Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Speedway Daycare 7/28/08
Bill and I performed for the kids at Speedway Daycare this morning. They are learning about differnt cultures from around the world, so they had us in to talk about different rock and pop songs from different countries. We performed Bob Marley, Beatles Men At Work and Louie Armstrong for them, and explained how drum circles work.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Simmons Winery 7/27/08
We performed for Dance Street dance studios in Columbus, Indiana, tonight. Paul Schafer (on sax) joined Brian Yarde, Jack Joseph and I as we hammered throught some swinging tunes for a couple of hours. It's pretty cool to perform for a group that knows how to dance!
After we finished, we put a tarp over our gear and closed the hatch on it. At least we made it home without any more problems!
After we finished, we put a tarp over our gear and closed the hatch on it. At least we made it home without any more problems!
JCC Pool Party 7/27/08
Jack Joseph joined Briane Yarde and I at the JCC in Indy for a pool party. It was hot, but fairly pleasent in the shade of our tents. The good folks at the JCC brought us water and food, and we had a great time performing with each other.
Of course, I've been having a run of bad luck, so I couldn't play a show without something happening. After I packed our gear into my car, I was careful as I closed the hatch to make sure everything fit OK. I got in the drivers seat and saw that the door ajar light was on. So, I walked around to the back of my car and lightly pushed on the hatch when suddenly I was covered in broken glass. I then had no choice but to drive from here to Columbus for our next gig with no back window. Yeah.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Indiana Beach 7/26/08
Tonight we performed with Duke Tumatoe at the Roof Garden Lounge and Sky Room in Moticello, Indiana. They have on of the goofiest load-ins I've seen. But hey, it works. Two of us stayed downstairs and two of us were up to use the outside elevator lift. See the picture.
As soon as we hit our first note, massive fireworks began going off right behind us. They continued to explode until our third song. This venue overlooks the lake, and it's open-air, so things like fireworks and bugs become factors in your playing. We played Duke's songs while people broght up requests for "Sweet Caroline" and "Happy Birthday". It was a fun gig, but once again, it was almost 5:00am before I got home.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
88 Broadway 7/25/08
After my gig in Indy ended at 8:00pm, I drove to Urbana, IL, for my second gig at 10:30pm (9:30 Urbana time). Mark and Mick did a great job at this interesting dueling piano venue. It is located inside a mall (which doesn't look too healthy), and the people are inside and outside of the club, with the pianos dead center. It is very much a theater in the round, which changes the dynamics of a dueling piano show a little bit. The venue was fun and the people were cool, but I had a long drive back to Indy after the show.
I didn't get home until 5:00am. Uhgg.
I didn't get home until 5:00am. Uhgg.
Howl At The Moon 7/25/08
A few minutes before we were about to begin playing in downtown Indy, I received a phone call from our drummer, Brian, informing me he was in a fender-bender and wouldn't be able to make it to the gig. In less than five minutes, I had one of the dueling piano guys, Jay Jones, come fill in on drums for us. Jay did an amazing job considering he had never heard about half of the songs we performed before that night. Much to my surprise, Brian showed up for the last forty five minutes of the show and knocked it out of the park.
As soon as I hit my last note, I ran out, jumped in my car and drove straight to Urbana, IL, for gig number 2...
Friday, July 25, 2008
Zydeco's 7/24/08
Thomas Brinkley joined me at Zydeco's in Mooresville, Indiana tonight. He entertianed the crowd with his mad skillz on da upright bass. It's always a treat to perform with him!
We were sad to learn that Mal is moving to Mississippi next week. We wish her the best of luck in her new adventure. Also, don't forget to vote for Zydeco's on the A-List. Here is the link, once again:
http://wrtv.cityvoter.com/signup?entry=55619
They totally deserve to win because they have the best food and attitude in the business! Make Deb happy so there can be more pictures like this one of her:
Monday, July 21, 2008
Lake Wawasee 7/20/08
We performed at a private party on beautiful lake Wawasee in northern Indiana. The picture doesn't come close to showing how pretty the scenery was. There were hummingbirds and speedboats, with blues and brew. We performed with Duke from 7:00pm until almost 10:30pm. Great food and nice people made for a memorable gig.
Then we packed up & I drove our rental car back to Castleton, got gas, dropped it off at the rental place, picked up my car, transferred our gear, drove Bill home to Speedway, drove Brian home to Avon, got gas for this car, and then drove home to be in bed by 4:45am.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Kingston Mines 7/18/08 & 7/19/08
Friday and Saturday nights were spent in the legendary Kingston Mines in Chicago, IL, backing Duke Tumatoe. We were all pumped up about playing, and it made the first night fly by. The second night was still fun, but we were a little tired from our motel stay. Brian's wife joined him on this trip (for her birthday) and they stayed in some fancy place in downtown Chicago. We played a bunch of blues and met a bunch of people and ate a bunch of gyro's. Mmmmm.....
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Boogie 7/17/08
Near Bedford, Indiana, 15,000 of the coolest bikers in the country converged on 300 acres (of which the ABATE crew own) for a weekend of insanity. We played with Duke for about an hour-and-a-half to a semi-clothed crowd. The Boogie is always a good time! Check the pics:
Two of the original members from the band "Foghat" formed a new group called "Slow Ride", and they performed right after us on the main stage at the Boogie. It's a good feeling to come off of a set and have a member of Foghat tell you, "You rock". Not that I need the reassurance, but it's like having Emeril tell you he likes your spaghetti.
Oh, and the drummer and I talked about fans. Not the kind you get from years of touring, mind you, but the ones you can buy for $40 at Wal-mart. He liked mine a bunch, and said he was going to have to buy himself one. I just like the image of the drummer from Foghat wandering around a Wal-mart at 3am looking for a new Stanley...
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Headwater Park 7/16/08
DHG backed up Duke Tumatoe in downtown Ft. Wayne, IN, tonight. Good weather and a great big crowd made for a fun evening. We rocked the crowd for about an hour-and-a-half. I konw this seems random, but stick with me for a tangent.
I really wanted to take a helicopter ride. Across the street, for $20, they were giving helicopter rides all night long. So about every fifteen minutes, I could see them take off and land. By the time we finished playing, they were done giving the rides. Awwww ....
Here are a couple of pics from the show:
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Zydeco's 7/12/08
Mooresville didn't know what hit them by the time Bill and I finished our three-hour set. Between the guy who kept making a wounded bull noise while asking for "Creed", and the two women in the back who wanted to hear "Someone To Watch Over Me", we had a difficult time explaining that we have a show to perform which doesn't include either one of those. Everybody had a blast, and people bought CDs while trying to figure out our crazy gig schedule. Anyone who reads this blog knows how difficult it is to explain what we do in a nutshell.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Howl At The Moon 7/11/08
Brian, Bill and I played for cocktail hour(s) from 6p-8p in downtown Indy tonight. Brian had a bunch of his friends/family show up, so of course he had to play two different drum solos. The rest of the crowd thought it was funny every time his peeps would yell out "drum solo" at the begining of each song. Bill and I were just along for the ride!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Neighborfest 7/10/08
As I was getting ready to leave the house for Columbus, Indiana for the gig with Duke, I noticed some water in the hallway of my house. When I went to investigate furthur, I found ankle-deep water in our back bedroom, and water in the kitchen, laundry room, master bedroom, and spare bedroom. Frantic, I found myself searching for towels before running off to the gig (and leaving my wife to handle a good chunk of the mess). If it weren't for my wife, I'd be totally lost and homeless, I'm sure.
The gig went great, and the crowd had fun as the city introduced a parking garage to the crowd. Yep. A parking garage. This was the best (and first) grand opening of a parking garage I've played. Thanks goes out to Bob Ritter for giving us some great pictures!
Duke gave his mic to my mother because she won a raffle. Big mistake. She told the crowd to buy my CD because she was a graduate of Columbus High School, or something to that effect.
Lincoln Park 7/10/08
Zionsville, Indiana has a great thing going with the concert series in the gazebo. A great audience and nice weather made this a true highlight for Bill and I. The MC, Gale, gave us a laugh at the beging of the show. Bill took his bass out and set it on his stand, and then turned around and bent over to plug it in. At the same time he bent over, Gale said, "That's gorgeous!" Bill smiled and said, "Why thank you. I've been working out."
The show was great, and we hope to be back soon! Here's a funky picture for ya:
Vote for our new friends in Zionsville! They have a cool jewelery store and they need your help. Follow this link to vote for the A-List: http://wrtv.cityvoter.com/jewel-box-jewelers/biz/56351
Monday, July 7, 2008
Zydeco's Brunch 7/6/08
Bill and I played in Moorseville, Indiana at Zydeco's brunch to a lively crowd this morning. People were really into what we were doing, which made the mornig fly by. Sometimes it can be hard to involve a crowd at 11:00am, but not this one. Some of them came in singing!
This is important, Zydeco's needs your help! Follow this link to vote! Please! http://wrtv.cityvoter.com/signup?entry=55619 They are in the running for best seafood, so please vote for them.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Round Barn Winery 7/5/08
Mmmmm..wine. DHG backed up Duke in Baroda, Michigan. It was great weather and an energetic crowd which made this such a fun gig. We played outside, under a tent. The best part of the evening was watching the wine flow so heavily through one man's viens that he decided to do "the Centipede" while we played. And then he did it again. And again.
And again.
And again.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Beavercreek 7/4/08
Paul Schafer played sax with DHG at this Fourth of July festival in Beavercreek, Ohio. Bill and Brian held down the groove, while Paul and I played to the crowd. The Mayor even came up and told us how much she enjoyed us, and wants to have us back for future events.
My wife took some great shots at the show!
You can see more of our photography on Flickr. Just follow this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danholmesgroup/
Friday, July 4, 2008
Country Club 7/3/08
We performed at a country club in Champagne, IL, with Duke tonight. He lived there for about twenty years, so the crowd wanted to hear his early songs. This was a private event with a huge fireworks display during our break in the middle of the show. Even with a great outdoor setting, good food, and a bunch of fireworks, people never really got all that excited. Everyone was very nice to us, but the crowd did not want to interact. We played. They listened.
Odd.
Odd.
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