Greetings Trainees!
We write to you from aboard The Original, on an all night drive.  We spent the day making some fine tunings and cleaning out the bus before pulling out of Charleston this afternoon.  The rig is filled with copies of our album “Believe,” t-shirts, salad and sandwich fixins’, 2 boogieboards, a surfboard, a kayak, camping and climbing gear, a box of costumes, Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, vitaminwater, and a few musical instruments.  Thanks to Ward, we’ve got a new window to replace the plywood one we’ve been sporting for the last two years, and the rear seats are reattached!  We won’t be back home until October, and between now and then we’ll play over 20 shows across the country, from Montana to sunny San Diego to the gulf coast of Mississippi and Alabama.  We are really excited to experience the countryside and play our music for people in so many different regions, and we owe a big thanks to our team for putting this tour together.  Thanks to Micah at Blue Mountain Artists, Brian at Macro-Management, and Tammy at Moonstruck Promotions for all the hard work!

I hope you will take a minute to look over our tour schedule, and see if we are coming to your town.  If so, come out and see us and bring a friend!  If we’re not coming to your town, we are sorry.  Contact a friend in a town we are visiting, and have them come out and tell us in person that we should play in your town!  Keep an eye out on facebook for videos we’ll be shooting along the way…

Thanks to everyone who made the French Broad River Festival such a great weekend! It was great to catch up with so many good friends, and spend some time on the river. I hope that you’ve already got tickets to LEAF this weekend, because it is SOLD OUT!

Festival season is right around the corner, and this beautiful weather has us excited to play outside! See the tour schedule below, and come join us at a festie!

We are wrapping up the final mixes on “Believe” this week and we’ll be posting another free download from the album at www.soldriventrain.com in the next few days.

See ya soon,
Joel

Our buddy, Linc, is taking us snowmobiling this morning before we head back down to Denver for another week of shows along the front range.

We are announcing our spring tour today.  Check the schedule and come see us in a town near you!  Click on the links to check out the Facebook event pages, and please invite your friends in these towns!

You can hear a new sneak preview from our upcoming album, “Believe” at our myspace and website.  The song “Suffer” will be available for free download through the month of March.

Our tour to the Virgin Islands was a fantastic success.  We met some wonderful people, played 12 shows in as many days, lounged at Fabio’s villa, went snorkeling, and even caught a few waves!  Thanks to Bryan Austin for coming along as road manager and smoothing out the potholes on St. Thomas and St. John.  Though we were sad to leave the white sands and turquoise waters, it’s exciting to be heading out a busy winter / spring tour here in the USA.  We’re also excited about our upcoming album “Believe.”  We’re so jazzed on these tracks that we’re giving one away for free.  Read on to find out about the song “Orangeburg.”

More than 3 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Orangeburg SC’s only bowling alley was still “whites only.”  On the night of February 8, 1968, after 3 nights of protests by SC State University students and others, a crowd of young people gathered on the   campus.  Police opened fire, killing 3 students (Samuel Hammond Jr., 18, Delano Herman Middleton, 17, and Henry Ezekial Smith, 19) and injuring 27 others, most of whom were shot in the back as they fled the barrage of gunfire.  The nine police officers who fired into the crowd were all acquitted of excessive force charges.  The only person convicted of wrongdoing was SNCC activist Cleveland Sellers, imprisoned for 7 months for “inciting to riot,” and pardoned 25 years later.  The first incident of its kind, The Orangeburg Massacre predated the shootings at Kent State and Jackson State, and received little media coverage.

Growing up in SC, racial tension was a constant undercurrent in my school life, and for years I have wanted to figure out a way to address this in my songwriting.  When I checked out “ORANGEBURG 1968 A Place and Time Remembered” by Sonny Dubose and Cecil Williams from the library, I was moved by the photos and first hand accounts of the event to write a song about that dark day in SC history.  In commemoration of Black History Month, “Orangeburg” will be available as a free download at www.myspace.com/soldriventrain during the month of February.  The song was recorded at Hillcreek Studios in  Candler, NC and at Awendaw Green in Awendaw, SC, and was mixed by Jeff Hodges at Charleston Sound.  Two guest artists lent their talents to the track: Jim Peterman (founding member of Steve Miller Band) added some spooky Hammond B-3 organ and SC songwriter Danielle Howle belted out some powerfully mournful backup vocals.

Thanks for listening,
Joel

We are enjoying a few days off, catching up with friends and loved ones around the country.  Reflecting back on 2009, honestly it’s been kind of a blur.  We clocked up tens of thousand miles on The Original’s odometer, played over 150 shows from Florida to Colorado to Pennsylvania, wrote new songs, dug up old ones, released a live concert DVD, and went to Disney World.  Thanks to everyone who has come out to a show, bought a t-shirt or album, and shared our music with a friend.  You keep us rollling down the road and making music. 

2010 looks to be another exciting year for the band.  With a tour of the Virgin Islands and a new studio album in the works, we’re kicking off the next decade with a bang.  Come ring in 2010 with us and our friends Snake Oil Medicine Show on New Years Eve at the Pour House in Charleston, SC.  The Halloween show in Asheville with Snake Oil was a blast, and we’re looking forward to another fun night with Caroline and the boys.  Hope to see you there. 

Wishing you safe and happy holidays,

Sol Driven Train

Joel

October is breast cancer awareness month, and to do our part we will be donating a portion of PINK coozie sales (coolies or huggies to some) to the cause.  So, the next time you see us, help us do our part spreading awareness and keeping beverages cold by picking one up.  Thanks for the continued support.  We love you all very much.

Thanks,

ward

sol driven train

p.s.  Shinefest is coming up quickly(Oct. 17th)!  Get your tickets now!

http://www.shinefestcharleston.com/

We are currently doing some more work on our up and coming album in Asheville NC at the Hill Creek Studio.  Our friends Jeff and Cameron Handell are coming in today to lay down some trumpet, keys, and percussion.  We are supper stoked about the sounds that we are getting and look forward to releasing some singles for radio.

Tonight we will be performing at the Emerald Lounge in Asheville NC at 12pm for the DIGG Festival.  Come out and see the Pond Brothers before us it is going to be a great show.

Friday Aug. 21 we are proud to be a part of the Summer Concert Series at the Rogers Park Amphitheater in Tryon NC.  The show will start at 7pm with a Kids set and will be followed by a full adult show.  The Concert is free so bring your blankets and picnic baskets and come share a great evening with Sol Driven Train.

Sunday Aug. 23 we will be performing at Local 506 in Chapel Hill North Carolina.  We will be opening for DOCO.  If you have some friends in the area send them our way.  The show is at 9pm.

Thanks

Russ