"...made a lot of stops all over the world..." -- "Travelin' Man" - Rick Nelson
It's official! From September 15th through October 15th, yours truly will be touring the UNITED KINGDOM with Billy Yates and Sean Patrick McGraw!!! We'll be in all different places in England, Scotland, and Wales. I can't wait! I've never been overseas except for Hawaii and the Bahamas, so this trip should be a blast. I'm also going to be in Germany at the Griefenstien Festival from August 11-15th with Tim McDonald and Hit-N-Run.
If you don't know Billy Yates.. you should! He's written several hit songs including the monster hit "Choices" by George Jones, which caused incredible controversy at the CMA awards not too long ago. He also has a new hit out by both Daryle Singletary and Joe Nichols called "If I Ever Get Her Back". Oh yeah... George Strait recorded his song, "My Infinite Love"... yeah, that's right... KING GEORGE!!! I'm SOOOO excited!!
I'm not sure how much Internet access I'll have overseas, but I'll try to update as much as possible. Nothing much new except that I got a gig this weekend with Dustin Bogue again. Yep, we're playing at Debbie's Place! Back to the dive! (At least I'll make $120 for the weekend!)
C-ya on the flip side!!!!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Beam Him Up, Lord...
Open hailing frequencies....
Hey everybody. I don't usually write about current events, but I saw this when I woke up this morning and I had to comment. Another of the "Magnificent Seven" has passed away. James "Scotty" Doohan died yesterday at age 85.
Since 1966 he delighted audiences, portraying the wise-cracking, Scottish enginner Montgomery Scott. Trademark phrases such as "Beam Me Up, Scotty" and "I just can't do it Captain... I'm givin' 'er all she's got!!" have become part of pop culture slang.
In his younger years, Doohan was chiseled and well-built, having served in the Canadian Army and being part of the D-Day invasion on Normandy. He survived quite a bit during the war. Losing part of his right middle finger and being shot six times, the most fatal chest shot being deflected by his silver cigarette case.
Being typecast as the surly Scotsman never bothered Doohan. "I never get tired of hearing it," he said, referring to "Beam Me Up, Scotty," his trademark order. He retired from public life in 2004, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It's almost a blessing that he passed so soon after. Hopefully he didn't have to endure any of the horror of losing your memories, as Ronald Reagan had to endure.
I'm sure the rest of the Star Trek cast will make it to the funeral. William Shatner (James T. Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov) and George Takei (Mr. Sulu) are all still alive. DeForest Kelley (Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy) passed away in 1999 and series creator, Gene Roddenberry died in 1991.
Live long and prosper, Scotty... we'll miss you.
Hey everybody. I don't usually write about current events, but I saw this when I woke up this morning and I had to comment. Another of the "Magnificent Seven" has passed away. James "Scotty" Doohan died yesterday at age 85.
Since 1966 he delighted audiences, portraying the wise-cracking, Scottish enginner Montgomery Scott. Trademark phrases such as "Beam Me Up, Scotty" and "I just can't do it Captain... I'm givin' 'er all she's got!!" have become part of pop culture slang.
In his younger years, Doohan was chiseled and well-built, having served in the Canadian Army and being part of the D-Day invasion on Normandy. He survived quite a bit during the war. Losing part of his right middle finger and being shot six times, the most fatal chest shot being deflected by his silver cigarette case.
Being typecast as the surly Scotsman never bothered Doohan. "I never get tired of hearing it," he said, referring to "Beam Me Up, Scotty," his trademark order. He retired from public life in 2004, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It's almost a blessing that he passed so soon after. Hopefully he didn't have to endure any of the horror of losing your memories, as Ronald Reagan had to endure.
I'm sure the rest of the Star Trek cast will make it to the funeral. William Shatner (James T. Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov) and George Takei (Mr. Sulu) are all still alive. DeForest Kelley (Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy) passed away in 1999 and series creator, Gene Roddenberry died in 1991.
Live long and prosper, Scotty... we'll miss you.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Taking a bite out of the Big Apple (Part 2)
Hello again...
When I re-read my last post, I noticed a GLARING omission. I neglected to write about the fact that my friend Paul Cirrillo came to see the show in Queens. For those who don't know, Paulie ran lights and sold merchandise for Lonesome Road while I was with them. We became good friends and when he left LR, he told me to let him know if I was ever in NY. Well I was finally able to contact him and we were able to hang out after the show. He was just as wild and crazy as ever, as were his co-pilot Mike, and his flight attendant Heather who accompanied him to the show. Afterwards, John, Jeff and I went along with Paul and the crew to a diner on Long Island. The BEST coffee I've ever had, hands down, and the spinach and feta cheese omlette was to die for. I'm looking forward to seeing Paulie when we go back to New York in September. Now I'm getting ready to go watch the Raspberries do their soundcheck and then watch their show tonight at the Scene Pavillion in Cleveland. TS has a show at the House of Blues here in Cleveland tomorrow night, and then it's back to Nashville to rehearse with Tim's band, Hit & Run, for the Germany trip. Busy, busy, busy....
C-ya later!
When I re-read my last post, I noticed a GLARING omission. I neglected to write about the fact that my friend Paul Cirrillo came to see the show in Queens. For those who don't know, Paulie ran lights and sold merchandise for Lonesome Road while I was with them. We became good friends and when he left LR, he told me to let him know if I was ever in NY. Well I was finally able to contact him and we were able to hang out after the show. He was just as wild and crazy as ever, as were his co-pilot Mike, and his flight attendant Heather who accompanied him to the show. Afterwards, John, Jeff and I went along with Paul and the crew to a diner on Long Island. The BEST coffee I've ever had, hands down, and the spinach and feta cheese omlette was to die for. I'm looking forward to seeing Paulie when we go back to New York in September. Now I'm getting ready to go watch the Raspberries do their soundcheck and then watch their show tonight at the Scene Pavillion in Cleveland. TS has a show at the House of Blues here in Cleveland tomorrow night, and then it's back to Nashville to rehearse with Tim's band, Hit & Run, for the Germany trip. Busy, busy, busy....
C-ya later!
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Taking a bite out of the Big Apple...
Hey Everybody...
I know it's been a couple days since my last posting, but things have been kinda crazy. The 4th of July performance at Horny Toad's in Lake Ozark, MO was interesting to say the least. The performance was outstanding on everyone's part. The stage was nice and big, but they only had 8 lights, which was a little bit of a disappointment. The load-in/out was also quite interesting as we were faced with a 6% grade going down from the parking lot to the stage area. The "band house" was another site. I've stayed in a few clunkers before, but this one was almost the best. (worst?!?) I'll put it to you this way... I'd MUCH rather take a cold shower than a scalding hot one. (No cold water for the shower!).
Anyway, after that performance, it was an 11 hour trek back to Paul's parents' house in Cleveland. We stayed there Wednesday and headed for Queens, NY on Thursday. The show was AWESOME (check the site for reviews!). We got there and the sound company had everything SET UP in position and the monitors were already dialed-in. Absolutely the easiest soundcheck I've ever had and the best monitor sound EVER, bar none. My drums sounded fantastic and the vocals gave me chills when we hit the harmonies. Those are the kind of gigs you REALLY enjoy.
Then we drove straight into hell.
What was supposed to be a 6-7 hour drive turned into a 9 hour marathon. We lost 4 hours of time just SITTING in traffic. After we got out of NYC (which has traffic, but we wrote that off because it's a given... you KNOW it's gonna be there), we got on the road and got held up by an accident. BAM. 2 hours gone. Then construction... Another hour... Then MORE construction... ANOTHER hour... We finally pulled in to Tonawanda, NY at 9 pm (we left Queens at 12), and we were supposed to be there at 7! Sound was horrendous (equipment older than the hills). I couldn't use my monitors, so I played and sang "blind" so to speak.
Finally the gig was over and we drove 45 minutes to Fredonia, NY to Sean's parents' house. That's where we are right now. Got in at 4 am and I just got up (12:30 pm). It felt REALLY good to sleep. We've got a show in Cheektowaga, NY tonight and hopefully it will be better than last night. Then tomorrow we head back to Nashville with a stopover in Cleveland to drop off Paul and Jeff. (Jeff is Bryan's replacement. Bryan had to leave the band to take a job with Dell. TennCare insurance SUCKS!)
Anyone who's interested in seeing the band... COME TO CHICAGO!! We'll be at the House of Blues in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, August 30th. Go HERE to get tickets!
Gonna go hang out at the lake for awhile... catch y'all later!
I know it's been a couple days since my last posting, but things have been kinda crazy. The 4th of July performance at Horny Toad's in Lake Ozark, MO was interesting to say the least. The performance was outstanding on everyone's part. The stage was nice and big, but they only had 8 lights, which was a little bit of a disappointment. The load-in/out was also quite interesting as we were faced with a 6% grade going down from the parking lot to the stage area. The "band house" was another site. I've stayed in a few clunkers before, but this one was almost the best. (worst?!?) I'll put it to you this way... I'd MUCH rather take a cold shower than a scalding hot one. (No cold water for the shower!).
Anyway, after that performance, it was an 11 hour trek back to Paul's parents' house in Cleveland. We stayed there Wednesday and headed for Queens, NY on Thursday. The show was AWESOME (check the site for reviews!). We got there and the sound company had everything SET UP in position and the monitors were already dialed-in. Absolutely the easiest soundcheck I've ever had and the best monitor sound EVER, bar none. My drums sounded fantastic and the vocals gave me chills when we hit the harmonies. Those are the kind of gigs you REALLY enjoy.
Then we drove straight into hell.
What was supposed to be a 6-7 hour drive turned into a 9 hour marathon. We lost 4 hours of time just SITTING in traffic. After we got out of NYC (which has traffic, but we wrote that off because it's a given... you KNOW it's gonna be there), we got on the road and got held up by an accident. BAM. 2 hours gone. Then construction... Another hour... Then MORE construction... ANOTHER hour... We finally pulled in to Tonawanda, NY at 9 pm (we left Queens at 12), and we were supposed to be there at 7! Sound was horrendous (equipment older than the hills). I couldn't use my monitors, so I played and sang "blind" so to speak.
Finally the gig was over and we drove 45 minutes to Fredonia, NY to Sean's parents' house. That's where we are right now. Got in at 4 am and I just got up (12:30 pm). It felt REALLY good to sleep. We've got a show in Cheektowaga, NY tonight and hopefully it will be better than last night. Then tomorrow we head back to Nashville with a stopover in Cleveland to drop off Paul and Jeff. (Jeff is Bryan's replacement. Bryan had to leave the band to take a job with Dell. TennCare insurance SUCKS!)
Anyone who's interested in seeing the band... COME TO CHICAGO!! We'll be at the House of Blues in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, August 30th. Go HERE to get tickets!
Gonna go hang out at the lake for awhile... catch y'all later!
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Rainy Night in Georgia.. er... Kansas!
Hey all...
I'm wringing out my t-shirt as I write this post. Turns out that Tequila Sunrise has THE worst luck in terms of gigging in Kansas. We were rained on AGAIN (2 weeks prior @ Old Shawnee Days we got rained out also). But the show did go on in a manner of speaking. We grabbed an acoustic guitar and performed like wandering minstrels, weaving our way through the very appreciative crowd. We even made a stop in the beer tent (naturally...) and performed a few tunes. All in all it was a good day, except for the fact that I didn't get to play any drums. Gotta go now though cause we're leaving out at 6 AM to head for Lake Ozark, MO. Have a happy 4th of July!!
I'm wringing out my t-shirt as I write this post. Turns out that Tequila Sunrise has THE worst luck in terms of gigging in Kansas. We were rained on AGAIN (2 weeks prior @ Old Shawnee Days we got rained out also). But the show did go on in a manner of speaking. We grabbed an acoustic guitar and performed like wandering minstrels, weaving our way through the very appreciative crowd. We even made a stop in the beer tent (naturally...) and performed a few tunes. All in all it was a good day, except for the fact that I didn't get to play any drums. Gotta go now though cause we're leaving out at 6 AM to head for Lake Ozark, MO. Have a happy 4th of July!!
Carry on my Wayward Son...
Ok, ok... so it's not an Eagles song, but it applies! We're in Kansas today. Playing some festival in Junction City, KS. Gonna sweat my ass off, but it's all in the name of Rock N Roll. Just heard that Queen is doing a US tour next year, so I'm psyched!! Gotta split.. check out is 12! I'll post more tonight after the show...
Take it easy....
Take it easy....
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