Roadie Blog

Not posting here at the moment.

2010-06-28T14:48:00.000-05:00

Stopped posting to this blog, been busy with Facebook. May try to get back to posts here in the near future. Thanks.

Paris -Day Off

2009-05-10T06:25:00.002-05:00

Day off in Paris today. Walked from the hotel towards Notré Dame, then decided to head in the opposite direction towards the Eiffel Tower (never been). Got close enough to snap some photos, but not close enough to be bothered by the crowd. Basically walked around for 4 plus hours, took the subway back to the hotel, when I determined I had wore a hole in my right sock. Had an early dinner with Micah and Brad (who walked around the same places as me, but never saw them) at a sidewalk restaurant near the hotel. After food, took an ill advised nap woke up in the middle of the night, read and interneted, finally fell back asleep. Slept through lobby call, was awakened by phone call from production manager. Luckily we were still waiting on a van, so I didn't get oil spotted (left).

Berlin - Day Off

2009-05-08T12:56:00.003-05:00

First Day off of the promo tour. As we were pulling into the hotel at 1am last night I saw a poster with Alfred Hitchcock on it, further investigation led me to the Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen. They have the only Hitchcock exhibition in Europe. I made it over this afternoon, paid my 4 Euros and spent a couple of hours looking at still photos, letters, storyboards, wardrobe, etc. All pertaining to Hitch's 6 decades of amazing film work.

Ran into a bunch of the crew as I entered the hotel after the museum. Went out for food (Italian) and then wandered the mall next door to the hotel and got gelato (banana, yum).

Time to dust off the old blog...

2009-03-18T11:04:00.004-05:00

Well, almost another year has gone by without a blog post. Why? What have I been doing? Here's a brief synopsis:

In May of 2007 I stopped touring full-time to start a tube amp company with my good friend Ossie Ahsen, it's called 3 Monkeys . Oz moved down to Raleigh in August and we spent the rest of '07 and most of '08 designing and building prototypes on the pool table in my (Paige's) sunroom. We moved out of my house and into a nice shop in August '08 . The amps were released to the public in November '08, right in the middle of the collapse of our economy. Sales have been steady, but not brisk. I have only done one tour since '07, which was the Experience Hendrix Tour in Oct-Nov '08, where I teched for Brad Whitford and Doyle Bramhall II.

Fast forward to 2009, I've been out teching for Darius Rucker (of Hootie & the Blowfish), filling in for my pal Skully (who's wife has just given birth to a beautiful baby girl). Darius has managed to go Gold with his debut country record in 9 weeks. He's also released two singles, both of which have gone to #1 on the Billboard Country Chart. In the last few weeks I have also been working for Green Day, as they will be releasing a new album in May and touring the world for the next few years. Oz and I will keep the amp company going while I tour.

So hopefully the blog will continue as I race around the world with Green Day again...

One Year Anniversary

2008-04-16T08:06:00.002-05:00

Since Tom Spaulding pointed out that it was my one year anniversary of posting to this blog, I decided to ACTUALLY post something!! Where have I been? What have I been doing? Well, I semi-retired from the road last June to start a tube amp business. I have been busy building prototypes and generally trying to get the business off the ground ever since. Soon, within 60-90 days, all will be revealed...

For now, here is a photo from the only gig I've done since last year. I got an email from the one and only Marshall Crenshaw last week asking me if I was available to work his gig closing the Azalea Festival in Wilmington, NC. Since I'm a big fan, and it was only 2hrs away, I agreed and had a fabulous time doing it!! Marshall's bass player was MIA, as his flight was canceled by US Air, so Marshall and Diego Voglino (his drummer) did a duo in the Flat Duo Jets style. We had a great hang for lunch and dinner with Marshall, Diego and Don Malter from NYC. Lots of music talk and story swapping. Thanks guys for a great weekend. Also, thanks Tom, this post is dedicated to you...

Fountains of Wayne

2007-04-13T20:36:00.000-05:00

Just out is 'Traffic and Weather' the new album by Fountains of Wayne. Go download it from iTunes or buy it at your local CD store or big box retailer. These guys write perfect intelligent pop songs. Hard to pick a favorite but 'Someone to Love', 'Strapped for Cash' and 'Yolanda Hayes' come to mind. I mean who writes songs about the lady at the DMV (Yolanda). These guys should be at the top of the charts, but maybe they're just too smart for the average Wal-Mart shopper. Come on, be cool, be hip, BUY the new Fountain's record...

Paige at the KISS Koffeehouse

2007-04-04T08:53:00.000-05:00

How I spent my Spring Break

2007-04-04T08:47:00.001-05:00

Wow, a new blog post. Alert the media!!

So, as many of you know, when I am not touring I am usually working on some kind of remodel project at home. These projects usually take twice as long as I think they will and quadruple what Paige thinks. This is due to most of my projects being a 'first time' for me. I like to earn while I learn. Wait a minute, am I getting paid for this? Uh, no. Damn.

Current projects where to smooth the popcorn ceiling in the office (3rd bedroom), the hallway, and the entryway. Luckily I have a guy for this, and he did it in one and a half days. Our good friend Terry Anderson came to paint again and did a great job.

I meanwhile have been working on converting the office from this to this and this. Which consists of building all the furniture out of Birch and installing recessed lighting in the ceiling. Since most walls are not square (and our house especially), it presented me with a challenge to get the built-in bookcases to align properly. I still have to add the shelf that goes over the window, as it has been difficult to get my head around. The lights were easier than I thought, but I did a lot of prep work in my 4 ft tall attic. I still have some file cabinets to build, some guitars to hang, and shelves to build for the closet. Then on to the bathrooms and master closet...

Hollywood, FL - Show Day

2007-01-29T20:52:00.000-05:00

Flew down this morning to Ft. Lauderdale with my buddy Skully to do a couple of shows with Hootie and the Blowfish. I've known the guys since their club/frat party days... Great bunch, band and crew.

We're playing at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino which is owned by the Seminole Tribe. They also now own ALL of the Hard Rocks, except Las Vegas, but they aim to buy that one too.

Load-in and set-up is easy, the guy I'll be replacing is here to guide me through the rig and guitar changes. Easy enough. Tomorrow we're taping for TV in Myrtle Beach, should be fun. The 5:30am lobby call tomorrow shall not . OUCH!!

Happy New Year everyone. Hope to have some more bloggin' here soon.

PS How's that Foy??

Cleo - R.I.P.

2006-12-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

Cleo, our beloved Golden Retriever passed away this past Monday, she was 16 years old. She was the sweetest, most gentle dog I have ever met. We only had her for 3 years, but it was a lifetime to us. We will miss her greatly. There are many photos of her here.

Scenic Walkway - Oak Island, NC

2006-10-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a photo of our almost completed walkway at the end of our street (it goes over the Davis Canal/Creek and marsh to the beach side of the island). It now takes us under 5 minutes to walk from the house to the beach. Sweet!! There is also a canoe/kayak dock on the left of the walkway.

Indianapolis -Show Day

2006-10-13T12:56:00.000-05:00

Chilly one today, supposed to be 35 with the wind chill all day. Get a UPS shipment of guitars from Collings, an acoustic maker in Austin, TX, who has recently started making electrics. Man these guitars look and play great. It is freezing onstage and the wind isn't helping. Luckily they have set up some heater to blow in guitar world and onstage. My hands are freezing during line check. Later, Kevin brings down a repair, that's been sitting in his shop for 2 years. He meets the boss and watches some of the show from guitar world. Load out and head to the warm bus.

Indianapolis -Day Off

2006-10-12T12:52:00.000-05:00

Wake up in the hotel parking lot, rooms aren't ready. Eventually go by the desk and get a double room, would have had to wait on a king... Talk to my friend Kevin from Uncle Albert's, he's the designer of my tube amp prototype. He invites me over for dinner. I hit the Border's bookstore, PF Chang's for lunch, and wander around the mall a bit to kill the afternoon. Kevin picks me up after 5pm and we head to his house. He starts on dinner, as we wait for his wife to return from aerobics. He shows me his Batman collection, which takes up his entire basement. This is the most Batman memorabilia I've ever seen in one place. Wow. We talk amps and music also, and he shows me the shop where my amp was born. Dinner is almost ready when a friend of Kevin's stops by, his name is Bud and he's 76. He's a fan of Kevin's band, and an interesting man, who has worked with computers since the 50's. We all talk about music, computers, etc. till after 10pm, when Kevin drives me back to the hotel.

Detroit -Show Day

2006-10-11T12:49:00.000-05:00

Another small, badly designed gig. Plus it is cold and raining. Buses must park far away from the stage, so I don't return to the bus but once all day. Band comes in for an abbreviated rehearsal of a new song. Get the bosses monitors sorted out, as I am now mixing everything but the drums from a small mixer next to my workbox. Band plays a good show, even do the new song well, unfortunately for the crowd it rains the entire show.

Detroit -Day Off

2006-10-10T12:48:00.000-05:00

Wake up in the hotel parking lot. We are staying in a small town outside Detroit. Really nice, new hotel too. Grab some Thai for lunch, very spicy. Return to the hotel and watch the World Superbike race on the bus. Meet the Jim's, Ebdon and Survis, after the race in the lobby, they have rented mountain bikes from the hotel. We head off on a 8 mile trail. Get about halfway before phone calls and the threat of rain turns us around. We split up just before the hotel and after returning a few calls, I head out for another 4 or 5 miles, before it does start raining. Meet Jerry about an hour after turning my bike in, and we head for dinner. Decide on one of Detroit's famous hot dog joints, a small place that serves them Detroit, Chicago, or Coney Island style. Tastes great, and to complete a night of fine dining we get Pumpkin Blizzards from the Dairy Queen next door and walk back in the rain.

Cincinnati -Show Day

2006-10-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

Load in to the dreaded River Bend shed. Seems we are playing all the older, smaller, badly designed sheds in a row... In-ear monitors are terrible tonight and the boss is not happy. Will need to get this sorted out in Detroit.

Cincinnati -Day Off

2006-10-08T12:46:00.000-05:00

Get to Cincy mid-morning, must get off the bus at the hotel, as it has to park blocks away. My buddy David comes and picks me up after noon. I've known him and his wife Julie for 20 years (Ouch). We stop for some Mexican food, before heading for their house in Northern Kentucky. Meet their two daughters, before Julie takes them to the park. David and I stay behind to play some guitar and talk music (big surprise). Later, they feed me a fabulous steak dinner and David drives me back to the hotel. I had a great time.

Alpine Valley, WI -Show Day

2006-10-07T10:56:00.000-05:00

A bit chilly for a show today, I'm feeling a cold coming on too. Try to rest as much as possible. Show goes well. Bad load out.

Fontana, WI -Day Off

2006-10-06T09:50:00.000-05:00

Wake up on the bus at The Abbey Resort on Lake Geneva. Beautiful place, we've stayed here before. Watch a Tivo'd Grey's Anatomy before heading into the hotel. My room is facing the marina and the view is beautiful. Get a call from Jerry, seems Survis as procured a boat for a few hours and I head over to meet them and go power boating on the lake. Take some great pics. Spend a few hours running around the lake, it's cold, but beautiful. Hit Chuck's for a late lunch/early dinner of fish n' chips. Yum. Tired, back to the room for TV and reading.

Chicago -Show Day

2006-10-05T09:44:00.000-05:00

Sunny and cold today. Should be around 45 degrees at showtime. Brrrrrr.

Meet Scotty after lunch, he helps Survis with JP's rig and brings my guy a Boost Royale to try out. Boss leaves the Boost Royale on the entire show. He must like it. Go buy one...

Also, meet Fred (a friend from the Gibson Custom Shop clinic I did a few months ago) and we go backstage to check out the gear and whatnot. Show goes well, although a little cold...

On the bus and off to Wisconsin...

Chicago -Day Off #2

2006-10-04T09:18:00.000-05:00

Pouring rain today. Figures. I really wanted to take some good pics today. Rain ends, but it stays cloudy and cool. Walk down to get a new camera bag from Central Camera, oldest camera store in the city. Then walk over to Millenium Park to take some pics. Jerry joins me later and we hit a pub for fish n' chips, then do some window shopping. Later, we join Magee to see 'School for Scoundrels'. Very funny movie with Jon Heder and Billy Bob Thornton. Eat too much popcorn, so no dinner.

Chicago -Day Off

2006-10-03T09:07:00.000-05:00

Get awakened on the bus at 4:30am at the US border. Don't have to get off the bus, but as usual the border patrol is rude, nice to be home... Can't get back to sleep, spend a few hours reading then sleep a few before we hit Chicago.

Awake at a truckstop, where we are only 40 miles out. This 40 miles will eventually take us almost 2 hours in traffic. Ugh. Check in to the Hard Rock Hotel, never stayed here before, looks like a W inside, but the rooms are bigger. Turns out to be a beautiful day, have lunch at Baja Fresh, then walk to the Navy Pier and back to the hotel, should have brought my camera.

Take a nap and miss most of the day. Oops. Grab my camera and get some shots at sunset. Call my friend Scotty and he decides to come to the city and take me to dinner. Cool!!

Scotty arrives and we hit a Latin place called the Mambo Grill. Delicious food. And good conversation with Scotty and Teddy (from Make'n Music). Scotty drives me back, and we catch some of the sites on the way...

Toronto -Show Day

2006-10-02T09:02:00.000-05:00

Indoors today (Hockey Arena). Place is a maze, spend half the day looking for catering.

Work non-stop today, hardly even get out to the bus. After dinner, meet my friend John-Angus MacDonald of The Trews, a Canadian band whose last album was produced by Jack Douglas. Show him and his lady around backstage, hang for a bit, then release them into the crowd to find their seats.

It's Tommy Lee's birthday tomorrow, so his band/crew give him a cake onstage. He also comes up to play a song with our band. He's an excitable guy normally, and he's over the moon playing with our guys. Happy B-day Tommy.

Toronto -Day Off

2006-10-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

Make it through the Canadian border OK, didn't even have to get off the bus. Arrive at the hotel around noon, chilly today and drizzling. Grab a quick Thai lunch with Jerry around the corner. Then an hour of internet, and off to see the movie 'Flyboys'. Good action flick, weak on plot, but great aerial fight scenes and good cinematography. On the walk back to the hotel scope out a string of Indian restaurants, one of which will be dinner.

Meet in the lobby around 8pm for dinner with Survis and Jerry. Walk to the Indian place we picked earlier, it's packed. We have chosen well, it seems. Wait a few minutes for a table. Order the Chicken Tikka Masala, it turns out to be good, although very different from ones I've had in the past. Indian food is very regional, so sometimes you get a surprise, either that or the chef is from Detroit. LOL. Leave stuffed and ready for bed...

Bristow, VA -Show Day

2006-09-30T08:40:00.000-05:00

Up early and head to the Starbuck's in the Tyson's Corner Mall. Arrive early, stores aren't even open yet, but the 'Bucks is. Yay!! Wait in line behind two people, the first is ordering $50 worth of doughnuts and muffins,probably for her co-workers which is a nice gesture, except she is holding up the line for 15 minutes. Ever hear of a Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts? Starbucks is there to grab something quick and go. After she is done the idiot behind her, who has been standing in front of the pastries for 15 minutes, can't decide what SHE wants? There must be something in the water up here that breeds stupidness (you should see them drive), maybe its the proximity to DC, the center of all that is stupid. But I degress. Anyway, grab coffee and muffins for Paige and head back to the hotel. Did I mention that it is cold and raining...

Make my bus call at 10:30, off to the gig. I want to invite a friend and his family to the show tonight, but get the smackdown, I'll have to pony up $125 a ticket to get them in. Ouch!! Sometimes it sucks touring with a band this big.

Setup, etc., have dinner, wait on Paige and Beth. Boss doesn't arrive till late (probably stuck in traffic). Quickly meet with him about rig related stuff and it's showtime.

Show is a good one. Load-out and say goodbye to Paige, I won't see her again for almost a month :(