01.25.2014 - Independent Ale Works - Krum, TX

Howdy!

So, this past Saturday we played at the launching of Independent Ale Works' new tap room. They are a fairly new brewery based in Krum (Denton), Texas. Scheduled to play were Sand Dollar Rodeo, Eric Wagner and Prostinaut. 

The day started out good - there's a Dairy Queen on 380 after you exit 35. Always a good way to start an afternoon, no? Then, of course, it turned into the typical unpredictable show day... I say unpredictable, but I suppose that's not totally true. I can predict (and pretty much guarantee) that something is not going to go as planned throughout the day of a performance. It's just the nature of the beast - a matter of "what" and "when" rather than "if." At this point, I've become fairly numb to the flow of a show day and generally manage to maintain a pleasant appearance. Throwing a fit over things not going the way you thought they were going to go does nothing but make you look like an ass. It doesn't fix the problem and, to me, is a waste of time. Anyway, I know something will eventually happen. So, I just do my best to avoid people and phones on a show day. Now, that being said, I've just got myself off track a little - this was not a bad show and things didn't go horribly wrong - just establishing a little "pre-show day in the life" before I tell the story of the Saturday. Unfortunately, I type about as fast as I think. Sorry. Now, back to the day...

First off, as I'm partying down at the DQ, I see the blinky light on my phone. Crap. Voice mails on show days are never good. It was a message from Eric Wagner. He was going to play an acoustic set after us and was calling to say that he wasn't going to make the show. Family stuff, understandable. But, again, a bump in the road that throws your train of thought. My thoughts shift to, "ok, so is the venue going to ask us to play later now, so there isn't a huge gap between us and the band playing after Eric?" Well, we can't because Brian has to be in Allen at 6. More thoughts start running through the mind. "Are they going to be mad that we can't play later? Is there going to be tension?" Tension between bands and venues can be a show killer. Eventually, you accept that you are booked from x hour to x hour and focus on making sure that happens. Breathe in, breathe out, move on. 

So, I arrive at the venue and go inside to see about where we're going to be setting up. Down the way, I can see a drum set. Ok, that must be the stage. Then the band starts playing. I'm confused. I thought we were playing first. They must have added another band. Ok, great, that's fine, no worries. Then, after Heath arrives and talks with them, I find out that the band that was going to play later decided to play first and would be done around 3. We were originally scheduled to play from 3 to 5. If they stop at 3, earliest we'll be on is 3:45. Normally, not a big deal, we can roll with it. But, tonight we're balancing schedules and have to be done at 5. Playing later in the night is just not an option time time around. 

In the end, it all worked out fine. It usually does. Which, again, is why I try not to get too crazy over the bumps. The other band stopped around 2:30,  we went on a few minutes after 3 and were done by 5. They didn't ask us to play later and cover Eric's spot.

The show itself was a little different. The room we were set up in was a small loading dock area and it captured the sound and held onto it. It was loud in that little room and I don't blame any of the attendees for sitting and watching from outside. I did the same when the other band was playing. I like loud, but it was too loud for that hour of the day - and no, our drums, bass and guitar were not mic'd. It was just loud because it was a small room. Anyway, the point to that is we spent most of the time playing by ourselves in a little room. We'd finish a song, then hear applause coming from outside. Kind of an odd, distant, feeling. Anyway, it went ok. I've played worse, for sure. 

Highlights of the day for me were Dairy Queen and the Waffle Wagon. They had a couple of food trucks out back, one of which sold gourmet waffles. We're talking peanut butter, banana, jelly and bacon covered waffles. That kind of stuff. When the wind would change direction, we got the wonderful smell of fresh waffles thrown right at us.That was kind of nice and was definitely satisfactionin' my inner Elvis. 

Anyway, that was how it went down. We premiered a new song called Damn Strait, had some mailing list sign-ups and Facebook likes, etc. All in all, not a bad day and I appreciated the brewery having us out to play. We're scheduled to play at Independent Ale Works again on May 17th. Now that we've seen the room, we can tweak the set and PA so it will be a better experience all around. Should be a fun afternoon, so if you're out in the Denton area, go mark your calendar and we'll have us a good ol' "krummy" time in Denton county. 

Next week, we're back to the okra circuit for a return visit at Railhead in Willow Park. This will be the first show with our new live keyboard player, Trey Pope. He adds a dynamic that I think you guys will really enjoy. So, come on down for a little fried okra, BBQ and beverages and we'll see you there!

Stay gold,

RH

PS: Be sure to ask Brian to show you his battle wound next time you see him play :)

01.15.2014 - Bigstar97.com's Campfire Jam - Burleson, TX

Sorry for the delay on this one. I think I might have picked up a little something. Came home after the show and crashed. Felt really bad the next day... sore throat, sneezing, just run down. Tis the season, right? Well, I am still a bit under the weather, but seems to be getting better. So, let's do this!

First off, this is the most nervous I have been before a show in a long time, possibly ever. It's a pretty well known fact that we are not an acoustic band and have no aspirations of ever being one. That being said, it costs Heath and I a small chunk of money to bring a full show to you guys. So, it's an obstacle to just "play for exposure" to get word out about the band.

A few months back, Heath and I were brainstorming for ways to promote the band without breaking the bank. What if we tried an acoustic set? Ok. Maybe. I am not a fan of open mics. Or, as I like to call them, "we're too cheap to pay for entertainment, but bring your friends and buy our drinks" night. And, as I mentioned, we have no intention of being an acoustic act. But, I had to admit that I was curious to hear what it would sound like. So, we did a little research and stumbled on Bigstar97.com's Campfire Jam. They are a radio station and the show is acoustic, as they're wanting to focus on the lyrics and writing rather than the bells and whistles. Ok. Interesting. So, we contacted and booked it.

I'm glad we did.

Let me backup a few weeks... We knew this gig was coming and we knew we needed to practice for it. We also just brought on a new drummer and were trying to add a keyboardist. That pretty much sucked up any free rehearsal time. But, we were able to get together the weekend before the show. Anyway, that's why I was so nervous. I am normally very well rehearsed before a show. This time, we were basically playing naked (no keys, drums or bass) and only had time to work out which songs we were going to play and how we would start and end them. Sounded like a disaster in the making to me.

So, we show up. Met the host, Meagan, and she was very laid back, almost comforting. She assured us it would be fine and then it was "30 seconds and we're live."

What an odd experience for someone used to loud and crazy shows. We did our thing, got to talk about the inspirations for the different songs and I saw people listening to the words (rather than the melody) coming from my mouth. It was ok. We survived and even unloaded a few CD 's.

Also on the bill was The Usrey Brothers. They have the acoustic thing down. It was obvious that they are used to that vs full band. Nice guys as well. Check them out if they are in your neck of the woods.

In the end, would I do it again? Probably, if it was at the right place and for the right reason. It went fine, but I really prefer the energy of a full on show. So, it's going to be a rare thing. However, it was a great bonding and growing experience for Heath and I. You think you're putting it all out there when you play live with a band... try it without amps, effects units, props or anything else! Oh well, at least now we know we can still pull off a show if the power goes out :)

Hope you all have a great weekend Stay gold,
RFH

01.04.2014 - Railhead - Willow Park, TX

Happy New Year!

Prior to the show, I was talking with Heath at load in, asking about when the last time we played live was. It had only been around 3 weeks, but it seemed like forever. There has been a lot going on between that last show and now. 

Probably most noteworthy is our new drummer, Tony. Technically, he's only been with us for about a week or so. So, when I say new drummer, I mean NEW drummer. We spent much of the time prepping material for him. Then, there's year end wrap-ups, getting plans in place for 2014, Christmas, New Years (which we spent rehearsing)... it's been busy. 

Onto our first show of the year. It went ok. Our setup is currently a little more advanced than your average garage band. I, obviously, use a lot of sequencing from the keyboards and, to keep that in sync with the drums, I send a click (1 2 3 4) over to the drummer to follow. This is very tough for a drummer to get used to - he gets that 1 2 3 4 through the whole song and has to follow it and hold the whole thing together. That being said, it was not the greatest/tightest we've ever been, for sure. But, considering the circumstances, I am ok with it. One really cool thing was the dynamic that happened when we got out of sync a few times - when it gets off like that, I cut the sequencing altogether and we just finish the song without it - the farther the drummer and sequencer get off from each other, the farther the rest of the band get off - it's just better to kill the sequencer. While I missed the sequencing, it was very liberating to able to finish the songs without the electronic leash around our necks. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a new keyboard player on stage (not me) before too long - the freedom to flow without the sequencing was fun and exciting. 

Aside from that freedom mentioned above, no real highlights of the night for me. I think Heath, Brian and I were pretty much focused on trying to keep things together since it was Tony's first gig. There was also kind of an odd mood among us. Obviously, nerves over a new drummer. Lots of nervous energy on stage. But, also, Brian was/is sick. Heath's Aunt had passed away and the funeral was just hours before. Aside from me, my guys had a tough day all around. I wish we would have had the luxury of changing the date, but the live music industry doesn't work that way - we either suck it up or we don't get paid.

Oh wait, I know a highlight - Brian did some quick recovery on Sing Along. We were off with the sequencers. So, I cut them. That means no "na na, na na" part from the vocoder. Brian played it on bass and it worked - Thanks for the quick thinking, Brian! 

Where to we go from here? Well, Heath and I are playing an acoustic radio show mid-month, then our next full band show is in February. We'll spend the bulk of January rehearsing and getting ready for the Spring schedule to kick in. 

Stay tuned... and stay gold,

RH