All Around This World Summer Tour 2018

Welcome to SANDS ACROSS AMERICA, 2018. Over the course of this wonderful summer the Sand Family toured the country near and far, focusing most of our attention on cities along the Mississippi River, from the Headwaters at Minnesota’s Lake Itasca all the way south to New Orleans. On the way we dove headfirst into American music, from the soulful Stax records in Memphis to the Mississippi Delta blues, from New Orleans jazz to the Grand Ole Opry — Nashville’s cathedral of country.

(Miss us this summer? Did we see you on the road in 2018? Maybe you caught us in 20162017 or 2019.)

JUNE 14 (Thursday)

We started the summer with preview shows at two libraries in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania:

2018-06-14 Sand Family in Chambersburg PA2018-06-14-Sand Family in Chambersburg PA

JUNE 28 (Thursday)

On the road at last. Starting in East Montpelier, VT, with our biggest fans.

JUNE 29 (Friday)

Montpelier, Vermont (Beth Jacob synagogue)

JUNE 30 (Saturday)

Travel from Vermont to Ontario — cubing across Canada. 

2018-06-31-Sand Family Cubes Across Canada

JULY 1 (Sunday)

In Hamilton, Ontario, with our musical hero riot nrrrd

2018-07-01 Sand Family in Hamilton ON

JULY 2 (Monday)

Travel from Toronto to Traverse City, MI

JULY 3 (Tuesday)

Traverse City, MI — CHERRY FESTIVAL. Here we are jamming at Main Street music store: 

2018-07-03 Sand family in Traverse-City

JULY 4 (Wednesday)

Munising, MI, for the 4th. 

JULY 5 (Thursday)

Spring Lake, MN

JULY 6 (Friday)

Spring Lake => Twin Cities: Solved the 5 x 5!

2018-07-06 Sand Family Cubes Across America

JULY 7 (Saturday)

In the Twin Cities 

JULY 8 (Sunday)

In the Twin Cities

JULY 9 (Monday)

At Painter Park in Minneapolis:

2018-07-09 All Around This World at Minneapolis Painter Park

JULY 10 (Tuesday)

A concert at the public library in Omro, Wisconsin

JULY 11 (Wednesday)

Three Wisconsin library concerts in a day. First, Ripon:

2018-07-12 All Around This World in Ripon WI

2018-07-12 All Around This World in Ripon WI

Next, Wautoma:

Last but certainly not least, Wild Rose.

2018-07-12 All Around This World in Wild Rose WI

2018-07-12 All Around This World in Wild Rose WI

JULY 13 (Friday)

Madison, WI

JULY 14 (Saturday)

In Milwaukee with Julie Thompson:

JULY 15 (Sunday)

Madison WI — Two concerts at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed First Unitarian Church:

In this shot we’re singing, not praying:

2018-07-15 Sand Family in Madison WI

And in this shot we just made slime.

JULY 16 (Monday)

An assembly for more than 250 kids in the Oconomowoc, WI, summer school.

2018-07-16 All Around This World in Oconomowoc2018-07-16 All Around This World in Oconomowoc

JUNE 17 (Tuesday)

Madison => Naperville, IL

JULY 18 (Wednesday)

In Naperville, Il, at DuPage Children’s Museum:

2018-07-18 Sand Family at DuPage Children's Museum Naperville IL

JUNE 19 (Thusrday)

Concert at Naperville’s Beth Shalom synagogue.

JULY 20 (Friday)

At Urbana Parks and Recreation concert at the Lake House we met our favorite fan EVER. We were finishing a triumphant version of “Gili Gio” — all audience members with their own instruments in hand — when the boy in this video, the one with a yellow drum, expressed his joy by . . . well, you’ll see. 

Here is photo documentation, step by step. Especially note the exasperated mom.

At the Urbana, Illinois, summer arts camp:

2018-07-20 All Around This World at Urbana Arts Camp2018-07-20 All Around This World at Urbana Arts Camp2018-07-20 All Around This World at Urbana-Arts-Camp-18

JULY 21 (Saturday)

At Urbana’s inspiring Free Library: 

JULY 22 (Sunday)

In St. Louis in the studio with master musicians, including icon Benjamin Kaplan:

2018-07-22 Sand Family in St. Louis

JULY 23 (Monday)

In Cape Girardeau, Missouri: 

2018-07-23 All Around This World in Cape-Girardeau MO

JULY 24 (Tuesday)

In Memphis we grooved at Stax Records:

JULY 25 (Wednesday)

At the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi. 

JULY 26 (Thursday)

In Jackson, MS

JULY 27 (Friday)

Jackson => New Orleans

JULY 28 (Saturday)

What better place for a musical family to land than at New Orleans’ Preservation Hall?

JULY 29 (Sunday)

Concert at the New Orleans main library

JULY 30 (Monday)

Two New Orelans library concerts, first at Mid-City Library, then at the Keller branch. Here we are at Mid-City:

We were fortunate to be featured in the New Orleans Advocate.

2018-07-30 All Around This World in New Orleans Advocate

JULY 31 (Tuesday)

In New Orleans on Frenchmen Street:

2018-07-30 Sand Family in New Orleans

AUGUST 1 (Wednesday)

New Orleans=> Montgomery, AL

AUGUST 2 (Thursday)

Montgomery=> Nashville

AUGUST 3 (Friday)

Whooping it up on Nashville’s Broadway:

Sands at the Grand Ole Opry:

AUGUST 4 (Saturday)

Concert at the Murfreesboro Wild Arts Day:

2018-08-04 Sand Family in Murfressboro TN

AUGUST 5 (Sunday)

Leaving Nashville for Asheville.

AUGUST 6 (Monday)

A well-deserved tubing break in Asheville.

AUGUST 7 (Tuesday)

More Asheville.

AUGUST 8 (Wednesday)

Asheville => Greensboro

AUGUST 9 (Thursday)

A show at Greensboro, NC’s Bnai Shalom Day Camp.

AUGUST 10 (Friday)

Concert at the Charlottesville, Virginia, Gordon Avenue library

AUGUST 11 (Saturday)

Concert at the Charlottesville, Virginia Northside Branch. Our concert coincided with the 1st anniversary of the 2017 Unite the Right march. Our concerts over the weekend were on the “Resilient Charlottesville” list of peaceful and positive events. 

2018-08-10 All Around This World in Charlottesville VA2018-08-10 All Around This World in Charlottesville VA

AUGUST 12 (Sunday)

House party Northern Virginia, then home to Philadelphia:

See you next summer!