When I started this blog, almost three years ago, the purpose was to chronicle the musical journey of our band. As you can see, I've kind of fallen down on the job this year. The band has stayed busy with gigs and rehearsals, but I just haven't had the time to chronicle everything that's been going on.
With that said, this will be the last blog post from me. The journey is completed, as Sand Dollar Rodeo is going on indefinite hiatus. I felt that I owed you, the fans, an explaination and some closure. I always hated it when a band would just seem to disappear without any explaination. I don't know about you, but it always left me thinking, "Whatever happened to those guys?"
First off, their was no implosion. We did not all get into a big fist fight or anything like that, lol. We don't hate each other and no one is mad at anybody. Things have just run their course. It happens. It's not one particular thing or anyone's fault. It's usually a combination of things, which is the case here.
A lot of things have changed in life. My two youngest kids are getting older and demanding a lot more of my time. They deserve that time, and I want and need to give them that time. They are only going to be at this stage for a very short time, so I want to be there for them.
A lot of work went on, behind the scenes, to keep Sand Dollar Rodeo going. Now, please don't think that means that I was doing all of the work, because that was not the case at all. When we were starting out, my kids were young and didn't require as much hands on attention. I was able to get a lot of band business done in the early evening hours, after work at the day job. The kids are older now. They are involved in sports and seem to have homework every night. When you cram all of that in, plus dinner/cleanup, getting ready for the next day, etc.., it doesn't really leave any time. I'm not griping about it either. I'm glad that I am able to do this. It wouldn't be fair to throw it all on my wife.
So as the kids have gotten older, they also go to bed later. My only time to work on band business now is usually after 9:30pm. Many nights I would be up past midnight trying to book shows, respond to emails and handle any other band business that needed to be tended to. It began to really take it's toll on me.
I have to admit that I've changed too. I know to make a name for yourself in the Texas Music Scene, you need to be out there. A lot of the bands, in this particular scene, will play 150 shows or more per year. When we started out, I really thought that would be cool. I had the full approval of my wife to do this, as well. Cool, right?
As time went on though, we were never really accepted within the Texas Music circle. I guess we were too weird, lol! Also, as time went on, I realized that I didn't want that lifestyle, at this time. That's a lot of time away from family. That would mean being gone, practically every weekend. Missing the kids sports games, and all sorts of other activities.
I know music will always be a part of my life. I have no idea what I'm going to do in the future. I guess if I had my ideal situation, it would be to play out locally a few times a month, for fun. Maybe find a cover band and play to a packed house? I also love to write and create, but I think going forward, writing will be just that. Writing and recording as a creative outlet and not worrying about the financial side of it. Not worry about "how big is your following?" or "how many people can you bring?" I can't tell you how many times I've heard those phrases from various venues. In other words, no live gigging or touring with original music. At my age and stage of life, it's too big of a hassle for too little reward. I don't know, these are my thoughts at this time, it could always change, so I'll never rule anything out. In 10 years, when my kids are grown and gone, my wife may say, "Go tour! I need a break!" Ha ha!
That's really my side of things. For everyone else's opinion, I guess you would need to ask Roy, Trey, John and Jim. I know Trey will be staying busy. He plays with several other groups. He and Roy are also working on a lounge act, so stay tuned to see where that takes off to. Jim and John also play in a very successful cover band called Blue Hat, so I'm sure that they will keep busy with that.
Roy mentioned to me that he wants to build his songwriting catalog and work on that end vs. being in a band and playing live all the time. I'm sure he will have some new music out there in the near future. I also told Roy that I would volunteer my services, if he needs guitar tracks recorded for any of his songs. He has a website up and running for his solo stuff here www.royholiday.com be sure and check it out for the latest updates, news, etc..
I have no doubt that Roy and I will collaborate together, some time down the line. In what capacity, that remains to be seen. He offered to help me out on any solo songs that I come up with and I really appreciate that. I would also work with Trey, John and Jim again, in a hearbeat, should the opportunity ever present itself. They are all great players and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for them.
I have no regrets about my time with SDR. The last three years have been an amazing journey and I'm proud of our accomplishments. Hindsight being 20/20, would I do it again? Heck yeah, in a heartbeat! I made some great friends out of the deal and that alone was worth the price of admission!
At this time, I would like to thank several people who helped us out along this journey. I would like to thank our former band members, Danny "Cisco" Cortez, Brian Barton, Tony Vega, Josh Drewes and Ken Woods. You guys are all great players. I miss you guys and hope your doing well. To our current band members, Jim McKinney, John "Hotch" Hotchkiss, and Trey Pope, thank you guys for all of your hard work. It was an honor to share the stage with each of these fine musicians.
I would also like to thank a very special gal that fought tooth and nail for us, from the very beginning. Her name is Marti Ludwig. She booked a lot of shows for us and really helped get our name out there. She always went to bat for us and I consider her a good friend as well! She tried to make sure that every venue in DFW and beyond knew who SDR was. Thanks Marti!
Lastly, I would like to thank you, the fans. For without you, their wouldn't have been an SDR. Thank you for coming to the shows, buying the CD's, t-shirts and koozies. Thank you for liking and sharing our Facebook posts and for a million other things that I am sure I'm leaving out.
Our final "farewell" show will be this Saturday, September 19th at Central Market-Hulen, in Fort Worth. Showtime is at 5:30pm. Yes, it's an early one, but it's Saturday night. You will have time to come see us and still make it to bed at a decent time, or if your a night owl, you will still have time to hit the bars, if that's your fancy. We play until 9pm. If you haven't seen a show at Central Market, then you should come out. They serve plenty of great food and their are plenty of beverages, both of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety. Their is even a playground for the kids!
We would love to see you all come out! It's going to be a party! No funeral dirge for us. Expect a high energy SDR show!
Well, I guess that wraps things up. Thank you for reading the blog. I hope you've enjoyed reading my ramblings over the last few years. I've really enjoyed writing the posts. I wish that I would have had more time to post regularly in 2015, but it is what it is. To steal a couple of quotes, "for everyone who's been a part of this one" thank you and "we'll see ya down the road!"
Monday, September 14, 2015
Thursday, June 4, 2015
A Double Dip Saturday
How goes it? I hope your all doing well! We are finally drying out here in Texas. In case you weren't aware, we had record rainfalls, during the month of May. While the rainfall was welcome and we needed it, it also caused widespread flooding in many areas of the state. Many areas have had a lot of damage, as a result.
One of the areas affected by the flooding is a place called Wimberly, Texas. Wimberly is located in Central Texas (close to Austin). It sits near the Blanco River. With all of the rain, the Blanco River flooded and caused widespread damage to the Wimberly area. Many of these folks lost everything.
Our friend Rocky Lott, of the Rocky Lott Band decided to do something about this, by organized a supply roundup and benefit concert to help the folks in Wimberly and the surrounding areas. They will be selling t-shirts and collecting necessary supplies for the relief effort. Needed items are sunscreen, bottled water, non-perishable food items, childrens clothing, blankets, new pillows and of course monetary donations.
The benefit will take place this Saturday, June 6th at Grease Monkey Burgers in Arlington. The street address is 200 N. Mesquite Street. Roy and I will be doing an acoustic song swap with Tommy Dussault from 1-2pm. You can check out Tommy here https://m.facebook.com/tommydussaultmusic and here https://www.reverbnation.com/tommydussault
Here is the rest of the performance schedule:
2:20-3:20pm-James Lann, Mark Allen Atwood, Rocky Lott
3:40-4:40-Tom Fleischer, James Gilliland, James Kaul
5-6 (maybe til 6:30) Rocky Lott with Marc Holtsclaw and special guest Doc Wesson
A big thank you is in order for Rocky Lott for putting this together. Roy and I are honored to be a part of this. Do yourself a favor and check out the Rocky Lott Band here www.rockylott.com He has some of his awesome music here, that you can listen to, as well as all sorts of other cool stuff. The weather should be great so c'mon out if you can. Any donations, support, etc.. would be greatly appreciated as well.
After that, we are not done. Roy and I will then travel over to Fort Worth, to catch up with the rest of the band, for a full band show over at Central Market-Hulen on Saturday evening. If you've never been to Central Market, you should come check it out. They have a great outdoor beer garden, plenty of great food, and to top it all off, a great playground area for the kids. You can turn them loose to do their thing and you can do yours. This is an early start time, as we start at 5:30pm.
Lena Pope owns the land that Central Market is on. They end up having a lot of weddings there through the spring and summer months. Their is a wedding scheduled at the Chapel for Saturday at 6:30pm. During this time, no music is allowed. This would be a perfect opportunity to go check out the store. If you've never been in a Central Market, then you are in for a treat. This is not your everyday ordinary grocery store. It's hard to explain, you'll just have to come and see it for yourself.
Once we get the word that it's ok to continue, we will resume the show. We will be their until 9pm. Central Market is located at 4651 W. Freeway #100, Fort Worth, Texas 76107. If your in the area, stop on by! We would love to see you!
Ok, that's about all I have for now, thanks for reading and I'll talk to ya later!
One of the areas affected by the flooding is a place called Wimberly, Texas. Wimberly is located in Central Texas (close to Austin). It sits near the Blanco River. With all of the rain, the Blanco River flooded and caused widespread damage to the Wimberly area. Many of these folks lost everything.
Our friend Rocky Lott, of the Rocky Lott Band decided to do something about this, by organized a supply roundup and benefit concert to help the folks in Wimberly and the surrounding areas. They will be selling t-shirts and collecting necessary supplies for the relief effort. Needed items are sunscreen, bottled water, non-perishable food items, childrens clothing, blankets, new pillows and of course monetary donations.
The benefit will take place this Saturday, June 6th at Grease Monkey Burgers in Arlington. The street address is 200 N. Mesquite Street. Roy and I will be doing an acoustic song swap with Tommy Dussault from 1-2pm. You can check out Tommy here https://m.facebook.com/tommydussaultmusic and here https://www.reverbnation.com/tommydussault
Here is the rest of the performance schedule:
2:20-3:20pm-James Lann, Mark Allen Atwood, Rocky Lott
3:40-4:40-Tom Fleischer, James Gilliland, James Kaul
5-6 (maybe til 6:30) Rocky Lott with Marc Holtsclaw and special guest Doc Wesson
A big thank you is in order for Rocky Lott for putting this together. Roy and I are honored to be a part of this. Do yourself a favor and check out the Rocky Lott Band here www.rockylott.com He has some of his awesome music here, that you can listen to, as well as all sorts of other cool stuff. The weather should be great so c'mon out if you can. Any donations, support, etc.. would be greatly appreciated as well.
After that, we are not done. Roy and I will then travel over to Fort Worth, to catch up with the rest of the band, for a full band show over at Central Market-Hulen on Saturday evening. If you've never been to Central Market, you should come check it out. They have a great outdoor beer garden, plenty of great food, and to top it all off, a great playground area for the kids. You can turn them loose to do their thing and you can do yours. This is an early start time, as we start at 5:30pm.
Lena Pope owns the land that Central Market is on. They end up having a lot of weddings there through the spring and summer months. Their is a wedding scheduled at the Chapel for Saturday at 6:30pm. During this time, no music is allowed. This would be a perfect opportunity to go check out the store. If you've never been in a Central Market, then you are in for a treat. This is not your everyday ordinary grocery store. It's hard to explain, you'll just have to come and see it for yourself.
Once we get the word that it's ok to continue, we will resume the show. We will be their until 9pm. Central Market is located at 4651 W. Freeway #100, Fort Worth, Texas 76107. If your in the area, stop on by! We would love to see you!
Ok, that's about all I have for now, thanks for reading and I'll talk to ya later!
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Mayfest And Some Other Stuff
Hey there! Long time, no talk! Before we begin, let me just say that I am lame! There, I said it. I've actually gotten totally off track, with the blog posts. It was nothing intentional. Life has just been busy and my ADD brain hasn't been able to keep up. The band has been staying busy, behind the scenes, with lots of rehearsals.
Honestly, I can't remember if I mentioned it or not (man! I'm lame), but we have a new drummer and a new bass player. Our new drummer is John "Hotch" Hotchkiss. He hails from the U.K. and has lived in the U.S. for the last 10 years. John has that great British accent that just screams rocker! John is an awesome drummer and really brings a unique vibe to our sound.
Next up is Jim McKinney, who is our new bass player. Jim not only plays bass but also plays saxophone. I would definitely like to explore that option in the future. Jim is a great bass player, who has really added to our sound. I'm really looking forward to working with him more and seeing what he brings to the table.
Trey Pope is still manning the keys for us and I am really thankful for that. For those of you that have seen us live with Trey, then you know what he brings to the table, and if you haven't, then come see what all the fuss is about. Trey is an amazing pianist.
As I said earlier, the band has been busy. Mainly rehearsals, to get Jim and John up to speed. This is no knock on their musicianship though. It just takes time to learn 30 something odd songs, especially with half of them being originals. They've both done an outstanding job however, and I fell like our line up is as strong as its ever been. We just finished up another great rehearsal tonight.
I meant to get a blog post up last week, but again, time got the best of me. I decided not to let that happen again this week, so here I am typing, into the night.
We kicked off our spring show schedule, with the new group, last weekend at Earth Day Texoma in Sherman, Texas. This was interesting show to say the least. As far as the band goes, I thought we sounded fine, especially for our first gig together. It was a very low key/low stress environment, which was exactly what we needed. Now, for the interesting part. This was obviously an Earth Day festival. They were having workshops and all sorts of "earth day" things going on.
Jan, the lady that booked us, was really nice and seemed to really like our music, but volume seemed to become a quickly evolving issue. I noticed that the group before us was acoustic based. We were on a big outdoor stage with full PA, but we were the only full electric band that they had booked to my knowledge. A little ways into our set, Roy and I were setting up the next song with some stage banter. I'm pretty sure the song was either "Carry Me Home" or "Island Holiday" because I announced over my mic, "Ok, let's go to the beach!" About that time, I see Jan running up to the front of the stage. She motioned me to Roy and I and said, "that's great, but can we bring the beach down?" She went on to explain that they were trying to have some kind of Earth Day presentation, all the way across the other end of the festival and that we were drowning out the presentation. She also advised that one of the acoustic groups, that were playing inside one of the buildings was also being drowned out by us. I tried to explain to her that we have no say over the volume as it's being controlled by the sound engineer. She advised that she had already talked to him and he advised that he had the PA just about as low as it would go, without turning it off. I told her we would try and turn down the amps a little. They had asked us to try and keep the volume down, before we even started. With that said, I set my amps volume at about 2.5. Keep in mind, this is not a 100 watt Marshall stack. It's a 22 watt Deluxe Reverb. When we practice at John's, I'm louder then that! The sound guy was micing everything anyway, so I wasn't worried about having my amp cranked.
So, she asked if we could turn down a little and apologized for having to ask us to do that. I obliged and turned down to 2. I could barely hear myself at this point. Keep in mind that this was a big outdoor stage.
Later on in the set, Jan had to make some festival announcements, which were handled on the main stage where we were playing. All of the other acts had a 45 minute set, but she gave us a 90 minute slot. We were quote/unquote the headliner, so to speak. They had announcements scheduled for every 45 minutes or so. The announcements were designed to take place in between the bands sets. Since ours was 90 minutes, Jan needed to make an announcement in the middle of our set. When she came up, she told us off mic, "Boy, I'm gonna be in trouble after this." The good thing though, was that she was laughing about it. We had a good crowd listening to us. They all seemed to really be enjoying the music. Hey, we weren't driving people away! I just think that the Earth Day booths and presenters were a little aggravated that we had kind of commandeered the festival for awhile. Jan went on to explain that she wants us back, but that she wants us back for their concert series, that they put on in the park. All in all, we made it through the set, Jan was happy, and that's all I was concerned with. You can also read Roy's blog on the show over here www.royholliday.com/category/blog He details every Sand Dollar Rodeo show here.
The only other time I can ever remember having that many discussions about volume was way back in high school. My buddies Robby and Sol, of the current band KYSER, probably remember this too. We were playing a dance for Robby's school and the chaperon moms were not too impressed with our style of rock. Another buddy of ours, Eric Sanchez, was running our sound and taping the performance. I'll never forget it, as one of the moms came over to Eric and said, "Turn it down!" You can hear it plain as day on the tape. Eric questioned back, "Turn it down?" She said, "Yes! Yall are so loud we can't even hear ourselves talk." We've all laughed and talked about that incident a lot over the years. Sol even took it upon himself to draw a comic strip of the event. Let's just say it was not a very family friendly comic strip.
In all seriousness though, I want to thank Jan and the city of Sherman for having us out. We are looking forward to coming back for a night show.
We will be keeping the party moving along this week, as its time for Mayfest! We won't be worrying about any volume issues here as they pretty much crank you up and let you rip! We will be playing on the Riverbank Stage on Saturday, May 2 from 12:30-1:30pm. Their are plenty of activities, rides, food and drinks for both the kids and adults. Hey, its a fest. What else would you expect, right?
We have some other musician friends that will be performing as well. I would like to give you the dates and times of their sets.
On Friday, May 1st our own John Hotchkiss and Jim McKinney will be playing with the Blue Hat Bans on the Main Stage. Their set is from 4:30-6pm. They play a wide range of popular covers that are sure to get you dancing!
After our set on Saturday, be sure and stay around to check out my aforementioned buddies Robby Kyser and Sol Kanthack. They will be playing with KYSER on the Main Stage from 3:15-4:30pm. KYSER is an original music band. They describe their sound as "simple chord progressions with a ton of texured layers. KYSER has hauntingly melodic lead vocals mixed with rich piano and tight harmonies with throwing in a solid rock rhythm section. Something old and something new." Be sure and check them out, you won't be disappointed!
Moving along to Sunday, our good friends August & J will be performing on the Main Stage from 2:15-3:30pm. Mike Roberts and Jay Patterson, who are also high school friends of mine, are a part of this band. They are also an original band and describe their music as "rock songs with a southern pop sensibility, with influences ranging from Bon Jovi to Train to Wilco. We have played several shows with these guys and they are great. If your at Mayfest on Sunday, do yourself a favor and check these guys out!
For all other information regarding Mayfest, be sure and check out their official website at http://www.mayfest.org Complete event schedules, parking, pricing, etc.. are available on there.
Ok, well that's all I have for now. Next week is Railhead week, so I'll give you the goods on that one next time. Y'all stay safe and I hope to see you out at Mayfest!
Honestly, I can't remember if I mentioned it or not (man! I'm lame), but we have a new drummer and a new bass player. Our new drummer is John "Hotch" Hotchkiss. He hails from the U.K. and has lived in the U.S. for the last 10 years. John has that great British accent that just screams rocker! John is an awesome drummer and really brings a unique vibe to our sound.
Next up is Jim McKinney, who is our new bass player. Jim not only plays bass but also plays saxophone. I would definitely like to explore that option in the future. Jim is a great bass player, who has really added to our sound. I'm really looking forward to working with him more and seeing what he brings to the table.
Trey Pope is still manning the keys for us and I am really thankful for that. For those of you that have seen us live with Trey, then you know what he brings to the table, and if you haven't, then come see what all the fuss is about. Trey is an amazing pianist.
As I said earlier, the band has been busy. Mainly rehearsals, to get Jim and John up to speed. This is no knock on their musicianship though. It just takes time to learn 30 something odd songs, especially with half of them being originals. They've both done an outstanding job however, and I fell like our line up is as strong as its ever been. We just finished up another great rehearsal tonight.
I meant to get a blog post up last week, but again, time got the best of me. I decided not to let that happen again this week, so here I am typing, into the night.
We kicked off our spring show schedule, with the new group, last weekend at Earth Day Texoma in Sherman, Texas. This was interesting show to say the least. As far as the band goes, I thought we sounded fine, especially for our first gig together. It was a very low key/low stress environment, which was exactly what we needed. Now, for the interesting part. This was obviously an Earth Day festival. They were having workshops and all sorts of "earth day" things going on.
Jan, the lady that booked us, was really nice and seemed to really like our music, but volume seemed to become a quickly evolving issue. I noticed that the group before us was acoustic based. We were on a big outdoor stage with full PA, but we were the only full electric band that they had booked to my knowledge. A little ways into our set, Roy and I were setting up the next song with some stage banter. I'm pretty sure the song was either "Carry Me Home" or "Island Holiday" because I announced over my mic, "Ok, let's go to the beach!" About that time, I see Jan running up to the front of the stage. She motioned me to Roy and I and said, "that's great, but can we bring the beach down?" She went on to explain that they were trying to have some kind of Earth Day presentation, all the way across the other end of the festival and that we were drowning out the presentation. She also advised that one of the acoustic groups, that were playing inside one of the buildings was also being drowned out by us. I tried to explain to her that we have no say over the volume as it's being controlled by the sound engineer. She advised that she had already talked to him and he advised that he had the PA just about as low as it would go, without turning it off. I told her we would try and turn down the amps a little. They had asked us to try and keep the volume down, before we even started. With that said, I set my amps volume at about 2.5. Keep in mind, this is not a 100 watt Marshall stack. It's a 22 watt Deluxe Reverb. When we practice at John's, I'm louder then that! The sound guy was micing everything anyway, so I wasn't worried about having my amp cranked.
So, she asked if we could turn down a little and apologized for having to ask us to do that. I obliged and turned down to 2. I could barely hear myself at this point. Keep in mind that this was a big outdoor stage.
Later on in the set, Jan had to make some festival announcements, which were handled on the main stage where we were playing. All of the other acts had a 45 minute set, but she gave us a 90 minute slot. We were quote/unquote the headliner, so to speak. They had announcements scheduled for every 45 minutes or so. The announcements were designed to take place in between the bands sets. Since ours was 90 minutes, Jan needed to make an announcement in the middle of our set. When she came up, she told us off mic, "Boy, I'm gonna be in trouble after this." The good thing though, was that she was laughing about it. We had a good crowd listening to us. They all seemed to really be enjoying the music. Hey, we weren't driving people away! I just think that the Earth Day booths and presenters were a little aggravated that we had kind of commandeered the festival for awhile. Jan went on to explain that she wants us back, but that she wants us back for their concert series, that they put on in the park. All in all, we made it through the set, Jan was happy, and that's all I was concerned with. You can also read Roy's blog on the show over here www.royholliday.com/category/blog He details every Sand Dollar Rodeo show here.
The only other time I can ever remember having that many discussions about volume was way back in high school. My buddies Robby and Sol, of the current band KYSER, probably remember this too. We were playing a dance for Robby's school and the chaperon moms were not too impressed with our style of rock. Another buddy of ours, Eric Sanchez, was running our sound and taping the performance. I'll never forget it, as one of the moms came over to Eric and said, "Turn it down!" You can hear it plain as day on the tape. Eric questioned back, "Turn it down?" She said, "Yes! Yall are so loud we can't even hear ourselves talk." We've all laughed and talked about that incident a lot over the years. Sol even took it upon himself to draw a comic strip of the event. Let's just say it was not a very family friendly comic strip.
In all seriousness though, I want to thank Jan and the city of Sherman for having us out. We are looking forward to coming back for a night show.
We will be keeping the party moving along this week, as its time for Mayfest! We won't be worrying about any volume issues here as they pretty much crank you up and let you rip! We will be playing on the Riverbank Stage on Saturday, May 2 from 12:30-1:30pm. Their are plenty of activities, rides, food and drinks for both the kids and adults. Hey, its a fest. What else would you expect, right?
We have some other musician friends that will be performing as well. I would like to give you the dates and times of their sets.
On Friday, May 1st our own John Hotchkiss and Jim McKinney will be playing with the Blue Hat Bans on the Main Stage. Their set is from 4:30-6pm. They play a wide range of popular covers that are sure to get you dancing!
After our set on Saturday, be sure and stay around to check out my aforementioned buddies Robby Kyser and Sol Kanthack. They will be playing with KYSER on the Main Stage from 3:15-4:30pm. KYSER is an original music band. They describe their sound as "simple chord progressions with a ton of texured layers. KYSER has hauntingly melodic lead vocals mixed with rich piano and tight harmonies with throwing in a solid rock rhythm section. Something old and something new." Be sure and check them out, you won't be disappointed!
Moving along to Sunday, our good friends August & J will be performing on the Main Stage from 2:15-3:30pm. Mike Roberts and Jay Patterson, who are also high school friends of mine, are a part of this band. They are also an original band and describe their music as "rock songs with a southern pop sensibility, with influences ranging from Bon Jovi to Train to Wilco. We have played several shows with these guys and they are great. If your at Mayfest on Sunday, do yourself a favor and check these guys out!
For all other information regarding Mayfest, be sure and check out their official website at http://www.mayfest.org Complete event schedules, parking, pricing, etc.. are available on there.
Ok, well that's all I have for now. Next week is Railhead week, so I'll give you the goods on that one next time. Y'all stay safe and I hope to see you out at Mayfest!
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Merry Christmas And All That!
Hello there! Well, it's been quite awhile. Two months to be exact. That's way too long. Sorry about the delayed absence. I guess time has kind of gotten way from me, since the last time I posted on here.
I've received many inquiries, over the last few weeks, from a lot of our fans. Most of the inquiries are, "How's the band doing?" or "What's going on with the band?", and my favorite, "When are y'all playing again?" It's really a nice feeling to get asked these types of questions. Well, I guess I owe y'all some answers, so lets get to it!
We made a conscience decision to have the November 1st show at the Thirsty Armadillo, be our last show of 2014. Ken (our former drummer) was leaving us, and we thought it would be a good time to re-assess our situation, take a breath and get re-organized. Ken was only with us for a short time. It was a frustrating time for the rest of us. We were really starting to jell, one moment, and then the next moment, we were back to square one. So, one of the items on our list during this time was to seek out a new drummer.
Roy also has a solo side project, who's main goal is Christmas! He has an internet radio broadcast that he performs during the holidays, and this year he booked a couple of house concerts that featured some different material, then what SDR normally performs. He has written several original Christmas tunes, and he worked up some arrangements of some other songs that really do not fit with the SDR vibe. So, he wanted to concentrate on that in December. Honestly, I was burned out and needed a break from everything to recharge my battery, so this all worked out really well for me too.
During this time, we were also able to find a new drummer. John Hotchkiss will be joining us on the drums, going forward. John is a fantastic drummer who has a great personality and will be a welcome addition. Here's another tidbit for you. John is originally from the U.K., so he has the cool British accent going on!
We are currently booking shows for 2015. You can check the online calendar on www.sanddollarrodeo.com for dates, times and locations. We've added several new shows this week, and hopefully we will be adding a lot more over the coming weeks. I've heard from some of you in the past, asking when SDR was going to come to your town or to a specific venue. We are always up for anything. One of the best ways for us to obtain a booking through a new venue, is by you, the fan. Yes, you can really help us in that regard. Venues will listen to their customer's. If the demand is there, they will be willing to meet that demand. There are a lot of very talented musicians out there, and only so many venues, dates, and times. Your voice does matter. So, if you are interested in us coming to your town or to a specific venue, please feel free to let them know.
In other news, we released our latest single, entitled "Population You & Me" on October 31st. Have you had a chance to listen to it yet? If not, here is a link www.reverbnation.com/sanddollarrodeo It is the first song on the list. If you enjoyed it and would like to purchase it, it should be available wherever you purchase your digital music. We are also working on several other new original songs, and are hoping to have these available to you, in the near future.
I would like to take this time to thank each and every one of you for your support. Whether it was reading this blog, reading Roy's blog, attending a show, buying a CD, buying a T-Shirt, liking our Facebook page, following us on Twitter, sharing our posts, drinking a beer with us, buying a beer for us (ha ha!) and the list goes on! We really appreciate each and everyone of you! We are not going anywhere! We are really looking forward to 2015. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy this time with your family and friends and I'll talk to you in 2015!
I've received many inquiries, over the last few weeks, from a lot of our fans. Most of the inquiries are, "How's the band doing?" or "What's going on with the band?", and my favorite, "When are y'all playing again?" It's really a nice feeling to get asked these types of questions. Well, I guess I owe y'all some answers, so lets get to it!
We made a conscience decision to have the November 1st show at the Thirsty Armadillo, be our last show of 2014. Ken (our former drummer) was leaving us, and we thought it would be a good time to re-assess our situation, take a breath and get re-organized. Ken was only with us for a short time. It was a frustrating time for the rest of us. We were really starting to jell, one moment, and then the next moment, we were back to square one. So, one of the items on our list during this time was to seek out a new drummer.
Roy also has a solo side project, who's main goal is Christmas! He has an internet radio broadcast that he performs during the holidays, and this year he booked a couple of house concerts that featured some different material, then what SDR normally performs. He has written several original Christmas tunes, and he worked up some arrangements of some other songs that really do not fit with the SDR vibe. So, he wanted to concentrate on that in December. Honestly, I was burned out and needed a break from everything to recharge my battery, so this all worked out really well for me too.
During this time, we were also able to find a new drummer. John Hotchkiss will be joining us on the drums, going forward. John is a fantastic drummer who has a great personality and will be a welcome addition. Here's another tidbit for you. John is originally from the U.K., so he has the cool British accent going on!
We are currently booking shows for 2015. You can check the online calendar on www.sanddollarrodeo.com for dates, times and locations. We've added several new shows this week, and hopefully we will be adding a lot more over the coming weeks. I've heard from some of you in the past, asking when SDR was going to come to your town or to a specific venue. We are always up for anything. One of the best ways for us to obtain a booking through a new venue, is by you, the fan. Yes, you can really help us in that regard. Venues will listen to their customer's. If the demand is there, they will be willing to meet that demand. There are a lot of very talented musicians out there, and only so many venues, dates, and times. Your voice does matter. So, if you are interested in us coming to your town or to a specific venue, please feel free to let them know.
In other news, we released our latest single, entitled "Population You & Me" on October 31st. Have you had a chance to listen to it yet? If not, here is a link www.reverbnation.com/sanddollarrodeo It is the first song on the list. If you enjoyed it and would like to purchase it, it should be available wherever you purchase your digital music. We are also working on several other new original songs, and are hoping to have these available to you, in the near future.
I would like to take this time to thank each and every one of you for your support. Whether it was reading this blog, reading Roy's blog, attending a show, buying a CD, buying a T-Shirt, liking our Facebook page, following us on Twitter, sharing our posts, drinking a beer with us, buying a beer for us (ha ha!) and the list goes on! We really appreciate each and everyone of you! We are not going anywhere! We are really looking forward to 2015. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy this time with your family and friends and I'll talk to you in 2015!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Cody's Friends Rescue Benefit And Some Other News
Time seems to have got the better of me over the last few weeks. Things have been very busy for me lately, both on the band and non-band front. I was looking at the calendar and realizing that October is almost gone! Where has the time gone? Then I realized, whoa! I haven't posted anything, since the first part of the month.
Well, with that said, let's get caught up, shall we? Last weekend Roy and I did an acoustic show out at Shannon Brewery. They are a new craft brewery that opened up seven weeks ago. They are located right off of Main Street in Keller. Shannon and his crew were great and we really enjoyed ourselves. They have an awesome brewery. The outdoor beer garden is really nice. The inside is doubly impressive. They have a really nice bar area with plenty of big screens to enjoy the game. If football is not your thing, then you can sit outside in the beer garden and enjoy the music and food. Fuzzy's Tacos was there this past weekend. Yum! Oh, and don't forget the beer! Very good in my humble opinion. We hope to be back out there in the not so distant future, but in the meantime, you owe it to yourself to go check them out.
This weekend, our focus will shift to our four legged friends, as we will be playing a benefit for Cody's Friends Rescue. They are a local animal rescue group based out of the north Dallas area. You can find out more about this great organization by following this link www.codysfriendsrescue.com The benefit will take place at the Whole Foods in Addison. The street address is 5100 Beltline Road. The benefit starts at high noon and will run until 3pm. This will be a full band show. Their will be plenty of four legged friends, that are looking for their forever home, so come on out! While I'm really looking forward to this show and supporting this cause, this will also be a very bittersweet day for the band, as this will be Ken's last show with us. For those of you that don't know, Ken is our drummer. I want to thank Ken for all of the hard work he put into SDR. He will be sorely missed, but we want to wish him all the best, in his future endeavors.
With that said, the search is on for a new drummer. We have one that we are planning to meet with on November 8th. If you know someone that might be looking or might be interested in our project, please have them shoot us an email to info@sanddollarrodeo.com We are not booking anymore shows for the rest of the year, as a result of this development. We are going to be using our time in November and December to find a new drummer, and get him/her up to speed on everything. We plan to resume live shows in January. So if you want to catch the full band, this will be your last chance for awhile.
We will also be working on new music during this time. We have a lot of new song ideas in the works. It's just a matter of putting them altogether.
Speaking of new songs, our new single entitled Population You & Me is in final production. We are currently mixing it this week! We are really excited about it, and can't wait for you to hear it! It will be a available at all of the usual digital outlets, so stay tuned!
Alrighty, that's about all I have for now. Thanks for your time, and remember if your looking for a new furry friend, then Saturday is your perfect opportunity! Take care and I'll talk to you soon!
Well, with that said, let's get caught up, shall we? Last weekend Roy and I did an acoustic show out at Shannon Brewery. They are a new craft brewery that opened up seven weeks ago. They are located right off of Main Street in Keller. Shannon and his crew were great and we really enjoyed ourselves. They have an awesome brewery. The outdoor beer garden is really nice. The inside is doubly impressive. They have a really nice bar area with plenty of big screens to enjoy the game. If football is not your thing, then you can sit outside in the beer garden and enjoy the music and food. Fuzzy's Tacos was there this past weekend. Yum! Oh, and don't forget the beer! Very good in my humble opinion. We hope to be back out there in the not so distant future, but in the meantime, you owe it to yourself to go check them out.
This weekend, our focus will shift to our four legged friends, as we will be playing a benefit for Cody's Friends Rescue. They are a local animal rescue group based out of the north Dallas area. You can find out more about this great organization by following this link www.codysfriendsrescue.com The benefit will take place at the Whole Foods in Addison. The street address is 5100 Beltline Road. The benefit starts at high noon and will run until 3pm. This will be a full band show. Their will be plenty of four legged friends, that are looking for their forever home, so come on out! While I'm really looking forward to this show and supporting this cause, this will also be a very bittersweet day for the band, as this will be Ken's last show with us. For those of you that don't know, Ken is our drummer. I want to thank Ken for all of the hard work he put into SDR. He will be sorely missed, but we want to wish him all the best, in his future endeavors.
With that said, the search is on for a new drummer. We have one that we are planning to meet with on November 8th. If you know someone that might be looking or might be interested in our project, please have them shoot us an email to info@sanddollarrodeo.com We are not booking anymore shows for the rest of the year, as a result of this development. We are going to be using our time in November and December to find a new drummer, and get him/her up to speed on everything. We plan to resume live shows in January. So if you want to catch the full band, this will be your last chance for awhile.
We will also be working on new music during this time. We have a lot of new song ideas in the works. It's just a matter of putting them altogether.
Speaking of new songs, our new single entitled Population You & Me is in final production. We are currently mixing it this week! We are really excited about it, and can't wait for you to hear it! It will be a available at all of the usual digital outlets, so stay tuned!
Alrighty, that's about all I have for now. Thanks for your time, and remember if your looking for a new furry friend, then Saturday is your perfect opportunity! Take care and I'll talk to you soon!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Phamily Phestival For Alzheimers
Alzheimer's is a terrible disease, that may have affected some of you in some way or another. Maybe your friend's mom, dad, or grandparent has or had it. Maybe one of your direct family members have, or is suffering from it. I know that finding a cure, is a cause that is very dear to my heart. My wife's grandfather suffered from this disease. When we met, he was in the very beginning stages of it. He was still fully functional, but had a habit of repeating himself quite a bit. Through the next few years, I watched as he slowly started to lose his independence. It was really hard on my wife and her family. Heck, it was hard on me and I had not even known him for that long. He was a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. According to my wife, their was no question as to who was the head of their family.
Over time, things were slowly taken away to protect him. He loved to do projects around his house and yard. It eventually became too dangerous for him to operate power tools, or climb on a ladder, so my wife's grandmother had these items distributed to the various members of the family. We ended up with his ladder and his hedge trimmers. Every year when I hang Christmas lights, on that ladder, I think about him. I also think about him, every time that I trim our hedges, with that hedge trimmer.
Eventually, it became to dangerous for him to drive. He had a mint champagne, Ford Crown Victoria, that he was so proud of. My wife's mom slipped the keys to us, one day, and asked us to take the car to our house, so that grandpa wouldn't see it. We put the car up for sale, and it sold really quickly. The money, of course, went to grandpa's care.
Eventually, grandpa started wondering off. My wife's grandmother was not physically strong enough to keep up with him, so the difficult decision was made to admit him to a nursing facility. This really opened my eyes to this horrible disease. He was in an Alzheimer's unit. All of the patients, in this wing, were suffering from this horrible disease. They were at various stages, and they all seemed to behave in different manners. Some patients would wander aimlessly up and down the halls, while others were confined to wheelchairs, as they no longer knew how to walk.
Grandpa slowly lost the ability to do anything for himself. He was unable to dress, bathe, or feed himself. He eventually got to the point, where he no longer knew who we were. That's probably the hardest thing that I've witnessed, about this disease. From my understanding, the brain is finally unable to tell the body how to breath, and that is usually how the victim dies. This is the way that grandpa's death was explained to us. It's a really conflicting emotion. On the one hand, you of course are sad about their passing, but on the other hand, your relieved that they are at peace and no longer suffering from this horrible disease. Alzheimer's takes away all of your dignity and independence.
This weekend, SDR will be joining in a worthy cause. The Lone Star Parrot Head Club invited us to participate in the Phamily Phestival For Alzheimer's. As you can see, Alzheimer's has affected my family, as it does so many others. Roy was contacted by Lone Star Parrot Head Club to see if we would be interested in participating. Roy asked me if I was interested in doing this, and it was a very easy decision for me.
The event will take place this Sunday, October 5th, from 2-6pm at Fresco's Mexicana. Fresco's is located at 2420 Justin Rd., Highland Village, TX 75077. This event is open to the public. Their will be four, 1 hour sets of music. John Mason will be kicking things off at 2pm, and then we will follow from 3-4pm. After us, Charles Spradling will be playing, and then after that, a special unnamed guest will be appearing. Even I do not know who it will be. Guess you'll have to stick around and find out who it is! All of the acts involved, will be doing acoustic sets. For this one, it will just be Roy and I, and not the full band.
In addition to the live music, their will also be a silent auction going on. All of the proceeds will be donated to help fight Alzheimer's disease. Among the items for auction are a wine rack with some good wines, Coke a Cola merchandise, Cowboy sunglasses and much, much more! So come and "Party With Purpose", as Lone Star Parrot Head Club likes to say! Their will be plenty of great food, drinks, live music, and who knows what else! Let's do our part to fight this awful disease!
Ok. that's about all I have for now. Thank you for reading and I'll talk to you soon!
Over time, things were slowly taken away to protect him. He loved to do projects around his house and yard. It eventually became too dangerous for him to operate power tools, or climb on a ladder, so my wife's grandmother had these items distributed to the various members of the family. We ended up with his ladder and his hedge trimmers. Every year when I hang Christmas lights, on that ladder, I think about him. I also think about him, every time that I trim our hedges, with that hedge trimmer.
Eventually, it became to dangerous for him to drive. He had a mint champagne, Ford Crown Victoria, that he was so proud of. My wife's mom slipped the keys to us, one day, and asked us to take the car to our house, so that grandpa wouldn't see it. We put the car up for sale, and it sold really quickly. The money, of course, went to grandpa's care.
Eventually, grandpa started wondering off. My wife's grandmother was not physically strong enough to keep up with him, so the difficult decision was made to admit him to a nursing facility. This really opened my eyes to this horrible disease. He was in an Alzheimer's unit. All of the patients, in this wing, were suffering from this horrible disease. They were at various stages, and they all seemed to behave in different manners. Some patients would wander aimlessly up and down the halls, while others were confined to wheelchairs, as they no longer knew how to walk.
Grandpa slowly lost the ability to do anything for himself. He was unable to dress, bathe, or feed himself. He eventually got to the point, where he no longer knew who we were. That's probably the hardest thing that I've witnessed, about this disease. From my understanding, the brain is finally unable to tell the body how to breath, and that is usually how the victim dies. This is the way that grandpa's death was explained to us. It's a really conflicting emotion. On the one hand, you of course are sad about their passing, but on the other hand, your relieved that they are at peace and no longer suffering from this horrible disease. Alzheimer's takes away all of your dignity and independence.
This weekend, SDR will be joining in a worthy cause. The Lone Star Parrot Head Club invited us to participate in the Phamily Phestival For Alzheimer's. As you can see, Alzheimer's has affected my family, as it does so many others. Roy was contacted by Lone Star Parrot Head Club to see if we would be interested in participating. Roy asked me if I was interested in doing this, and it was a very easy decision for me.
The event will take place this Sunday, October 5th, from 2-6pm at Fresco's Mexicana. Fresco's is located at 2420 Justin Rd., Highland Village, TX 75077. This event is open to the public. Their will be four, 1 hour sets of music. John Mason will be kicking things off at 2pm, and then we will follow from 3-4pm. After us, Charles Spradling will be playing, and then after that, a special unnamed guest will be appearing. Even I do not know who it will be. Guess you'll have to stick around and find out who it is! All of the acts involved, will be doing acoustic sets. For this one, it will just be Roy and I, and not the full band.
In addition to the live music, their will also be a silent auction going on. All of the proceeds will be donated to help fight Alzheimer's disease. Among the items for auction are a wine rack with some good wines, Coke a Cola merchandise, Cowboy sunglasses and much, much more! So come and "Party With Purpose", as Lone Star Parrot Head Club likes to say! Their will be plenty of great food, drinks, live music, and who knows what else! Let's do our part to fight this awful disease!
Ok. that's about all I have for now. Thank you for reading and I'll talk to you soon!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
How Bout' Some Pickles?
What's going on? Well, quite a bit around these parts. We started recording sessions for the new album, this past weekend. Early reports indicate that it went very well. The main focus of the session, was to complete the guitar and bass tracks for a new song called Population You & Me. It was a very productive day. Josh and I also added some background vocals, so our parts are pretty much complete for this one. Trey is now on deck, and will be recording his parts in the very near future. After that, it will be Ken's turn, and then Roy will finish up the lead vocals. We are hoping to have this one completed and available for digital download by October 28th, so stay tuned!
Speaking of new music, we finished the mixing on a live favorite, just last night. It went to mastering today, and we are hoping to have it back in time for release, next Tuesday, September 30th. For whatever reason, most new releases, be it music, video games, books, DVD's etc.. come out on Tuesdays. I'm not sure why that is, or how it started, but we just go with it. This song will be absolutely free! Ah, but what's the catch you say? The catch is that the song will only be available to our mailing list. We will not be releasing the song on iTunes, Amazon, or any of the other fine music retailers. Have you joined the mailing list yet? If not, then now is the perfect time to join! When you join the mailing list, you will get a newsletter about once a month or so. We promise that we will not spam your inbox, with junk emails every other day. To join the mailing list, all you need to do is follow this link http://www.sanddollarrodeo.com/main/mailing-list/
So, let's see, what else? Oh yeah, we will be back on stage this Friday, September 26th at Pickles BBQ. Pickles is located at 8247 Rufe Snow Dr., Watauga, TX 76148. This will be our first visit to Pickles. They are a newer venue, and opened about a year ago. Specialty pickles are one of the featured menu items. Flavors include Watermelon, Sour Apple, Grape, Mango Con Chile, and Mixed Berry. If pickles aren't your thing, then they also have plenty of good ole' fashioned BBQ, burgers, sandwiches, and assorted sides. Drink specials for Friday will include $2 bottled beer all night long. This is an early show. We will be starting at 6pm, and will be playing until 8pm, so if your coming, be sure and get their early. I would also advise, to allow plenty of travel time, as this area is under heavy construction.Things can get backed up in a hurry, especially during the Friday evening rush hour.
This will be an acoustic show, not full band. Our keyboard player, Trey Pope, will be joining Roy and I for this one. This is a chance to catch us in a more intimate environment vs. the normal barn burning, full band shows. Trust me, I love and prefer the full band shows, but these acoustic shows are a nice change of pace. We usually play several songs that are not a part of our full band shows. It's a very different experience, and you never know what may happen. At our last acoustic show, a member of the audience came up on stage and joined us for an impromptu jam of the Georgia Satellites, popular song, Keep Your Hands To Yourself. I don't think I've ever played that song in my life, but we made it through it. So come on out! You never know what we might get into!
Well, I guess I've taken up enough of your time for one day. Thanks for reading and the support. Be sure and join the mailing list, if you haven't already. Also, if you like everything that is going on and enjoy the band, please tell your friends and family about us. The more the merrier! Ok, gotta go. I'll talk to ya soon!
Speaking of new music, we finished the mixing on a live favorite, just last night. It went to mastering today, and we are hoping to have it back in time for release, next Tuesday, September 30th. For whatever reason, most new releases, be it music, video games, books, DVD's etc.. come out on Tuesdays. I'm not sure why that is, or how it started, but we just go with it. This song will be absolutely free! Ah, but what's the catch you say? The catch is that the song will only be available to our mailing list. We will not be releasing the song on iTunes, Amazon, or any of the other fine music retailers. Have you joined the mailing list yet? If not, then now is the perfect time to join! When you join the mailing list, you will get a newsletter about once a month or so. We promise that we will not spam your inbox, with junk emails every other day. To join the mailing list, all you need to do is follow this link http://www.sanddollarrodeo.com/main/mailing-list/
So, let's see, what else? Oh yeah, we will be back on stage this Friday, September 26th at Pickles BBQ. Pickles is located at 8247 Rufe Snow Dr., Watauga, TX 76148. This will be our first visit to Pickles. They are a newer venue, and opened about a year ago. Specialty pickles are one of the featured menu items. Flavors include Watermelon, Sour Apple, Grape, Mango Con Chile, and Mixed Berry. If pickles aren't your thing, then they also have plenty of good ole' fashioned BBQ, burgers, sandwiches, and assorted sides. Drink specials for Friday will include $2 bottled beer all night long. This is an early show. We will be starting at 6pm, and will be playing until 8pm, so if your coming, be sure and get their early. I would also advise, to allow plenty of travel time, as this area is under heavy construction.Things can get backed up in a hurry, especially during the Friday evening rush hour.
This will be an acoustic show, not full band. Our keyboard player, Trey Pope, will be joining Roy and I for this one. This is a chance to catch us in a more intimate environment vs. the normal barn burning, full band shows. Trust me, I love and prefer the full band shows, but these acoustic shows are a nice change of pace. We usually play several songs that are not a part of our full band shows. It's a very different experience, and you never know what may happen. At our last acoustic show, a member of the audience came up on stage and joined us for an impromptu jam of the Georgia Satellites, popular song, Keep Your Hands To Yourself. I don't think I've ever played that song in my life, but we made it through it. So come on out! You never know what we might get into!
Well, I guess I've taken up enough of your time for one day. Thanks for reading and the support. Be sure and join the mailing list, if you haven't already. Also, if you like everything that is going on and enjoy the band, please tell your friends and family about us. The more the merrier! Ok, gotta go. I'll talk to ya soon!
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