June 17th--Mena, AR--I
would be amiss if we did not send out a warm thank you to Lee and Mary
Jo for inviting us to be a part of their celebration in Mena.
Thanks, too, to the Yazzetti's for their gracious hospitality and to
that killer (...it really could kill you if you have an appetite
like mine...) spaghetti and home-made meatballs. Sorry I am behind
in my letter writing, but you guys really are awesome. Brian must
have married "up" for sure!
June 16th--Where in the
Heck Have I Been???--Home--O.K., I admit that I have been a little
busy lately and have neglected the newsletter since...over a
month. A lot has happened so let's get to
it:
On May 14th, we played at the
Bordertown Bash with the Cate
Brothers which as you have heard we enjoy tremendously. On the
15th, Gary, Rod, and I played as the Gary Hutchison Trio at Gearheads
and had a blast. We have to put our creative muscles to
the test without Brian around. But it always turns out to be a fun
time.
Then on the 28th and 29th of
May, the Arklahoma Rock, Blues, and Soul Revue
hit Fayetteville and Joplin with Oreo Blue, The Cate Brothers,
and the Nace Brothers in tow.. Man...what a show!!! I
certainly hope this trend of the three of us bands getting together
continues. It is musical nirvana right here in God's
country. Great musicians, great friends, great music...just a
great time for us and for music lovers.
On June 4th, we headlined the
Bartlesville Sunfest. My
nephew Ray loves Sunfest! It is a nice little festival nestled
right there in north east Oklahoma where they produce beautiful women
(my mother, wife, and sister-in-law). Our set started a little
late, but it was a great show.
After a short sleep in a
crowded hotel room, we made the long trip over to Lake of the Ozarks, MO
for the notorious Testicle Festival
with the great Nace Brothers. Man...what a great band to
enjoy. And nice fellas, too. I am not so sure about the
whole Testicle thing, but the show was great as we got to jam together
again. If you have a pulse at all, you could never get sick of
hanging and jamming with great bands like the Cates and Naces. We
feel very fortunate to share the stage with them.
Next up the next day after
the drive to Kansas was the Old Fort Days Festival
in Fort
Scott. It was warm this day and we performed three sets
alternating with a Dixieland Band from KC. We started at 11am on a
Sunday...so the crowd was sparse. However, we had fun and it was a
nice drive back home for some well-deserved rest after three states in
three days.
Last weekend-the 12th of
June-we performed at a wedding reception
in Texarkana. Most
excitingly, though, the UA Razorback Baseball team fought their
way into the College World Series by whopping Florida State. Go
Hogs!!!. I promise to have the newsletter back on track. If
you have comments...sign
our guestbook...I dare ya!
photo
by © Rick Weldon
May 8th--Pleasant Grove
High Prom--Texarkana, Texas--Four years in a row.
Who'dathunkit? Here we are, thirty-somethings and a 51-year-old
playing to high-schoolers on their prom night with sets of classic rock,
rock and roll, funk, and blues...and they love it! The whole bunch
of them were "moshing" to our medley of Play that Funky
Music. What a great bunch of young folks. They obviously
have great taste in music and are a special breed as they choose live
music over the staleness of a DJ. Who knows...maybe a fifth
year? We would love to do it again. The drive is worth
it. We know that the PGHS graduates will be successful in their
future endeavors. You can see it in their eyes.
photo
by © Rick Weldon
May 7th--Rough and Ready
Days--Monticello, Arkansas--Admittedly, last year there was some
tension at the Rough and Ready Days with the rains and the questionable
backline, but this year, the Monticellans rolled out the red
carpet. The stage was excellent even if still on a flatbed and
John Anderson's Barking Dog Productions provided the killer sound
system. We shared the stage this year with Sun Studios Legend,
Sonny Burgess and his Legendary Pacers. A very cool band fronted
by one of the fathers of rockabilly. Last year, we ate and
ran, but this year we had a chance to take in some local cuisine at the
Piggy Sue's Restaurant. If you read this newsletter regularly, you
know we know great food. Piggy Sue's offered up some fantastic
food which tipped our scales...getting a 4-star rating.
