Surprise! I got married!
And the WKS Record Club continues!!
Yes, it’s true! For months now, Elle and I have been plotting a secret wedding in Las Vegas, and we found the window to pull it off last week. I married the love of my life in a drive-thru at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas on May 27th. It’s still hard to wrap our heads around, frankly.
There’s a lot of anxiety and planning that goes into marrying someone who isn’t from your country. Elle is Australian, so the logistics of half of the wedding party flying all the way around the world meant that the fair way to do this would be to do it our way, which we most certainly did.
Yes, while we got hitched in a pink Cadillac in a drive-thru, we capped the evening by renting a stretch limo and doing a Tiki bar crawl through Vegas. For the first time in many, many years, I largely kept my phone in my pocket and work at bay… choosing to focus on how fucking lucky I am and how thrilled I was/am/will always be to have someone as incredible as E choose to tolerate me, much less be with me.
I never thought I would get married. I really didn’t. I’ve never really cared about it much. But then, this peculiar and brilliant woman from Australia popped into my life. We met at the Chart Room in the French Quarter, and it’s been a journey ever since. Yes, dear readers, you can be happy. It’s possible!
Next up will be a trip into immigration hell as we get Elle situated here in the USA and, hopefully, get me situated to spend some time in Australia should we see fit. Then, off to the World Cup to see the Socceroos later this month for what will be a mini-domestic honeymoon.
For those of you in or near New Orleans (and Sydney), we are working on scheduling an official “reception” so you can come share a drink with us and we can have some fun. I’ll share that with everyone in due time. Watch your mailboxes. Spoiler alert: it’ll probably be at Markey’s Bar in New Orleans. As of press time, we haven’t chosen a Sydney pub but trust me… we will!
I suspect there will be a few bands that show up— and maybe I will try to organize some kind of show around the reception. Once I knock through these 500 or so e-mails that piled up last week, I’m going to work on that. Let me know if you’re interested.
And yes, we did hire a photographer… I’ll share those when I get them.
THE WELL KEPT SECRET RECORD CLUB ROLLS ON!
Yes! Don’t think I’ve forgotten, even though this is a few days late. I had other things going on….
If you want to jump in on this month’s edition, you have until Wednesday to sign up!
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE WKS RECORD CLUB!
We’re going to take it a back a few years for this month’s edition, and I’m going to take the opportunity to introduce you to a brilliant artist that lives next door to me… and get you primed for his new record.
My next door neighbor is named Chad Ray Turner. His first LP was released under the name Not Exotic, and it’s really, really great. In particular, a song called Keep Swinging, which could have fooled me as a Wildflowers b-side. It’s that good.
Last year, he asked me to come with him to Muscle Shoals to work on a new record. This is not that record— that record will see the light of day later this year. But for now, you need to know about this record.
I really enjoy the record club because you are putting your trust in me to deliver something you will love. One thing I really want to do with this whole experiment is expose you to things you haven’t heard, lost classics, hidden gems, odd curiosities… that sorta thing. This is just a great record from a great songwriter, perfect for long drives with the windows down. You don’t know him, but you will.
You have 48 hours to sign up.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE WKS RECORD CLUB!
THREE NEW SINGLES OUT NOW
Tristen returns with a cover of my favorite Bob Dylan song, My Back Pages. Catch her on tour all summer long.
Well Kept Secret is happy to announce our newest member of the ever-growing cavalcade of stars, the great Nigel Hall. This is the first of lots of new music from this New Orleans virtuoso. Get it in your soul.
Eddie Simpson joins up with his cousin Jon Cleary, for a cover of the classic Johnny Nash tune Tears On My Pillow. From Kent to New Orleans to you. Northern Soul lives!
Thanks so much for your support and patronage! If you are in New Orleans, I’d love to invite you to two Well Kept Secret shows happening this month, both at the amazing Music Box Village!
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
Again, big congratulations. I hear what you are saying in that you thought you would never get married. Same. However, I do hold onto hope to find a love that meaningful. I want to love someone THAT MUCH! At times, I think "Mr. Rest of My Life" is stuck in a time warp. Meanwhile see you Saturday for the Moo call. Been missing my cattle friends. All the best, Laura
Congratulations! Hope to see you both in New Orleans sometime soon…..