Air hostesses never live up to the hype. The adverts promise you 5 super-models of identical proportions walking through the airport in choreographed synchronicity. Instead you get a glorified dinner lady in a nice blazer. Well today was an exception – we were checked in by American Airlines finest ambassador who turned a blind eye to half of the 18 pieces of equipment we were checking in. This US tour is already off to a good start. Spirits are high in the TM today, despite saying our last goodbyes to the loved ones we won’t see enough of for the next 3 months. This trip has always been part of the dream for us, as I’m sure it always has and will be for any Rock and Roll band who have set themselves the task of taking their music to as many like minded souls as time (short and long term) will allow. First stop Nashville and a show at the legendary Ryman. No pressure then – but I know that my brothers and I will rise to the occasion as always seems to be the way. Our worries about being accepted by the fine folks across the Atlantic have already been settled slightly – our debut album was released in the US last week and seems to be doing well. Plus, we’ve been offered a free cowboy hat each as soon as we get to Nashville. We’re incredibly grateful for the positive reaction to the music but have politely declined the cowboy hats. I’m not sure if we could quite pull that look off, and anyway, we plan on giving the US a heavy dose of some British flavoured rock and roll, so it’s important that we embrace the culture we’re stepping into whilst staying true to our roots. Bowler Hats it is, although we did manage to convince Phil and Iain to leave the kilts behind.
