Downtown Indianapolis on Wednesday was odd. No one was there for the first hour. I mean NO one. Not one single customer walked in until 9:30pm. Then, we had a couple of tables. Then a couple more. We ended up having a great Wednesday with a semi-full house!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Howl At The Moon 4/28/09
Dueling on a Tuesday in Indianapolis with no conventions in town is almost like just practicing in my living room, only with about 12 extra people watching. A little slow to say the least, but still fun.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Derby Festival 4/27/09
We drove to Louisville, Kentucky to play a festival, which included a frisbee-catching dog show during our breaks. The P.A. was kicking, and Devon (our new drummer) performed great. On a personal note, my 99 year old grandmother had visited with my brother a few days ago. She left her purse at his house, which is just across the river from where we were performing. I called my brother on our way to the show, and it just so happens he was going to a baseball game just across the street from where our stage was. So, in between our first and second shows, we arranged a "purse swap" in the parking lot. He went to the game with his wife, but still made it over to catch our last set. Now I've just got to get the thing to my grandma....
Bob & Tom 4/27/09
This morning, I got up at 5:00am to supply a keyboard for Dennis DeYoung (Styx ex-frontman) at the Bob and Tom show. As it happened, Colin Hay (Men At Work ex-frontman) was performing right after, so I stuck around to see him perform. Two very nice guys, and a good way to start my long day.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Kansas City 4/25/09
So Bill and I needed to go to Kansas City for a meeting on a cartoon we're working on titled, "Boo Boo the Boh Boh". We are doing the audio for the show, including music, foley and voice overs. We were at Indianapolis International airport by 5:00am, in Chicago by 7:30am, arrived in Kansas City about 9:15am, had a meeting about the cartoon from 10a-4p, in a cab back to the airport by 4:15pm, waited for our plane until about 7:30pm, only to find our flight had been canceled due to weather. Then, we hopped on a bus to a rental car place, got a vehicle, drove about 8 hours and got to bed about 5:30am. Uggggg...
This was our day in pictures:
This was our day in pictures:
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Zydeco's 4/24/09
What a great show! Devon Ashley (on drums), Karl Leichty (on sax), Bill Ritter (on bass), and myself (on piano) played to a packed house in Mooresville tonight. The board of directors for the 500 race rented out Zydeco's, and hired us to provide the entertainment. My wife came out and took photos for us, which of course, looked awesome.
Also, Deb opened the upstairs to the public for the evening, and had Mojo Gumbo perform for them.
Also, Deb opened the upstairs to the public for the evening, and had Mojo Gumbo perform for them.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Zydeco's 4/23/09
I want to retire. I felt good about playing tonight, but nobody wanted to hear us. So, we quieted down, and made $2.50 each in tips. I can't retire with just $2.50. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Firefighter's Convention 4/22/09
Don Stuck invited me to perform with his band, and it was a blast! The firemen partied all night, while we rocked with the drum corp and bag pipers. The best thing I could do is post a bunch of pictures.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Mattie's 4/17/09
Devon Ashley's first gig with Duke Tumatoe was in Elkhart, Indiana tonight in a club which would hold about 500 people, and we had about 70 people show up. He played well, and we had fans in the crowd telling us it was the best Duke show they'd ever seen. My only problem with the evening was that the club was so big with relatively few people, it was like an echo chamber while we performed.
You can't complain about it, especially in Elkhart. Because of the economy, Elkhart has a 18.9% unemployment rate! 18.9%!!!!
You can't complain about it, especially in Elkhart. Because of the economy, Elkhart has a 18.9% unemployment rate! 18.9%!!!!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Zydeco's 4/16/09
Bill Ritter and I played to one table of three that enjoyed us, and about six other tables that didn't.
We tried our hardest, but sometimes you just can't please people. After we took a break for dinner, we came back to fewer tables and as we were playing our last song, of course, a few more people came in just to hear us! So, the end of the night was fun, because the energy was brought in at the end. We played an extra 45 min, and came home happy.
We tried our hardest, but sometimes you just can't please people. After we took a break for dinner, we came back to fewer tables and as we were playing our last song, of course, a few more people came in just to hear us! So, the end of the night was fun, because the energy was brought in at the end. We played an extra 45 min, and came home happy.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Kingston Mines 4/10/09 & 4/11/09
A couple of nights before Easter, and the place was packed! Even the night before Easter was busy! This weekend was Brian Yarde's last gig on the books with us. I'm sure we'll meet up again, but for now, this was it. At least we ended with him on a very strong note. He sounded great and the crowd loved him. Of course, there was tons of noise for Duke (and even some for me!) as we played to old and new fans alike. Saturday night, Frank Palligrino sat in with the band on my piano for a song, then went back to the other room to introduce the next band.
I like Kingston Mines. Chicago is such a fun town.
I like Kingston Mines. Chicago is such a fun town.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Sheraton 4/9/09
Bill Ritter and I played for a lawyer's association party in downtown Indianapolis on the 21st floor of the Sheraton Hotel. Bill brought out his doghouse bass, and it sounded great! We were just providing background music as the lawyers enjoyed cocktails and appetizers. Good food and a nice view!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Zydeco's 4/5/09
Brunch on a couple of hours of sleep was fun. I'd close my eyes for a second and play four or five songs. Weird. A bunch of my family came out, and my 99 year old grandmother sat by the piano for a few songs to listen. Now, I need some sleep.
Purdue Night Train 4/5/09
Bill Ritter, Brian Yarde and I backed up Duke Tumatoe in West Lafayette, IN early this morning. The show started at 1:00am and everyone danced until 4:00am. It was for a swing dance club, and they really could dance. We packed up after the show and drove home. Bill crashed in my spare room because we only had about two-and-a-half hours before we had to leave to make our brunch gig at Zydeco's.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Howl At The Moon 4/3/09
Tonight was the first night for our new drummer, Devon Ashley. He did a fantastic job, especially considering we haven't had a practice or even given him recordings of our stuff. Bill Ritter said it best, he is a very comfortable drummer to play with. We look forward to many more with Devon, and Brian Yarde will be missed. He still has a couple more shows with us until Devon fully takes his place.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Zydeco's 4/2/09
Bill Ritter and I tried a few of our new songs tonight. Of course, there was also a few songs requested that we tried, and we'll have to put more work in on. We had a bunch of people tell us they'd be back at brunch this Sunday.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Howl At The Moon 4/1/09
Tonight, I filled in for Rob, and I played across from Jay. It was very, very, very, very slow in the club. As a matter of fact, the guys told me it was one of the slowest nights they'd ever seen in this club. Uhgg.
At least we had fun playing random stuff for a dozen people.
At least we had fun playing random stuff for a dozen people.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Howl At The Moon 3/31/09
Todd had me come in tonight to fill in for him at the dueling piano bar in downtown Indianapolis. I played across from Rob, while Jeremy and Jay took the other shifts. A little slow, but the crowd was happy. We played all the usuals plus a bunch of random songs when we ran out of requests. I snapped a picture of Jay and I before we switched out...
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