We left LA December 27 at 6:30 AM and performed that evening in Denver to roughly 1000 people at the Ogden Theatre. Our old road cohort, Stumpy-Joe (a resident of Boulder), helped us out with tour management for the first time in a couple of years. It was very reassuring to be back in his able hands.

The next day we packed into his Jeep and headed for Aspen. We hit a blizzard on the way, but made it there in time for a sold out show at the Wheeler Opera House. The Wheeler is an old venue that has been beautifully maintained and reeks with turn-of-the-century charm. Because of the stellar acoustics, we were able to finish our set with our traditional "TFA" unplugged version of "We Belong" from the apron of the stage. After the show, we hit a local club, hanging out with singer-songwriter-slide player Ben Harper and catching a few minutes of a marvelous acoustic set by Richie Havens. At the stroke of midnight, we braved the mountain roads and drove all night back to Boulder, arriving at 4:30 AM.

After a much needed day off in Boulder, we paid a visit to our old friends at KBCO FM, playing three songs live on the air from their Studio C, playing "Walking On A Wire" and new songs "Avalanche" and "Do With Me What You Will". Both of the new tunes were enthusiastically received by KBCO's air staff. That night we played The Fox in Boulder for the first of two sold-out evenings. The crowds were as warm and responsive as ever.

The next night, on New Year's Eve, Sonia Dada graciously let us extend our set to a full hour. We played a number of new songs, including "When The Lights Go Down", which we had only performed once before. The whole set was a success, right down to our "TFA" in the middle of the audience. It wasn't easy to get an animated New Year's crowd to quiet down, but the audience was quite co-operative. Finally, we rang in the new year by jumping on stage with Sonia Dada to sing with them on "(Lover) You Don't Treat Me No Good". All in all, we had a blast.

All four shows were recorded, so don't be surprised if a song or two ends up on a future Fanclub compilation tape. By the way, the 1998 edition -- our gift of rarities, out-takes and blackmail material -- should be shipping to Fanclub members by mid-January.

We hope you all had warm and festive holidays. In the coming year, we will concentrate on getting a new studio album out, touring old haunts and discovering new corners of the country. As always, we appreciate your ongoing support and hope we get to visit with you sooner than later.

Love,
Dan & Eric