Sullivan's 6/28/08

We backed up Duke tonight in Michigan City, IN. We drove three-and-a-half hours to reach the club by 9pm (which was 10p our time) and we began our night at 10:30p (11:30p our time). They didn't advertise, no one showed, they tried to change our deal, and we finished out the night and got home by 8am.

What a mess.

East/Mills Wedding 6/27/08

First off, congrats to the new bride and groom!

Bill, Brian and I rushed here from Howl, met up with Duke, and waited about an hour before we had to play. It was a beautiful setting for a wedding, and the bride and groom were a cute couple. We performed last year for the bride's sister's wedding, and I've known their parents for years from different shows they'd come to.

From a performance standpoint, we had fun because a large chunk of the time, we were performing instrumentals, which alowed us to stretch out musically. There was no dancing at this event, so we were able to showcase each of the musicians a little more than usual. We performed until about 11p, and then loaded out, in the rain.

Howl At The Moon 6/27/08

Today was trash day in our neighborhood. So first thing this morning, I jumped out of bed, grabbed my chainsaw, and cut off the root ball of a tree we pulled out from the side of our house to make room for our new driveway. The only reson I started with this story is because my left hand is bruised up and sore from using the chainsaw.

I set up (with help from Brian and Bill) for our second gig before playing our first so we didn't have to rush, but we got going too late, so we had to rush. We finished putting together the P.A. at 4:50 at union station, and then we ran across the street to play happy hour at Howl At The Moon from 5p-7p.

We rocked it for two hours straight for about a dozen people. There was supposed to be a huge party coming in, but they never showed. So we changed our shirts and went back to union station to play a wedding reception.

Howl At The Moon 6/26/08

Tonight was another night of dueling in downtown Indy. I didn't go on until 10:30 (after Zydeco's), so the joint was already hoping by the time I took the stage.

One of the guys (Jeremy) I used to work with at a (now closed) dueling club (bar) called (named) Rouge (which means Red) is now on staff (employed) at Howl (the dueling piano bar). I played drums tonight until I had blisters on the blisters I had gotten last night from playing bass. Owwww!!!

Zydeco's 6/26/08

Bill and I played in Mooresville tonight at my favorite resturant in the state! If you are reading this near the posted date, you could help Zydeco's by voting for them in the "Best Of Indy" online poll. Here is the link:
http://wrtv.cityvoter.com/signup?entry=55619

They are in the running for best seafood, and it is the best.

Anyway, about the gig, Mal (one of the waitresses) brought her son to the resturant. He's a cool kid who isn't afraid to ask anything. For example, He asked if I was 30, and then told me that he hoped I wasn't a virgin because "girls don't like that". Ahh, kids today...

Also, Deb now has an acoustic upright piano downstairs!!! And it's tuned!!! Cool!!!

Howl At The Moon 6/25/08

Nick, Jay, Tod and I (with a little help from Amy) played at the dueling piano bar in downtown Indy tonight. I played bass for too long at one point in the night, and ended up giving myself a blister on my finger and thumb. It wasn't very busy, but the crowd we had was responsive.

JCC Big Splash Party 6/22/08

Bill, Brian and I played for the JCC in Indy during their pool party, from noon to 4p. We were fine the first set, but then the rain picked up and it stormed for about an hour or so, which made some of the people go home. We resumed as soon as the storm passed, and the good folks at the JCC have asked us to come back a few more times this summer!

Region 5's 9 County Run 6/21/08

Duke met up with us in Straughn, IN, for this ABATE biker event. The rain from earlier in the day pushed back our start time, so we took the stage at about 10pm. What a crazy group! They had a ball singing along with all of Dukes hits, all the while stripping and playing with squirt guns and sex dolls. The police showed up, gave them a warning, and left. I think Brian and Bill were a little traumatized by the whole thing. No one can accuse the ABATE crew of being dull!

Easly Winery 6/21/08

Bill and I performed as a duo for the good folks at Easly Winery in downtown Indianapolis. It was held outside, and we were hit with a little rain in the middle of our show, but we stuck it out until the end. Everyone told us how much they enjoyed our show, and we were invited to come back. Check out our schedule for more Easly gigs in the future (and you can bring your kids)!

Spike's Beach Grill 6/20/08

We backed up Duke at this outdoor venue in Warsaw, Indiana. It sits next to a volleyball court, which wasn't used while we were there. Duke made several "Field Of Dreams" references, while the sound man tried to get the gear working properly. Nice outdoor venue...

Quote of the gig: "This isn't my scene, man"

The Ark 6/19/08

What a cool venue! This is a nice theater showcase venue in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where there are seats around three sides of the stage. We had a chance to stretch out musicaly a little more than usual due to the nature of the venue. Duke had quite a few fans show up for this gig!

Afterwards, Bill, Brian and I walked over to the Fleetwood Diner across the street for some awesome gyros before heading back to the hotel.

Skip's 6/18/08

Bill and I drove to Angola, IN, where we met up with Duke and Brian. After loading in, we headed to the green room for some cold cuts & cheese. Brian had a little trouble with opening the M&M's bag, but he saved more than half before they hit the ground.

A good, but quiet, crowd filled Skip's as we rattled through all of Duke's hits. Now we're off to Michigan...

Jim Baileys Harley 6/14/08

This was a hot one in Ft. Wayne, IN. We wole up in our hotel/funiture store (yes, it really was a hotel AND a furniture store) and got ready for the gig. Duke, Bill, Brian and I played under a big top to a huge biker event held in a Harley store's parking lot. Everyone was so cool to us, even though it was too hot to move much. We finished up by 5p, and Bill and I were home by 9p.

A Saturday night off? Wow...

Bayview Gardens 6/13/08

I drove to the club in Richland, Michigan alone from South Bend, and arrived pretty early. Duke & the guys got there long after I had unloaded stage gear in the pouring rain. I should've waited for them because when they arrived it, of course, stopped raining.

The club was nice. They fed us some really good burgers, and we were able to see the lake from the club.

Rum Runners 6/12/08

I played with John (who was on guitar) at the dueling piano club in downtown South Bend. The "crowd" was only three tables of about 8 each, so it was a little slow. Thursday is kareoke night, so people would bring up a few bucks, and sing along with us on stage.

My favorite was a guy who called himself "Dancin' Dan". He looked like Truman Capote, and sang "I Can't Help Falling In Love" to a woman at a different table.

It was a fun night.

The Bob 6/11/08

We backed up Duke tonight at the BOB (Big Old Building) in Grand Rapids, MI. They had a huge outdoor concert event next door, and so inside the club was quiet until the event was done. Our first set, we had bunches of people, but I think a lot of them were tired after being outside all day. The crowd thinned out and we were done by midnight.

Duke , Bill & Brian are heading back to Indy, and I'm going to South Bend to duel in Rum Runners tomorrow night.

Howl At The Moon 6/10/08

Rob, Jay, Nick and I were livin' on a prayer as we played to a bunch of brown eyed girls. We told them to don't stop believing in the gambler, even though he might find himself in a ring of fire one day for the evil ways he showed to sweet Caroline. The girls would shout as on of the short people turned into a tiny dancer and acted like a big shot. If I had a million dollars, or even just a pocket full of fins, I'd twist and shout all the way to the YMCA, where I always find that peacefull, easy feeling. One day soon, I'll probably be living under the boardwalk, you know, to continue the family tradition.

I think we played piano man tonight.

Yank Rachell Tribute 6/8/08

I was told the start time was 3pm in downtown Indy, so I planned on performing somewhere in that time frame, but unfortunately, I wouldn't be performing until almost 7:00pm. I couldn't stay for the show, due to scheduling conflicts, but it looked like a nice event, and I hope money was raised for Yank's family!

Benton County Fairgrounds 6/7/08

DHG had the privilege of having the great Duke Tumatoe sit in on guitar for this three hour set in north-western Indiana. It was supposed to be a tractor pull event, but it turned into just us performing a concert for the people of Boswell, Indiana. The recent rains made it too muddy for a tractor pull, so it was postponed.

We may be back next year to see the tractors if all goes well...

Blues Festival 6/5/08

We drove about four-and-a-half hours to play an hour set in Jackson, Michigan, then turned around and drove four-and-a-half hours home. It was storming and lightening right up until we pulled into town, and then it was claer.
One of the coolest blues cats I'd seen in a while played before us; Elmore James, Jr.
That's right, son of the famous Elmore James, and wow, could he play! It was a real treat.

A canibal passed his mom on a trail.

It's all in the delivery.

Zydeco's 6/05/08

Two tables at a time, all night long. Bill and I decided to let them eat, and we played with no pauses. It became a game. I think by the end of the night, we had played 80% original material straight through for an hour and a half. It was good practice, anyway.

Hoosier Park 6/01/08

I get another three hours of sleep, and now it's off to the casino in Anderson, IN. We were running on pure coffee at this point. When we arrived, it took some time to find our contact. And then it took some time to find some electricity. They had a baby grand piano for me to play, but no mic or hook-up for Bill to plug into. After they ran some power to us, we played for three hours straight to people in tuxes and dancing show girls in feathers.

Maybe I dreamt this gig.

Zydeco's 6/01/08

With two and a half hours of sleep behind me, I made it to Zydeco's for brunch. At this point, I have to thank the crowd. If it weren't for such a great and energetic response from this audience, I don't think we would've made it through. We sold a bunch of CD's and were deafened by the applause. Thank you all so much.

Now, to go get some rest before tonight's gig.

Leroy's Hot Stuff 5/31/08

Duke led Bill, Brian and myself through two sets at Leroy's in Porter, IN. We were sounding good , when a note I'd never seen before came up to the stage. It said "TURN UP". Wow.

The crowd loved Duke, although they were sitting on thieir hands. They showed their appreciation by buying Duke shots all night. At the end, a woman came up wearing underware with Duke's stickman logo on them...and of course, she wanted him to signed them.

It was Brian's birthday (well, at midnight anyway) so he was a little excited because he was going to play golf the next morning at 7:00am (we didn't get home until 6:15am).