music page.

Buddy Guy's Legends, Chicago, IL, July 3, 2004

Man, I can't believe it, here I am shakin' hands with the legend...this was taken after both Charlie and I had done our sets, and were gettin' ready to head back to the hotel after the show. After the shot was taken, Charlie says to me "When ya hit the road, make sure it don't hit ya back!" I drove extra special safe that night...

Conklin Barn, Huntington, NY, June 24, 2004

This was taken in the afternoon, waiting to go in for my soundcheck. I was on the phone with the missus, and I wanted her to know where I was and what I was doin' whilst talkin...what I was doin' was hangin' around in Huntington, New York, readin' the Post, drinkin' water, and listenin' to bugs crawl, outside the Conklin Barn...

Conklin Barn, Huntington, NY, June 24, 2004

...and here I am playin' the barn! it's apparently an extremely vintage building, a genuine old-school barn, that has been transplanted from its original locale, adopted by a historical society, and rehabbed up accordingly. I was playin' that night on a bill organized by singer-songwriter/mulit-instrumentalist Dave Isaacs. It was part of a thang called, appropriately enough, "The Barn Burnin'" series...the Historical Society was not pleased...but the crowd was! In addition to me, it was Leo Kottke-esque fingerpicker extraordinaire Nick Vermitsky, and Dave with his country band Jackalope Junction.

Two Boots, Brooklyn, NY, June 18, 2004

We called this picture "The King of Park Slope," courtesy of my crimson crown. Though it's the cat sittin' behind me who has the better right to that title. That's Jamie "Beatnik Beats" Moore back there, gumbo swamp king of the bang n' clang, here droppin' his thump at Two Boots in Brooklyn. We play together quite a bit, often under the name PB&J (preacher boy and jamie), and yeah, when we do, we offer a sandwich bar with two kinds of bread (white and wheat) healthy peanut butter (organic, sugar free, etc.) and the other (skippy, jiff, et al) matched with their equitable counterparts in the jelly and jam departments. It ain't much, but it's somethin' to sop up the liquor with...

Two Boots, Brooklyn, NY, June 18, 2004

Preach and Beatnik again. Rockin'.

Pete's Candy Store, Brooklyn, NY, February 6, 2004

This is me playing in an extremely infamous side-project band called "The Useless Bastards." The band was founded by Jon "Captain Ahab" Dryden, whom you'll meet again in a later photo. That's him in the back on the accordion. He's toured with Marcy Playground and has recorded with Norah Jones. To my right is Bryan "Park" Miller, co-writer of "Rock Skipper" and the frontman of Miller's Farm. He's a two-time winner of the Nashville Songwriter's Association Songwriting Competition. To my left is J. Walter "Bullpork" Hawkes on the ukelele, who composes the music for the children's show "Blue's Clues" and also fronts his own vintage jazz combo. And directly behind him is Jim "Sinnerman" Whitney on the doghouse bass, who also plays with neo-klezmer legend Andy Statman, the Wayfaring Strangers, and Chip Taylor, who wrote "Wild Thing." The Useless Bastard's slogan is "songs you love on instruments you hate." To date, we've featured accordion, upright bass, washboard, saw, trombone, ukelele, steel guitar, 5-string banjo, tenor banjo, mandolin, classical guitar, harmonica, and banjolin during our sets. And probably more to come...

M Shanghai Den, Brooklyn, NY, May 27, 2004

This is the view from the stage at M Shanghai Den, an extremely small and groovy basement club in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The bill that night was a great parade of Americana-Roots-Blues-Folk artists, including yours truly, plus the raw-dog electric hypno-drone neo-blues of The Willl Scott trio, the phenomenally finger-picked folk-noir of C. Gibbs, and the old-school street-string-combo sound of The American String Conspiracy.

Backstage at the Carriage House Theater, April 21, 2004

Situated on the grounds of the reknowned Villa Montalvo in Los Gatos, California, The Carriage House Theater is an absolutely gorgeous room to play. I opened up for Charlie Musselwhite that night, and it was a fantastic experience. Not to mention the backstage treatment. Wine, grapes, cheese plate, the works.

Backstage at The Hacienda

Well, it's not exactly The Carriage House, but hey, they had a fruit plate! Look close, and you can see the strawberry on the floor. Fruit plate, folding chairs, a thermos or two, the water heater, it's the rock n' roll dream. Or should I say, that's the blues. In all honesty, that was a great night, and the folks at The Hacienda were wonderful. All the margaritas we could drink...

Butte La Rose, Lousiana

This was just too good to pass up. I'd been driving for hours through an absolutely blistering southern downpour, white-knuckled the whole way, and getting crabbier by the minute. Then out of the mist comes this sign, and I burst out laughing like a four-year old with milk in his nose at the mention of a taboo word. At the last second I managed to grab the camera, and take the shot one-handed through the windshield. You tell me, Baton Rouge or Butte La Rose?

Post-Show at JP Hops House, Houston, Texas, April 29, 2004

So, that's Jim on the left, one of the club owners, and then fiddlin' Jo, the missus of Colin Brooks, and then Pam, Jim's wife and club co-owner, then yours truly, and on the far right is Colin Brooks, wonderful songwriter, stunning dobro player, and co-writer of "Whistleman" and "My Gold Canoe." We had a great show that night, trading songs and pickin' ourselves stupid.

Watkins Cleaners, Birmingham, Alabama

So, I'd never played in Birmingham before, in fact, I'd never even been there. I drove from Houston, eleven hours. I had a gig at The Moonlight Music Cafe on Saturday, May 1st, opening up for the great Nashville writer and performer Jeff Black. It was the last night of my tour. I came off the freeway onto the main road, and this was the first thing I saw. A good omen? Indeed...

Cafe 111, Brooklyn, New York, May 7, 2004

Amy shot this at a groovy little club in Brooklyn, where I was sharing a bill with acoustic roots artist Ananda. Judging by the capo position on the Martin, I'm probably in the middle of playing "Nehemiah James."

(c)2004 amy marinelli

Eli's Mile High Club, Oakland, CA, December 30, 2003

Eli's is one of the most famous blues clubs in the country, and at the time of this show, it had recently been bought out, renovated, and re-opened, after a long season of undue decay. For me, it was such a thrill to play there. Back when I was just a lil' ol' kid in college, 18-years-old and green as mold on cheese, I used to sneak into Eli's any time I could get a fake ID to hear that raw-dog Oakland blues. Then, boozed to the gills, I'd run off to Flint's for a rib sandwich on white bread with cole slaw served with an ice cream scoop. Those were the days...Anyhow, that's all at least somewhat behind me now, but Eli's was still as great as I remembered it, and there was even a tap dancin' fella there (with a tap shoe on his head) who remembered me from back when I first played there many, many moons ago...and I'd only played there once!

Henfling's, Santa Cruz, CA, December 28, 2003

This club is right outside of Amy's hometown, and believe you me, the family turned OUT! And the extra special treat of the night was the appearance on stage of Aptos' other favorite offspring, Jon "Captain Ahab" Dryden, playing his accordion. (Well, it's actually my accordion, but he plays it so immeasurably better than I do that I just say it's his.) Anyhow, Jon lives in Brooklyn too, and we play together there regularly, but it was a real ball to re-convene with all the Aptossians.

©2006 Christopher Watkins. All rights reserved. Copying prohibited.
Photos by Amy Marinelli ©2004-2006