Happy tournament y’all! Crazy first day of games. Early exits for Baylor, Arizona, and Purdue… should be a fun weekend. Until then, a few news and notes:

• ICYMI here’s the post I did at the start of last year’s tournament, suggesting John Fullbright’s  “Moving” is the perfect tournament song. I’m just gonna assume Duke read my post. [Pats self on back]
• New Sturgill. Need I say more?
• I saw that Iris DeMent is playing in Richmond in June, and while I was exploring the idea of buying tickets, I learned two things: 1. She’s also done a version of “Mom & Dad’s Waltz,” which I first heard recently on Patty Griffin’s American Kid album, and 2. It’s her singing with John Prine on “In Spite Of Ourselves,” which, now that I’m thinking about it, is definitely one of my favorite love songs of all time.
• My Natalie Prass EP supposedly shipped last Thursday! Hoping it’ll be waiting on the porch when I get home from tonight’s gig.
• Haven’t been keeping track of shows for this weekend, since I’ll be in the tournament bunker all weekend, but I see that Lake Street Dive will be at the National on Saturday. I’m sure that’ll be fun.

Whether you’re out and about or glued to the TV like I’ll be, I hope your weekend is a [dribbles up to the basket and unleashes a 360-degree windmill jam] slam drunk. [Winks]