South Terminal Layover Blues
As always you can find my upcoming tour dates for the upcoming midwest US, southern Ontario, and more, with links to info and tickets below
You can join my patreon for new music from me every month and more content and livestreams at patreon.com/jeffplankenhorn
Those of you who have been following along may have noticed a bit of a breakneck schedule as of late. A midwest U.S./southern Canada tour, 5 days back on Vancouver Island with a great power trio gig in Victoria, and then a full month of recording, gigs, radio shows and cohosting radio shows, co-writing with friends, and even a workshop/bandcamp that truly was one of the most fun I’ve ever had at one of those (don’t forget I will have some time to do Zoom/Skype/Facetime lessons in mid-to-late December and early January!). Today I’ve already been traveling about 12 hours and have an hour and a half until boarding here at Vancouver International’s south terminal. My puddle-jumper awaits.
I’ll get home tonight. Cuddle with the wife and dog then take off early tomorrow morning for a 4 day run of gigs in Chilliwack and Vancouver in British Columbia, followed by Seattle and Portland. Then I’ll drive 10 hours home (with a 1 1/2 hour ferry in the middle) and then, finally — rest.
I have been making plans for a new record. Hoping to record in April with the fabulously talented and internationally renound producer Colin Linden. I still have a couple of immensely talented producers I’m still “flirting” with, but I just have a feeling in my gut that Colin gets what I’m doing, where I’m at, and what to do with the songs I’ve been accumulating throughout the lockdowns and until now. If you would like to hear some of it, I’m attaching a demo of “Alone At Sea” to the patreon version of this newsletter/blog.
You may ask, “why the hell are you working so hard?” There’s a solid answer for that.
Before the lockdowns I was really getting to a place where my name as a solo artist was spreading beyond the confines of Austin and Texas into a good portion of the continental U.S. In August of 2021 I began touring again, and although my audience in Texas was still mighty and strong, all of the new markets I went back to it seemed I was almost starting from scratch.
From one venue to the next, I couldn’t tell you why one was back at full capacity with great fans and music lovers, and another in the next town over 13 people showed up to my show (or less!). It wasn’t by age group, it wasn’t by geographical area, and it was really hard to know what I was going to pull in any night of the week.
That is finally starting to change, and I’m building again. My month in Texas was pretty glorious. My friends, musical family, and friends there are loyal to the core, and I am so grateful for them. Despite an outstanding festival season on Vancouver Island and in Texas, a number of my mini-tours I actually came home from in the red.
For one thing, it’s hard to get press as a 49 year-old “developmental” act. Especially when there’s no new music. Then there’s the aforementioned club-to-club varied attendance. There’s also the obscenely high gas prices affecting every industry including my own and anything adjacent to my own. So my flights are more expensive, renting a car is much harder, hell I even had to “fake rent” an acoustic guitar by buying it in Columbus, OH only to return it 10 days later to avoid paying $500 in extra baggage fees. It’s a good hustle if you are ever in a jam on the road and your local music store has a 45-day return policy, as long as you can return it unscathed after 14 gigs in 13 days.
But Texas helped me get back on track financially, which makes my ever-patient and supportive wife Donyne a lot less stressed for me/us. And now I set my sites on 3 more mini-tours, a little family time around the holidays, and the hunt for either/or both executive producers (investors) and personal loans. My last loan for the album Sleeping Dogs, I went to some friends and said, “I’ll give you 3% interest up front as the first payment, and then I’ll pay you $1000 minimum per/month for 5 years or until it’s paid off.
I paid it off in 2 1/2 years of solid touring, singing and playing my heart out, and selling lots of “the softest t-shirts you’ll ever touch” and “trucker hats that are big in the Yoga and H.I.T. community.” (because they say, “Plank.”
So wish me luck in my search for musical investment! The new music has been going over great at the shows, and like Guy Clark supposedly did I’m letting my audience name the songs by approaching me and saying, “I love that song about being alone at sea.” Which means I know without a doubt the song should be titled — Alone At Sea.
My new manager John Porter is kicking butt in my opinion. So is my agent Aggie at Atomic.
Most days I’m amazed that I can make a living playing my own music without being a household name. It’s pretty darn wonderful.
Check out the dates below in BC, PNW, Montana, and Texas (yep I’m coming back for one super quick weekend thanks to the Ruthie Foster organization giving me some openers for her at The Heights in Houston and The Kessler in Dallas.
Head over to my patreon page and sign up for as low as $3 per month to get all my past songs, plus the demo of my new composition “Alone At Sea.”
Love to you all,
Plank
Jeff Plankenhorn/Leah Nicole Barley @ Bozzini's Restaurant
Tue, Nov 15 @ 7:30PM
Bozzini's Restaurant, Chilliwack, BC
Jeff Plankenthorn & Leah Nicole Barley (accompanied By Ross Christopher Fairbairn on Upright Bass
Two Great Artists In One Night!
Tuesday Nov 15
Doors 6:00 Show 7:30
Tickets only $ 25 at Bozzini’s or call 604 792 0744 to reserve by phone
Mel Lehan Hall at St. James (support for Eilen Jewell)
Wed, Nov 16 @ 8:00PM
Mel Lehan Hall at St. James, Vancouver, BC
Rogue Folk Presents...
Jeff Plankenhorn (solo) opening for Eilen Jewell & her band. Tickets are $30 in advance ($26 for members), $35 day-of for this all ages show that begins at 8pm.
El Corazon
Thu, Nov 17 @ 7:30PM
Plank (solo) in The Fun House! Tickets $17 adv/$20 dos + $3.43 srv fee + $2.25 fac fee. Playing 7:30-8pm, 8:40-9pm, and 9:40-10pm. 21+ ages. Doors open at 7pm...
Alberta Rose Theatre (support for Eilen Jewell)
Fri, Nov 18 @ 7:00PM
Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, OR
DEC1
Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe
Thu, Dec 1 @ 8:30PM
Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe, Galveston, TX
Plank back at the Old Quarter! Tickets are $20, doors open at 7pm, Jeff begins his performance at 8:30pm. Get your tickets!
The Heights Theater
Fri, Dec 2 @ 8:00PM
The Heights Theater, Houston, TX
Plank opens for his dear friend Ruthie Foster at The Heights!
DEC3
The Kessler Theater
Sat, Dec 3 @ 8:00PM
The Kessler Theater, Dallas, TX
Plank opens for his dear friend Ruthie Foster at The Kessler! Tickets are $34-$544 for this all ages show, doors open at 7pm, Jeff performs (solo) beginning at 8pm...
Jeff Plankenhorn/Sean Devine @ The Attic Montana
Thu, Dec 8 @ 8:00PM
The Attic Montana, Livingston, MT
Plank (solo) co-bill/song-swap with his buddy Sean Devine in Livingston! Tickets are $15 for this 21+ ages show. Doors open at 7pm, they start performing at 8pm. Get your tickets now...
GET TICKETS
The Colonel Venue and Cigar Lounge
Fri, Dec 9 @ 8:30PM
The Colonel Venue and Cigar Lounge, Cody, WY
Plank's solo tour of Montana/Wyoming tour continues! Tonight in Cody. Tickets are $5 for this 21+ ages show. Jeff begins performing at 8:30pm.
Jimmy's Roadhouse - SOLD OUT
Sat, Dec 10 @ 7:00PM
Jimmy's Roadhouse, Red Lodge, MT
Plank returns for another performance Jimmy's! Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of show. Jeff begins performing at 7pm...
Craft Local
Sun, Dec 11 @ 8:00PM
Jeff returns to Billings & Craft Local. Doors open at 7pm, 8pm solo show. Tickets a mere $5, all ages show...
McCabe's Guitar Shop
Fri, Feb 17, 2023 @ 8:00PM
McCabe's Guitar Shop, Santa Monica, CA
Jeff opens for Phil Salazar at McCabe's! Tickets are $22 (+$4.75 ticketing fee) for this all ages show. Doors open at 7:30pm, Jeff (solo) begins his performance at 8pm. Get your tix now, will be a sold out show!