Welcome Back My Friends...

“… to the show that never ends.” – Emerson, Lake & Palmer

To quote Willie Nelson, “Well hello there... my it’s been a long, long time.” Yes, friends and neighbors, it has been a long, long time. A year, in fact, since I last posted to this blog. My excuse? Well, quite frankly my dear… I haven’t got one! Call it laziness, writer’s block, hand cramps, life… whatever. All I know is that it’s time to get back on the horse! Ain’t it funny how time slips away?

I suppose I can start by saying that I’m still with Tequila Sunrise: A Tribute to the Eagles. We’ve been getting more and more dates (which means more and more money… and that’s goooood!) and the crowds just keep getting bigger and more appreciative.

Last November we played a fabulous venue in Joliet, IL called the Rialto Theater. It’s a beautiful, ornate theater with the most impressive rotunda I’ve ever seen in a lobby area. Jewel actually just recorded a DVD there. We’ve had lots of gigs since then, so I’ll just tell you about the ones that stick out.

House of Blues in Cleveland just gets better all the time. We have a core group of fans that show up to EVERY show and they bring more people who bring more people who bring more people. It’s amazing to see the devotion these folks have to our band. We played the House of Blues in New Orleans last May which was interesting. Had an accident with the new RV (another thing that’s happened since last I wrote…) and almost had to carry our gear 10 blocks to the club! We got to get in on opening week of the House of Blues in Dallas, TX also, and that gig was spectacular! Not only did my Dad’s cousin Julie Thoma, show up and surprise me, but we ended up filling the main room to 80% capacity! We’ve played there again this year and the crowds keep growing! We’re supposed to be back in December so we’ll see what happens.

TS got the Vegas treatment in May when we spent a week playing the Casbar Lounge at the Sahara Hotel and Casino in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada. I swear Vegas is like a whole different world when the sun goes down! The trip was made even better by a visit from my Uncle Tom and Aunt Trudy. They ended up coming out to see 2 of our shows, as did my cousin Matt Hansen and his girlfriend Melinda. The icing on the cake was the appearance of my parent, as AND my grandfather, Ollie, who came all the way from Iowa to see us.

In June we played the Strasburg Theater in Strasburg, VA. This gig wasn't all that special except for one thing... My cousins Kristin Thoma and Brett Hansen showed up to the gig!! I hadn't seen either of them since February, and before that I can't remember! Brett is a bartender at a hot club in the DC area and Kristin is a student at Virginia Tech. Did I mention she's a knockout? But you knew that already because beautiful people run in the family!!!

So far this summer we’ve done an average of 6 shows a month which is pretty darn good. We’ve seen some amazing outdoor festivals with enormous crowds and it just keeps going!! I’m actually sitting in the RV rolling back from Warren, Ohio as I write this posting. I’ll go over the schedule, gig by gig, and write a little about each club in my next post… so come back and check it out.

On a sad note…

I lost my biggest fan this year on Valentine’s Day.

My grandmother, Chrystol Louise Miller Thoma Hansen, passed away on February 14th, 2007. I attended the funeral and sang “Just A Closer Walk With Thee” with my cousins, Scott and Elizabeth Thoma. We sounded pretty damn good and I know Grandma was ecstatic to hear her grandchildren singing together. I just wish we’d have thought to do it while she was still here.

The funeral was beautiful and was held in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Durant, Iowa. This is the church I remember from my youth, when Scott and I used to spend our summers at Grandma’s house. Church on Sunday… no excuses!

She was buried in God’s Acres in Clermont, Iowa, next to her first husband, Keith B. Thoma.

As long as I’d been playing music, she’d been supporting me. In school she made it to EVERY one of the concerts in which I performed. The same goes for when I joined the Nite Express Drum and Bugle Corps. She was at EVERY show within 50-100 miles, or maybe more.

When I opened for Merle Haggard with the Truesdells, she was in the front row. Even when I played America’s Pub in Bettendorf, Iowa with my rock group, Chunkster (which was definitely NOT her kind of music!), she and Grandpa stopped in for a set.

During my travels with Lonesome Road, she made the trek (along with Grandpa, her caretaker, my parents and some other family) to Marquette, Iowa to see us play at the Miss Marquette Casino. She had a ball! She danced three dances, laughed. clapped and sang along.

My fondest memory is my last one. The show in Joliet, IL that I mentioned above was Grandma’s last big road trip. I have my dad to thank for this memory because he was the one who orchestrated the whole trip. Come Hell or high water, Grandma WAS going to be at that show!

Sure enough, when the curtain opened, there she was, perched on the end of an aisle with her trademark grin, as happy as a clam. She had a ball. Clapping and rocking around in her seat… I’m sure she would’ve got up and danced in the aisle if she were able. Grandpa told me that she cried all the way through Desperado. It might’ve been because I dedicated it to her.

I still do…

Grandma, I miss you and I love you… you’ll always be my biggest fan.

Sorry for the downer, y’all. I promise my next blog will be more uplifting. See you on the road…