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SUMMER 2005 NEWSLETTER (Covering 4/8/5 through 7/17/5)
Listen Up!
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So, do you ever wake up in a hotel in Rockford, Illinois and think "I haven't written a newsletter since April?" Oh, probably not. Well, I do. Or, I did today. There's a lot to cover here, and I'm not going to repeat myself.
Alathea & Banners
Sounds Good, Fellas!
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When you last heard from us, we were gambling away my daughters' college funds in Las Vegas. After that, we went home and took the weekend off. Then it was a trip down yonder to Memphis, where one young man danced in a worm-like fashion, and another wore a motorcycle helmet through the entire concert. Elvis made his home in Memphis. The next night was Greeneville, TN, which is very close to the area where our friends Alathea live. That made it easy for them to come over and play some songs, which they did. The fellows in this picture had obviously heard us sing before and knew where to find the best seats. From there, we drove down to Lexington, SC, and played an afternoon concert for a fine crowd. Then I dropped down to southern Georgia to pick up a bed and drove it back home. Well, I drove the van, I mean.
Jonathan Rocks On
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The next weekend, I picked up Michael somewhere in the northeast and we drove up to Maine—as in lobster. We played at Bowdoin College, which seems like a really nice place. Or, at least they have a nice theater in the basement of one of their buildings. And apparently, they go through an awful lot of florescent bulbs. After the concert, we headed west and south to play at my Loving Mother, Concordia College, Bronxville, NY. Our good friend Jonathan Rundman opened the show, playing a variety of his interesting songs. As you can see, he's kind of blurry when he plays. After that, we had to roll on out of town and head north and west toward our stomping grounds of Western New York. (I guess we call it that because that's where we used to get stomped by the Laverdi boys.) The concert was in North Tonawanda, and we saw nearly everybody we know from the area in one fell swoop! It was a real blast of a good time, and afterward we went out for snacks with George, our life-long friend. Then I dropped Michael off at his parents' house and drove home.
Ah, Spring!
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The next weekend, we headed up to Wisconsin to play once again at Super-Rally, which is a gathering of area Methodists. As in the past we had a great time, and were treated to loads of snacks throughout. Then we both went home until Friday, when we met up in Detroit to play at a high school in Rochester Hills. This was fun. That night we played in Ann Arbor at Concordia University, where we had the pleasure of meeting our youngest fan. Then we raced toward Chicago, because the next night we were scheduled in Seymour, Wisconsin, which is Green Bay to you and me. The folks in Seymour claim that a local invented the hamburger. No kidding. Anyone know of a competing town claiming that distinction? Probably not. The next night we were scheduled in Edina, Minnesota. Thing is, since this was May 1st, one has to expect a little of the white stuff in the North Star State, right?
After a two-week break (that's right-TWO weeks!), we met up down south and played in Hot Springs, Arkansas. On the bulletin board in the church there, they had a picture of the First Lutheran Family. Sure seems like a lot of people for one family, but it does explain why there are so many Lutherans in the world, doesn't it? After that fine time, we had to high-tail it out of town because the next night we were due in Birmingham. On the way, we stopped for some local shopping. Once we got to Birmingham, we were treated to some well-made home-made Lost-And-Found wear. The guys' shirts almost seem like their skin color, don't they? But there was no time for standing around afterward, because we had to continue the eastward trek so we could make Savannah, GA. Had a great time, and even debuted our long-jam reworking of "Easy Love." (More of that, Pronto.) Then I drove home, Michael flew home, and we readied our passports.
We were invited back to play at the four-day fun-o-rama called Pitch And Praise, in Stayner, Ontario. These folks certainly have their own way of doing things. I'll just give you a few photos by way of explanation . . .
Hola!
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See what I mean? Michael decided to alter his look while we were there. While pitching and praising Canadian style, we also got to take in a set by our pals from Spoken Groove. After that, we closed up the month of May and headed home and prepared to record our new cd, Pronto. Meanwhile, my wife and I put our house on the market and sold it in short order.
In case you didn't see it on the way in, you can order the new cd, Pronto. But, I'm getting ahead of myself here. Michael and I flew to Minnesota, where our friend Kaye lent us the use of her home while she was traveling abroad. As you can see, it's about the nicest house either of us has ever been in. And, in the spirit of Elvis, we picked the coolest room in which to do the recording. (Always ask yourself, WWER . . .Where Would Elvis Record?) Somehow, we convinced our pal John Simshauser to do the tracking and mixing for us. As usual, he performed miracles with the material we provided, and worked much harder than we did, that's for sure. And then, we were done. Some bands have big Wrap Parties when they're done with an album, and we are no exception. To celebrate, we headed over to the Apple store in a nearby mall and bought i-Pods for every single member of the band. Both of us. Since then, we've rediscovered the joys of something called "music." It's real cool.
After that crazy wrap party, we headed to the airport and flew to Detroit so we could drive over to Cedar Point, home of the roller coasters. There, we played three sets throughout the day for what amounted to Methodist Day at the park. (I doubt that was really the name for it, but for all intents and purposes that's what it was.) We had a great time, but there was no time for roller coasters. But that's okay, because we were having fun playing our songs. The next day, we played for many of the same folks at a place called Lakeside. Now, this is something of a cross between a town, a summer camp, and a resort community. (Can three things be a cross?) Anyway, we played in a huge hall and had a fine time, until the mayflies attacked. If you don't have these where you live, then you are truly blessed.
Your Usual, Sir?
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Then I spent Fathers' Day with the folks who call me father, while Michael drove the van to Nashville so he could pick me up at the airport. Once we hooked up, we raced off for an afternoon set at AFFIRM, in Florence, Alabama. This remains one of our favorite gatherings anywhere. They even reserved an entire section for Michael, apparently. It continues to amaze us that so many young people would come together to spend 8 hours in class each day for a week. But no hanging around for us, because we had to drive to Memphis in order to fly to Oklahoma City. (This is where it gets complicated folks.)
In the morning, we flew to Oklahoma to play at a Christian Church youth gathering. Had a great time, as expected. Then I dropped Michael at a hotel near the airport and drove to Memphis, where I picked up our van, which I drove to Nashville, so I could get a flight to Detroit, where I picked up my own car and drove home. (Was that complicated enough?) A few days later, Michael flew to Detroit, I picked him up, and we drove w-a-y up north in Michigan to an island that has been unable to build a bridge or buy cars, called Mackinac. (Oddly, the "c" is pronounced like a "w.") We were going there to play some songs for some Lutheran youths of Michigan (read: Miwhigan). Spent four days having a great time, and after walking the mile back and forth to our hotel a few times a day, I felt in pretty good shape by the end of the week. The last morning, we got up bright and early, and Michael (read: Miwhael) was kind enough to go get all our boxes on a cart and push them to the ferry in his own Ironman competition. He won handily—though he was the only one competing. After the ferry, we got in my car, and drove quickly to Detroit to fly to Nashville, where we picked up our van that I left there earlier in the paragraph.
Now, the reason we were going to Nashville was because they have cars and bridges. I jest. What I mean is, the reason we were going to Nashville was to play their version of Missionfest, like the one we so enjoy in Jackson, MS. And enjoy this one, we did. If I'm not mistaken, we visited every one of their service projects, all around town. And Michael continued in his Ironman competition by working multiple tools at one of the sites. Again, he came in first. At another place, we worked with paper machete. Oh, wait. I mean that stuff that's like pancake batter that you slide strips of newspaper through. I think the word I wrote would be more like if we were paper pirates or something. At one of the sites, we saw a poster on the wall and thought maybe this should be our new concert poster. From there, we both went home.
Then Michael came out to visit for the final July 3rd party at our house. We all enjoyed ourselves mightily. A couple days later, we went to Cincinnati and found our way back out to find Hillsboro, which turned out to be the wrong town, where we played at a camp for an energetic group of folks. Had a nice time, and then drove way up north to Wisconsin for a return appearance to Lifest, a festival run by Life Promotions. We played 6 times through the weekend, plus three times at a church. Yes, of course we're still tired. But it was loads of fun. As you'll see in the crowd shots, the daily opening 11:30am slot on the main stage is not exactly packed, but as I say, we had fun. PLUS, while we were there, we got to sit in the front row and watch a set by Ricky Scaggs! Yes, that Ricky Scaggs. If you don't know who he is, just picture Ingvay Malmsteen on mandolin and you get the impression. It was a real treat to hear this band.
After that fun, I dropped Michael in Chicago and went home for a family visit with my brother. After waiting on line at a local bookstore until midnight, it was back to Chicago to get Michael. Then we drove west to Aurora (as in Wayne's World) where we played a concert for some excellent folks who came over to see us do just that. Afterward, we drove over to Rockford to sleep and then headed to Beloit, WI to finish up the weekend.
Now, on to some housekeeping. As I've mentioned several times previously, we finished our new cd, Pronto, and it's by far our best album to date. (Not that you're looking for a date, but you get my meaning I hope.) If you'd like to get a copy pronto, you can visit the Stuff To Buy page. If you'd like to come to a concert, check the Concerts page, or sign up on the mailing list. And, if you'd like to see the pictures of the folks who were kind enough to come over to see us play, you can visit the Photo Phrenzy.
And, I believe that brings you up to date. Tune in next time, when I'll be writing from our new home in New York, and you'll be a few months older.
Fare thee well,
george
Read more of George's monthly newsletters.
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