It’s 9:43pm and I haven’t yet left my apartment. It’s so nice to have a comfortable place to live with Internet access. I’ve been doing a lot of geek work and I’m up for a break.
I played with Blaine last Friday in Wakeeney, KS. It’s been a while since I had so much fun. I played something like six originals, covered one of Rob’s songs, then played some more originals before playing one of Trevor’s songs. I think I got through everything but Republican. I should have played Republican…I may have avoided this guy talking to me for 30 minutes, trying to convince me to go to Afghanistan on a USO tour. He said his good friend was Darryl Worley. I nodded as if I knew who he was. The guy was nice and had some nice things to say, but I don’t think Afghanistan is the best place for alt-country music.
The Lincoln County Fair was a struggle, but we somehow pulled it out. There was a decent crowd that liked the folk and bluegrass. We don’t get to play that kind of music very often.
I hope everyone had a happy Independance Day I did I didn’t I did and didn’t
A coworker broke my 1983 Brougham that serves as my backup transportation and the starter went out in my pickup toward the waning days of harvest. I found a new one on eBay for less than half the price of one from the parts store and had it delivered to Manhattan so it would be waiting for me when I arrived. I pull started my pickup and came back, leaving my truck parked until the starter arrived on Friday. After not allowing enough time for installation, getting frustrated and doing stupid things such as raging and breaking a battery cable and fowling up my clutch linkage, I realized at 3:30pm on Friday that I wasn’t going to make my 2:00pm departure deadline for the show in Hays. I started loading my equipment in the Blazer, only to fill it up with half of the required equipment. Out of options, I rented a 2005 F-150 for the last four days, blowing any possible profit from the weekend shows and then some. I took a picture of the dash, because it’ll probably be many years before I’m actually behind the wheel of something that new again.
I didn’t make Blaine’s show at the WWF, but we did get set up in time for an 11:00pm start at the Rail. It was one of the funnest shows I’ve played in a while, and a big thanks go to the Blaine Younger band for crashing my party after they got done playing down town. Blaine got up and sang a song and Mike and Johnny got up and played a few oldies with us.
The sojourn to Oklahoma was pleasant, moreso I must admit than it would have been in my pickup.
I knew it would be a good show at Ira’s in Alva, OK, when I pulled up and found everyone there already drunk and willing to help Mason and me load in. Everyone was singing along and hitting on my girlfriend while I sang on. Mason broke out the old drum solo for the finale, making me realize what a complete idiot I’ve been for not forcing him to do it more often. It’ll definately be part of our set in the future.
While we deserve to be dead in a ditch somewhere, we somehow made it back as far as Kiowa and crashed at Tyler Hiltner’s Holiday Hotel.
A big thanks to Tyler for not only being so hospitibal, but also for hooking us up with the stormy show at Dave’s. Jim’s car broke down before the show, leaving us bassless for the evening. Roger Powell, Mason’s father, set in on bass for the first half of the night, filling out the sound. We had a great response, and it looks like we’ll be back soon. The only problem with Sunday’s show was that I left my voice in Oklahoma. Josh Jacobs got up for a partial Emotional Feedback reunion on the Skynyrd songs, giving me a much needed break. The other highlight, at least for me personally, was that we got to play Rain King again. We used to play the shit out of that song; this was the first time the whole crowd was actually yelling, screaming, and dancing to it.
The pickup ended up costing $230. After the $135 bar tab that we somehow racked up at Dave’s, I don’t think I quite came close to that, much less compensation enough for gas. To top it all off, I was supposed to be able to move in to my new place on Friday; I figured I’d give the previous occupant a few extra days. We pulled in yesterday to find the room still full of stuff. I am so crumpled emotionally and physically after these last few days that I can’t function. All I want is a place to lay my head, functioning transportation, and a few days off. With a show in Lawrence on Wednesday, a truck and a car that still aren’t fixed, and money spent on two apartments in neither of which can I currently sleep, it doesn’t look like my wishes will come true.
Happy birthday, Mike McClure.
“The price of a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings.” –Duritz
Rocking and rolling out of a 1983 Massey Fergueson 860 and into a 2002 Martin DC-1E, I’m back in the saddle again.
We’re hitting Hays with a big show on Friday at the Rail. Wild West Fest should be concluding just about the time the party start on 11th Street.
Saturday marks the first Aaron Traffas Band show in Oklahoma, with a performance at Ira’s in Alva.
Sunday will be our sophomore show at Dave’s in Kiowa, KS. Last time was good and we had 2 hours notice. We’re actually planning this one, so it should be a blast.
Wednesday, Mason and I will be down at the Harbour in Lawrence.
“When you’ve been walking and someone offers you a ride, you don’t complain if the air conditioning doesn’t work.” -Aaron McKee
Over half way done with the Hunter place Going to go mudding today “Get a little mud on the tires” I’d write a song about that if I were a Nashville Nancy
Three auctions in four days last week Now back to the farm One combine ready Mine is still knocking Spent most of the day yesterday isolating Rear beater has some play Going to run it until it blows up
I’m so behind on phone calls July and August are nonetheless filling I’ll try to be regular
Out of options, I rented a 2005 F-150 for the last four days, blowing any possible profit from the weekend shows and then some. I took a picture of the dash, because it’ll probably be many years before I’m actually behind the wheel of something that new again.