We just got done with the auction. It’s 10:00p and looks like I’ll make the Wade Bowen / Randy Rogers show tonight down at ‘horn’s.

We’re now 3-3-0 in CAL-O, for those of you keeping score. We’re on a winning streak now that CAL has weeded out the hackers.

I’m departing for Hays in a few hours to meet with Jim and John to see how much hair we can pull out.

Also, sometime between now and Monday, if you haven’t yet read the article at www.gyphillpremiere.com, you should. They did well.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the shows Friday and last night. We’ll be heading back to the Rail in March and we locked in a song swap with Trevor Burgess at Buster’s for April 16.

I don’t know why I’m so happy with my show last night at Buster’s. I had severe technical problems including a blown power amplifier and broken ear monitors and a blown channel in my light rig, not to mention the hecklers. It’s been a while since I’ve had hecklers. This girl kept yelling for “something upbeat” and after playing some bluegrass and some fast Boland and Bowen and still not getting through to her, I realized she wanted something she knew, regardless of the speed of the song. I guess her requests for Chesney and Keith should have clued me in. It’s really been a long time since I’ve had requests for new pop country. I guess I’d just assumed that everyone knew the ropes. If it had been any other establishment, I’d have played “That Ain’t Country” and probably gotten her thrown out of the bar. Or I’d have been thrown out. Either way, one of us would have been out in the rain. Speaking of which, we had a nice little rain storm last night. I don’t know if it caused the power outage, but something did. I was doing the encore at about 12:30am and was right in the middle of the reprise version of Copperhead Road when everything went dead. There wasn’t a light on anywhere in the whole town of Sun City, KS. I could tell by looking both ways outside of Busters because I could see the whole town from there. I thought about unplugging and going out and standing on the center table and playing the rest of the song acoustically, but then analyzed how dumb and Garth Brooks-like that would have been.

We’re playing in Norton this Saturday for the American Legion Valentines Day dance. Bring a friend who doesn’t want to hear Chesney.

It seems that I’m getting very familiar with I70. I’ll be heading to Hays on Friday for the fourth time in three weeks, this time to play a show with Jimmy Billinger. It’s been a while since we’ve played a duo show, so it should be a good time. We’re playing at what used to be called the Brass Rail and I hear they’ve done some remodeling and now call it just the Rail. They must have taken all the brass out. Perhaps they’ve painted it. We’ll have to see.

Saturday brings another Buster’s show. It’s short notice, so you should be able to find a seat. We also booked a show for the last weekend of spring break, which also happens to be Easter weekend. I’m sure everyone will be looking for something to do after church.

Don’t forget about what could be the last Pearl Grey show in Norton on 12 February. It’s a public V-Day dance, so everyone is invited. If you come, understand that you’ll be required to fill out a non-disclosure form. We don’t want anyone to know about the pop country that we’ll be playing.

Also, everyone should buy a copy of the next Gyp Hill Premiere. (For those of you who subscribe to the email update, spare me your spelling suggestions. I realized I spelled it wrongly immediately after I clicked send.) I just found out they’ll be doing a write up on me in it. Perhaps I shouldn’t recommend it until I read it, but I’m sure they’ll do a good job.

That’s enough for now. You’ll hear from me.

What an unexpected surprise!

I heard a useful quote the other day that agrees with my distaste of the exclamation mark. It was something to the effect of “you only get two exclamation marks to use in your entire life, so be sure to use them wisely.” I guess I have one left.

Anyway, the surprise in question was the free and (gasp) unsecured wireless network inhabiting the entire hotel in which I’m currently writing. It’s quite convenient, actually. Now all I have to figure out is how to remove all the spyware with which my impending installation of Kazaa will fill my the Purple Wave’s laptop.

I’m scurrying around this morning, trying to pack things up to go to Hays for the Kansas Auctioneers Association convention. I can’t decide if it’s a little vacation or an enormous hassle. Whatever description it is, it’s preventing me from working or accomplishing anything personally productive for three days. At least Lucas “The Machine” Thornton is going so I’ll have someone with whom to pass the hours talking about Counter Strike and the politics in the Middle East – two not completely unrelated topics.

Thanks to everyone who came to the show last night at the Page. We had an absolute blast. Thanks to the Bleu Edmonsond Band and Andy VanMeter for being so hospitable. After playing six days out of the last seven, I’m looking forward to my week off.