06.29.2013 - FireWheel Brewing Company - Rowlett, TX

What a pleasant afternoon! This "show" was a test for us. There's a growing trend around here of having live music during brewery tours. Well, it's no secret that we like beer. But, we just wanted to dip our toes in and see what it was all about. So, that's just what we did. 

I have attended beer festivals for several years now and, with the growing live music / beer scene combo, I started taking notes of the locals a few festivals ago. After attending North Texas Beer Festival, I figured that I would only contact breweries whose beer I enjoyed so that, if the gig sucked, at least the beer would be good. 

One of the first I contacted was FireWheel in Rowlett. I liked their beer, I liked their shirts. I could clearly tell that someone had a good sense of humor. Well, low and behold, Brad (owner) responded to me directly and said to come on down. 

Fast forward to Saturday. We showed up a little before 11am to setup and people were already started to trickle into the area. We pulled around back to the beer garden (aka back parking lot) and started doing our thing. It was already getting hot. I think it is was right about 100 degrees at its peak. Luckily, thanks to a city ordinance, we didn't overheat. You see, the way their licensing sits at the brewery, you can not have live music for more than 10 consecutive minutes. In other words, we were instructed to play 10 minutes, then take a few minutes off and have a beer. Then, play ten more minutes and repeat. The area they were pouring beer was air conditioned. I think that, if we had stayed on stage out there all day without breaking like that, we would have passed out from the sun. 

With the stopping and starting, there really wasn't much of a flow to our performance. As I recall, about midway, I gave a printout of our set list to a few friends and just asked them what they wanted to hear. It was incredibly laid back, really nice and relaxed. Totally not like a normal concert environment. We drank beer and interacted with the audience like we're usually not able to. Oh, and did I tell you that we drank some beer? They had all sorts of tasty FireWheel brews on tap for us... including a new Peach test brew which was great. My other favorites of the day were the Coffee Porter and the Albino Pumpkin (best pumpkin I have ever tried - and I have tried quite a few). Really nice, drinkable beers, all 3. Actually, I heard from others that the other flavors were really good, too. Those 3 were just really exceptional, to me. 

In the end, I would love to play there again. That's just what it was, "playing." We brought people up and showed them how stuff worked, talked about whatever, played with the FireWheel dogs and just had a plain ol' good time. Brad and co's hospitality was excellent. Oh, yeah, and there was a Cajun food truck, too! Can't beat The Lab for Cajun food truck-ism. Beer, music, Cajun food, dogs and a bright sunny day. It was nice. 

Be sure to check FireWheel over on FacePlace at http://www.facebook.com/FireWheelBrew and tell them Roy and Sand Dollar Rodeo sent you! 

My new FireWheel shirt!

06.22.2013 - Cowtown Bowling Palace - Fort Worth, TX

Bowling For Furniture!

Ok, so we weren’t bowling for furniture. Really, we weren’t bowling at all. But, we did have a nice time while everyone else did their thing.

Early in the year, I had seen an ad in one of the local entertainment rags for “Bowling with the Bands” at a place called Cowtown Bowling Palace in Fort Worth. You know me, I’m always interested in playing different places. So, I gathered and sent the info over to our booking agent. That brings us to last night...

It was a unique setup. They have split lanes, as in there are lanes on each side of the building. So, rather than having us set up out there on the lanes, they put us in the middle facing the bar so we could be seen and heard equally from both sides of the alley. We setup, do our sound check and then they kill the lane lights and fire up the blinky lights. If you’ve never been to “disco bowling” or whatever they want to call it at your local place, it’s kind of fun. Just imagine a dance club with bowling balls. It kept me entertained.

The show, itself, was challenging at first (for a couple reasons). First off, I had the bright idea to go to a Cheap Trick concert night before, get up early the next morning and go to Best Little Brewfest In Texas (aka beer fest @ Texas Motor Speedway), then make my way to the show after a couple hours of attempted napping and sing until 1am. I was a little tired. Luckily, energy shot kicked in after a few songs and that was no longer an issue. I won’t do that again prior to playing. Well, at least not until I have a few extra roadies.

The next odd thing was the crowd behavior. It took us a good hour or so to realize that we were not bombing. Umm… people were bowling, it was included with their cover charge - of course they are going to bowl rather than stand in front of band! As the night went on, people stuck around, bought drinks, and we received quite a few compliments. Some really kind words – like the police officer who kept an eye on us during most of show. I thought I must be in trouble for something when he came up to me after we had finished… then he bought a CD. He said that he works this event every weekend and that we were the best sounding band they’d had through there in a long time. He said that they used to have random metal bands, etc. that would run off the crowd. I’m glad to say that we didn’t run anyone off. The guys in charge were very complimentary as well. It was a really pleasant experience once we got used to how it works. So, yeah, mark your calendars… we’ll be back there on August 24^th.

Stay gold,

RH



Blinky Lights at Sound Check



06.15.2013 - Stockyards Stage @ The Coliseum - Fort Worth, TX

One word: Hot. Ok, maybe one more word: Humid. 

I've played outdoors in heat many times, but this was probably one of the more uncomfortable times. Hot, humid and the air wasn't moving. While setting up, I would set something up, stop and have water, set something else up, stop and have water, repeat til done. I'll bet I drank close to a case of water by end of the night. I've played in higher temperatures, even in direct sun, this was just weird. I suppose it could have rained.

Aside from the weather, things went fine. It's an odd feeling, being soundtrack music for the Fort Worth Stockyards experience. The bulk of the crowd is constantly moving up and down the street, slowing down to watch for a song or two, then continuing their tourist agendas. Then, the Coliseum doors open and bam, lots of people appear from nowhere.

The main thing I remember from this one is the heat. I think the heat and the bump on my head from the night before kind of took its toll. Had trouble remembering some of the words and just felt a little off the whole night. Luckily, you can walk around the Stockyards with beer, so I'm pretty sure most of them didn't notice too much. Fingers crossed on that one. 

Anyway, playing the Stockyards was on the Sand Dollar Rodeo bucket list and can now be checked off. We might do it again, just have to see what comes around. I'd also like to play in the station area, out in front of Ernest Tubbs' Record Shop. They have bands out there every once in a while and I think it would be a lot of fun. Actually, that's where I thought we were playing when we were originally booked. I was kind of wrong... but it worked out fine. 

Next weekend, another goofy show that I dug up... I see black lights, ugly shoes, nachos and cheap beer in view for next Saturday night... until then...

Stay gold,

RH

06.14.2013 - Tammy's Hideaway - Burleson, TX

Well, hello strangers! Yes, it's been a while since our last show. But, we have been staying busy... more on that later. 

So, last night Sand Dollar Rodeo made a return visit to Tammy's in Burleson. We weren't originally scheduled to play there. Another band that our booking agent handles (The Rocky Lott Band) had to cancel due to hospitalization of their guitarist, so we filled in for them with only about a days notice.  

The night went fine, very much like we remembered Tammy's having been the last time we played there. A few more people than last time, though. That's always a good thing. 

This place is just an odd, small town bar, with a unique charm. If you've ever been in a VFW lounge, it almost has that same vibe... and, judging by the urinal target pictured below, there are a few Vets that are regulars, employees or something similar. 

Highlights of the night; The guy that kept bringing us beer, then proceeded to set napkins on fire and fall of his bar stool around midnight, and he just layed on the floor for a while. Guess the concrete was cooler than the AC :) We also had a Monkees fan in the house. Kind of cracked me up. I admit it, I am a fan, as well, and while we played Steppin' Stone, we didn't have Last Train To Clarksville ready to go. So, of course, he heckled us (in a good way) most of the night. It was funny. He would ask for the song and I would reply over the mic with lyrics from the song, but as spoken word like I was having a conversation with him, assuring he'd be there by 4:30 cause I'd made his reservation... I think I rattled off several Monkees spoken word monologues in between songs... Girl (Davy Jones vs Marcia Brady), Let's Dance On, I Wanna Be Free, etc. I think I see a Monkees medley in the works for these longer nights.

Lowlights: Heath got his favorite amp back from the repair guy. It died (again) about an hour into the show. So, he ran out and grabbed his little practice amp and it saved the day again. I suppose it would't be right for Heath to show up to a show without a new amp every time, maybe it was a sign. I'm sure he's out shopping as I type this... I kind of liked the big stack he had last week. We'll see what he shows up with tonight - always a surprise! Another odd thing was our setup. Nothing you guys would notice, but, umm... we've been up to something... like adding a new member to the band. Over the past weeks off, we've been auditioning bass players... and we found one! You all will be introduced to Carlos probably in late July. Anyway, we sounded good last night. But, with the new addition, it's a whole other beast. I think Heath and I both were kind of missing what we heard with Carlos last weekend. Soon... very soon! Anyway, I'm off track... oh yeah, I also had a speaker fall on my head. That's going to leave a mark. Ugh. 

In the end, we had a nice time. Music was well received and we got paid. That's about all we can ask for, right? Tonight... we play the Fort Worth Stockyards, outdoors at the legendary Coliseum. Should be a fun night. 

Stay gold,

RH

Hanoi Jane Urinal Target @ Tammy's Hideaway

Goodbye, old amp... 

05.25.2013 - Frazierville - Willow Park, TX

Another day, another rodeo…  saw that on a t-shirt the other day while I was at the stockyards. So true. Bought the shirt…

Last night we played a private party at Heath’s parent’s house. I had a feeling it could be a good time… and when I showed up and saw Heath’s son making Everclear jello shots, I knew what we were in for. Yeah, it was a fun time.

We don’t play as many private parties as I’d like. While I dislike bar gigs, the festivals and private parties are often some of my favorites.  At the private parties, it’s nice to be able to relax before and after you play, you get a better chance to talk with the folks in the crowd and such. I know that, with all the keyboard stuff I use on stage, there are always some questions about it. “What is that thing?” is the common one for the Alesis MIDI controller I use and, at a private party, I will often walk you up on the stage and show you how it works.  That casualness is kind of pleasant.

Again, we were dealing with the weather. But, this time we lucked out. It rained right before I got there, no rain the rest of the day. Humid, humid, humid, but no rain! The crowd was fun, the keg was cold, the sangria tasty, the hot dogs in abundance. We played a little over two hours, think we did all the album songs, a couple other originals I had written in the past (Tonga Juice and Island Holiday), then a few appropriate covers… Margaritaville and Sangria Wine… Lonely Boy by Black Keys. Ok, that one may not match the rest, but it’s a fun song to play – we’ll probably keep that in the set for a while. At parties like this, we just go with the flow and play what feels right.

Performance wise, I wasn’t too happy with myself. The night before, we played for 4 hours and I pushed my voice too hard – that’s too long to be running your mouth at a high level and is yet another reason we’re backing off from the 4 hour shows. Plus, I’m not sure if it was the weather, maybe I’m getting a chest cold, both? I don’t know, but I had a really hard time hitting the higher notes or anything extended on Saturday. Heath & Cisco said I didn’t sound bad, but I would have like to have sounded better.  Today my voice is shot – coughing here and there, feel like I’ve been inhaling mold for a week. Good news is that we have next weekend off, so I can rest the voice and get things back under control before the next shows start back up.

Aside from that, it was a great party. I had a really good time, think we all did. Thanks to Phillip & Lynn for having us out – it was a really nice time!

Stay gold,

RH

05.24.2013 - Keller Tavern - Keller, TX

What a night!

This was our third time playing at Keller Tavern. Remember, this was the place with the nice, large, patio bar? Well, each time we’ve played there, we’ve had a problem with the weather. Guess 3^rd time was the charm… We arrive, it’s extremely humid. The bar has checked the weather and determined it would be ok to play outside. Wrong. Backing up, as you guys know, I grew up in Oklahoma – I know how to read a radar and am pretty good at predicting storms. I was not thrilled about setting up outside. We use a lot of electronics. Electronics and rain are not a good mix.

So, we are getting ready to soundcheck and the wind picks up – 50 mph gusts – a storm is coming. The bar decides we can setup inside. We tear everything down, move it inside (luckily we beat the rain) and then set it up again. Once again, a great deck and we’re playing inside, shoved in a little corner, can barely move on stage. I appreciate that they let us play inside (rather than cancelling and not paying us). But, that place is just too small for all of our stuff.

As for the rest of the night… it was fine. I am not a fan of 4 hour shows and, running through my head the whole night, was a constant happy reminder that this was probably our last one. It was very satisfying knowing that I was probably singing Alabama’s Give Me One More Shot for the last time. Nothing against the song itself, but playing that long requires more covers than we want to be playing. It also takes its toll on your voice, in a big way.

Anyway, we survived the night. No highlights… oh wait, yes there was… yet another wrong billing! Friday night we were The Sand Dollar Band, once again. Oh well, they spelled it right on the check. 

RH

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...