Hi All.

I had Terrific Southwest shows. Thanks especially to the Higginbotham folks who facilitated the interim sandwich filling Dallas date as not just a fill-in but a friendship filled soiree that folks will talk about for quite a while. Thanks for the pie.

3/6 - 3/13 - JOCO 2020 Caribbean Cruise https://jococruise.com with Aimee Mann, Liz Phair, Jonathan Coulton... (SOLD OUT)

3/14 - Columbus, OH - Columbus Performing Arts Center http://sixstring.org/

3/15 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark http://www.theark.org/

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New CD Good Good Man - get you one in any number of ways. Streaming, CD Babying, even from Good, Good Me. It’s getting rave reviews from Bluegrass magazines to jazz-leaning publications.
• PayPal to - vancefunder@gmail.com
• check for anything between $10 - $20 and up to Vancefunder P.O. Box 17 Arlington, MA 02476
• **If your name is on the CD, you’re a friend, family member, promoter, radio/podcast personage, cash strapped, or anyone else that thinks they should just have one, send me your address and just ask and I’ll send it.**

-Private/public/houseparty things, coaching of songwriting, performance & voice, abacus ball repainting, available upon request

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Texas State Trooper Encounter #1 -

I pulled off of the road to look for Chinese buffet. When he pulled up behind me, I thought the flashing lights were for me to let him pass. I had no idea he was lighting me up.

Sure I was rattled. I couldn’t figure out what I had done. Speed limit was 75, I was doing about 77, in traffic and in the right lane. Maybe my car was mistaken for the car wanted across the state in a silver alert. They were looking for a silver Chevy sedan. I was in a Nissan Altima. I pause my audio book. I fish for my license, I pull the rental agreement from the visor, and I of course I have in the back of my mind that which is my face in this visor mirror.

A young, monstrous, Carroll O’Connor-esque, In The Heat Of The Night man with Smokey Bear’s hat saddles up to my window in this parking lot. “Good afternoon Sir. You passed me and the vehicle I had stopped at about the speed limit, however Texas, as I imagine yours does too, has a Move Over Law that states you must either change lanes if it is safe to do so, or slow down to 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit as you pass an emergency vehicle. As I know that there was traffic in the lane you would have changed to, you were required to slow to 55 miles per hour.”

So I:
a) needed to know the specifics of this state’s law,
b) needed to assess which side of the road he was stopped on - when rounding even a slight curve, the laws of parallax can visually have him on either side of the road up until about 1000 feet of vision in front of me
c) needed to make what would have been a snap decision even at 55 miles per hour to change lanes or what
d) needed to get over the fact that there were vehicles in that passing lane doing 85-90 mph in a state where left lane is for passing only, and here he is asking for my license

“Sorry officer. That law sounds on the money to me, and thanks for telling me. I sincerely hope I didn’t make you unsafe back there. However, I have to admit that I’d never heard of it in Massachusetts. But I know you have a job to do sir…."

“Is this your current address?”

Here’s my chance. “It depends on what I’ve done and how much of my stuff is currently out on the lawn, but yessir, it was when I left."

He cracks up. “I’ll run your license and be right back”

All the bad on my police record meant that he was gone about 2 minutes. “What brings you down here Mr. Gilbert?” he asks. I tell him on the road, (no I didn’t say I was a friggin folk singer) retracing my crazy triangular Houston - Dallas - Baton Rouge - Houston tour-lette. He bids me a good rest of my trip with a warning. I hope he’s still laughing about my stuff in the yard.

And if you were wondering, as for the Mass Move Over law, it is clearly not as specific as he says Texas’ is, stating: