Sand Machine made its first foray onto foreign soil this past weekend. It was a lot like The Beatles landing in the U.S. Check the footage.

We made the drive up through Maine on Wednesday. Noah and Jay made it through the border unscathed, but Jeremy and I weren't so lucky. A full car search and a forty minute wait with a speech about not selling CDs and we were on our way. We spent the first night in St. John, New Brunswick just landing at a pub in time to get some food before the kitchen closed. We never moved from there until closing time. They were playing good tunes and we had some good laughs.

The next day we caught the ferry over to Nova Scotia, predictably sleeping through most of the ride. We landed at the Scanlan farm and were treated to a tour by mom and pop Scanlan. Special thanks to them for their hospitality, patience, and endless flow of food and beverage throughout the weekend. Noah's place has a classic Rockwellesque wooden basketball hoop over a gravel/dirt driveway. We spent many hours shooting around and playing HORSE. Felt a little like Larry out in French Lick. That night we set up the equipment and jammed some new covers and worked on some new Sand Machine tunes under the Scotia sky.

Friday and Saturday was the B.A.S.H, which stands for Bridgetown Annual Summer Homecoming - which happens every five years. They blocked off their equivalent of Main St. and set up a stage and booths with concessions. Following a few fiddle bands and belly-dancers, Noah's band Sand Machine played a short set. We played "Nolly Nolly Crembellum", "Dance and Drink Wine", and "The Ship". Following that we backed up Noah's best friend and fellow Bridgetown alum John Boyd on a few tunes including "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean On Me". We seemed to go over quite well for the 60 or so people there (Bridgetown only has 700 people) and Noah got to show his peeps what he has been up to all these years. Back at the ranch we played a spirited game of HORSE which involved such props as an empty beer bottle, a Ford, a magazine, a chair, and a piece of fire wood. You know, the usual stuff.
We closed the night at the one and only pub in Bridgetown having fun with the locals.

Saturday afternoon we played a very laid back show in Noah's parents' backyard for friends of the family and neighbors. Noah's dad manned the grill and the folks enjoyed a rather intimate performance. That night we all went to the big event of B.A.S.H. which is a big ball in the hockey rink. Locals call it the Rink Drink and it wasn't too challenging to see why. I was impressed with how many people were there for such a small town. They didn't seem to mind three Americans dancing in their parade.

We departed the Scanlan ranch on Sunday and drove up the peninsula and into New Brunswick. We spent the night at St. John again as an appropriate bookend for the trip, uncreatively staying in the same hotel and hanging out at the same pub (it is a fairly small city). No border trouble getting into the states the next day. I guess we looked more reputable this time.

Overall a fantastic time. Truth is, I wasn't that psyched to be home - one of those trips. Anyhow, Noah says the organizers of B.A.S.H. already have us as the headliner for 2015. Just have to keep our noses clean till then.

See you at Sally O'Brien's on August 27th. Thanks for your patience.