Special Consensus is leaving today for a three week tour of Britain and Ireland, with shows scheduled in Ireland, England and Scotland.

Special C mandolinist Ashby Frank has agreed to send us updates and photos from the tour as best he can, and we’ll post them here as we get them. Ashby is unsure how much web access he will have during the tour, but promises to send his musings whenever he has the chance.

Here’s the first installment…

(Sunday, January 11)  The Special C world tour is now in full swing for the month‚Ķ

This morning we flew back from this…  better known as Bismarck, North Dakota in January. Don’t let the white out fool you, they still know how to have fun in North Dakota in the dead of winter. We played a two night show with The College of Bluegrass Band and Cottonwood in the Auditorium at Bismarck State College. We had a blast with all of our friends up there, and hopefully we can come back real soon!

I’m just glad that we’re not going to be up there this Wednesday because it’s supposed to get down to -26. I could say "brrrrr" but that would be an understatement. As much as I like cold weather sometimes, there would be no "brrrrr" from Ashby in -26, probably just a grunt followed by a slow parade with the lights on.

That being said, the reaction to the new songs from the Signs album was anything but cold, and it was very awesome to see people enjoying it after all the effort we put into it. We finally have them to sell on the road, and will be taking them with us wherever we go from now on. So beware!

Now I’m back in Nashville packing and getting somewhat together before our long trip to Ireland, Scotland, and England. It’s pretty hard to pack in one suitcase (less than 60 lbs) enough stuff for a 24-or-so day trip. Lets see, I have the camera charging, my passport, clean underwear and socks, the PSP, my Ipod, a bunch of GHS I270 Mando Strings, my Mando, my pills for my lingering sinus problems, my Smartphone with Skype on it, and one pair of boots. I think I’m ready if I can find a place for my shirts, jeans, and Wake Forest hoodie (How bout them Deacs?‚Ķ sorry friends and family Carolina fans, they just didn’t have it tonight).

I’m going to be taking some pictures and blogging over there as much as I can. We play something like 21 shows in 23 days, so I don’t know when I’ll find the time‚Ķbut I’ll try! So wish me luck in my journey across the creek and check back here and see what I find.