In short, we packed things up and made our way back home. We drove to Berlin. We waited in lines. We got on the plane. We waited in our seats. We got to Iceland. We waited in lines. We got on the plane. We waited in our seats. We got to Detroit. We got to my Aunt Jenny, and back into our car. We drove all the way back to Columbus, after stopping at Taco Bell. I dropped off Dan, then Jack, then me — falling into bed about 22 hours after waking up in Dresden that morning.

There are a lot of things to be thankful for. No health emergencies or accidents, no getting stranded in strange places. Always people to play to, old friends to see, new friends to make.

People are the main story of this tour — I suppose they always are. People who offered us food, drink, and a place to sleep. People who sang along to our songs, and traveled from far and wide to come see us. People who have seen us on old tours before, and people who became fans after seeing us by accident. People who gave us recommendations on places to see, things to do, and food to eat.

Music at our level doesn’t happen without people going out of their way to support it. I don’t take it lightly. And I’m coming home more inspired than ever to invest time, care, and attention in fostering our own music culture here in Columbus. I’m more energized than ever to host bands from out of town, pull together shows, and give artists a great crowd of attentive listeners who deeply care about songs. I am lucky enough to have eight years and three albums with this band — and even luckier that our music has found a remarkable group of listeners who are thoughtful, attentive, patient, and so open to hearing new music.

So, I’m home now in Columbus. I’m working at my library. And I’m going to sponge up as much writing, art, and music as I can.

See you around town,

Sam