Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Static Shack 6/29/09
We recorded three tunes today for Duke's upcoming release. "Fire and Ice" we had recorded before with Brian Yarde, but Duke felt it was too fast. It came out with a great swing to it. New versions of two older Duke tunes, "Sex Cures It" and "Long Legged Women And Blues Guitar" were the other songs we worked on. Shaping up to be a cool CD!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Goog's 6/27/09
Confederate flags pained on the subs was all I needed to see to know this would be an interesting show in Angola, IN. The sound man, Jeff, explained it wasn't his fault, and asked us not to post these pictures. I assured him they would be on our website, and he said we would be the last act to see them painted that way! All kidding aside, Jeff made us sound good, and the owner said it was the biggest crowd he'd ever had. I had a few people seek me out from my YouTube videos, and had a chance to talk with them after the show. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Howl At The Moon 6/26/09
The place was packed tonight! One of my students came out and brought some friends, so we even had happy faces in the crowd. Joe Maddox held the groove together for several songs he had never played with us before. He's a true pro. Bill took some pictures, and me? I just worked...
Friday, June 26, 2009
Zydeco's 6/25/09
Bill Ritter and I almost didn't make it tonight due to a scheduling snafu, but of course we pulled through. A pretty full crowd only seemed to respond when I said "Clap Now" or played an Elvis Tune. We had a good time listening while Terry sang "Short People" tonight in his best Randy Newman voice. I don't think anyone was fooled.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Howl At The Moon 6/23/09
I dueled last night in downtown Indy. It is sometimes hard for me to know what to write about after the dueling shows because they all feel similar to me. Lots of songs, lots of requests, lots of drunk people. Nuff said.
I took this as I walked back to my car at 2am...
I took this as I walked back to my car at 2am...
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Benny's Bike Rally 6/20/09
We drove 8+ hours from Dubuque, IA to Midland, MI, played for a bunch of bikers, and then drove 5+ hours home. The show went great, and as a surprise, Duke's former drummer, Rick Bole, came out to see us with his wife, Becky. He even took some pictures for us! I would've really enjoyed myself if I knew that I wasn't going to have that long drive home after playing...
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Catfish Festival 6/19/09
Dubuque, Iowa welcomed us to the fest by having us drive 6 hours through a couple of the worst thunderstorms I've been in. What was really cool though, is when we pulled up to the site of the event, a bright double rainbow sat on the other side of the river. We could see the full arc of the inner one.
Ballroom dancers opened for us, and we played to a great crowd. The organizers kept having Duke draw names for a give away, which I think by the third interruption of the show, started to wear thin on him. We played two shows and then headed to the best hotel ever.
I don't usually write about where we stay, but this place was awesome. The Canfield, a hotel where nothing, and I mean nothing, has been changed since 1974. Our room had shag carpet, gold leaf covered pictures of tigers, designer chairs from '68, and much, much more. On the headboard sat a two-and-a-half foot tall black ceramic panther next to a used urn. Awesome.
Ballroom dancers opened for us, and we played to a great crowd. The organizers kept having Duke draw names for a give away, which I think by the third interruption of the show, started to wear thin on him. We played two shows and then headed to the best hotel ever.
I don't usually write about where we stay, but this place was awesome. The Canfield, a hotel where nothing, and I mean nothing, has been changed since 1974. Our room had shag carpet, gold leaf covered pictures of tigers, designer chairs from '68, and much, much more. On the headboard sat a two-and-a-half foot tall black ceramic panther next to a used urn. Awesome.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Zydeco's 6/18/09
We took the full group with us to Zydeco's in Mooresville tonight. Hundreds of people gathered to have fun at a block party in the street, and rotated though Zydeco's for dinner. This was Joe Maddox's first show performing all my material, and he really stepped up to the plate. Karl Liechty played sax and made Deb (the owner) fall in love with him all over again. Bill Ritter and I will be back in a couple of weeks to play or them again!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Underground 6/17/09
Joe Maddox, Bill Ritter and myself played at a little venue in downtown Indy tonight. First, I must say, this is a great venue for underage artists to perform and hone their chops. That said, this was not a venue for a band that plays 250+ shows per year. They have more rules than the Army and Marines put together. There were several acts on after us, and it was so strict, we decided that was our final performance at that venue, and with the booking agency the gig came from.
We still kicked butt...I overheard one teenie-bopper, while pointing at us, say "I thought these guys would suck, but they're really good!" Ha!
We still kicked butt...I overheard one teenie-bopper, while pointing at us, say "I thought these guys would suck, but they're really good!" Ha!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Queen Of All Saints Fest 6/14/09
Our day was full with parrots at Starbucks, 55 minute sets of music, pre-teen inappropriately dressed hip-hop cheerleaders, overweight truck owners refusing to unblock our only exit, death on the highway, and lots of road construction. The show was fun in Michigan City with Duke tonight, but what a headache getting there and home!
The show started with us doing an instrumental and immediately being interrupted by the fire department wanting to make an emergency announcement about a girl needing to meet them by the fire truck concerning her grandmother. Then, the festival crew interrupted forty-five minutes into the show, just to tell us we had ten minutes left. The last two sets were full of odd, but spirited, dancing.
We tried to leave at 6, but the owner of the truck which was blocking us in refused to move until 7:30. Once on the road, there were signs of traffic delays ahead, so we pulled off the highway onto a country road. There, we were blocked by fire and police as they carried a body from the site of a gruesome crash. After being allowed to pass that tragic site, we got back on the highway and hit construction for about an extra 45 minutes. A two and a half hour trip home, in four hours!
The show started with us doing an instrumental and immediately being interrupted by the fire department wanting to make an emergency announcement about a girl needing to meet them by the fire truck concerning her grandmother. Then, the festival crew interrupted forty-five minutes into the show, just to tell us we had ten minutes left. The last two sets were full of odd, but spirited, dancing.
We tried to leave at 6, but the owner of the truck which was blocking us in refused to move until 7:30. Once on the road, there were signs of traffic delays ahead, so we pulled off the highway onto a country road. There, we were blocked by fire and police as they carried a body from the site of a gruesome crash. After being allowed to pass that tragic site, we got back on the highway and hit construction for about an extra 45 minutes. A two and a half hour trip home, in four hours!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Jim Bailey's Harley 6/13/09
We arrived in Ft. Wayne, Indiana after a six hour drive from Green Bay to perform for hundreds of bikers at a Harley dealership. Cool gig and a great crowd. Lots of dancing and singing along with Duke's hits. There was a moment of panic before we started when Joe realized his stick bag was left in Green Bay! The drummer from the band just before us was kind enough to let him borrow some sticks, so the show went off without a hitch. Jim Bailey did his famous burn-out after the show to clear the tent with rubber smoke!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
International Bay Fest 6/12/09
On our way to Green Bay, we had to stop to buy a new spring for the kick drum pedal. We went to a place in Milwaukee where some bizarre shopkeeper (who was paranoid about his glass counters) decided we needed a German made spring because they were better. Whatever.
So just before the show, we heard a woman say something to Duke about "Pancake Nibbles" when she was saying she'd be there for us. I don't have any idea what that means. Joe Maddox sounded great on drums, especially since this was only his third gig with us. The fest was packed with carnival rides and cheese curds, and we'll be back in August.
So just before the show, we heard a woman say something to Duke about "Pancake Nibbles" when she was saying she'd be there for us. I don't have any idea what that means. Joe Maddox sounded great on drums, especially since this was only his third gig with us. The fest was packed with carnival rides and cheese curds, and we'll be back in August.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The B.O.B. 6/10/09
Grand Rapids, MI had us back to perform inside the B.O.B. (Big Old Building) tonight. Over four hours up and four hours back home was a pretty brutal drive, but the show was cool. Lots of odd dancing, people doing the splits while talking to support beams, and twirling in the breeze. Strange, because this was a biker event, but a bunch of the people who came to see us didn't quite fit into the biker image... especially the guy who brought his own fan to blow on him while he danced.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Zydeco's 6/7/09
Zydeco's in Mooresville, IN had another great brunch. Bill Ritter and I more fun than usual, mostly because we had more sleep than usual. Deb had fun getting the crowd to imitate me, as you can see in the pictures!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Jackson Blues Fest 6/5/09
Joe Maddox needed this week off, so Gary Brewer filled in on drums with Duke Tumatoe, Bill Ritter and I. The gig was a blast, and Gary sounded great. It was a long drive, and it started with Gary making us a little later by placing bets at the Hoosier Casino before the show. Four hours there, played for an hour and twenty minutes, turned around and drove four hours home. Uggg.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Zydeco's 6/4/09
Bill and I played to a moderately excited crowd tonight in Moorseville, Indiana. In my head, they were very responsive to everything we played and they begged us to continue. In reality, they waited patiently for us to take a break, and politely clapped as we finished our last song. But in my head, it was great...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Howl At The Moon 6/2/09
Dueling tonight in downtown Indianapolis was a little slow. Not too many people came out, and the ones that did just wanted to drink and talk to their friends. We all still had fun, and J. Jones proved in a picture how big of a rock star he really is.
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