Dayton was a highlight in more than way. First, the demo spot was one of the most unique venues we’ve done so far. Crafty Hands is a “booth” at a local “farmer’s market”. Now, when we heard “booth” and “farmer’s market” we imagined organic apples and walking around outside doing demos. When we showed up we found ourselves in a large building at a storefront with a huge crowd. A lot of interest in yo-yos and a lot of interesting people hanging out, ready to learn how to throw.

The other highlight was being able to spend time with one of my closest friends, Joey Fleshman. I’ve known Joey since 2004 and he’s been present at some of the most poignant times of my life. He’s now at Virgina Military Institute on his way to being a nuclear engineer. As always, I cherished the time i got to spend with him, and wished it could have been longer.

We had a chance to see what is called the “Mother Church of Country Music”, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. This was also a huge stop to see anything and everything about Roy Acuff. On the surface, this may sound like just another Jack Ringca music geek blog but, the honest truth is that this was all about the down home history of american yoyo.

The Ryman is arguably the most remembered and most beloved home of the Grand Ole Opry, and Acuff was a member of the Opry cast starting in 1938 and continuing on for about the next forty years. He was the first person inducted into the Country Music Hall of fame and through it all, Roy threw a mean yo-yo. Not only could he throw, he also kept the yo-yo as a primary part of his act on up through the end of his life.

When we entered the Ryman, we were greeted by a bronze statue of Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl. Even the statue of Roy has been detailed with a yo-yo string hanging out of his pocket. And there are periodically Acuff tribute shows that involve yo-yos as well as music at the Ryman.

Only adding the yo-yo history of the Ryman and Acuff, this was the place that Roy gave a yo-yo lesson to then president, Richard Nixon. This is still some of the most sought after and licensed footage from the archives of the Opry. It also led to Acuff’s Nixon autographed yo-yo becoming the most expensive yo-yo ever purchased at $16,029.00 during Acuff’s estate auction.

I was also given the chance to sing on the stage that Acuff and so many greats(new and old) have stood, sang and played. It was humbling, to say the least. There is nothing like the sound of a great hall to make your voice sound like it has real strength. I didn’t want it to end.

As a sign of respect, we also visited the grave of Roy Acuff and felt it was the right thing to do to leave a yo-yo instead of flowers to a man that did so much for music, culture and yo-yo awareness. It was a heavy experience and completely worth it. A big thank you goes out to Mark Allen for being our guide at the Ryman and the auditorium management and staff. They made it an incomparable experience.

Spreading the joy in Memphis is awesome. We did a demo at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. It was great to see so many young people so interested in what we are doing and so many of the staff excited just to have us there. A huge thank you goes out to the hospital administration. I know that it’s difficult to clear groups of visitors and we are ultimately grateful for the opportunity to perform for the patients and their families. We can’t offer enough appreciation for the chance. We definitely got a lot out of this and we really hope we can make it back to see you all again. A double thank you goes to Kaci Richardson for being our guide and handler. It really was the best. Everyone keep your chin up and practice hard. Our thoughts and support are always with you.

Austin, Texas is a musical mecca. So much of what is modern american music owes it’s life to what happens here.  Not only is it the place where so many greats have come to make their name but, it is a place that many come just to be inspired. From country, hip hop, bluegrass, and metal to indie rock, this city is a big part of it all. It really is the live music capital of the world.

Drawing on that and feeling good about touring the USA as a part of this brand, I’ve been thinking more and more about what feels uniquely “american”. I settled on the blues and I couldn’t help but come up with an arrangement  of  “throw duncan” that felt at home here in Austin and like a true extension of the tour. I hope I can do the heritage of this city proud and I hope you can dig it.

“Throw Duncan!”:

You can also download the original here.

Jack Ringca is on the scene! Let me start by saying that the first day out here was the very best trip I ever had to New Mexico. Nothing beats stepping off of a flight and immediately hearing a gospel choir sing “oh happy day”. LITERALLY! That is definitely a great way to end up in a great mood. Seeing Hank and Seth is the perfect way to follow that up and riding in the coolest tour van the planet has ever seen also doesn’t hurt. Basically, a huge thanks and showering of love goes out to my day #1 on this tour. I can’t wait to see what we all do to step up the rest of it. Also, a huge thanks for everyone who made it to the Toys R  Us demo in Albuquerque. Great times were had by all and some people went home with their first yoyos.

Like a super one two punch, the second day of the tour has bveenjust as fantastic. We had a demo at the US Army base at Fort Bliss. This started out as a more formal demo and quickly escalated into one of the most fun demos of my life. Not only was everyone way super attentive to the demo, EVERYONE took this as the perfect chance to learn to yoyo, spin tops, juggle and diabolo.  It’s really cool to see an entire room of soldiers and family members alike energized by the joy that these simple skills and toys can bring. The crowd at Fort Bliss was full of great learners and determined students of good times. If every demo was like this, the world would be a much happier and peaceful place.


Now we’re on the hefty drive through West Texas. It’s a huge expanse that could pretty easily change your perspective on the world. Beautiful and sun drenched during the day and a little lonely during the night. either way you look at it, the desert has a lot of lessons to teach us and we’ve had great conversations on that, here in the van  over the miles so far. If you haven’t been on tour, you need to get out there and see as much as you can.  There is nothing like it. besides,  the stars at night really ARE big and bright deep int he heart of Texas.