Guitar - Vocals
Globetrotting, American Northeast-style
So now, here we are back in the USA... This summer has been one of the busiest in recent years, what with the "All Due Respect" CD out in the shops, and us globetrotting to promote it. The Northwest, the Northeast, No Cal, So Cal, the Rockies, Scandinavia - you name it, we've been there. OK, we haven't been to Morocco, or Kazakhstan, or China yet, but give us time.
This month we're winding it down a bit, just flying out to play some festival and such on weekends. I am currently at 40,000 feet and returning from the Irish 2000 Festival in Altamont, New York, near Albany. As always, great festival, fantastic crowd - some of the most fervent Celtic music fans in the country - and the whole event feels like an "official end o' the summer kick-out the madness thing." Many of the Celtic bands we share stages during the year are together for one more time, believe me, it's a good reason to tip a few back.
Last weekend, however, I had an interesting situation arise when we appeared at the Syracuse Irish Festival. (You may be thinking: we did these dudes fly all the way to New York and come home AND fly back again 2 days later?? Ask me next time you see me, if you like.) It was our first time at Syracuse, a VERY tight festival featuring your requisite vendors and displayers of all things Celtic (jewelry/art/kilts/pints) and Celtic music and dance. It was held in a large square in the city center, and we shared the bill with Hadrian's Wall and Rathkilter, among others.
OK, I'll get to the good part. I lost my wallet that night. Put it in a WHITE PLASTIC BAG and threw it somewhere near the stage while we did our set. Gee, I didn't think it looked like trash. Anyway, someone may have though so, because it was goner when we got done playing. These things happen, no prob, if anything it got me pints o' plenty that night at the pub due to sympathy! However, I awoke the next morning to the thought: "Now how am I gonna get on my plane back to LA today?"
The short version here is, my only recourse was to file a police report and hope that might convince the folks at ticketing to vouch for me through security. In the end, a detective from the Syracuse Police escorted me to the airport and "helped explain my situation." The airport people let me through, no prob! After the detective explained I was a performer from the Irish Festival, some of the skycaps looked at me as though I were either (A) someone BIG, like Sting, or (B) like some musician who had got into a whole heap o' trouble!!
So, this month, my thanks go out to the Syracuse Police for helping a brother out. And, of course the city of Syracuse, for throwing an excellent festival and the pubs and clubs down at the Armory square... GOOD TIMES...
Bob, September 16th
[previous road stories]
Lots of Scandinavian stories to tell! I should've started months ago... We spent most of our time in our old friend, Denmark. It was good times last November, and it was good times this July, as well. So I'll put together a little memoir, if you will, titled...
"The Danish/Norwegian/Faroese Tour 2007!!"
We arrived in The Copenhagen on Thursday, June 28th. Our connecting flight from London, British Airways, promptly lost some of our gear so we had some biz to take care in Copenhagen Airport before meeting our driver Joergen. Then it was off to our first stop.
Our first show was an afternoon show at the Kloften Festival in the city of Haderslev. It was great fun. The latest Dubs album, "With All Due Respect", had been out in Denmark for over a month, and folks knew some of our stuff. We were a little rusty, quite jet-lagged, and muddy, but the kinetic energy carried us through. That, and some tasty beer.
The next night was a club date, Magasingaarden, in Faaborg. It was good to play a smaller show to get some playing under our belts, and stamp out the last of the jet-lag! Big thanks to our friend Niels whom we met last fall and produced our show this time, and to our great new fans in south-central Denmark.
The next three days we spent in a cottage in the country, cooking food, drinking wine, hiking with cows, and saving money. We had a big week coming up, so some rest was in order...
We jumped back into the fray at a HUGE festival in Nibe, held in the country outside the northern city of Aalborg. We rolled up to find about 10,000 tents pitched in the green mud surrounding the hills where the concert grounds were. As our van lumbered up the slick mud roads between milling concert-goers, I thanked the person who tinted the windows of our vehicle; there were ALOT of drunk youngsters intent on banging our windows in good-natured welcome!
Our next stop was at the tip-top Northern point of Denmark, Skagen. This show was indoors, and very well attended, for the headliner was the Scottish band Runrig, who are popular in Denmark. It was labeled a "folk music festival"; as my Marshall amp was wheeled out onstage during our set-up a few audience members groaned and ooh'd, fearing a seriously loud onslaught. Well, I may play loud, but I play nice! and so not many people got offended...
It was a huge show, great fun, but then we rolled on to the Tunoe Island Festival.
Tunoe Island is a small island off of the east coast of Denmark. It's about a mile long, has 100 permanent residents, and there are no cars.
We arrived at Hou Harbor on Saturday morning, and loaded all our gear and luggage onto a pallet, helplessly watching it get forklifted about the small ferry. After a one-hour boat ride, we landed at Tunoe Harbor, and what a sight. About 1000 tents surrounded the festival ground - apparently the word was out about this fest.
We then climbed aboard a wagon pulled by tractor (the traxi) which took us across the island to a farmhouse where the bands all stayed. More on this later.
So our shows have been well received... Our 9 PM set was recorded for broadcast on Danish radio, so perhaps you'll hear some live tracks from us later this year.
The sun was just setting at 11 PM as the next band, Sonora Universal, took the stage. Hailing from Havana, Cuba, they proceded to pulse the audience into a sultry dance which took the party well past midnight. Following them, into the wee hours, was Linda Gail Lewis, Jerry Lee Lewis's little sister. Rockin'!
Unlike festivals back home, the music goes very, very late... no curfews!! Much later, I caught the traxi back to the band house, hoping to catch some winks before our morning ferry call. No such luck.
After a short break, it was on to Norway...
We only spent four days in Norway, in order to play three shows. Going there, we were expecting a country similar to Denmark, with maybe more trees and mountains. It was all that, and more! First off, it put a small dent in our beer consumption; the average price for a pint was about $12!!
Our journey there was a short one-hour flight yet it was international so we did the ol' music-equipment-thru-airport-security dance. We landed at Bergen Airfield - it looked similar to the Northwest Passage in southern Alaska. And the city of Bergen itself was beautiful, sort of like a clean version of Seattle.
Walking to the gig from the hotel, I was amazed to see the streets and restaurants full of people, as the sky was still bright with twilight at 11:00 PM! I suppose the late daylight makes folks go out later, because we didn't actually play our set until Midnight. The location was a small club, named Hinsides (rhymes with Mercedes) and was packed to the rafters!! After a two-night stand there, we boarded a Saturday morning ferry bound for points south.
That night we played at the Vikedal Folk Festival. Held under a huge circus tent, the festival featured an amazing variety of music, from bluegrass to rockabilly to Scottish pop. We were the last band to play - at 1:10AM - and were afraid our audience would be a bunch of crickets by that time. Man, were we wrong. Turns out the tent was packed with hundreds of screaming Norwegian music fans who had been drinking and carousing all night and we ready to rock, Celtic-style!!
After flying back to Copenhagen, we had to assess our surroundings. Sightsee a little. Wander about, stretch our legs, rest our livers. We explored Copenhagen for a day... I took a long run around several large lakes in the center of the city, and a group of us happened over to an area known as Christiania, which is an old Naval base, long ago converted into a communal living area. After wandering through a maze of stands and artist lofts, we found a large beer garden where a jazz group played on stage... the whole experience reminded me of the parking lot at a Grateful Dead show...
During this period, we made an appearance on Danish television, playing an acoustic set (well, one song) on a program which seemed like an afternoon version of the "Today" show; news and variety. It was cool, if a little confusing, since the harried crew and hosts had little time to explain details to us in English! Basically, we stood there until a cameraman pointed a finger at us, and it was one-two-three-four GO! Then after the song, the host led Keith over to a painting and invited him to add something to it with some day-go paint and a brush. Uh, OK.
Another small club date followed, out in the town of Randers. Special thanks to the kind staff who fed us with fresh food grown in the chef's own garden. Also big thanks to all the folks who attended - the place was packed!
Our closing adventure of the tour was possibly the biggest surprise. We flew to the Faroe Islands, where we were to play at the G! Festival. What's that? Oh, the Faroe Islands are way north of Scotland between Norway and Iceland. This place was beautiful; a chain of stoney, green mountainous islands, and by-and-large an independent country, with it's own language and money.
So, once we checked-in, I grabbed a few hours sleep, as we were slated to go on at 1:45 - AM. That's right, but then, remember the Tunoe Festival? Remember Vikedal? Apparently, curfew is not an option at Scandinavian summer music festival! I like it!!
A stretch limo picked us up (where did a limo come from out here??), and the sky, being quite far north now, was a beautiful blue twilight - at nearly midnight. Following the British band the Guillamots onstage, we were introduced by a man dressed as an ancient monk... imagine our confustion, as he spoke something very cryptic for several minutes, in Faroese, ans all we could do was wait and watch and listen for the moment he said, "something-something-the YOUNG DUBLINERS!!!" I stepped out on stage to find about 3000 screaming people who loved music and life and apparently our music, too. As we played, I watched the sky getting lighter, as the sun got ready to rise...
After this, it's all a blur. We flew back to Cope, found our long lost gear at the airport (thanks British Airlines - not!), slept, and flew home. I'll never forget it.
Bob, 20 November, 2006
More shows, a couple days off, and Radio Denmark
Well things have certainly shaped up over here. The last 3 venues we've played were large rooms, where we can turn up and do what we do. Also, the promo side of things is working pretty well - while we're not selling shows out, of course, we are getting around 100+ people a night! That's pretty good for a Celtic rock band from the States with no CD's out in Denmark.
We did 5 nights in a row, then have been in Copenhagen the past two nights recouperating.
Today, Chas, Keith, Cedric our sound engineer, and I went to P4 Denmark Radio and played live on air. It was a sweet studio, great facility, and the onair personalities were cool. They brought some the staff and interns into the room for an audience, and would ask a question in Danish, the in English, hear our reply, and repeat the reply in Danish! The interview lasted 7 minutes and was only 3 questions! We played "Come Back Home" and "Waxie's Dargle" acoustic style, and it sounded killer.
We have an early leave time tomorrow; taking the ferry back to northern Jutland!
Bob, 20 November, 2006
More Ol, Please...
We've been touring Denmark for a nearly one week. So far, the receptions have been good; however, every venue we've played has complained about our volume. Some folks in the audience sit and watch intently, but with their fingers plugging their ears!! Well, we haven't been fired yet, but unfortunately we're playing at cocktail lounge volume.
It's a sparsely populated country, kinda like a cross between Germany and North Dakota. Life seems very quiet here. People are kind, but reserved. It's like being in a giant Ikea store.
We played a couple of shows in the west, near the North Sea. One venue, the Volstrup Musikhus, was the theater at a school for music and theater. I assumed it would be college and post-grad age, but it was actually a high school; sort of a magnet school. In Denmark, one may choose to complete secondary studies at a traditional high school, or attend a type of specialty school; there are ones for athletics, tech trades, even chess! It was very cool talking with the kids after the show; I got hit up for tips on guitar playing - it felt like I was holding a clinic.
But, alas, the countryside notwithstanding, the quiet westside got a bit boring, so we rolled on to our next stop, the city of Odense. Very European, with several square blocks in the city center committed to pedestrian promenades; shops and cafes of all kind. The venue we played was called the Jazzhouse Dexter, named after the bebop saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Turned out, it REALLY was a jazz house. They heard us soundcheck one song, and the manager was on us about volume. While you can turn down the volume of electric guitars and microphones, what make a rock band a rock band is the drum kit! So, Dave, being the pro that he is, had to play the whole show like a cocktail lounge drummer, very quiet. It was still fun, and the audience enjoyed it, it's all good...
By the way, ol is Danish for beer. (my computer can't type that "o" with the diagonal line through it!)
Bob, 16 November, 2006
Irish Tour '06
God Dag. That's good day in Danish, which is about as far as I get with that language... so far. Thought I'd write a little about our just completed Irish Tour. We like to call it, "IRISH TOUR II." Sounds classic, like "Led Zeppelin II"...
First of all, a million thanks to all who came along. What an amazingly cool and fun group of folks! Everyone was so into each other, and into the shows, and into the daily travel. Good energy... All of us in the band were talking about it afterwards.
So not to gush, but the trip went very well indeed. It was all good, and here are some highlights:
This tour only visited Bunratty Castle once!!
We went to a couple of small, seaside tourist towns (Westport, Newcastle); we also went to a couple big cities (Derry, and, of course, Dublin.)
The show in Westport was held at Matt Malloy's Pub. For those of you not familiar, Matt Malloy is the world-renowned flautist in The Chieftains, and his pub is home to some of the best trad music in Ireland. We tried to get a little bit trad ourselves and played an acoustic show; Keith and I broke our fair share of guitar strings that night.
Our gig in Dublin, at Whelan's, was totally rock show. There was even an opening band, a local group! The place reminded me a little of the old Zephyr in Salt Lake City (I miss that place.)
The last night most of the entire gang went out on a pub crawl...
So that's it. Irish Tour II in a nutshell. Can't wait for the next one, but for now, wish me luck on my Danish - I gotta go order some dinner.
Bob, November 13, 2006
The Colorado Mini-tour
Howdy folks. We're heading home to LA as I write this... a long weekend behind us. We are having the hardest time trying to remember more than 3 songs by Hootie and the Blowfish. Bren got one, Zach (our guitar tech) got another, and we can't think of a third. Oh wait - Keith just thought of "I only Want to be with You". Nice going.
This weekend was a bonanza of killer shows. We played a two-night stand at the Little Bear roadhouse in Evergreen, Colorado. There were some big surprises! Some great fans, Chris and Beth, came out from Cleveland to see us, and brought a box of homemade brownies. Nice! The cast of crazies from the greater Denver area showed as well... rockin' gig... why we don't just move here, I don't know!
Special thanks to the crew at the 'Bear for all their help. Also to Everett for mixing our sound (and covering the odd bum note).
After Evergreen, we had a sunday night show near Vail, CO, in a little mountain town of Red Cliff. We'd never played there before, and it was another big surprise. Imagine driving 20 miles up into deep Rocky Mountains, and finding a state-of-the-art venue packed with a couple of hundred people! Well, that's what a club called Mango's is all about. It was our first time there, and it won't be our last! Thanks to the staff for taking such good care of us, and to everyone who attended for making it up!
Well, we're pulling into LA LA land, so I better wrap up. See you in Ireland!
Bob, October 23, 2006
Wild Weston
Last weekend, we paid a return visit to the small city of Weston, Missouri to appear at their 4th annual Irish Festival. It was a quick weekend for us, so I'll be brief:
Basically, the band assembled at the curbside drop-off in front of Southwest Airlines early the morning of Saturday the 14th. When we fly anywhere, it's a creative process just to pack our gear in a way so as not to incur further charges. Thank God we don't have to bring Dave's drum kit! Big kudos to Southwest Air, they let you check three items per person, so I get to bring guitars AND clothes. Nice.
After arriving at Kansas City International, we were picked up by our lovely driver, one of the event staff, who drove the 30 miles out to Weston by midday. Weston is a very small old town of about 1000, with a quaint Main Street replete with tourist fare such as antique shops and small restaurants where you can get a mean steak. During the 3-day festival, the population soars to over 2500!
After a quick meal and a power nap, we went to the festival grounds, where we went on last that night, immediately following our old friends Seven Nations. The 7N boys are always a hoot to grab a few beers with, and they invited me onstage to sit-in on a couple songs. It can be tricky following them at a festival, since we get distracted by the backstage hang time with them while we should be tuning our instruments up. Eventually, we got on and played a set to the hardy crowd who endured the autumn evening temperatures in the 40's. Whee!
So, you may be saying, sounds good, but I've heard the "it was a fun festival" reports before. Well, behold the the detail I lay before you next...
The coolest part of the festival is that the outdoor stage is only one of three stages. The other two are under the O'Malley's Tavern at the top of the property. Yes, underneath. Apparently, back in the 1850's, there we two cavernous brick rooms built for large assemblies of the time, church and county meetings, to be impervious to the sometimes harsh winter weather. Also, it was used as a "station" for fleeing slaves along the Underground Railroad.
Nowadays, the rooms are part of the O'Malley's Tavern, each with rows of stools, tables, and lots of carousing folks. Immediately after our show, we made a beeline for some hang time with the underground crowd. It felt like a Celtic Rave. If you're into Irish Festivals, I would really recommend traveling to this one sometime.
Of course, after staying out a bit late, in true Young Dubs fashion we had to get up and out for the airport by 7 AM the next day. We made our flight, and so arrived back in LA after just 28 hours.
Thanks Weston and all the great people who showed up!
Bob, October 19 2006
Be On The Lookout
So I think we just met a central Cali version of Marshall Mathers.
We pulled into a convenience store while driving home from the Sonora Celtic Fair last sunday night... all eight of us couldn't figure out which highway to take, so we stopped for directions. We got directions, all right... to the TWILIGHT ZONE.
Upon entering, I was greeted by a middle-aged Sikh man, who was standing by a TV in the corner of the store... the set was blaring an Indian pop music video. It was hard to hear yourself over the loud television - the guy was rocking out.
As Donnie stepped up to ask directions from the store clerk, he was cut off by a 13-year-oldish boy who was buying a sixpack of sodas. When the clerk rang it up, the kid got very curt: "That's bull____! It was $3.11 the other day - not $3.62! Dumb B____!!"
By now the bunch of us had walked out of the shop, having had enough of the terse atmosphere inside. When the kid came out with his sixpack of sodas, he began to give us the directions we needed. Very helpful enough, just the sight of this teenager - wearing dark sunglasses at night, nearly bald haircut, so hopped up on high-test caffeine cola that he was shouting the directions at us - was both amusing and alarming... "Which way you goin'?! Yeah, that's it - go out the lot, through that light and straight onto that freeway..." And retelling us three or four times, before walking off into the Modesto night, the world that he owned.
Bob, September 15, 2005
Road Stories from Home
Good evening, Dub people. Betcha thought you weren't gonna hear from ol' Bob now the tours are over. Well the thing is, even when we're not "on tour", there are shows which require us to take flights at ridiculous hours or drives which last for a day, and the house projects get put off another week.
So as I write I am looking out over the parched Rockie Mountains of western Colorado, as me and the boys head off to a two show weekend... tomorrow in Deadwood, South Dakota, and Saturday in Altamont, New York. More on these shows next time.
Since my last dispatch, we finished up the Alaska tour. We played the Sitzmark Bar in Girdwood. What a gig! I mean, the audience was on it's feet the whole time, crazy with the jig. The Sitzmark, and Girdwood in general, seems like what the Mangy Moose in Jackson Hole, Wyoming may have been like 25 years ago!
Next we drove about 4 hours south, down the Kenai Peninsula, to the seaside city of Homer. Our friend and Alaskan mentor, Wes the Mess, led the way. He is from Homer, and so it made sense for he to drive a lead pickup to we wouldn't get lost or diverted by the unbelievable beauty of this part of the world. As we drove the coast, the landscape was very Scandinavian; I watched a bald eagle sail alongside our van for a moment as we rolled along. Helping fuel our journey was Alaskan coffee obtained at many random roadside espresso stands; I have been considering checking into rehab for coffee withdrawal since I've been home.
Homer was just fantastic. A tidy two-night stand for a couple o' hundred folks each show, where the locals are appreciative of la musica viva. And the halibut is to die for. Since we had a day to stay in place, we all had a chance to experience this exotic northern community. Hope to return sooner than later.
Arrighty then. Let's talk again soon!
Bob, September 15
Back For More
Hey there. I know, it's been a while since I last wrote. It's not for a lack of road stories, rest assured. Our last tour of the midwest, which included the Bethlehem Musik Festival (that's in Pennsylvania!), Minnisota Irish Fest, and Milwaukee Irish Fest was one crazy adventure. Those of you who were there know what I'm talking about. But simply put, I thought I'd take a short break and wait for something truly amazing to write about.
So, here it is: the Alaska tour! This is one beautiful place, with some amazingly cool folks living here.
We were hoping to catch some midnight sun, but it's too late in the year already. Can you believe it? August and the days are already shorter - the sun sets at 9 PM now! The weather is Autumn, with the trees changing colors and cool temps at night.
Our first show was at the Alaska State Fair. Great venue, the Boreal Theater. It was an outdoor amphitheater, and the audience had a fence straight down the middle. Come to find out, on one side they allowed alcohol, on the other side, not. Very strange, playing for hundreds of people who were divided exactly into two distinct crowds - half out of their seats, going manic, while the other half sitting, listening politely. Kind of like playing to a half-shaved head. There were many great folks who hung out with us afterwards, back by the t-shirt stand. That party then moved down the festival to the Sluice House, a rowdy roadhouse at the fair. Good times!
We drove ourselves up to Fairbanks - 7 hours from Anchorage. On the way, we passed through Denali National Park and passed by Mt. McKinley. Bren got out and snapped a few shots of the mountain, so hopefully we'll put some up in the site soon.
We returned to the site of a great gig last February, The Blue Loon. The owner, Adam, was just about the coolest that anyone could be to us, as well as the rest of the staff, no doubt. A great crowd turned to get all kinds of rowdy with us. There was a bit of jigging going on, as well as just good shakin'... big thanks to whoever sent us the shots!
Since then, we've been relaxing AK-style... took a leisurely drive south the other day, spent a day off here in Anchorage. I think we're ready to get back on a stage, and tomorrow in Girdwood should be the perfect place for us to work in. I get the feeling this place could be on par with some of the other great ski towns we gig at, like the Mangy Moose (Jackson Hole) and Club 8150 (Vail)... Looking forward to the debauchery!
Well, that's it for now, kids. When I get back to Cali, I'll fill you in on the rest...
Bob, August 31
End o' the Line for Now
Well it's the end of another tour. This was a long, drawn out affair, with lots of twists and wrenches thrown in, the kind of stuff that builds character. All in all, a fine way to spend a month.
Chicago is my kind of town. We had a day off here after playing the Taste of Lincoln Park festival, so the guys all went off on their own. Some of us had to return our rental truck this morning, and put the gear into storage until we pass through next month on our way to Minneapolis. Some of us slept all day, after last night's "end of tour" festivities kept them out until the wee hours. Myself, I spent the day tripping around downtown Chicago, with my son, Skyler. He flew out to Denver last week to travel with me during his summer break, and has really enjoyed seeing the different parts of the country. Although, being age 12 as he is, it's bittersweet to be riding all day in the van that we're in right now. But I digress...
We saw the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavillion, possibly the most intriguing outdoor music venue I've ever seen. Picture the Hollywood Bowl in the 23rd Century! If any of you Los Angelinos reading this have seen the Disney Music Center in downtown L.A., you know where I'm coming from.
A fine day to end the tour on. We fly home tomorrow, to bask in some L.A. sunshine before heading back east next month. Hopefully we'll have a little rest under our belts, too. Better be ready for those of you who we're gonna see in August!
Peace Out.
Bob, July 31
A Brief Time In Colorado... Won't Get Foiled Again
Howdy-ho, kids...
So I report to you from the 30" by 27" space called a seat in a minivan. I'm sharing this van with most of the band and crew as we drive overnight to Lincoln, Nebraska. I hope that the rest of the tour doesn't look like this, but we'll have to see how our bus runs after this weekend.
But let's first bask in the awesome gigs we played this week... just 18 hours ago the remainder of this month was looking so gravy...
Last weekend, we played the Mt. Helena Music Festival in Helena, Montana. Sweet show. For starters, we enjoyed the variety of music on this bill; although Celtic festivals are a beer swilling, good vibrations treat, it's a breath of air to hear various styles of music and play for some music fans who might not otherwise check out our Celtic Rock. We appeared on the same day as the bluegrass-jams of Ten Mile Tide, the funky gospel sound of The Gospel Hummingbirds, and the soulful rhythm and blues of E.C. Scott. What a voice! And, I think Helena may be my current favorite town in Montana (but don't hold me to that, you folks out in Butte/Bozeman/Billings/Kalispell/Missoula!)
After spending a day off in SLC for some TLC on the bus, it was on to the mighty Colorado. First stop: Aspen! We did our first show at the new Belly Up club there; this venue is among the top small venues in the States, no fooling! Excellent seating and bar, the sound and lighting is very high quality, and being situated in downtown Aspen, it's one of the most beautiful locations anywhere. And to top it off, we had a great turnout - as always the mountain folk of the Rockies know how to dance, drink, and debauch with the best of 'em!
The following night was the Mesa Theater in Grand Junction. Thanks to everyone who mustered up the energy to light out on a weeknight after one hell of a hot day! We always enjoy playing the Mesa as it's an all-ages show - it's more fun to have some teenyboppers jigging out there! And to the moshers who showed up that night, well, I couldn't understand a word you were saying to us, but I it was all good. At least you didn't stop rockin' when we played our ballads!
That was last night. I went to bunk knowing we had a glorious day off to ride to Lincoln for friday's performance...
I awoke to the sound of our bus trying to start, but the engine was having nothing to do with it. As it turned out, the ol' Detroit Diesel in the back finally died, having seized up from a condition called hydrolock. Gonna need a rebuild! So while she's been towed the 80 or so miles back to Denver, we rented whatever we could get our hands on to drive the remaining 500 miles or so to Nebraska, which turned out to be a 25' U-Haul (jeez) for our gear and a cute little minivan for all of us to pile into (aggh!)
Well, things could be worse. As I write you, 5 & 1/2 hours of travel are behind us, we'll be in Lincoln and our hotel rooms shortly, and I have spent the evening contemplating the full moon above the open plains from my seat while the DVD of "Platoon" plays on the built-in player (gotta love American cars; we may not have hybrids, but dammit, we got DVD screens in the back of our seats!)
Bob, July 20
Truck Stops and Anger Management
Dear Dubera's & Dubero's,
I'm writing you from the great country of western Montana... one of my favorite spots. If you like the outdoors, western M is the place to be in the summer. Lots of open mountain valleys, streams and rivers, and some sweet little towns in between. Last night, we were in Salt Lake City, where the temperature was up over 100 during the day. Hot, but a dry heat. Livable in some sick way. Anyhow, the tour bus was living up to her potential, with the engine overheating every couple of miles, causing air conditioning malfunctions, heat prostration, severe hallucinations coupled with mild nausea, mandolin strings which can not be tuned, and the cheese which a nice lady in New England donated to the band turned into some horrible monster when our refrigerator ceased. So we were ready to rock the stage last night...
And today we rolled on, passing all of Nature's beauty, stopping at yet another truck stop, this time somewhere near the continental divide. As Adam degreased and hosed off the bus engine radiator, a caravan of tour buses stopped by to fuel up... the graphic on the outside of the bus showed a large picture of 50 Cent, along with the words "Anger Management Tour 3". It was nice to see some fellow musicians out crossing the nation like us. Of course, the anger management was our issue at the time, since their nice new Prevost buses (count 'em - 6!) made ol' Killian's look like a Yugo. But alas, as I climbed back inside to head off to the Mt. Helena Festival, I remembered that it's not the packaging but the ingredients which make a great TV dinner. When we're on stage later today, I won't want to be anywhere else!
Looking forward to seeing you folks out in Colorado, the midwest, and California soon...
Bob, July 16
[previous road stories]
July 4th with Big Head Todd & The Monsters: Bittersweet!
Waddup, party people. Here's the skin on this week...
We started our July tour this last weekend, by flying to Chicago O'Hare Airport, reported to be the busiest airport in the nation. Let me tell you all a little secret: July 3rd is the easiest day to fly. Check-in at LA was a snap, and when we arrived, O'Hare was a ghost town. And it was a beautiful day to fly.
The next day, the Young Dubs' curse raised it's ugly head - rain! On July 4th! I'm sorry, but being from So Cal, I'm just not used to the concept of Midwestern-style summer rain. And this front meant business. A class 4, I'd say. It all hit around 1 PM, and then continued lightly off n' on throughout the day. Just enough to make things interesting for the crew.
But alas, the shop was on a large covered stage in the Hamilton Lakes Park. One of my favorite kind of shows to play... a big stage, open-air, a great sound system, and lots of room for the audience. Although we all felt a little rusty, it was a rush to get up strumming for everyone. And you folks who made it were fantastic! Hanging out during the drizzle and dancing it up - nice.
And then, 15 minutes after we finished, the clouds to the west parted and a painting-perfect sunset helped backdrop Big Head Todd & The Monsters as they went on. The several hundred people there turned into several thousand, and we celebrated 229 years of Independence with an amazing fireworks show.
All in all, a topnotch gig to start the tour off! Next stop: Baltimore and beyond. See U soon.
Bob, July 5th
The Band Gets a Break
Hello world,
Here's the latest from the road. We just spent a night on an upper Illinois lake, "camping" in our Big Red Bus. Well, it's actually fading now, after a year or so, and the Killian's logo is becoming sort of pink, which is not quite the color we want to represent us as we come to town. "Here come the Dubs in their pink bus!!" But as they say, don't judge a book by it's cover, and besides, when anyone sees our driver Kevin climbing out, I'm sure any weird pink vibes are dispelled right away.
This tale started monday, when we played a new venue for us in a suburb of Chicago called Downer's Grove. Called Ballydoyle's Pub, it was a straight, laid-out joint, with a small main where the stage was, and a lot of smaller rooms off the side of stage, so over half the audience was watching our backsides. Glad I wore my good Von Dutch denims. Anyway, we had three days off this week, during which we had planned to find some campground on Lake Michigan - in short, we had no plan. So when Phil Collin (no relation), the owner of Ballydoyle's, learned of this he offered to host us at his lakeside cabin until wednesday. Hot damn!
We left for the lake at the crack of noon the next day. On the way, we stopped in small town America to pick up groceries at a market. The spectacle of the nine of us, all speaking slightly different accents and wearing various combinations of t-shirts and jeans or sports jersey's and shorts, was a little unsettling to some of the regulars. As Bren asked a kindly looking grandmother whether it was right to BBQ corn in the husk, she just grinned and said "OK" as she kept walking. We got our 5 cases of Beer, two bottles of Wine, 20 Hot Dogs, 30 Hamburger patties, and a plethora of condiments and went our way cheerily.
The campsite was practically made for a tour bus; the grounds were flawlessly groomed grass for a few square acres, surrounded by those midwestern trees you just don't see in Cali. It was just the prescription... we all had different activities to play to our abandon, great thanks to Phil the Host! We split into groups - one group took the pontoon boat and went fishing; the other took the speed boat and skied; and a few just relaxed at camp, hiking about and riding Phil's Honda Quad 300.
I went skiing with Chas, Chris, and Adam. Dudes and dudettes, this lake was damn near perfect. Surrounded by rolling hills covered with trees, the 70-degree water was completely glassy, at 3 PM! And the boat pulled you along just nicely. We all skied until our arms fell off, as the agua-smootha was made for carving mile after mile. We got back to camp around 8, started up the fire, and flamed a few hot dogs until the boys got back with, ahem, two Bass, two Bluegill, and even a nice Walleye. Can you say feast?
Just a flashback... at one point, we pulled along side the fishing vessel, and Phil the Host boarded (he was our pilot during the epic ski session) and grabbed a pole, tied his favorite lure, and cast right under a few shore branches... only to hook a nice Two-Pounder Bass right then! Unbelievable! And the other fellows were hookinĠ up left and right was well... a grand time! Good Craic!
So there, we had dogs, burgers, chicken, fish, the NBA game on the telly, five brands of beer (of course, including the Kill's Red), and the guitar passed around the fire, beneath the full moon, 'til one and all drifted off, some on the bus, some just slept out on the grass...
And then we woke up, and left for New Jersey. The end.
Bob, June 20
A Few Words, In My Humblest Opinion
Good afternoon. Bob in flight again. Today, me and the boys are flying to Newark, New Jersey to be picked up by the tour bus and start a new tour. This time we're hitting NYC, Chicago, and New Jersey... one Jersey show is a makeup for an outdoor show which was canceled due to inclimate weather last summer... should be very tight, an amphitheater in the suburbs... maybe like the Woodland Hills show we do every summer (that's in So Cal, near L.A.)
The real juice today is about some new music. I got the new albums by Coldplay, the White Stripes, and Oasis, and about 5-and-a-half hours in the air to listen to 'em. So let's critique away...
"X & Y", the new Coldplay album, is a little better than I expected form these British kids. Typically, after a relatively young group has a hit CD as big as their last one (or two, really), the next record is a boring watered-down rehash of what they did on their last. Not so here. Sonically, the band is writing slightly different music, playing it tightly, and producing it with the same patented, Brit-rock sound of their first two efforts - straight-ahead raw rock beats and riffs with an ethereal feel, like Radiohead, U2, some of The Smiths, with Pink Floyd as a common ancestor. My first reaction is that the songs on this one are more straight rock and more upbeat generally than on "A Rush of Blood to the Head". The songs are generally too long; being a Deadhead, I like a good long song, if there is a stellar jam in it, but Coldplay is like a 70's prog-rock band, but less proficient. And the single "Speed of Sound" smacks of a remake of their hit "Clocks". And, I've really gone off ol' Chris Martin - outside of "Yellow" and "Green Eyes", I was never a big fan of his vocals... he's technically good, has a nice sound, but no soul, blues, guts, none of that ummph which a rock singer should convey. Throughout this more upbeat and mid-tempo album, most of his tunes sound like breathy ballads. And the lyrics are mostly maudlin self-absorbed sap; coincidentally, the song where the attitude of the lyric matched the music well are on the the one rootsy, acoustic ballad, "Swallowed in the Sea". This album will probably sell well, and get some good play, but that will be thanks in part to Gweneth Paltrow, and in part to "Yellow" and "Clocks". Overall, I give it a 4 out of 10.
"Don't Believe the Truth", by Oasis... I got an advance copy of this last month, and it got me pretty excited, cuz I'd written these guys off one or two releases ago. They had gotten too repetitive and derivative for my tastes; after "Whats the Story, Morning Glory" (and even a bit on that one, too), Oasis let a lot of late 60's Beatles hooks show up. Nothing turns me off faster than when an artist's influences are hardly transparent; big, flashy, and unnatural production of music also bums me out. But I digress. The new Oasis puts back the street-and-pub 'tude that their early works had, with some new shades. Even the album title has the healthy cynicism that "Definitely Maybe" evoked. At first listen, its an album which every songs takes a different turn, and engages you with a cool guitar chord, or piano-and-tamborine riff, or clanging drum kit, and then Liam's or Noel's pained vocal hits ya with some lyric which recalls the experience of post adolescent/arrested developmental metamorphosis. And there's something you dont see much anymore - band where two equally capable yet different vocalists swap lead from song to song. On the finale, the one slightly corny tune "Let There Be Love", Liam and Noel trade off verses quite effectively. The tightest aspect of this release is that there is the reprised urgency of the early Oasis merged with a sophistication of a group that's been around awhile. But the sophistication I speak of isn't flashy production or trendy radio hits; it's more of an adaptation and synthesis of music you or your forebears grew with, music with soul and roots. And the band from Manchester is showing plenty of that... even if a little late 60's Stones is now slipping in (ha!) A current fave, I give this one an 8.
The fresh new White Stripes CD, "Get Behind Me Satan", is a fan's album. Now, I am totally a White Stripes fan; while many write them off as a trend-band, one of the purveyors of the new garage-rock sound, I "got them" early on, when I first heard Jack White's high-test charged slide guitar playing, and then the very punkish single, "Fell In Love With a Girl". This new album, however, takes a listen, then a marinading-on, then another listen, then a bit of stewing-over, then another listen to say, "Arright..." It's just this: my first impression of the opening tracks is that they are the same kind of tunes they've written before, but with a more eclectic approach. The addition of marimbas and piano in lieu of slashing electric guitar is the most obvious observation. Other songs feature a more roots-oriented side of the Whites, probably brought on by Jack's production of music by Loretta Lynn and for the soundtrack of that soap opera called Cold Mountain. Even their traditional instruments of drum kit and guitar are processed heavily, instead of the very raw approach on earlier work... the drums sound as if they were recorded on an old 1940's microphone, and the result is stellar! The tunes are catchy, with the blues and soul influence they've always had and lyrics which are more intelligent that all the Hot Hot Heats and Franz Ferdinands of the world. Read: titles like "The Nurse", "The Denial Twist","Instinct Blues", and "Take Take Take" are clues of which I write. My main complaint would be that the album is a bit uneven for all the experimentation in style. If you have the patience, you will eventually connect with a couple gems of your own to add to the MP3 player, and the record as a whole may serve as a soundtrack for a summer road trip or BBQ. My White Stripe's fandom not withstanding, I give "Satan" a 6.
Well, now you know what I do with too much time on my hands... review albums... Why do I write about other people's albums when I'm not even a pro music critic? Simply put, as Joan Jett said, I Love Rock And Roll.
Bob, June 15th
Up In The Air
Hello all. Bob in flight here. Today, we're heading to Boston after a
Memorial Day weekend at home. I have to say, actually staying in L.A.
during a summer holiday is a treat, cuz alot of folks go out of town.
Traffic's a little lighter, the museum I visited was not crowded, and
getting a table at a favorite restaurant is a snap. Makes me wish I am
gonna be home for July the 4th.
So, the tour o' the South went off. Some very ripping shows. Pheonix
was a great starter; we were billed with a local band, Thousand Yard
Stare, who were very tight and warmed the crowd up just right. And
Austin was a party! There's nothing quite as convenient as playing a
gig at an Irish Pub (in this case, Fado). The whole band got to play on
air earlier that day for a radio show - I wish we did more of those.
Then we entered true Dixie. Knoxville, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte...
huge thanks to everyone who attended...
To everyone who stayed out at Preservation Pub after the Victor Wooten
open-air show, despite (or maybe because of) one of the most intense
electrical storms I've ever seen - cheers!
To the fellow Celtic musicians who played, and the Dubsters and fresh
faces who attended the Irish Fair in Alpharetta, which reminded me of a
parking-lot clearance sale at Levitz - Slaite!
To the professional drinkers at Connoly's - and the easily-bribed hot
dog vendors who worked the corner outside our tour bus - Word!
Hope we sounded in tune while on the air while playing 3rd And Lindsey
in Nashville. Thanks a mil to the people who provided the cheering
during the simulcast.
An exciting thing happened while playing our last tour dates, at Tucson
City Limits and the Canyon Theater. We played some of our longest sets
in a while (and everyone stayed!!) Some of my current faves are "Real
World", "Say It's So", "Waxie's Dargle", "Come Back Home" (I get to
tickle the acoustic strings), and I'm diggin' on "Rocky Road 2 Dublin"
lately. As the tours go by, one gets to liking some of the older songs
more than others, and that's always changing... I'm sure you repeat
audience members go thru the same thing... but I digress. We're giving
"Low" a dusting off, too. That one, as well as "One And Only" and
"Happy", are fun to play, and seem to work well in the show, yet
lyrically they deal with some serious subjects. So it's tricky throwing
those in sometimes, cuz for the most part we're a party,
drink-and-dance-yer-ass-off band. But part of what we do is observe,
and let's face it, there are some stories in life which are
uncomfortable, even sad, yet inspire a lyric we feel is powerful. Kind
of like Rap.
But in "Life of Brian", they sang "Always look on the bright side of
life", and we couldn't agree more! And every show ends with a Celtic
freak out, and a healthy piss-up afterwards.
Well, the plane's landing, so I need to put away my portable electronic
device. Nice talking with you all. Until the next time, regards....
Bob, June 2
Dear Dublioes and Dublinites,
First off, special thanks to all who attended our gigs in Montana and Boise. I know it's still a little cold up there, so it was a pleasant surprise to see so many fans, nubies, and Celt-freaks show up. At one point, I think I was standing outside around midnight (after a show), chatting with some guy, when I suddenly realized he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and I was wearing a wool cap, ski jacket, AND a sweat shirt underneath... that's what separates the locals from the visitors...
We in the band were ecstatic to play a real show in Boseman again (at the Zebra Lounge)... after last summer's July 4th rain-out. The Zebra's cool, real in-your-face, like the old Fair City days. (Of course, many of you know that I wasn't around then, so I'm taking creative license right now.)
Our debut in Billings was a rocker! Awesome venue. some of the best fun went on in the green room. We found some old props, like wigs, shirts, giant glasses... and so now, we're thinking of trying an image change. Nothing drastic, mind you, like dresses, kilts, or cod pieces, but just some threads which are unique. Like maybe mod suits. Nothing like jamming at an outdoor Celtic Festival in the summer wearing a mod suit... uh, let me get back to you on this one...
Special thanks to the crowd in Butte. You all were jigging, moshing, slamming, & pogo-ing the whole time.... even during "Happy"! (OK, just kidding) Tight...
Sorry to our fans in Missoula. We apparently played a gig off the radar there. The venue had a change of promoters before our visit, and a communication breakdown ensued, leading to a severe lack of promotion, which led to a severe shortage of people hearing about our show. Don't get me wrong - the club was very cool, and their staff was great, so hopefully we'll get back up there before too long. "Don't Cry For Me, Missoula"...
Finally, Boise. We play there a couple times each year, and it keeps getting better and better. Perhaps we should track a live recording there, hmmmm?
I'm getting my Framus guitar fixed up this week, so the notes ring out bright and true. Soon it's off for Austin and the south. Woo-doggies!!
Boulding ...5/9/05
Und vee liken ze Northwest, yah...
What's up, bros and bras... Bob here. Just home from our tour to the northwest... nice. Thought I'd take a minute of your time to talk about it...
We like our homestate of Cali. Just last year, the band was talking about places to go and I said, "We need to do more West Coast!" Don't get me wrong, right-coast dubsters (and dubber's in the middle) - We love to play every state, and not just enebriation. But some great stops, like San Fran, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Petaluma / Santa Rosa, and all the college towns like Chico and SLO, just don't get to see us more than once a year. It makes sense to make the nice reasonable drives and keep ourselves sharp for all the other places across the country.
So, with that, we booked ourselves a nice little tour.
Starting out in Sacramento, we played a real roadhouse on the outskirts of town, called the "Roadhouse". Some very dedicated northern Cali fans showed and got loud and danced all during the show... nice!
After an urban gig on Mission Street in San Fran, we commenced to one of our favs, the Mystic Theater in Petaluma. Big crowd, good times. Had to bust out some car bombs that night (the drink, of course) to get in the mood for our annual "band/crew camping trip." This year, the two-day break was in the Mendocino County area, so we found a remote lake with a campground and parked it. It was very rustic, with some cabins and campsites at one end of the lake... since it wasn't really open for the season yet, it was deserted except for the managers and us... just like in "Friday the 13th"!! I kept the "Jason" refernces to myself, just to be cool.
After that, it was on to the real Northwest - repleat with rain, damp chill, and bus troubles. Played Eugene, Oregon; Bellingham, Washington; Spokane, Washington; Seattle (a fine Sunday evening show in a downtown Irish pub); and Portland. My 12-year-old son, Skyler, lives there, so I rented a car and spent the afternoon tooling around his neck of the woods. Beautiful area, Portland - alot of times we don't get to see much of the places we go, past the hotel and concert venue, so it was a treat to hang out with Skyler and see the Portland 'burbs. He also showed me his X Box video games... the kid smoked me! I'd better stick with guitar...
Well, it's time to hit it. The bus should be starting up soon, and I'll have to climb aboard. Until the next time... when in Rome...
Bob
Howdy-ho, partners. I have a minute to write, since we're getting the bus
repaired today. We're at a truckstop in the middle of Kansas... now I know
where the old "world is flat" theory came from...
So the tour has been good! Some great east coast shows - NYC, Philly,
Baltimore. Apologies to the fans who came out to the Shelter in Detroit.
We didn't know the Hip-Hop show upstairs was happening, and we couldn't
control the volume of their music. For those of you who were in the back
of the club, you may think we are a hip-hop band! We're not - that was the
sound system upstairs you were hearing, drowning us out.
I came down with a nasty flu just before the Knitting Factory. Turned into
bronchitis, so I went to the doctor. He advised I take a few days off
(HA!), and prescribed some G.I. gin, so at least I sleep well...
Arrighty, gotta go. It's a nice day out (in the 40's), so it's time to play!
Bob, middle-of-nowhere
Howdy-ho Dub fans...
Bob here. I don't sit down to write the website often. I suppose I spend way too much time stuck in LA traffic when we're not on tour. So I stayed in today to spin a couple road tales...
For starters, any of you who came to the Irish Fest in Littleton, CO, THANK YOU!!! It was a small but well organized fest, and seemed very mellow and nearly stolid until we started making noise... then it became, a ROCK SHOW! Great crowd... our merch guy, Mark, and I walked around the place in the afternoon, and it was definitely a people watching experience. The leprechaun hats are getting better and better...
For myself, the tour highlight was the insanely beautiful mountainside show we did opening for Jonny Lang in Jackson, Wyoming. Anytime you set up a stage facing the slope of a ski run, you're gonna have a good time. Aside from the (gasp) thin air. My cousin Nate and his band, Ned Evett, opened the show, and whipped everyone up with some peerless jamming. Nate's a slick drummer, I hope he goes far, and his guitarist played a fretless instrument which sounded like a Hawaiian guitar from Mars. As we played, there was about 2-3 thousand people in the audience. It's very exciting to play to such a big crowd. We are using a new "in-ear" monitor system (whereby we wear high-tech earphones while we play, and can hear everything on stage like a CD). The one drawback is not hearing a word the audience is saying to you, or even much cheering... it's a little vexing to see everyone whooping it up, and to stand up there watching it like a TV with the sound off. Anyway, I walked out and stood up front to watch Jonny Lang and his band. Killer show! I'm just a tad green from watching that guy (who is all of age 22) play some amazing guitar... and, of course, inspired as well.
Well, that's my 50 cents... holla till the next time...
Bob
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