A year ago today I began Leap Month Tour '24. Here's a no frills summary with the final three weeks truncated:
LEAP MONTH TOUR '24
Day 1 (1/31): Loaded my tour merch, musical equipment, and clothes into my ‘97 Toyota Tacoma and hit the road west from Missoula at 8 PM. Spent the night at Candyce’s duck farm near Medicine Lake, WA.
In the middle of the night, I checked my email and saw that Carrie Oldright had Venmoed me $200, requesting that I play a show for underprivileged kids, ideally in Reedsport, OR. I couldn’t make that happen in Oregon, but I did four weeks later at a daycare in Paw Paw, MI.
Day 2 (2/01): Continued west to Seattle for the LEAP MONTH TOUR ‘24 debut—a house concert at Sheri & Ross’ place. I was rusty after months without playing guitar, but the audience was supportive, and I found my groove halfway through the set. At 1:46 AM, I finally sent out my overdue tour itinerary email, opening with:
“Dear Sandfans: I just played my first house concert of tour at Sheri & Ross’ marigold mini mansion. The audience was extremely supportive, and I found my sea legs about halfway through the set.”
I also mentioned that I’d just released an early version of NON-JUDGMENT DAY on Bandcamp—available only until midnight.
Day 3 (2/02): Woke up to a surprise. Erika Fredrickson of The Pulp (Missoula’s independent news org) wrote a fun article about my accidental album release:
“Accidents happen. Missoula’s very own Chris Sand, AKA Sandman The Rappin’ Cowboy, accidentally released his new record on Bandcamp. All he meant to do was upload it privately in preparation for his tour… Oops. Instead of fretting, Sandman let the premature broadcast of ‘Non-Judgment Day’ serve as a sneak peek of the recording, which features his multi-member country-rock band, the Beloved Vagabonds.”
This happy accident led to several hundred dollars in album sales. Thank you, Erika!
After breakfast with Sheri & Ross, I headed to Olympia for a punk show at my old anarchist haunt, The ABC House. Turned out ABC had a Covid outbreak, so we relocated to Pat Maley’s shack. Guidon Bear and Xisme opened.
Day 4 (2/03): Down to Portland for a country show hosted by Rebecca Pearcy. Her Big in Japan Country Band kicked things off. Crashed at Annie K’s spare house and soaked in a cedar hot tub the next morning with Rebecca and Tony.
Day 5 (2/04): Night off in Corvallis at my cousin Kirby’s. Swapped songs with his talented family.
Day 6 (2/05): Breakfast with Kirby, then down to Gardiner, OR, for a show at The Oregon Coast School of Art.
Day 7 (2/06): Assembled 100 handmade album cases for NON-JUDGMENT DAY. Toured Kim Danielson’s mossy cattle ranch.
Day 8 (2/07): Meandered along the stunning Oregon & NorCal coast, landing in Eureka, CA, for the night.
Day 9 (2/08): Played at Little Saint, a vegan restaurant in Healdsburg, CA. They paid me $750, gave me an $80 food voucher, and put me up in a groovy vineyard-surrounded mansion! Caught up with cousin Jeff Sand after the show.
Day 10 (2/09): House show in Sacramento at Reva & Matt’s—teen-heavy audience. Spray-painted 40 more album cases. Raided their lemon tree.
Day 11 (2/10): Over Donner Pass to Reno for a vibrant house show at Aimee’s, organized by Lorna Leedy. Stayed with Lorna & Peter.
Day 12 (2/11): Super Bowl party. Bet $20 and won $680!
Day 13 (2/12): Soaked at Travertine Hot Springs in Eastern California. Crashed at Hostel California in Bishop, CA.
Day 14 (2/13): Private soak at Alkali Flat Hot Spring near Tonopah, NV. Wild donkeys gathered nearby. Stayed at The Shady Lady, a quirky former brothel near Beatty, NV.
Day 15 (2/14 - Valentine’s Day): Breakfast at Shady Lady, then through Area 51 & Vegas to Kingman, AZ. I declined an invite to a Bisbee show due to exhaustion—later learned a destructive fire broke out near the venue that night.
Day 16 (2/15) - Day 40 (3/10): Wound through the Southwest, Midwest, and back to Montana, playing house shows, crashing at friends' places, meeting old and new fans, eating Mexican food, and witnessing beautiful landscapes. Highlights from the remainder of the tour included:
Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, TX—saw legends like Ramblin’ Jack Elliott & Waddie Mitchell who partook in my pal Andy Hedges' Roll On Cowboys production.
A deep cave concert in No Name Cave, SD.
An emotional Paw Paw, MI, show at The Lucky Wolf.
A $300 unexpected gift from a longtime fan in Illinois.
A private soak at Alkali Flat Hot Spring with wild donkeys roaming around.
Exploring Paul Wellstone’s old campaign bus in Minnesota.
Seeing old friends and playing shows in the remaining communities of Tucscon, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Marfa, TX; Dallas, TX; Paris, TX; Little Rock, AR; Memphis, TN; Pesotum, IL; Paw Paw, MI; Elkhart, IN; Madison, WI; Viroqua, WI; Winona, MN; Northfield, MN; Altadena & Silverlake, CA (LA vacay); Rapid City, SD; Spearfish, SD; and Clyde Park, MT.
Final Day (3/11): Rolled back into Missoula after 7,575 miles, 40 days, and 28 shows. My Tacoma—250,000 miles strong—made it home. My voice survived. No one stole my Gibson. My family was happy to see me. I netted over 5K to bury in a rusted-out coffee can along Rattlesnake Creek.
In sum: People are good. The highway is good. Nature is good. God is good. Thank you all very much who hosted shows and supported me along the way. I'm humbled by your generosity.
See you on the next adventure! Ireland, perhaps?