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!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
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!
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!
Friday, August 2, 2013
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!
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!
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