Last Call....For This Year

Howdy partner! Well, we played our final show of 2013, this past Saturday at Community Beer Company. As we've stated before, the brewery gigs are a blast, and this one was no different. We had a great time, and want to thank Community Beer Company for having us out. For a complete re-cap of this show, and all of our shows, be sure and check out Roy's blog "The Holliday Road" found here www.royholliday.blogspot.com He goes into more detail about each show, and often times will share some behind the scenes stuff, that goes on.

As for now, we have a little break in the show schedule. Our next show is not until January 4th, when we will return to the Railhead Smokehouse, in Willow Park, Texas. Part of this break was by design, and another out of necessity. As far as the design part goes, we blocked out the weekend of December 28-29, several months ago. Roy will be traveling to Tulsa, Oklahoma to visit his family for Christmas, and my oldest daughter's birthday is on December 29th. My wife and I have always made a point to celebrate her birthday, on her birthday. I'm sure you all know someone, who has a birthday right around Christmas. Heck. maybe yours is? I've heard story after story of how the birthday, and Christmas all gets lumped into one. I'm sure you've probably heard of this, as well. "Well, this is your birthday and Christmas present." Or, "We will just celebrate your birthday on Christmas. The family will already be here, anyway."

With my daughter's birthday falling on a Sunday this year, she and my wife have decided to host a slumber party for her birthday. It will run from Saturday evening into Sunday (her actual birthday). I've been grounded and ordered to stay at home that evening. I had thought about checking into the local motel for the night, but was advised that was not an option, either. Oh well, too bad for me! Actually it can't be that bad can it? We will only have 5 or 6 screaming girls running around the house.

Also, we found out awhile back, that Cisco was not going to be able to continue on as our drummer. I think I mentioned this in a previous blog post. When we found this out, we still had the weekend of December 20-21, open on our calendar. After we received this news, we decided that the December 14th show at Community, would be our last one until January 4th. The Railhead show was already on the books, as they book their bands, pretty far in advance. The only exception we were willing to make, was if something came through on New Year's Eve. We put out several feelers for New Year's, but nothing panned out, so we are using this break to find our new drummer.

We will be holding auditions this Sunday, December 22nd. We have two drummers, scheduled to come out. We decided to rent a rehearsal studio for the day. If you've been following the blog, you may recall, that the last time we attempted a full band practice, we got the cops called on us at Roy's house. We decided not to take any chances, this time, so we rented the space. The other nice thing with this situation, is that we will have all of the time that we need. We will have access to the space from noon, until midnight.

Our goal, is to hopefully have our new drummer in place, after these auditions. This will then give them a couple of more weeks to get ready for the Railhead show.

Shifting gears now, I would like to re-cap our year for you. I'm usually not one of these " Year in Review" kind of guys. It's just not something that I am all that into, but after looking back, we accomplished quite a bit in our first calendar year. I'm not mentioning all of this to brag, or say "Look at us, ain't we great!" That's not my intention at all. I just wanted to review some of the great, and not so great moments from 2013.

For the record, we played 39 shows, during the 2013 calendar year. It could have been more, but we had six shows cancelled for various reasons. Two were cancelled due to bad weather, including our December 7th show at Cowtown Bowling Palace, which was cancelled due to "Icemaggedon!" The other weather cancellation, happened back in March, due to thunderstorms. The weather did wreck havoc on several other shows this year. Our very first show at Hollywood & Vine had to be moved indoors, due to freezing temperatures. We also had two shows moved indoors at Keller Tavern. One was due to a hail storm and freezing temperatures in January, and the other was due to thunderstorms, in May. That show was particularly difficult. We had completely set up our gear on the outdoor stage, when the manager came running out, advising us that storms were headed our way. We ended up breaking everything down, and re-setting up indoors. I was exhausted before we ever started playing, that evening. The weather in Texas has been strange, all together, this year. I remember when we played Mayfest, back in May (lol), I had to wear long sleeves, as temperatures that day were in the mid 60's, with a gusty wind. By May, we are usually into the 80's, and flirting with 90. July 4th was also cool, as it only reached a high of 85. We are usually into the 100's by then.

We had one show cancelled because the venue closed down, before our date arrived. Another venue cancelled us, because they double booked some other band on the same date. We had another gig cancelled at Hollywood & Vine, due to a scheduling error, and the best cancellation of all happened out at the Happy Armadillo in Everman, Texas. I don't think I will ever forget this one, as long as I live.

We drove out to Everman, which was a pretty good hike for all of us. We arrive, and their is maybe two or three customer's in the bar. We weren't really worried about that, as it was still early. We proceed to bring all of our gear in and set up. We start sound checking, and the waitress comes over and tells us that the manager doesn't want us to play. The manager comes up with the excuse that she was told, "We would be playing classic rock, and country." This was all being relayed through the poor waitress. I proceeded to argue our case with the waitress, that we never claimed to be a classic rock, country, or cover band. Now, we will mix in some covers, at our longer shows, which I also explained to her. I went on to advise her that we only submit our original material, for booking considerations, and that her venue had booked us, based on this. Roy could see that the situation was quickly deteriorating between she and I, so he stepped in and asked, "Well, do you want us to just pack up and leave?" And she replied, "Yes." The final kick in the crotch, of this evening, happened in the parking lot. We were all discussing what had just happened, with our booking agent at the time, when an Everman police officer drove up. He said he received a report of us drinking beer in the parking lot. Actually, we were all drinking bottled water. He had a radio call asking if he needed backup, and he said he was good. The officer on the other end of the radio asked if we were were drinking, and the officer with us said, "Yeah, bottled water." The officer was very nice to us, and appeared very irritated with the bar. He said he was going in to talk to them. We called it a night after that. To make matters worse, I got a speeding ticket on the way to the show. As I look back on this now, it's kind of funny, and makes for a good war story, but at the time, it totally sucked, and was probably the low point of our year.

A close second though, would be the show we put on at the Across the Street Bar, with our good friends, August & J. Their friends, The Five Hands, were also involved with this show. The Across the Street Bar was located near the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU). Notice, I said "was". More on that in a minute. From what I had heard, the Across the Street Bar was a really hip place in Dallas. When you looked at their website, you would see a picture of the venue, with tons of people, indoors and out. It had been around forever. August mentioned that he had played their during the 90's, if my memory serves me correctly, and said it was pretty good.

Our thinking was, this would be a good way to get into the Dallas market, and we would get a good college crowd. Plus, with three bands playing, we figured it would be a good draw. The show was going to be advertised in several publications, so we felt pretty good about things.

Have you ever had one of those experiences, where you show up to your destination and it doesn't quite look like it does in the pictures you saw? Well, this was one of those experiences. The place was really run down. The only person working their, was the bartender, who also happened to be the owner. The Five Hands, and August and J were already there, setting up their merch and gear. We were the last scheduled band, so I had plenty of time. I decided to strike up a conversation with the bartender/owner. I introduced myself, said we were glad to be there, etc.... I asked him where the rest of his staff was, and he said, "I'm it." I was very puzzled, and asked, "Really?" And he said, "Yeah, I'm closing the doors for good, next week." I was shocked. I said, "Well, do you think we will have a good crowd tonight?" He replied, "Well, it just depends on how many yall bring." I was getting this sinking feeling now. I asked, "So, you don't have crowds from SMU, come and hang out?" He said, "Nope, no one will show up, except for the people you invited." He went on to explain that the bar's failure was basically his fault. He never kept regular hours, and if it was slow, he would just close up early. He said he was tired of messing with it, and was done.

My spirit was crushed after that. But, their was nothing I could do about it. Time to make the best of it right? About that time, Jay came over and warned me that the stage had a soft spot in it. He was actually worried about falling through the stage. As we found out, when our time came, the stage was barely stable. The show was a disaster. The place was not grounded correctly, so you had this horrific hum coming though the PA. The guitar amps were buzzing, the vocals were distorted and you couldn't hear anything out of the monitors. All three bands had horrible issues with the sound system. My wife said it was awful. The only saving grace from the whole night, is that no one was really there, except for a few friends, spouses, and significant others. The night mercifully ended and we packed it up and headed home. I guess the only cool thing to come out of it was, that we were the last band to ever play at the Across the Street Bar, as far as I know.

One other show that really stood out to me, was another show we did with August & J, down in Gun Barrel City. This show took place in April. It was at a really cool place called the Venue. This was their grand opening. This was a sit down concert venue, and they went all out. It had a great stage, and sound system. They treated us like rock stars. We even had a dressing/band area! We had a great show that night, and the crowd that came to see us, was so nice. We were looking at doing another show down there, but before we could get it together, it unfortunately went out of business. I was really sad, when I learned of this. Dino created an awesome music venue, and it was so nice to feel appreciated. I really appreciate the hard work that he put into this place. It just doesn't seem fair that this place didn't make it, as it was such a unique venue.

The rest of our shows, seemed to go well for the most part. We felt like we were better on some nights vs. others, but that just seems to go with the territory, when your in a band. I don't know why that is. I think it may have to do, with us being our own worst critics. The off nights are usually not as off as it may seem, and the great nights are probably not as great as they may seem to be, at the time. Either way, we usually had some nice comments from people who had heard the show.

Brian Barton joined us in August, on the bass and backing vocals. He has been a tremendous addition. His bass gives us that deep thumping sound, and his backing vocals are top notch. Our live sound has definitely improved since Brian came onboard.

The other major event that happened for us, was the release of our debut album "GPS To Nowhere", on April 2nd. I really enjoyed co-writing with Roy, and recording the album. If you haven't checked it out yet, you can listen to the whole thing on Spotify, or on our website www.sanddollarrodeo.com We've received internet airplay for several songs, off the album, and we want to thank everyone who played, and continues to play the songs. Also on the recording front, we released a single called "Island Holiday" on Black Friday. You can get this single for free, by simply joining our mailing list, through the website. Roy and Brian also did some funky remixes of this song, so check those out too!

I would also like to thank Marti Ludwig, for helping us get this thing off the ground. She convinced a lot of venues to take a chance on us, and we really appreciate it!

Well, this is the last call for 2013. The blog will return in a few weeks. We are really looking forward to what 2014 has in store for us. If I've learned anything from this year, it would be to expect the unexpected. We have a lot of new song ideas that we are hoping to get ironed out, and into the live show. We also hope to have a new album either completed, or well on it's way, towards the latter part of 2014.

We would like to thank all of our fans for your love and support. Without you, their would be no SDR, and none of this would be happening. I want to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope you all have a great holiday season. Ok, I'm out of hot air. I'll talk to ya next year!

Last Bowl Of The Year, Maybe.....?

How are we doing today? Down here in Texas we are experiencing the "Arctic Blast" as everyone seems to be calling it. Basically all that means, is very cold temperatures, freezing rain, and sleet. By the way, does anyone know what the difference is between freezing rain, and sleet? A co-worker and I were discussing this yesterday. We had a major ice storm, last night. I'm not sure how thick it is but everything is white. Looks like snow, but it's not. Pretty much everything around here is shut down. Schools. businesses, government offices, you name it. Heck, even UPS is not running today. First time I ever can remember them shutting down.

As of this writing, and according to my Weather Channel app, the forecast reads as follows: A wintry mix this morning. Then clouds will linger this afternoon. Some icing possible (really?, lol)  Chance of precipitation, 90%, high temp 29, low of 16 tonight. Tomorrow's high will be 28, with a low of 24. Burr! Is this Texas or North Dakota?

As I said earlier, lots of events have already been postponed or outright cancelled, including some area football playoff games. The playoff games will not be cancelled outright, but you know it's bad, when they decide to reschedule football games in Texas. As many of you know, football is like a second religion, around these parts. It's extremely rare to reschedule football games, due to weather. A lot of people say, "The weather is part of it!"

This week is also a big week, for a lot of city Christmas festivals. Most of these have either been postponed or cancelled. If you are planning on attending one of these events, you might check the news or your favorite social media outlet, to see what is and what's not happening.

Now, with all of that out of the way, we are supposed to have a show at the Cowtown Bowling Palace on Saturday night. Cowtown, is located at 4333 River Oaks Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas. As many of you know, we play here about once a month. They call it "Bowling With The Bands". It's a really great deal. For $10, you get unlimited bowling for two hours, plus live music. They also have full kitchen service, plus adult & kid beverages, including cheap pitcher beer, plus plenty of soda, and sweet ice tea (which may be my favorite).

We have a great time, every time we play there, which is why I'm kind of bummed. Number one, this is our last show at Cowtown for 2013, and number two, the show is very much in doubt, due to the current weather situation. I have no idea, if the venue is going to close due to the weather, or just ride it out. If you are planning on coming out, my best advice would be to check our Facebook page throughout the day, on Saturday. We will be posting any updates about the show, their. One way or another (get that?), we will let you know if the event is happening, or not. Here is the link to our Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/sanddollarrodeo?id=27958203542715&_rdr  If you haven't already done so, please check the page out and give us a "like". This will be a great way to show your support for the band, and we will be forever in your debt. Well, maybe not forever, but you know what I mean!

I have one other piece of news that I need to share. Unfortunately, our drummer, will be moving on, after the first of the year. We are really going to miss Cisco. He has been an integral part of our live show, from the beginning. His increased job responsibilities are going to prevent him from being able to play with us. We are going to miss him, and wish him all the best.

With that said, we are conducting an active search for a new drummer. This will be more then a casual commitment, but not a full time job. Most of our shows are in the DFW Metroplex, but we do travel to some of the outlying areas, as well. If you know of anyone that might be interested, please have them email us at info@sanddollarrodeo.com The ideal candidate will need to be able to play with a click track (drummers know what this is). They will also need to be able to hit the ground running, as we are already booking shows for 2014.

Ok, time for me to make sure the faucets still have a drip. The pipes are already wrapped, time to settle down for a long winter's nap. Thanks for reading and for your support. Talk at ya soon!

Dance Off That Turkey

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I sure did. I'm still stuffed as of today! Well, today is the day. It's Black Friday. That means the Christmas madness begins! I know my mom, sister, aunt, and cousins are out shopping today. As for me, no thanks.

Black Friday also means happy release day for us. Yes, our new single called Island Holiday is available at all digital outlets, including Amazon and I-tunes. Or.....you can get it for free, if you join our mailing list. Personally, I would go for the free stuff. This is one of the best Black Friday deals available, right? I think so. Here is the link to join the mailing list www.sanddollarrodeo.com Just scroll down and you should see it at the bottom left side of the page. After you join, you should get an email shortly thereafter, with a free download code. If you have any issues accessing the download, please send us an email at info@sanddollarrodeo.com and we will get you set up. So c'mon now and getcha ya some Island Holiday and dance off that turkey and dressing.

You can also dance that turkey off, tomorrow night with us. We will be down in Cleburne, at the Caddo Street Grill www.caddostreetgrill.com This will be our 2nd time down there. It's a really cool place. Their are two sides. One side is a regular restaurant. The other side is a bar/concert venue. You have to be 21, to get into this area. The venue is located at 211 S. Caddo Street, Cleburne, TX. We will take the stage at 9pm. So if your in the area, or just want to take a trip down to Cleburne, c'mon down and join us. It'll be a good time, and you can de-stress from all of your Black Friday escapades.

Ok gang, I know this is a really short entry, but that's really all I've got for now. Thank you so much for reading, and for your support of the band. I'll see you guys on the flip side.

Martin House

In case you haven't noticed, Roy and I like good beer. Brian and Cisco do, as well. If you've listened to the album, then you know that quite a few of the songs either reference beer, or are beer themed. Among them are I'll Just Have A Beer (Duh), Carry Me Home, Tailgate To The Beach, Into The Night, and Down There On The Floor. Most nights, you will probably see one, or all of us sipping on a beer during our show. Some nights I'm not in the mood though, and will drink sweet ice tea instead. That's kind of a running inside joke within the band. They will mention that I am hitting the hard stuff, that night. We never get trashed on stage. That's not what it's about. Although, I've been known to get the set list mixed up from time to time. I guess you could blame that on the beer. The band sometimes does, ha ha! Like I said, we just enjoy the taste of a good beer. Live music (especially ours) and a cold beer, just seem to go together.

If you've been following along with the blog, then you might recall that we have played at several craft breweries. Craft beer is becoming a really big deal in Texas. It seems like new breweries are popping up on a weekly basis. A growing trend among these breweries, is that the open the doors on Saturday afternoons, for sampling and tours. Another growing trend, is to have live music at these events.

This Saturday afternoon, November 23rd, we will be playing at the Martin House Brewing Company, in Fort Worth. Check them out here www.martinhousebrewing.com They have several beers, that have been selected for the DFW.com Battle of the Brews, that is going on right now. It's a bracketed craft beer tournament.

I'm really excited about this show, and am really looking forward to sampling their beer. The event starts at 2pm and runs until 5pm. For $10, you get a souvenir pint glass, 3 complimentary pints of beer (for those over 21), a tour of the brewery, plus live music. I don't know about you, but that seems like a pretty good way to spend a Saturday afternoon, if you ask me! Plus, the weather is going to be really miserable on Saturday. We are looking at cloudy skies, rain, and a high of only 42 degrees, so their you go. C'mon now, you have no excuse!

SDR is really making a point to support these craft breweries. We believe in what they are doing, and really want to see them all have success. A lot of them are starving artists, just like us. Well, we are not literally starving, but you know what I mean. They are trying new, and different things. Much like us!

Ok gang, that's about all the time I have for now. Thanks for your support, and if your in the area on Saturday, drop on by and have a beer with us. Talk to ya soon!

Bowling Time And Some Acoustic?

After a few weeks away from the stage, we will be hitting it again this weekend. We have shows scheduled for the next five weeks, starting with the Cowtown Bowling Palace, this Saturday night. If you've been keeping up with the blog, the you know that we've played here several times, before. To the un-initiated, this is a really cool and unusual event. Roy found out about this place, earlier this year. Cowtown calls it "Bowling With The Bands". It's a really great deal. For $10, you get unlimited bowling for two hours, plus live music from the band. They also have plenty of cheap beer, and food. Oh, and if beer is not your thing, then they also have plenty of cheap, soda, tea, and water. I drank sweet tea the last time we played there, and trust me, it's really good! So, come join us on Saturday, November 16th, for some bowling, and live music. We will start playing about 9pm. The Cowtown Bowling Palace is located at 4333 River Oaks Blvd, Fort Worth, Texas.

Speaking of shows, we only have one weekend open for the rest of 2013. We are still open for the weekend of December 20-21. If you would be interested in having Sand Dollar Rodeo come play your holiday party, or event, now is the time to get your request in. Just drop us an email at info@sanddollarrodeo.com and we will get right back to you!

I have one other piece of exciting news, that I would like to share with you. We have been invited to participate in a new concert series at MacGyver's Food And Spirits http://www.facebook.com/macgyversfoodandspirits It's called the Bigstar97.com Campfire Jam. it's held every Wednesday night at MacGyver's in Burleson, Texas. So please mark you calendars for January 15, 2014. That's the night that we will be playing out there. Yes, I know it's a Wednesday night, but it's an early show. We will be playing with two other artists (I'm not sure who), yet. The show starts at 7, and will run until 10pm. Hey, you will have to eat dinner that night anyway, so you might as well come out, and join us!

This will be a very different experience, for Roy and I. As you can probably guess, from the title "Campfire Jam", that does not entail, loud electric guitars and drums. It is an acoustic, singer songwriter night. As such, Roy and I will be stripping the SDR tunes, down to the bare minimum. It will just be us and our acoustic guitars, we might throw a harmonica in their as well, but who knows? We've never done this type of show before, so I'm excited and nervous "a little", at the same time. At any rate, it will be very different, from the normal SDR live show. We really want to thank Bigstar97.com for inviting us. By the way, be sure and check out the station, when you get a chance www.bigstar97.com Also, if your in to what is going on with this, please be sure to "like" the Bigstar97.com Campfire Jam Facebook page. They will send out updates on everything that is going on with the Campfire Jam.

Ok, that's about it for now. Thanks for reading, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Island Holiday, And Some Other News

Due to a couple of scheduling quirks, we will not be returning to the stage until November 16th. We were off last weekend. Originally, Cisco was going to be out of town last weekend, but some things changed, and he was actually here. But, by the time he found out that he was going to be in town, it was too late for us to pursue any show bookings. That's ok, though. It was actually nice to have a quiet weekend, with nothing going on, or nowhere that I had to be.

Many of you know that I am a football fanatic. That would be the American version, and not the version that is played across the pond. Texas is pretty much the football capital of the world, although Oklahoma, Florida, California, and Ohio might disagree with that assessment. I do believe, however, that Texas is the undisputed king of high school football. Some of the high school stadiums down here, would rival or exceed, many small colleges. I live in Aledo, which happens to have one of the best teams, in the state of Texas, year in and year out. This year is no exception, as they are the #1 ranked team in the state, for their classification. Many believe that they will capture their 4th state title, in 5 years. They were also the subject of a bullying probe, that went nationwide, a few weeks ago. I'm not going to get into all that, you can Google the incident, if you want to read more about it.

Anyway, my point of all of this, is that I have been unable to attend a game this season. In years past, I usually attend all the home games, most of the playoff games, and a few of the road games, depending on who the opponent is. This year, my commitments with SDR have prevented me from going to a game. I'm not complaining at all, as I love to be on stage with my band mates, and wouldn't trade that for the world. It was nice, however, to go spend a Friday night at the stadium. I had a lot of people come up to me and ask, "Where have you been this year?" I talked up the band, and explained what's been going on. Maybe this will result in some new fans for us? I was hoping for a good game, but it was not to be. Aledo was playing a team that was also undefeated. They are the second best team in the district, but Aledo ended up winning the game, 72-6. Ouch!

I arrived home a little after 10, and the family was already asleep. This is early for me, especially on a Friday night. There are some nights, where we do not even start playing until nearly 10 o'clock, so I was wired. I hopped on the xbox 360 and played for a few hours, before calling it a night. Talk about a night of goofing off, huh? I almost feel guilty!

The next day (Saturday), was all about the kids. They had a birthday party to go to, early in the day. Then, the wife and I caught up on our backlog of TV shows, that we never seem to have the time to watch. That evening, we decided to take the kids to a drive-in movie theatre, that opened up earlier this year in Fort Worth. They had never been to a drive-in, and honestly, I only remember going to one when I was a kid. We saw Jaws. I'll never forget seeing that movie, as a kid.

We opted for a little tamer fare, as the drive-in was showing a double feature of Free Birds, and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2. Cloudy, was the much better movie, of the two, in my opinion. We made it home about 11ish. Kids were passed out, we threw em' in bed, and I was exhausted too. I had these grand plans of maybe picking up the guitar, or playing some more video games, but neither of those materialized.

Sunday, was a lot of board games with the kids, NFL football, and Duck Dynasty. It's my oldest daughter's favorite show. Boy, I was productive last weekend, wasn't I?

We were supposed to have a show this Friday, at Old Texas Brewing Company, in Burleson, but it was cancelled awhile back. The venue cancelled the show. Their was something mentioned about an ongoing lawsuit with a music publisher over royalties. As a result, they advised us that they had to cancel all future shows, until this issue is settled. I'm not really sure what is up with all of this. I am bummed that it got cancelled though. This place looks really cool, and I was really looking forward to playing there.

So, there ya go. That's another reason why we've had this gap in the show schedule. Aledo plays an away game on Saturday afternoon, against a really weak team. I think, I'm gonna skip that, and wait for the playoffs. I guess I'll play some more xbox this weekend, lol.

Moving along! We have a song, that we will be releasing as a single on Black Friday. That would be Friday, November 29th, for all of you non shoppers. We feature this song in most of our live shows, but it did not make it on to the GPS album. It seems to be a real crowd favorite. We've been asked at several shows, where people can buy it. The song has a Christmas theme to it, but we've found that we can play it year round. The song is called Island Holiday. Now, here is the real cool part. You can get this song for free, on Black Friday. That's right, free! All you have to do is sign up for our mailing list here http://ow.ly/qpmW1 This is an exclusive offer and thank you, for everyone, on our mailing lis. It will also be available at all the usual digital stores, including i-tunes and Amazon, but why do that, when you can get it for free? So, please feel free to pass the link along, to everyone you know. Again, everyone on the mailing list will receive an email, with a link to download the song, so be sure to sign up now!

The last bit of news that I would like to share, is that we are starting a group called the SDR Street Team. What is that, you ask? It's an exclusive group that will get special access to downloads, graphics, giveaways, and whatever else we decide. So what's involved? Pretty simple-Spread the word about the band. Tell your friends, tell strangers, re-post our posts, post on your own, start rumors-we don't care if they're true or not, pass out flyers, when we're coming to your town, etc.. Basically, help us spread the word about the band, and grow the scene. You will also have access to assorted pre/post show activities (sound checks, dinner with the band, and other stuff like that!) You can even help us breakdown the equipment, after the show, if you want! Just kidding! Oh, and most important-you'll be the cool kid in class, and we will be forever in your debt. So, if your in Texas or Oklahoma and want to help out, please send us a message at info@sanddollarrodeo.com or you can contact us through Facebook or Twitter.

Well, that's about all the time I have, for now. Thanks, as always, for your support of the band and for reading the blog. Talk to ya soon!

The Fall Tour Continues...

It seems like we just finished playing Railhead, yesterday. It was actually a few days ago, but man, the time is flying. It's time to buckle down, and get prepared for two more shows this weekend. I'm not complaining, mind you, but October has been crazy. That's ok, though. I like the pace. We've had shows every weekend. It really makes the week and weekend, fly by. The week seems especially short, whenever we play a Saturday night show, and then play the following Friday.

Before I jump into this week's shows though, I would like to thank everyone who came out to see us at the Railhead, last Saturday. We had a blast! It's always especially fun, when you can play for good friends, and family. The staff at Railhead, were especially nice, and treated us great! You guys be sure and mark your calendars, because we booked two more shows at the Railhead. We will be back on Saturday, January 4, 2014, and again on Saturday, February 1, 2014. For a complete recap of this show, be sure and check out Roy's blog here www.royholliday.blogspot.com  There were some strange going on's, for sure! Go ahead, click it, I know you want to!

As for this week, we have a double decker scheduled for this weekend. On Friday, we will be at the Score Sports Bar. The Score is located at 7709 Camp Bowie W. Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas. This is a new venue (for us), as we've never played here before. I'm really not sure what to expect, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm always excited about new places. The Score, has been on Camp Bowie, for quite some time though. We will start at 8:30pm, so if your in the area, please stop on by.

On Saturday night, we will move the party, down south to Somervell County, as we return to one of our favorite venues, Hollywood & Vine. I'm really looking forward to seeing Wanda, and the gang. Hollywood & Vine is located at 101 Vine Street, in Glen Rose, Texas.

If you've never been to Glen Rose, then you are really missing out. Dinosaur Valley State Park is located down there. This park contains some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks, in the world. Glen Rose is also home to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. This is a drive through animal park, that your whole family will love. The animals will come right up to your car! It's really hard to describe. They also have an awesome, old town, shopping square, and the scenery is just beautiful. I swear, the place seems green, year round!

My suggestion? Make a day of it, and then come hang with us in the evening. Hollywood & Vine is a kid-friendly place, complete with it's own sand beach, in the patio area. My daughters love this feature. My wife? Not so much. They also serve a mean burger, great fried okra, plenty of ice cold beer, soda, tea, and water!

Please note, that this will be our last show at Hollywood & Vine, for this year. They have an awesome outdoor stage. They are also able to host smaller bands, and acoustic groups on an indoor stage. We actually played on it, our first time down there, due to the temperature being in the 30's. Unfortunately, their is no way that we would all fit on this small stage, now. With the addition of Brian, plus Cisco's full drum kit, it just won't work. Plus, we would be way too loud, for the inside of this particular building. It's hard to describe, unless you've been there. It's just too big of a risk, to book an outdoor show, through the late fall and winter months. The weather could be 70 and fair, or it could be freezing. We hate to cancel shows, and this is the main reason for this decision. After this Saturday, we probably will not be returning to Hollywood & Vine, until next March or April, so c'mon down and check it out! It's always a good time.

Their is one other piece of news, that I would like to pass along to you. We found out today, that DJ Jeff of Beach Front Radio passed away today. He was the head DJ and owner of Beach Front Radio. He staged a brave and hard fought battle, with that old nemesis, known as cancer. DJ Jeff was a huge supporter of SDR, and played our music on his radio program, each day. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to his family, friends, and all of the Beach Front Radio community.

Ok, that about wraps it up for this week. Thank you for reading, and your support of the band. We really, really appreciate it. Also, please keep your thoughts and prayers with DJ Jeff and his family, as they go through this difficult time. Gotta run. I'll talk to you soon! 

Railhead

If you plan on being a musician, then you better be prepared to travel around a bit, if you want to have any sort of success. The one exception might be, if you play at church. If that's the case, then you get the luxury of playing in the same place, every week. I did that for a long time, and it can be a nice situation. I used to leave my main amp up at the church, so their was never any setup. They had a nice PA, so it was pretty much, plug in and play. Most musicians do not have this luxury, however. As I said, your gonna have to travel some.

With SDR, we've been all over the DFW Metroplex, and beyond. Playing live is one of the best ways to reach the masses, and get your music out there. The thing is, though, your going to have to go to the masses. They ain't coming to you, unless you are really, really established. Heck, even established bands have to play a lot of shows, to cover all of their bases. I'm a huge music fan, but even I won't drive all over the country to see a band. Fifty miles is about my limit. Which, incidentally, is the distance from my house to Dallas. I'll either wait until they have a show close enough to me, or I'll just miss out. I really hate to miss out, but that's just the way it goes sometimes.

Now, with all of that out of the way, let's just say that this week's show is a very special one for me. We will be playing at the Railhead Smokehouse in Willow Park, Texas, this Saturday, October 19th at 7:30pm. So, why is it so special? Well, it's a hometown gig for me. My family moved to Willow Park when I was 10 years old, and with the exception of a few years, after high school, I've pretty much lived in the area, ever since. I'm currently in Aledo, which is a couple of miles up the road. Aledo and Willow Park, have pretty much turned into one big conglomerate.

Hometown gigs, don't seem to happen very often, when your a musician. At least they haven't for me. Now, if you live in a big city, they may occur more regularly. To date, we've only played in my area twice. Once was in January, at the now defunct, Dirt Roads Dancehall (aka Wet Willies), and the other time was in May, for a private party at my folks house, in Willow Park. Ironically enough, we played a hometown gig, last week, for Roy. We were at Reno Reds in Roanoke, which is only a couple of miles from his house. This was our first ever gig in Roanoke. We didn't plan these two gigs to fall this way, it's just sort of the way it happened. You take the dates, when they are available. Most of the time though, every member of the band, is doing some driving. It's just kind of the way it goes.

When SDR first started, I had people immediately tell me, "Y'all need to go play up at Railhead." A lot of these people were family and friends. I understand why they want us to play there. It's got great food, and it's close to them, lol. Remember what I said earlier? Most of my family and friends, are not gonna drive to Dallas, Glen Rose, or wherever, to listen to us play. Heck, I don't blame them!

The Railhead is a really neat venue, and is quickly becoming a must stop, on the Texas music circuit. They are able to host shows year round, with their indoor/outdoor patio area. They are heavily affiliated with 95.9 The Ranch, and have hosted numerous events, and concerts with the station.

We are very excited about this show, and It's been on the calendar for quite some time, now. They book their shows, several months in advance, so if you don't catch us this weekend, then it may be awhile, before we are back. If you are in the Aledo/Willow Park area, and are interested in the band, then please come and support us. We want to see everyone. It's gonna be a party. The Railhead has great food, ice cold beer, and plenty of non alcoholic beverages, plus a great atmosphere! It's the place to be in Willow Park/Aledo. Of course, if you live in the area, then you already know that. We look forward to seeing you there, and please bring a friend, or two, or three!

The Railhead Smokehouse is located at 120 S. Ranch House Road, Willow Park, Texas. It's right off of I-20. Showtime again, is at 7:30pm.

Well, thanks for stopping by. We really do appreciate the support, and look forward to seeing you Saturday.

On Tap This Week: More Shows!

We had a blast at Chubby's Burger Shack, last Friday night. We celebrated my youngest daughter's birthday, made some new fans, and will be booking another show there, next year. You can't ask for much more then that, can you? They are booked up for the rest of the year, and it's easy to see why. Great, great staff, that were super cool to us. For a complete recap of this show, be sure and check out Roy's blog here www.royholliday.blogspot.com Thank you Chubby's, for everything, we look forward to doing it again.

The fall tour (lol), continues on this week, with a pair of shows on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, we will be up in Roanoke, Texas. This weekend is Celebrate Roanoke weekend, and we will be kicking things off at Reno Red's. Reno Red's is located at 304 U.S. 377, Roanoke, Texas. This is on the Roanoke strip. The Celebrate Roanoke weekend will be taking place, all along the strip. Other notable bands will be performing throughout the weekend, including Brave Combo, Le Freak, and many more. Be sure and check the listings, for dates & times. Our show at Reno Red's will start at 6:30pm. This is an early show, but no worries, just take off work early, and come start the weekend with us. I'm sure your boss won't mind, and if you are the boss, better yet!

On Saturday night, we will move things over to the Fort Worth/River Oaks area, as we will be returning to the Cowtown Bowling Palace. The Cowtown Bowling Palace is located at 4333 River Oaks Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas. This is a great deal, that they have going on. It's called, Bowling With The Bands. For $10, you get two hours of unlimited bowling, live music, and cheap beer! They also have cheap prices on their non-alcoholic beverages. We've played several shows here, and it's always a fun time. Mike, and the gang at Cowtown, are an awesome bunch, so c'mon down! SDR will go on at 9:30pm.

One last note, we are booking for holiday parties now. It's hard to believe, that it's already getting to be that time of year again. If you would like SDR to come and play a private event, please shoot us an email at info@sanddollarodeo.com Either Roy, or I, will respond right back, and get you set up.

Ok, that's all I've got for now. Time for me to run, or bike, or whatever. Have a great weekend, and I hope that you are able to make it to one of the shows.

A Birthday Bash

This is a very special week for me, but before I get into that, I would like to give you a brief recap, of last week.

We had a gig at Caddo Street Grill, in Cleburne, on Saturday. What started out as a very difficult, and stressful night, ended up being one of the best shows that SDR has played, to date. Cisco had a death in his family on Saturday. Most of his family lives in Minnesota, so he was unable to be with them, immediately. I know he was having a very difficult time with this. Honestly, if he would have had to cancel, I would have understood, under the circumstances. I think the tension, and stress of all the pre-show activities, contributed to us having such a great show. We released all of that pent up stress, and anxiety into the music. The show was loud, rowdy, aggressive, and rambunctious, but in a good way. This was a show that Marti had booked several months ago. She and her husband Wayne were there. Wayne mentioned to Roy, that he thought it was the best we had ever sounded. My wife, who is no stranger to SDR shows, mentioned that we were more entertaining here, then we ever had been. It was really nice to have all of this positive feedback, after the way the night started.

I would really like to thank Cisco for playing that night, under such difficult circumstances. I would also like to thank Jade Flores for coming out, and starting things up. Jade is an amazing talent, and I see great things for her, in the future. She really helped us out, by extending her set. You can check out Jade here www.jadeflores.com or at www.reverbnation.com/jadeflores Also, for a complete recap of this show, be sure and check out Roy's blog here http://royholliday.blogspot.com Roy's blog focuses specifically on each show, through his eyes.

This week, we will be at Chubby's Burger Shack on Friday, October 4th. Chubby's is located at 7914 Camp Bowie West Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas. We will start at 8pm. This is another gig, that Marti had booked for us, sometime ago.

I had mentioned earlier, that this was a very special week for me. The reason? It's my youngest daughter, Faron's birthday. She will be the big, 6 years old, on Friday. For those of you that don't know, she goes by Fernie, however. The name, Fernie, came from her older sister, Zaira, At the time, Zaira was just learning to talk. She couldn't say Faron, and started calling her Fernie. Soon, everyone in the family started calling her Fernie, and the name stuck. As time went on, Faron decided that she wanted to be called Fernie, and she has made this very clear to everyone. All of her friends and teachers, at school, call her Fernie. I seem to be the only one that still wants to call her Faron. I prefer her formal name, but oh well. When I forget, and call her Faron, she quickly lets me know that it's Fernie. I have a feeling that this will all change, once she reaches middle school or high school, but who knows? Especially, with her. She is a very unpredictable child.

When this date was first presented, my first inclination was to decline, and have Marti reschedule the venue, for another time. But, after talking it over with my wife, and Fernie, we decided to keep the date. You see, Fernie really enjoys hearing the band play. She would go to every gig, if she could, and if my wife would let her. Unfortunately, a good portion of the places we play, are either not kid friendly, or the gig starts, right at, or after her bedtime.

As I said, Fernie is really into the band. She always wants to help me load my gear into the car, then she begs my wife, to let her go to the gig with me. When we are out at the car, she will say, "Daddy, can I go with you?". and I'll say, "Go ask you mother.", and she does. It's funny, but it makes me feel good too.

So, since Fernie likes to hear us play, the venue is kid friendly, and the gig does not start too late, we decided to make it Part 1, of Fernie's birthday bash. Plus, Fernie loves burgers, so that made it a no brainer. Part 2 will happen on Saturday afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese's. I'm already feeling a headache coming on. Just kidding!

We will be without Cisco this week, as he has travelled to Minnesota, to be with his family. Luckily, Roy knows how to program a drum machine, so we will be using that on Friday. It will definitely be a different feel, without the live drums, but we would rather go this route, then have to cancel the gig. So, if your in the area Friday, stop by Chubby's, have a burger, and wish Fernie a happy birthday! Or, you can stop by Chuck E. Cheese's, on Saturday. Hmm.... I think I would go with Chubby's.

As always, thanks for reading, and for your support. Time to go practice, with the drum machine. Talk to ya soon!

Gearing Up For Fall

Fall has arrived! It's hard to believe. We've welcomed fall, down here in Texas, with some balmy 80 degree days. That's much better then 100, though! If you've been following the blog, then you know we've kind of been holed up during the dog days of summer. A lot of this was by design, as we brought Brian onboard, and have been totally revamping the live show. Cisco has moved on to a full drum kit vs. a percussion set up. Now, to facilitate all of this, we've had to make major changes to the way we do things.. I won't bore you with all of the technical details, but I will say it's been a challenge. In the long run though, I believe it's what's best for us, and that it will payoff.

We've played three shows, with this setup so far, and we've had to tweak things after each show, as we learn what works and what doesn't.

Things are about to get a whole lot busier for us though, as we have a slew of shows coming up, this fall. We will be visiting a lot of new venues too, which is always exciting.

We will be kicking things off this Saturday, at the Caddo Street Grill, in Cleburne, Texas. This is our first ever gig in Cleburne, and we are really excited, to be going down there. We really enjoy visiting the smaller towns, like Glen Rose, Granbury, Weatherford, and Burleson, among others. I expect Cleburne will be a fun trip, as well. The Caddo Street Grill is located at 211 S. Caddo Street, Cleburne, Texas. We will be having a special guest join us for this show, as Jade Flores will be kicking things off. You can check out Jade's work here www.reverbnation.com/jadeflores Check out her music, she has a great voice! Jade will go on at 9pm, and then SDR will follow, somewhere between 9:45 and 10pm. So, if your going to be in the Cleburne area on Saturday night, c'mon by and see us!

To check out the rest of our fall schedule, please be sure and visit our official website, www.sanddollarrodeo.com We hope you can make it out to one of our shows. While your there, can you please click on the Facebook icon, on the site, and give us a like? That is, if you like us, lol. If Facebook is not your thing, but Twitter is, then we have you covered there too. You can click the Twitter icon, on our website, and it will allow you to follow us on Twitter.

Ok, kids, that's all I've got for now. Time for me to get out on the bike, and enjoy this awesome weather. Talk to ya soon, and thanks for reading!

A Last Minute Gig, And Some Recording

Hello gang! Hope everyone is doing well. Did you enjoy your Labor Day weekend? I know, I did. I had some good food, worked in a long bike ride, and watched plenty of football! I always consider Labor Day weekend, to be the unofficial end of summer. School has started, football is here, and it seems to be getting dark, earlier in the evening. Of course, the actual weather is telling a different story, as we have been well over 100 degrees, for the last week. It looks like we will be in the high 90's, for the rest of the week though, so that's good! Bring on fall!

SDR, managed to get some work in, over the holiday weekend. We holed up in the studio, and recorded a live show favorite, called Island Holiday. We will be releasing it as a free download, on Friday, November 29th. That is Black Friday, by the way. It is our Christmas present to you, the fans. The only requirement is, that you need to be on our mailing list, in order to access the download. Are you on our mailing list? If not, then what are you waiting for? You can sign up for our mailing list here www.sanddollarrodeo.com Just scroll down, look for the mailing list sign up, enter your email address, and that's it! We promise not to spam your inbox with offers, or junk. Normally, you will receive a newsletter, about once a month. We will also send out any big announcements, through this channel, as well.

We also recorded a scratch demo, for a new song that we are working on. Plus, we went over three other songs new songs, that are in pre-production. Look for these songs to start working there way into the live set, throughout the fall and winter.

I had mentioned not to long ago, that things in the music business often change in an instance, and without notice. Well, this happened yesterday. Our good friend, Marti, who is a booking agent, received a call from the Cutting Horse Saloon. They had a band cancel, for this Friday. They were inquiring, to see if she had anyone, that could fill the spot. Well, all of her other bands, were booked. We did not have anything scheduled, so she contacted Roy, to see if we wanted it. We got a hold of Brian and Cisco, to see if they would be available on such short notice, and thankfully, they were.

I'm really excited about this show. These are the types of shows, that Roy and I, really like to play. It will be a 90 minute show, with no breaks. They have a house PA, and that means a soundman! Yes! I know Roy is really happy, as he gets a break from being the soundman.

The Cutting Horse is located at 2132 Tin Top Road, Weatherford, Texas. We will start at 9:30pm, and play till 11pm. From my understanding, there will also be another band following us, but I am not sure who it is, as of press time. This is our first ever show in Weatherford! So, please come out, if you can! We have been trying to get out that way, for quite awhile now. Many thanks to Marti, for making this happen!

Well, that about does it for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to ya soon!

Returning To The Stage

As many of you know, we haven't played live since July 19th. That's a pretty long layoff, as far as I'm concerned. The time has actually gone by, rather quickly though. We've been very busy, behind the scenes, and I was able to work in a family vacation to Arkansas. To see what we've been up to, you can check out my last couple of posts, in the archives.

This coming weekend, we will be returning to the stage, with a show at the Cowtown Bowling Palace, on Saturday, August 24th. We will be playing from 9:30pm to 12:30am. The cover charge is $10, but it includes all you can bowl for two hours, plus live music. That's a pretty cheap way to spend a Saturday night, if you ask me. The Cowtown Bowling Palace is located at 4333 River Oaks Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas.

This will also be the debut, for our new bass player, Brian Barton. Cisco, will also be bringing out the big drums, for the first time. We've had a lot of compliments on his percussion playing. The people we have talked to, think it's really neat, and different. Trust me though, you will enjoy him on full drums too. The full kit, just takes things to a whole other energy level and feel, in my opinion. Both Cisco and Brian, have been working very hard, and I really appreciate it. Roy has too. We will still be sequencing some of the keyboards, and using click tracks on occasion. Roy has had to make a lot of adjustments, on that end. He will also be playing quite a bit more live keyboards, then what he normally does. I'll say it again, I really appreciate all the work, that these three have put in.

I've actually had it the easiest. Not a lot has really changed on my end. The only issues, I seem to be having, are equipment related, ugh! I had a cable go out at practice, but it's hard for me to complain. The thing lasted me 4 or 5 years. It was more of an annoyance, then anything. I run four cables from my amp, to my pedal board, and through my guitar. I had to disconnect everything, and test each cable out, to find the guilty party. Then the footswitch, for my amp, started acting up. Luckily, I had a spare, and we were ok. And lastly, we discovered that my monitor is on it's last legs. Monitors, are the speakers that face the band. They are usually placed at the front of the stage. This is so the band members can hear everything. The only sound coming out of my monitor, is from the high end horn. The bass speaker is dead. I love new gear, as much as anyone, but I'm really getting tired of having to dump money into it. It seems like I need two, of every piece of gear. It's getting kind of annoying. Ok, end of rant. This week, I'll go pick up some new cables, and replace the monitor, when I can. Hopefully, my footswitches will hold out, too.

We had our final two rehearsals for the show, this past weekend, over at Roy's house. We've made several tweaks, with the song list. All the originals, of course, will still be present, but we've added a few, dropped a few, and brought one back from the dead, on the cover end. We also hope to add a new original song to the mix, in the coming weeks. We've also re-worked one of the covers, that we were considering dropping, plus several others. I'm really looking forward to playing all of these revamped songs.

Rehearsal went smooth, until Sunday afternoon. We had played 3 or 4 songs, and were really starting to get into the groove of things, when the doorbell rang. Can you guess who it was? If you guessed the police department, then you guessed correctly! The officer was very polite, and asked if he could come in. He went on to explain, that one of the neighbors had called in a noise complaint. He asked me to strum my guitar, to see how loud it was, and then said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what I heard, when I was driving up here." All of us, including him, had a laugh. He hung out for a few more minutes. I think he was hoping that we would play a song, or something. He told us, that he hated to tell us to turn down, but he had no choice.

He left, we turned way down, and the rehearsal pretty much lost all of it's energy. What's funny, is that we were not even running our PA. It was all monitor, amps, and drums. We turned down so low, that Roy didn't even bother singing into the mike, most of the time. It turned into a mechanical, robotic rehearsal, for the rest of the afternoon. It was the strangest rehearsal, I have ever been a part of. Oh well, we did the best that we could do, under the circumstances. I feel confident, that we will be ok on Saturday night. Everyone in this group is great, about doing their homework. Would I like to have one more rehearsal? Yeah, I would, but it's not in the cards. Nothing we can do about it, so I'm not going to worry myself to death, over it.

Well, that's about all I have for now. If your in the area, on Saturday night, stop by Cowtown, meet Brian, check out the new show, and do some bowling! Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to ya soon!

A Change Of Plans

Last week was about as crazy, as it can get. In the music business, things change and often do, in an instant. If you'll recall, we were preparing to have rehearsal, with our new bass player, Carlos, this past weekend. In addition, we are now booking ourselves, and I was getting used to, yet, another new amp. Please don't laugh. I've finally got my amp dilemma solved! I promise! I picked up an old Marshall JCM 900, that dates back to 1992. The thing simply rocks, and I have no plans of getting rid of it. I've also got the Vintage Club 50, out of the shop, so all is good.

I was spending last Thursday, getting used to the amp, and preparing for our rehearsal. As a matter of fact, I got so carried away, that I forgot to publish my blog post. I realized this at about midnight. Oops! Oh well, no one would notice, right? Wrong! I received an email from Roy, the next morning, saying how disappointed he was. Of course, he was just joking around.

Roy was also very busy this past week, with preparing the technical side of rehearsal. With us going to live bass, we decided that now was the time to have Cisco move from percussion, to a full on drum kit. The only reason, we hadn't done this before, is that we worried about the volume increase, plus we needed to come up with a monitor solution, for Cisco. We are still going to be using click tracks on some of the songs, and we had to figure out a way for Cisco to hear the click track. We do not have the funds, at present time, to invest in an in ear monitoring system. Roy spent the week, figuring out a solution to all of this. Don't ask me how, that is way outside my area of expertise. I'm sure if you want to find out more, you can email him, and he will let you know what he was doing.

So, Friday rolls around, and as soon as I arrived home, I get a call from Roy. I knew something serious must be up, if he is calling me. We rarely talk on the phone. We usually are able to get our business done, through email or text. Anyway, he proceeds to tell me, that Carlos is not going to make it to rehearsal. Some issues had come up, that were going to prevent him from being there. I can't begin to tell you, how bummed I was. I had been looking forward to this, for weeks.

We were trying to figure out what to do. I called Cisco, to get his take. We all three, discussed several options. We decided that we would get together, regardless, as we wanted to test out Cisco's in ear monitoring system. This was something we were going to have to do anyway, if we were going to bring in a full drum kit.

Meanwhile, Roy said he was going to reach out to Brian. In case you forgot, Brian, was one of the bass players that auditioned for us back in June. Brian is a great player, and has an awesome personality. If you'll remember, we had a very difficult time making a decision between Carlos and Brian. The main reason for selecting Carlos over Brian, was that Carlos and Cisco had worked together before. We thought that maybe their familiarity with each other might be a better fit. Playing ability wise, I think that they are equal.

Roy kept updating me through the evening. I went to the First Friday Festival in Aledo, with my family, and had some of the best Cajun Fried Okra, ever! Man, it was spicy, but so good! To make a long story short, it seemed like Brian was still interested in working with us, but wouldn't be available for Saturday. No big deal, and totally understandable, given the short notice. I have to be honest though, I was majorly bummed and didn't even want to go to rehearsal, the next day. I went home, and finally published, my way overdue blog post. I had to do quite a bit of re-writing, due to the circumstances. After that, I played a little Xbox 360, and went to bed.

The next morning I got up, ate some breakfast, and then prepared to go to Roy's for rehearsal. I was more bummed, then the night before, but trudged on.

As I was driving to Roy's, I received a text from him, that Brian was going to stop by! Man, I was elated! I was so glad to hear this news. When I arrived at Roy's, he met me out front, and said he had offered the job to Brian, and that Brian wanted it. I was more then ok, with this!

I want to stop here, and thank Carlos for his time. He is really talented. Unfortunately, his schedule is just too full. He mentioned to us that he plays in six different bands! This past Saturday, was a crucial practice for us, and had been on the schedule for quite awhile. We were afraid that there would be too many scheduling conflicts, with Carlos. He does this for a living, so income is crucial for him. We sent him an email, on Saturday, advising him that it was not going to work out. He responded back, later that evening, that he understood, and wished us the best. We want to wish him, all the best, as well.

Brian showed up and jammed with us, for quite awhile. I was amazed that he still remembered the songs, from a couple of months ago. We went over GPS, I'll Just Have A Beer, What Kind Of Life Is This, Carry Me Home, Fried Okra, and Rodeo Radio. I also showed him the chords to Into The Night, and Sing Along, and we ran through those, as well. He did a fantastic job! He also brought over a new bass, that he had just purchased. You know me, I'm a gear hound, and I love checking it out, whether it's mine, or someone else's. Anyway, Brian ordered a custom Ernie Ball 5 string bass. This thing is bad! It has a maple fret board, and a really pretty blue body. He told us, that this was the first time he had really been able to put it through it's paces. He sounded great on it. Brian and Cisco hit it off as well. I know that they will form a solid rhythm section. Brian has also been sending me venues, to try and get into. We've communicated, via email, quite a bit this week. We hope to have several show announcements, in the near future.

Ok, that's all I've for now. So, until next time, please remember that the road goes on forever, and the party never ends-REK. See ya, and thanks for reading!

One Year!

Wow! I can't believe it's already August. Man, 2013 is flying by. It's hard to believe that Roy and I, have been working together for a year now. It's been an amazing journey, so far, and I look forward to what is to come. It's also hard to believe, that I have been running this blog for almost 10 months. Where has the time gone? Honestly, I kind of wondered if I would keep up the blog, when I first started it. One of the things that has kept me going, is all the nice comments, and compliments that I have received from you, the readers. I really appreciate it, and am glad that you enjoy it. I have also enjoyed writing it, so that helps as well!

So with that said, let's get to the latest, in the SDR world. This weekend we will be rehearsing. We were supposed to be rehearsing with our new bass player, but a scheduling conflict has prevented that. If you remember, we held bass auditions back in June. Up until now, we have always run the bass, through the keyboards. The Doors used this same method, and never had a true bass player. I'm actually really excited about bringing a live bass player on. I'm also excited about actually rehearsing. When we were auditioning bass players, back in June, I guess it was a rehearsal of sorts, for Roy and I. We really haven't had a true rehearsal though, since last December. That was when Cisco was coming aboard, and we were all trying to get used to playing together.

As I said, it will be nice to practice some, without being in show mode. We will actually be able to stop, talk, and work on problem areas. When your doing a show, the pace runs at 100mph, the whole way through. You don't get a chance to discuss how the last song sounded, or try it again, as you have to get ready for the next song. By the end of the night, your just focused on getting your gear loaded up, getting paid, and going home. You usually don't have time to discuss the performance. I will usually think about it the next day, and judge how we did. I will make mental notes, for the next time, and that's about it. We are planning on having several rehearsals, before our next show, which will be on August 24, at the Cowtown Bowling Palace.

In other news, our contract with Promotions By Marti, has come to an end. We have decided to go in a different direction, with our bookings. This is not a knock on Marti, either. We really want to thank Marti, for all she has done for us. She kept us really busy for the first half of this year, and we wish her all the best. For now, we are booking ourselves. If you are interested in booking Sand Dollar Rodeo, please send an email inquiry here info@sanddollarrodeo.com and either Roy or I, will get right back to you. We are working on several show ideas, and will let you know, as soon as we have more details.

The last bit of news, that I would like to share, is that we have begun work on our next album. When I say begun, I really mean that. We are in the very early stages. Right now, we have several new song ideas, that we are working on. Most of them, are just rough demos, at this point. As we finish each song, we will begin incorporating them into our live show. The album will be done, when it's done, but we are targeting a late 2014 release date, at this point. We will see how it goes, and I will keep you updated on the progress, right here.

To tide you over until then, we are planning to release one of our live show songs, as a single. Look for it around Christmas. It will be available via download only. We will, of course, let you know, once it's available. Until then, if you haven't already done so, please check out our current album "GPS To Nowhere", which was released on April 2, 2013. You can listen to the whole thing for free, on Spotify, so go check it out!

Well, that's all I've got for you, for now. Thank you for your support, thank you for reading, and thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. So, until next time, adios!

A Return To The Vine

Am I in Texas, or the northeast? The odd Texas summer of 2013 continues, but I'm not complaining. On Monday, of this week, we set a record low-high temperature of 74 degrees. I've received several reports, from friends in the northeast, that they have had unbearable heat. On the day that we hit 74, I read that Portland, Maine was flirting with a record high, in the mid 90's, and that New York City topped out at 100 degrees. Talk about a role reversal! We did not touch 90 all week, until today. We will be in the 90's for the rest of the week, which is not bad for Texas, in mid-July.

It's a good thing, that the weather is staying nice, as we are making a return trip to Hollywood & Vine, in Glen Rose, this Friday night, July 19th, at 7:30pm. This will be an outdoor show, (well it will be, if it doesn't rain). As of now, there is a 30% chance of rain showers, and a high of 93 on Friday. As long as the rain stays away, it should be real nice, with the temperature dropping from the low 80's to the high 70's, by the end of the show. Sounds perfect to me!

I'm really looking forward to this show, as we've had to deal with weather issues, the other two times we played at Hollywood & Vine. The first time, we had to move indoors, because temperatures were in the 30's. The second time, we did play outdoors, but the conditions were not ideal. I recall the temperature being in the 50's, with a heavy chance of rain. It never did rain, but I think the overcast skies and cool temperatures, contributed to the light crowd, that night. I also recall, that the three people in charge, the two owners, and their daughter-in-law, were not in agreement on whether we should play inside or not. One, wanted us indoors, one, wanted us outdoors, and the third, advised us to work it out with the other two, lol!

As I said earlier, hopefully the rain stays away. I've always thought, that Hollywood & Vine would be the perfect place to play, when the weather cooperates. I'm glad were finally getting our shot. So, if your in the Glen Rose area on Friday night, drop on by and see us. The beer is cold, the food is great, and we are planning to have a lot of fun! Hollywood & Vine is located at 101 Vine Street, Glen Rose, Texas.

Please note, that this will be the last chance to see us live for awhile, as we are taking mini-hiatus. Our next show is not scheduled until Saturday, August 24th, at the Cowtown Bowling Palace. The main reason for the hiatus, is that we will be rehearsing with our new bass player, Carlos. We will be getting him up to speed, on all the material, and getting used to playing with one another. I am also going on vacation, with my family, during the month of August.

Of course, this is all subject to change. Things in the music business, are very rarely stable. We may end up picking up a show, before then, or not. It really just depends on how the rehearsals go, and how our schedules are. If anything changes, you'll be the first to know, as I will update any new, news or information, on this blog. We will, of course, also update our Facebook page, and our website, with any changes, as well. By the way, are you a fan of our Facebook page? If your not, you should be! If your a reader of my blog, could you please do me a huge favor, and go like our Facebook page located here www.facebook.com/sanddollarrodeo If you've already done that, then I want to thank you. We really appreciate your support! We also have a Twitter feed, if Facebook is not your thing. You can follow us on Twitter here www.twitter.com/sanddollarrodeo

Well, that's all I have for now. Enjoy your summer, wherever you may be, and I'll be back before you know it! Talk to ya later.

I'll Just Have A Beer, Round 2

I hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July weekend. I know, I did. It just so happens that we were off this past weekend. Kind of an oddity, with the way our schedule has been this year. Roy had company come in from out of town, and ended up going to Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic, and a Rangers game. I think their may have been a couple of beers, mixed in there, as well.

As for me, I just kind of took it easy, and enjoyed the unseasonably cool weather, that we had last week. Heck, I'm not complaining. I mixed in a few long bike rides, hung out with family on the 4th, did some swimming, and went and saw a new band.

The band I speak of, is called Kyser. Two of my really good friends are in this band, Robby Kyser, and Sol Kanthack. I've known both of these guys since elementary school. We all three started playing together, when we were 15 years old. Well, Robby was 16 or 17, I believe, lol. Hey cut me a break, it's been a long time. He is either a year, or two years older then Sol and I. I honestly can't remember. Heck, those two even share the same birthday. That, I do know. Well, we have worked together, in various projects over the last 25 years. My most proud accomplishment, with these guys, was winning the 1991 TCU Battle of the Bands. We edged out a little group, called the Toadies. You may have heard of them?

Right now, Kyser is competing in the Jerry's Hyundai Battle of the Bands. The competition is taking place over at the Oui Lounge in Fort Worth. The Oui Lounge is located at 3509 Bluebonnet Circle. Kyser, has made it into the finals, and will be battling two other bands, this Friday night, July 12th at 8:30pm. As I said, I went and saw them last week, and they were great! So, if your in the area, go check em' out! You can check out more information on Kyser, and listen to their music here www.bandmix.com/kyserband

We will be getting back at it, this weekend, as well. We enjoyed playing at the Firewheel Brewery so much, that we are going to be doing the brewery thing again, this weekend. We will be at the Community Beer Company on Saturday, July 13. The Community Beer Company is located at 1530 Inspiration Drive, Dallas, Texas. It's across from the American Airlines Center, and just west of I-35. We will be playing from 2-5pm, during the brewery tours. Whew! I'm glad it's not another 11am gig! You can read my last blog post, if you wanna see how much I enjoy mornings.

For more information on the brewery, and their tours, you can check out their website here www.communitybeer.com So, if your in the downtown Dallas area on Saturday afternoon, stop on by for some craft beer, a tour, and some music.

Well, that's it! Short and sweet for this week! Talk to ya soon, and thanks for reading!

I'll Just Have A Beer, In The Morning??

For those of you that do not know, I am not much of a morning person. In fact, no one in my immediate family is. My older son is practically a vampire, and it's not uncommon for my two younger daughters (7 & 5) to sleep in till 9am or later, if they have the chance to. The one exception, might be my wife. But honestly, I think it's more a product, of her training her body to go to bed at a decent hour. As I said, I've never been a morning person. I like to stay up late, as that seems to be when I'm the sharpest. My motivation, and creativity really kicks in after 9pm.

It's funny, one of my favorite songwriters, Robert Earl Keen, told a similar tale on one of his live albums. He stated that he is a lazy person, by nature. He likes to stay up late, and sleep in. First of all, I don't consider myself a lazy person, my body is just more comfortable, with later nights and later mornings. I suspect that Robert Earl Keen is the same way. Anyway, he went on and said that this motivated him to pursue music, as a career. "This will perfect for me.", he said. Well, he cut his first single, and went to talk to a radio station about playing it, and maybe doing an interview. The guy at the radio station said, "Sure, we'll give it a spin. Be here at 6am on Saturday." Robert Earl said, "Man, it's already going bad for me." He went on to describe some other things, in the story, but I have always been able to relate to this tidbit.

Now, Roy on the other hand, is a major morning person. I've received emails from him, in the 4am range. And no, he was not up all night! He is pretty much the exact opposite of me. He is at his creative best, early in the morning. So, I guess that pretty much makes SDR, and almost 24 hour venture, huh? I've sent him plenty of emails, well after midnight, that I know he won't see, until the next day. Likewise, when he sends me something in the wee hours, he knows that he will most likely not hear back from me, until at least 9am. The only time I see 4am, is if I have been up all night!

Now, with all of that out of the way, we have a very different type of gig, that we are playing this weekend. Texas has a lot of craft brewers, i.e. craft beer. These establishments, have really taken off in recent years, and I am glad to see it. I will admit it here, I am a beer snob. There is nothing better then a full bodied, great tasting beer. I don't drink beer to get drunk, although, if it's a really great beer, I might overindulge every once in awhile. Sorry, but I am not much of a fan of light beer, i.e. Miller Lite, Coors Light, and Bud Light. If I wanted carbonated water, I would just buy that instead. No offense, to anyone who enjoys these, but they are just not my style. I love to go to the store, and find a new beer to try. Sometimes, it works great, and sometimes, not so great. That's part of the fun, for me. Almost every time I go though, I inevitably see some dude walking out with a 30 pack of Keystone Light, and I'm just thinking, "Man, what are you doing?" But, to each his own, I guess. A lot of my buddies can't believe that I will pay $9.00 or more, for a six pack of beer. They say, "Man, you could've gotten a 12 or 18 pack of  insert, "common domestic beer" here, I just tell them, that for me, "It's quality, not quantity."

Roy also enjoys good quality beer. He went to a craft beer festival a few weeks ago, and met with several of the brewers. A real popular thing that happens with these brewers is, that they give Saturday afternoon tours of their facility. Free beer samples, are usually included. It's also becoming a popular trend, to have a live band come in during these events. We have a couple of these events coming up, over the next couple of weeks. The first one will be this Saturday at the Firewheel Brewery. The Firewheel Brewery is located at 2806 Lewing Lane, Rowlett, Texas. When Roy was booking this show, I remember him saying, "Hey, would you like to play at a brewery?" "Sure, I said. He replied back, "Ok, we will be playing at Firewheel Brewery, in Rowlett, from 11am-3pm." The Robert Earl Keen thought, came into my head, "Oh man, it's already going bad for me, man!" This brewery is 69 miles from my house. I will probably need to be up by 7:00am, at the latest. Not very rock n roll, is it? I move slow in the morning! Luckily, Cisco has come to the rescue. He lives pretty close to me, and has volunteered to drive me. I think I am going to take him up on it. I can get an extra hour of sleep, on the way over! Just kidding! I wouldn't do that to him.

In all actuality, I'm really looking forward to this gig, but damn, that's early! I'm not a morning beer drinker, but I may have to make an exception here! So, if your in the Rowlett area, on Saturday morning/early afternoon, you should drop by the Firewheel Brewery, for a tour, some music, and of course, some beer! Roy told me, that some of our friends from McKinney, may be coming. I hope they do, as we have been desperately trying to get back up that way, for a show. It's been too long! They are some great folks, and I hope to see them on Saturday.

Ok, I'm done for now. If you have any questions, please wait until 10am to contact me, ok? Over and out!

Bassin' And Bowling

Well, this post is way overdue! Last week, I had a rough draft ready, for what was supposed to be last week's blog post. But, alas! Good ole' AT&T prevented that from happening, as our internet, went down at some point last Thursday. Not only that, but since we also have U-verse, that meant no TV either. In hindsight, it's really not that big of deal. A lot of people have a lot more worries, then this. I'm really blessed, and if this is the worst thing to happen to me, over the past week, then I've got it pretty good.

I usually like to post on Thursday's. I have made exceptions, in the past, but Thursdays usually work out the best. Monday's and Tuesday's, are normally when I work on a rough draft, and Wednesday's are when we feature our song of the week. Although, that will be winding down after next week, as we will feature the last song from the GPS To Nowhere album. So, with all of this out of the way, let's get to the latest.

We have been looking at expanding the live band, for some time now. Roy and I, have gone back and forth, over which piece to add next. We couldn't decide whether to go keyboards, or bass guitar. In the end though, we decided that bass guitar would be the best way to expand the live band, at this point. The main reason, is that Roy has a real unique way of running our keyboards, plus he plays some live keyboards during our show. We though for presentation, as well as live sound, that a bass player would have a more, immediate impact.

We ran ads on Craigslist and Facebook, for the last few weeks. We had a lot of responses. Some really strange things happened, on some of these exchanges. For example, we had one applicant email us, and say he was interested. We emailed back, said great, and tried to set up an audition time, He then emailed us back, later, and said he wouldn't be the right fit, but good luck with your project. What the heck? We had another one, that said he was going to start learning bass, and wanted to get involved with a band. He said he was a great Tuba player though, and thought he could add to our sound! Actually, none of this really surprised me. Musicians can be a flaky lot. In the past, these sort of things have happened to me, on numerous occasions. As I mentioned on here, in one of my initial blog posts, trying to recruit musicians can be a nightmare. When I was trying to put together an 80's New Wave band, I never could get anyone together, to even have an initial meeting/rehearsal. Exhausted from the process, I finally gave up on the idea.

I honestly don't remember how many people submitted for our bass player position, but I would like to thank them all, for expressing an interest. We set the audition date for June 8th. We were originally supposed to play a show on that date, but had to cancel it for personal reasons. We decided that this would be a great day to do the auditions. We had three applicants, that we were able to schedule. We scheduled them for 10:30am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm. We wanted to allow plenty of time, for each applicant. We gave each of them the same four songs to learn. The songs we used for the audition were GPS To Nowhere, Rodeo Radio, Tailgate To The Beach, and Fried Okra. We thought that this would be a good mix, as each song has quite a different feel, from the other.

Each applicant showed up on time, and all three, were very good players. In addition, we got along really well with each applicant, too. This made the decision even more difficult. In the end, we offered the position to Carlos Shilinsky. Carlos is a very accomplished bass player. He also has a great personality and a funny sense of humor. He will fit in with us, very well. I'm super excited to have him on board. He should be joining us for live shows, in the very near future. I would also like to personally thank the other two applicants, for driving out and auditioning. Again, they were both great players, and made this decision, very difficult for us. I wish them both, the best.

Speaking of live shows, we will be back at it again this weekend. This will be a very different experience for us, as we are playing at the Cowtown Bowling Palace. Yes, you read that right. By the name, you can guess what it is, right? I thought so. Roy found this one, I don't remember how, and Marti booked it. Anyway, the theme is Bowling with the Bands. I honestly, have no idea what to expect at this show, but I am really looking forward to it. We will be there this Saturday, June 22. It's a late show, as we do not take the stage until 10pm. Cowtown Bowling Palace is located at 4333 River Oaks Blvd, Fort Worth, Texas. Admission is $10, and from what I understand, that includes bowling, for the night. Pretty good deal, if you ask me. Anyway, I hope you can make it out, if your in the area.

Well, that's all folks! Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to ya soon!

Summers A Comin'

The official start of summer is not until June 21st. However, around these parts (Texas that is), most people tend to celebrate summer's arrival, over Memorial Day weekend. We've always considered Sand Dollar Rodeo, a summer party band. Not that we won't do shows, throughout the whole year, because we do that, as well. If any of you know Roy, then you know he loves Christmas, just as much as summer. Summer seems to be our season, though. Outdoor shows, parties, festivals, you name it. That's what we thrive on. If you listen to our music, I think that you will agree. A cold drink, driving or taking a road trip, the beach, heck, even Fried Okra! It all goes hand in hand.

We will be kicking off our summer season in grand style, this weekend. We have a pair of shows scheduled for this Friday and Saturday. On Friday night, we will return to the Keller Tavern, located at 128 S. Main St., Keller, Texas. SDR will take the stage at 8pm. The weather should be perfect, well perfect for me, anyway. Temperatures should be in the mid to lower 80's. By the end of the evening, temperatures should be in the lower 70's. This continues a cooler then normal weather pattern for us. This has been the coolest spring, that I can remember, and I have lived in Texas, all of my life. We are usually well into the 90's, by this time of year. Nighttime lows are usually in the mid 70's, at the lowest. Hey, I'm not complaining though. I will take this normal then cooler weather, for as long as it wants to continue. So, come and kick off your Memorial Day weekend with us at the Keller Tavern.

Saturday will be a quick turnaround for us, as we will be playing a private party, out at my folks' house. We will be going on at 4pm, and playing a straight through set (no breaks). The weather should be great. A daytime high of 84, is in the forecast. If you are reading this, and coming to the party, we look forward to seeing you. It should be a great time!

On that note, Sand Dollar Rodeo is available for summer parties, get-togethers, or whatever! If you are interested in booking a private event, please email us at info@sanddollarrodeo.com You can also contact Roy, or I directly, if you prefer.

With all this talk about the weather, let's not forget the people of Granbury and Cleburne, Texas. They were hit hard by tornadoes, last week. I have been to both of these lovely towns, many times. SDR played in Granbury back in March, and we are scheduled to play in Cleburne, on September 28th. Also, please remember the people of Moore, Oklahoma. All of these people, need our thoughts, prayers, and help. Their are many ways you can help. There are too many sites, to list them all here, but if you run a Google search, or better yet, check your favorite social media site, then their should be plenty of information on where and how, we can all help. Whether it's a monetary donation, donating items, or traveling to the areas hit and helping with the clean up, we can all do our part, to help these folks get back on their feet again.

Ok gang, that's all I've got for this week. As always, thanks for reading, and I'll talk to ya soon!

A New Amp Part 2, And My Blogging Buddy

Back on March 18, 2013, I published a blog post chronicling some equipment changes. Among those, was the purchase of a new/used amp off of Craigslist. For complete details on this, you can check out this blog post, in the archives.

I'm sure you've guessed by now, that this blog post is about another new amp. Well, if you did guess this, then you would be correct! I replaced my Traynor Custom Valve 40, with a Fender Hot Rod Deville. That name sounds more like a car, then a guitar amp, doesn't it? I never was head over heels, about the Traynor. It's a solid amp, and a lot of players like them. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. I really did not like the way my guitars were sounding, through this amp. You may ask, "Well, why did you buy it in the first place?" That's a very good question, that I will try and address in this post.

As I has mentioned, in my prior blog referenced above, we were playing a gig at Lynn's Saloon, when my main amp went out. We had gigs lined up, for the next several weeks. I needed something fast! My time, during the week is limited. I didn't have time to go driving all over creation, searching for amps. Plus, I was on a tight budget. At this time, we were knee deep with the album, so I had expenses, related to that. I have a great music store, that I do a lot of business with, here in Fort Worth. They are called Zoo Music. I would give you a link to their website, but, they do not have a website! They have plenty of amps, but the main problem was, that I could not find anything that I liked, that was within my budget. So, I decided to go the Craigslist route. I found the Traynor, fairly quickly, it was within my price range, and it was a close drive. I played it, and it sounded good, but I knew it would never be a long term solution. Their were several other amps that I had looked at on Craigslist, but I just did not have the time to go try them all out. If nothing else, I thought that this would be a good backup amp. I could use it, until my main amp was repaired.

It didn't take long, to realize that this amp was not working for me. We were playing a show at the Venue, in Gun Barrel City. They recorded this performance, and I though my guitar tone sounded thin and hollow. Our very next gig, at Keller Tavern, was more of the same. This was a show, where we were running our own sound. Roy and I usually take turns, standing out in front of the stage, to get levels. When it was my turn, I was playing my guitar, along with all the other instruments, and I thought it sounded awful. I tried tweaking the settings on the amp, but nothing seemed to sound right. I made it through the gig, but decided on the way home, that it was time to get my main amp into the shop.

I called the amp tech, that Zoo had recommended. He is a one man operation. I have found that this is usually a great thing. These types of guys usually do great work, and really know their stuff. The only downside is, he is a one main operation. He said he had no way to quote me a time frame, or price, until he did an initial analysis. I understood this, and accepted that it might be awhile before he could look at it. I dropped the amp off to him on April 27. He still has it! We had two gigs scheduled the next weekend. I was somehow hoping that maybe he had at least looked at it. I was wrong though. I resigned myself to the fact, that it could be several weeks or more, before my amp would be ready.

On the way home, from dropping off the amp, I was passing right by a used music store, called Music Go Round. I decided to stop in, and see what they had. I looked at several amps, but nothing really caught my eye. A salesman was talking to me, as we walked around the store, when I spotted a Marshall half stack. I kind of laughed, and said, "That looks pretty cool, but I think it would be overkill, for what I need." The salesman said, "You should try it out, it's really not that bad." I decided, "What the heck, might as well." I found a Strat on the wall and plugged it up. I was amazed at the tone, coming out of this thing! It sounded great! The price seemed pretty good, as well. They had it marked for $799.99, but said that they could sell it for $750.00, without me even saying anything. I'm thinking, "Wow, $750 for a Marshall? That sounds like a great deal!" For those of you not familiar with guitar amps, Marshalls are some of the most revered amps, in music history. They are a British amp. They were/are the amp of choice for many guitar players, including greats like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Angus Young, and Slash, among others. They have also made their way into country music, in recent years. In hindsight, I'm glad that I didn't have $750 on me, that day, or I probably would have brought it home.

I decided at this point, that I was going to go ahead and invest in a nice, higher end amp. While I love my main amp, that is currently in the shop, these amps are well known for their reliability issues. I've researched several forums, where players have had multiple issues with them. The amp is a Crate Vintage Club 50. Mark Knopfler, from Dire Straits, used to use this same amp, but quit, because of the reliability issues. It's a shame, because these amps, sound great. With Sand Dollar Rodeo gigging, as much as we are, I need to have reliable equipment. The Traynor was going bye-bye. My Vintage Club, and that Marshall, just slayed it, as far as tone goes.

I went home and started researching Marshall amps. I'm glad I did. I found out, that the amp I was looking at, was not very good quality. It was a MA 100. These amps are now discontinued, and manufactured in Vietnam. Most forums were stating, that you could get a lot nicer Marshall, for about the same price, as what Music Go Round was asking. This was on the used market, of course. As I completed more research, a lot of people were recommending another model of Marshall, called the DSL. It came in either a 50 or 100 watt head. I started pricing them on Craigslist, and they were coming in at about $800 for the head, and another $400-$500, for the speaker cabinet. Ouch! This was getting pretty steep!

I decided not to limit myself to Marshall. I went ahead and put the Traynor on Craigslist, just to see what would happen. I listed it for the same price, that I had bought it for, a month earlier. I started researching all kinds of makes and models of various amps, from companies such as Fender, Peavy, Orange, Blackstar, and Dr. Z. These companies make some phenomenal amps. While, I would love to own a top of the line model, from one of these companies, that was not in the cards. These companies offer high end amps, that can go up into the thousands of dollars. I didn't have that type of cash. The nice thing though, is that these companies also make some awesome amps, that run anywhere from $500-$1200.

In the meantime, I had received a response on my Craigslist ad. The email had actually gone to my spam folder, so I didn't see it for a few days. I called the guy and we talked about it. I told him that my other amp was in the shop, and that as soon as I received word that it was done, I would contact him. He was good with that , and said he was in no hurray.

We played our two gigs on May 3rd & 4th. That Sunday, May 5th, I decided to go to Guitar Center and check out several amps, that were on my list. I knew that I wanted at lease a 50 watt tube amp, with at least two speakers. This was not so much for the volume, but for fullness, and clean headroom. My Vintage Club is 50 watts, and has two twelve inch speakers. The Traynor was 40 watts, and had one ten inch speaker. I've tried several other amps that had single speakers, and I just do not like the way they sound, for me. Many players, use these types of amps however, and sound great through them.  It's all about personal preference, and playing styles.

After playing through several amps, I narrowed it down to two, that I liked. One was a Marshall DSL 100, and the other was a Fender Hot Rod Deville. The Deville was a 60 watt amp with two twelve inch speakers. The Marshall was a 100 watt head, that would need a speaker cabinet. I really liked the Marshall's clean setting, but the drive channel was basically un -useable, for me. I could not get a good overdrive tone out of it, at all. The Fender had a really good clean tone, and a decent overdrive channel. Fender amps also work really well with overdrive pedals. The salesman let me try the amp with an Ibanez Tube Screamer, and a Boss Blues Driver pedal. I use a BBB Green Screamer, with my rig. It's sort of a tube screamer clone, but I really like it a lot better then an actual tube screamer. It's a great pedal that my lovely wife bought me for Christmas, this past year. I was really wishing that I had this pedal with me. Later on, my wife came into Guitar Center, after she had finished her shopping. I asked her to listen to the two amps. She loved the clean channel on the Marshall, but hated the overdrive channel, as did I. She went so far as to say, "I don't think, I could come hear you play, if your guitar sounded like that." She liked the overdrive on the Fender amp, much better, as did I. This was actually strange to me, as Fenders are known for their cleans, and Marshalls are known for their overdrive.

The Fender was priced at $949, and the Marshall was $899, but that was just for the head. I would still need a speaker cabinet, so in the long run, I would be looking at about $1200 for the Marshall. My wife was encouraging me to purchase something new, so that I could get a warranty. I was seriously considering this, but just couldn't justify these prices. Amps are kind of like cars in that, the moment you take them out of the store, they tend to lose about 40% of their value. I had seen used Hot Rod Deville's on Craigslist, from $400-$600, depending on the condition that they were in. I also found a used Marshall DSL for $500. The DSL was now out, however. I told the salesman that I needed to think about the Fender amp.

When we left Guitar Center, I asked my wife if she would mind stopping my Music Go Round, to listen to the Marshall, that they had. I knew that the DSL was supposed to be a much better amp, but I liked the way the MA sounded, better. We went into the music store, and I couldn't find the Marshall. The salesman told me that it had sold. That was ok, I realized that amp, wasn't meant to be.

I researched some more amps over the weekend, including an Orange Dual Terror, and a Peavy Classic 50. I had played a Classic 50 at another music store, awhile back, and thought it sounded pretty good. The Dual Terror, had some nice sounding sound clips on YouTube. My dream rig is an Orange Rockerverb 50 or 100, but these amps are way out of my price range, right now.

My music store, Zoo, sometimes advertises on Craigslist, oddly enough. They had a Peavy Classic 50 come in on a trade, and had it listed. They are also an Orange dealer, and I knew that they had the Dual Terror. I went in on the following Monday, May 6. I decided I would try these two amps. I was not impressed, with either one. I then spotted a Fender Hot Rod Deville. It was bigger, and different from the one I had demoed, at Guitar Center. I started asking about it. For one, it had four 10 inch speakers in it, as opposed to two 12 inch speakers. I hooked my guitar up and knew immediately that this was the one. It had a great clean sound and a very serviceable drive channel. I wasn't as concerned about the drive channel, as I was about the clean channel. I knew that my Green Screamer, could get plenty of overdrive. I really did like the tone, much better then the one I had played at Guitar Center. I think the four ten inch speakers made the difference.

This amp was also USA made, where the one at Guitar Center, was made in Mexico. Their is nothing wrong with the Mexican made Fender products, but I prefer the American made stuff. It tends to hold its value better, and the build quality is generally better. The price was right too. The only negative was, that this amp was used. That meant, no warranty. I was ok with this though, as I've never had any issues with any gear, that I have purchased from Zoo.

I put the amp on layaway, mainly to protect against it being sold. I had some gig money coming in, and I knew that if I could sell the Traynor, then I would be good to go.

I contacted the gentleman, later that evening, about the Traynor. We decided to meet up at Zoo, the following Saturday, so he could try it out. We met this past Saturday, May 11th. He demoed the amp for about 30 minutes, and then said he would take it. I was really giddy at this point, as I could now get mine out of layaway.

So far, I am really happy with the amp. I can't wait to try it out at our next gig. Roy also has some new toys, as he purchased some new PA speakers. He sent pictures, and man! I can't wait to hear what they sound like! Cisco, also bought some new toys. Not sure, what he bought, but I'm sure I'll see it at the next gig.

On another note, I must confess that as I sit her typing this, I don't feel quite right. You see, I had a blogging buddy, that would help me out with these posts. I type these up on a laptop , in my recliner. My blogging/late night buddy, was our Siamese cat, named Sarah. Sarah passed away this past Monday at the age of 18. Sarah was always interested in my late night activities. Whether it was blogging, playing a video game, or just watching a TV show. Whenever the girls went to bed, and I grabbed the laptop, Sarah knew it was time to help. She would come in, and be meowing up a storm, until I picked her up and put her in the recliner, beside me. She would then proceed to "help" me, keep my notes straight. If I was playing a video game, Sarah would rub and push on the controller, to help me along. She also enjoyed the acoustic guitar. The electrics were too loud for her, but anytime I brought out the acoustic, late at night, she was there, rubbing up against the guitar and meowing along.

Over the past few weeks, Sarah became really ill. We are not sure why, or how it happened. She lost her trademark meow, and was really having a difficult time with everything. The last time we sat together was on May 4th, after our Mayfest show. She was really weak, and her voice was just about gone, but she managed to creep up to my chair. I was actually planning on going to bed, at the time, but she wanted to sit for awhile. We just kind of sat there for a bit. I put on some music, and we just chilled for an hour or so. When she was ready to go to bed, she let me know, and I picked her up, and put her in her bed.

She weakened considerably, over the next week or so. This past Sunday, I could hear her faint meow. It was about 11:30pm. She was in the hallway that leads to our bedroom. I got up to check on her. This was usually prime time for us. I'm not sure, what she was wanting, so I just sat in the hall with her, and petted her for a little while. The hallway was about midway from her bed, to the litter box. I'm not sure if she was trying to make it to the litter box, or not. I didn't really know what to do. She was having a hard time, walking, by this point. I didn't want to carry her to bed, and have her make that walk again, if she was trying to get to the litter box. I also didn't want to take her to the litter box, and have her have to make the long walk, back to her bed.

I think now, that she telling me goodbye. We had put a soft spot to lay, in between her bed, and the litter box. Sometimes, she would also climb into bed, with our lab mixed dog. I felt that she would be ok, so I went to bed.

The next morning, I went and checked on her, when I was getting ready to leave for work. She was in her bed, and very weak. I softly petted her head, and told her I would see her after work. She passed away, later that morning, in my wife's arms.

It's been a tough week for my family. I've been doing ok, up until now. The last part of this blog post has been extremely difficult to write. I know though, that her spirit is still with all of us. It's hard to explain, but we have all felt her presence. It's comforting in a way. Sarah, will never be forgotten. The same way, as our other pets, who passed before her, are not. Our pets really are a part of our family. Even the snake! Thanks as always, for reading, and I'll talk to ya later,