I Heart Due West

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love Due West. They are in Utah often enough that you may think they are from here, but actually, they're from Nashville. But they are (thankfully) in Utah performing pretty frequently these days. This week I'll be getting my DW (pronounced dee-dub) fix while they do several shows all over the state.
If you're not from Utah, you may not know what "Days" are around here. This was one of those things I had to learn about once I moved here. Every town, no matter how big or small, has "Days." Lehi Pioneer Days, Bluffdale Days, Ogden Cherry Days, Pleasant Grove Strawberry Festival Days, etc. Well, this past weekend was Draper Days, and DW played the main stage on Saturday night. And it was just plain awesome!
Here's some of the evidence-

 

This picture (below) is one of my favorites. What you may not know yet about DW is that they are so much more than just another band trying to make it big. All 3 guys are talented, professional songwriters- as in they were (are?) all employed as songwriters by publishing houses. And all three guys are amazing guitarists. One thing I love about their music is that their songs feature incredible guitar riffs. The reason I love this pic below is that it shows the energy Matt and Brad put into rocking out their guitars during a show. Sadly, I cut off Doug in the side there. Doug is not an official member of the band, but frequently plays in the band. He's a professional guitarist who records and tours with big name bands regularly.Trust me, these guys are not a wannabe band. They are the real deal and truly talented musicians.

 

Tradition! We had to get our traditional self-portrait style picture with the guys. One day when they are big and famous I will publish a book of all self-portraits of me and the boys. (I've taken so many of these self-portraits with them now that we've learned I almost always cut off Brad's head (I only come up to his shoulder when I'm wearing heels). So it may one of the most trivial things I will ever say, but I'm rather proud that we got this picture in only 2 takes (as compared to the 5+ takes it has taken in the past) to get us all in.)

Just for fun- links to some of the other self-portraits with me and the boys-
last July in Heber
September in Park City (not a self portrait, but a fun picture anyway)

Of course Little was with me. Like she would ever miss a DW show! Matt made her whole day/week/month when he said "Hi Little!" from the stage. And yes, he really did call her "Little." She didn't stop smiling for the rest of the night. She was twittering (yes, I really have created a monster) during the show, and said, "Matt said hi to Erin and I on stage!" and then later on said, "We got hugs and autographed popcorn! My sisters will be jealous! Haha!" Her Twitters throughout the show were pretty funny, including the part where she made fun of me for getting up and dancing. 
Here is Little posing with her autographs. Oops, you can see her real name on the picture, but you can also see that they wrote "Little" on it too! We were in the autograph line in order of Matt, Tim, then Brad. While we were talking to Brad, Tim took Little's popcorn. I thought he was going to eat it (which he would have been welcome to do, since we had so much left over), but instead, he jokingly signed the popcorn bag. Which come to think of it, may still be sitting in my car...

It was a GREAT show! We had a blast! And I can't wait to see them several more times this week! They will be up at the Ogden Days Rodeo tonight (still not sure if I'm going up for that. I might. we shall see.) And then performing in St George with Lady Antebellum (not going to that one). And then back up here in regular Utah, at Bella's in Farr West (wouldn't miss that for the world!), and in American Fork on Pioneer Day (a UT state holiday) with the Nashville Tribute band. Can't wait!