SPRING 2002 NEWSLETTER


So, my trusty laptop computer ceased being so trusty recently. I found myself with a black screen reading "operating system not found." I thought this was probably a bad sign, and the folks at Dell confirmed my suspicions. After about an hour on the phone, and a variety of tests, things did not look good. I asked myself, Is there a more frightening question than this:


"Where would you like me to ship your new hard drive?"


There is not.


And so, I was faced with a set of serious problems, not the least of which was losing all sorts of unanswered e-mails. If you've written to us in the last month or so, and have not heard back, please write again. If you haven't written to us, well . . .how come, huh? Please write to us sometime.


Now, for the next hurdle. Being as how the interferon regimen makes it a bit difficult to keep up with daily tasks, I've gone to an every-other-month schedule of newsletters. Turns out, that's not a realistic schedule either this year, so now I'll go to seasonal installments until my interferon days are through—which will be January of next year. For better or worse, this means each newsletter will be thrice as long, thrice as jam-packed (and possibly half as interesting). Which means, this will take a little time here. That said, should I start with the big news, or just go in chronological order? I'll save the big news, but I'll alert you when it comes along with the words "HERE'S THE BIG NEWS," okay? And so, on with the adventure . . .

Agape Bob Lenz "George Baum, return for a lost article."

We began the season by meeting in Davenport, IA, where we played at a school during the day and then a concert at night. Our pal, Agape joined us for a few nights of touring and we were glad to have him along. From there it was on to Fort dodge, IA. Here, we were pleased to regroup with our pal, Bob Lenz. He's a great speaker, and it's always a pleasure to hear him address a group. (This evening's live concert recording is my favorite of the bunch this time; you get us playing and Bob speaking as well!) Next up was Wausau, WI. From there we headed north. And I do mean NORTH.


We were psyched to return to a favorite of ours, the Fire Up event in Marquette, MI. Always a blast for us. This time, we were reunited with our long-lost pals, Smalltown Poets. As you may know, they rock. One afternoon (this being the Upper Peninsula), we threw snowballs with the guys from the band. We were about fifty feet from a street sign, and after about twenty minutes, not one of us hit it with our projectiles. As we wiped off our hands, I turned to the others and said, "Well, let's not quit our night jobs." Anyway, as I say, Fire Up was an expected blast, and we traveled south when it was done. (Traveling north leaves only Canada from that point.)

De-Lish-Us! For those about to rock . . . Real-Band Status on the rise!

We next played in Shawano, WI. If you're going there, be advised the one bridge into town is closed for construction. The hosts provided us with a life-time supply of chips, and we found them de-lish-us. Then there was a little break, until we headed for Tucson, AZ, where we once more joined forces with our pals, Craig and Jake who are alive—or so one assumes from their stage name, Craig and Jake Live. Had a wonderful time; met lots of interesting folks; and got to hear one of the funnest bands around, our friends Superchick. They're really fun, so if they're anywhere near your town, I recommend you check them out. Also at this event, we figured we'd better make a banner, since all the real bands seemed to have one. So Michael put his graphic design skills to work, and our display was a force to be reckoned with.


Off we went, then, to Phoenix, where we were reunited with our dear friend, Ben Freudenberg. We've known Ben forever, and he has always gone out of his way to help us in any way he can. Went out for food after the concert, and chatted for quite a long time. Or, as long as the folks at Applebee's would allow which, come to think of it, isn't really that long. At the concert in Phoenix, the Arizona Covenant Contingent was out in full force, showing their State's Rights spirit. From there, we each flew home, and took a little break.


Then I drove to Chicago, picked up Mr. Bridges, and together we headed to Williams Bay, WI. Or, Lake Geneva, or something like that. Wow, we had a grand time that reminded us a great deal of summer camp. Lots to do, and lots of really nice folks to do things with. Michael and I tried our hand at fashion statements, using large colorful donuts to accessorize our individual looks. We also met some folks whose youth group accessorized their own hands using something called Henry, I believe it was. Wait, perhaps it was henna, or something like that.


The next night, we played our first gig at an IBEW hall. (That's the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to you and me.) As Michael pointed out in the recent subscription description, since our contract states that all we need is an electrical outlet, we couldn't have been more set. Our playing in an IBEW hall is like Ozzy Osbourne playing at the bat house in the zoo. A slam-dunk on supplies, eh? Anyway, that night was a whole lot of fun, and Michael and I then headed for Cincinnati, OH.


During the day, we played for some students at the Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati. They could not have been more welcoming, and even hung up a banner, proving my point. In the evening, we played a concert for the community in the same room, and had a good fun time, just as expected. Having met all these expectations, we drove off into the Kentucky night, in search of the Ichthus Festival.

Ready to rock on!

We found it right where we'd left it, in Wilmore, KY. For us, Ichthus marks the beginning of the festival season, and appropriately, I started the season right with a good solid case of Festival Feet. Troy came with us on this trip, and as you can see from the photo, he settled in for the festival season as well, looking mighty comfortable amidst the rivulets cascading through our sales table. As you might've guessed, Ichthus was once again a super groovy time for Michael and me. The amphitheater gig was packed with all sorts of interesting characters, and—aside from the nagging notion that one should get started building that ark—it seemed like folks had a pretty good time.


We left Ichthus right where we found it, and drove on up to Toledo, Ohio, quite near to my town of residence. The folks in Toledo turned out a nice crowd, many of whom escaped the flood of Ichthus and dried out in time to attend the concert. Following that, we took a little break.

Which fish? Sausagefest

Next up was the Agape Festival, in Greenville, Illinois. As you can see from this photo, there were all sorts of food options available, some of them spelled correctly and everything! And speaking of food, my favorite band at the Agape Festival was called "Sausagefest." They wore clever costumes; they sang funny songs; they cooked up hotdogs during their set and distributed them to the crowd. It still makes me laugh when I think back on watching them play. Michael and I think they should headline the festival next year, but we might be kind of alone in that opinion.


From there, we flew out to North Dakota, and drove up to a place called Devil's Lake. Had a great time, and ate some delicious soup from an interesting place downtown whose name escapes me. One thing, though, if you're headed for Devil's Lake in May, bring your parka and your mukluks. Ready for THE BIG NEWS? Oh wait, that's not the way I promised it, is it? What I mean is, HERE'S THE BIG NEWS!


In mid-May, Michael and I met up with our pals, Jonathan Rundman and John Simshauser in Madison, Wisconsin to record our newest album, "Something Different." To read a description of our time there, you can go to Detailed Credits. To see some photos of our time in Madison, click on Session Photos. In brief, Something Different is something different. We recorded nine new songs with the traditional LOST AND FOUND non-traditional style (i.e. guitar, piano, and our two "voices"). Then, we recorded those same nine songs again using bass, drums, and . . .well, all sorts of strange instruments, under the production of Jonathan and the engineering skills of John. It is, by far, our best and most interesting album so far, and we think you're really going to like it. Or, at least you'll have to admit, it's Something Different from LOST AND FOUND. If you'd like to get your own copy, click on Something Different. If you've already heard the cd, and want to tell us what you think, you can visit our Survey.

Where's my arm? Bleach rocks on! Excuse me?

As soon as we finished recording the album, we headed off to Canada, which you probably know, rocks. Had a great time in a town I've never heard of called Stayner, Ontario. Our friends Bleach were there, also representing the United States, and we all had a great time. Until it snowed. Then we still had a great time, but we were all super cold and stuff while eating our Canadian candy bars. I must say, they have some strange customs in Canada. And I don't necessarily mean at the border. For example, in the bathroom of our dorm room in Stayner, I found this sign. I can only guess that this falls into the category of Officially Sanctioned Practical Jokes. And speaking of categories, here's an anecdote for your Tough To Be The Americans file.


Remember that hockey game where Toronto tied it up with Carolina in the final 10 seconds of play? Yeah, well the folks in Stayner were watching that game, and the afternoon session was delayed so everyone could watch the overtime period on the huge screens. The Toronto fans (read: everyone except the two bands) were in a frenzy following that last-second goal, chanting "Go Leafs Go!" at the top of their lungs. The overtime period begins. Everyone's screaming. Within a few minutes, Carolina scores; the game is over; the screens go blank; the lights come up on the stage: Direct from America, it's LOST AND FOUND.


Yeah, talk about your tough timeslot, eh?

Finish line!

However, the Canadians took pity on us (even though they invented hockey) and we lived to play another gig. Though not right away. First my family and I spent Memorial Day weekend in my hometown of Niagara Falls, New York. Michael spent the holiday doing something he's wanted to do for a long time. No, I don't mean sleep. In San Diego on June 2nd, Michael Bridges ran his first marathon! He finished in 3 hours and 57 minutes. (Which, from what they say, is really really good. I know I could drive it in less than that, but I also realize I'm a professional.)


After the holiday, Michael and I joined back up in St. Louis, where our pals the Hartkes had been kindly storing our van for us. From there, we drove south and west into Arkansas.


We arrived to a warm welcome in Siloam Springs, and played some songs for a really fun group of folks who were camping for the week. As the mc told the group, there weren't too many snakes this year, because the ticks had eaten them all. I think he might've been joking, but it scared me enough to make me stay indoors as much as possible.

See that hole?

From there, I dropped Michael at the St. Louis airport, and drove off into the Illinois night. A few days and one daughter's birthday later, Michael came to our house and we drove over to Mansfield, Ohio, where my dear friend Pastor Steve Brown had invited us to play at Camp Mowana. Had a great time and got the concert finished prior to the nasty downpours. The whole time we were playing the concert, huge bees were going in and out of that whole above Michael's head. While interesting for me, it did make for a bit of a nerve-racking time for the guitar player.


The next night, I was once more privileged to sit in with our pal Jonathan Rundman for his Farewell to Chicago Concert. Had an absolute blast, and played all sorts of fun and unusual songs. The next night, having survived Ichthus-like rains, we played in Countryside, Illinois. A fun time was had and the band enjoyed itself. (Suddenly I have slipped into third-person narrative form, like I'm Bob Dole or something.) The next day, we continued further south in the Land of Lincoln, playing a concert in Morton, Illinois. A fun and interesting time, with all sorts of unusual songs including the premier of "Your Memory" from our Something Different album. (Remember? That album was THE BIG NEWS that you were waiting for. Or, I should say, THE BIG NEWS that I was waiting to tell you. It's presumptuous of me to assume your were waiting for it.)


Then, Michael drove the van to Nashville, picked me up at the airport, and we played an excellent event called Impact on the campus of Lipscomb University. They really went all out in decking out the place, and the folks were quite an excitable bunch. From there, we drove off further south and arrived in Florence, Alabama for the AFFIRM event.


Wow, you'd think after playing at AFFIRM off and on since 1988 they'd be sick and tired of us, but for some reason they always make us feel as welcome as can be. Turns out, that's very welcome indeed. Had a great time visiting with all the various groups, especially the ones that met indoors (this being Alabama in the summer). As always, Alice kept everything under control in the technical realm, and we were sad to have to leave before AFFIRM was over.


But, leave we did. Or, Michael did. I'm currently in a hotel in Sheffield, Alabama, awaiting my early-morning flight back to Ohio. Assuming I get on it and then make the next plane, I'll pick up the narrative in California with the next installment. Otherwise, I guess I'll just spend a few pages describing the view of the parking lot here in Sheffield.


If you'd like to see the photos from the piano bench, click on Photo Phrenzy. And with this newsletter FINALLY written, I am off to answer scads of overdue e-mails from folks who were kind enough to write to us over the last month or so. More on our journeys next month, or the month after, or the month after . . .


Until then, I suggest you continue rocking on in your own inimitable fashion.


george

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