I'm having a relaxing time in Hot Springs, MT, today. Just swam and soaked at the historic Symes Hot Springs Hotel where I stayed last night.

My show at Fergie's Pub was a big success! Lots of locals showed up, and I didn't feel bad taking the $200 guarantee. The weird thing about this show was that my ears were clogged up the whole night. I kept asking people if they could hear me. Not being able to hear forced me to close my eyes and go inward. Unexpectedly, my guitar playing became more focused and attuned. More than one person commented on this lyrical-to-musical shift.

Jeff and Joanne Morrow were there and did much two-steppin'. By night's end the floor was filled with dancers. A major highlight for me was having the master-cellist Lee Zimmerman sit in for a few songs: "Gorilla," "End of America," "Imaginary World," "Sugar Bank Hank," and "The Hermit" have never sounded so good.

Time to visit Grandma Herak in Ronan!

Tonight: Fergie's Pub in Hot Springs, MT! 9 p.m.

Tonight at The Filling Station!!

(Photo credit: Allison V. Smith)

I'm ready for spring. I'm ready for my fifteen minutes of fame to be over. I'm ready to finish what I started. I'm ready to draw seven lines in the dirt. I'm ready to climb the red butte. I'm ready to remember that some things aren't for sale. I'm ready to die in a snowstorm, along the interstate, in the morning.

Laryngitis has overcome me. Tonight's BIG show in Dickinson is cancelled.

Back in Dunn County for a couple days. It is lovely to see my parents after eleven weeks away.

I've had to cancel my last three shows, including Bismarck tonight, due to laryingitis. I'm praying for a miracle so I can do tomorrow's show in Dickinson.

I did manage to get through a sprinkling of songs at a Red Raven open mic in Fargo last night. Afterwards I walked down to the Hotel Donaldson where the fab Duluth bluesman Charlie Parr was rockin' the scene, and during a break I bought his latest CD. Charlie and I played a couple shows together in '03. He remembered me and intimated that we ought to play some more shows together sometime. That would be something.

I could write more about my excellent time in Fargo--the "Jell-o-Bration," for example, but I am dog beat and ready to crack in half. G'night.

The ROAD has been ROBUST.

Just played eleven shows in ten towns: Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Columbia, Champaign, Rockport, Maquoketa, Winona, Decorah, Prairie du Chien. By the last gig my voice was officially worn out. I cancelled Duluth for tonight and am burrowed in Winona, MN, with friends, drinking hot honey-water. Tomorrow I drive to my home state--North Dakota. From there I go to Montana, my other home state. I feel rich, exhausted, and ready for spring. Hopefully the durned groundhog was right.

On Valentine's Day I hope to fly back to Texas and sweet Hana.

Speaking of Hana, please take a gander at her latest offerings on Etsy: Baptuma. You may recognize some of the models.

. . . meanwhile, Egyptians revolt.

This Saturday in Dickinson, ND!

This has been one crazy week. Next week is more of the same. It's been good, though. Report coming, if I can carve out the time.

Last night in Tulsa, OK, was a GREAT time. The show was set up only two days prior, but thanks to my man Fostex, his Lunabread Cafe was jam-packed and rockin'. I sold about $200 in CDs alone. And the food at Lunabread is seriously some of the best I've ever tasted! They primarily use food from local organic farmers. No steroids or antibiotics in the meat. Free-range eggs. And Fostex makes his own butter and cream.

Midway through the set Fostex grabbed a stand-up bass and started jamming along to my country tunes. A guy named Josh, at whose house I later stayed, supplied beatbox on my rap songs.

The show in Oklahoma City was fun enough, but I only made $35. This stung quite a bit, because a careless promoter had led me to believe I had a $200 guarantee. In the morning, however, my friend Terri gave me a grand tour of the city and treated me to a most delicious lunch. Two other highlights: seeing the Oklahoma City National Memorial and doing a drive-by of Wayne Coyne's house.

I drove through the shadowy Ozark Mountains today to get to Columbia, Missouri, where I just headlined a benefit for the Missouri Rural Crisis Center. The two opening singers were both named Anna. The second Anna, Anna Duff, covered my song "Hit the Road," and did it way better than I do. Columbia always delivers.

Tomorrow: Champaign, Illinois.

I'm in Oklahoma City now at a restaurant called the Picasso Cafe. Show starts in an hour. Opening bands are Dr. Pants and Jabee (left).

Oklahoma is a good old state, home of both Will Rogers and Woody Guthrie.

Tomorrow I'll be performing at a Tulsa restaurant called Lunabread.

I forgot to mention, but my once-and-maybe-future tour pard Austin L. Jones had to back out of this tour due to lack of funds. His decision came on Thursday night, which left me three choices: 1) buy a funky old car, 2) rent a car, or 3) talk Hana into letting me drive the Subaru.

Choice number three won out. I'm happy to have the heated seats and all-wheel drive as I head to the icy north. Hana's not quite as pleased. : (

Greetings from the Barry Whistler Gallery in Dallas, TX. There was a bustling and dynamic art opening here tonight. I've got the space all to myself now.

Last night Barry and Allison V. Smith hosted a very sweet house concert at their place. Today Allison, with help from assistants Jessica and Rex, treated me to a photo shoot all around Dallas. Allison's generous and spontaneous shoots are becoming an annual Dallas tradition for me.

Here's a photo she took with her iPhone's Hipstamatic app.

I love Texas.

Tomorrow: Oklahoma. Northbound and up.

Got a theater? Know somebody who runs one? Email: info@rolloutcowboy.com and inquire about setting up a screening of Roll Out, Cowboy in your town!

The drive from Washington to Texas was cold and long.

Hana, Gilgamesh, and I thawed out at last when we arrived in New Mexico and soaked in Spence Hot Springs in the Jemez Mountains west of Albuquerque.

As we were leaving, Hana accidentally dropped the non-waterproof camera into the pool. It still works!

I've been hunkered down in Marfa booking shows for my upcoming tour, which starts this Friday in Dallas. Spending ten hours a day on the computer is NOT awesome, but the shows are rolling in, slowly and surely. So far, I have about fifteen confirmed gigs. Lookin' for ten more. I'll be touring with a young Texan named Austin L. Jones. He's a multi-instrumentalist and a fresh songwriter. I'm hoping he'll back me up (banjo, mandolin, etc.) on a few of my songs. We'll be traveling many miles in his pickup. Adventures!

It's insane to be leaving the sunny desert and sweet Hana (and Gilgamesh) for the sub-zero north country, but I've got cash to earn and movie screenings to promote. Hopefully next winter I'll relax, read some books, and get a tan.

Marfa really is magical, and tonight the moon is full. The temperature yesterday hit 76 F!

Have you heard of the Marfa Lights? Two nights ago Hana and I saw them. Odd phenomena, indeed.

Well, I still have lots to say, but it's late. Hopefully tomorrow I'll catch you up more.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day from Marfa, TX!

Hana, Gilgamesh, and I are on our way to Lubbock, TX. Tonight we're nestled down in Price, UT. Last night we stayed in Twin Falls, ID. Tomorrow night maybe Santa Fe, NM.

Hopefully, I'll soon have time to recount adventures. The four shows I just played were all memorable . . .

Update on Dad's broken leg (email from Mom): "Surgery went well, and he now has a titanium rod running the length of his left femur, right through the bone marrow, holding the femur together. The leg is still swollen and painful and will be for a while."

Upcoming Shows (my homepage is still broken)!

Olympia, WA - Tonight! At the Loft on Cherry (508 Legion). 7:30. $5-10 sliding scale.

Corvallis, OR - Tomorrow (1/7/11) at Interzone, Inc. 7 pm.

Portland, OR - Saturday (1/8/11) at Bar Bar Apartments above Mississippi Studios. 9 pm. $7 in advance / $8 day of show.

Kennewick, WA - Sunday (1/9/11) at Richard & Kim's Garage! 7pm. $5.

Lubbock, TX - (1/14/11) House Concert at the Hedges.

Marfa, TX - (1/15/11) The Marfa Book Co. 10 pm.

Two days ago, while attempting to get his pickup out of a snowdrift, Dad got smacked from behind by a sliding tractor. The force of it hitting his leg broke his femur. He lay in the snow for half-an-hour before the ambulance came. Surgery happened yesterday, and the doctor says he'll be walking normal again by April, but he'll always have a metal rod in his leg.

This is a game-changer for me. When I get back to North Dakota I plan to step up my role in helping to finish the house he and Mom are building.


Dad and I hiking up the Lochsa River in Idaho ten days ago on our way to Jerry Johnson's Hot Springs. Photo by Hana.

Hello from one of my many home-away-from-homes: Anacortes, WA, at the Crowe-Lunsford residence. In an hour I catch a ferry to Orcas Island to play my fourth New Year's Eve show at the Doe Bay Resort & Retreat. Blue skies and 25 F. outside. Can't wait to soak in the hot springs above Otter Cove.

The holidays have been a-jinglin' for old Sandman.

And tomorrow I turn 40. Lordy, lordy.

Regarding my last post, thanks for the input. The reason I'm considering switching my domain name to www.chrissand.___ is that I'm plotting my next decade as a musician, and I'm not sure I want to be branded predominantly as a "rappin' cowboy." It feels unwieldy and a little disingenuous to continue holding up the two poles of that banner.

Being the Rappin' Cowboy has been good to me, though, I'll say that much. It has given me publicity and helped me book shows and draw crowds and sell records. It has allowed me to stand out from other acts. It got me invited to the 25th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV. It probably even played a role in getting a documentary made about me.

I guess what it comes down to, though, is this: I'm not a cowboy and I'm not a b-boy. I'm just a forty-year-old nature boy who drives truck part-time for a living and spends most of the year in North Dakota. I like foraging for food. I like soaking in hot springs. I like clearing trails and chopping wood and swimming. I like this recent Bernie Sanders speech. I like drying apples and canning. I like to recite poems and write songs and pick guitar and tell lies and chase horses out of the yard. I like to drive long distances and (dream about) travel(ing) overseas. I like thrift store shirts and scratchy vinyl records. I like Hana. I like Mexican food and corgi pups. These are a few of my favorite things . . .

I also adore both hip-hop and cowboy culture. For me, they somehow encapsulate the spectrum of Americana I'm so fond of. I may stick with www.rappincowboy.com, but I may opt for www.chrissand.net. Time will tell. Time will tell.

Merry Christmas everyone and thanks again for your comments!

Thanks to my friends Martine and Josh, my new website is coming along handsomely. I plan to change my domain name from www.rappincowboy.com to chrissand.us (chrissand.com was taken, unfortunately). It might be ready to launch by early January. We'll see.

Anybody out there want to help me write a fresh bio? My old one's gathering moss.

Also, I need to prioritize three good press quotes for my publicity page. I found ten from 2010. Which do you find most compelling?

1. ". . . playful, pugilistic, and part of the deep tradition of troubadours keeping culture alive while pushing the cultural envelope."
360 Main Street (Ryan Wilson)
http://360mainstreet.com/article/631/take-5-on-film-world-of-trouble

2. "(Chris Sand) blends and balances rap and country music with a conviction and sophistication that transcends novelty without eschewing levity. . . . Sand’s music saunters, struts and strides through not just musical barriers, but those in age, society, politics, and so many more, one loses count."
Movies on a Big Screen (Galen Howard)
http://www.moviesonabigscreen.com/mobsblog/2010/06/roll-out-cowboy-rolls-out-to-mobs/

3. "...one of America’s most unusual entertainers—Sandman, the Rapping Cowboy, a.k.a. Chris Sand. Sand is a true original, one of those charismatic oddballs that populate quirky indie comedies but rarely seem to exist in real life. His music is catchy and fun, his personality is damn near irresistible..."
A.V. Club - Denver (Cory Casciato)
http://www.avclub.com/denver/articles/sdff-cantmiss-pick-roll-out-cowboy,47301/

4.". . . how easy it is to go from skepticism to complete admiration for the Rapping Cowboy. Chris “Sandman” Sand matters."
Encore (Justin Lacy)
http://www.encorepub.com/welcome/?p=1576

5. "Sand, a gifted songwriter . . . manages to charm even at his worst."
Memphis Flyer (Chris Herrington)
http://www.memphisflyer.com/SingAllKinds/archives/2010/10/23/indie-memphis-daily-saturday-guide

6. "His music might be an acquired taste, but it’s easy to understand how rappin’ cowboy Chris Sandman’s (sic) irrepressible energy, goofy lyrics and wild showmanship win him followers wherever he goes."
7 x 7
http://www.7x7.com/arts/indie-theater-roundup-7-movies-see-docfest-0

8. "(an) undeniably magnetic and talented character."
A.V. Club - Austin (Joshua Huck)
http://www.avclub.com/austin/articles/dispatches-from-the-marfa-film-festival-wednesday,40952/

9. "(Chris Sand) is the classic wandering American minstrel."
Weekly Volcano (Mark Thomas Deming)
http://www.weeklyvolcano.com/music/features/2009/07/rapping-the-open-range-chris-sandman-sand-tacoma/

10. "his stripped-down sound and unadorned words contain hopeful ingredients most anyone can feel at home with - except maybe in Cincinnati."
The Olympian
http://calendar.theolympian.com/olympia-wa/events/show/148388145-roll-out-cowboy-followed-by-live-performance-with-sandman-the-rappin-cowboy

Bonus quote (perhaps my favorite):

11. "(Sand) isn't a particularly good musician, but he makes up for it with a huge heart and an eagerness to bridge divides."

The Daily Californian (Max Siegel)

http://www.dailycal.org/article/110762/sf_docfest

The last several days have been musically fertile!

Yesterday I recorded two Carter Family songs for a Carter Family compilation. I chose "Heaven's Radio" and "Buddies in the Saddle."

Sunday I played a house concert. Besides getting fed and paid and selling CDs, I was sent home with fifteen pounds of food, including half a ham, two pies, shrimp, bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, two boxes of cookies, a jar of kombucha, and a grip of handmade curry lollipops! I also got a free Tarot reading later, by an author named Anna.

Friday and Saturday I laid down tracks for over a dozen songs. I hadn't planned to create a new country-rock CD, but after my Capitol Theater show I was approached by Pat Maley, who generously offered his production services. Soon after this, Ross and Bob from Bicycle Records said they'd like to release my next record. I called on my long-time drummer Chad, who agreed to drum. His friend Abigail agreed to play bass. We had three days to practice, and miraculously, it all came together. We began recording Friday--guit/drums/bass/vox, all live at the same time. It was tight, a real team effort. Then Pam Margon came in and overdubbed her smokin' fiddle on some tracks.

Now we have an album's worth of songs to assemble. Tracks include "Bad Becky," "Bruised Fruits," "Damascus," "Miller Killer," "Horse Graveyard," "Sandy Bob," "Rhonda's Garden," "Sugar Bank Hank," "Road Krush," "Miss Rodeo Montana," and more. No raps this time, all country. Outlaw style. Americana. Rootsy.

I'd like to mention that Pat Maley, besides being a friend and former housemate, is a renowned producer. He's recorded a virtual who's who of '90s punk artists and released their songs on his Yo Yo Records Label.

Some of these bands: Rancid, Elliot Smith, Sleater-Kinney, Beck, Mirah, The Mountain Goats, Built to Spill, The Microphones, Neutral Milk Hotel, KARP, Halo Benders, The Gossip, The Need, and more. He once made a lo-fi music video for Nirvana. He's been around the block in this punk town. You can read a little about his famed Yo Yo A Go Go Festival here.

Next step? I'm setting my sights on finishing up a recording collabo with Giles O'Dell, who in '06 produced Return to the Blackhole of Outerspace. This one will be a cowboy poetry mash-up disco mix.

In the Dub Narcotic Studio today recording a new country album! Chad Austinson is the drummer. Abigail is the electric bassist. Pat Maley is the producer. Bicycle Records is the label. Very exciting.

Happy birthday today to Dad, Uncle Tom, and Amy Greene (our host here in Oly). May you all live long and prosper!

And Dad, I wish you were here this month. We'd hit a natural hot spring in some snowy forest. Next year!

The inspiration is comin' back. I credit ping pong matches with Greg Lukens and Pete Chramiec.

My restful and inspiring week in Anacortes has run its course. I have the recordings I need for the upcoming soundtrack to Roll Out, Cowboy.

Phil Elverum is a wonderful producer with an amazing new recording studio in the old Anacortes Catholic church. A perk to the studio is that it has a spacious basketball court, so we played lots of hoops. Besides being a swell producer, Phil is also a skilled session musician; he played bass, drums, organ, and a couple other instruments on "End of America." Other friends shared their musical gifts, too. Karl Blau layed down a blistering electric guitar track at the end of the song. Genevieve Castree and Nick and Allyson (whose last names I know not) lent their angelic voices, as did Phil.

Tonight I played a show at The Business. Thanks to generous promotion by Bret Lunsford, a large crowd showed up and bought plenty of merch. After the show, Bret shuttled me to Mount Vernon, where I caught a train to Seattle. Tomorrow I'll begin work on a fresh new website with friends Martine and Josh. Change is a-comin' to rappincowboy.com and none too soon.

Happy Hanukkah!

Sandman show in Anacortes this Friday! 5pm at The Business. All-ages. FREE!