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12/18/2004
In the midst of all this week's happenings, we finally ended up buying a brand new vehicle. Decided on one that can handle all my drum gear, while keeping them in a climate-controlled environment ;-) ...yes, I'm talking about a van. This thing is nicer than our first apartment! The kids can be watching DVD's and/or playing video games in the back, while my wife and I enjoy our pleasant drive time. The doors are all powered remotely, so you never have to lift a finger to open or close them (well...you DO have to push a button ;-) and the seats all fold directly into the floor, so I can get literally anything to fit in there. I'm very happy with it overall - in case you can't tell. Speaking of the van, I get to put it to the test tonight when I haul my gear to New Germany for my final performance of 2004 with Luna Sea. Actually, I might be playing with the acoustic trio on December 23 in Mound, but with my daughter being ill, we had to put off some other family obligations...so I still need to figure out what's happening when. I might not get to update this site again before New Years, so I'd like to wish all of you a very safe and happy holiday season! 12/7/2004
Last night my daughter and I went to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in St. Paul. My parents were in attendance, as were my good friends Ray and Kathy Probst and Joe Shaughnessy and his son. Special events like this are always better shared with good friends and family. The show absolutely ROCKED!!! The musicianship and material selection was incredible. This was my second TSO show, and they keep getting better and better each time. I HIGHLY recommend everyone go and see them in the future. Thanks to all my family and friends for coming out to see me and the band over the last month. Playing shows all the time is always fun, but when I see you guys out there, it gives me more energy and makes it a certified PARTY! ;-) We've had guest appearances by so many great entertainers, that you just never know what to expect out of these shows. I hope you can all make it out to at least one of the upcoming shows through the Holiday Season. We have a lot of surprises in store for you, and it's always just great to see everyone there! 11/9/2004 Haven't had a lot of time for updates here, so I'd like to once again thank everyone that made it out to the show in Lester Prairie. I've updated my calendar to include all the upcoming dates I'm aware that I'll be playing. These shows are going to be with the surprise band - Luna Sea is the name for now - and I hope to see all you local folks out there for these! The past week I've been working a lot on recording tracks for Torok's upcoming album. It's been a lot of fun working on this one, and I can't wait for everyone to hear it. I think you'll be surprised. I did pick up a new toy for myself last week...a new DW 9002 double pedal! This thing ROCKS!!! Up until now, every time you've seen me playing a single bass set up, I've only used a single pedal - and I may continue that a lot - but now I have the option of playing double bass on the single bass set too ;-). See you soon! 10/23/2004
Last week's 'surprise' show had us playing at the 4 Alarm in Rockford. Thanks to everyone that came out for it, and everyone that represents the 4 Alarm - as you guys were great! We can't wait to come back and rock the place out. I was surprised to see how many people that are on the email list turned up. I didn't think anyone paid attention to the email s they get from me ;-). Once again, lots of family and friends came out to support the performance. We called ourselves Lunacy for that show, and the normal cast of characters were in attendance. Our guest performer for the evening had to cancel because of illness, but insists on making it out for another up-coming show. Next up is Saturday, October 30th in Lester Prairie. Get on the email list to make sure you get all the details. This past week, I received another endorsement opportunity. I'll get you up to date as soon as I've had more chances to really work with the product(s), and when I actually ink the deal. I can tell you that it's certainly a revolutionary approach to drumming equipment, and I can't wait for the marketing campaign to begin. The Holiday season is upon us once again, and along with it the jingle session work. I have two sessions set up next week, and six more on the books moving into November. In addition, two of the jingles I recorded last year are going be used again this year. Working the new session work around my schedule will be much easier this year, as most of the shows I'm playing are weekend gigs at local clubs, so there's no concern of touring plans getting in the way. This actually frees up more time for session work, so I'm going to be pushing for as much of that work as I can get this year. That's all I have to report this week. Hope to see everyone this weekend in Lester Prairie! 10/3/2004
The 'no name band' for the evening called ourselves "The Reign", and featured guest guitarist Phillip from KidzX (and another band you've seen on MTV - but he doesn't want too much information out there about that right now). Quite a long way to come for the poor guy - being from London, but we all had a lot of fun with him up there. Earlier on Friday, before I left for the show, my newest best acquaintance from Los Angeles, David, scored me a low-pitched set of clear octobans. Those of you that chat with me frequently know that I've been looking to get clear ones for many years. They are rare indeed. I've even began looking into making some for myself, and was involved in conversations that led the Zickos Drum Company to create their own version - called BamZ (which I highly recommend you check out). These guys made the original see-through drum sets back in the day - for everyone from Keith Moon to Bill Ward. The only reason I don't have a nice new set of theirs, is that they don't offer the configuration I'm looking for yet...but they will...and I WILL have them. Anyway, THANKS DAVID!!! Next up, show-wise, is an appearance on October 15th in Rockford. Get on the email list, as that's the only way you'll hear about all the details ranging from who the evening's players are and what the band name will be, to the name of the club. Remember, the goal is to keep this low-key and fun, so this is the only way to pull that off. Do yourself a favor and get on the list! The next update should include a new sound clip featuring original Equinox guitarist Lonnie Melland and myself. Keep checking back and watch for it! I have it on my computer now, and just need to find the time to convert to mp3. CIAO!
10/23/2004 I know I said in my last update that I'd be uploading a recording that has resurfaced featuring Lonnie Melland and myself...but I just bought a new pc, and haven't set up all my software yet - specifically the mp3 conversion software - so it has to wait until my next one. Last week's 'surprise' show had us playing at the 4 Alarm in Rockford. Thanks to everyone that came out for it, and everyone that represents the 4 Alarm - as you guys were great! We can't wait to come back and rock the place out. I was surprised to see how many people that are on the email list turned up. I didn't think anyone paid attention to the email s they get from me ;-). Once again, lots of family and friends came out to support the performance. We called ourselves Lunacy for that show, and the normal cast of characters were in attendance. Our guest performer for the evening had to cancel because of illness, but insists on making it out for another up-coming show. Next up is Saturday, October 30th in Lester Prairie. Get on the email list to make sure you get all the details. This past week, I received another endorsement opportunity. I'll get you up to date as soon as I've had more chances to really work with the product(s), and when I actually ink the deal. I can tell you that it's certainly a revolutionary approach to drumming equipment, and I can't wait for the marketing campaign to begin. The Holiday season is upon us once again, and along with it the jingle session work. I have two sessions set up next week, and six more on the books moving into November. In addition, two of the jingles I recorded last year are going be used again this year. Working the new session work around my schedule will be much easier this year, as most of the shows I'm playing are weekend gigs at local clubs, so there's no concern of touring plans getting in the way. This actually frees up more time for session work, so I'm going to be pushing for as much of that work as I can get this year. That's all I have to report this week. Hope to see everyone this weekend in Lester Prairie! 10/3/2004
The 'no name band' for the evening called ourselves "The Reign", and featured guest guitarist Phillip from KidzX (and another band you've seen on MTV - but he doesn't want too much information out there about that right now). Quite a long way to come for the poor guy - being from London, but we all had a lot of fun with him up there. Earlier on Friday, before I left for the show, my newest best acquaintance from Los Angeles, David, scored me a low-pitched set of clear octobans. Those of you that chat with me frequently know that I've been looking to get clear ones for many years. They are rare indeed. I've even began looking into making some for myself, and was involved in conversations that led the Zickos Drum Company to create their own version - called BamZ (which I highly recommend you check out). These guys made the original see-through drum sets back in the day - for everyone from Keith Moon to Bill Ward. The only reason I don't have a nice new set of theirs, is that they don't offer the configuration I'm looking for yet...but they will...and I WILL have them. Anyway, THANKS DAVID!!! Next up, show-wise, is an appearance on October 15th in Rockford. Get on the email list, as that's the only way you'll hear about all the details ranging from who the evening's players are and what the band name will be, to the name of the club. Remember, the goal is to keep this low-key and fun, so this is the only way to pull that off. Do yourself a favor and get on the list! The next update should include a new sound clip featuring original Equinox guitarist Lonnie Melland and myself. Keep checking back and watch for it! I have it on my computer now, and just need to find the time to convert to mp3. CIAO! 9/18/2004 Sorry about the delay in updates. Things have been far too busy recently... For those of you that made it out to the surprise show at JJ's in North Branch last Friday - it was nice to see you. Keep watching for more tip-off emails ;-). If you aren't already on the email list, click here to be added! Our "No Name Band" will be performing at many surprise locations throughout the rest of this year. Currently, upcoming dates include September 25, October 1, 15, and 30, and November 20...and we're adding more all the time. But you'll have to be on the email list to get the info, so get on it now! My obligations with the Mindy Gunn Band are pretty much over for this year. We may accept some future dates being offered, but there's nothing on the books at this time. Everyone is looking forward to some time off from the mini-tours that have consumed most of our schedules. Now, I personally am able to focus on the other projects going on - like the surprise band I listed above. I won't tell you who the players are, as we're truly keeping it on a fun (and secret) basis, but I know that we'd love to see you out at the shows! Trust me, just show up and you'll be glad you did. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? Oh yeah, it's Packer season again. First up, we creamed the reigning NFC Champion Carolina Panthers. Next up - 'Da Bears'. To say that this game is among the most important for the Pack to win, is a huge understatement. I can't think of two teams that hate each other more (in football, anyway) than the Packers and Bears. Living in Minnesota now, I see how much the Vikings hate the Packers - but trust me...the Vikings are an insignificant blip on the radar screen to the Packers, in comparison to the feud with the Bears. And all the other teams in the league THINK they hate some other team more than the Pack/Bears hate each other - but they have no idea what a TRUE rivalry is - hell they've only been around for a short time in comparison. OK, so I wrote this little section to boast about my beloved Packers, but I also did it so I'd have an excuse to show my Lambeau Field pictures, taken from my trip there this Spring. Check them out!
See you soon...
9/4/2004 I only have a brief moment to update the site here, so...
Anyway, the next show is set for Saturday, September 11th at the Eagle River Raceway in Wisconsin. I'll provide more information as I get the chance. This will likely be the last outdoor event of the year, so I hope to see you there! Also, I see that the former colleagues that I recruited into Equinox/Equinox Opus (depending on which era they were brought in), are finally having their debut album released this month on a small, new label - Progman Records - that will probably promote and market them well in the U.S. They formed a band called Vox Tempus, and replaced my previously recorded drum tracks using Ringo Starr's drummer Greg Bissonette. I listened to their samples and prefer my own tracks (of course ;-), but since I declined to continue working with them a couple years ago - I'm sure they just wanted to move on. I still like the music we wrote together, and they are very good players that should go far in the prog genre. I encourage any prog-heads out there to check them out, as they're getting great reviews. 8/6/2004
I'm in the middle of another redesign for this site. It's quite dated now - at least it seems that way to me. And I have so many different things going on all the time, that I really want to start featuring more important people, events, hobbies, etc. that I'm involved with...my family, Martial Arts, magic, weaponry, and of course more music. I hope to have a new site published in a month or so. I've been so lucky making my living from nothing but music for quite some time now. Touring, recording, commercial jingles, small labels, major labels, airplay, publishing, managing, promoting, marketing, Top 20 album, Top 40 album, Gold Records, etc. (not to mention sleeping until noon ;-)...and, oh yeah - DRUMMING! I have so many great memories and consider myself a very 'lucky' person (though I did work VERY HARD and SMART to get to where I've been, and surrounded myself with very talented individuals ;-). I realize that I've had things work out in my favor throughout my musical career, that so many others have only dreamt of. It feels weird to announce that last week I accepted an I.T. position with a large corporation that has a local branch in Minneapolis. Yes, I'm officially a computer geek! I will still be continuing my session work, local club dates and mini tours of large-scale festivals each year throughout America and Canada (or wherever else), as well as releasing albums with the artists I work with. I'll just be doing it all at a more pleasant and manageable pace. This career move will allow me to focus more consistently on other pursuits that are increasingly important to me...and I STILL get to sleep in until close to 10am and I have weekends off ;-) I hope to share all sorts of stuff with you here in the near future. Until then... Come out and see me on Saturday, August 28. I'll be performing with the Mindy Gunn Band at the annual Riverbend Festival in Owatonna. This is the band's fifth appearance at this event, and we are on stage in the afternoon (I think 1pm-5pm) - so get there early, drink lots of beer, and listen to some great classic and blues rock music. Don't be shy - come on up and introduce yourself if you get the chance, too!
6/19/2004
While I was in my studio drumming the other day, I came up with an exciting new pattern/idea (at least it's exciting to me ;-). Once I develop it a little further, I plan to record it, and I'd like to post it here so you can hear it for yourselves - instead of having me try to explain it. It incorporates a groove-oriented ostinato into another 'free-form' ostinato that I've been working on. The combination sounds pretty cool to me, and I hope to share it soon. Until next time...keep rocking! 6/10/2004
Lots of things have happened over this time. My daughters have finished school for the year, so we treated them to a day at Camp Snoopy in the Mall Of America. For those of you that don't know, Camp Snoopy is a huge indoor amusement park. We went on every ride the place has to offer, and even my little one worked herself up to the challenges. It was a fun time. Let's see...oh yeah, we've managed to get out to see Shrek 2 and the new Harry Potter movies. My wife and I have had a couple of evenings out at a fancy live jazz club that's right downtown Minneapolis. I love watching jazz masters do their thing! One of my favorites, Spyro Gyra, will be performing there next month, so I'm all excited for that too!!! Mindy Gunn will be performing a few acoustic shows around the Twin Cities this month. Ray (bass) and I won't be involved in those specific shows, but we'll be heading out on tour with the band at the end of the month. I'm told that the show with Bad Company is still being 'worked out', as the promoters are currently working out terms with the group to come and play the new theater that's opened in Duluth. There's a huge racing and classic car event that happens every year, that the promoters want to tie Bad Company into. I'll keep everyone posted as to the developments. That's all for now - hope to see you all very soon! I'll post the tour dates/cities as soon as I receive the information. 5/12/2004 So...my wife and I were sitting with our neighbors on their deck last week, and the topic of lawn sprinkler systems came up. Seems they had gotten quite a kick out of watching me fight with the damn hoses while trying to water my lawn over the past few years. Jerks. Anyway, he mentions that he's going to just call the guy that put his in, and see what I'd be looking at for a price to have it done. The next thing I know, my wife starts agreeing with the idea, and I'm talking with the guy and scheduling the work to be done! Wow...that was fast. Now, I have to admit that I've been 'planning' to get this done at some point anyway. But to just go from drinking a beer to literally having the guy come out and get the whole thing going, was a pleasant shock for me. One of my biggest thrills in a while has been to just sit on my deck and watch the sprinklers turn on. It's been like Christmas around here ;-). Of course, my biggest thrill this past week has been watching my youngest daughter finally get rid of the training wheels on her bike, and ride around with all her older friends. They grow up so darn fast. Not much new in the music world for me this past couple of weeks. I've got some more session work coming up, but no immediate shows until Mindy Gunn starts touring in June. So for the next few weeks, I have a lot of extra time on my hands to get more projects done around the house. The next thing on the list (while we have crews coming in and out working on finishing our lower level) is some landscaping. We have lots of ideas for things to try this year, but who knows what we'll actually end up doing. See you all soon! 4/27/2004 Alrighty then... Thanks to everyone that came out to the shows over the past couple of weeks. We had a great turn out at all the shows, and I got to see several friends that I haven't seen in a while. Unfortunately they had to travel to two different states to see me, but I appreciate their support!!!
The cancer benefit up in Grand Forks was a success. I don't know how much money was raised in total, but the experience was tremendous. We met the little twelve year old girl that the benefit was for, and she was so nice. It just rips your heart out to hear about situations like hers. Hell, I'd go back and play a drum solo all night if it would help raise more money for the family. Everyone treated us so well up there too. This was one hell of a biker party, for sure!
Of course when you're on the road, it always seems like it takes forever to get to the next city. So Ray Probst (bass) and myself decided to do a little something about it ;-) Yes, that's a VW diesel Jetta with only 90 HP, flying over the road at 122 mph! There's something to be said for German engineering, I must say. It is quite a zippy car. And even with that, we had an Audi keep ahead of us for almost 50 miles. She was a-flyin'. All-in-all, we turned a 5 hour trip into about a 3 hour trip. Not too bad at all. 4/24/2004
I just wanted to make sure to send out the information about tonight's show in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The show is actually a cancer benefit. It's directly tied in with the official biker rally up there this weekend, and will be held at the famous tattoo artist Magoo's ranch!!! Mindy Gunn will be taking the stage at approximately 8:00pm, so get there a little early! Just follow the rally signs ;-) Just a quick note about upcoming shows, we have festivals booked starting up again in June, and going throughout the early Fall season. In July, I'm told we're also opening for Bad Company, so watch for further information about these, and other high profile shows right here! 4/15/2004 WOW!!! We just got back from our family's spring break vacation. Our journey included stops in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and the Wisconsin Dells. Since we were in these cities during the week, there wasn't much competition for the hotel swimming pools, so the kids were very happy. Of course while in my hometown, Milwaukee, we had to see the Ancient Egyptian Treasures exhibit at the museum that is on loan directly from Egypt. I just love that stuff. The kids seemed to get a little bored at the place until we got into the dinosaur area. Then they (the kids) started to come to life a bit ;-). My personal favorite area (since I was a small child) is The Streets Of Old Milwaukee exhibit. It's done up great, and the buildings are so realistic. Of course, my second favorite area has always been the Living Ocean exhibit. The specimens on display there just rock my world. And I can't go back 'home' without taking the brewery tours ;-). This time, it was the Miller Brewery. I've always had a special place in my heart for the famous Miller Inn Tavern. I mean, what's not to like about getting free samples (mine were huge glasses of Miller High Life, Miller Lite, and Leinenkugels ;-). The kids got this really awesome orange-cream soda. Tasted just like a Dreamsicle!!!
Anyway, the next several days will have me in Iowa playing with the Mindy Gunn Band. You folks down there can hear us on the radio on Saturday afternoon. I've received many emails from people that will be in attendance for both shows Friday and Saturday nights. I look forward to seeing everyone. Just make sure you're at Racer's in Sexton (5 miles east of Algona). We'll be rockin' out all night long, each night. Hope to see you all soon! 4/2/2004 I keep getting emails from people wanting to know where they can hear my drumming online. The individual band sites have samples posted (in most cases), but just to make things easier for everyone - I've created a new Sounds Page. I'll get more stuff out there in the near future, but for now, enjoy!!! I even put a never before released Equinox demo out there. The quality is terrible at best - but the song is as priceless as it is timeless.
3/29/2004
I suppose the biggest news is that I'm going to be an uncle again (for the second time). The kid is due on Thanksgiving this year. Thank God I like my in-laws and extended family, because I have this feeling I'm going to be seeing a lot of them, come Holiday season ;-) Of course, the second-biggest news for my family, is that we FINALLY got our new furniture delivered. I love suede! My girls have started in their soccer leagues, so I now have their games to look forward to. It was pretty funny for us when we drove up to register them a few weeks ago...we pulled into the parking lot, and I swear it looked like we were on a car dealer's lot that was selling mini-vans. Every other vehicle there was a mini-van. It looked quite funny to us. I guess we'll need to get one now too, to be considered *real* soccer parents ;-) Rehearsals for Torok have remained on hold while I get the lower level of my house finished. In the interim, the guys have been recording, and working on some newer material. Rehearsals for Mindy Gunn's band have been going steady. I'm getting anxious to play my first official shows with the band in a couple of weeks, and I can tell the group is just as anxious to get back out on the road. The first shows I'll play with the group are April 16-17 in Algona Iowa. As I've stated before, I've never been to Iowa, so I don't know what to expect - but at least I'm getting paid well to be there ;-) Things look to be shaping up for the following weekend, which will have us playing in Grand Forks. Many other shows have been confirmed, and will be posted on the Mindy Gunn website - just as soon as it's redesigned and published again. Should be ready in about a week from what I understand, so don't be discouraged if you don't find it yet. 3/3/2004
The plaques for our Equinox Gold Records have finally come in. I immediately hung it directly behind my drums and had pictures taken with it. It sure does 'brighten' up the studio ;-) . More should follow. Thank you to the many individuals that have sent birthday wishes my way. I've received a bunch of emails and cards, and I'd just like to thank everybody that thought enough about me to do that. Jamison, Lonnie, and myself all got together yesterday for an autograph signing that was requested from a very special fan. I'll spare the details, but I will say that it truly is a very humbling experience when you realize that your music has touched someone to the point that our music has seemed to touch our fans. If there's ever anything that we can do to brighten a fan's day - we're always up for it!
2/20/2004 The past month has been a rather fun one. My oldest daughter's birthday was in the middle of January, and the party she had was a blast. And my wife and I celebrated our anniversary this past week at Treasure Island Casino. We stayed in a large 2-room hot tub suite, and gambled the evening away to our hearts' desire. The food was great, as was our luck. We didn't win big, but we only lost $40 when all was said and done. A truly great time.
We are in the process of finishing off the lower level of our house. Two weeks ago, we had some workers there to do all the prep work necessary for the sheetrock crew to come in and get that part done. All the final framing adjustments were done, and they got to have fun taking our windows out in order to fit the shower stall we ordered. The area for the fireplace has been designated, and my bar is now officially framed up ;-) . The sheetrock crew should be in soon, so we won't have to keep looking at unfinished walls anymore. I'm about as excited about this process, as I've been excited about nearly anything that's happened over the past year or so. I can't wait to get the pool table set up, the bar stocked, the much anticipated new furniture and theater equipment set up - not to mention the 'secret passage' to my studio. It's going to be hard to leave home ever again ;-) 1/05/2004 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Wow, it's hard to believe that another year has gone by already. Time sure does fly when you're having fun. I had a wonderful holiday season with my family and close friends. Made it out to some movies, an indoor water park, gambling at the casino, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, and throughout it all - the Packers keep on winning!!! It's been a tremendous month indeed. I have some session work scheduled for the next few weeks, as well as resuming normal rehearsals with Torok. I will also begin rehearsals with Mindy Gunn's band very soon, as they get ready for some late winter/early spring shows. They are also being booked for some large summer festivals that will also feature many top artists. In addition to all that, Lonnie Melland and I should start getting together on a regular basis to develop new material. Jamison Masters is just too busy these days for any serious commitment toward music, but we're fairly confident that we'll still be able to all work together on an un-pressured, limited basis. ;-) I also have plans to re-ignite my ideas for a new musical project in the coming months. I've had the desire to do it for a long time, and this year I'm determined to get the ball rolling with it. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that it's likely to be considered in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra type of genre - though myself and the people that I'm planning this with can see that it's more than that. If you or someone you know might be interested in a project such as this, please feel free to email me the information. We're looking for musicians and singers. Any age, any instrument, any talent level. This project will be all about the spirit of music, and all are welcomed to be involved in one way or another. Being located in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota certainly helps, but we will also be working with artists from around the world while in the recording process...but that's WAY down the road yet. ;-) As always, thanks for visiting my little corner of cyber space. I appreciate your time! -Eric Althaus
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Current Project News |
What
a roller coaster ride this past week has been. My youngest daughter was
hospitalized for three days, and none of us got any sleep during that time. I'll
spare the details, but the best news of all is that she finally was able to come
home yesterday afternoon. We're all relieved at this point, and look forward to
a great holiday season now. On the positive side of things, my oldest daughter
scored a perfect 100% on her big Social Studies test this week! Not that she
isn't ALWAYS a great student ;-). We are just so proud of her continued efforts
and results now that she's in junior high.
Been a very busy several weeks since I last
updated the site here. And it is going to be a lot busier as the Holidays
approach. I've done more session work, and of course all the shows that Luna
Sea has been performing - and there's much more of that stuff coming
up. I'll do what I can to keep everything updated here. Of course you can
always keep on top of what's going on with the current band projects by getting
on the 
I know I said in my last update
that I'd be uploading a recording that has resurfaced featuring Lonnie
Melland and myself...but I
just bought a new pc, and haven't set up all my software yet - specifically the
mp3 conversion software - so it has to wait until my next one.
Thanks
to everyone that came out to the South Side Music Cafe
this past Friday. I got to see some friends that I haven't seen in nearly six
months, and others that I see all the time ;-) ... and even my brother,
brother-in-law and sister-in-law showed up. You guys all ROCK! [well ok, I had
to pay my brother to be there, but he sure makes a good drum tech - lol]
What an interesting couple of
months it's been since I last updated this site. I've received literally more
than 200 emails asking what's been up. I'm glad that so many of you out there
actually read this stuff, and continue to support me. Thank you! I'll try to
catch you all up...
The shows in Algona (Racer's in Sexton) were a
lot of fun. The band showed up in the afternoon, after driving through dust
storms (my first experience with one), and rain. The crew at Racer's were so
friendly, the drinks were great, and the pizza was phenomenal!!! I have the
distinct honor of being THE only person that Ron has made a pizza for at 3:00
am. And I have to tell you, it was the greatest. It even came complete with a
little of Ron's own special art on the box ;-) Nice picture, big guy. I even
saved the box top! That puppy's going in the studio.
I had a great time in Iowa playing shows last
weekend. I'll share some stories and pictures in my next update. I just have
been too busy with the logistics involved in two to three day touring stints
each week recently. Hey, this full-time musician gig is hard work sometimes (but
it beats having a day job ;-). I'd like to send a shout-out to Ron and the
entire crew at Racer's in Sexton (outside of Algona) for making us (and me,
especially) feel so appreciated for doing what I love to do! You guys ROCK!!!
But
I must admit that my personal highlight of the trip was going to the Packer Hall
of Fame, and then walking through the famous "Tunnel" out on to
historic Lambeau Field. Being on the same turf that the Packers battle on every
Sunday during the season was just a great feeling. Of course, wearing the
official *real* NFL jersey that I'd just paid nearly $200 for, made it even more
special. Of course in retrospect - I can't believe I actually bought the thing
... but what the hell ... when else will I have the opportunity to buy the
*real* home jersey of a 3-time league MVP, from the very stadium he plays at?
Well, probably many times - but it just felt right to get it this time. The kids
had a lot of fun there too. They played in the Kid's Zone area of the Hall of
Fame. We have awesome pictures of them, so ask to see them the next time you run
into me ;-).