Good day, everyone. I’m back out on the road with Kevin Morby. I’m writing to you from Mayenne, France. I think it’s in the Loire Valley. I did a presentation on the Loire in 9th grade and brought in cookies for the class. I’m facing off with the magical demon known as jetlag, but I was able to finagle 8 hours of sleep last night. I spent most of yesterday wandering around Paris and settling in with our crew guys. We went to our favorite pastry spot, Du Pain et Des Idees. They make this viennoise bread with pistachio called the escargot. I got a cappuccino at this spot called Buddy Buddy and then sat by the water while kids jumped in from the overhanging bridge. A classic European summer sight.
The last few months have had extreme highs and lows. My spring solo tour was certainly a high for me. I was not expecting to sell out Philadelphia and Nashville. Most of the shows had great crowds and it felt like all of the hard work paid off. I made the backdrop, designed the wireless lighting package, bought inflatables, programmed Ableton, made videos for every song, and synchronized all of it to backing tracks. It was an undertaking but I’m so proud of how the show looked and sounded. The band was truly phenomenal and I can’t thank Andy, Fiona, and Todd enough. Here’s a picture from our first show in Boston.
After the tour ended, I had to shift gears entirely because Natalie’s mom got very sick, and she unfortunately passed away on June 11th. It continues to be a heartbreaking experience. We’re hanging in there and holding up as much as we can. I’m amazed at how Natalie handled all of it and she’s put so much love and attention to detail into making sure her mom is remembered in the best way possible.
On June 22, we celebrated our five year wedding anniversary together. We’ve been together for almost a decade. It’s hard to believe. Natalie got me two gifts. One is a trophy that says “Best Husband Ever”, and the other was a complete surprise. She wrote a gratitude journal for an entire year. Every day from June 22, 2023-2024, there was an entry about something I did that made her happy. She gifted this to me at dinner, and I was so overwhelmed that I started bawling uncontrollably at the Meditteranean restaurant. It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, and I’ll never be able to reciprocate. Any time I’m feeling low, I’m going to open that book.
I’m excited to be back playing music with Kevin and we’ve got a whole week in the UK after tonight. I’ll be eating a lot of beans and toast. Over the next few weeks, maybe I’ll do my own song explosions of tunes from New Age Rage. Does that sound interesting?
Love,
Eric
I’ve been married for 32 years. When I read what Natalie did for you, I immediately called my wife and said “I think that’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard.”