05.04.2013 - Mayfest - Fort Worth, TX

Ok, I know, I know... I'm very late in posting this one! I came home the night of this show, had about half of a beer and fell right asleep on the couch. After that, it's been on the "to do" list since then. Sorry. 

Part of the problem in my getting motivated to make this post is the lack of things to say. It was a good show, I love fests. The sound was good, weather was nice, etc. Although, that started a several week battle with chapped lips - like really bad chapped lips. It was bright and sunny, plus very windy. I would up with sun and wind burned lips. The weeks following have been a challenge as I try to sing - they crack, bleed, etc. Finally, as of yesterday, I am pretty much healed. Thanks to lots of aloe, E and this stuff I found at another fest, Grapevine's Main Street Days a week later, called Udder Balm. Wow, talk about some soothing stuff. Anyway, lips are ok now and I will make a point to have SPF on my lips in any future outdoor shows. 

The other highlight, for me, was the shuttle service. Mayfest has a lot of people there, cars did not have access to the stage we were playing. So, they shuttled the bands and their gear in to the stage area. Oh, and only one vehicle in the pre-loading area. That part was funny - we loaded everything we had into Heath's SUV. Heath drove, I was in the passenger seat, Cisco on my lap. It had to be hilarious to look at - I know the checkpoint police were laughing away. 

Anyway, we make it to the loading area, unpack Heath's car and then wait on the shuttle. The "shuttle" arrives. Not what I pictured - it was those little golf cart thingies, some with trailers on back. Ok, fine, it works. We load up and then notice the beers in the drivers cup holders. Yeah, they were volunteers and, clearly, drinking was allowed. That was a fun little ride, that's probably all I need to say, right? I can't believe that nothing bounced out along the way. Seriously, it was a fun ride, though. 

In the end, all worked out, shuttle in, shuttle out, check waiting for us at the end of the shuttle ride. Can't beat that. Hopefully, we will play this one again next year. It was a nice time!

RH

Shuttle load out... 

05.03.2013 - Wild Rooster - Fort Worth, TX

Well, I came home from this show tired, all in a good mood, got a beer, had some frozen pizza, got ready to write the blog... fell alseep. Sorry for the delay, folks. Catch up time!

First time playing at the Wild Rooster, so really didn't know what to expect. We had heard they had a decent sound system and that was enough to make us happy. We've had some really crappy ones in the past. Anytime there's rumor of "good sound" it makes a good impact on the pre-show mood. The bar itself reminded me of a younger, almost yuppie-ish, version of Hank's in McKinney. But, then again, it didn't. I don't know. I could see a metal band in there more than a country band. Just that kind of vibe. Staff was nice and friendly, though. No complaints. Cheap beer, too! 

We were also opening for a band by the name of Whiskey Confessions. I had heard a couple of their songs online and really didn't know what to expect in the full show. That unknown element is always fun as well. 

The show itself went fine. Really, nothing special about it. We played, the crowd seemed to enjoy it, we didn't run anyone off. What more can you ask when you're the opening band, right? Actually, I felt better after Whiskey Confessions came on. While they played a few originals, I didn't realize they were going to be doing mostly covers. That fact, right there, changed my opinion of how the night went. The fact we made it through our set without anyone making a request or bitching about the originals... or leaving, makes me feel just fine. The Whiskey Confessions guys were friendly, wouldn't be surprised if we paired up again on their side of the state in the future. 

As I said, no real highlights for the show itself. As I can recall, Fried Okra went over best with that crowd. I would like to play for the same crowd again, after they're more familiar with our music. They were a fun enough crowd. They just didn't know our songs. Oh... wait, there was a couple in the crowd that seemed to know some of the words... yeah, Heath's parents came out to the show. It was nice meeting them and I think they had a good time! 

So, that's it for Wild Rooster. Next morning... fest mode! 

RH

04.27.2013 - Judge Bean's - Keller, TX

Another fun one comes and goes... 

Last night we played at a place called Judge Bean's in Keller, TX. Kind of a restaurant/bar type of place, not exactly where you'd probably expect to see us playing. But, we were playing there for our booking agent's birthday bash. So, what the heck, right?

We needed to fill a four hour slot. So, in an effort keep both the crowd and ourselves entertained for that long, we decided to mix things up a little bit. For starters, we printed out a list of pretty much every cover song we knew. We gave that list to Marti (our agent) and said, "What do you want to hear first?" We continued with that format the remainder of the night. We'd finish a song, then ask her what we were playing next. It made the night pass quickly and was a nice change of pace for us. 

We also invited Eric Wagner up to  play a few acoustic songs. Sounded good... so, of course, we asked him back when we re-started our set and he sat in on guitar for Margaritaville (yeah, we played "that" song LOL) and then switched to harmonica on our song, Into The Night. Really nice job on the harmonica! Think we're gonna have to be callin' on that boy again. Anyway, it was fun. Very fun. If you guys get a chance, go check out his music - Thank you for helping us out, Eric!

There was a real party vibe in the air - people not connected to the birthday crowd were just having a good ol' time. I think that (and probably a few of those $1.75 Shiners) kept us all on our toes and in good form.  

Highlights for me this time were when Heath, out of the blue, started playing and singing The One I Love by REM. Sounded good, the crowd started singing along, so I whipped up a drum beat on the control pads and Cisco got the groove going on the congas, then we, as a whole room, all finished the song. I hate to say it, but playing Margaritaville with Eric and a bunch of well-lit ladies on stage was a high point as well. Those of you who know me well, know that, while I am a fan of Jimmy Buffett, I am not a big fan of that song. It worked for that moment, though. 

Probably biggest personal highlight was during Tailgate To The Beach. Before we played it, some guys were asking for a George Jones song - for obvious reasons. I told them, "No, I am not going to play a half-assed version of a classic Jones song just because he has died, it would be tacky." They accepted that answer. Then, I explained what Tailgate To The Beach was about and we played the song. Now for the highlight... around the 2nd verse, I look over and a girl is starting to tear up. I make eye contact, then continue around the room as I do. When I come back to her, tears all over the place. It was wild to see a song I had written move someone to tears. At the end of the song, her whole group of friends stood up and applauded. Then, several of them went over and I saw them buying CD's. I was very flattered. 

So, that was a Saturday night in the metropolis of Keller. I hear we have driven "Party Marti" into retirement. Mission accomplished. Below are some pics I stole from Amy Ludwig on Facebook... thanks, Amy (thanks for the chocolate cake, too)! 

Next couple of shows are expected to be super fun... so, stayed tuned. Until then, stay gold... RH

Cisco and I - Judging from the lack of guitar on me, probably during Sangria Wine. 

Pretty sure this was during Margaritaville...

04.26.2013 - Rangers Ballpark - Arlington, TX

Wow, what a fun night!

Sand Dollar Rodeo are about fests... we like them, we attend them, we embrace them. We call them George. George is our friend. Tonight was the Texas Food Truckin' Fest at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. 

I can't tell you how cool it was to pull up to a humongous stadium and load our gear in. You set a rack down, look up and see these towering walls. Intimidating and exciting at the same time. I've done some high profile shows in my past, but this was just kind of weird because every time I'd look over, I saw the largeness of this place. It was a rush. 

And the rush continued... this was an original show, no covers (ok, we did one... thank you St. Somewhere, we played your song Postcard because we like the damned song). It was so nice to have a fun crowd enjoying what we do. There's a slight buzz going on about us right now... earlier in the day, we got a favorable review in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and DFW.com Magazine, we've been added to rotation on several radio stations this week. Kind of weird to have people finally almost starting to recognize us and what we're doing. It reminds me of 20+ years ago when I was playing with another up and coming band that winded up doing pretty well. It's a good feeling. 

Anyway, the sound guys were awesome. Brad, who ran our sound... I can't thank you enough. That may have been the best monitor mix I've had to date. Oh, and they were nice guys. We like nice guys. 

This was one of those shows where I can't point out a true highlight - it was fun seeing the little girls dancing, it was nice to hear the applause of our sending a big ole chug of beer and a tractor ride in the sky to George Jones as we dedicated Tailgate To The Beach to the Possum, it was cool to see see the laughter on peoples faces as we did Fried Okra. It was just a good night overall. 

Tomorrow night... we head back to Keller, TX and I expect a wacky night. It is our booking agent, Marti's, birthday. We plan on doing our "show" then getting a little stupid. If you're around Keller tomorrow night... come on out... could be a good one... I'll report back then. 

Until then... Stay gold, ponykids.
RH

Rangers Ballpark - Arlington, Texas

04.12.2013 - Keller Tavern - Keller, TX

Ahh... the Spring weather continues and I welcome it with open arms!

This was our second time playing at The Keller Tavern. It's a nice place to stop by for a beer. If you're ever in that part of Keller (old Main Street), pop in and you'll probably have a nice visit. Neat little area of town and the smell of food in the air is wonderful. 

The last time we played there, it was still Winter and we had to play inside. It stormed and hailed. Playing inside was the right thing to do. But, it is entirely too small for us in there, very much what you think of as a pub or tavern, so we were glad to know we'd be playing outside on their patio the next time. Their patio is good sized, open and just feels fun. 

Tonight's show was "interesting." We had a decent crowd throughout the night, patio remained full at all times. But, after playing an all original show at The Venue last show, we honestly had a hard time getting into it at the beginning. As we were loading in, I noticed that none of the flyers we dropped off were up. Par for the course. Places like this are fun, but they really don't care who the band playing is. They just want some unoffensive background music while they sell drinks. 

Now, don't get me wrong, the show went fine. By the end of the night, the crowd was drunk, dancing and having a good ol' time. Just a completely different experience from last weekend. We have one more show on the books at this place and we're going to play with the set list a bit and see if we can't get them pumped up a bit earlier in the evening. Just a little difficult on a 4 hour show (which is why we no longer accept 4 hour bookings LOL). Watch the main Sand Dollar Rodeo website schedule at www.SandDollarRodeo.com for the next date - it's at the end of May, I believe. Could be wrong, check the website! 

My personal highlight of the evening... being tortured in numerous rounds of SongPop after the show and into the wee hours of the morning by J. It's ok J. You and your hair band / rock ballads are going down. I'm saving all my classic country favorites just for you!

Stay gold kids...
RH

View from behind the stage at Keller Tavern

04.06.2013 - The Venue - Gun Barrel City, TX

Looks like I'm a day or two late - sorry.. it's been one of those weeks. I've been incredibly busy with the business side of SDR and this is the first bit of down time I've had since the show! Sorry! 

What a great night! This past Saturday night, I'm proud to say that Sand Dollar Rodeo was the first band to play The Venue at GBC Music in Gun Barrel City. It was their grand opening and they had us and August & J in for the night. 

I can't say enough good things about the place and the people. Dino has a great place with a concept I really like. By day, it's a musical instrument store. Then at night... the lights go down, the cocktails come out and the volume goes up. Nice sound and lighting. Nice staff. Really friendly folks in the crowd. It truly was a pleasure to play there and I wish them nothing but the best of success. If you're a band passing through the area and are looking for a stopover between the larger cities (Gun Barrel City is not), I would highly recommend checking into The Venue. 

I can't really pinpoint any specific highlights of this show as we enjoyed it the whole time. It was so nice to be able to play our show as it's intended to be and the crowd was very receptive. Also, it's always fun sharing a bill with August & J. They are nice guys, good music - check them out over at www.AugustandJ.com . Oh, wait, there was a highlight I do remember... the gas station next door had Bud Light Chelada and excellent chicken salad sandwiches - GBC Valero Rocks :) Oh, and another... it was the first show we've had since the CD came out - and we sold some - that was kind of cool! 

Ok, kids... this weekend, we return to the Keller Tavern for an outdoor show. Despite the hail storm, we had a good show at Keller Tavern last time and are really looking forward to throwing you guys a party outside this time! Fingers crossed for no rain - talk to you then! 

Stay gold,

Roy

Heath in the dressing room...

03.23.2013 - Hollywood & Vine - Glen Rose, TX

Hollywood & Vine - Round Two!

Ah, that's how you take a rainy, icky, crappy weekend and make it good. Saturday night, we made a return visit to lovely Glen Rose, Texas. You know, I liked the town the first time, liking it even more after the second visit.

The weather in the DFW metroplex was rainy and cool on Saturday. We assumed we would be playing inside. H & V has an awesome patio area and we were really looking forward to playing outside. You can imagine how we felt when we saw the forecast. But, here's the deal... probably 20 or 30 minutes outside of Glen Rose and it starts clearing up... getting a tad warmer.

When I arrived, the owner grabbed me and explained they thought it might work outside, but it was our call. We could tell 2 out of 3 in charge thought we'd do best outside. And, while Heath fears the cold (aka anything below 70), I enjoy cold on stage - I normally am really hot. So, we played outside!

The crowd was ok. You could tell, there were some people turned off by the "cold." But, for the most part, it was ok. Towards the end of the night it was probably in the 50's and starting to get damp. We'll be playing there again on June 8th and it should be, wait for it... fun (ok, le gen da ry). The picture below doesn't really do it justice, but it's a cool stage on their funky patio as well. I'm guessing it's about 6 feet off the ground, built into the side of a hill.All 3 of us were clumped together in the picture, but we had room to get spread out and comfortable when we wanted. We're kind of curious about the snake situation once it warms up, though!

Oh, and for those of you readers that are not in Texas... Hollywood and Vine had quite the week. A new movie was partially shot in their restaurant this week. Randy Travis and James Dupre star in it. If you check out the picture below, this is them on the little stage area we played on last time (aka the bad weather stage). Anyway, I can't remember the name of the movie, but when I do remember, I will let you all know so you can check it out. Hollywood & Vine is a really neat place. I'm glad to see that Wanda & Curtis (da bosses) will be getting some much deserved attention in the near future.

Next weekend we're off. While I love playing live with Sand Dollar Rodeo, I am quite glad. It's been a very long week or two with some home and family issues that I won't get into here. Plus, finishing the album with all that going on has proven to be exhausting. Fair to say, I want nothing more to do next weekend but color Easter eggs and drink beer.

I hope the Easter beagle treats you all very well. Talk to you after the next show!

Til then, stay gold...
Roy