Jon Troast

Remind me to remember

jon — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:29:31 +0000

I’m back in Nashville now. Finally getting around to posting the last few pictures from my recent tour out West. I know I’ve said it before, but there’s just no way to capture the fullness of the experience in a blog entry. No matter how hard I try, I know I can’t remember the names of everyone in these pictures and all of the things we shared. But they’re still important. It’s a bit like growing up in a family. There might be a lot of great memories, and it’s always fun when we can remind each other of things in the past. However, there are plenty of things that slip through the cracks. Things that were so funny or important at the time, that now no one can even recall. They still happened. They just become part of that hard to express bond that holds us together. I’m grateful for these connections. Thank you to…
Turlock, CA-

Modesto, CA-

and Choctaw, OK-

All Accounted For

jon — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:35:36 +0000

Just a few more stops on this tour then back to Nashville. However, I just found out I’m a finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival “New Folk” Contest, so I’ll be heading out to Texas again in May and I plan book some house concerts there and back. I should probably start that soon! But before that, what a week in northern California. Thank you…
Orinda-

Pleasanton-

Santa Rosa (the Toastman nearly got left out of this one! I quick snagged him and jumped back into the photo. Action shot!)-

Santa Rosa again-

Just can’t get enough. Santa Rosa-

San Francisco-

Lafayette-

Danville-

A lot of great memories to account for. Speaking of, it’s tax time, and the host from last night is an accountant so I should probably give him his desk back. More to come!
ps He actually doesn’t do taxes, but it made for a good ending to this entry:)

A Wave I Can Ride

jon — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:42:10 +0000

I’m not a great surfer. In fact, I tried it again on Wednesday and I got pretty well worked over. However, I’m learning a few things about it. Waves that break for a long time, steadily in the same direction are a treasure. I feel like this tour is like that kind of wave. One great ride! Here are photos from another week in California.
Hawthorne (Action shot! The dog is jumping out of his hands)-

Orange (a little rain on the camera lens. The group photo had to be moved inside as it started raining right when the concert ended. A beautiful night)-

Orange again (an afternoon concert in a backyard garden setting. And…monkey bread!)-

Garden Grove (It was a unique honor to share my name with a cupcake)-

Garden Grove again (I’m pretty sure this is the first time someone was included in the group photo via Skype. The sister on the computer screen on the far left!)-

Upland (Thanks for the kumquats and good conversation)-

and Fresno (We laughed a lot. I like laughing. A lot.)-

Good busy

jon — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:26:04 +0000

Busy weekend. Playing two concerts today and two tomorrow. It seems a bit crazy, but it’s hard to stop when you’re having fun. California, you’ve been good to me, and more to come! Thank you to Orange-

Aliso Viejo-

Fountain Valley-

Laguna Niguel-

Lakewood-
Laguna Niguel (again)-

Mission Viejo-

“Not lonely”

jon — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:52:54 +0000

This is just great! Everything about this tour is just great. However, I was playing a house concert in Dallas, TX, and one of the guests, in a very motherly/grandmotherly manner, asked, “But don’t you get lonely?”…Hmmm. I guess life on the road has some “lonely” aspects to it, but really, I meet some extremely kind, generous, and cool people on these tours. So, let me introduce you to a few of the people who have helped me feel “not lonely” this week.
Dallas, TX (these folks braved a tornado watch to come to the show!)-

Chandler, AZ (such a cool experience. I played at a coffeehouse and there were people from at least 4 different previous housed concerts there. It was beautiful!)

Phoenix, AZ (on an amazingly still night in the desert, in a natural amphitheater backyard)-

The stories I heard, and the kindnesses I was shown are a remarkable remedy for loneliness:)

Good out of the Gate

jon — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:07:38 +0000

The tour is off to a great start! I headed down to southern Louisiana for a couple shows in Mandeville (this house is actually for sale if you want to buy it. The people aren’t included though!)-

and Slidell-

Now, with a cooler full of jambalaya, I’m up in Dallas. I played at a house on the historic Swiss Ave.-

I’m playing in Dallas again tonight, and then heading further west. Thanks to all of these folks for helping kick off the tour so well! Oh, and also, my friend Ian from Nashville was with me for a couple days and we filmed a music video on Friday with the Slidell friend/host…Charlie Brown! Here’s a glimpse into the process-

Let the tour begin!

jon — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:06:25 +0000

I was in a bit of a flurry earlier this evening (still kind of am!), trying to get everything ready for my tour which starts tomorrow. I’ll be gone a little over a month, playing over 30 house concerts all the way to California and back. Well, in the midst of all my running around, trying to pull everything together, I looked up and saw this-

And I realized, my plans are pretty small:) Here we go again!

The next level

jon — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:56:28 +0000

I decided it was time to take the house concerts to the next level. I thought I’d get a spotlight to make sure the “stage” area was well lit…I ended up with this rig! Looking forward to using these on the upcoming tour to California. Still a few dates open!

Texas part 2

jon — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:18:54 +0000

Man, that tour was a blast! Texas is big, and the range of experience it offers is big too. A few examples- I learned about being a stunt man. I ate some delicious barbecue. I met a dog who can run up a tree. I heard a story of a man who fell five stories and didn’t break a bone. I learned about restoring old cars. I fell in love with someone’s daughter…oh wait.
I’ll let you guess which photo goes with each story. Thank you Texas!

Texas Troast

jon — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:31:54 +0000

I’m right in the middle of the Texas Troast tour. Having a great time! The first leg of the tour was the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Here are some of the group photos. Some of these groups include people I’ve met before, some I met for the first time. It’s pretty cool when people open their doors and let you in on their lives. The “crazy” version of these groups can be seen on facebook or twitter .