StageIt.com 7/30/12

For our ninth StageIt.com show, Ian Lee and Chris Wallis joined me in my studio to perform some of my favorite tunes. Since last week was bassist Errin Keith's last show with us, I performed bass lines on an organ while using my Wurlitzer for chords and soloing. Ian also rocked some solos while Chris kept us in groovy time. As I've said in other blog entries, these StageIt shows are some of favorite gigs!

AJ's Ale House MF 7/28/12

Marble Falls, TX (blah, blah, blah) great night (blah, blah, blah) the amazing Joe Resnick (blah, blah, blah) requests all night (blah, blah, blah) party people (blah, blah, blah) fun night (blah, blah, blah) "Don't Stop Believing" (blah, blah, blah) dancing on the chairs (blah, blah, blah) she said, "best piano player I've ever heard" (blah, blah, blah) four hours of music (blah, blah, blah) long drive home (blah, blah, blah) and thanks to that guy who was in a band that opened for "Tears For Fears" back in the day.

Triple Crown 7/27/12

Fine Fellows performed in San Marcos, TX tonight for an appreciative crowd. This marked the last show for our great bass player, Errin Keith. He will be missed, and I'm sure he'll show up again now and then. The show went great, and Chris, Ian and I, along with Errin, made about an hour's worth of solid rock. Look for our first free single, "Ghost", available to everyone on the Fine Fellows email list. To sign up, go to www.FineFellows.net and get on the mailing list!

Uptown Piano Bar 7/25/12

I had a good night in New Braunfels, TX performing for people at the underground club known as Uptown Piano Bar. Some of the great requests tonight included "Wang Dang Doodle" and "Moondance". I think a few of the folks who stayed until the end were going to try to come to some of my upcoming band shows! I always enjoy performing on a real baby grand.

Jack's Roadhouse 7/23/12

Immediately following our StageIt.com performance, we loaded into our vehicles and headed about 3/4 of a mile from my house to perform at Jack's Roadhouse. This marked our first time at Jack's, and it was very enjoyable. For the second time tonight, Errin Keith (on bass) stepped up his game and impressed me. We played three hours of blues for the late-night crowd, and the band sounded fantastic. Several people came up throughout the night to tell me how much the appreciated the good music, and to those people, I say thank you very much!

StageIt.com 7/23/12

Our eighth show online at StageIt.com was, in my opinion, our best yet! Ian, Errin, Chris and I really locked in on the tunes we performed, and by the live feedback we were receiving while we were performing, the audience could hear how much fun we were having. Errin grows as a bassist every show, and I really enjoyed hearing him lay down a great groove with Chris on drums. Ian's vocals seem to blend really well with mine, and I'm looking forward to working on some more harmonies in the future. Thanks to all our StageIt.com fans for supporting us!!!

Cypress Creek Cafe 7/21/12

For the second night in a row, we joined Rob Roy Parnell to play some blues, this time we were in Wimberly, TX. The club was rocking with Chris, Coffeeboy, Pat, Rob and me. We ended up having so much fun with the crowd that we ended up performing about 20 minutes of encores. Everyone danced and partied right up until we hit our last note. Another great gig with Rob! I look forward to the next time we get a chance to perform together again.

Dog & Pony Grill 7/20/12

Boerne, TX welcomed us tonight as we performed tunes by the one and only Rob Roy Parnell and his harmonica. Coffeeboy Ibarra (guitar), Chris Wallis (drums), J.P. Whitefield (bass), and I did a couple of blues-infused sets on the outdoor stage. The weather was great, and I had a good time performing Rob's tunes with the guys. Tomorrow night, we head to Wimberly, TX!

StageIt.com 7/16/12

Tonight on StageIt.com, Ian Lee and I were joined by a special guest for our seventh show of the summer concert series, the talented Ashleigh Stone. We did a "song swap", where each of us took a turn performing one of our tunes with some percussion help from the other two who weren't performing. This gave us a chance to really interact with each other's songs without stepping on each others toes! Ashleigh and Ian both write some great tunes, and I was happy with the the way the evening unfolded. I hope to do something like this again on StageIt.com sometime in the future!

AJ's Ale House MF 7/14/12

The amazing drummer Chris Wallis joined me in Marble Falls, TX to once again entertain the masses. Things got the craziest when a bachelorette decided it was her right to dance on the piano. Fortunately, she made it back down off of the piano without hurting herself (or anyone else). Chris and I really had the longest day ever because we rehearsed with Rob Roy Parnell for about 3 hours, then drove 1-1/2 hours to AJ's, performed a 4 hour show, then I drove 1-1/2 hours back home to make it into bed by about 4am!

AJ's Ale House NB 7/13/12

Friday the 13th found me in front of a huge crowd, along side Joe Resnick, in New Braunfels, TX at the always fun AJ's Ale House! A class reunion ('87) was there to party, as well as a few birthdays scattered throughout the night. It was fun watching the people dance to all sorts of different tunes, and many people told me they would return again to catch my show! Thanks, new peeps!

AJ's Ale House MF 7/12/12

Joe Resnick (drums) and I returned to Marble Falls, TX last night to play whatever the crowd wanted to hear. The night started with only a few, but more people came in as we played. I even had a chance to introduce Joe to another great drummer, Chris Wallis, who showed up last night to watch the show. Thanks for coming out to see us, Chris!

StageIt.com 7/9/12

I've really enjoyed all the StageIt.com shows, and last night's show felt like the strongest one so far! I would really urge everyone reading this to catch one of our online shows. They are a great way to see each band member's true skills. Chris Wallis' big drum grooves, Errin Keith's ever-expanding bass lines, Ian Lee's great guitar and/or violin performances and whatever notes fall out of my fingers are all captured in the studio. See you next Monday at 7pm central, I hope!

AJ's Ale House NB 7/7/12

The crowd was up to standing room only by the end of the night in New Braunfels, TX tonight with Chris Wallis (on drums). After Chris and I performed with the Fine Fellows in San Marcos this afternoon, we headed south to do our request show. If you haven't seen the request show, you should try to make it for one. The crowd always has a great time right up until the end of the night, and I always have a great time performing with Chris!

Tantra Coffeehouse 7/7/12

Fine Fellows performed in San Marcos, TX for Tantra's sixth birthday party this afternoon. We ran about an hour long set, including songs written by both myself and Ian Lee. Lots of people came up after our performance to let me know how much they enjoyed watching the show, and commented on how tight the band has gotten recently. Chris, Errin and Ian are fun Fine Fellows to perform with!

Green Door 7/6/12

Chris Wallis and I traveled to Temple, TX to do our show for the good folks at the Green Door tonight. My favorite thing of the evening was a request for "Man Of Constant Sorrow" early in the night, which quickly turned into every single song of the evening ending with the chorus from "Man Of Constant Sorrow". It didn't matter what it was, it ended with "Man Of Constant Sorrow", Prince's "Kiss", Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer", Lady GaGa's "Bad Romance" all ended the same way: "Man Of Constant Sorrow". Awesome.

AJ's Ale House NB 7/5/12

Tonight saw the first time Vince Mejia joined me on drums in New Braunfels, TX to play a request filled night, and he did a fantastic job! Great drummers make life easier, and I had a very good time performing all the piano hits people sent up. Queen, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Van Morrison, Wilson Pickett, Supertramp and many more were thrown onto the piano, and Vince nailed them all with me. Good job!

Uptown Piano Bar 7/4/12

Happy 4th of July! I was in New Braunfels, TX for the big evening's fireworks display, and the crowd was all outside watching the sky. After they watched the grand finale, the people went home! The club was very slow due to the patriotic celebration, but the few who came in hung out all night with me. Plus, for a moment, my wife and the Fine Fellows bassist Errin Keith stopped in to see the club!

StageIt.com 7/2/12

We took the stage again tonight for our fifth show on the website Stageit.com to perform a set of Fine Fellows material. Ian Lee sang his heart out for the folks watching online, while Errin Keith and Chris Wallis kept the rhythm section tight. I backed up Ian on piano and with some vocals, and I had a great time. The guys just sound better and better each time we do a show, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's recording session of new material. Also, I'd like to say happy birthday to my wife Christine, who has been running the cameras and mixer for us each week!

Pier 27 6/30/12

Kerrville, TX saw the return of Chris Wallis and I tonight for more requests than I knew what to do with. The evening began with a group of school teachers who decided that the theme for all requests should be songs with a state name in them. I had a good time keeping up with all the varied tunes like "California Dreamin'", "New York, New York", "Rocky Top Tennessee", "Kansas City" and many, many more. A good two hours of the show was dominated by those type of songs! Learning can be fun!