October 2017: On the Same Word of the Same Page Bucket List
One Last Odell Fox Tour
October, like every month, pieces together in moments:
Snow falling on a windshield in Bend, OR, like Star Wars credits. An apple and peanut butter that gave me the chills. My grandfather, stretching beyond his physical limits to sit up in bed and kiss my grandmothers knuckles, and the band Crow and the Canyon singing “We Give” beside his hospice bed as my grandmother danced with her cane. Tiny pumpkins on Rogue River rocks. Listening over and over to Willie Nelson's "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning." Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings performing in Portland - flawless, simple, a cowboy hat, two acoustic guitars, artists who know exactly who they are, quintessential nostalgic American, two people on the same word of the same page–bucket list! One moment dims the next, leaving scribbled words and voice memos, and you try to remember what the hell it was like to be that guy who wrote those things way back when.
The bittersweet news this month is that following our West Coast “Thank You” tour (DETAILS BELOW), Odell Fox, my beloved trio of three years, will be parting ways.
Said best in the words of Raph Odell Shapiro -
"This coming January will mark three years since Jenner and Raph started writing and performing together, based out of the Fox family home in Palo Alto. Now, innumerable yoga class serenades, shirtless band practices, magical house concerts, roadside banh mi stops, and packed venues later, we’ve decided to part ways and develop as artists separately. This decision was not come to easily, but was come to with love and mutual respect; we are and always will be brothers. Future collaborations with the three of us, or combinations therein, are highly likely. Whether that music will come from “Odell Fox,” however, is as of now unclear.
Without a doubt one of the most difficult and sad aspects of this change is telling you all about it, our friends, family, and fans. We cannot thank you enough for the encouragement, the vibes, the support, both emotional and financial, that you’ve given us over the last few years. Thank you for listening to our music, for coming to our shows, for putting sheets on your L-shaped couches for us, for signing up for our newsletter, for really caring. It is by no means because we felt a lack of love for our material that we’re calling it quits. Far from it. It’s just, what feels right for us right now, as artists, friends, and individuals. And that’s all we have to go on.
But rest assured, we are all still committed to dedicating our lives to music, and we hope you’ll continue to follow along and support us in our future endeavors."
I will be releasing my new solo record this spring and touring extensively with Hans and band TBD. I am inspired and optimistic for what lies ahead. The pedal is firmly pressed to the spongy floor mat. Grateful to have you all on my team.
Raph and Hans will continue to live together in South Austin and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the next musical configurations to come from those beautiful musicians and men. Follow Raph here, and look out for Hans’ solo album coming out in 2018.
With Love,
Jenner
ps. "And lastly, the music we’ve made isn’t going anywhere! We hope you’ll continue to listen to Moon Shiner EP and Thank You, and share with friends who might dig it. We’re really proud of what we’ve made with this group, and with your help, it can live on.”
Thank You Tour 2017 - The Last Leg
Oct 25 - House Concert - Albuquerque, NM - 7pm
Oct 26 - House Concert - Flagstaff, AZ - 8pm
Oct 27 - Viewpoint Brewing Company - San Diego, CA - 6pm
Oct 28 - Hotel Café - Los Angeles, CA - 9pm
Oct 30 - House Concert - Santa Barbara, CA - 7pm
Nov 1 - House Concert - San Luis Obispo, CA - 7:30pm
Nov 3 - House Concert - Santa Cruz, CA - 7:30pm
Nov 4 - House Concert - Palo Alto, CA - 7pm
Nov 7 - Lost Church (Night One, Opening w/ Heartbreaker) – San Francisco, CA - 7:30pm
Nov 8 - Lost Church (Night Two, Opening w/ For Emma, Forever Ago) - San Francisco, CA - 7:30pm
Nov 10 - House Concert - Berkeley, CA - 7:30pm (Limited seating, RSVP to concerts721@sonic.net)
Nov 11 - Storyteller Series - Grant’s Pass, OR - 7:30pm
Nov 12-18 - McMenamin’s Al’s Den Residency - Portland, OR - 7pm
Nov 19 - Spoon Full Farm - Thorp, WA - 3pm
Nov 20 - House Concert - Hood River, OR - 7pm
If you're interested in attending a house concert, please write to us and we'll send you the necessary information. Thanks!
Fox Recommends
“Long Black Veil” performed by Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. This video comes from the show I saw in Portland. It was Gillian's third time being cheered back onstage for an encore. They stepped out in front of the microphones and sang acoustically to the sold out 1000 person Newmark theatre. Just when I thought that two voices could not be anymore blended, this happened. (And for the fellow Gil and Dave nerds, “Long Black Veil” was apparently the first song they ever sang together in Gillian’s kitchen).
These Headphones - for a very pleasant immersive soft-on-the-ears music listening experience.
Heartbreaker, in my opinion Ryan Adams' best work. Goes well with the headphones.
PS. “The matter with human beans," the BFG went on, "is that they is absolutely refusing to believe in anything unless they is actually seeing it right in front of their own schnozzles.” - Roald Dahl