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06-30-08
Oh geez…
OK. Before anybody starts in, it IS technically still Monday here in Nashville, and so I have come in under the wire on my Monday journal. I know that I only have about 20 minutes to satisfy that requirement on the East Coast, but I am going to type at my usual rate, and hope that I can post it before the witching hour.
In my defense, I was up at 7:30 this morning, and after coffee, ran to the store for Roundup and mowed the front and back, sprayed (I thought the rocks were supposed to hinder weed growth), showered, made several business calls, and ran a bunch of errands. Then I went grocery shopping, played guitar, had lunch with the boys, a business meeting with my web developer (look for some really cool stuff on this site in the near future), played 9 holes of golf, showered again, cooked dinner, and watched Ken Griffey, Jr. hit a walk-off HR to beat my Pirates 4-3. And I still have time for you. How do I do it? Speed. Lots and lots of speed. OK, just unsweetened iced tea and a love of life.
The past week’s shows were like a flash from the past – I played all three of the festivals before. First was Osh Kosh, which was where I saw Dierks for the first time a year ago, and we had a little reunion because Dierks was closing out this year’s show as well. It was so good to see the crew again, after so many fantastic nights to kick off our year. Bucky had a great show, but I wasn’t in a great place when we finished. There are nights that aren’t always peachy, and for some reason, I just couldn’t find my sound. That’s a little frustrating when that’s sort of our ‘thing’; equate it to a surfer having his board, having big waves, but for some reason not getting any good action. I have all this nice gear, and I can’t get it to sound good. Ahh well. I chose to have a few shots of whiskey and forget about it.
Day two was in Cadott, WI, which hosts a bog festival that Jeff and I have been part of for three years in a row. Life is good. Last year we had a piñata for him. (and Microsoft Word automatically places the tilde on top of the ‘enye’ – they think of everything). This year, just a good show. And my show was heads and shoulders better than the last. The rain was there in the morning, but cleared 100 percent for our show. And it’s also cool to look over and see Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton watching the show.
Day three of our magical mystery tour was spent in Manhattan, Kansas, where we played two years ago. We were with Terri Clark, Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts. Once again, just like the rest of the shows from the week, we were on early, and we had to ‘throw and go’, which means unload, get the gear onstage and ready to play as quickly as possible. I kind of like it that way sometimes, because it eliminates the waiting around part. The show was a lot of fun, and I had a chance to hang with and see the other acts as well. And once again, it was pretty cool to look over and see the guys from Rascal Flatts checking out our show. Very flattering (no pun intended), and they are nice as can be. Some of us snuck Bucky out to the front of house to see the Flatts show, and that was pretty funny, not only getting him out there unrecognized, but getting him back. We felt like secret service without all that tac radio and automatic weapons baggage.
And then we came home and showered, which was much-needed and wonderful. Well, I would like to assume everyone showered. I know I was a stanky mess when I got home after being in the Kansas dust all night. But I digress…We head back out for 5 shows this week, and my laundry isn’t even close to being ready. When I say it’s about to get crazy, then that is a complete understatement. Hang on for the ride.
Stay classy, San Diego.
06-23-08
Awesome!!!
Monday morning, you sure look fine. Friday I got traffic on my mind…Hello wonderful world. I am once again on my couch, sipping my espresso blend trying to recall the week that was. As I think about it, typing from my couch every Monday just may be my therapy, without all that clock-watching and ‘Tell me how that makes you feel’ baggage. Actually, I need to enjoy my Mondays. I have our new calendar sitting next to me, and it looks like Mondays are all we have at home for the next month or so. Love it!
Twice a year NAMM hosts a trade show, one in Anaheim in January, one in the summer someplace, in recent years being Indianapolis, Austin, and now back in Nashville. I have spoken about these shows before, and I really do love walking around checking out new toys and gear. I have made some really good friends through the years within the companies I work with, and to see them at least twice a year is a cool thing as well. This year my schedule allowed me to host a little party at my house for my musical peeps. We had an absolute blast, and I finally had to kick people out late to get 3 hours of sleep to make my tee time the next morning. Ouch. But a good ouch.
Thursday we found ourselves in Marion, MI, for a show with Lady Antebellum. One of the things that we have to do for our show is find a place off stage for Jeff’s amp. In arenas and amphitheaters that is no problem. Stick it just off stage. Since this venue had no backstage, Jeff’s rig was set up inside of our bus trailer next to the stage. I feel for whoever walked by that thing during the show. It was pretty funny to see. It’s sort of a little game we play now, to watch the unsuspecting people jump when they are hit in the face with a wall of sound from nowhere.
Next stop was the Indiana theatre in Terra Haute. They have been dealing with flooding like most of the Midwest, so seeing the fans come out was a huge thing for us. The venue was beautiful, built in 1922, and had the original fixtures inside. I love playing theatres. To me it is the perfect balance between the full on rock show and the intimacy of a club. And no smoke. We usually arrive at the venue an hour before show time. When I got back to the bus, it turns out Jeff was getting a new tattoo around the corner, and the guy finished literally 10 minutes before the downbeat. So Jeff played the show with his forearm wrapped in Saran wrap. Very rock and roll, baby.
We had to leave right after the show to make Marinette, WI, home of the Porterfield Country Fest. Jeff and I played it two years ago, and well, they still haven’t made the stage any bigger. Today’s bill was us, Kellie Pickler, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Gretchen Wilson. Well, Gretchen’s crew was late, so Billy Ray’s crew had to ‘approximate’ how much room her production would need. That left us and Kellie all of 8 ½ feet of stage to work with. Talk about caged animals. We had to set up in a line straight across the front of the stage. The funny thing was – the 10,000 people out there didn’t care. And the folks running the show were some of the nicest around.
Sunday morning is usually a time of getting home, unpacking, starting laundry, etc, but yesterday I showered and changed quickly and hit the NAMM show. I played with some great new toys, and opened dialogue with some new companies to work with. It’s a wonderful little recharge that happens twice a year for me, and this year was something special. Just walking around we ran into a ton of people that we knew, which once again, is that little reinforcement that we are all exactly where we need to be.
This week we are in for some more (hopefully) cool northern weather, with two shows in Wisconsin, and one in Kansas. The one in Kansas is with Rascal Flatts. I have never seen the show, so I am looking forward to that. And more BBQ.
See you on the road!
06-16-08
We’ll name it Cinnamon.
Happy Monday morning, everyone. I hope you all had an enjoyable, cool, fun-filled weekend that left you breathless and making plans for the next weekend. Summertime is here. Time to make the most out of it and get out and play. I say this with limited conviction, because my whole time off last week consisted of yard work. And now that it is all finished (well, is it ever REALLY finished?), then I can get on to more pressing things, like oh, writing, recording, and enjoying this summer right along with you. I look ahead to our schedule, and all I can say is wow. If you can’t make a show this year, then I guess you just don’t like us, because we’re going to be all over the country.
After our show at LP Field, we had a few days off. Of course, Bucky had to go shoot a movie with Miley Cyrus, and I was relegated to landscaping, which, as I think about it now, wasn’t so terrible. I got home yesterday, and sort of walked around the yard, looking for signs of new grass under the straw (none yet), and walking the new driveway and out into the street finding more ways to improve the yard and throw out my back. But there was a serenity to the whole thing. Just walking around thinking of what the house looked like when I first moved in until now was fulfilling enough, even if I was limping.
It’s not as bad as I make it out to be. I mean, working in the yard is the one bit of ‘normalcy’ I have in my life – that and the occasional trip to the grocery store. I’m serious. We got off the bus yesterday, and getting in a car and going home was an odd event. And we were only gone for three days. Oh yeah – ask me how much rain we had while we were gone. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Well, you could have looked inside of the door handles of my SUV. I left the windows down for 3 days while I was gone. My mind is slowly disappearing. Someone save it, fast!
Our first show was with Phil Vassar in Danville, VA. It’s been a little while since we’ve seen Phil, and he has gone through some changes, but he is doing great. He is one of the good guys. I had a great time catching up with him, and he is always really positive, which is a great attitude to have, especially after all these years. We have settled into a great groove with our set, so our shows have been really, really good. The venue in Danville was really cool. Danville is doing a revitalization of the tobacco warehouse district, and it looks like it’s going to be a rockin’ place to live in the very near future. And the Wreck of the Old 97 happened not far from there. How can you argue with such history? And I took a big rock from under the train trestle for the front. I got big ones from all over now…
Day 2 was in Reinholds, PA, a little town in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania. I was up early that morning – like 7:30 – and walked around the grounds. There wasn’t much there. A big field and small mountains in the distance. I will be honest. I wasn’t expecting much of a crowd for the show. The stage was small, and the show was put on the by the local fire station. I couldn’t have been more wrong. There were about 2000 people out to see the show, and we had a blast. And dinner was remarkable. Home-style wonderful. The people were all really good to us, and the fans made the night a complete success. Plus, we found the ‘secret’ keg under the stage. Ducky and I had to investigate. Very Indiana Jones.
Home again for a couple of days now, then we are back out Thursday. The NAMM show is in Nashville this weekend, so Sunday I will have a chance to walk around and look at all the new toys. More than anything, I am looking forward to catching up with old friends. And the Cinnamon reference? Jeff’s daughter came over and named the rabbit that has chosen my backyard as his/her home. I haven’t been close enough to check on gender, so I hope it likes the name.
See you on the road!!
06-10-08
A tale of two cities…or maybe just one.
Happy Tuesday. I am once again on my couch (I swear I get up every now and then to eat), and this morning I am serenaded by the industrial sounds of pavers and tractors feverishly working to beat the midday heat. I am having a driveway put in. It’s pretty exciting stuff around here – one week it’s rocks, the next it’s paving. Next – the sand volleyball court in the front yard. Anything I can do to piss off the neighborhood association…
This past week in Nashville was an annual event that is like no other – CMA Fan Fest, otherwise known as Fan Fair. A hundred thousand folks came to Nashville to hang out and watch about a thousand shows over the course of the week. I was texting with Taylor Swift’s drummer, and we agreed that it is hands down the most stressful week for an artist – every minute of everyday that week is accounted for. If it’s not booth signings, it’s interviews, or shows, or fan club parties, or TV. It’s pretty much nuts.
I didn’t see Bucky until Sunday, but he was ‘somewhere’ from 8-6 everyday. I can imagine that the show for him Sunday night was a relief. The media blitz is a necessary evil, but at the core of everything, we just love to play music. (Then of course, after our show he headed straight home because he had 3 days of shooting with Miley Cyrus for the Hannah Montana movie). I guess it just doesn’t stop.
So my only commitment last week was to be at LP Field in Nashville around 1PM. We have played in football stadiums before, but there was something very special about this night. We are literally 2 miles from home and playing in a crazy big venue with some great artists. Being a ‘hometown’ show, that means we are under a microscope from the record label and management, but I’ll be honest – I really didn’t think about that. I was just hopeful that my guitar cable would be long enough to walk over and mess with Jeff during the show.
Soundcheck was good – really good. There’s something really cool about looking out over 30,000 empty seats (and even cooler looking out over 30,000 filled seats), and we came in under our time allotted – which was due to our amazing crew, and some familiar faces – 4 of the guys that worked with us on the Dierks tour were there, and since they knew us so well, it was easy like Sunday morning. Or afternoon.
As Tom Petty sings: the waiting is the hardest part. I went home after soundcheck and had dinner and get back to the bus to sort of hang out before the show. I think we were all a little excited, but very loose. I have seen tensions run high before big shows, and it’s not good. They golf-carted us over the stage, and wow. We were all taken by the number of people out there. And how good that stage looked. And then the adrenaline kicks in a little, but not too much. Of course all you are thinking is ‘Don’t screw up. There are 30,000 people in front of you, and millions more will see this on ABC, so whatever you do is burned into TV history forever. How does my hair look?’
And then, just like that – it was over. 3 songs, Bam Bam Bam. And my head was rolling with sweat, so it was a good show. The band sounded great, Bucky was fantastic, and the night was a huge success. I looked at video of the show yesterday, and at one point I did a Michael Jordan fist pump after Jeff’s guitar solo. My excitement couldn’t be contained, I guess. Jeff and I went out for a celebratory beer on the East Side (Red Door for those of you scoring at home), and toasted our show, and relished in our brief moment as golden gods on the pretty stage.
I woke up the next morning with the worst back pain I have ever had in my life. It actually started to twinge a day or two before, but Monday was miserable. The adrenaline that had helped me get through the show was gone, and now, back home, I was mortal again. The rocks that were placed in a new home Wednesday were having a good laugh at me from the front. I knew I should have conned someone into helping me that day. Lesson learned.
So thank you to everyone for coming out to the events for Fan Fair, especially the show at LP field. I have played a couple thousand gigs in my short life, and that one was one of the best ones I have ever been a part of. No joke. Thanks for the support, and thanks for making it special. And for the signs!
See you on the road!
06-05-08
Gee, it’s hot George…
Happy first week of June, everybody. I am home on a Thursday, which is an odd occurrence, but it’s my last one off for a while, so I had better enjoy it, right? Ah yes, my 90-degree day will be starting in a few hours when a dump truck brings 3 tons of Carolina river rock to my door for me to do what I please. I have regaled you with stories about my yard for months, and this year, even as busy as I am, I am trying to make a better effort of taking care of this thing. So, my solution – take care of my flower beds by not taking care of them. River rock. Lots of big, flat stones to stamp out the weeds. I’ll keep you posted. I know you are on the edge of your seats.
This past week was filled with some familiar sights, sounds, and smells. Our first stop was in Kansas at the Country Stampede. I think. I know we played there last year, and finished right before the sky opened up on the festival. We had a very, very long day of waiting around, and took in the bustling town of Winfield. I made the mistake of suggesting a restaurant in town. I will seek out the independently owned places before the corporate any day, so I thought this one would be OK. I was wrong. I always say one of the best parts of this job is finding the good places to eat. Well, you have to eat at some crappy ones, too.
We played with Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, and Lorrie Morgan. The way the whole thing was set up, I saw Luke for about 10 minutes before we went on, and that was it. They had to leave, we had to leave, and I couldn’t even steal a glimpse of Lorrie. Oh well. We had more ground to cover. Like 600 miles to Colorado. Back to the Grizzly Rose in Denver.
I was there last Valentine’s Day, and the place hasn’t changed a bit. We were at the same hotel, and some of the folks remembered me from the last time we were there. I kept hearing about our exploits in the ‘shot bar’. I don’t know what they were talking about. We’re good boys. Well, I say that, but we knew after the show that we had to ride for 1200 miles home, so to drink and sleep it off on the bus is always the best plan on a long road trip. I promise. Until this run.
Somewhere around 1PM we were riding along and POP! Something blew inside the bus. It sounded like a gunshot (I know what those sound like close up), and the bus filled with smoke. It turns out we blew a pipe having to do with the A/C, a very important factor in the whole ‘spending your day in the bunk’ equation. Within minutes of diagnosing the problem and getting back on the road, the bunkhouse was a sultry 88 degrees. Awesome if you are at the lake, but no so good on the bus. Of course, Bucky flew home, so we were left to patiently wait for the sun to go down. So instead of sleeping off a hangover, we were left to roast in the bus, not being able to sleep. Hot and hungover pretty much sucks. Let this be a lesson to all of you. Make sure the bus is in perfect working order before you arrange for a hangover.
The bus pulled over on the side of the highway probably looked pretty funny to the random travelers that sped by in their nice climate-controlled cars. It reminded me of the good ol’ days in King Konga, when our van would run out of gas, or we would drop a drive shaft (I think we went through 5), or when we skidded off the road in Mobile. Or blew one of many tires (hell, the van had 400,000 miles on it when we finished with her). It made me smile that hangover or not, heat or no heat, my life has moved in a wonderful way.
I crawled in my bed around 6AM on Sunday after the long ride from Denver, only to get back on the bus at midnight Monday for a trip to Virginia. Wise, Virginia, to be exact. If you look at a cell phone coverage map, it is in the middle of the isolation zone, which was actually nice to just turn the phone off and worry about it the next day. I know not everyone shared my sentiment, but I think we are way too attached to our phones, and I am guilty of it as well.
I have to give a huge, wonderful shout out to my Virginia friends who are not only great music fans, but great friends (and Pittsburgh fans to boot). We met them a little while back, and the fact that they make out whenever they can is really cool. So thank you guys.
So there’s the latest and greatest. Any minute now I’m supposed to get a call about my rock delivery, which will probably occur at the hottest part of the day. Check the Nashville craigslist later – I’ll be the one posting an ad looking for a new back. Enjoy your day, your weekend, and mostly your Sunday, where we will be rockin’ LP field in Nashville for 40,000 of our closest friends to close out the CMA Music Fest. If you are close, then come on!
See you on the road!
05-27-08
So this is how blackjack works…
It has been said many times that gambling is evil. I am not sure the origin of this sentiment. Maybe it started in the Bible, where it seems everyone was ‘casting lots’ to solve their problems: ‘Sorry Jonah, the storm was your fault. Me and the boys threw dice to decide.’ Or maybe it started when Roman soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothing as he was dying on the cross. I think that was the ‘final straw’, really, I mean, divvying up Jesus’ clothes? Actually, it can be argued that ‘casting lots’ is more like fortune telling, but then again, playing craps and blackjack is just that: Guessing.
So I personally don’t think gambling is evil. I know there are many good Christians that will disagree with me, but I don’t think it is evil. Here’s why: We gamble every day. With life. With getting in that car and driving down the street. With our actions, with our words (or maybe our tour journals), with our money in the stock market, and with our career choices. The only gamble I don’t have is my relationship with God. I know Him, He knows me, and He has a plan. For you, for me, and for everybody.
I went into that intro to get to the end of the entry, but first, the recap from last week. Dateline- Kansas City. Event – a ‘guitar pull’, where several artists are on stage at the same time, singing their songs one at a time acoustically (try and follow). We just go down the line, and take turns singing our ‘hits’. Of course, we had a different approach, which was doing a shot after each of our songs and keeping things interesting on the back row on stage. I say we meaning Jeff and I (Bucky was up front), and so we had his back keeping the party going, and by the end of it, we were playing with the other artists, having a blast. Well, we had a blast. I think we had a blast…I kid. We weren’t bad, just having fun.
I hit the blackjack table at our hotel, and made up for my last table trip in Vegas. That’s not defending my rationale that gambling is not evil, but I honestly think whoever started that ball rolling lost a lot of money, and had to explain to his wives why they couldn’t visit the oasis that summer for vacation. I’m not saying, I’m just saying…After a scant two hours’ sleep we flew to Mississippi to meet the bus for a show in Meridian. I went to school 90 miles away in Hattiesburg, so I wouldn’t call it a ‘homecoming’, but I am familiar with the weather. We had an excited crowd, and remarkable ribs for dinner. At one point, the bus was full of our crew, and with mouths full of hickory-smoked meat and sauce, it was the quietest it has ever been.
After a trip home and a couple of days off, where I caught up on my landscaping (OK, I mowed and edged), we had a one-off to Cincinnati to play a street festival downtown. It was a fun show. It was an hour-plus set, so we were happy. Anytime we can play longer than 30 minutes is just fine with us. It was a great indicator of the summer to come. But it was probably cooler that night. If this summer is anything like last, then I will go ahead and write off my yard now. I have to give a shout out to Rodney, who booked home from the Indy 500 to see our show. He met us through our past gig, and for him to come out means a lot. Thank you.
So back to my initial statements. Gambling within life. I have taken several big risks in my life in the past few years, and some have been good, some have been not-so-good, but in the end, it all has turned out just fine. I only get into the whole thing because, like a sentimental fool, I think about the events that led me to Nashville, and what has happened in the 4 years since I have been here. I think of all the shows, the die-hard fans, the amazing places I have been, and the memories that have built up. It’s all part of the plan. All this was brought up by the fact that we are on the Opry again tonight. I have lost count. I will ask Jeff, but I think it’s 21. Blackjack? Hmmm…
See you on the road!!
05-20-08
24 and counting…
Good evening, my friends. I am at home working on some loose ends – music, video, etc, that I couldn’t get to last week, and also realized that I haven’t typed for you in a while, either. Get one week off, and it all goes down the tubes. I guess I really do have an excuse this time: we haven’t had any shows, so I haven’t really been required to write a ‘tour’ journal per se. Of course, this has sort of morphed into more than just observations from the road, so in that spirit, I give you this entry. I will call it ‘How to succeed in the music business in 24 short years’.
Yesterday marked the 24th anniversary of when I plunked down my $100 at Littman’s Pawn shop in Norfolk, Virginia for my first bass guitar. Here I type, 24 years later, looking back on the things I have done as if it were all a blink of an eye. I am surrounded by reminders of my past – my music room has a poster from Woodstock ’99, guitar picks, pictures, about 100 backstage laminates hanging on a door knob, but it just doesn’t feel like 24 years. It feels like last week I was standing in front of the mirror with my new bass, and then *poof* this afternoon I am standing in front of the mirror with a new bass. Oh yeah, that happened. So if you have learned anything today – yes, Virginia, I do stand in front of the mirror when I get a new bass. If ANY guitar player says he has never done just that, then he is a liar where he stands.
So in addition to getting a new bass today, I also worked on a couple of original tunes with Jeff Cease and put my rock and roll boots in the shop. I guess that’s sort of what I do now. Work on music. And play live. And record music. And play live. A lot. And give thanks. Many, many, thanks for every day I get to do just that. I am not a rich man, but I feel like I have hit the lottery. I read somewhere to live as though you are rich without money, and for me, music makes me feel rich. It always has. It’s the one friend that won’t let you down, and as I have heard before: ‘Music is its own reward’. It is very true. Just creating something with your hands from an inanimate object is really fascinating.
Before I get so deep in the philosophy of man, I will take a few steps back, and see if maybe I can recall some things that I have learned in 24 years of playing bass.
There’s no #2 on the bus.
Well, that’s about it. OK, not really. As a bass player, my learning experiences may be different from other musicians. For us, less is more (check the hair for that theory), and we really are the most important instrument on stage. Come on, if there weren’t any signature Steve cockiness, then it just wouldn’t feel right, would it?
If anybody is thinking of presents to mark this occasion, then spend exactly one dollar and get me a prayer candle. We actually get asked about presents all the time, and some fans have been fantastic about it – Starbucks gift cards. Ah yes. Bullseye. But on a personal and completely selfish note – I love prayer candles. (Think House of Blues candles). I can never have enough. Especially when I am practicing. So no more meth, please.
And now, as I look over my touring schedule, once again I am very thankful, because we are going to be busy in the coming months. I love it. It’s why I am here. That and to hopefully make you smile a little when you read about our exploits on the road. Speaking of – tomorrow night is an acoustic show in Kansas City, then off to Meridian, MS, not far from where I went to college. I may go down to Hattiesburg and see if they have electricity yet.
See you on the road!!!
PS – Thank you for allowing me to make noise for you all these years. I hope to make noise for many years to come. – Steve
05-14-08
Indio, Chino, I can’t tell the difference…
Happy Tuesday! It’s been a week since I promised details from the Stagecoach Festival in Indio California, and I am happy to say I am ready to give a full report. It took a week because of the endless hours of interviews I had to conduct with fellow band members, concert goers, and representatives from the local, state, and federal law enforcement communities that were involved in the events of the day. OK truth. My first two days at home were spent adjusting my clock, and the rest of the time I was mowing. So here we go…
I guess I should start with the night before the show. We were enjoying bottle service with Dierks and his crew along with our posse in the middle bar at Red Rock Resort. I only mention the bar because it was NOT the rock room from the night before. That would have been bad. So we get our drink on, our dance on, a little gamblin’ on, and our bus is slated to leave at 8AM. Turns out that was not the best idea, because getting to the festival took a little longer than we thought. We had 10 minutes at a hotel to primp (actually Bucky was the only one that showered, and we headed to the show. Our production guys rock, by the way, because I don’t think the bus had stopped before they had people unloading our gear. So we get off the bus crusty from the night before, in our rock and roll clothes, and I hit catering for a quick burger literally 15 min before we are supposed to be onstage. Everybody wanted to know where we were, but they knew. But I may add that we were there, and we rocked.
The set was hot, like 98 degrees hot, but looking out over 30,000 people wasn’t all bad. I couldn’t help but smile as I took in the scenery – beautiful mountains and tall palm trees all over the place – and realized that the day, as rushed as it was, wasn’t bad at all. There were a lot of record label folks in attendance as well, so we had to impress. I have to say that I was a fan of the outfit of choice for the ladies – bikini tops and cowboy hats. Ahh, Southern California.
As I have said before, one of the best things at a festival is seeing everybody in the other bands. It seems we know at least one guy from each band, and in most cases, the artist themselves, so it’s always a reunion. At one point I was surrounded by drummers, which always scares me. I kid. Drummers are my favorite. You hang out with other bass players, and it gets boring really fast. We’re pretty much nerds.
We saw Dierks’ tour manager after our show, and we ‘hugged it out’ since this was our last show together for a while. He asked Jeff and I ‘What we did to his boys in Vegas’. Why? We asked. He said ‘Look at them – they look like hell, feel like hell, and are playing like shit’. Well, they left Vegas at 2AM, us at 8, and we went on 2 hours before Dierks. Hmmm. Simple math dictates that Jeff(a) + Steve(b) + Gig(c) = rock, no matter what you factor in with ‘a’ and ‘b’.
When Dierks’ set ended, Jeff, Tom, and myself were standing along the ‘fan path’ backstage. As Dierks walked by signing and taking pictures, we lifted our shirts and he signed our chests, not seeing that it was us b/c of our shirts over our faces. The Jeff ran off yelling, and some perv magazine photographer wanted to take pictures. I saw Dierks a little later and told him it was us. I got one of those ‘Aww man. You have got to be kidding’ responses. Anything for a laugh.
So we packed it all in and headed East to Phoenix, where we arrived mind-blowingly early to catch our flights home. And of course, Arizona doesn’t celebrate Daylight Savings, so we were there even earlier than we had suspected. So, like a fool, I stayed up. Maybe that’s why it took me a little longer to get my clock right. That Waffle House coffee in Phoenix at 3AM.
We’re off for a little while, but I’ll still check in, and maybe give you the sordid details from my undisclosed location where I am spending my holiday. I’ll give you a hint – it rhymes with ‘Virginia Beach’.
See you next week on the road!!
05-06-08
Really? You are gonna hit when the dealer shows a 4?
Happy Tuesday morning to you all. Technically in the central time zone it’s Tuesday, but my body is still living longitudinally on Pacific. I had a hell of a time trying to sleep last night, but I think tonight will be better. Before anybody suggests it, I am not taking anything to put me to sleep. It’s not that I don’t like pills, I just hate taking anything if I don’t have to. Call me crazy…
I promised you stories, well, so I have one or two. Last time I left off, we had three days off in Vegas. Normally, I would be really excited about it, but I knew that we were going to be back in a few days for a show anyways, so I rounded up my partner in crime, and Jeff and I went to sunny California for a little visit to my old friend, Craig at Warwick.
We arrived in Ventura around lunchtime, and headed out to a fantastic seafood restaurant overlooking the marina for beers and some catching up. There is nothing like raw oysters, a cold beer, and watching sea lions play around the sailboats. It can never possibly get old. The ocean was exactly the recharging my batteries needed from being out on tour for a little while, and that lunch for Jeff and I was a collective sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, 300 miles away, our band mates were out at the pool, getting red faced and splashing at the hotel pool. Or at least that’s what they told me. I saw Kyle when we got back, and he was burnt to a crisp. I’m glad they got to have a little release as well. Bucky rented a FAT Cadillac and found his way around town in style.
Jeff and I went up to Santa Barbara to meet up with another old friend of mine and check out the town. It was our first time there, and I have to say, it was one of those places that instantly captured my heart. I could very easily see myself living there. The only problem is that a 1000-sq ft house runs in the $800,000 range. I’m workin’ on it, people… just keep buying records, and I’ll make it there.
We came back to Vegas the next day and headed to Rio Rancho, NM, just outside of Albuquerque for the last ‘official’ Throttle Wide Open show with Luke Bryan and Dierks. It was sad playing the last one with everybody. We had such a great time with the Luke boys, and of course, all of the Dierks people were so good, it was tough to see it end. So we had a really good show, and I just found a couple clips from it on youtube, so treat yourself and check it out.
We left the middle of nowhere (it was literally miles in the desert – sandstorm and all) – and headed back to Las Vegas for yet another day off in paradise. This time it was at the Red Rock Canyon Resort, where our show was going to be the next night. In addition to an amazing spa, pool, restaurants, and gambling atmosphere, they had one of the loudest bands I have ever seen. They were 100 percent Vegas, but, they are playing for a living, and making a stack of cash, so no one can fault them. And it was fun having the whole band hanging out together for the entire night. And hearing the headache stories the next day, mostly from me.
If you are tired of the same old Vegas strip action, then head to Red Rock Canyon resort. I am not a paid endorsee, but they treated us so very well, that I am heading there for my next trip out west. It has everything you need, and there really isn’t any need to hit the strip, unless you like traffic, snooty clubs and driving while drunk. Stay and play, as they say. That was sooo lame. No more random poems. I promise.
Our show in Vegas was really good. Bucky sounded amazing, and the band was nice and relaxed. (2 hours in the pool will do that to you). I cannot lie – the beautiful people were out in full force at the show – but really the night was about the hang, so we hit the bar for a proper after-party. Did someone say $500 bottle of Jager? Hmmm…
PS- I’ll give you the tour wrap and the Indio review next go ‘round. It’s a good one.
It IS Good to Be Us. Now get over to the calendar section and check out a show!
See you on the road!!!
04-30-08
Wow.
So happy Thursday. Has it been ten days since I have said hello? Wow. I had to think about that – and look at the last journal entry to see where things left off. I am swirling right now trying to recap where we have been recently. I do know it has been out west, and I do know that I have been having the time of my life.
So we hit Pullman, Washington, when we got back on the tour, and the landscape resembled Ireland. Not that I have ever been there, but I would imagine it looks like Pullman – lots of steep hills, green grass, and sheep. Oh, those are on the bus all the time. Never mind. If I could remember any thing about the show, I would tell you. They had a beautiful campus, and a great basketball facility, where we played with the kids. I don’t know why my lungs get so small around the gym sometimes.
The next stop was a ‘driver stop’, which was spent in Billings, Montana. I did a whole lot of ‘nuthin’ that day. I slept, read, worked out, and ate some really good Mongolian BBQ. I needed a ‘do-nothing’ day, especially after the pace we set trying to do and see so much. The next day found us in Rapid City, SD, where we walked the town a bit and had a really good time. I have been on a kick lately – I am redoing my front yard, so I am collecting some great rocks from all over the west. Yes, I am hauling rocks from coast-to-coast. My bandmates let me hear it whenever they can, and it’s rumored I will have to pay a gas surcharge at the end of this tour. So, yes, in Rapid City, I got a big-ass rock.
Next stop was Casper, Wyoming, which is a bit of a one horse-town, and we managed to find it. Jeff and I decided it was a nice day, so we grabbed a couple of bikes and hit the streets to see the town. We had a really, really good Mexican lunch, then found a bike trail along the river. Well, somewhere between setting out and getting back, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees (with snow approaching), the wind kicked in, and the last half mile of our 10-mile ride was a steep hill. Add the elevation, and man, I was beat. I will say this – being up high the past couple of weeks has really paid off in the gym. I love it. And I found a really big rock to put under the bus.
The next morning the bus pulled into Colorado Springs, CO, and again, I was in rental car mode. God bless Enterprise for picking you up. Tom, Scott and I rambled through the countryside, and made it to the top of Pike’s Peak- 14,110 feet above the earth. Now that was a white-knuckle drive up, and some of the most amazing scenery I have ever seen. We shot some fun footage up there, as well as great pictures. There are a couple on myspace, if you want to check them out. And I got some great rocks.
The next stop was Salt Lake City, Utah, home of Karl Malone. He wants the Beanie Babies. That’s a very inside Crank Yankers joke, but one of the funniest skits ever. Anyways. We were at the E center, and sadly enough, the shows have been so good that they have been running together. I can’t tell you much about that show, except that once again, the after party was legendary. OK, not legendary, but we had fun, and it’s a good release. I can’t remember if I got any rocks that day…
After our show in Utah, we had a three-day hole in the calendar, so we parked the bus in Las Vegas. I will tell you all about that one in a day or so. I hate to keep you in suspenders…
See you on the road!!
04-20-08
We have three options – flip a coin.
Happy Sunday evening. It’s a huge step forward for me to even know what day of the week it is, so for this installment, I may be hazy on some details. I am currently in a hotel room just outside of Salt Lake City, where the sun has gone down on some beautiful scenery just outside my windows – the snow-capped peaks of the Wasatch mountains – and we are mounting back up for a trek to Washington State shortly. We have been out since Tuesday, so I am going to attempt to get you up to speed.
Our first show was in Maryville, Missouri, at a university. How sad is it that I can’t even remember the name of the school? I do know the mascot is the Bearcat. I don’t even know what that is, but it must be scary. The show was in the football stadium, so naturally, I got out the football and threw. A lot. And let me say this – Rocky Covington can kick the crap out of a football. He was nailing FGs left and right. In 3-on-3, our bus beat Luke Bryan’s bus pretty badly. It was like Techmo Bowl bad.
The after party started out at a college kid’s house across from the show. They had a huge party in the front yard, but we wanted to hit a bar. The kid we were talking to said there were three bars in town – flip a coin. Like to see that coin. Ahh, the future of America. We did drink a little bit because we had the next two days off, and we were going to enjoy them. And enjoy them we did.
We made a stop in Waynoka, OK, which is home of Little Sahara, an ATV/dune buggy park in the middle of nowhere. It was unbelievable. As soon as I have a chance, I will have some video edited from the day. We rode our butts off, and the dunes went on forever. And these weren’t day-at-the-beach dunes – there were 100 footers out there. I found sand everywhere that evening. I just got it out of my bunk yesterday.
The next day we had off, we stopped in Albuquerque, NM. We travel as far as we can, but the driver needs time to sleep, so we try to stop at areas with things to do. I rented a car in the morning, and we hit the town, being good little touristas, we visited the Museum of Natural History, Old Town, and took the (world’s longest aerial) Tramway to the top of Mt. Sandia. It was an amazing day, and coupled with the riding from the day before, I was beat. We headed to Florence, AZ for Country Thunder…
Upon our arrival in the middle of nowhere, AZ, we found out there were some scheduling changes, and realized very quickly it was shaping up to be ‘one of those days’. It didn’t matter to us, though, we generally go with the flow, do our thing, and do it well. We had a lot of time to kill, so we were treated to running some dune buggies and getting even dustier that morning. But opening up that buggy in the desert was pretty fun, and worth every bit of crust forming on my body.
We had an OK show. We were told it was great, but onstage, we didn’t feel it was our best. It’s all good. We’ll be that much better next time. Whenever we have a bad one, then the next our next show out is always awesome. It’s like we take it personally or something. Oh wait, we do. I feel pretty honored to be with guys that care that much. I know a lot of musicians that just ‘go through the motions’. Not this bunch. You are spending your money, so you should get the full show, every time.
I love these festivals. You see all of Nashville out there, it seems. It was kind of surreal yesterday, just in the fact that Chuck Wicks, Luke Bryan, Heartland, and Dierks Bentley all stopped and said hello to me yesterday. Coupled with the previous two fantastic days off, it’s just more proof that I am right where I need to be. To be honest, we all are.
Back at it tomorrow night with Dierks on the Throttle Wide Open tour in Pullman, Washington. We have a new opener on the tour for the next couple of weeks. It’s Lee Brice. I don’t know much about him, but I’ve heard he’s good. I’m looking forward to the shows.
See you on the road!!!
04-14-08
Mouth wide shut
Happy Monday everybody! And, before we go on, yes, Virginia, it IS a happy Monday. My last journal entry was a little melancholy – mel-an-cho-ly, and I have learned an awful lot in the past few days. But, as always, before we get into all that, I will give you a quick tour update.
Rockin’.
OK, on to business. Because of wonderful, wonderful friends, fans, curiosity-seekers, dirt-seekers, enemies, and direct links, my journal has been attracting more attention these days. I welcome it. I love it. I am not ashamed or scared to talk about anything, or answer any questions you may have for me. That’s why this is here. For me to reach out and give you a slice of my life as a touring musician.
When I get a little emotional, or have days that aren’t all wine and roses, then I have to right to tell you or not tell you about it. That’s the one small power I have here – the power of omission. There are details that I don’t share, because they are personal, or not in good taste, or not for everyone’s eyes. But, I don’t play favorites here, so you read what my Mom reads. When I do let out a little ‘TMI’ as the kids say these days, then well, all hell breaks loose.
Before I go on, there is nothing wrong with anything anybody has written me, and I openly welcome any and all responses. This is not in response to any one email, and please don’t feel bad for anything you wrote. I just have to clarify that first and foremost. You are the reason I write, and the reason I wake up and try and figure out new ways of making you laugh.
I have seen a flurry of emails about the last entry, so I’ll just say it. First of all, I appreciate the condolences about my family’s loss. Your kind words do not go unnoticed.
Second, as far as my personal life, and my path, well, that my friends, is the sticky part. I am a private person when it comes to my life, and when I choose to share, then quite frankly, I am not looking for direction. I know my direction. For the few of you that seem to think you know what’s best for me, well, I appreciate the input, but I really don’t know you, and you really don’t know me. I’m not mad at anybody, just genuinely surprised at the responses I have received.
So that’s all I really have to say. No, I am not sad. I am eventually getting married and having children, and still love and genuinely appreciate each and every one of you. And my time off in May will be spent in an undisclosed location so we can fire up more controversy later. I am actually going to be a tourist for a change, so no, not very exciting.
So back into journal mode. This week we head out for a 2-week run out west. I love to fly, but seeing these states by bus is really where it’s at. There is so much beautiful country to see, and I hope to be watching and filming as much as I can. We hit South Dakota, Arizona, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, and California to end the Throttle Wide Open tour. Get out and see it while you can.
Of course, that’s how I live my life…
See you on the road!!
04-11-08
Sweaty again…
Hello, and happy Friday. I am currently in a student commons area on the campus of Illinois State University. I am very sweaty still because I played 2 hours of basketball (hell, it could have been 20 minutes, I don’t know) with Luke Bryan, his band some of the college kids. The old man didn’t do bad at all, but I can’t get a shower before soundcheck, so I have moved away from people to help with the odor.
So, last time I checked, this was my journal, so I am going to use this forum for a couple of things that I don’t usually use it for. That would be to vent, and to get a little personal. If you are sensitive to cursing, then please stop reading now, because one or two may slip out. Forgive me now.
I had a crap day yesterday. I lost a family member, and it was one of those days that thoughts drift to days gone by, and how much we take for granted. I talk about my life out here, and how much fun we have, and my friends read this and say ‘I want to be you’. No, you don’t want to be bald. I realize that this is a ‘glamorous’ job, and please, please don’t take this like I don’t like what I do, because for me, and it is my chosen path, it really is the best job ever. In my meandering all over the place for the past ten years, I have only settled down once, and well, you know how that went. My friends live through me, I have been told, but you know it works both ways. I see the baby pictures and the vacation photos and hear the sports stories, and once in a while I wonder what I am missing by not having a family. Then I wake up and say there will be time, and it will all happen when it’s supposed to happen.
Now the venting part. Actually, I was really pissed off yesterday for some reason, and here we are, 24 hours later, and I have no idea why I was so mad. There it is. Maybe a deep breath every now and then would help things, because as mad as I was, guess what – it couldn’t have been that bad. Especially after we had a rocking show last night, my worries went away. I met some really nice folks after the show who said they read this journal, so that put me in a better mood. Not for the egotistical part of it, but to me it’s the coolest thing ever that I can write something and someone a thousand miles away can read it. Ain’t technology great?
Back to last night. Complete and utter rock and roll. (and no cows were hurt in the performance). Huge college crowd, and if they had allowed alcohol on campus, then it would have been out of hand. Oh well. Maybe tonight. Ooops. Another college. I guess we’ll have to keep it in red Dixie cups again. Actually, I have been very good so far on this run – no drinking and I’ve had two really good days in the gym in a row. Let’s make it three.
I just received an updated schedule this morning, and my website should be updated with them soon. I am pretty excited about some of the things brewing that are on the ‘tentative’ list. As they take shape, I’ll let you know. We’re also taking some time off in May before the busy season. Anybody feel like meeting somewhere and making a party out of it?
Have a great afternoon, weekend, etc, and don’t do what I do just what I say. Give the kids a hug, take a deeeep breath, and know that it’s all for the best.
See you on the road!
04-07-08
You sure these are real?
It must be Monday, because I am once again on my couch, enjoying a huge cup of coffee, and watching birds rifle through my freshly-cut grass looking for breakfast. I had every intention of writing a journal entry before my usual Monday rant, but I guess we were just having too much fun this go-round. (there’s a good country expression…)
Have I told you lately how much I love this schedule? I may have explained the schedule before, but for those of you that missed it, then here it is again. We get to the shows at 9AM, then don’t have to sound check until 4:30 in the afternoon. That’s just because we’re the support act on the tour, so when we headline, we’re slammed all day. I say this because I have seen more on this tour than on others, just because of the free time allotted. And have I told you how much different this tour is? Bucky loves life, and wants to get out and do things rather than sleep all day. Refreshing…
The first stop was Jackson, TN. I have been through Jackson a few hundred times, but never been downtown. The venue was in the heart of things, so we went on a little walkabout. A favorite pastime of most musicians is visiting pawn shops. We love to see if there are any cheap treasures out there. We have pipe dreams of seeing a ’62 Fender Jazz bass hanging in the window for $300. Of course, there were none in Jackson’s downtown pawn shop, but we did find some really nice crap. We have enough of that on the road, so we passed.
Day 2- Birmingham, AL. After a fantastic workout in a gym where NOBODY wiped down the equipment afterwards (is it that hard, people?), we had the runner take us through 5-points, where memories came cascading down from all sides. We used to play there a lot back in the day, and it has been about 3 years since I performed there. Good to see some of the old haunts are still around, and that I have matured a little since then. OK, maybe not, but I do find that my hangovers last longer. Across from the venue in this town was the Birmingham Museum of Art, which was better scenery than the pawn shop from the day before. Taking in Renaissance paintings and Rembrandt sketches always makes for a good afternoon. And our show was one of the best of the tour so far.
After our show, I was completely taken off-guard by running into a friend of mine from the past. He knew me from a different chapter in my life, and seeing him made me realize just how far I have come, and how blessed I am to be where I am. I showed him backstage and introduced him to all the peeps, and he and his friends came to Mick McCarthy’s, Dierks’ after-party room. For some reason the air conditioning was off, so it was a sauna in there. It actually reminded me of college – 40 sweaty people drinking and dancing in a tiny room, except at the end of the party, we get on the bus rather than try and walk across campus (or to Krystal – holla if you hear me)
The last show of the week was in the beautiful town of Hot Springs, AR. It was my first time there, and it was really nice. I touched a ‘hot spring’, which may have been a 2000-gallon hot water heater running through the fountain on a cycle, or it could have been real. Either way, it was, well, hot. We walked through an old bath house where they would channel the hot springs and sit around and make shady real estate deals (sorry Bill Clinton), and just enjoyed the sunshine. The area was hit by flooding and tornadoes recently. Seeing people out and about, and especially at the show was a good thing. Plus, well, we rocked.
As this tour rolls on, we have all become fairly comfortable with everyone. If you see a bunch of people 4 days a week for a month, that will happen. There are always going to be one or two people you don’t care to hang with, but for the most part, everyone is cool. So cool in fact, that when I got on the bus Saturday night, Dierks and his drummer beat the pants off Bucky and I in Halo on XBOX. Oh, his day will come, and I will find the same cheat codes he uses…
See you on the road!!
03-31-08
April fool’s eve, where everything is totally serious…
Hello and welcome to the 100 percent serious edition of my tour journal. Yeah, like that will ever happen. It’s Monday afternoon, and I am just whipped. Oh, I got up early on this, my day off, but I’ve been going non-stop, and I love it. I was just asked by a friend of mine what I was doing with free time. Thing is, I really don’t have any since I am writing. And I don’t even take speed. Go figure.
I have stated before, and I will state again, I love what we call ‘fly dates’. A fly date is where we get on a plane and play somewhere, hence the name ‘fly date’. Now, these are notoriously crappy, because we have to deal with carrying guitars on the plane, or even worse, checking them and running the risk of them not showing up, or showing up damaged. You’ve all looked out the window to see the guys on the tarmac playing ‘Samsonite shot put’. Plus, you have to deal with flight delays, getting up early, and the rule that if it can go wrong, it will.
Luckily for us, we had almost all of the above for our trip home to Nashville on Sunday. Saturday night we had a show in Connecticut, which rocked, by the way. Even better because I saw some cousins that I don’t get to see that often. Anyways, we rode the bus and flew out of Hartford, but didn’t get to the hotel and settled in until after 2AM, with a 6:30AM lobby call. Ouch.
Our flights were delayed leaving both Hartford and our connector in Charlotte, and so we had to head straight to the Sommet Center in Nashville for load-in and soundcheck for the KDF birthday bash. Of course, the crew at the venue are running extremely late, and so our hurry up and get there turns into hurry up and wait. And wait. And wait. Then 4PM hits, which is when doors were supposed to open. We couldn’t even set up until 4:15 PM. We get off stage as soon as we can, rush home and shower, forego any sort of real dinner (we really didn’t have a meal all day), then get back for a 7PM dressing room call for a 7:50 show.
Well, as some of you may know, we didn’t exactly start at 7:50. It was more like 8:50. So here we are, rushing all day, being behind, then rushing then being behind. And still no dinner. It’s pretty taxing when you are just worn out, and then ready and then told to sit tight. But for some reason, the end results are some of the best shows we do. Like the fly date we were late for in Houston a month ago. It was a blast, and last night was the same. We all had a really good time playing a ‘hometown’ show, and I slept like a baby. I’m still a little slow, but for some reason, got a lot done today. I love it.
We are sort of close to home this week, with our first show being in Jackson, TN. I am looking over the calendar, and we have some really amazing shows coming up. And the weather is warming. And my golf clubs are dusted off… anyways – check out Bucky’s myspace page for a bunch of new videos that were just posted. More insight of the road and beyond…
See you on the road!!
03-28-08
It’s really good to be us…
Happy Friday! I am currently in the posh dressing room backstage at the arena in Poughkeepsie, NY. We even have couches this time. I have some time to kill today, and opted out of the gym, so here I sit. I am actually waiting on the rain to lighten up a little, and I am going to see what the town of Poughkeepsie has to offer.
Last night we had a fantastic show in Binghamton, NY, and then celebrated by utilizing the Bud Light sponsors to the fullest extent. Actually Sarge and I hit a little dive bar across the street from the venue. I love the northern mentality. We walked up to the bar, and were met by the owner’s son. We told him we just played at the arena, when he asked if I was a hockey player. Loved that. We set him straight, and the bartender bought us shots. I am appreciative of people buying me shots, but not shots of brandy. First, you don’t ‘shoot’ brandy. Second, I am not so sure it was brandy. It tasted like battery acid. Not that I know what that tastes like, either.
We just got some pictures back from the ATV trip, and I posted one on myspace. I can’t wait to see the footage we shot. If you get a sec, check it out. We also filmed a little bit for American Idol last week, which will air April 2 on Fox, so you may see my fingers for all of three seconds on TV.
I go back and read my journal entries from time to time to see how many jokes I use over and over, or to see how my life has moved from one spot to another. I can see when I was down or up, or how things have changed. It’s a good thing. My Mom always said to keep a journal of things, and well, I guess this is it. I started doing this as a road project for King Konga, but it has moved beyond that, and I like that.
I have also noticed that my life has changed so much in the past four months that it has been amazing. I didn’t think that changing jobs would have such an impact on my life, but it has. For so many reasons. I won’t get into the nuts and bolts of it, but if you know me and talk to me, you already know. I will say that the people who still find it necessary to badmouth me about my career move – keep talking. Like Katt Williams says – go ahead, hate on me. I welcome it. If you have nothing better to do, like maybe reading to your kids or rake the yard, then type away. I have been PC and very kind this entire time, but people, you really, really need to let it go.
Off the soapbox. Back in tour mode. Like I said earlier, last night’s show was great. I am really looking forward to this summer where we can play longer than 30 minutes. The worst part of being an opening act on a major tour, if there is a worst part, is the fact that you only get a short time to play. By the time you are warmed up, the show is over.
So spring is here – the fertilizer is out, new flowers are planted, and hopefully my lawn will make a comeback. Keep the fingers crossed.
See you on the road!
03-20-08
Got Mud?
Good morning, and hello from Nashville, where I am once again on my couch, only this time surrounded by muddy riding helmets and swimming in fond memories of the last few days. Sometimes I can be so poetic. The last few days were a blur of mud, food, mountains and hangin out with a bunch of dudes in the woods. Was that out loud? Out being the operative word. Just kidding. Bucky, Rocky, Don, and myself headed up to Gilbert, WVa to shoot an episode of ‘Fisher’s ATV World’, which will be seen on the Vs. and Outdoor Network channels. I’ll keep you posted on times and dates.
We get off the bus early, like 7 AM, after a rough ride in. The mountains are no place for a tour bus, and big love to John for getting us there safely, even though I slept about 3 hours. It wasn’t his fault at all, but I have to give it to him – I wouldn’t want to drive that thing up there at night. Brian Fisher, the host of the show, met us and outfitted us in riding gear, then we went to the restaurant for breakfast, where they served what I dubbed ‘drumhead pancakes’ – they were literally a foot across, then they ask how many we want…
We had a big convoy going up to the trails – 14 ATVs and Gators plus motorcycles were being towed up there – we had a gang. Bucky and Rocky are naturals – they have been riding most of their lives, and were more than excited to tear it up. The tough part about doing this for TV is that the camera crews have to get set before we ride by – they shoot us, then they leapfrog up ahead. It makes for slow going, but we were still able to have a lot of fun.
I am a novice when it comes to serious trail riding. I have been on plenty of ATVs, but this was a step up – there were serious hills, lots of rocks, big mudpits, and streams to cross. I loved every minute of it, even when I am looking down to my side and seeing a 150-foot drop off. (These were everywhere). Day 2 was especially fun/dangerous, in the fact that it rained, so everything was slick. One wrong turn, and you were literally a dead man. It rocked.
The first night found us in the restaurant, which was closed down for our private party. The staff at both the hotel and the restaurant/bar were outstanding, and fed us very, very well. My heart is still trying to recover. And my back from the trails, but we won’t talk about that. The beer was out, as well as the guitars, so we had the obligatory sing for your supper. Darryl Singletary and Michael Scott were there, too, so we didn’t have to carry the whole load. It was a blast, but I had to get to bed. And, and of course, write the journal entry from a couple days ago.
Day two on the trails was not as scenic, but it had more places for us to ‘play’. I attached my new Flip camera to the front of my ATV and got some sweet footage. Hopefully I’ll have it edited and on youtube soon. Because of the rain, the trails on the second day were full of big mud holes and lots of obstacles. Again, it rocked.
The trail system we rode is called the Hatfield-McCoy trail, and yes, there are still Hatfields up there. We even met one. If you enjoy the outdoors at all and want to do something a little different on a vacation, then venture to WVA and get muddy. There are over 600 miles of trails, with 150 more being added. There are stores (go see Bill at IROC in Gilbert) that rent ATVs and riding gear, so grab some friends and get riding. We weren’t back in Nashville and we were already planning the next trip over there. I can’t wait.
So there’s where I have been for the past two days. The good part is that I had no cell service up there. I emailed the family, told them I was safe, and away I went. It was nice to completely get away. Don’t you need that right about now?
Next stop for us is St. Joseph, MO tomorrow night. It’s a full show for us, so get out and have some fun.
See you on the road!
03-18-08
What gator?
Hello everybody from the hills of West Virginia, where I am currently in my hotel room in the bustling town of Gilbert where we are filming an episode of ‘Fisher’s ATV World’. It’s 1AM, and I am beat, but I thought I would recap the past week so I don’t get too far behind, then I ‘ll give you all the trail riding dirt (yes, I said it) later.
Thursday we were back on tour with Dierks, this time at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. It was almost a hometown show for Bucky, and became sort of one for me because I had some family show up. They left before the moonshine came out, so they didn’t see any weirdness that occurs when the white lightning shows up. I think the craziest thing we did was throw the football over the fence into a gator farm. We made Ducky go get it.
Friday found us in Tampa, FL, and what a day. Not only did we play 9 holes of golf, but had a kick-ass show, and then the real treat. Sarge (my former TM) arranged a little surprise for me from Adam LaRoche of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a friend of Luke Bryan’s who attended the show. Not only were there 3 Pirates in attendance, but Adam brought me a team-signed ball and one of his bats. If you know me at all, then you know I collect sports memorabilia, and that I bleed Pittsburgh Black and Gold. Go to youtube and check out the video presentation. Search for ‘shinybass’.
The next day we were in Estero, FL, which to this day I have no earthly idea of its location. All I know is that I was on the golf course yet again, played crappy, and got some sun, and had one of the best shows yet with Bucky. The band has moved to the next level, a level of comfort that hasn’t been there before, but has moved in that direction over the past few months. I think that comes from hanging with all the boys more on the road. It definitely carries over to the stage.
If I remember correctly, we blew it out that last night a little bit, with all of us in rare form at the after-party. Tom had his shirt off and Jeff and myself were being our usual selves. Enter childish antics here________.
So now we are up to speed. Speaking of (man, I am good at that), I will be racing down the ATV trails in less than 7 hours, so I have to get some rest. Seriously. Full report and videos on the way from the past week. Thanks for stopping by!
See you on the road.
03-10-08
Snowblind!
Happy Daylight Savings. Day one, and we are all out one hour of sleep. I think we should get that back on the day of our choice. I’ll start the petition. But I do have coffee (pretty standard), and the sun is starting to come up, the rooster is crowing, and the water company is checking meters outside, so every dog within 3 blocks is barking. It’s quite the early-morning symphony right now. Not exactly the picture of serenity.
On to business. Last Tuesday Jeff, Bucky, and I performed on the Crook and Chase show. We were with Randy Owen, a new guy who has just started coming into his own as a performer…come on – Randy is the lead singer of Alabama; his four billion records sold speak for themselves. Also on the show was Miranda Lambert. I think the show went well. Jeff and I had a good time cutting up, and the makeup lady magically wiped away my little red line on my head from my ‘recording accident’. (Which is healing very nicely, thank you).
Thursday was the dress rehearsal for the CRS ‘New Faces’ show here in Nashville. It’s not open to the public, but part of the Radio Seminar that comes to town every year. We played it last year, so doing it this year with Bucky we dubbed ourselves the ‘New Faces House Band’. The run-throughs are pretty strict, because there are 5 artists, so everybody gets 45 mins to do a sound check and run the set. To make things even cooler, Bucky made his entrance on a dirtbike. Pretty sweet. That boy has zero fear.
Friday’s show was a good one, after we worked out stage cues so nobody got run over. The tricky part of riding in like that is to not be on ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ the next week. Our show was with some cool folks – Luke Bryan, Jake Owen, Jason Michael Carroll, and Taylor Swift. I hear Taylor has a hot tub and a fireplace in her bus now. I’m not kidding. So, needless to say, I never saw her. I would soak and warm right up until show time as well. Who wouldn’t?
We walked out of our show to a snow-covered Broadway, and the streets were a mess. We probably should have left sooner, but we hung out for about an hour, which added more ice to the road. It took us a solid hour and a half to get home, and I live about 10 minutes from downtown. What amazed me was the amount of selfish ‘Screw you, I see that you’re stuck but I am in a 4-wheel drive and won’t help’ mentality that was out there. We were in a two wheel drive, and it was all we could do to get up the hills. I know – all of you in the Northern states are laughing at me right now, because 6 inches of snow is nothing. But for around here…
This week we are off to warmer weather. First stop is Myrtle Beach then on to south Florida. I am bringing my golf clubs on this run, baby. Daddy’s been locked up for too long. It hasn’t been that bad. I am just looking forward to swinging the clubs again. And getting some sunshine on my shoulder. It makes me happy.
Back on the tour this week, so get out and see a show!!!
See you on the road.
03-02-08
Indy FACE!
It’s early. For me, at least. It’s 7 AM on Sunday morning, and I’ve been home for about an hour. The bus rolled in from Indianapolis, and I was a zombie trying to find my things and get in my truck and head home. I have elected to stay awake, which means that I’ll be napping later, I am sure. But I have a little Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in me (which I have determined is my favorite right now), and I am sitting on a very quiet couch, ready to recap the week for you.
It’s really funny how things don’t ever change. When I was a young lad, I was in trouble a lot. Wrong place, wrong time, acting up when I shouldn’t have been, and I admittedly push the envelope just about every chance I get. I cross the line occasionally, but I generally live in a delicate balance just teetering on the edge. Until I get in trouble. Then I have to step back.
The reason I say this is because I seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time on this tour, and I feel I have become the unwanted stepchild. Here are my greatest hits up to date: Day one of the tour. We’re in Dierks’ makeshift bar where the after-parties have been happening, and well, we’re out of Patron. I am then handed the radio by one of Dierks’ people and announce that ‘Bucky needs more Patron in the VIP immediately’. Well, that went over like a fart in church. It seems the production people use the same radio, and the crew that was loading out didn’t think that was too funny, especially Dierks’ tour manager. In my defense, I was given the radio and told to make the announcement because it would be funny. Then I am sent to the principal’s office.
This past week, I needed to send some large email files to Bucky’s record label. I went to the production office where they have a high-speed connection and asked, yes asked, if I could set up to send these files. I was told OK, so I set up my computer and started working. About 20 minutes later, Dierks’ bass player came in, and he and I started talking music. I guess the tour manager didn’t want to hear all that music talk that morning, so I was promptly kicked out, like a child that went into your Dad’s ‘off-limits’ trophy room or something. Well, that set a nice tone that day for me. It’s been a long time since I was ‘talked down’ to.
Then last night, after I had made up with Dierks’ manager, I walked into a side door of the theater, after our set, and right before Dierks’ set. Well, I burst through the door, and there is Dierks and his manager. Little did I know that he would be sneaking through this door when the theater went dark to make his grand entrance. So the door is open, the lights are on, and people right there can see him. I was like ‘crap’. I just can’t win.
So I am going to spend the rest of the tour in my bunk until it is my turn to play, then go back to my bunk until the next day. I think that’s the safest bet, and Dierks’ tour manager won’t keep rolling his eyes at me. OK, not really. We’re having too much fun. The bands all get along very well, and we can pretty much all hang out at all hours. All the bands hit the gym on a daily basis, and we are all starting to talk trash on the basketball court and in the video game world. Dierks even bought us an Xbox 360 for the bus so we can play Halo bus-to-bus. Life is good.
We have changed our set around completely since the first couple of weeks, and I like it a lot more. We are hitting our stride as a band now, and the show is stronger than ever. My point – get out to see this tour. You will be glad you did.
See you on the road!!!
02-25-08
It’s so good when it hits the lips
Dateline: Nashville. Monday. Stomach: Better. Tour: Great. Food: Solid. Thanks for all of the support last week during my episode. Whenever you say ‘Stomach bug’, the reaction of people is a sympathetic wince and a long ‘oooooooooooh’. Life is much better now, and I am happy to say that my first real meal for 4 days was a 16oz steak. It was so damn good, even if it was tainted by mad cow disease. I'm a helicopter! (get it?)
I think I was writing from Detroit in the last installment. We were at the Palace at Auburn Hills, which was pretty darn nice, I have to say. I literally spent all day there, not feeling up to getting to the gym (my first day back at the gym is today), so I wandered around aimlessly for a long time. It’s a big place, and we had the run of it, so there was a lot to look at. But they locked the Piston’s locker room. Man…
The Bucky caravan rolled into Flint, Michigan the next night for a show at a rock room called The Machine Shop. What a cool place. It’s a ‘biker’ bar. Not Hell’s Angels kind, but like pinup girls and full sleeves of tattoos kind of bar. It was a small place, but a great venue. The show was our first ‘long’ show in a few weeks, so it was good to play some new songs and sweat a little bit more, even though it was below freezing outside.
The show ended, and the bar opened up for us. It was a great night for everybody to let off some steam. Our tour manager, Don, used to be a professional wrestler. He’s about 6’ 8”, and can give a look that will kill. But he is one of the funniest and nicest people you will ever meet. When the crew got back on the bus, somehow in the front lounge a pillow fight broke out (So rock star, I know), but then it turned rather quickly to a WWE match. There were no less than 6 people jumping all over each other, with Don right in the middle, not even moving, looking like Superman with bullets bouncing off his chest. That was my cue to get to bed. If I have learned something in all my years, it’s to never take on a pro when you are amateur.
Next stop on the frigid run was to the home of that great American institution, Kellogg’s. Battle Creek, Michigan, where the streets are lined with Corn Flakes, and you can hear Snap, Crackle, and Pop gently echoing downtown. Well, it ain’t that storybook, but the crowd that came out was. Big, wonderful, supportive crowd that made us feel very welcome in their home. And great carrot cake in catering. Back off – I got to put on some weight that I dropped.
So that was the week that was. What have I learned this week? That it’s not so bad. It just sucks at the time. I am slowly getting my phone numbers back, and my new Blackberry is pretty fun. It has ‘Breakout’. (I am still a child, people. Don’t you get that by now)? On a serious note, Dierks’ show is really good, as is Luke’s, so get out to one of these shows if we’re close. And make sure you say hi.
See you on the road!!!
02-21-08
Have you seen my phone?
Good morning. Here we are at week two of the Throttle Wide Open tour. I am feverishly typing this morning, as we have been wandering around here for an hour or so, and have, oh, several more hours to go before we can really do anything. We load in at 11AM, but don’t soundcheck until 4PM, which leaves several hours to get into trouble or lay by the pool in the beautiful Michigan weather.
I promised I would catch you up on last week, so here goes: Pompano beach, FL. 80 degrees, and I rode a horse around the venue parking lot, and sunned by the pool. And we played outdoors. Bonus. Plus they had Oreos in catering. It’s the simple things. How good is a glass of milk and 4 Oreos? Man…Next day was the Wild Adventures Park in Valdosta, Georgia. Easy show for us – we were on first because we were in Luke’s hometown. But catering was a different story. I think I caught a bug from the undercooked chicken.
Now, the bug could have come from anywhere – door handles, a sneeze, etc, but both our monitor guy and I got sick after eating the chicken. So I get home Sunday, and Monday through yesterday were the worst days I have had in a long time. Did I mention I had to get on a plane and do an acoustic show in Houston Tuesday? I can’t complain. Won’t complain. And I am pretty sure the last thing you want to read about is my illness. I am feeling tons better today, so my mood is on the upswing, and I can start enjoying life again.
Speaking of enjoying life, I had some emails coming in that have been inspiring. It seems that a few of you are embracing more of life, and doing some things after reading this journal. I cannot tell you how that makes me feel. That is probably the most amazing compliment I can ever receive. So thank you.
Flashback to Houston, Texas. We fly in to play an acoustic show with Luke Bryan for KILT as a thank you to those who contributed to St. Jude’s. So not only do we see Luke everyday, but now we’re flying with him on our days off as well. In honor of Luke and his good sense of humor, we started our acoustic set with the chorus of ‘All My Friends Say’. Good times. The acoustic lineup is Bucky, Jeff and I, and I love it. We really have a great time together, and I look forward to more.
It’s almost noon, which means one thing. That’s right. Catering is up. Looking forward to a stout helping of bread, a banana, and water. Oh yeah, and on Monday I washed my cell phone. Which means I lost about 80% of my numbers. That was cool too. But, I have a new phone, feel better, and am back on the road, so life is great.
See you on the road!!
02-17-08
Gee, it’s hot George
Welcome. It’s 6:58 AM by my watch, and we have just arrived from the first weeks’ worth of shows from the Dierks Bentley ‘Throttle Wide Open’ tour. Who wants dirt? Who wants stories? Who wants ice cream?
First, about me. (Because, it’s my journal, and if I am writing instead of sleeping at 7AM on a Sunday morning, then I write what I please. Like the word ‘marshmallow’) I’m burning bandwidth for this? Back to front – On Tuesday afternoon, my good friends Jeff Brown and Jeff Cease were at the house to record a new song. Things were moving along nicely, and we moved the session down to the basement to track drums. While I was setting up the mics, I stood up very quickly and slammed my head on a plastic overhead pipe. I immediately fell back down, clutching my head in pain. I moved my hand from my head, and blood was now covering my palms.
Jeff Cease took me to the hospital, and they glued me back together. Literally. No stitches, which was good, but if you see me in public, then my little head is covered until I heal up. It’s pretty gruesome under there. I have been in pain pretty much all week, and being the smart one, hate taking medicine of any kind, so I have been playing injured, so to speak. I’m having residual problems as well, with my jaw hurting like all get out, which, for you worriers (Mom), I am having looked at tomorrow. My point is, this past week, although supposed to be joyous, was a little lackluster for me. I still reminded myself that we are on a major tour, and that life is really, really good.
The tour started in Gainesville, FL, which is Tom’s hometown. It’s interesting on the first day of a tour. It’s like the first day of school, as you walk around and meet people, talking about past shows or mutual friends. Then of course, there is the general waiting, eating, waiting, and eating that goes on for what seems like forever. My day was spent hat shopping to cover up my wounded melon. And soaking up the 70-degree weather, a stark contrast from the 20’s we left in Nashville the night before.
We were on after Luke Bryan (hell of a nice guy, and a great dancer – more on that later), and the crowd was rockin’. I will admit this: Not a show goes by when I don’t think about how lucky I am to be where I am. Hurt head and all, I try and make the most out of every show, and this was no exception.
It was nice to see some old friends at the show, and in a strange twist of fate, our old tour manager Sarge is managing Luke Bryan, and our old merch guy Ponyboy is out with Dierks, so everyday is like a little family reunion. It’s pretty nice, actually. Lots of great people on this tour. Luke and Dierks are very nice, and I suspect that by the end of this thing in May, we will have made some really good friends.
We have an acoustic show this Tuesday in Houston with Luke, so I’ll type more about the other shows when I get back from that. Send me a myspace message if you have any specific questions as the tour rolls on. I am sure we will have many stories for you. I think the tour is worth every penny – three great acts, and the artists are three great people. Bonus.
See you on the road!!!
02-12-08
Underwear and socks
Happy rainy Tuesday to you all. I hope you are dry, warm, or a combination thereof. That goes for all of you. I have been getting hits on my website from all over the world, so if you are freezing in Canada, or laughing at us from the sunny Australian beaches, then welcome. There is room for everybody in this party.
I was off all last week, and tried to get as much work done as humanly possible in those 7 days. I did a lot, but also realized that Rome wasn’t built in a day, either. Plus when my little brother came to town, well, all work was out the window at that point.
Usually I update you on shows and events from the past week, and since I had no shows, I will update you on the status of my laundry. It needs done. Next topic. The upcoming tour. When I say ‘tour’, I immediately think of leaving for months at a time, coming home to brown plants and moldy bread on the counter. The tour with Dierks is a little different. We only have shows Th-Sat. at first. It will get busier, but for the first month or so, it should be pretty painless. And still with brown plants and moldy bread.
There is a lot that goes into preparing for a major tour. Since we are the second opener (Luke Bryan is on before us), then it’s not as crazy, but still needs preparation. The bus just got wrapped by our tour sponsor (Zippo), and we have a sweet new backdrop as well. On a personal side, I have a bunch of new gear. Christmas came a little late, but it was worth the wait. I am still like a little kid when I get a new guitar.
Here’s a little secret to three-day touring, especially on a bus. We can really get away with murder hygienically speaking, but it’s all a matter of personal preference. I’ll explain. I can feasibly pack one pair of jeans, one shirt, 3 pr socks, and 3 pr of underwear, and I am set. For the whole week. I can fit all of my luggage into a grocery bag with room to spare.
Of course, if you know anything about me, I have a ridiculously huge racing ‘track’ bag that is my suitcase, with ample room for a television, 3 small puppies, a wine rack, and a hotplate. Everything I need for a weekend away from home. The problem is having the discipline to only pack a few things, especially since I have to tote that barge everywhere. I guess, like anything, it’s just discipline.
So, if you come to two shows in a row on this tour, I will try my best to have on a different outfit. I think I will smell better that way, too. And you might see the new bass, the new shoes, the new jeans, the new shirts. Do you think I went overboard? (And on a side note - socks are the perfect present for a touring musician)
It promises to be a great tour, a great time, with three really good bands. We all know each other, so it’s like a bunch of friends hanging out. And speaking of, look for us out and about afterwards, too. More stories on that to come, of that I am certain. Thanks again for checking in, and, as always…
See you on the road!!!
02-06-08
Tea and tornadoes
Happy Wednesday evening to you all, and thanks for dropping by. If you read the last journal entry (and if you didn’t - just scroll down - I’ll wait.), then you know that I am in work mode. Serious, serious work mode. More on that in a little bit. For now, we must get you up to speed on last week’s shows, and what lies ahead.
Last week we had two arena shows with Trace Adkins. That is a great human being. And so damn cool. I mean, drink a beer on the porch and barbeque cool. Plus, he agreed to answer some questions for one of the books I am writing, so even better.
The shows were a blast. The first was in Lowell, MA, which is a quaint little town, and hometown of a very good friend, and fellow bass-player. His name is Dino, and if you see him, say hi. He’s good people. He drove us around and gave us the nickel tour, which I really like, because more often than not, the most we see of the towns we play are the venue and the hotel. We really didn’t stay very long in Lowell, because we had to get over to PA for the next show with Trace.
Johnstown, PA was a great little town, and the people were friendly as can be. They have an incline (look it up), and in the short one-block walk from the hotel to the venue, I passed a little bar called Scott’s by dam. Well, out on the front steps was Scott (by damn), and he was nice, by damn. I told him I’d be back later, and sure enough, before you could say ‘Yuengling’, we were surrounded by the good folk of Johnstown, and I was in heaven.
Scott’s by dam is a working man’s bar. It was all of 20’x30’, and only had about 15 people in it, including two 70-year old ladies from Pittsburgh, one of who was from my parents’ neighborhood. Small world. Jeff and I decided that would be us down the road - two crusty old men drinking draft beer at 10PM on a Friday, shaking our heads at the kids.
Everybody from the bus came over to party for a little bit, so all of a sudden, we were rockin’. The owner even offered to lock the doors to keep it private. Very cool, and completely unnecessary. It just ain’t that kind of party. I will say this – Bucky & co are some of the easiest people to hang with and nicest people you will ever meet. Hands down. Being out with them is a joy on so many levels.
So the week has been a very productive one for me so far (and it’s not over yet). I am excited for the next seven days as we gear up for this tour with Dierks Bentley. Make sure you come out for a show. It’s gonna be insane. I’ll make some announcements on the site by the time we leave to show some fruits of my labor.
Please take a moment and think about the people who are without homes tonight due to the tornadoes that ripped through the South last night. It sounded like the sky had fallen on my street last night, but we came out ok. North of town was a different story. Www.redcrossnashville.org has set up shelters for those in need. Donate a couple dollars and help. Seriously – just $5 would help. (and yes, I donated…) Thanks.
God Bless.
01-28-08
And now for something completely different…
Good morning, wonderful world. It is Monday. It is cold. I know my stocks are down, my heating bill up, and my hair, well, gone. Such is life. The market will turn around, it will warm up, and I can still comb my hair with a towel. You have NO idea how much I save in primp time by not having to comb. Anyways, I don’t want to talk about the shows from this past week, but I want to vent a little, and maybe offer a little direction.
I got a little lost this weekend. Not direction-wise, but life-wise. I walked the grounds of a very nice B&B where we had our show, and went to the ‘dark side’. I was down, but walking around always gets my mind moving, and I needed a small event to turn my head around.
I have been wrestling with some points in my life lately, namely ‘unfinished business’. There are chapters left unwritten, songs with no second verse, and too many blank canvasses in front of me. The last one was the only metaphor. I have been writing three books for the better part of 10 years now, and have a ton of songs in notebooks waiting to be sung. The only thing I have painted lately is the varnish on the teak of my sailboat, which is another one of those unfinished projects.
I am busy – I like to stay busy – but this is deeper. I have things I want to do, and just haven’t. That’s a crime. I can make time for everything I want to make time for, I just haven’t. So – I say this to you: I will do the things I set out to do, and you can ask me about them anytime, because I will see them through. And you can judge the results as you see fit. But now on to something else.
There is a big difference in not doing something out of being lazy and not doing something because you think you will fail. I have heard from more than one person lately that they aren’t doing something because they are scared of the outcome. First of all, there is no mountain that cannot be conquered. And if someone is not being supportive in your dreams, goals, aspirations, then move on. Do it without their help, but do it.
Back to me for a second. I called my little brother the other day and talked about a day we took out the boat down in Mobile. It was a very windy day, and I was too scared to pop the sail, because it was the most wind I had sailed in. I told him ‘We should have popped the jib at least’. I don’t want to live like that. I don’t want to say I’m sorry for not trying something. If it sucks or doesn’t work, then so be it. But I will tell my grandkids that I had some great sails, and the one I ‘should have’ had, hopefully so they won’t have a day they regret.
So I am off to conquer the world. I hope that those of you I speak of read this and realize that you can do anything you want. You can get a new job, leave that crappy person you are seeing who doesn’t support you or nurture your life, start a new hobby, or take that first step. The first step is the hardest, but after you get a little down the road, you’ll realize how easy it really is.
Oh yeah, this week we’re with Trace Adkins for two shows up north. Come ask me in person what I have done this week.
See you on the road!
01-19-08
What happened to your face?
Hi there, football fans. It’s Sunday night, and the Patriots and Giants have punched their tickets and are headed to Superbowl 40-something. Lah-die-frickin’ dah. Yes, I am a little mad that the Steelers aren’t going, and that they couldn’t get it together. But, as they say, there is always next year. I hope. So the TV is off (actually it’s been off a lot lately), and the below-freezing temps outside have forced me into my footed Spiderman pj’s.
It was awfully cold elsewhere this week. Take Boise, Idaho (PLEASE!) for example. That was the scene of our first show; a couple of acoustic performances for some radio contest winners. It was pretty out there, but the highlight of the trip was when my boss hit me in the cheek with his chin by mistake. It did bleed, and has left me with a wonderful red badge of courage on my left cheek. I look like I belong in Fight Club. I know, the first rule is…
4 short hours of sleep, and I was on an airplane, headed for LA. No, not lower Alabama. I was attending the NAMM show in Anaheim. It’s a trade show, not open to the public, where manufacturers show off the latest and greatest musical gear. I call it heaven. And hell. It’s like a Guitar Center in there – everybody playing waaay too loud, and they don’t do it tastefully. And it’s like Vegas – you really don’t get much sleep because the corporate cards are out, and the beer flows like wine. I didn’t get much sleep, but not because of drinking. I caught a cold in Boise, but still tried to stay up and hang. It was tough, but the people I saw are some of my best friends anywhere, and I have been representing these companies for over 10 years now.
I slept all of 2 hours, then got on a plane to meet the band in Dallas for Saturday’s show. We were at the Glass Cactus, which is an upscale club on the Opryland Resort property. Not only was it a nice room, but every single waitress there could have been a model. Yes, this job gets tougher all the time. Eye candy aside, the show was good, and I was happy to be back on stage.
Back to NAMM – it’s a fun show in the fact that it is an affirmation of where I am in life, and that the paths I travel (seem to be) the right ones. I didn’t have a great first day there, but on day two, I turned it all around, and made a bad situation good, just by practicing what I preach. I went in telling myself to be positive and, well, it was. I know this all sounds very cryptic, but my point is this – if you want something – go after it. It can happen for you.
To recap – let’s go over some other things I learned this week:
If your artist (or anyone else for that matter) is being thrown in your direction, then duck.
A human body can technically function on only 2 hours of sleep a night. Is it a good idea? No.
Tommy ‘Deebo’ Liston is a huge human being. No wonder it was such a big deal when Craig ‘Knocked him the f**k out’
If you are going to be without sleep for extended periods of time, just make sure there is a nice warm bunk waiting for you, with a long ride home to pass out on.
After over 10,000 miles of travel this week, I am home, and looking forward to a fantastic week. The new tour dates are looking great, and I am getting excited about the months ahead. I have to go put Neosporin on my face now.
See you on the road!!!
01-13-08
Son, you’re just too loud.
Good morning. It’s Sunday, and the world is teeming with activity. My coffee is brewing (actually it’s brewed and I am three cups in, which is why my thoughts get so scattered. Look – a helicopter!), the birds are chirping, and the neighborhood kids are rattling the ground effects on their ‘88 Cutlass. Oh, to be in Nashville in winter.
The past week or so I have been off the road. I have cleaned, darned, shammied, and shimmied all over my house, and now I am ready to be back out. Like a sailor called to the sea, I need to be performing. OK, not that dramatic, but seriously, I don’t know what to do with 10 days off. OK, that’s a lie, too. Gym, writing, gym, cooking, gym, cleaning the basement. There’s what I have been doing. Oh, yes, and a little show called the Grand Ole Opry last night.
So we’re back at the Ryman for the Opry. There are a lot of guys in town that have done it. It comes with the job, I guess, but there is nothing like walking out on that stage, looking at those windows behind the audience, and playing your instrument. We were on the TV this time, which means you have to get there early and do a different sort of soundcheck. They always tell you to not be too loud for TV. Oops.
Backstage, the walls are filled with old black-and-white pictures of the greats. The stars of the past, all sort of hanging out and playing. Our dressing room last night was the Johnny Cash room, filled with shots of him at the Ryman. Pretty inspiring. Last night was no different than the snapshots. You can spot artists and musicians just hanging out, having coffee and catching up. It’s really a ‘neat’ scene, watching the older cats talking with the new ones, and here I am in the middle, again asking ‘How did I get here?’ Ours is not to ask the question why…
It was Rocky and Ducky’s first time on the Opry, and they hit the trifecta. They played the Opry, on TV, and at the Ryman. Nice for a first time. Hell, nice for anytime. I’m glad I could see the excitement on their faces, and imagined I hope I looked that cool my first time. Speaking of TV, we did two songs on air, then one for just the audience. We did ‘Suspicious Minds’ because Elvis was told he was too loud there. Punks.
So where to this week? Well, we have a private acoustic show at a school in Boise, Idaho. The school donated the most coats in a clothing drive, so they get Bucky Covington to play for them. Pretty cool if you ask me. Then I am out in Anaheim to attend the NAMM show, and I’ll have the full report from there when the hangover subsides. Off to Dallas on Saturday, then home for about 48 hours. We’re getting back in the swing, and I love it. Phase II of the basement cleaning will (thankfully) have to wait.
See you on the road!
01-06-08
Ahh, the new year is upon us. And we didn’t even ask for it.
So welcome to 2008, the year of the rat. (I think). When I was little we would go to a Chinese place that always had the years mapped out, and so if memory serves me correctly, then it must be the year of the rat. OK, I have no idea what I am typing about this very second, but that is usually the case. Either way, it is a new year, the Chinese do have some sort of animal representing it, and it’s time to get moving forward.
Did you have a good 2007? Were there some things that could have been different? Well, of course there were, but hindsight is 20/20. I am living proof of this, and have had to explain this to several people recently, but you are right where you need to be. Longing for change makes you motivate into change, and when that happens is right when it is supposed to happen. It may not seem like it at the time, but it really is. So if you are looking for a change, get to it. That’s all I am saying.
I hope everyone’s holidays were good. My tree is coming down this week, because I have to make way for the Groundhog Day bush that I put up. That is followed by the President’s Day obelisk, and the St. Patrick’s Day clover display. There is a lot going on around here. OK, I don’t really celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Right now we are on a bit of a break. I had a show on New Year’s Eve with Bucky, and honestly, I didn’t have a great time. My amp decided to crap out as we hit the stage, and whereas none of the open-bar party goers had any idea, I did, and it made for a subpar night. As a bass player, I like to feel the air moving that comes out of a bass amp, and when your amp doesn’t function, well, what can you do? I am not faulting the bass amp company at all (keeping my diplomatic side), because these things happen, and for 10 years, this is the most serious issue I have had, so I am not complaining. Let me see – 1750 shows and only one bad amp problem. I can handle that.
So I had last night off. What did I do? That’s right – my one Saturday night off in the past fifteen years, and I get in a car and go somewhere. It was Steeler playoff night last night, and since my closest brother is in Atlanta, I had to drive down and watch the game with him. Why drive 4 hours each way to watch a 3-hour football game on TV? Well, first, because I can. Second, when I am 80 years old, I don’t want to think about time I ‘should’ have spent. You never get it back. No matter how much money you have, or how much botox you get. You never get it back. So enjoy it all while you can. And take lots of pictures before you wrinkle.
Back to music this week with a show on the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday. I think this is either number 13 or 14 for me. I can’t remember now, but it is at the Ryman, which I am so excited about. That experience is never lost on me. So if you tune in to GAC on Saturday night, watch for the cheesy grin on yours truly’s face. Actually, I won’t be smiling, because we’re going to be on TV, and supposed to look cool. It’s not cool to smile on stage. Yeah, right.
See you on the road!
12-17-07
It’s beginning to look a lot like….
Well, I am not really sure what it’s beginning to look like. I talk to friends who are under several feet of snow, then we go to Florida for a couple of days and sweat our butts off, with the humidity totally ruining any chances of my hair doing anything worthwhile. Oh yeah, that got messed up years ago…It is Christmas? Not yet, Virginia, but it’s close.
It is the typical post-tour Monday for me: laundry, a little grocery shopping, then ‘normal’ (whatever that feels like) living for a couple of days. I am a funny bird sometimes. OK, most of the time. I have a hard time relaxing. I love to relax, don’t get me wrong, but when I am home with a couple of days off, I am not the sit-on-the-couch kind of person. I own a couch. I sit on it, but not much. I guess that helps the resale value. Craigslist ad – ‘One gently used couch. Minimal sit time, and when used it was used sparingly and with guilt of being lazy.’
But I am somewhere else. Back to touring. Focus. Focus. This week we hit Sarasota, FL, then Tallahassee. The first night was fun for us – we were allowed behind the bar (like leaving peanuts with the elephant), and of course, we took full advantage. Then we got back on stage after our set to stumble through a couple of songs using the house band’s gear. It had a very bad frat party feel to it.
We were at Floyd’s Music Store in Tallahassee on Saturday, which wasn’t a music store, and I don’t think they had anybody named Floyd there. We DID however, have BBQ for dinner, and a good workout at the Doubletree before the show, which makes me a happy boy. Good crowd, and for us, a fun show. I have been sick for the better part of a week, so to get some notes out of my throat was encouraging.
That’s one of the problems with living on a bus – if one person gets sick, it’s only a matter of seconds before everyone else follows suit. And my suit is at the cleaners. I just spoke with Jeff this afternoon, and now he is sick. Not because I spoke with him, mind you, although that could have a lot to do with it. You want to bring us presents? Airborne and sudaphed. Well, I had better not advertise that, or else the feds will pick me up for suspicion of cooking meth. Not that I even know what that means. I know it usually involves a bathtub, bad teeth, a hotel room, and a fun segment on COPS.
Speaking of hotels, did you know that Holiday Inn has the absolute worst coffee on the planet? Just thought you should know. They switched to some enviro-safe brand, and whereas I am all for saving the world and cutting down on workforce beatings, something’s gotta give. It’s like tobacco juice. Worse. I have never actually had tobacco juice, so I am lying. You caught me.
So this week empty your ashtray and bring those quarters down to Harrah’s in St. Louis and Kansas City, where we are at the Voodoo Lounge both nights. I am a fan of the blackjack, so if you are in a playing mood, come on down.
PS—big tour dates being added very soon. We are out with Dierks Bentley from Feb-Apr next year, so look out!
See you on the road!
12-06-07
It’s been three days….
I am in a writing mood lately, so I have parked my little butt on a roadcase backstage at the latest and greatest venue, a place called the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse about 25 min outside of Pittsburgh. Right this minute the outside door is open, so a rush of the 35 degree weather is coming in, and it is wonderful. Really. I feel like I am at Grandma’s for the holidays.
If your family is like mine, you probably had to get in the back of the station wagon (I was in the third seat that faced the other way) and what was the crash-test rating on THAT one? Sheesh. Anyways, my parents would pack the four boys into the family truckster and get us up to this part of the country. I can only imagine the hassle of packing enough underwear for us, plus sandwiches, constant bathroom breaks, crankiness, fights, and general mayhem that would ensue between my three brothers and myself.
I always liked coming up here because they always had snow. And railroad tracks. And apple dumplings and long walks with my Grandpa, where he would tell wonderful stories about the town whenever we would pass something that would spark the memory. Grandma always had food, and we always were afraid of the attic. I am not sure why, but even years later when we cleaned out the house, I was a little skittish being up there.
We would double-dip the visit to PA, heading from one Grandparents’ house to the other’s in Pittsburgh. My Mother’s Mother was an amazing woman, and her cooking was incredible as well. She would always worry about us walking down the street, and made sure we were always fed with something sweet. Then we would visit the Italian side of my family, the many aunts and uncles and cousins that made up practically a whole side of town. I was always stuck eating at the card table, not old enough to play the big room yet. In Italian families, the hierarchy of eating was by age, and honestly, that’s how it should be.
I am fortunate to have had many of my relatives live to ripe old ages – late 80’s early 90’s is the norm in my family, so I was able to hear some good stories, eat some great food, and most importantly, I was able to learn some things about my background, and possibly why I am who I am. Turns out there are a lot of musicians in my family, so that would explain why I am poor. I am also of ‘Old World’ blood, so I am thankful for the lessons that I learned by keeping my mouth shut at the dinner table.
I am waxing nostalgic today because I am on the eve of a birthday, and seeing some of the Italian family tonight at the show, including my Uncle, who is really the reason I am playing today. I hope that in the upcoming holiday season you realize that the fighting is silly, and that family is really the best thing ever; worth every hassle of packing the car and making sure your kids spend time with Grandma. It’s much more than dinner and a football game on TV. There is nothing like hearing about when Dad painted the car when he was a kid, or when your brother used to pee in his toybox. We are all human, have made mistakes, and are allowed forgiveness.
Did I screw up somewhere to go into confessional mode? At some point, sure, but not today. I am just feeling good – life is good, and I am happy to be alive. And now I talk too much at the table, when I should probably listen more. So sue me.
See you on the road.
12-03-07
Is it Monday again? I guess if it is then that means I have some juicy stories for you from the week that was. I am not sure about juicy, but the stories, well, we are making them.
I will start with a personal story, then try and dive into some road stuff. I attended the first induction ceremony for the Musicians Hall of Fame last week, and it was one of the greatest nights of music to ever take place. If you are a musician and didn’t attend, then you missed some of the best studio musicians in the world assembled on one stage, performing songs that they recorded. I’m talking about the greatest songs over the past 50 years. These guys did it. They played on so many amazing records - everything from Elvis to Sinatra to Johnny Cash to The Supremes to Neil Diamond to Garth Brooks. If you own any 5 pop or country or classic R & B CD’s, chances are you are listening |