03.29.2014 - Cowtown Bowling Palace - Fort Worth, TX

Back to the Palace... Good crowd this time. You could feel the buzz of Spring in the air. People were just in an overall good mood (ourselves included). Sand Dollar Rodeo hasn't played at Cowtown since November, but played there quite a bit last year. So, it's a really relaxed show because we're so comfortable with the place and its staff. It's not every venue a band plays where the police officer working security buys your CD.

Speaking of merchandise, last night we debuted our first shirts! Nothing too fancy, but they're just like us - fun and cheap :) Sloppy logo on front, lyrics from "I'll just have a beer" on back. They were a pretty big hit and it was nice to move a little merchandise. The following picture is of the first person to buy our first shirt! 

Our first t-shirt sale!

Show wise, it was fine. A little rough on the vocals all around this time... since we haven't been playing as often as usual, my voice isn't as strong as it normally is and back to back gigs will often trash it if I sing something too loud. Of course, I did... and I struggled through the last part of the show. Nothing like the feeling of rubbing sandpaper on your throat. On top of that, Brian's voice is giving him grief as well. We're talking like he can't hardly speak. Brian sings the higher harmonies with me and was missed, for sure, this weekend. Everyone send some positive thoughts Brian's way for a quick recovery. Speaking of Brian, I got in trouble last night for not posting a picture of him on the last blog. So, here ya go... yes, he really was there!

Brian Barton live with Sand Dollar Rodeo at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Aside from that, it was pretty much par for the course. I will note that Heath nailed the "WHat Kind of Life is This" solo like never before. He blames his new pedals. I blame his fingers. Either way, it sounded really good. Tony seemed to be having a good time and Trey got to mess around with his new keyboard. All sounded good. It's nice to see this latest configuration of the live band start to gel. Going to be a fun ride.

Ok, enough out of me for today.... and the Jackson Family movie is coming on, so you know I have to watch it. No shows next week as I will be in Tulsa, OK, for my sister's wedding. The following weekend, we'll be back to work... I'll be talking to you soon!

Stay gold,

RH

03.28.2014 - Fort Worth Convention Center - Fort Worth, TX

Well, hello strangers! Seems like forever since Sand Dollar Rodeo has had a show, right? We're going to fix all that real soon. I guess I should be enjoying the down time (rather than feeling like I need something to be doing). 

Since our last show, Heath and I have been doing some recording and also practicing for our upcoming acoustic shows. That, and a million other band related chores on the business side. So, I guess it really hasn't been down time. But, when you combine the every day business side of the band with the live shows, it's a faster pace of life, for sure. 

So, about this show... Several months ago, Heath found out about an event at Fort Worth Convention Center being put on by USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology). They were looking for bands willing to come in and play at their SoundLab during the annual convention. The SoundLab is a setting where they take seasoned pros and students, then show them the ropes in a 10,000 seat arena with full concert sound. The "pros" are the real deal - sound guys from touring broadway shows to Miley Cyrus. The way it works is, the pro mixes a song, then a student, a pro, a student, back and forth through our 90 minute set. Anyway, sounded like fun and we went for it! I mean, come on, what band at our current level wouldn't want to play a stage where Elvis and U2 have played, right? 

So, here's how it went... we roll in early, around 11am for load in. Kind of cool to drive your car into the underbelly of an arena. We pull in and are greeted by one of the runners and he gives a tour of the place. What a neat experience to roam the back halls where all sorts of famous bands have roamed and hung out. If those walls could talk... it's a whole city under there - meeting rooms, dressing rooms, showers, catering, etc. We finish our tour and then check out the stage. Then, we start unloading our gear, set it down and it's magically gone! What's this? Roadies? Yes - they actually took our stuff to the stage area and positioned it. From there, it only got better. A sea of stage hands, sound engineers and students start plugging us in and mic'ing everything and bam, time for sound check. I can't remember doing a sound check where I wasn't sweating away and exhausted from loading gear. Very nice, indeed. 

Onto the sound. What can I say? Immaculate? We were test driving a new state of the art system that you'll soon see at major concerts nationwide. I heard is has little pins in it so that they can aim each speaker so the sound is equally as loud and clear up front as it is in the rafters. And it was! 

One of my favorite things, as a concert fan, is when a show has booming bass. Especially, when it is on the bass drum. That "thud" that hits you in the chest gets my blood pumping. I wish you could have felt the bass waves as they left our stage and flooded the arena, then rumbled around the room. Very cool feeling. 

Our part of the show was fun. We played pretty much all originals, except for one special one... You see, Heath's Mom had seen Elvis here years ago AND she happened to be on our guest list. So, of course, we had to do an Elvis song. We played Little Sister. Really, the performance itself was kind of a blur. We've all done this long enough that, unless something goes really wrong or is really bizarre, what we do isn't that memorable. Although, it was funny when I realized I had much more room on stage than normal... I was playing keyboards, turned my head to the left like I always do, to go back into singing and... oops... no mic - it was 5 feet away! I can deal with that - so much fun. 

Mike Thornton was in the house with his camera and shot a lot of great pictures (thank you, Mike!). I have posted a few below. But, if you'd like to see the full roll, go over here to this album on our Facebook page and you can see them. Click Here for the Facebook Photo Album

Tonight, we're back to real life... playing a much smaller venue with our own PA system... should be a humbling experience LOL. But, so glad we got the chance to play the USITT event. I thank them for booking us and hope we can do it again. 

Stay gold and we'll see you out there! 

RH

03.01.2014 - Private Show @ Buckles - Aledo, TX

Well, hello strangers!

Yeah, it's the slow time of year for Sand Dollar Rodeo. Our schedule is about to kick into high gear next month. But, for now, things are a little slow on the live front. We're busy, don't misunderstand that, just not so busy on stage as much in February and March. 

It was good to be back on stage. It really hasn't been that long since we've played live, but when you're used to doing it regularly, a week or two off seems like forever. I had a nice time today. Well, I had a nice time once I got there... thanks to construction and a wreck on 35, my 45 minute drive became a two hour drive and I was late for sound check. Oh well, what do you do, right? It's DFW. 

Today we were booked at a private party in Aledo, Texas. Early gig. Load in at 2, show at 5. Stage clear at 8 sharp. The venue was a place called Buckles. We've actually played there before. It used to be called Wild Wet Willie's. I can't remember if that was the name of the place when we played there, but they've changed hands / changed names 3 times since we played there. Regardless, I thought I knew the venue and was prepared for an afternoon of thick cigarette smoke and funky sound. Boy, was I wrong! Whoever took this place over did a major overhaul on the place. It's very nice now. They still allow smoking in the bar, but they have good smoke eaters and you really didn't notice it. Mind you, I have nothing against smoking bars at all. Heck, I smoke - it doesn't bother me. But, last time we played there it was so thick and stale, it bothered my voice. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Kudos to the new crew for making it a really nice place to visit. Nice staff, excellent sound system. Tonight (after the private party) was to be their opening night and I wish them the best of luck with the place. As we were leaving, looked like they were getting a good crowd. Good for them! 

Now for the show itself... playing private parties is weird. It's something bands do, but it's not a normal gig. You never know what's going to happen or what the crowd is going to be like. Plus, crowds at private parties don't give you the same feedback as a concert crowd. Think about it, you go to a private party, you're there for the party not so much to watch the band. You want to socialize with your friends, etc. Plus, this was a birthday party. Meaning, they really want to interact with the guest of honor (Happy Birthday, John) and are more focused on that than dancing or watching the band. 

That being said, it was good. The place has a great dance floor and we had folks on it through much of our show. This wasn't really a country crowd. So, I'm extra happy to see that we had people dancing and having fun. 

I thank our host, Alaina Tenseth, a great deal. Often at parties, you're bombarded with requests that have nothing to do with you're about or what you sound like and, when the booze gets flowing, the guests making those requests get quite rude. Paul & Joe from my old band, if you're reading this... remember that gig in Long Island, NY? We had really drunk women complaining that we wouldn't play the Electric Slide or Cha Cha this or that. They even bitched because we wouldn't play Lady GaGa. Really, Lady GaGa? No offense to her, I enjoy her music, but you guys hired us to play Margaritaville.What's wrong with this picture? I shit you not, they hired a band for a Jimmy Buffett themed beach party, the guests got drunk, and started giving us a hard time. Then, the old rich guys want to do a skit to Margaritaville. They say, you have to play Margaritaville at x time. We start playing it as instructed. Their cabana boy type assistant comes up to us, all hard ass, and tells us we need to play Margaritaville right now because they're ready - ummm.. we're playing it right now like you told us to do! They didn't even know the song. This is why I cringe whenever we get a party booking inquiry. Luckily, this was not the case tonight. Great crowd. They treated us with respect as a band that plays original music (although we through some fun covers in for the heck of it) and they had a good time. We had a good time. No complaints from me at all. Thank you, again, for being a great audience!

Highlights for me: 

We played a new one I wrote called Good Time. We've only rehearsed it once and I was kind of worried how it would go over. It was nice to see feet tapping and to hear it actually happen on stage. Based on the physical response (toe tapping and dancing in place) from the country fans, I think this new one is going to do well and will be on the new album, for sure. It's a weird thing to be a songwriter. You, basically, are spilling your guts to the public and you never know what kind of response you're going to get. It's a very nervous thing to play a new song you've written live for the first time. I think this one's a keeper. 

Another highlight was the dancing and seeing people smiling. We played Come Monday from Buffett. It packed the dance floor. It's a nice feeling, when you're doing a cover, to actually see that you're doing it well. The dance floor doesn't lie. If you're doing a song that was meant to be danced to, an empty dance floor (in a full room) is a bad sign. Not the case tonight. It was nice. 

So, that's my review of the night. I had a really good time. I don't know if it's because Aledo is Heath's home town or if it's just the town itself. But, every time we have played there, I have felt good after the show.

Below, some pics from my resident photographer (and bass player), Brian. I swear, one of these days I'm going to remember to take pictures myself!

Party on Bill & Ted... So-Crates says we've got some fun on the horizon. 

Stay gold,

RH

Aledo knows how to drive in style.

Did you know Brian Barton wears a white polyester suite on stage?

Sound Check

Some things never change... I took this same picture while at this location last year. 8pm, their lot was packed.. :)

02.01.2014 - Railhead - Willow Park, TX

Well, what a fun night!

I guess 3rd time was the charm. We have enjoyed playing Railhead in the past, but tonight was our third time and maybe we finally hit our stride.

Were things perfect? No. Were things fun? Yes!! And that's what it's all about, right?

Tonight was the first gig with the new configuration of the band. Honestly, things could have gone south easily. But, I am so glad to say that it didn't happen. We pulled it off. And, with no full band practice beforehand! To tell you the truth, tonight was the first night that Brian and our new drummer, Tony, met our new keyboard player, Trey! Yeah, it was a crap shoot but it worked!

It was so nice to see people in the crowd engaged in what we were doing and enjoying it. We have struggled since Cisco left. We lost a friend and it has been work to try and make things gel again. We had something good going and lost momentum when we learned he was leaving. Tonight we reclaimed the fun factor and I think it is the beginning of something that's going to be really good.

We pulled out some old stuff, things the current band have never played (or practiced) with us... Magaritaville... Luckenbach, TX (which had folks dancing on any piece of the floor they could find)... Lonely Boy by Black Keys... the new guys followed along and it worked. We pulled out all the stuff and the crowd seemed to love it. It was our typical whacky set list on steroids.

I don't know what else to say. I had a really good time. My stress level was about 100% less than normal and I owe it all to my band. Things are about to get real good... stay tuned... and don't miss that next show!

Stay gold, Ponyboys...
RFH

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