The Toy Box

Cancer, and all it's trimmings.

2010-02-24T15:49:00.003-06:00

So, This blog will temporairly not be updated. I will be posting on a new blog I created, for this journey through my fight with cancer. So please feel free to reorientate your bookmarks or whatever, for those that still check this one out from time to time.

And the link is: http://emmetthascancer.blogspot.com/

Doing a lot of drum stuff . . .

2010-02-10T15:02:00.003-06:00

and if your interested in seeing some of it, check out my video submission for an audition I did this past weekend! Also, remember to check out My website for the most current up to date news :)

Alright, off to hit the skins some more,

Cheers!!

you may think to yourself . . .

2010-01-19T21:00:00.002-06:00

That I have REALLY slacked of on blogging, but that's not true . . . I just have moved most of my blogging, and I have been working on churning out my website this past year, updating it, etc. etc. etc. That being said, you should check out what's new and what's been going on with me lately, I mean, if you're all into that!

Head on over to http://www.emmettstallings.com and check out the NEWS section. You'll be able to catch up in no time on what's been going on in the world of drums here :) Don't worry, I'll still be checking in here, too, i just got sidetracked with that little side project :)

Until later dear friends!

New Music Is ALWAYS Welcomed

2009-08-27T14:56:00.003-05:00

Most of the time, I feel just behind the curve on what's new in the music world. I tend to be MONTHS behind on getting someone's latest album, or just borrowing it then not owning it till a year later - Then sometimes, I go in splurges, and just stack up the new music. This would be one of those cases for me. I have been in a music drought this summer, not really purchasing much music, I think with the exception of picking up SafetySuit, and The FRAY, . . oh, and the new Derek Webb, I didn't really add anything to my collection. While that list may already sound like a lot to some, it's a drop in the bucket compared with what is new, and what I *should* be keeping up with, since I tend to make a living in the same industry . . . I consider my purchasing and listening to as much music as I can as market research for me. I learn a LOT from other players, and artists.

In the last week, I have picked up a slew of new albums. I am thoroughly enjoying Imogen Heap's "Ellipse", Death Cab for Cutie "Narrow Stairs", and Kings of Leon "Only By The Night". I am digging all three of these selections. There is a good chance that by the end of this week I will also own MuteMath's New Album and I will also grab a copy of RadioHead's "In Rainbows". I know, I am WAY behind the curve on that one.

Let me know what you're listening to, what should I check out? I plan on checking out Kings of Convenience's new release this fall, as well as The Weepies. I can't wait till those two Albums drop.

My cute little boy

2009-06-23T20:29:00.002-05:00

Here is just a little taste of the fun times we get to have while at home:

Summer Tour: Day 16 - Morning of and gig in Worthington, MN

2009-06-03T10:06:00.002-05:00

SO it's early morning still (relatively for me anyways these days). I just finished up eating breakfast, one of the highlights of road life, free hot breakfasts, or continental, when you stay at hotels that is :). I am about to head down to the hot tub, soak a bit, then swim some laps this morning. I'll probably sit and read some more, drip dry a bit. I am thinking of heading out on a walk, perhaps going to the downtown part today, perhaps the lake even. I think it would be a good walk, and it would be nice to get out for the day.

Tonight we start the first show in our last run of five consecutive shows in a row, for this leg of the tour. We'll play from 8:00 p.m. until Midnight tonight here in Worthington, and then we'll head out tomorrow for Sioux Falls, SD, followed by two nights in Omaha, NE, and then one night in Lincoln, NE before we hight tail it back to nashville to rest up and re-gear for the Europe leeg of our summer tour.

It's been a nice couple of days off. I have enjoyed being able to lay around, soak in the hot tub, swim in the pool, read, and talk to my wife on the phone for long spans of time. I am excited about gearing up to play tonight though. We have had at least two radio interviews for this show, plus a ton of radio press, newspaper press and other advertising for it. In addition to it all, there's a meet and greet with the band this evening before the show, and then we kick things off pretty hard, and rock out the place.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and catching up on all things roadworthy. I am hoping to have internet over the next couple of days to be able to post more about how things are running. Until then!

Summer Tour: Day 15 - Day off in Worthington, MN

2009-06-02T09:59:00.001-05:00

So today we had the day off. We slumbered late, and meandered throughout the town all day, and best of all, just did a lot of nothing. I woke up, grabbed breakfast, and then immediately went to the hot tub, a great place to soothe my sore muscles from days of playing and riding in the van. It was good times. I spent the morning talking to my family on the phone, touching base with some friends, and reading. The book I am currently on now is Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys. I finished the two harry potters, and I finished the book, True Worship, which I HIGHLY recommend you reading.

For lunch, I went on a walk, and found a little place to eat on the other side of the interstate. Some of the other guys ate an an ethiopian restaurant, and some of the guys made it to downtown Worthington, to the thrift stores and the lake. I didn't go as far, I hiked back to the hotel, had some more hot tub time, finished up my laundry, and then read and emailed some more. I did end the day with a great meal downstairs at the bar, compliments of the bar owner herself. It was some good food.

So the day is closed, and it is time to get to bed, tomorrow starts the last of our day off time for this run. Chow!

Summer Tour: Day 14 - Travel day

2009-06-01T12:57:00.001-05:00

today, we're driving. end of story. We have about 10 hours or so, to drive from Bottineau ND, to Worthington, Mn. The plus side is once we get there, we have tomorrow off. And then the following day, our gig is IN worthington, so we don't have to travel and play, just play. It'll be nice not to have make a 10 hour drive right before a show :) So there you have it, we'll be turning south, hitting Sioux Falls and turning east for the last little part of our journey. you can be sure that I am curled up with a book for a good chunk of the ride, I'll probably do my fair share of driving today, and who knows, I might even nap!

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Summer Tour: Day 13 - Travel and gig at The Dockside

2009-05-31T12:53:00.001-05:00

And here we are again, back at our old stomping grounds up here in Bottineau. you might say, hey, that map looks a lot like yesterdays. well, it is basically the same route, the only difference is, we start at the bottom of the map and drive the top this time, instead of the other way around. but don't worry, if anything really fun or out of the ordinary happens tonight, I will be sure to let you know :)

cheers!

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Summer Tour: Day 12 - Travel and gig at The Lonesome Dove

2009-05-30T12:50:00.001-05:00

So we're headed south today, about 5 hours, to Bismarck North Dakota. We've played the lonesome dove before, and it's a good fun time. The stage is very high up, and the drum riser, even taller, so I'll spend the night looking down on the folks in the bar as if I was on some sort of mountain. It's a ways up there. I'll see if I can get a picture of it so you can see what I am talking about. Until then . . . !!

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Summer Tour: Day 11 - Travel and gig at The Dockside

2009-05-29T12:44:00.001-05:00

This morning, as we are all rubbing the sleep out of our eyes, we'll be driving about four and a half hours up to Bottineau ND. This town is right on the edge of our northern border. The lake we play at spills into both Canada and the U.S. The last time we played there, we took a pontoon boat and rode over into Canadian waters. It was a lot of fun, hanging out, seeing the wildlife, and just drifting along through the lake. tonight we'll load our gear in and back out, and then in a couple of days, we'll be back here again, slamming the tunes home for a second night, just not in a row. So if you want to see some international waters, and perhaps even catch a glimpse of canada, then come on out and hear us play !

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Summer tour: Day 10 - Travel and gig at Long Haul Saloon

2009-05-28T12:39:00.000-05:00

We're pulling out of Fargo this morning and trucking up to Grand Forks, North Dakota. It's a short drive, just over an hour, so the travel part should be a piece of cake. No worries there. We'll be setting up our sound equipment again though, so it'll be another hardy load in, a killer show of course, and a late night hardy load out! So come on Grand Forks, if you're in the area, we expect to see you rocking out at the bar!

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Summer Tour: Day 9 - Travel and gig at The Windbreak Saloon, ND

2009-05-27T12:32:00.002-05:00

So today we travel away from our little oasis of rest and drive about 6 hours to Fargo North Dakota for our next gig at The Windbreak Saloon. It was nice to have two days off on Lake Holcombe. If you are ever up in that area, you should definitely stop in, grab a bite to eat, get something to drink, or stay the night in one of the cabins at Ted's Timber Lodge. We're all big fans of Ted and the place he runs there on the lake.

Tonight will be the first show in another run of 5 that we'll be playing. We'll be hanging out in North Dakota for all the gigs, floating between Fargo, Bottineau, Bismarck and Grand Forks. So if you're in the area, come check us out! We look forward to playing some slamming shows after some good relaxation!

See you guys out on the road!

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Summer Tour: Day 8 - Day off #2 at Ted's TImber Lodge.

2009-05-26T11:38:00.003-05:00

Today marks our last day off for a while. I woke up this morning to a chilly rain lazily drifting through the trees, and brushing across the lake. I stretched my arms out of my sleeping bag, relishing the cool morning air on them, shivering slightly before darting back inside the bag. I laid around this morning, listening, head resting on my pillows, body wrapped in my sleeping bag. I tumbled out after a while and had breakfast, looking out over the lake, and then settled down and read for a little bit. It was peaceful in the morning. All the people who were here for the memorial day weekend had gone home. It was almost like a ghost town.

I made it over to Ted's main lodge early this morning and settled down to catch up on emails and talk to my wonderful wife on the phone. I plan on the rest of the day being just as nice and as laid back as yesterday, it'll just be inside, with the rain listing over the grounds. I think watching a movie is in order today, one of the new Batman movies, or perhaps one of the Daniel Craig James bond movies. Both are favorites of mine.

Summer Tour: Day 7 - Day off at Ted's Timber Lodge on Lake Holcombe.

2009-05-25T11:30:00.001-05:00

So today was our first day off since we hit the road. We all slept in, for varying reasons, and enjoyed a lazy morning doing nothing. Most of us had rolled out of bed just before noon, and we had lunch over at Ted's. I spent the morning doing some work. Catching up on emails, making some phone calls, and putting some things in order. Even though It was memorial day, I got a lot of things done.

The rest of the afternoon was spent sitting out on the lake shore, watching the wind whip the lake into choppy whitecaps, the sun shining down through the birch and hemlock trees. It was very restful, relaxing, and nice to just sit and soak in it all.

We went over to our booking agent's house for dinner, and an amazing dinner at that. They whipped up a six course meal, one of the best any of us have had, maybe ever. It was all homemade, everything from scratch, the pasta noodles, the caramel sauce, fudge sauce, lemon ice, vanilla ice cream, everything. It was amazing. None of us left hungry, and it was, amazingly, incredible. I called it an early night to get as much rest as I could, and slept very well with the cool front pushing in that evening and the soft sounds of rain tickling the window panes outside my room. My windows were wide open all night, and it was so nice, to smell the lake and the trees all night long.

Summer Tour: Day 6- Travel and gig at Ted's Timber Lodge

2009-05-24T10:59:00.002-05:00

So today, we left out around 8:00 am from The Shooting Star Casino. We had about a 6 or so hour drive form Mahnomen, MN to Holcombe, WI. I drove the first 3 hours, where we made a quick stop for lunch (and where I snapped a picture of the sign you see pictured here) and then we drove on. We rolled into Ted's Timber Lodge around 2:30/3:00, did a fast a nd furious setup on the deck, and then hit the downbeat at 4:30. It was a jammed crowd. Lots of great people, lots of dancing and everyone was very receptive to the show, which always makes it easier to play!

After the show we packed up, hung out for a bit, and crashed for the night in one of the lakeside cabins at Ted's where we will spend the next two days, resting, and hanging out on our days off.

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Summer Tour: Day 5- Last day at "The Shooting Star Casino"

2009-05-23T12:17:00.001-05:00

Today was a very restful day, as much as restful can be when you go to sleep well after midnight. I spent the day swimming laps at the pool, soaking in the hot tub, reading in the book next on my list, eating a hot meal at the buffet, and charted out some tunes. It was a highly productive day, all the way up to the nap :)

I am finishing up some pre-packing in my room before I head off to play our last show at the Shooting Star Casino. That way, when we finish playing tonight, and pack up and load out, I can shower and crash and maximize my sleep time before we head out for Holcombe Wisconsin tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have internet up on lake holcombe over the next three days so I can keep you posted on what we're up to!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Summer Tour: Day 4 - Rest and Gig at "The Shooting Star Casino"

2009-05-22T12:15:00.001-05:00

Today is friday, and we don't have to drive anywhere, so you won't be seeing a miniature google map anywhere on this post :) I had the luxury of sleeping in today, blackout curtains drawn, earplugs in(so as not to hear the other hotel people moving about), and I just sleep. I made it till about 11:00 am. That is SUPER late for me.

Since we are playing here at the same venue tonight, then that means no driving, and, it means that I get a day to rest a little. Granted my day to rest looks different than some of the other guys. I tend to read through a stack of books while out on the road, or do a lot of business emails and phone calls, and, yes, I do practice. I have my Real Feel practice pad with me and two books that every drummer should have and work through: "Stick Control" by George Lawrence Stone, and "Syncopation for the Modern Drummer" By Ted Reed. They cover a lot of basics, but they keep the hands in check and the brain working over the small details.

My reading list varies from tour to tour. It depends on how long we are going to be out, and it depends on if we are in the states or Europe. Obviously, in the states, I bring many more books, and a larger variety. Wen in Europe, I cut back on the number of books, and I trust in the scattered daily free papers on the trains to keep me varied and cultured, I especially like the ones written in german, gives me some practice :) For this leg of the tour I have brought the following books:

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
True Worship by Vaughan Roberts
A Mind for God by James Emery White
When Elephants Weep by Jeffery Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy
Wild Things; The art of nurturing boys By Stephen James and David Thomas

Thus far, I have already read the two Harry potter books, and I am starting True Worship next. It was a gift from a very good friend of mine, and I am finally just now getting around to reading it. My reading pace will slow dramatically, as I have a lot of work to do, and I try to save my reading for when we're driving. There's a lot of empty time there, and it's hard to write, or do some of the work I need to do in a van. So I save the work for when we have mini rest days like today and tomorrow, or on our days off even.

Well there you go. My reading list for the tour is laid out for you should you want to peruse it and read some of those titles. I was going to bring another favorite author with me, Lloyd Alexander, but I finished the series I was reading just before I left. He has a great series of books though, and I absolutely loved reading his stories.

We'll chat again soon friends -

Summer tour: Day 3 - Travel, Soundcheck, Gig

2009-05-21T16:32:00.000-05:00

Last Night's show was a decent first show back - a few rough spots, but some good music played by all. Today we woke up, groggy after last nights show, stumbled into the van around 9:00 am and trucked it up to Mahnomen, Mn. A good 6 hour drive plus stops. We stopped in a little town along the way for lunch before driving the last little bit. We loaded in, got our rooms, and then soundchecked in just enough time for us all to dash off to grab dinner, before we played the downbeat. The first show in Mahnomen wasn't too bad. We were still dialing in monitor mixes most of the night, but that means tonight will just be pure playing!

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Summer tour: Day 2 - Travel, Soundcheck, Gig at "The Red Parrot"

2009-05-20T16:14:00.005-05:00

So this morning we woke up, hit the hotel's gracious breakfast, and climbed aboard the van. We drove straight from Portage to Eau Claire, not a bad drive. We all hit the road in stride this morning, Mickey slept, Charlie slept, Avery played with his PSP, Chris drove, and I read . . . everything is back to normal.

Tonight we are playing at the Red Parrot Lounge. It used to be called Woo's Pagoda, and it looks like a giant pagoda outside, and inside it looks like a chinese restaurant with a small stage and dance floor in the corner. It almost reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Temple of doom opening scene . . . where it all takes place in a ritzy restaurant in China. We Loaded in around 1:00, setup, sound checked, and now we're at the hotel, where our room opens into an indoor pool area. Its nice. I just wish we had more time to enjoy it, and not the scant 3 hours before we hit the downbeat for tonight. It'll be past midnight when we finish up, and with our semi-early leave out tomorrow, I doubt we'll have time for a morning swim. We'll see how the chips fall.

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Summer tour: Day 1 - Travel

2009-05-20T08:41:00.008-05:00

Well, we are back on the road again. Yesterday we drove from Nashville, made a short stop in Chicago at the airport to pick up a couple of our bandmates, and then drove on to Portage, Wisconsin for the night's lodging. It was a long drive, that's for sure. I woke up around 7:00 am in Nashville and went to sleep about midnight in Wisconsin, and most of that in between time was spent sitting in our van, trucking up to places somewhere north of where we are.

Today we drive a few more hours to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where we'll play the first show of our summer tour. It also kick starts a run of five consecutive shows. I am pretty stoked about saddling up behind the drumset again for a few months of good ol' country music. So stay
tuned, check back often, and there'll be more updates along the way - you won't be disappointed :)

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And the snow continues to fall

2009-02-12T05:29:00.001-06:00

Last night was our first show on this run here in Europe. We played to a small intimate crowd in a packed out room in a little farming town in Switzerland. The room was boiling hot, and the snow fell lightly outside as we rocked the place out. We started with about 5 or 6 tunes in a pseudo acoustic style set, then broke into some full band numbers before we broke. The next two sets were rocking, and we pulled together to play some great music last night. It is refreshing that even after so many months off from The Ranchhands, and after not playing with these guys for equally as long, that when we get back together, the tunes come to life, again, almost like we had never left. It is a pure joy playing with good musicians!

This morning we woke up to the snow falling lightly, and then increasing, falling heavier, thicker, and the flakes growing larger every second. The roads are covered with white snow. a fine thin powder, dusting over the surface. The fields are burrowing down deeper and deeper under their winter blanket, and the clouds sluggish crawl across the sky, releasing their burdens in hopes of making their travel easier. I again feel like I am in a movie, sleeping in a 200 year old bed, staying in a house that was built in the early 1800's, stone cellar beneath the house holding wine and sausages for some future meal, wrap around windows to see the fields, dogs sleeping under the table as we eat, and cats prowling about quietly, watching the snow with little interest.

We are gathering our belongings, packing our bags again, and heading out this morning, boarding a train that will take us to Bern, where we change trains, and travel to Thun, the destination of our next show. So tonight we will play again, and until I can write again dear friends, be well . . .

It's kind of like hibernation -

2009-02-11T03:28:00.000-06:00

This morning, I roused myself from the sleepy dreamland I was in, crawled out of my big fluffy sheets, and went downstairs to an incredible breakfast buffet. I chose a seat by the window, looking out into the world from my cozy hotel dining room, and watched the snow come tumbling down. The flakes were enormous, and fell fairly continuously through breakfast. I spent most of my morning, sipping hot beverages, crunching through perfectly crafted croissants and staring out the window. I like waking up like this!

Today we have a light travel day. We'll Leave zurich this morning, and head to Bettenhausen, total travel time will be about an hour and a half. Not bad at all! We'll play our first show there tonight, cranking up around 8:00 pm and finishing around midnight, which will be when most of you will just be getting off of work. After tonight's gig we'll travel to Thun, Switzerland to play at one of our favorite haunts whenever we come to Europe, The Dream Valley Saloon.

I'll probably catch up with you again sometime near Thun! Until then friends . . .

The First Day

2009-02-10T11:08:00.000-06:00

Today is Tuesday. February 11, 2009. Today marks My first day back out on the road for this year. It is a bittersweet day. However, it is a much different day than what I normally have. What makes it so different, other than being on the road of course, you ask? Well, I am back in Europe, Switzerland to be exact, and over the next few posts, I hope to re-introduce you to my life on the road in Europe.

It started out simple enough, Waking up, having a breakfast date with my wife at chick-fil-a, and then hopping a ride to the airport after spending the morning exchanging animal sounds with my little boy, who mind you has some of the best animal sounds ever. period. I jumped on an express jet in Nashville, and flew to Newark, New Jersey. After grabbing a bite to eat, and hanging with my other band mates for a couple of hours, we all loaded on board the big jet to carry us over seas. Our flight was largely empty. I had an entire row, seven seats, spanning two aisles, to myself, as did most everyone else on the plane. I almost felt sorry for the first class section which was almost completely full, until I tried reclining my seat to sleep, and remembered why I wanted to fly first class over seas someday.

We touched down in Zurich around 8:30 in the morning. My wife was still sleeping back in Nashville, where it was only 1:30 am. Fortunately for me, I was able to sleep for about 2/3 of the flight, which was REALLY nice. I didn't know most of it happened at all! Once in Zurich, a quick stop at immigration for another stamp in my passport, slowing only momentarily by baggage claim with the handful of passengers from our flight to retrieve my bag, and then I stepped out into Switzerland. I felt strangely right at home.

I am presently sitting in my hotel room, resting (not sleeping mind you!) from all of the traveling. I am stretched out on my soft bed, reclining, (unlike those upright airline seats!) and listening to the wind whistle past my window, throwing the light rain all over the place. The echoes of the cleaning ladies speaking swiss-german float down the hall, like a foreign film left on just a little too loudly in the living room, only, these voices re attached to people, and not two speakers beside my television. Zurich is beginning to feel more like home every time we pass through here. The airport and hotel we stay in has lost most of it's foreign charm and mystique, and now it feels like another version of home, where everyone speaks a different language and my money looks like I emptied out the monopoly set before I left the house.

Who would have thought that after such a simple start to the day, I would find myself on the other side of the world, relaxing in a swiss hotel?

So until I write again dear friends, be well.

Pasta 101

2009-01-18T22:57:00.003-06:00

So this weekend, I finally dove head first into making pasta. This is something I have wanted to do for some time now, and thank to the generous gifts from my dad, one of my brothers and my wife, I decided to try it out. I just started with some basic pasta, nothing to difficult. First, I tried my hand at making some basic noodles. I decided the next time I try that, will be with a pasta machine, cutting all those tiny noodles by hand took almost an hour, and they were gone in the span of about 10 minutes!

I then tried making a small amount of Farfelle (bow tie pasta), letting it dry overnight, and that worked really well. Today, I tried my hand at Pumpkin Ravioli. It was delicious! It took less time, and My wonderful wife discovered how to make it taste even better, by sauteing it in a garlic butter sauce and sprinkling fresh parmesan cheese over it. I then ended tonight's pasta making experiment by making a LOT of Farfelle. They take all night to dry out, so you can cook them, If they aren't dry before cooking, they just turn into little squares.

Feel free to see more pictures here: Pasta 101.

Until next time friends!

"The Vault" nearing completion.

2008-10-15T22:25:00.003-05:00

So as of today, the tracking room at The Vault is completed. The walls are painted, the trim is done. The doors are painted, the shelves are painted, the riser for the drums is built (and intentionally left UN-painted). The kit has been set up, and the drums are tucked away in their respective storage spaces, be it the wall, above the closet, or tucked under the floor of the control room in a nifty little storage closet like space.

It has been a long road to get that half done. You can see the pics of ti all here. these are just the completed pics, and some images of the control room paint job progress. You can follow The Vault's progress at this album.

I am looking forward to finish the control room so that I can share the finished product with you all. I'll even try to make sure I get some good action photos once it's all up and running -

Until next time dear friends!

The Vault gets a fresh coat of paint

2008-10-03T22:19:00.002-05:00

So the end of this week has been spent doing a second coat of priming the walls, touching up a few places, painting the ceiling, and framing in the attic stairs that were moved. I also had a little bit of "bonus' demo work that was needed, but it took almost no time at all.

Suffice it to say, tonight I finished painting the Tracking room. well, almost. I still have the trim work to do, and the door needs another coat of paint, but other than those two little things, the bulk of the painting is done. The walls have been painted, at least twice, and where it mets the ceiling, where it meets the trim, all of that has been handled with care (thanks to my wonderful wife!) and so the Tracking room is a nice, warm chocolate brown. It makes the room feel cozy, rather quaint. It feels like you were just wrapped up in a nice warm blanket.

Saturday will be trim day. taping it off, and painting it. and then, the Tracking room will be painted. Next week, we'll install the lights, build the drum riser out, and such. oh yeah, and work on the Control room-

until next time!
feel free to check out the progress photos HERE. It takes you from the beginning up to where I am now. So the pretty brown pictures will be at the end :)

Priming The Vault

2008-09-29T22:28:00.004-05:00

So, I sanded and mudded the past few days, of course. Tonight I sanded a little more, and then because i was beginning to have a hard time distinguishing what was going to show up when it was painted and what wasn't, I decided to throw a coat of primer on the wall. Now, I can see the little blemishes, and I can go back and mud some more, and sand, and then reapply the primer where needed. You can see some of those pictures HERE. The newest pictures will be towards the end of it the album.

It has been a LONG process. I am excited that there is a possibility that it could get done in the relative near future. I think I should set a date for myself to have it finished, and then just shoot for it. I have several intense work days this week lined up to work on it. Hopefully that will mean that I get the molding on the attic stairs done, the molding on the door from the control room to the tracking room, and that I will get the carpet retacked to the floor next to the new wall.

There's always something to do. Maybe I'll even wire some stuff together, who knows? :)

Until next time friends -

Constructing "The Vault"

2008-09-28T15:26:00.003-05:00

Well, It has been some time since I have written.

Since I returned from Europe with The Ranchhands, I have been super busy! For starters, I worked pretty hard during the month of August playing percussion at this night club in Nashville. I've mentioned it before on here. The club is called FUSE. It's a vegas style/ LA style night club. Super fun times. I spent almost every evening in August jamming out with a DJ. At the beginning of September, I started really cranking on my home studio. I affectionally call it, The Vault.

I have been working on trying to get my space all fleshed out for recording for some time now, doing a little here and a little there. We finally went all guns in, and ripped out parts of the house, put others in, moved things around, etc. It has been a real treat to see it come together, granted, there is a long way to go still, but it is getting there. If you want to, you can see pictures of The Vault here. just remember, It is a work in progress. I will keep adding to this photo album as time goes on, and as noticeable progress is made. It is a chore and a half, but it should be a killer space when it is all said and done!

So check out the pictures, drop me a line, and I'll keep you posted on the progress as we move along now. Hopefully, We're aiming for a mid-October finish. We'll see if we can keep it on track -

until next time friends-

Hopscotch-ing through Europe

2008-07-24T07:16:00.003-05:00

It's true, I am still alive, and surviving in a foreign land. Internet is hard to come by sometimes, and when I do have access, I usually take the time to email my wife, catch up on a few business things, and then usually I have to rush off to sound check, or I am getting in from a show late at night, or the worst, getting up early after a late show to catch a train out of town.

I have traveled now to Latvia, France, Bosnia, Albania, Denmark and I am currently in Switzerland, on the first of the last four shows. I am excited to be in switzaerland, if for nothing else, I can speak with people here. Granted, they speak swiss german and I speak german german, but we can communicate, and I can cross the language barrier, for the most part. It makes it easier to be independent and to go wander around, and ask for things. It also allows me to know what it is I am supposed to pay when I check out of the grocery store, or finish eating at a restaurant.

I also love switzerland for the cooler weather, gorgeous backdrop of snow capped mountains, small towns nestled in between the trees, usually overlooking a lake, or green pastures and everything is crisp, clean, and efficient! I love switzerland a lot, and so I am glad to be able to experience this country again. I am looking forward to playing again tonight as well.

The last show we played was last saturday, in France. We then traveled to Nante, France on sunday, and spent a night. We then traveled back to Annecy, France on monday, stayed two nights, and then to Zurich on wednesday for a day before heading to Belp, Switzerland, where we currently are.

I am ready to head to the states. Being away from home is beginning to wear on me, and I am ready for my own bed, and not having to pack up every morning to go to a new hotel every night. But until I fly out, I plan to enjoy the countryside, eat lots of traditional foods, and buy lots of chocolate and wine to take home.

Until next time friends!

Annecy, France

2008-07-07T03:57:00.003-05:00

Today was international independence day for me. I woke up about 8:00 am, smoothed my hair out, brushed my teeth, checked email, and then set out on the awakening town. I grabbed my grocery sack of dirty clothes and my bag with my book, detergent, and other travel essentials. I followed some rough directions and fond a laundromat, where the attendant only spoke french, and I spoke none. He walked me through the whole process though, helped me get my clothes in the washer and let me know I had about 36 minutes till I needed to come back. I left, found a cafe, ordered a croissant, an apple pastry (one of my favorite things to eat here) and an orangina and sat down and read, watching the street for passer-bys, and enjoying my french breakfast.

I then retraced my steps, took a small detour by one of the cities quaint canals, watched the little ducklings swimming around, and then stopped in at the laundromat again for a few minutes and let my clothes dry. I now have clean clothes (yay!) a full stomach, and have officially ben up for about 3 hours now, and the only other person I have seen this morning from our group so far has been brad, the producer for the documentary.

I really enjoy walking through this little town, especially as it wakes up. I love strolling through the streets, underneath towering stone archways, over cobble stone streets and past cafe awnings as they are being let down over their portion of the sidewalk. The clinking sound of chairs being placed around tables and the bubbling sound of the water as it rushes over a drop in the small canal/stream that crisscrosses through the city greet me at every turn. Cars are sluggishly driving through narrow streets, pedestrians are few and the sun is still yearning to peek over the top of several buildings, just to warm the streets that were rain-laden the night before. It is such a refreshing feeling.

The view from my hotel in Annecy, France.

Tours, France

2008-07-06T11:43:00.006-05:00

The lights are out. The stage has been blacked out, except for a low light along the floor of the stage not visible form the crowd. The audience is cheering loudly, clapping and whistling, screaming now that the lights have gone out. I run out on stage trying not to trip, a dark shadow amongst other shadows as far as the crowd can tell. I sit down behind the kit, plug my In-ears in, start the click, grab my sticks out of my stick holder and pause. I take a deep breath, hearing only 'click'-'click'-'click'-'click' and the dull roar of the crowd on the other side of the drumset, seemingly far away. It feels like a dream. Smoke rises from behind me, enveloping me in man made mist. It wraps around me so thick I can taste it, almost reach out and grab it. It floats out into the crowd where it is almost completely dark with a thousand, maybe two thousand people cheering, and I feel alone.

One more deep breath, and then I lay into the drums with a heavy groove. Lights come up, blazing like guns from a hollywood western gunfight. Two white lights flanking either side of me rush to focus on the kit. Two additional lights directly behind me roar to life, illuminating the drum riser, throwing a large drumset shaped shadow on the ceiling of the tent. More lights are brought to life, all white, and bright, dispelling all the darkness from the kit. The crowd cheers more as each beat continues to groove, driving, pushing, and calling band members to the stage. I watch as they run out to stage, pick up their fiddle, bass, guitar, someone waves to the crowd, then I stop.

silence. waiting.

We all take a breath, and then hit the opening chords of the song. The lights turn on, filtering through the smokey haze. Purple and yellow dance across the stage. Bright white cuts back and forth, slicing through the thick fog, and the music jumps into a life of its own. This is our show in Tours, France. This is what I do for a living. Just another day at the office . . .

The stage during sound check in the afternoon before the show.

Part 5 - Simply put: Roads

2008-07-06T11:43:00.003-05:00

The roads are horrible. There you have it. That question no longer has to burn in your mind as you read these posts about Albania. There are a few nice smooth roads. They are working on installing a four lane, divided highway, between Durres and Vlora. So the parts that are completed are smooth, like any road here in the states. However, the other roads, have large potholes, open manholes, debris scattered across the road, pieces of concrete or brick piled on the road, shrinking the non existent lanes.

Most all of the roads were lined with pile of trash. It was like the trash company collected the refuse form your trash can, and then when their truck was full drove down the road until the they came to the end of the row of heaps, and dumped their truck. Not only was the trash piled all the way down the roads, but they bordered streams, fields, houses, business etc. In a lot of the places, several of the piles of trash were smoldering. They had obviously been set on fire, to be burned, and were now smoldering, sinking down into smaller piles, and turning to a combination of ash, melted plastic, blackened, rusted cans and pieces of fruit rinds that wouldn't burn. I could often see smoke rising in a small column from a distance, and if we were near enough at any point, it usually could be made out as another pile of trash being burned. I could also see where previous piles of trash had been burned, and were now overgrown by tall weeds and grasses.

Fortunately, this was not an issue in the actual cities. the streets were kept clean for the most part. there was always a street sweeper driving around (in Tirana) or in the smaller cities, at night, there were people with large straw or small twig brooms sweeping the streets by hand.

Part 4 - Roman Influences

2008-07-06T11:43:00.001-05:00

The other interesting thing I saw was the obvious influence of the Romans on the country of Albania. During our travels between Durres and Vlora, I saw several remnants of roman-like aqueducts. The were usually in pieces, sometimes arriving from out of the side of a hill, or disappearing into a heap of something. They were all crumbling, and in major disrepair. On the sides of them, they had been tagged with corporate graffiti. These corporate 'tags' consisted of spray painted company logos (usually from a stencil it looked like) on the sides of bridge overpasses, aqueducts, highway dividers, etc.

I also stumbled across an old amphitheater in the heart of Durres. It was obviously some sort of excavation, as it was fenced off, and it looked like a particular university was actually undergoing the exploration of the remains. It was of course, in major disrepair, but it was easy to see the scope and grandeur of such a place. There were several places that you could see remains of columns, or a piece of an old building, crumbling, and disappearing into the past.

It is only in recent history that Albania has started to preserve these pieces of history, so there is much that is lost, but on the plus side, they are doing more now to preserve what they do have, and what they continue to unearth.

Part 3 - Bunkers like Star wars

2008-07-06T11:42:00.004-05:00

My favorite and most intriguing of the country were the countless number of small concrete bunkers that the rural landscape, and at times, could even be found tucked in amongst the major city buildings. They honestly looked like something out of star wars. The bulk of what I saw were small, two person or so bunkers, almost resembling overgrown concrete mushrooms. They all had the same dome top, with four steel or iron rings on the top about the size of two fists. The main part of the bunker was a large cylinder, with a incredible heavy metal door on one side, and then slots on the opposing side, for firing out of. The bunkers are all built to withstand direct fire, and even to take mortars, if I remember correctly. they were built by a communist dictator who was worried about the Bourgeoisie invading. Needless to say, they never got invaded.

The communist built some 700,000 plus bunkers (they lost track of some, so I hear). That is about one bunker for every four Albanians. A rather staggering amount of bunkers if you think about it. Most of the country sees them as a nuisance. Farmers farm around them, buildings are constructed nearly on top of them, orchards are planted with the only breaks in the trees being a bunker that happens to get in the way of the rows. It was said that the bunkers cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $10,000 to remove completely. Several of them can be seen toppled over, where the earth has eroded out from underneath them on a hillside. I saw some that even looked to be submerged by the surrounding landscape, where time had filled in the ground around them.

In addition to these small bunkers, I also saw a couple of medium sized ones, enough to park a car inside. I heard that there were also some that were really big enough to park a tank inside. On the interior walls of these medium bunkers and larger sized bunkers, were paintings, depicting how to use the guns that were mounted inside the structures. The thought was that the peasants were going to be the ones to defend the country, so they communists, made sure to give them picture instructions for use of the guns.

Part 2 - Minarets

2008-07-06T11:42:00.001-05:00

Another interesting thought on Albanian structures was the number of Minarets that I saw. They were of course, all attached to Mosques. I had, up to this point, never seen a minaret. One of my favorite Dave Matthews Band songs from his early CD (remember two things) Was called minarets, and I had read about them in books about middle eastern culture, but this was my first opportunity to look at them. I found out that the communist while in Albania also went through a phase of blowing up minarets all over the country. One of the oldest ones, still in intact, happens to be in Tirana. they are very interesting structures, and are fascinating to look at, to say the least.

If you have never seen one, they are elegant long towers, stretching high above the surrounding buildings. You can see them from a good distance away, almost like a church steeple, only seemingly more prominent. At the very top, they are capped with an upside down ice cream cone roof. Below this roof, around the perimeter of the minaret, is a balcony. It wraps all the way around, and looks to have high walls, probably reaching to a mans chest, or just below. There is a door way as well that opens out onto the balcony, and on most of the minarets, there looked to be loudspeakers mounted on the small eaves of the towering structure. Sadly, I never got to see one in use, but they were gorgeous none the less.

A series in Cultural Observations in Albania: Part 1- An overview

2008-07-06T11:41:00.000-05:00

So, since there were so many interesting things to see and to think about in Albania, I have decided to place each observation into small digestible "blogettes". That way it'll be easier to read and not so overwhelming to see one long blog post all about albania. So without further ado; Part 1.

While in Albania, we played in three different cities; Durres, Vlora, and Tirana. The first two cities were costal towns, right on the Adriatic sea. The latter of the these cities is the capital of Albania, which of course is where the U.S. Embassy is located, who sponsored most of our trip to Albania. The costal towns were all in varying states of seeming disrepair. Since the country had at one point been under Communist rule, most all of the architecture was very square, very 'functional', and very concrete. Everything was made of poured concrete; walls, stairs, supporting beams, columns, 'studs' for the walls, walkways, porches, balconies . . . Most of the houses in both cities, as well as in between the two coastal cities (a two and a half hour drive by Albanian taxi) were only half finished. The main reason they were only half finsihed is a matter of political loop-holes.

The tax code in Albania states that you only have to pay property taxes on your house once it is completed. Therefore, most of the houses would be two or three stories, and in msot case, only one of the stories was finished, usually the first floor, but on some occasions (where it was two stories) the second was the finished one. All of the houses would also leave partial columns on the 'roof' with rebar sticking out of them, also playing a part in the not yet finished house. The whole house, again, was made of poured concrete.

In Tirana, the capital city, The Mayor/Governor/President (I don't remember which it was) Decided that the city looked to communist, and, with a background in art, decided to liven up the city aesthetic by offering a tax incentive to people if they painted their buildings a bright cheery color. In response, Tirana is now a mixture of pinks, yellows, oranges and the occasional drab gray. It looks more coastal in places than Durres or Vlora do, but it is a little farther inland.

The shocking truth about Albania -or- How I was electrocuted

2008-07-03T11:17:00.001-05:00

Our last show in Albania was in Tirana, the capital city of the country. The venue was at the Tirana academy for the arts, in an outdoor amphitheater, which naturally, shared a fence line with the President of Albania. After having some sound issues the gig before in Vlora, the band leader and I decided to take over and setup the sound system so that we would have adequate monitor mixes and a good house mix. We showed up to the venue a few hours before sound check, and started planning, laying out the channels on the board, running cables, setting up the drums, etc. The mains and monitors had been laid out already, power amps hooked up, front of house plugged into the snake that ran to stage . . . all the hard grunt work was done by the sound guys who were traveling with us. The real fun started when we went to trace down the signal path.

Now, for those who may not know, the signal path is simply this: the path the sound takes to go from the microphone (or instrument) to the mixing board, to the power amps, to the speakers. It is important to have everything running in the correct order, otherwise you won't be able to hear anything, or at best, it will sound awful! I was attempting to figure out how they had run their lines, in the rat's nest of cables, when this particular event happened.

I followed a cable, with my hands, from the sound board, down to a small piece of gear, then followed the out line on that to the ground, and I was holding the cable, sliding my hands down it, trying to follow it around a corner, by a power amp. I slid my hand around the corner on the cable, and all of the sudden, got an INTENSE blast of electricity shooting up my arm. Somehow, either I let go, or it threw me off, or something, but I suddenly found myself on my rear end about 3 or 4 feet back from the board, sprawling on the concrete floor. I jumped up, scared as all get out, my arm still shaking,, and backed even further away. The three albanians who were there (who could speak some broken english) asked me what happened, and when I told them I had just been shocked, they looked at me weird, and then tried to convince me that there was no power running through any of that. I argued with them for about a minute, trying to tell them that I had definitely found some power running through something, because it just through me back on the ground (as they all had seen). One of the guys proceeded to touch one of the wires to show me that there was not shocking him, and then wanted em to go down there and show him where I had been shocked. I can say for sure, I was not about to go near those wires again, much less to repeat what just happened!

I walked backstage, sat down in the shade and chilled for a while. I watched my arm shake involuntarily for some time, and then throughout the rest of the day, felt different parts of my body ache. My finger at on point, then my arm, my shoulder, the left side of my jaw, the left side of my back . . . it was weird how I would feel fine, feel really achy in one of those places, then feel fine. In the long run, It scared me more than anything. It definitely rattled me, shook me up, and I didn't touch another cable the rest of the afternoon.

And thats the story of how I sent 220 volts or so up my arm in Albania,

until next time friends!

--Emmett "shockey" Stallings

Living on Trains

2008-06-30T19:54:00.002-05:00

Today is Sunday, June 29th. The fourth full day of us being in Europe. I can officially say, that I have spent more time on trains than in a hotel. or possibly, even more time on a train than not on a train. There are pro's and cons to living on a train.

Pro's, you always have a bathroom within a car's distance from you. There are usually restaurants or snack bars on all the trains. We have been traveling in first class (enough said!). I have power outlets on board the trains for typing blogs and such. I get to see a lot of beautiful countryside this way. We can make it to shows on time in different countries. you can sleep and be awake in the same seat.

Con's, You can't sleep well in the same place you have to sit all day. You don't have a large selection of food on board, and it's pricey. You don't sleep well. You have to cram your luggage into small spaces. Sleeping is hard to do in a public place.

Our first show was a little rough. But our second show, last night in Interlaken Switzerland, was pretty cool. there was a HUGE crowd. The venue held 5,000 people, if they were all crammed in there, we played to several thousand at least. The show was smooth for the most part, no hiccups, no glaring mistakes, just good solid music. The crowd seemed to enjoy it a good deal. We had backstage dressing areas with tons of water, coke, and espresso, and true to europe form, beer. Needless to say, I stuck to water and coke-a-cola all night.

Today, I am living on a train, watching the scenery zip by in a blur on a high speed train. the landscape seems to change by the moment, slipping from swiss architecture, into italian. ramshackle buildings give way to lush green vineyards, snaking their way across the ground in neat rows, disappearing into the horizon. The low lying crops fold into the forests of northern Italy, dotted with orange clay rooftops and small narrow streets caught by surprise in a clearing when the train comes roaring overhead. The sky is a hazy blue, streaked with finer whites where clouds stagger themselves over the catholic shrines and hay fields. The train rushes on, held up by the two steel rails beneath it, shimmering before us, and resting behind us, bearing us closer to Rome, where we'll be able to stand in the train station for a few mere moments before another train whisks us away to the Airport in Rome and the waiting plane which will bear us to Albania by this evening.

And with that being said, I am now folding up my laptop, letting the screen shut with a silent click, to study the changing landscape, to take in the Italian language scrawled on train station signs, to glimpse more vineyards hidden between larger buildings, or perhaps to try and find the house that the vineyard belongs to. Ah, Italy . . .

Getting to Kolding or Europe part three.

2008-06-30T19:54:00.001-05:00

I started out this morning, bleary eyed, rubbing the sleep form my eyes, which so desperately wanted to stay. I shooed it away reluctantly so that I could finish up last minute details that lingered like dirty dishes that never seem to leave the sink, no matter how often you clean them. I finally got to the airport around 10:30 a.m., lugged my bags up to the counter, received my ticket, and passed through security, whisking through like a fleeting memory that surfaces only too briefly to grasp.

I caught a 12:30 p.m. flight to Newark, and then caught a 6:45 p.m. to Cologne, Germany. We touched down into Germany around 7:30 A.M. thursday morning. The Sun had just cleared the clouds on our accelerated simulated sunrise. It was shining bright, warming the cool air outside, welcoming us with open arms. We claimed our bags, and proceeded to the next long part of our journey. The Trains.

We caught our first train out of Cologne shortly after 10:00 a.m. riding on twin steel rails, the train slightly swaying from side to side, clicking over the tracks, carrying us from station to station for the next several hours. We changed trains about four times total, picking up more band members as we went, until all of us finally arrived together in Kolding, Denmark.

The culmination of our travels ended at the venue, where we were fed a traditional Danish meatballs, grilled chicken, salad and 7-up. The venue was cool looking, an outdoor amphitheater, with tall stone bleachers rising from the ground, in a semi-circle of weathered gray pushing towards the sky just above, where rain laden clouds were pressing back down on us. We finally arrived at our hotel around 10:30 P.M., and I was asleep by 11:00 P.M., curled up beneath the classic european bedding; comforter tucked inside a white duvet, and a single, large, invitingly soft, square pillow.

It was a long day of travel, sparse sleep and food, but we arrived, to the welcome of happy promoters and hosts, and were welcomed with open arms and hearts from the people here in Kolding, Denmark. I am already looking forward to playing tonight for these wonderful people (11 or so hours of sleep might have helped with that!).

Until next time friends!

A Grand Welcome To:

2008-06-18T00:09:00.009-05:00

I am now endorsing Etymotic Research. Who are they you ask? Well, for starters, they make great ear plugs, either as molds, called musicians earplugs (which I have been using for years now) or as really good, high fidelity ear plugs which anyone can use right out of the package. One of the many other great things that have created, is killer In ear Monitors. I am currently using their ER-4p In ears, and let me tell you, the response is great, and the noise Isolation is awesome!

So look for more info regarding Etymotic in the coming months, as I will be sure to keep you updated on how these new "ears" hold up on the European tour with The Ranchhands.

Until next time friends!

Threadless.com

2008-06-12T21:22:00.004-05:00

So for those of you who do not know about Threadless.com, you should definitely check them out. They print t-shirts primarily, but also do hoodies, onesies, and have even gotten into print art now. The great part about it all, anyone can design for them, everyone votes on the designs, and then they print the most popular ones. It is a GREAT system, and I have several wonderful shirts from these guys. The crew over at Threadless has just recently hooked me up with some great T-shirts for Tour this summer. SO chances are, if you catch one of The Ranchhands shows, I'll probably be wearing one of the sweet Threadless T's that they have graciously sent my way.

If you haven't been over there yet, go now, and check out some of their designs. They go fast, so if you see something you want, snag it quick!! I just recently ordered this one. I also own this one and this one. I probably have a few more too, but i'll make you come to a show to see if I have something different on!

Thanks again to Threadless.com for your wardrobe support for the summer!

Many have asked . . .

2008-06-12T02:45:00.003-05:00

. . . what the FUSE look is, etc. etc. Well, after MUCH google searching, I found a picture from opening night. It should give you a better idea of what all is going on, or at least you can see the shiny drums I am playing on! So here it is, "club emmett", playing skins like a madman at FUSE.

(note: I do NOT endorse the website that this picture came from, it just happened to be the only image I could find)

FUSE: Opening night

2008-06-02T01:42:00.003-05:00

I just got home from playing opening night at FUSE, the nightclub that I am now playing at. It was a fairly intense night. My hands are super worn out, my arms are tired . . . and I get to do it again monday night, WAHOO!!! The crowds turned out like crazy tonight. I was told they neared 600 people in the club, opening night, and it felt full too!

So here is how a typical night goes at the club for me. I show up around 8:00 pm, check the tuning on the drums, placement, etc. Then I get to hang in the green room for about an hour. At 9:10, I head out, touch base with DJ Tyrus, and then his the stage. Lights go up, and I play some killer grooves and accents while Tyrus spins some tracks. At 9:30, I hop off, run to the green room, and collapse for a little while. Wipe the sweat off, get something to drink, and rest. Then, at 10:10, it start all over again. I do the same thing at 11:10, 12:10, and 1:10. So all in all, I am playing five, 20 minute sets, and taking about 40 minutes to rest my hands, and catch my breath. It's a lot of work!

Anyways, it's late, and I am headed off to bed. You can read more about FUSE on their website.

Cheers all!

A day at the office

2008-05-30T22:08:00.002-05:00

It has been quite on my blog front for some time now. But a LOT has been happening behind the scenes here.

There are always new things going on at my website, mainly right now the addition of some summer tour dates with The Ranchhands. There is the addition of my YouTube channel which holds links to special live performances with The Ranchhands, mainly in Europe, and hopefully one day will include some great, behind the drumset shots during a show (still in "development"). I am working now with Ableton software, Georgia Perimeter College and Gembeck Music to write some curriculum for a book to be published in 2009 for a college course in audio technology.

In addition to all of this, I have also been in fairly heavy audition mode this past week. I auditioned this past Tuesday for a new nightclub opening here in Nashville called FUSE. It opens this sunday night, June 1. I practiced all weekend, did some research on the gig, and found out Wednesday that I, along with another percussionist, got the gig. It is a welcoming opportunity to be able to play, make budget, and stay in town more. The flip side, is that it is a whole different world that I am not used to.

I spent today at sound check at the club, breaking the new silver MEINL congas and silver sparkle bongos to match. After they got tuned up, they sounded awesome! From there, I then had a hair appointment at their salon on site, to get trimmed, and highlighted, you know, to spice up the dew a little for The Look. I then had a meeting with the resident costume/wardrobe consultant who outfitted me in some killer threads, shoes, the whole deal, and tomorrow morning, I go in for rehearsal with the DJ and then I start playing sunday night. Talk about jumping right in!

Now, let me explain. This gig is super cool, and super different from what I have ever done in the past. I am playing on a collection of congas, bongos, timbales, hand cymbals and cowbells/tambourine/woodblocks (and a djembe, coming soon) on a stage, with killer lighting, and at the same time, a DJ, DJ Ty in this case, is spinning tracks from his booth, and together, it makes one killer soundtrack for the club. A really different concept for the area, but something that has been happening in Las Vegas, California, Chicago, and even New York for a while now. It should be a lot of fun.

In addition to playing at FUSE, I will still playing with The Ranchhands, touring this summer in Europe with them, and a few dates this coming fall, so be sure to check out the schedule on my website to see if we'll playing near you this fall! The line-up we have as been getting tighter and tighter musically every show, and it the last several shows have ben incredible!

Until next time friends . . .

Approaching

2008-05-04T03:21:00.003-05:00

Tonight was the first gig with The Ranchhands on a ten day run. We played tonight in Bloomington, Illinois, at a little place called Six Strings. It was a pretty fun show. It felt good to climb back in the saddle, and to hit the skins again, playing with these great players. It was so much fun. I look forward to the next several shows we will playing over the next week plus.

On our set breaks, I took some time to sit, and rest on a side hallway, in the back, away from the sound, and away from the lights and people. It was nice to rest, even briefly, and to re-hydrate, before going back out for another set. I shot a picture or two from the far end, and yo can see the stage lights, silhouetting the other guys. Anyways, I say that, to share the following picture.

I'll write more when it's not so late at night/early in the morning.

Shekere 101

2008-04-27T20:30:00.004-05:00

I started this past thursday I think it was, or friday, making my own shekere. What is a shekere you ask? Well, a shekere is a traditional instrument from Africa. It is made using a dried gourd, sometimes with the top cut off, sometimes closed, and then a "weave" of strings, or ropes, with beads, plastic, wooden, or glass even, attached on this crisscross pattern, and then tied off at the top and bottom of the gourd onto two "foundation rings".

In short, it is a loud instrument, that sounds cool, and can look cool too.

Now this is my first attempt, to my diamonds are not even, my bead pattern simple at best, but, everything worked out well. The netting or weave stays on when you play it, and it is LOUD as all get out. Here are a few pictures below of the finished Shekere.

The Shekere

A closer look at the Shekere

A good look at the top of the netting, and the top foundation ring.

A good look at the lower foundation ring

A good close look at the netting, and a little of the pattern

The Weepies - HIDEAWAY -

2008-04-17T08:27:00.002-05:00

SO, one of my all time favorite bands, The Weepies, release their killer disc, "Hideaway", this tuesday, April 22. If you know what's good for you, you will go out and buy it. The album before this one, "Say I Am You" was amazing. It showed up on Grey's anatomy, commercials, and countless movies. It is such an amazing body of work. "Hideaway" proves to be no different, carrying similar themes as "Say I Am You", Steve and Deb's voices still meld to perform a seemingly perfect and soothing sound. Great driving music, great, night time beach music, great senior year hanging out music, amazing anytime music. Take a listen to a couple of tracks, I promise you will not be disappointed!

Now, go buy their music!!

Cracked cymbals and split sticks

2008-04-13T15:41:00.009-05:00

Well, A lot has happened since the pirates were last stuffed into pickle jars. . .
The Ranchhands played the first week of april, at the wonderful Wildhorse Saloon here in nashville. It was a long week. The short of it is, I wrecked havoc on my hands, blistered in one or two pretty key places, cracked a cymbal (the first one of my career!) and split about three sticks. Now, when I say split three sticks, it may not sound to monumental, but to put it into perspective. I can sometimes go a week without breaking a stick, or longer even! so three sticks, that didn't just wear out, but split from the tip down, really is some sort of sad record for me -

All in all, it was a rather long week for my chops, and my muscles. I was a bit sore at the end of it all. I took a day off to recoup, and then played tuesday for several hours, and then wednesday after that, I took a drum lesson from Rich Redmond. He is the drummer for Jason Aldean, some of you may be familiar with some of his hits, one of them being "Hicktown", which is a cover we do. I had a really good time talking with him and learning a lot about my trade. It was Super insightful!

Right now, I am enjoying a little downtime, practicing some rudiments, working out some hand to hand stuff, and attacking some things addressed in my lesson, and in general, I am trying to learn as much as I can right now about being a professional drummer/percussionist in Nashville, TN. I have a lot to learn, and a lot of things to work on, but it has been encouraging, meeting with different drummers, and doing a lot of listening to albums, researching techniques, and trying out different ideas. So perhaps the next time you hear me play, it might sound really different!

For those who might be interested in my latest gear setup: since the cracking of my cymbal, I am now using two 18'' AA sabian crash cymbals, one thin, and one extra thin. I like how they have some good low end tones coming of of them. I am using my 21'' AA Dry RIde still, as well as my 8'' AAX splash, which might be replaced VERY soon with an 15'' AAX Studio Crash. I am still playing my 14'' Cadeson snare, 20'' kick, and the next couple of road dates we do in May, I will just be traveling with my 12'' rack tom, and probably the 16'' floor tom. So check it out, you might like the sounds that are coming of the drums!

In other news, Quinn has started crawling, well, army crawling, and it is SUPER cute. not only that, but he really enjoys feeding himself. So here are a few pictures of him stuffing his face, and in general just being cute.

Until next time friends!!

"N" is for nutrition!

A little pasta to accent the smile

Cookies anyone?

My just sweet little contemplative boy -

Stuffing people into pickle jars saved my life

2008-03-22T22:36:00.003-05:00

. . . or so says my wife, who had a dream about pirates attacking a cruise ship she was on, where she miraculously used the mind meld and calculated the physics needed to stuff pirates into pickle jars before throwing them overboard so that she could return to the buffet. Fortunately, they were in port, so she didn't need to steer the ship since the captain and all other ship steering personnel were nowhere to be found . . .

(I myself think they were dressed like pirates and accidently got stuffed into the pickle jars and pushed overboard . . .)

France - Half a world away . . .

2008-02-23T04:20:00.004-06:00

It's just after 11:00 in the morning, and I am sitting in my room, looking out through real french doors that open upon a tiled balcony and invite you to look into the yellow and cream walled city. Other windows open, sheets are being shaken out, tablecloths cleared from breakfasts, and cars, pedestrians, and cyclists roam the roads. It wasn't that long ago that my alarm was chirping at me from across the room, calling me to get up. I pushed back the curtains, opened the doors, and dressed for the day.

But let me back up.

Yesterday was gorgeous, crisp, and due to me being sleep deprived, strangely space like. I moved with very little apparent purpose, roaming the city, looking in windows of shops, smelling chocolates wafting through the street, stopping outside of bakeries and creperies to take in the sweet smells of bread rising, baking, and delicious treats being melded into a dish that one could not resist. My mouth watered as I turned every corner. My feet wound through cobble stoned streets, scuffing the same stone people have been traveling for who knows how long, winding underneath the archways of ancient buildings, through tunnels of stone work, crossing bridges that traverse streams, appearing when there is a break in the ground, before they disappear again, rushing to find their end, somewhere underneath a street. The town was full of people, with shopping bags and people with arms around one another, hands tucked tightly away inside of another's palm. Eventually I wound up at a street side cafe, eating delicious pizza, shivering occasionally, and gazing up at the castle like building that overshadowed the street we were sitting in.

Dinner time came around, and my friends and I were invited to dine with a friend's family here in France. the lavish meal that was laid before us in their Annecy flat was nothing short of amazing. Appetizers and beverages heralded the start of our experience, teasing our palettes, before we delved into vegetable soup, with bread and cheese on the side, French scalloped potatoes, Salmon, broccoli, Cheese platters, and a fruit medley to end . . . except it came out course by course, always thinking were done, only to see more food roll out of the kitchen, to the table, and eventually filling our plates, and our stomachs. We walked back to the hotel after dinner, briskly through a city that was growing chiller by the hour, hastening to our beds, where would finally get the rest we so longed for.

I slipped into my bed last night, between crisp, white sheets, and oversized pillows, with radiator quietly warming the room from it's corner by the massive windowed french doors. The city was quiet. dark. and peaceful. I was conscious, as my eyes grew heavier, of the peace I felt at the end of the day, and the strangeness, of being half a world away from where I live, in a land of different languages, foods, sights, sounds . . . and before I knew it, I was asleep.

Arriving

2008-02-22T04:29:00.003-06:00

I watched out the window as the midnight dark sky turned quickly to a canvas smattered with yellows, reds, soft blues, and streaks of white. We were flying into the sunrise, just off the coast of England, as our plane headed for Geneva for the end of the long flight. The sky grew lighter, brilliantly so, faster the more directly east we flew. We started our descent, leaving the clear skies, and settling into a soft bed of clouds, pure and white, welcoming the plane into it's folds, and then the clouds began to break apart, ripped into slivers by the mighty Swiss Alps that were reaching skyward with their jagged peaks, encased in snow, and standing as tall as they could possibly muster. The clear lakes sparkled with the sunlight that was coming through the enormous gaping holes in the clouds, and then our plane touched down -

After a sleepy daze of retrieving my luggage, I walked out of the Geneva airport, into Switzerland, and climbed into a car headed for France. We rode through the edge of Switzerland, snaking along roads, through traffic circles, and over bridges that crossed enormously deep crevasses where the mountains continued further down than the road wanted to go. I took again to gazing out the window, taking in the sights, soaking in the colors and textures of a new country. the car rounded a bend, going round a farmers field, and perched just inside the field, on an old abandoned fence post, sat a large mottled hawk, gazing back at me, as we continued past.

As we skirted some of the mountains, I could see small french cottages tucked away inside of small tree groves, and were it not for the thick smoke, that tumbled out of the chimney and down the roof line before spilling into the small field the trees occupied, I would have missed half a dozen or more of the small houses, nestling against the base of such large, ragged, aged mountains. It was a step back into time, and it was a step into the romantic parts of my brain. We passed cafes, small shops, centers of town, and the occasional gas station, before finally arriving in Annecy, France.

We proceeded to check into the 'Hotel de Paris, Annecy', to wash up, refresh ourselves and gather our scattered american wits before heading out to explore the old town and it's history, and most importantly, to find some food.

(the picture above is a view of my hotel room at the 'Hotel de Paris, Annecy'.)

Upon the Eve of Leaving

2008-02-20T15:32:00.001-06:00

So here it is. The eve before I leave to go back across the wide ocean, crossing the sparkling winter seas, for another run of shows abroad. My cymbals are tucked away nicely in their bag, as if preparing for a long evenings slumber. My clothes, sticks, and all the needed accessories are bundled up in the oversized backpack, settling in after hours of pushing, pulling, packing, unpacking, and repacking. There is a sense of change in the air. Conversations with my wife crackle with the energy, like the feeling you have just before you shock yourself from static buildup, knowing it's coming, and bracing ever so slightly for it. We brace for the inevitable good-bye, brace for the change in our life, that we will spend apart from one another.

I find myself daydreaming of snowy alps, crisp air, and a surreal movie like environment; thoughts of boarding trains in a light drifting snow, riding through the countryside, with everything I own at that moment tucked away in a luggage compartment at the back of my car, the rails bearing the engine in a straight path to the next stop, where upon stepping out of the warm car, the chilly air will make things seem clearer, accentuating the european flair of the station, the people, the advertisements. I can't help but feel eager to go. It's still feels like a dream, one that I will wake up from in a day or two, and instead of finding myself on the other side of the world, I will find myself reaching for the alarm clock beside my bed, wiping the sleep from my eyes, again.

But then I look at the bags on the floor beside me, the itinerary detailing where I will be going for the coming days, and the 5 note euro in my wallet, waiting to be used again, I realize I am really leaving. Really going to go through airport security. Really going to jostle with people for my bags, and really going to sit in the same seat for 8 hours. . . until the wheels touch down and the plane comes to a stop. And upon exiting the airport, bags in hand, backpack on my shoulders, the mountains of Switzerland, the familiar sounds of the swiss-german language, and the smell of fresh bread and delicious cheese will greet me as I step into Europe.

simmering like a pot of chili.

2008-02-11T14:21:00.000-06:00

My brain is stewing. I have one week and a half, almost exactly, until I climb on board a really big plane to fly me to the other side of earth. I am enjoying some of the downtime, but I am also anxiously awaiting that run of shows. I am rehearsing parts in my head, and grilling myself on the gearlist for what I am taking overseas. Do I use that bass drum pedal or this one, do I tae four cymbals, or three, how many pairs of sticks will I need again? can I get away with only ONE change of clothes (that answer is a no!). I am also busy putting together thing to go out to more companies for endorsements. We'll see what happens from that.

But for right now, I just need to turn the heat down low, and simmer, so that when I do fly out, everything will have cooked down, and just the best of flavors will be left for a two week stint in winter land europe -

Slinging sticks like guns in an old west flick

2008-01-30T07:58:00.001-06:00

Last night was the second of six nights at The Wildhorse Saloon here in Nashville, Tn. I always enjoy playing there. They have a great stage, a great sound team, amazing lights - it's always a joy to get the opportunity to play there. Last night, we played together for the second time in a month, the band that is. We had a nice long break, which was pleasant to have to be able to spend with my family and to find out what normal life is like. You know, the kind where you go to sleep at a decent hour, wake up in the morning in your own bed, eat in your kitchen, see some friends, and repeat the whole cycle a few times over. I tend to forget what that's like when we are driving from town to town, sleeping in hotel dotted across the continent. Playing at The Wildhorse is nice, being able to play a show, and then come home and crash in my own bed for a few days. It's the equivalent to going to the office, only my office looks a little different. My office has a comfy stool, instead of a leather backed chair, and instead of using pens, staples and post-its, I sling sticks.

A view from the office

Treeworks Partnership

2008-01-24T07:14:00.000-06:00

Hello good friends! More good news from the front, otherwise known as the world of percussion and music. Yesterday I heard back from Treeworks chimes (one of my MOST favorite sounding pieces of percussion gear is made by them) and we have now partnered together and I am currently being sponsored by them. So a warm round of applause for the new member of the group!

If you ever want to hear some of their chimes in action, just show up to somewhere I am playing, I use their chimes all the time. they really are amazing sounding, and they hold up well. I have had a set for several years now and have not lost a single bar! That's saying something for chimes, trust me!

A short note -

2008-01-21T22:10:00.000-06:00

I have some friends who as a collective group participate in posting at a website/blog called "The Rabbit Room". You should visit it and check things out. There are great reviews and discussions on movies, books, music (one of the reasons I LOVE the site), and art. It is a collective of artists (writers, singers, musicians, visual artists) here in town, and it's just good. I visit there on a daily basis, at least, and I am usually drawn into a discussion on something, OR, I wind up buying one of the recommended books (which I have YET to be disappointed by) or I find a new music group to listen to. All that to say, you should drop in and have a look around!

And if anyone asks you, tell them emmett sent you ;0)

Welcome to WWW Status

2008-01-18T12:18:00.000-06:00

So today I launched my website. www.emmettstallings.com. I spent a lot of time in the design phase, and a LOT of hours scratching my head trying to figure out what to do using computer code. but alas,here it is. Wahoo!! I am glad to have that project in the 'working phase' and not in the 'needs repair' phase.

Check it out and let me know what you think -
Until next time . . .

Meet the new additions . . .

2008-01-08T17:05:00.000-06:00

It's fairly quiet at my house these days. Wendy has started back to work, teaching, and I spend my day watching Quinn, doing house chores, and emailing like a bandit. I have been able to listen to some good music, and spend a lot of good time with my little boy. In addition to family life, and hanging out with friends whom I have not spent much time with these past few months, I have also been busy working the information side of what we all know as the "music business". I have recently secured two endorsements with some great companies.

I first jumped on board with SwirlyGig late last year, to help promote their stick holders (which I love!!). They are great to work with and are amazingly nice folks. Secondly, I just today solidified an endorsement deal with Audix Microphones. I have been using their mics on my drumkit all summer, and I love the sound I get from them. Our church also uses the same mics I do, and I am excited to be a promoter of their wonderful line of products. The guys at Audix are solid people and are also a joy to work with.

In other news. Keep your eyes peeled here for the launch of a new website in the coming weeks. By the end of January, I should have up my new little spot on the web, providing a good central place for these endorsements, and all things professionally related to me and drumming!

Thanks for reading! until next time friends . . .

The Wildhorse Week

2007-12-21T00:28:00.000-06:00

It is late thursday night. I just got home from playing for the fourth night in a row at The Wildhorse here in Nashville. I love this gig because it is so close to home, and I get to work here in town, and The Wildhorse is a great venue to play in, and to watch bands in.

Wendy and Quinn got to come out to the show tonight, along with wendy's parents. It is always a treat when I get to bring friends or family to the show. It makes it a lot more fun playing. I was able to grab a few shots of wendy and the boy, and some backstage photos. Enjoy the images! and there will be more updating this weekend on various and asundry things. oh, so exciting . . I know -

Wendy and Quinn during a set break.

Looking at the stage across the mixer in a haze of smoke

A sidways glance across the digital console.

Driving home at night on wet streets.

Winter

2007-12-15T19:37:00.000-06:00

So friday night, after we played our show in Wisconsin, we packed up the van, and drove four and a half hours to Indianapolis. We pulled into town here around 7:30 am EST. We left in the middle of the night post gig because of the winter storm that was about to roll into the area. When we pulled into Indianapolis this morning, no sooner had we parked the van, then the snow started coming down. You can see in the first picture what it looked like right after we checked into the hotel, and then in the second picture what it looked like when we woke up sometime after Noon (you can see the great green van in both!)

We drove into the 8 Seconds Saloon parking lot, paused to let the snow plows pass, as they were clearing the lot, and then setup and sound checked this afternoon. There is probably a good 4 - 5 inches of snow on the ground, most of the parking lots are slush, and the temperature is dropping, and there is supposed to be more snow tonight/tomorrow morning. It s definitely cool looking, and exciting, especially for a southern boy like myself.

Right now I am all cozied up in the hotel room, set amongst plush pillows on a soft bed, heater purring in the background to keep the room at a moderate temperature, and dreaming of falling asleep tonight, in a bed. What a nice novel thought. Perhaps there will be some hot chocolate in my future. The weather outside is certainly dictating such a beverage splurge!

The van in the parking lot shortly after our 7:00 am check-in

The van in the lot after it had been snowing all morning

As a Child to a Father . . .

2007-12-15T06:10:00.000-06:00

It's Friday, December 14, and I find myself, once again, on the road. I am currently sitting on my motel bed, in a nice little mom and pop joint in Wind Lake, Wisconsin, wrapped in a blanket featuring ducks and frogs on it, typing, occasionally letting my gaze drift out the window, through the red cloth curtains, and into the banks of snow piled on the side of the road. It is winter here. A storm has preceded us, dumping snow on the north. Nearly every lake we passed was frozen over solid, fields and forests alike were blanketed in a fresh powder, white and innocent, trees that had lost their leaves earlier this year now donned a gorgeous dusting along the tops of their branches, stark, brilliant, and bright against their darkened drunks and limbs. The air is frigid outside, revealing my breath to me as I breathe out, and shocking me as I breathe it in. Large icicles hang from the corners of the motel, pointing to the frozen landscape beneath it's eaves. It is truly picturesque.

On the drive up here today I did some reading, in between sneaking peeks at the snow of course. I finished a book entitled "Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller. It was good. It reminded me of a lot of things that I had forgotten about, and put into words a lot of things that I have felt, but couldn't describe.

I was reminded that the basis of the Gospel, of salvation, is relationships. The Gospel itself is a relationship with Christ. It is not a series of steps we follow, or a list of bullet points we check off, it is not morality versus immorality. The gospel of Jesus, is Jesus. Our relationship to Him, with Him, is what saves us. Lately it has tended to be one of the areas where I place the least amount of importance. I tend to focus on the Do's and Dont's, the checklists, the random acts of kindness and what not. I was reminded that I was to have, and foster, relations with Christ. I am to give up my identity as I see it, which is based on how nice I am, how well I play drums, how good of a driver I am, how few cuss words I say, etc. etc., and instead, take up the identity of Christ. I am to find my worth, my acceptance, in Christ. Like a bride, getting married, my name is now His name.

I also read about how Christ is relational. During His life among us, He spent time with everyone. Christ did not draw a line between the rich and the poor. He did not try to hang out exclusively with the important and well off people. He hung out with the sick, bedraggled, crippled, poor, hungry, lonely, the aching. In fact, He did more than hang out with them, He befriended them. He did not validate our social hierarchy, He didn't subscribe to the same set of invisible standards we have, trying to dress nicer, having a sweet ride, only shopping at the ritzy stores. His standing among people here on earth held little in his eyes. His standing, His worth, was found in Heaven, it came from God. I felt myself relax, thinking about how I can rest in His grace, in His hands, knowing that I am loved, and that I can get all the acceptance I could ever want in His eyes. Like a child who's father loves on them, and gives them worth even though the child can not speak, can not dress themselves yet.

I have struggled these past few years with my relationship with Christ. It has gotten progressively distant, the farther I get from college. Almost like a good friend I had in college, whom I might call occasionally to catch up with, just getting updates. The more I thought about it, the more I thought about how in college, I had a large group of friends. I saw most of them several times a day, and we were constantly talking about what we were learning about Christ, encouraging each other in our own personal walks, and helping through times of need and struggle. It really brought home the image that the church IS the body of Christ, so much, that it was almost like meeting with Christ daily in bodily form, conversing with tangible beings, about tangible things. It makes it hard when the body is not there, to relate to a person. Granted, I have been in Nashville for about 3 years now, but It has been harder to establish the same sense of community for me. Working a myriad of part-time jobs, and touring, and whatnot, also makes it hard to connect with other members of the body. The more I am here in town though, the more I am establishing deep relationships with good friends, who constantly remind me of Christ, and encourage me. I am rediscovering is body, and I am getting reacquainted with an old friend.

As Scriptures say, we should relate to Christ, as a child relates to his Father, as sheep to a Shepherd (getting all of our directions and being watched over), as a bride to a bridegroom.

My mind is tied up in these thoughts. of finding my worth in Christ. Resting in His over abundant love.

Coloring the Sound

2007-12-09T22:29:00.000-06:00

It's nearing 11:00 p.m. here at my house. It's silent, nearly. The Innocence Mission is playing softly through the speakers of my laptop, lulling me into contemplative states of mind. I was recently turned on to this band through some friends of mine. You can read a short review of what one of them wrote about The Innocence Mission Here. I am a fan of them already. I have been listening to them through Pandora. A cool web based resource for listening to great music, and discovering new artists! But I digress . . .

The last two days, I have been playing percussion at our church, for various things. I played last night and tonight for our Christmas service, and this morning for our regular sunday morning worship. It is a real treat to be able to play with some of the musicians there, and even more of a treat to be able to worship with my home church, especially when I am blessed enough to be able to use my gifts and talents to do so. So tonight was the last evening of the christmas services. It was spectacular. The music was wonderful, the choir was amazing, the kids songs were precious, and the congregation all singing in one voice was just heavenly.

I used a different setup than I normally use for most of my percussion 'gigs'. This one was expanded to include some extra cymbals and setup so that most everything could be reached in a flash (very important when one is playing multiple instruments at once!) I thought it would be fun to post a few pictures of the rig from tonight that I took pre-service. They turned out pretty well, and so I am posting them here to share with you -

until next time friends!

The Bookshelf Revisited

2007-12-06T07:36:00.000-06:00

Having a small child in the house does cramp the blogging style. However, I am learning to steal away when he is sleeping for a few moments to type little things on here and update the inner workings. That being said, I have spruced up the bookshelf. It now actually is a bookshelf! Check it out. Thanks to Melissa who uses this on her blog, I tried out a program called shelfari and loved it, and with a little tweaking here and there, I changed things around so it would find a home here at the Toy Box. So take a peek at the bookshelf, and let me know what you think!

Until next time, enjoy the picture of my boy!

Christmas Tree Hunting at the Symphony

2007-11-27T13:52:00.000-06:00

So in addition to the turkey we all ate, and are still eating, Wendy, Quinn and myself, went out to a tree lot, picked us a tree and brought it home. I stood it up in the corner, got it straight and watered, and now we have a SUPER good smelling addition to our living room, at least for the next month. We haven't decorated it yet, but I am sure that within the next week our tree will be beautifully and artfully adorned with all kinds of trimmings. We also stoked the fireplace and had a real cozy couple of days, playing games, eating, and in general hanging out in the living room next to the roaring fire. We ended our week last week with a trip to hear the Nashville Chamber Orchestra at the new Schermerhorn Symphony Hall. It was amazing (the hall AND the performance.) We had box seats, right up next to the stage, which was crazy awesome, especially since there were some percussion heavy pieces, and I was able to kep my eyes on all the instruments they were playing and learn some cool new techniques! Here are a couple Photos from our weekend! Enjoy!

"Our Christmas Tree"

"The Wonderful Fireplace that burned during the entire long weekend"

"View from our seats at the Schermerhorn"

The Inner Workings of the Clock

2007-11-23T14:51:00.000-06:00

So I thought I would catalog all the books I have read on tour this year. In six months, one can get a lot of reading done. So, below is my list, compiled to the best of my memory, in no particular order, hopefully grouped by author, and definitely a mix of fiction, and non-fiction. Enjoy!

Ghost Rider - Neil Peart
The Masked Rider - Neil Peart
Traveling Music - Neil Peart
Roadshow - Neil Peart
Positively False - Floyd Landis
The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis
The Wall: The People's Story - Christopher Hilton
A Separate Peace - John Knowles
When The Legends Die - Hal Borland
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
Operating Instructions - Anne Lamott
A Shred of Truth - Eric Wilson
The Best of Evil - Eric Wilson
Band of Brothers - Stephen E. Ambrose
Mythology - Edith Hamilton
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K.Rowling
The Once and Future King - T.H. White
The White Tower - Jimmie S. Harvey

Also, a list of my favorite albums that I listened to throughout the tour. This may not be all inclusive, but it definitely represents the ones I kept coming back to when I needed something to listen to, to soothe the mind and calm the nerves -

Snakes and Arrows - Rush
Eyes Open - Snow Patrol
Say I Am You - The Weepies
Plans - Death Cab For Cutie
Reset EP - Mute Math
23 places - Matt Wertz
...The Longest Day - Madison Fair
Throwing Copper - Live
Riot on an Empty Street - Kings of Convenience
Isola - Kent
Sams Town - The Killers
Hopes and Fears - Keane
Veneer - Jose Gonzalez
Continuum - John Mayer
Winter pays for Summer- Glen Philips
Flyleaf - Flyleaf
The Ringing Bell - Derek Webb
The Crane Wife - The Decemberists
Dancing in the Dragons Jaws - Bruce Cockburn
The Far Country - Andrew Peterson

And Last but not least, I thought I would mention some of the great shows I watched while I was out. They are in no particular order, Band of Brothers, Arrested Development (seasons 1-3), News Radio (seasons 1-2), and various and assorted movies, of which there are too many and my brain will not remember most of them.

So when faced with a long trip, I would recommend any of the above reading, listening, or viewing. It will bring hours of entertainment, and in some cases brain enhancement! Cheers to all!

(Hey, have a recommendation for what I should read next or who I should be listening to? let me know!)

Alas, Alas, let the little ones rest at last

2007-11-20T11:01:00.000-06:00

And the all important end of tour blog post is here. I am off the road. I am at home. And I am thankful for the chance to reconnect with my wife, and with my son. The thrill of playing stages all across the world, and the night after night excitement of being able to climb behind my drumset, to play music, to create art, for a living, have all culminated in a sudden stop, with the train stopping at my doorstep. My drums deposited back at home, in the studio, for maintenance, and a lot of TLC, my bags packed in the corner of the closet again, and all my clothes cleaned and in their proper resting places, drawers, hangers, whatnot. The six long months of living out of a suitcase, and changing beds every night have ceased. and the only thing that remains is the dull roar of movement in my head, the feeling of muscles relaxing, hands being able to recoup after being used and abused at times for so long. and it comes to this . . .

Sitting on the porch in the afternoon, clouds passing by, my son snug in my arms, both of us gazing at the fall colors in the trees, the leaves falling from the limbs, covering our yard in hues of orange, and golden red, turning to a lush carpet of crunchy leaves. I spend most of my days staring into his face, making him laugh or coo, or sitting on the couch, listening to him talk to his hands, or his toys, as he tries to shove the entire thing into his mouth. The afternoons and evenings are spent talking with my wife, and both of us laughing at our son, and his antics, at his discovery of new colors, and sounds, over and over again. My drums still sit in the studio, most of the time, silent, undisturbed, resting and taking a breath themselves. however today starts the practice routine again. My hands ache to relearn licks, try out new ones, further clean up some of my parts, deep cleaning really. My feet yearn to play multi rhythmic patterns and keep time against a rhythms that are blazing by in the hands.

I have been over the set twice, checked the parts, the shells, and made some changes. moved one drum over here, slid this one over there, moved a cymbal a little closer, a little farther, incorporated a new piece of gear here, and hopefully soon, incorporate some additional pieces of gear/cymbals . . . mainly exciting things for a drummer, but droll and time consuming for anyone who is not fascinated at the many sounds you can get out of one item, or one surface.

Thanksgiving is nearing, and we are planning a quiet day in, roasting a turkey, making the stuffing, all the things one normally does. We'll be eating it for a week or more! but it will be nice to be at home, together, celebrating a family holiday, as a family, and not from a suitcase.

Thanks to all those who have been out so far to listen to The Ranchhands. We have had a blast these past 6 months, and I am sure we will see many of you again soon. We'll take some time off, rest our chops, our brains, and then when we do come back, it will be with a blaze of new energy, and excitement, and hopefully will blow the socks of you . . . ha! what a funny mental picture . . .

Cabin Living

2007-10-24T11:50:00.000-05:00

It is cold out tonight, sparkling cold. The kind of cold that makes you feel clean as you walk through it, stepping off the porch, wanting to hurry to your car but instead walking slower than normal, enjoying the crisp air, the transparent sky. The lake is still, only a slight breeze comes off the surface of the glass surface, causing the last few leaves of autumn to rustle quietly, as the branches slide past one another in the breeze.
Standing outside the cabin I am sleeping in, the moon casts it's light down on the ground like a searchlight, illuminating the steps, the crushed stone pathway, and the leaves, piled up like snowdrifts, against the wooden walls. It is supposed to get cold tonight. 28 degrees they say. Thats cold.

Last night, I walked out into the remains of a cornfield. The bottom half of the stalks, sticking out of the ground like scarecrows hastily erected, or a bad horror movie, with cheesy arms reaching out from the dirt. the moon illuminated these well, showing a vast field, harvested, some of it turned under, some of it left partially standing, wounded.

We have been playing up in the north, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, which is where I am now. Living for a few days on the edge of lake Holcombe, sleeping in a cabin, a real wood cabin, wood floors, tin roof, wood stove, and a small space heater, for nights like tonight. I am curled up in the loft, on a mattress laid out on the floor, buried deep into my sleeping bag. They say it's good down to Zero degrees Fahrenheit. It looks like tonight might be a good night for testing the ratings on my sleeping bag. We have played some fairly cool places up this way, and I went to Michigan for the first time ever. That's one more state I can check off on my list of getting to all Fifty. We head home in a few days, and I am excited to be headed that way. I am looking forward to seeing my wife again, and my little boy, who just now hit 4 months old. He is starting to make some great faces and spectacular noises. I can't wait to see it all in person.

Before I reach home though, we have two more dates in green bay, Wisconsin to play, a city I have yet to get to. It should be exciting. Then It's of to the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville for a week. A very fun and entertaining gig, to say the least. I am excited to be able to get back there to play again, a venue with full sound and light production, and it's just plain fun!

Simply Sibley

2007-09-29T03:45:00.000-05:00

Last night we played, truly, in the middle of nowhere. I can not say I have been in a town of this size, or with this kind of story, until now. The town is Sibley, North Dakota. Population; 50. The single road in town: maybe a half mile in length. No stop signs, no stop lights. Just a short almost half mile stretch of road. The business card for Sibley boasts such amenities in the town like, cable t.v., sewer, water, electricity, gasoline, and trailer parking. The town does have a dance hall (once used as a roller rink), a bar, a diner, a convenience store, a motel, and a volunteer fire department, for all 54 buildings on the 16 acres of town limits.

Now how did this town originate? well, a sweet 93 (almost 94) year old lady who goes by the name "toots", came with her husband in the late fifties. There is a reservoir, or lake, here, and there were always people fishing. She and her husband bought 16 acres, and they built a little cafe. They thought the cafe would be great for the fishermen, and other area hunters. They built the dance hall, to entertain people, being the closest venue for at least an hour or so in almost every direction. It became a town when she and her husband wanted to serve liquor, but the larger county/town they were a part of would not give them a license. So, they incorporated and became the town of Sibley, North Dakota.

The motel on the premises also happens to be where "toots" lives now. You walk through the door marked Office, and enter into he living room and kitchen area. There are about five rooms upstairs, including the apartment she lives in. You could probably refer to this as more of a 'lodge' of sorts. The town might span a total of a half mile on the main two-laned rural highway that runs by the town. there is a sign denoting you are entering Sibley, and in about four van lengths you have passed through to the other side.

We played in the historic "dance land" dance hall. there was a robust crowd of about 20 plus people, including out of town visitors, and workers, and the three police officers who stood in the back for a few hours. I was privileged to talk with one of the local farmers, who owned some cattle just the other side of the lake, and he said the reason we were so low in attendance numbers was because of all the harvesting going on. He proceeded to tell me that this weekend was a big harvest weekend, for the soybean crop especially, and that there were combines all over the place harvesting, and sure enough, on our way out of that area this morning, en route to Sioux Falls, I saw a lot of combines harvesting. Now, I have played gigs where we competed against football games, school events, and even pig wrestling tournaments and tractor pulls, but never for harvesting. That's a first.

Sadly, we were not able to stay in Sibley, at the motel. We got bumped before we got there. They had scrounged to put together some rooms for us, and then while we were deciding what to do, let one of the rooms, thus ending our chances of stay in historic Sibley. It goes without saying I think, but "toots" and her husband literally owned the whole town up until about four months ago. They auctioned off parts of the town, the dance hall, bar, diner, etc. now she just lives and works a little at the motel.

I have to admit, it was an interesting piece of history to walk into, here some stories, meet some locals, and then before we knew it we were in the van, driving to Valley City for the night, asking ourselves if it was a real experience. It was so brief a time that it could have been very well imagined. All except for the post card tucked away in the cover of the book I just finished, where the entire town is captured in an aerial shot, and not one of those far away ones, but close enough to make out details of the buildings, and some surrounding land to lend itself to a scenic backdrop.

For grins, and more 'news-worthy' reading on the town,check out this article, and take a look at the pictures from the booming metropolis of Sibley, North Dakota. In the meantime, enjoy these pictres that catalog our brief visit to this humble town.

(you can click on the pictures to see a larger version of what you see here)

The Motel in Sibley.

The view down the street in Sibley fromt he driveway of the motel.

The pier that leads out into the lake, peacful, simple.

Self portrait in front of the bar/diner/convience store. They had amzingly good pizza though, who would've thought?

The view on the main road by town. the people you see in the distance, center to the left, that is about where the other sign is. You are leaving Sibley at that point.

Busted

2007-09-20T14:31:00.000-05:00

Last night was our second night in a run of six nights at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota. The last time we played here, the band was still fairly new. Myself, the guitar player, and our bass player at the time had been with Mickey and Chris for a matter of days at that point. Needless to say, it sounds much better this time around. However, crisis decided to strike at the drumset last night.

Part way through the second set, I blew out a bass drum head. We only had two more songs left to go. We stopped after one of the songs, and I pulled out a roll of tape, taped the head a million times over, and then continued on with the set. Fortunately I had an extra head with me, so on the set break, I changed out the head and fixed it up to sound as good as new. It was a rush though, I was worried that the tape was going to give in the last two tunes before I got to change it out!

Below are a few pictures of the busted head. You can see the hole the beater put through it, and you can see my quick patch job with the tape.

The Repair job from the front side of the head.

The Repair job from the other side of the head.

The hole that made the bass drum sound no more.

Another shot of the bass drum head disaster.

Fire Side Lake Gazing

2007-09-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

So here's the scene:

It's 2:30 on a saturday morning. the sky is crystal clear over Lake Metigoshe in Bottineau, North Dakota. The stars hang like suspended party lights, twinkling just out of reach, casting their light down on the fields and little lake cabins. The fire pit is roaring to life as a truck load of wood is unloaded directly into the fire pit. the blaze is enormous, moving the branches of the nearby tree from the heat waves bursting upwards. my back is warm facing the fire, making it possible for me to stare out over the land and the lake, taking in as much of the entire sky at once as I can. I shift my head from side to side, try to make my eyes grow larger so that I can see more of it in one glance. The milky way grows distinctly clear, like something out of a discovery channel show, mottled with star clusters and distant galaxies.

The band congregates around the fire pit, with the owner of the bar, and two of his staff. The back of the truck holds the stash of bottled beer. Tops pop off and are discarded into the hungry fire as they are passed around, laughter breaks out as someone recounts events form the night, the truck stereo recounts familiar country tunes from the cab. The wind blows air off the lake, whipping around the corner of our little lake house, frigid air, chilly, and if you stray too far form the fire, you get cold. or, if you're like me, in flip flops and shorts, you feel the distinct sting of the wind whipping around your legs, and over your toes. It heightens my senses, feeling the cold, breathing in the fresh air, wood smoke occasionally being blown past my face so as to mingle with the scent of water and star kissed night air.

It is invigorating standing out on the edge of the lake, chilly toes, a mass of never ending stars stretching over my head, a fire roaring at my back, and life vibrating through the air in every burst of laughter. There is something in nature, in the woods, in the land, that I connect with, and am reminded of the beauty of everything around me, and ironically enough, it happens most frequently at night, huddled around a campfire, so that upon waking the next morning, those feelings of life coursing through my veins, remind me to look around, at the dew on the grass, the wind on the lake waves, the sky as it rolls over the fields of hay and sunflowers. I reminded to enjoy life, and to experience it, to take it in, and taste it. So tonight, I am retiring early, or earlier than the rest of the frolicking fire party, so that I can rise in the morning, to catch a glimmer of the day as it unfolds upon these northern lands.

Like A Breath Of Fresh Air

2007-09-09T23:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we drove from Indianapolis, Indiana to Holcombe, Wisconsin. It was a good eight hour plus drive. When we arrived into the Holcombe area, things began to look familiar. It was here in wisconsin that I flew in the small ultra-lite plane that I wrote about. We spent several days in this area earlier in the tour, playing a couple of venues here, and other memories of my previous travels flooded my mind. However, one in particular stands out.

We had just finished playing at the Pine Drive Resort. All the gear was loaded back into the green van, and we were heading out in a variety of vehicles to return to various houses. I was the lone passenger in a small white van that was destined to return to the Nielsen's residence (John was the pilot of my plane ride). I left the venue and started the forty minute or so drive back to their place, driving along the country two laned roads that don't have any real names. I relaxed into the seat, settling in for the long drive alone.

The drive was lonesome. It was dark, deserted, and I may have seen two cars on my entire drive back. The sky opened up above me and stretched as far as I could look, an endless canopy of stars hanging over my head as I tore trough the night in the little white van. I began searching the radio dial for some music to help occupy my mind, and I found the local NPR station, just as it started playing a fairly intense symphony. I stopped the dial there, and turned it up. Now, the only seats in this van were the two captain chairs in the front, one which I was driving from, and the rest of the van was empty behind me. So I did what any sensible person would do, I turned the music up a little, and sent it to the back speakers. This caused the symphony to sound like it was being performed in the van, like I was sitting at the concert hall watching them play. I could see the bow strokes of the violins and cellos, I could see the conductor waving his arms and watch as the players responded with their instruments.

I drove the whole way back, the orchestra echoing through the back of the van, the stars shimmering above me, and nothing but trees, and small lakes dotting the landscape as I hurried through the night. It was pleasant, and surreal. It was magical, as if all time had stopped, and except for the humming of the tires, I was standing still, gazing at the blanket of stars, the thick band of the milky way, the added stars due to the lack of any surrounding lights, the planet continuing to turn beneath me, showing me different parts of the sky, all the while creeping towards the sun again. At that point, the drive could have taken me hours and I would not have noticed, but instead it came to a quick end. I pulled into the Nielsen's driveway, climbed out of the van, and met them on the back patio for some after concert refreshments and late night banter.

--------------------
Last night, after we pulled into the Holcombe area, I had the pleasure of sitting outside, on the edge of a lake, campfire roaring in front of me, cool wind blowing at my back, and I got to just breathe in the smells. The temperature was somewhere in the lower 50's, which made the fire seem that much hotter, and the sky, when the clouds cracked open for a peek at what was behind them, revealed the same dusting of stars, still hanging right where I left them. It was pleasant, and cold. But I could not have picked a better time of year to return to this area. I love being outdoors, feeling the change of season as it happens around me. It's almost as it happens in me at the same time, parts of me sloughing off like leaves falling to the ground, and the cool breezes that bring in the northern winds, cleansing my mind and centering my attention on the present, heralding the beginning of stark beauty, and possibly snow.

Today we leave here, heading to North Dakota for a week. I am looking forward to a week in the Northern states, and I am eager with want to walk outside, around the lakes we'll be at, through the trees, and to be able to lay down and look at the stars, all the while bundled up as chilly arctic winds race across my face. Don't worry, I'll fill you in on all the fun adventures to be had :0)

Two Short Book Reviews

2007-08-29T14:51:00.001-05:00

For those who are avid readers, I have jsut finished two books that I have highly enjoyed. The first being Neil Peart's Ghost Rider. A great travelouge about the years he spent recovering from the death of his Wife and Daughter, within a year of each other. The book consists largely of letters he writes to his friends, but contains lots of insights into Neil, and how he dealt with all the tragedy, and is dealing still, with it. He is the drummer for RUSH, but at the time of the tragedies, he stopped drumming, and stopped playing with RUSH. He had to rebuild his love for drumming from the ground up.

The second book is Positively False by Floyd Landis. He won the Tour de France the year after Lance Armstrong retired. However, he was caught up in a doping scandal where they all but stripped him of the Gold Medal. This book is his story, how he was falsley accused, and how the labs messed up the test in countless ways, and how he started to fight his case, and was met with igh resistence from the agency that governs all of the doping in sports. It reads well, much like you were having a conversation with Floyd himself, and it gives an interesting insight into the world of Cycling, and doping, and some of the doping agencies mis-management of it's abilities and influence on the sport of cycling. If you're an avid cyclist, or fan of the sport, pick up this one for sure, it's really good.

Brooklyn, New York

2007-08-29T14:45:00.000-05:00

New York City has it's charms, and today I get to experience them. We have a day off today, which is nice, even though we have only played two shows, we have done a great deal of driving to get to those two shows, so it is nice to be able to sit and relax a bit. The band has rented a little flat in Brooklyn, New York, a rather cute little place with it's small kitchen area, hardwood floors, windows overlooking the neighborhood streets and winding staircase to take you back and forth from the city to the rooms we sleep in.

We played last night at the Rodeo Bar. What a place! It was a fun show. It was unique in that we got to see a lot of the past 'ranchhands' that have played with the band. Justin, their old bass player sat in with us for a couple of tunes, and it was a blast! It was fun to mix it up some with different players, keeps us on our toes! After last night, I have spent the morning sleeping (much needed!) and then I walked a few blocks down the street to hit up a jamaican cafe. I am a sucker for jamaican meat patties, and they have some excellent ones, I must say. Their jerk chicken meat patties are excellent!

Today has been fun, just living in New York. My favorite way to experience a town is to live in it, whether it be here in the states, or abroad in Europe. My favorite memories and experiences come from just experiencing the day to to day life in a place, eating with locals, not touristy shops, and all in all, blending in to the surrounding faces. I realized last night, as we pulled into New York, how much culture there is here. How many people there are, that have immigrated from various other countries, and have all congregated here in New York. All the different varieties of foods, and shops that are available to you, all the distinct 'districts' in New York, each with their own cultural influence from a particular nationality or region of the world . . . It is mind boggling how many different cultures are here, melding into one.

I can not help but admire the almost distinct european influence in the architecture of the buildings, side by side, sharing walls, much like flats in england, or germany, and the narrow streets in places, tightly squeezed between the tower of brick, concrete and steel, and even the very much so 'center of the world' feeling one gets, from the business aspect that takes place here (wall street etc.) to just the different languages and dress you see walking down the street. To me, it is extremely fascinating.For now though, I will continue to kick back, exploring a little, and in general resting up for the next three days worth of shows and travel that are approaching.

Harboring Entertainers since 1894

2007-08-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

Maine. A gorgeous, rustic, almost early settler feel to the entire state. It brings out the romantic in me, driving past all of the B&B's, small cottages for rent, and Inns with that classic New England charm. The trees grow lush, thick and green on the sides of the road, crawling over the rocky surface on the coast, thriving on the rich soil just inland, and giving a backdrop for the white sails and masts of the sailboats lazily rocking in the harbors. The coast is dotted with small shacks, adorned with old nets, lobster cages, floats, oars and other assorted nautical niceties, and then the small little towns arise out of the forest, and we drive through the small narrow streets, bordered by white picket fences with small flower gardens spilling out like a box of crayons, shades of blues and purples turning into reds and yellows. The small cottages and New England houses sit just above the gardens, heralding my mind to think on how long these small houses have been here, and withstood the winds and storms that the sea, which lies just on the other side of the street, has brought to their doorstep, unrelentingly at times.

We pulled into the Boothbay Harbor Opera House on Monday afternoon, ready to load in all the gear for sound check, and it was amazing. The Opera House was built in 1894, and is still standing and functioning today as a performance venue for musical acts and theater performances. I took some time to walk around the vast expanse of this building, walking through the balcony, exploring the upstairs rooms, and of course spending plenty of time standing on stage looking out into the room. It was surreal, standing in an opera house this old. The only time I have been in anything similar was in Europe, and it was fun, and exciting thinking that this building was here in the states, just a short jaunt up the coast.

After we set up and checked, I of course indulged in some lobster on the docks for lunch, and then set off exploring the quaint town of Boothbay Harbor. There shops bursting at the seams with all kinds of tourist trinkets and souvenirs, and tucked in between them, a great coffee house that I sat in catching up on emails and in general enjoying the breeze off the harbor and resting in one of their many overstuffed chairs.

The show went extremely well, especially for a first show back on the road. We were well received by the crowd, who tot heir credit, were extremely gracious in their applause, and even gave a standing ovation after one of my favorite tunes to play (Paradise). It was quite the experience, to play in a building with such great history, just imagining all the performers who came before us, and who will play there after us. The show quickly has become one of my top ten favorite shows on this tour, for the building of course, and all the great people that came to see us, and talked with us afterwards.

Thank you Boothbay Harbor for your generous reception and your most wonderful New England hospitality. I can not wait until we get the chance to come back to visit again.

The Boothbay Harbor Opera House

Looking out from behind the drums into the house

A Change of Weather

2007-08-24T22:47:00.000-05:00

It is the eve before I leave again for tour. The house is quiet, save for the last few rumbles of thunder that remind us of the rain shower that has just passed through. The first rain since I have been home, and fitting too, as it makes us all want to do nothing more than curl up inside our cozy house, and spend time together. My little baby boy is in his crib, savoring the last few moments of awareness before he (hopefully) drifts off into sleepy land for the night. My dog is curled up at my feet, resting from her efforts of the day, and my wife and I sit side by side, playing computer lab.

I am anxious to get back on the road tomorrow. We are headed to the northeast into some gorgeous country, and, cooler weather. I am excited to play shows in some of my favorite states, and to be able to play near some friends whom I have not seen in a while. I am just excited to be playing again. After two weeks off, I finally feel like my brain is rested enough to be creative once again, and to be able to lay a strong pocket feel for the rest of the band to lock into. It's what I live for, playing. It is as much a part of my life as my little baby boy is. I can't ignore it, or be away from it for long.

I know tonight, I will lay awake in my bed, feeling the cool air of the fan blowing over me, listening . . . listening to the sounds of the house which I will not hear for some time, like the sound of my son crying for his pacifier, or the thunder rumbling through the backyard, or the refrigerator turning on, and off, or the air conditioner as it comes to life and pushing cool air through all the rooms, or even the opening and closing of the front door to let someone in, or out. I have grown to love these sounds, and I know that I will also miss them. But for now, it is time to go kiss my son again on the forehead, tuck him snugly into his crib, and then to retire to bed myself, to spend the last few moments awake tonight listening . . .

Until next time -

The Nashville Update

2007-08-11T13:52:00.000-05:00

I have been home for five days now.

It seems like so much less than that. I still feel like I just rolled into town. Worse than that, I feel like I am about to go crawl back into the van at any moment, to head off for the next leg of the tour. It's weird trying to adjust to normal life again, especialyl when adjusting to what is normal now, is different than what normal was when I started the tour.

I came home to my gorgeous wife, and my amazing little boy. It has been nice to take evening strolls with them, walking admist the stifling heat of nashville, and enjoying the conversations with my wife accompanied by the coo's of my son. It just doesn't get much better, well, maybe it could get a little cooler. I have also been been spending the week playing drums at the Wildhorse Saloon here in Nashville. We still have tonight, sunday night, and monday night left to play at the wildhorse, and then we all get a much needed week and half or so break from the pace of the road. A NICE treat, trust me! My clothes are all finally clean, at the same time, and my suitacse and accesory road bags are all lying empty, after all, the luggage probably needs the break as much as I do!

I have been searching for the next line-up of books that I am planning to read on the next leg of the trip. It starts in late august, and will run until the end of September, a good long one, so I have been hard at work prepping what books to read. I have planned a good selecion thus far (it may change a little before I leave) of books that are fluff (like harry potter), books that are educational (i.e. some history or soemthing like that), some classic books ( slaughter house five, etc.), and a thinking book or two (c.s. lewis and so forth). This should about conquer my need for material on the road. the booklist as it stands right now (stacked beside the bag they will go in) includes:

Band of Brothers            By Stephen E. Ambrose
The Wall: A Peoples Story       By Christopher Hilton
Slaughterhouse Five          By Kurt Vonnegut
Cat's Cradle         By Kurt Vonnegut
The Great Divorce        By C.S. Lewis
Bird by Bird         By Anne Lamott
A Seperate Peace        By John Knowles
The Places In Between       By Rory Stewart
Reading Lolita in Tehran       By Azar Nafisi
When the Legends Die       By Hal Borland
The Catcher in the Rye      By J.D. Salinger
Poe     A collection of Edgar Alan Poe's poetry

So, I am off to hold my son some more, and prep what things I need for tonight's show. If you're in nashville this weekend, be sure to come check us out! it is a great room for a full scale production, so it looks cool and sounds cool! Check back here later for some pictures of the growing little boy soon . . .

until next time -

All Things Nebraska and Beyond

2007-08-06T00:20:00.000-05:00

My eyes scan the horizon as another fading yellow dashed line slides beneath the shape of the van as it eats up the blacktop stretching across the vast distances. Asphalt gives way to concrete bridges often, as the rivers crisscross underneath us. Stunning views of picturesque, winding water ways, flattening the landscape they inhabit into shimmering blue mosaics. Here, the Platte river, the object of many a Louis L'amour novel, there the Snake river, sliding past the base of the rockies, carving it's way through the mountains, now the Colorado river, a good ways above the canyon that captivates so many, and as we continue driving, that mighty river becomes smaller, and smaller, and smaller, until at one bridge crossing the sign calls it the Colorado Creek. My eyes catch an unusual shimmer in the water, and as I look more closely, I notice the small beaver dams, made of small sticks from the scruffy brush that dots the landscape. the small creek bends beside the road, and another beaver dam appears visible for a moment, the twigs sticking out the top at rakish angles, the bulk of the dam well constructed, as if designed by a aster craftsman.

The creeks and rivers dwindle, giving way to grassier plains, and prairie dogs, standing alert on their small mounds of earth, kicked up from below, scraped, pushed, and placed around their dens, to make an excellent post for watching, surveying their domains. I shift my gaze from alongside the large bay window in the van to look further down the road. My eyes are greeted by the light tan color of antelope, grazing alongside the interstate. Their faces, white, black and tan in color, scanning the grassland as they feed, watching the cars, watching each other, and chewing. A few miles farther up, on the other side of the road, two antelope run forward in a full sprint, slowing as we rush past them in a speeding fury of green metal.

I settle back into my seat, satisfied. Seeing antelope, prairie dogs, beaver signs and numerous rivers, I can't help but thinking of Africa. I feel like I have just visited the savannah, Impalas and Gazelles spring up in front of us, meercats running to and fro, digging deeper in their dens, and watering holes providing life for all who visit. My mind wanders from Africa and it's seemingly primitive lifestyle, to the early settlers of the west, how they had to cross the streams and rivers, with much more difficulty, to make the same progress west as we are making. The antelope herds would have made good hunting for dinner, along with buffalo that ma have roamed here. Beaver dams would have made excellent bath tubs or swimming holes for hot weary travelers, and the Prairie dogs would have been entertainment for all who watched the scurrying to and fro of these little princes of the prairie.

These pictures of the west are contrast with the civilized places we stop in. Small towns, isolated from the rest of the states. Life in these places consist of farming, and all that goes along with it. We run across great works of art, manmade marvels like Carhenge. Just outside of the small town of Alliance, Nebraska is a replica of the world famed Stonehenge made completely out of old automobiles painted stone gray. All makes and models are here, sedans, gremlins, farm trucks and the like. This monument is also surrounded by the accompanying 'car art reserve'. Other cars, painted, sunk into the ground, put together into an art 'series' of sorts decorate the grounds around Carhenge.

In the town of Chadron, Nebraska we ran across a music store, sporting on their sign that they also offer services and goods relating to muzzleloading and archery. I can't think of a store that would be more of a one stop shop for it all than that! We have eaten at almost every conceivable taco restaurant chain in the search of the perfect paper wrapped taco. And now, the western landscapes, the prairies, the streams and rivers, the prevalent wildlife, the rustic feeling of small towns and life on the farm give way to major causeways, large concrete overpasses, billboards advertising every service within a 20 mile radius and cities full of brick, concrete and steel.

Today we started the long journey home. Driving from Alliance, Nebraska to Nashville, Tennessee. I long to be home, to find rest within the walls of my house, to feel my own pillows underneath my head and to be able to hold my son in my arms again, listening to his coo's and watching his face scrunch up at random moments, but I will miss the vast emptiness of the west.

Carhenge

More Carhenge

One of my favorite Carhenge shots - I love the truck and the Gremlin.

A cool dashboard shot from a different car

A Tire from one of the car "art" pieces

Car "Art" on the grounds

Music store sign in Chadron, Nebraska

The Bookshelf Update

2007-07-31T13:19:00.000-05:00

I just wanted you to know, I have updated The Bookshelf (see link to the left) with the books I am reading and have recently finished on this leg of the tour. I also have updated the books that I am planning to read on the next leg of the tour. Here is where you come in. I have scant few books to read, at the rate I am reading anyways, and I am looking for some more good books to read. I read just about anything, westerns, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, travelougues, and the like. Check out my books I have read to get a better idea if you want.

It would be super cool if you would take the time, and reply to this post, giving me some of your favorite book titles. I will be home in abaout a week, and I plan to buy, scrounge my bookshelves, and visit the local library to pick up whatever I can in the written literature department. So drop me a comment and let me know what books I should be reading over the month of september! I'll even plan to maybe write a little review and post it on the blog when I finish them. Thanks in advance!

After a full days work -

2007-07-30T21:58:00.000-05:00

It's the end of July, and we are at the end of a 4 week run of shows. We left Nashville at the beginning of July, played in Colorado, Arizona, California, Wyoming, and we still have a Nebraska date and about three more Wyoming dates. However, for the time being, we are off. We drove into Silverthorne, Colorado Sunday afternoon, and have until Wednesday, to do nothing. It's nice, at the end of so many weeks of traveling, playing, loading, unloading, setting up, tearing down, and driving again, to have a few days where we can relax, in the same place. We are staying in a rental condo with a spectacular view up in the rockies (see the pictures below).

It was nice to wake up this morning, our windows open to the cool fresh mountain air finding its way to where we slept. I made a cup of hot tea, sweetened with honey, and walked out onto the boardwalks in the community area. I walked around the walks, sipping my tea, until I happened upon a small clearing, with two swings hanging off a board, attached to two tall pines, and a bench, carved out of an enormous log, set off to the side. It was chilly, the air blowing through the trees, the canopy absorbing the morning sun before it could reach me, increasing the feel of the morning chill against my skin. I wrapped hand around the mug for a little warmth, took a sip, and drank in the beauty of the crisp blue mountains that were slowly revealing themselves. They appeared out of the fog, one by one, their edges slicing through the thick mist, and as easily as it cut through it, it pushed it aside and strode forth into the day, taking up their watchful places over the lake.

The day only got better, as I was able to talk to my wife for a good long morning chat, catching up on the past day or so, and reconnecting, exchanging stories about our son, and stories about traveling around the western U.S. I returned the condo to the smell of cooking bacon, grits and eggs, and after heartily consuming the home cooked breakfast, I strolled back out to look at the mountains, having gone from a blueish hue, to revealing a splendid show of greens, browns, light purple patches of flowers, and only the hint of blue as it touched the very tips of the snow adorned peaks in the distance across the now brilliantly shimmering lake.

It feels so good to have some time off, and in such an amazing place, full of creation's splendor. Amen.

Sunday Night, looking out from the condo's balcony.

This is what I am looking at as I type this entry . . . just gorgeous

A view from the parking lot, no less stunning than anywhere else here.

The Definition of Lonesome

2007-07-26T19:40:00.000-05:00

We are currently driving along the rural highways of Wyoming, somewhere between Jackson Hole and Rawlins. It is not surprising that many people have heard of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and it is not equally surprising that not many people have heard of Rawlins, Wyoming. The residents of Jackson Hole themselves described Rawlins as, 'in the middle of nowhere'. Now, Jackson Hole is nice and swank, but it is by far no booming metropolis. The road we are currently driving is two lanes, dashed lines mediating the center, directing the tenants of highway 191 when they can safely pass. The clouds boil up from the horizon like a stuffed animal exploding from the seems, cotton spilling upward and outward like a roaring volcano stuck in mid-blast. The landscape is vacant. We are followed by a procession of elusive mountains to our left, and to the right we are flanked by fields adorned with small pines and fence posts that have been forgotten by those who erected them long ago, memories of life pressed into the earth, one by one, connected, by a few strands of wire.

The town of Farson, Wyoming rushes upon us, it is here before we know it, population 325, and as quick as it revealed itself to us, we left it behind without a second thought, wheels churning beneath my seat, images of life glinting past the sun streaked windows. A farmer, swinging a blade through the tall grass; An old church standing proudly by the side of the road, the old trees towering over the short building, brown with white steeple; telephone poles carrying the voices of loved ones to meet the awaiting ears at the other end, eager; Hay bales stacked, six enormous squares high in two neat rows of twenty or more, tightly packed into the postage stamp size space they appear to occupy amidst the vast and further reaching plains.

Highway 191 stretches before us as we top the hill, like a ribbon, drawn out on the prairie before us, that the wind has blown into smooth curves and rippled contours against the rolling backdrop of nothing. Cattle occasionally come into view, raising a dust trail through the sparse ground cover, moving in a line, following each other from one side of the day to the next, no apparent destination or point of origination, just a movement, a shimmer of light, beside this lonesome road.

Puddle jumping from 1000 feet

2007-07-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

We are currently in San Fransisco at the moment, or rather, just southeast, in Fremont, California. What gorgeous country! Th weather is void of humidty, a cool 80-ish degrees, and a breeze almost constantly blowing. I am loving the scenery, the air, the sights, and of course, playing music on the west coast. The mexican food out here tastes better (it MIGHT have something to do with the proximity to mexico) and everything just feels surreal most of the time.

I was fortunate enough to have some extra time on my hands yesterday. I had already eaten breakfast, had an amazing muscle relaxing dip in the hot tub, swam some laps in the pool, and then did some much needed laundry. The downside, is that the dryer was not themost efficent, and lots of quarters later, Instead of wet clothes, I know had hot and steamy wet clothes. I was so excited. I then turned my hotel room into a makshift dryer. Clothes were hanging off the lamps, the dresser drawers were open, each bearing it's own draping of shirts, shorts and the like. the luggage rack became a dryer for socks, and still mroe t-shirts. The shower curtain rod and all available towel racks were draped in blossoming colors of cotton shirts and faded denim, all racing to reach the samme goal: dry clothes. I decided to look through my pictures, update the flickr site (check out the latest in stateside pictures) and that's when I stumbled upon puddle jumping pictures.

The even happened while we were still in the north, Wisconsion to be exact. I had stayed overnight with a friend who was helping us out (van trouble, of course!). It was to my delight to wake up, and to find out that we were planning on going to visit the rest of the band, who had stayed at our booking agents house, about a 30 minute drive or so. The story got even more exciting when we pulled the car into a field, with about six small airplane hangars. We rolled up in front of one of the non descript white washed hangar, rolled back the door, and started fueling up a small plane, commonly reffered to as a puddle-jumper. This little gem could take off and land on runways, or water. We taxied out of the hangar, and took off from a smooth close cropped field of crass, bordered by crops of corn, and took off into the blue sky.

We flew about 500 - 1000 feet above the ground, and the cockpit was open, so you got the full effect of the wind and wir rushing around you, enveloping you, and then leaving as fast as it rushed upon your face. I got to see a great deal of Wisconsin from the air, and it is gorgeous. I saw lakes, hand carved by the glaciers from coutnless years before, tall pines, winding roads, and wildlife moving about as if no one was watching. We finally approached a long slender lake after about 15 minutes of flying, and turned into it. the pilot dropped the plan, skimming the top of the lake, just above the height of a boat riding along the surface of the lake, and followed the shore line for a good distance. we flew past the dock where the rest of the ranchhands were, turned once, and put down in the lake, splashing water, showering up alongside the skids like a cool curtain of white froth rushing upwards as if the waterfall it came from was flowing towards the sky. We taxied to the dock, tied up and hopped out and continued visitng with friends and bandmates, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

I have to admit, the way to fly is in a small plane like that, and to land in a lake. it was so smooth, and so gentle, and so relaxing. It totally changes the meaning of 'a day on the lake' for me!

The plane that would take me on an aerial tour of the great state of Wisconsin. Notice the prop is in the back of the plane, just behind the seat where I was sitting! What a rush . . .

And here we are, tied up at the dock on the lake. Never thought I would see this in a million years . . . i guess stranger things could happen.

Like a Sea Without a Shore

2007-07-16T12:32:00.000-05:00

So as mentioned in my last post, I have pictures up from the drive we took through the painted desert and the petrified forest. Let me just be the first to say, that it was incredible. The vast expanse of land, and space, that opened up before us, in a dizzying array of reds, tans, creams, browns, and even blues. It was hard to believe that it was real. I heard someone say once that it was like creation yawning in front of them. It was. The ground opened up before us, stretching from where we stood to some undetermined distance, with birds sailing the winds like ships on the sea, forging ahead from one shore to the next, with silent wings rustling with each breath of hot desert air.

The petrified forest was immense, and so pre-historic . . . To see all the trees, once like what we are used to, now turned to hard stone, so hard, that only a diamond saw can cut through them, or a piece of dynamite. There were canyon floors littered with the remains of this trees, and standing form the vantage points above, looking down on these immense boulders, that were once alive, still fills me with a sense of awe. I only have the pictures I took, and the images that are burned into my brain, and the memories of emotion flooding over me as I looked over this small piece of such a vast area. I can only Imagine what the Grand Canyon looks like.

After leaving the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest, We hit Holbrook, a little town on the Historic Route 66. We ate breakfast the next morning at a quaint restaurant that was in the historic trail books and then lit out for Pine-top Arizona and the Hon-Dah Casino (which in apache means welcome). We spent the last week there, playing for the patrons of the Apache reservation casino. It was a fun time. The crowds were great, and there were extra shouts of encouragement during songs like, Seminole Wind. It was an interesting cultural experience, living for a week on a reservation (in a manner of speaking) and being around native americans. People who look like what we learned about in school growing up.

After visiting a lot of the reservations out here, or rather, driving through them, I feel horrible for exiling all the native americans to these places. the reason they are there, is because no one else could possibly want these lands. They are dry, hot barren, and you have to work to make a life feasible out there. Not really the cushy american dream. It was definitely worth the drive though. so much gorgeous scenery.

We left the Hon-dah Casino, and drove west, through Phoenix, and on I-10 to L.A. California. To do so, we drove through the desert, and by desert, I mean desert. Hot, heat, roasting, cooking desert. The landscape was moon like, and lifeless. The hills were rocky, brown, barren, almost scorched looking by the sun, they looked uninhabitable. The land beside the road that met the base of these hills was full of sand, and small scrub bushes (which I think were stupid for trying to make a life there for themselves) and cacti. I saw so many types of cactus and almost every variety of succulent it was amazing. These are plants I have only seen dressed up in cute containers at Home depot or Wal-mart, never in their natural environment.

The funny thing is, our AC decided to not function in the desert. It was 110 degrees (or more) and we drove for roughly 3 hours, hot air blowing through the vents, sweat pouring down our faces, our arms, soaking our shirts, and a bag of micorwave popcorn sitting on the dashboard. We tried to get it to pop, we were all convinced that it was hot enough, so we set it in the sun, on a nice warm spot on the dashboard, but alas, no popcorn was to be had (but how funny would it have been if it had popped).

A good while after we passed the sign stating we were in the middle of the desert (no joke), we arrived in L.A. in one piece, all of us at least five pounds lighter, and checked into a hotel with plenty of cold showers and lots of cold, cold AC. What a glorious end to our trip across the "sea with out a shore". It was pretty (hot) and amazing scenery. I could not imagine walking across it though. wow-
(click on the picture to see a much larger view of the desert scenery)

The Historic Route 66 Restaurant.

Route 66 . . . Just to prove I was there

Desert looking out the front of the van. Note the Cacti.

Blurred Shots of my favorite cactus, the Saguaro Cactus.

More Desert . . .

Stateside Flickr Update

2007-07-09T00:54:00.000-05:00

So I must be on a Flickr kick! I have just updated the State pictures in my flickr account so take a peek. You can see our trip through the petrified forest, the painted desert and our time in Durango Colorado! Just Follow This Link!

Flickr Update!

2007-07-07T18:28:00.000-05:00

Hello all!

So just to let you know, I have finally updated my flickr site with all of my pictures form our europe tour. To look at them all, just click on the flickr photos link under the link section to the left, and then go to the europe album. They may not be in order of the trip (that will take more time) but they are finally all up there and you can view them and see where I have been! Have fun checking them out, and I will probably have some pictures up soon from the western leg of the tour. I hope to have new pictures up as soon as I can.

Until next time . . .

My Surprised Eyes Might See

2007-07-07T00:36:00.000-05:00

Today was a travel day, from Oklahoma City to Durango, Colorado. To get there we passed through the panhandle of texas, stopping in Amarillo for lunch, and then continuing to Albuquerque, New Mexico before we turned north to Durango. I have been in New Mexico before, only it was for a two week hiking trip through the mountains. It was on that trip that I fell in love with New Mexico. It has to be one of my most favorite states in the U.S.

When I was here last, we flew into the state, and took a bus to where we would start our hike. This time, we drove into the state, and it was a magical moment. Almost from the time we entered New mexico, the scenery went from the flat, almost drab backdrop, to magical. Plateaus rose from the ground, towering High above us, stretching out great lengths along the road. The roadside dirt was covered in scrub oak and the typical western dry looking grasses. The ground would sometimes give way to small depressions, dried up river beds, full of sand and whatever the rains had washed down through those rutted gullies. Small cliffs would break up from the earth, one side angled upwards, the other slicing downwards, rushing back to meet the ground in a fury of rubble and stone that has been cast off by erosion. We met up with a US Highway, hopping off the interstate and followed it back farther into the country we had admiring from a distance. Now we were weaving in and out of the soft hills. every now and then we would startle the landscape by suddenly driving up on a place where it broke away beneath us, a ridge appearing out of nowhere, as we crosse a tributary for a larger river, or even the rio grande itself, and just as fast as it appeared, it would disappear, the landscape melting back into one solid piece of ground, seemingly unbroken by the small crevice we just drove over.

We ate at a mexican restaurant in Cuba, New Mexico, a small town on US Highway 550. It was fresh and full of flavor. As we waited for our food, I talked to Wendy on the phone, gathering the daily update about our son, and watched as the hills across from me turned to a golden hue, lit by the setting son, and then I watched as a rainbow emerged from the ground and arched into the sky. it wasn't long before a second rainbow shimmered, almost coming into full view, leaping from the top of the lion-colored hills. It was gorgeous. And as soon as it appeared, the hills lost their luster, the grey-blue sky closed in on them, erasing the rainbows, one at a time, and I was left with the blaring lights of the gas station across the street to remind me of what I saw.

I love New Mexico.

A Taste of The Ranchhands

2007-07-05T15:31:00.000-05:00

For those who have not seen us perform yet, or even if you have, you can watch a clip of us playing an instrumental called "Paradise" in Grenoble, France. Check it out, leave a comment, let me know what you think!

Romance on the Veranda

2007-07-05T00:31:00.000-05:00

I am sure that 'veranda' is really just a fancy word for porch. I know this because that is where wendy and I sat, one week, and 12 hours after the birth of our son. It was romance all the to the core. She brought out the frosted glasses, I uncorked the bottle with a pop, and we enjoyed sparkling grape juice, sipping it from our ice cold chalices, listening to the classical music wafting up to us from the porch floor between us, as it entertained our ears, and set the mood underneath the orange moon, no hidden behind the trees in a cloud free sky, revealing the stars and planets sparkling in the distance. In the midst of it all, we hear a squeak coming from the midst of the strings, and we are brought back to our new reality, our baby boy is sleeping inside, to the sweet sounds of sleepy strings, and we are listening to it all through a baby monitor.

I am not sure things can get much better than that. The evening is cool and refreshing on our skin, our dog lounges in the dark, just off the porch in the grass, and our ears are ever tuned in to the baby monitor, and every squeak and hiccup that is broadcast simultaneously with the the cd that is playing the baby's room. Wendy's ear is much more attuned and can tell each by each squeak if he is awake or just turning over. This is a good talent for her to have, since he doesn't really cry . . . yet . . .

It's nice having time off at home. Spending my waking moments with my family, enjoying their presence, soaking up the experiences. It makes the traveling side of the job worth it, knowing that when I come home I get to enjoy an amazingly rich time together with my wife, and now my son. The evening of monitoring the baby and sipping sparkling juice on the front porch of our house is forever emblazoned on my mind, and my heart. It is a moment that I will forever associate with home, and life. I enjoy discussing important things like the budget, oil changes and what we need at the store, and I love shooting the breeze about what baby did when we last fed him, or the funny way the dog contorts herself when scratching her back on the lawn, or just making some silly comment that both sends us into fits of laughter, glasses held level so as to not spill a drop of our 'elegant' beverage for the evening.

My eyes close for the evening, seeing the images of my son, hands in front of his face, sleeping, or of my wife laughing under the glow of our veranda light, or my dog demolishing a stick held deftly between her paws. . . and with a smile, like the moon, I drift away into a hidden sleep for the evening -

Small things DO come in small packages

2007-06-27T09:28:00.001-05:00

Wednesday morning, June 27, 4:12 am.

For starters, it is way to late to be up. However, I have the best reason in the world. My wife and I gave birth to a healthy little baby boy Tuesday afternoon just before Noon. I am sitting up late because one, I just got in from playing downtown and showering, and two, I am holding my little munchkin, all swaddled in his blankets, snugly in my arms. Mainly to let my wife get some rest, but also because I missed out on some hold time today since I had to play downtown.

At the time I have no profound thoughts, no deep insights, and nothing of real note to share. Just that. We had a boy, he's cute as can be, and it is lots of fun to sit up late at night/early in the morning holding him, feeling his small warm frame rest against me, feeling each tiny breath as he inhales and exhales.

It's peaceful . . . and it is so late

Wendy and Munchkin Emmett

Rising water in the Red River Valley

2007-06-17T13:26:00.001-05:00

So we left nebraska, headed through south dakota, and then hit north dakota. It was in the stretch in south dakota, just south of Fargo, North Dakota, that I saw some of the most nothing that I had ever seen. Let me explain.

There is an aspect of beauty in nothing, the stark contrast between what we are used to, and what is actually available, or around us. We are amazed at things like the badlands, the grand canyon, the sahara desert and death valley. these are places of seemingly desolate nothing. Yet the remain as subjects of common knowledge for everyone. In the same way that we are drawn to these places, I was drawn to the landscape in South Dakota. the section we were in was green, lush, and wet. It had rained a lot. Creeks were escaping their confining banks, small ponds were aspiring to be great lakes, fences aside the road were mostly submerged and resembled submarine defense lines instead of the division between farms that it represented. Small barns that once stood at the edge of a small field were now boat houses, sitting submerged in the rising water, looking more dilapidated and resembling an old world that has long since passed. There were low hills, coasting up and down one another, sliding between trees and floating over grassy meadows. To the right of the interstate, as the grass became seemingly greener under a grey sky, darkened by the looming storm clouds, a small bright yellow school bus was flying down the adjacent wetted gravel road, speeding past the stunted telephone poles that bore the power lines away into the distance. After a while though, even this scenery becomes normal, and thus it becomes drab sometimes.

The sign marking the continental divide is where my feelings for the place, well, became divided. I went from loving the scenery to looking forward to anything. We passed exits that had the typical green exit sign with the number on it, however, the road off the interstate led down to a stop sign, which met the cross road that struck out away form the interstate in a straight line. Nothing else. no fences, no lights, no gas stations nothing. These exits were not close together either, they were quite a ways apart from each other. One such exit was even as bold to post a blue sign at the exit that declared No Services. I wonder if that meant that the other 'abandoned' exits had some semblance of life hiding around the non-existent corners of those lone stretches of road. Once, the silent stretches of green were broken by a billboard. The billboard read, "Do Your Best" in all caps. there was no other information on the sign, and nothing around.

I still wonder what they could have meant by that (whomever they are). The stretch of road was broken up soon by a small convey of D.O.T. trucks with the shiniest of orange paint jobs announcing their purpose to any curious passerby. I at once was reminded about how far north I was as I noticed the trucks outfitted with snow plows in a few different spots on their chassis. And then we arrived in Fargo for lunch.

We actually drove on a bit further to the town of East Grand Forks, Mn for the evening. We played at the Blue Moose bar and Grill on an outside stage. It overlooked the swollen river that churned underneath the bridge spanning it's growing breadth. The show went well, being jam-packed with energy, and of course, with a very appreciative crowd. Thanks to all the people who came out to catch us play. We loved it and thoroughly enjoyed the eats at the blue moose, as well as the coffee from one of the local shops (thanks for the free wireless!) We hope to see everyone again this fall. There's a good chance we'll be back!

A Day off meets Drum Repairs

2007-06-14T09:16:00.001-05:00

So I am sitting in Nebraska, taking a small break from some much needed drum maintenance, to give you the update. Our van, upon arriving at our first gig in nebraska, suffered some transmission problems. So we are having it looked at. The downside is that it happened on friday, as we rolled into town, after pretty much everything was closed, and right before we were supposed to play, so we couldn't do much about it then. We rented a van for our saturday and sunday shows in Comstock and Lincoln, and are now back in Omaha, chillin'. Our van is being worked on, and today is monday. Fortunately our schedule allowed us a few days off, before our next gig in east grand forks. So we' re just hanging out, taking in some much needed rest, and for me some drum maintenance.

I had a few little things to fix. My floor tom got a loose screw inside, so I had to take the head off, replace the screw, and tighten everything up before replacing and retuning the drum. My main snare drum (I always carry a back-up) had some issues with the snares on the bottom (one of the snares breaking), and the top head has taken some abuse from playing. I don't think I have ever played as hard for as long as I have lately, and so my snare has born the brunt of that. With most of my playing concentrated in such a small area of the head, the head has begun to give some, and started creating almost waves. This probably means that upon arrival in Nashville next week, I will be replacing the head so that it won't blow out on me during a show. I tuned it up and fixed a few top head issues which put the head back into better shape to play on, and now I am hoping that it'll hold for four more gigs. Worst case, I drop back to my back-up snare, I mean that's what its there for right?

In addition to these for real drum maintenance items, I also have some tuning to work out on my toms. I replaced my tom heads just before we left for europe, figuring I would give them plenty of time to sit on the drums and stretch out some naturally before I started playing on them. I spent pretty close to 3 days (i know I am the world's slowest drum tuner!) working on them, refining the tuning, and playing on them. I got the drums tuned in enough that I wasn't embarrassed to play them out anywhere, but I am eager to get the pitches really zeroed in. It shouldn't be too hard, it's just minor tuning now, little touch ups here and there, but something I can do on a day off while I am doing other drum maintenance none-the-less.

So here's to drum repair and good tones from the toms! Thanks for listening to my ramblings about my gear!

The Nebraska Experience

2007-06-14T09:15:00.001-05:00

So our first half of the current run of dates that we are doing, are all in Nebraska. We played Omaha, then went to Comstock, and then played in Lincoln. Three great destinations in this middle america state. Having never been to Nebraska, I was anxious to see what it looked like, and it has it's own unique landscape. I would describe it as the dakotas, only greener. The land is rolling in most places, small valleys and hills rising and falling against each other. Some of these hills end abruptly, cascading down themselves in a rush to reach the valley floor, and some gently slope, in no hurry to go either up or down, just happy to meander through the grasses that adorn them.

Of all the places we have been thus far, Lincoln was the most interesting. We played at a venue called the Pla Mor Ballroom (pronounced play more). It is a small oasis of culture about 10 minutes or so outside of Lincoln. Inside the building is a huge rectangular dance floor, flanked on either side by tables, with booths that look like something you would see at a train station or fancy restaurant lining the walls. There are two stages, one on the long side of the dance floor, and one to it's right, on the end of the rectangle. For the evening festivities, there are two bands that set-up. We set up on the end stage, and Sandy Creek, a local band, set up on the side stage. The evening would progress with each band taking 30 minute sets. We started, then as soon as we hit our last note, Sandy Creek would start up, and the cycle continued for the next 3 or so hours. The interesting part of it all was the dance floor. The floor was packed for most of the night, and people were dancing.

Now, I know some of you are thinking high school prom dancing, or even college party funny dancing, or you might be thinking of line dancing. Well, rest assured, that since it was country night at the ballroom, there was definitely some line dancing, a lot of it, but what was more amazing, were the groups of people that found a way to dance swing style to the tunes, or waltzed, or even did line dances that were more like the train, moving around the room. Some of the dances had parts to them, one group did this, while another did this, and it all played out as if all of these people, mainly college aged kids, were pros and had ben studying the finer points of dance. The guys knew as much as the girls (that never would have happened where i grew up) and they were all totally into it! The dance floor throbbed with energy the entire night, all four hours, people dancing the entire time. some of them must have danced almost non-stop, it was crazy insane! By far one o the most interesting gig dates so far. I have never seen such a small pocket of culture like that, tucked away, especially in an unassuming state like nebraska.

Thanks Pla Mor for the opportunity to play in your great ballroom. Special thanks to Sandy Creek for your music and to all the people who filled the dance floor with energy and excitement. Until next time!

The Great Train Caper

2007-05-31T10:56:00.000-05:00

Trains are an integral part of transportation here in Europe. Most people here have ridden a train,, more than once, and many use them everyday. In the states, not everyone has been on train. So I think I would be correct in saying that it is almost essential in Europe. We have had man days that are just train travel, getting from point A to point B. A short layover here or there, a few train changes, and ta-da, we are in a different city, a different country even. Impressive. These trains have first class and second class seating. bigger, better seats in one, and smaller, lesser seats in the other. There are bathrooms on the train, a mini-bar on the second floor of some (yes, some of the trains have two levels to them). On the longer trains, there is even a restaurant car (white christmas anyone?). They are truly amazing, and I even enjoyed all the time I spent on the trains, I mean, where else can you blog AND travel to a different country on a daily basis? There is famous train ride that sticks out in my mind.

We had a train change at one of the many train stations we stopped in. There was just enough time to get from one train to the next with all of our miscellaneous bags and instruments in tow. We made it on time to the train we were trying to catch, thankfully. However, some of us had jumped on the train and placed our bags in one of the train cars, only to find that the available seating for us was about two cars farther back. A few of us got on with our bags and were able to secure them near our seats on the same train. Our lead singer, Mickey, was one of the unfortunate few who was not able to get his bag on our train car. After being on the train for several hours, and letting several people get off at various stops, Mickey decides that he wants to move his bag to our car for ease of retrieval when we need to get off the train (sometimes these exits had to be fast, seeing as the train stopped for a minute, maybe two). His plan was to hop off the train at the next stop, grab his bag from the next car up, and bring back to ours. The reason he didn't just bring it down the aisle of the train, was because it was too congested, and the bag would never had made it. It would be much easier to unload the bag, and reload one train car back, where we were sitting.

Mickey had asked for help, to reload his bag, so that he would not be left behind by accident. So, the train comes to a stop at the station, Mickey hops off the train to retrieve his bag, While myself, Charlie, and our friend Valerie go to the train door to help him load his bag back on. What Mickey did not know, is that instead of going to the door closest to us, we want one car back, in the opposite direction from his bag and where we were sitting, and hopped off to help. We waited, till we saw him puling his bag down the walkway, and pausing to put on what would have been the correct car. Instead, we yelled for him, convincing him that we were standing at the right car. Mickey laughed saying, " Boy, I almost put my bag on the wrong car, That would have stunk!". We all agreed that putting his bag on the wrong car would have stunk, and proceeded to help him put his bag on the train, in the wrong car. Once his bag was onboard, he stayed off to smoke while the train was still in the station. The three of us meanwhile went back to our seats, laughing hysterically.

Before we know it, we hear the train door open to our section of the car, and without looking, knew it was mickey, standing in the doorway, unbelief written on his face, that he had just moved his bag from a few cars away in the front, to a few cars away in the back. We almost fell out of our seats laughing and made quite the spectacle for the whole train to see. So who can say trains aren't fun to ride on? just make sure to keep up with where you're sitting!

Fondue in Plaseelb

2007-05-31T03:34:00.003-05:00

We left Brunnen today and hopped the train heading to Freiborg, Switzerland. This town is half french speaking, half swiss-german speaking. there is a river that runs right through the center of the town, and one side is the french side, the other is the swiss-german side. And the funny thing, even the architecture on either side of the river resemble their respective cultures. It is really interesting to look at.

We arrived in freiborg, and were Immediately picked up and whisked away. We were headed to a smaller town, outside of Freiborg, to play for the night. The venue was in Plaseelb, Switzerland. This venue had become available to us when some of the other gigs had been cancelled. We were slotted to play an acoustic set for about an hour or so. We arrived in Plaseelb to a small inn, restaurant, venue. It was in a small faring town. The Inn was very quaint. We loaded everything in and then shortly afterwards were seated for dinner.

The dinner table was HUGE. it was really long, and i could reach across the table, and if the other person across from me reached as well, our fingertips might touch. That's a big table. We very quickly realized that we were being treated to a fondue dinner. We were among roughly 30 or so people who were partaking in the festivities. The rest of the eating group were the audience we would later be playing to. Dinner started with salad, and boy was it nice to have some greens again! shortly after our salad was finished, we were brought fondue pots full of steaming broth, plates full of ramekins with different sauces, most of them white in color, of which were included Garlic based sauce, Curry sauce, tartar sauce, ranch-like sauce, a sort of cocktail, and then small vinegar marinated onions and pickles. These plates were followed by baskets of bread (of course! we're in europe after all) which in turn were followed by some of the best tasting french fries I have had to date, and I am obviously an international connoisseur of French fries! The last thing to be delivered to the table was the meat for the fondue pots. True to foreign form, the meat was not what we were used to here in the states. If you
have ever fondued before, then you know to expect chicken, beef, maybe shrimp even. We were fortunate to have beef, so that was pretty normal, But the accompanying meats, oh my oh my.

I ate Horse meat for the first time in my life. I was a little shocked myself, but I am not one to go hungry, and hey, local cuisine is local cuisine, as long as it's cooked and not weird looking. This was sliced super thin, and looked just like the beef, only slightly darker in color, and a little tougher when it was done, or, I my have just let mine cook longer, being initially afraid for such a, well, delicacy. I did have plenty of everything else as well, so I did not go hungry.

The acoustic show went well. The four guys did a marvelous job with their voices and instruments. Nothing was plugged in, so it was just raw sound, and it was cool. It was fun watching the performance as an audience member. It was weird, also, watching the performance and not playing, but I took it all in, since during a regular show I will never get this opportunity again.

The evening came to a close with our obligatory CD signing, which in Europe is a HUGE deal, more so than what we have encountered in the states to date. Once we retreated to the rooms, I discovered the wireless internet and posted all the back posts I had written on trains and sitting at cafe's, all the while fighting off the biting bugs. I have no idea what they were, but they flew into the room through the open window, and bit the daylights out of me. I soon put everything up and cocooned myself in the sheets so as to be left alone by the flying teeth who were so intent on devouring me before the sun could come up.

Thanks to all who helped make Plaseelb possible. It was a fun show, and it was a great atmosphere to play in. We really enjoyed the food, and everyone was super nice to us. Thank you again, Merci, Vielen Dank.

Annecy, France and the Hillbilly Rockers

2007-05-31T03:34:00.001-05:00

Annecy, France. A university town, about an hour from Geneva. It is a gorgeous town. The streets in the town's center are almost all cobblestone and lined with cafe after cafe after cafe. the remains of forts and small castles overlook you as you walk through the medieval feeling streets. There were vendors everywhere, lining the sides of the streets, under small tents they had setup, or tucked into some waiting alcove right off the street. They were all selling antiques and junk that could be classified as something useful I am sure. Walking through the streets, weaving in and out of alleyways, watching the light change form dim cloud covered sunlight, to fluorescent tinted as we walked from the street through the pseudo mall like passageways, and then back again as we would break out into the open air of the street, intent on finding food of some sort to eat before sound check.

We settled on a PIzzeria right on the street, open air dining, under the awning since there was a light rain falling on the old stone buildings, filling the soft flowing waters of the canal/stream that surrounded the ancient prison in the center of town. After eating, we rushed to get ready, and to arrive at the venue for sound check. This gig was billed basically as the "paris cancelled party". There was a band called The Hillbilly Rockers, fronted by a swiss singer with a colombian and german background, and there was a lone dance company. both were supposed to be at Paris before it got cancelled. And so we we arrived at the show.

The venue looked like a set of some old western saloon. It was very cool. The Hillbilly Rockers played a great show. The crowd loved them, and most everyone in the place was line dancing the entire time they were playing. It was goo d energy to feed off for the band. We went on shortly after the hillbilly rockers finished, ad from the beginning you could feel the excitement in the air. The crowd gathered, right up to the monitors on the floor. There was no stage, so it was almost like concert in the round. The audience came right to the floor monitors, the front few rows sitting down for a majority of the set, and wrapped around the side of the band on the far edges. From the first down beat to the last flurry of hits on the cymbals, the crowd cheered. some sang along, some just went crazy. It was so much fun, and it made for some really great playing. The band is gelling more and more, an the music is growing tighter and tighter every time we play it. Annecy, France was No Exception to that at all.

At the end of our set, we put together a version of Knockin' on Heavens door and played it with the Hillbilly Rockers. The stage was full as could be, the crowd was no less energized by this combination, and the solo licks traded between guitar players and fiddle players were solidly excellent to listen to. We ended the night in a burst of sound. It was very quickly followed by signing of CD's, hats, and shirts, and taking hundreds of thousands pictures, or so it seemed. I felt like I could see the entire milky way with my eyes closed when were done, from seeing so many flash bulbs.

Shout outs to Annecy France and to the great players in Hillbilly Rockers and the Western Line Dance company. It was a pleasure sharing the stage with other great musicians, and we look forward to when we can play again.

Plaseelb, Switzerland

2007-05-26T02:37:00.000-05:00

Guten Morgen!

I am in a little town this morning in the french part of swizerland. This part of the country speaks franch, and swiss german. It defintely has architectural influences of both cultures, and the signs are in both languages in most parts as well. It is very quaint, and quiet. Well, almost quiet. There is a small church across the parking lot from where we are staying, and it has a bell tower, that must be the town clock, because it rings all the time. It rings on the hour, and it chimes every fifteen minutes. It is amazingly loud, especially when you have to keep the windows open for AC, the bells seem only that much louder, not to mention again that they are maybe 100 feet away.

I have just updated my blog, as you may have noticed, with like four posts at once, or five . . . or something. The reason being, it is hard to find internet here in europe. Sometimes I'll find it, and it's pricey, and sorry, but I email Wendy first and make sure she has all the news before anyone else. Then if time allows, post blogs. I have yet to find free wireless here like in the states, until today, which is why I am updating everything as much as possible! So if you don't hear from me for awhile, you'll know I am just roaming around europe, waiting for a signal to appear on my laptop screen.

I have started posting pictures to a flickr site, so you can visit it and lok at places I have been. Again, I only get to updated it when I have a chance to do so with internet. The URL is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98342763@N00/
That should get you to some pictures of fun! I'll try to let you know when there are new pictures up there, and hopefully link to them from the posts.

Until next post friends!

Faijitas in Switzerland

2007-05-25T18:46:00.003-05:00

So this week, we are staying primarily in a little town in Brunnen, Switzerland. It's a quaint little town of only about 7,000 people. Brunnen sits on the shore of a large lake, one of the largest in switzerland, Lake Lucerne. The space the lake occupies was formed by a glacier years and years ago, and now is filled with crystal clear water, so clear, and so clean, you can drink right out of it. I am sure the lake is partially fed by glacier melts, which sit higher up above the lake, making the surrounding alps look as if they have peaks capped in snow. The town is typical european, everything being close enough to each other that you can walk anywhere in the town inside of about 15 or 20 minutes. It is one of the cleanest towns I have been in while in Europe.

Our first night here, we were treated to dinner at the mexican restaurant next door to our hotel. The owner, Wolfi, and our Hosts Hans Peter and Caroline, provided us a wonderful feast off mozzarella sticks, chips and salsa, jalepano pepper poppers, onion rings and some amazing nachos covered in some great cheese. We were impressed by the spread,a little different than what we would start with at our traditional american-mexican restaurants, but really good. Once the plates were cleared, they brought each of us a plate, filled with lettuce, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and black beans. They then brought us two large baskets of flour tortillas. There was a long pause, and nothing more came out. Our host told us that this was just like we were used to right? He proceeded to see our hesitation, and so he demonstrated, filling a flour tortilla with some lettuce, cheese, and beans, rolling it up tightly, and taking a big bite out of it. We all came to the conclusion that this must be how the swiss ate tacos, or fajitas. No sooner than we had all started to make our "fajitas", and then take a bite out of them, exclaiming how good it was, The meat arrived, just like home, with peppers and onions all mixed in, grilled in little pans. Our host started laughing at us, and it was then that we realized that we had just been had. It was all fun and games from that point on. Our fajitas has two meats to choose from, Chicken, or Ostrich. I'll have to say, Ostrich fajitas were one of my favorite!

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying a wonderful dessert at the restaurant before retreating to ours hosts' home for swiss chocolate and drinks, and did I mention the chocolate was swiss?!! It was fun visiting with Hans Peter and Caroline. They are avid fans of The Ranchhands here in switzerland, and they are extremely nice, extremely funny and they are some of the most amazing hosts. Thank you Hans Peter so much for helping me with my german and for showing us the sights around your town, and thank you Caroline for your kind heart and the laughter you brought with you every time we got the chance to visit with you. You two definitely made the trip so amazing, and I am so thankful for your help and your generosity.

The night train with the mewing Italian

2007-05-25T18:46:00.001-05:00

So our trip back form Venice was not uneventful.

We hopped the last train out heading to our city and jumped on the first car we found that looked like it had seats. the seats were compartment like, six seats per comaprtment, a sliding door on each comaprtment, you could adjust the light level in them, adjust the temperature, much like small moving conference room. We sat down in one, and were shortly joined by an Italian girl who took an interest in charlie. We all talked for a while, she could speak english amaxingly well.

At the first stop though we found out we were sitting in someone's reserved seats. and that's when we realized we were supposed to have reservations for this ride. A few of us hopped out of the
compartment we were in and found another compartment mostly empty a few doors down. We took a seat and prepared for the next part of the ride. there was one italian sitting in the compartment with us, one empty seat full of baggage, and a few of the band guys in the other seats. The rest of the band showed up in the hallway shortly after being kicked out of their seats by reservation holding italians. no biggie, there were also fold down seats in the hallway.

And then we met the mewing italian.

At one stop, we were joined by an Italian who had too much to drink. He was skinny, smelled horrible, AND smelled like smoke, AND booze. it was a lot of smell! He stumbled (quite literally) into our car, and collapsed into, or onto, one of the seats facing me. As soon as he sat, every other member of the band were out of their seats and in the hallway as if someone had just dropped an ant farm on the floor. I was left with this small man, alone in the cabin, with the other italian, who feigned being asleep against the window. Our new friend here starte speaking to me in Italian, as fast as he could, and gesturing to me. All I could say was,"no Italiano . . ". this did not faze him at all. He would talk to me, then laugh, then curl up in his chair, then become animated, gesturing rather lewdly at times and making some rather funny faces and expressions. Meanwhile all the bandmates were standing outside the compartment laughing their heads off. whenever they started laughing, he would start laughing, only encouraging more laughter.

Just when we thought he had quited down, he stood up and unzipped his pants. oh yeah . . . I had no where to go, and he was standing in front of the door. fortunatley He was just putting his wallet down his pants (what?!) I have no idea. he finally sat down again (with his pants zipped up thank goodness!) an then he started mewing. He mew, like a cat, and make his hands look like he was pawing at the air, either towards me, or towards one of the other guys. at one point he leaped out of his chair and pawed at mickey's shoelaces, which caused mickey to jump up against the wall and yell, which sent all of us into a fit of laughter.

Our little friend finally left and walked down the little hallway, as we watched him go, we noticed he aroused the attention of the train personal who then decided to start checking tickets (sadly our mewing italian had a ticket so he couldn't get thrown off). Since we did not have reservations, we decided to move to the end of the train car and stand in the doorway, hoping that since we were only six minutes to our train station we might miss the train official who would charge us a lot of money for not having reservations.

We arrived at our train stop, safely, and without confrontation from the train officials. they stopped just before the door to where we were standing, and we arrived at our stop at almost the same time. All I have to say, is when taking the night train, bring the kitty litter in case you run into any mewing italians!

Venice

2007-05-25T18:44:00.001-05:00

Ahh, Venice . . .

That's all you can really think when you step out of the train station in Venice, or "Venezia" in Italian. When you step out of the station, you look across a canal at a really old and large building, perhaps a church, with a dome on top. It's fairly impressive, a good first impression for the city on the water. There's a large square there, at the bottom of the steps, paved with cobblestones and bricks, smooth like marble by the countless hundreds of thousands feet that have passed over them from every country in the world. The square meets the canals edge with large steps leading down to the water, and occasionally the steps are broken by small stone piers that stretch only a few feet into the water before they are meet with large wooden poles rising from the depths of the canal. These are for the boats to tie to when they are unloading passengers.

We turned left off the square and crossed a large bridge, arching high over the canal, giving you a great view of the "streets", and descending on the other side. Here is where our adventure started. We went to see the two main sights of the town, the Rialto bridge, and San Marco Piazza. In order to get to them we walked through the city, which were really like tiny alleys all the way, and we turned this way and that time and time again. I felt like a mouse in a maze looking for cheese. the building were high, and you couldn't see anything unless you happened upon a neighborhood square and the buildings broke just long enough for you to glance between them.

The Rialto bridge was gorgeous. It overlooked one of the main canals and was a large bridge. bigger than the first one we crossed to get to this one. It was a great photo opportunity and a great place for me to make a call home to my wife from. We moved from there and made our way to San Marco Piazza. This is a really big square, in the middle of some cool buildings. there lots of cafe tables where you could sit and enjoy a cup of espresso, or tea, or a small meal. Around the perimeter of the square there were several small stages with musicians on each one. They took turns playing music, chamber music, piano music, small trio music. we stayed for a little while and listened to it. At one end of the square was a beautiful church, with frescos painted on the ceilings of the arches, and golden adornments on the roof, and the corners.

We took of from San marco and enjoyed a stroll along the main ocean front part of venice, a wide almost boardwalk type area. We eventually turned in and made it to a small cafe and ate some italian pasta before heading back to the train station. We had some time there in the evening, once it got dark, and things quieted down, and it was nice and peaceful.

I sat out front of the train station on the steps leading to the water for a good thirty minutes or more, taking in the sites, the sounds, the smells. I watched lovers stroll arm in arm along the bridge, stopping at the top to kiss, I watched them line the steps near where I was sitting, wrapped in each others arms, looking across the canal at the buildings lit up with with the lights. I smelled the ocean breeze blowing fresh air through the canal, and listened as a group of Italians celebrated, what looked like, one of their buddies bachelor party. I watched gondolas push people down the canal, and heard the echoes of one lucky couple being serenaded by their own personal gondola driver. It was a clear sky, the moon shining on the romantic city of waterways, and the stars peeking through the night air the moved through the alleys and stirred in the squares.

It was a city that will stay imprinted on my mind, looking across these bodies of water, stumbling upon a local neighborhood where children were playing, mothers were hanging laundry to dry, and people were curled p on a bench in the square reading in the waning light of the late afternoon sun. The history in those walls and the alleyways . . . but until I return again, i'll have the memories of the stones beneath my feet, and the fell of the plaster of the walls underneath my hands to remind me about that adventure.<

p>Currently listening to: John Mayer "Continuum"

Le Train

2007-05-25T18:43:00.001-05:00

It's 11:00 am France time. I am riding on a train from some little town in France to Milan. It feels like a movie. The train car we are in is a first class car, two seats on one side, one on the other, an aisle in between. The seats are extra large, enough room to curl up in, almost like your favorite reading chair, plush, oversized, and super comfortable. As I am typing, the French countryside slides past my window, blurs of green, brown and various building colors rush by, and then when they break, the view is pristine. It stretches far across fields and vineyards, lining the sides of the small foothills that quickly give rise to the Alps. They are so large, and so gorgeous they look fake. I feel like I am looking at a postcard, or watching the travel channel, except that it is just outside my window. Occasionally a river breaks through the felds and crosses beneath us, dividing the landscape into sections.

My seat faces backwards, so I get to see everything that we have just passed. The good thing is that my gaze can linger on on things long enough to discern specific characteristics of the subjects. I traced one river as it stretched away from the tracks, and I watched as it slid around fields, through tree covered archways, and then I followed up the side of the mountain . . . and again I am staring at the Impossibly real. The alps reach skyward, higher than anything I have seen. The peaks are snow covered in places, and in others the top is sheared off, creating a rocky flat top, the sides of the mountain slicing to the valley floor, rough cracks and crevasses trailing behind, and in some, the waterfall, cascading hundreds of feet, perhaps even a mile or more all the way to the base, where it becomes a river once more and meets the tracks of this train.

It's interesting traveling here in France. I have read about it, seen movies about it, travel channel episodes and imagined it. They say it is a romantic country. I agree. Everywhere you look, you see couples walking hand in hand, arm in arm, you see some at a bus stop, or a train station, each caught in the others long embrace, not wanting to break free until the last possible moment. Some have tears on their faces, all have longing in their eyes. Often you will see two caught up in each other, and I feel like I don't exist. The ticket lines cease to be, the people looking for their trains do not exist, the person with the loud dog simply fades away, even the train station appears to have left. And they kiss. Not gross american groping, but the ideal romantic painting, the photograph every college girl has emblazoned on a poster in her dorm room, the same picture I am seeing across the tracks from me as I wait for my train. It makes me miss my wife, my home.

In contrast, across the street are small cafe's with sidewalk seating. People come and go, the waitress is quick in taking orders and bringing the drinks, espresso for him, San Pelligrino for her, Crepe anyone? Friends reunite here, shake hands, the atmosphere is jovial and light hearted. People walking by on the street stop and converse with friends, and true to our stereotypical upbringing, most all have some sort of cigarette in their hand, coffee on the table and they all look very french. It is here that I want to sit, rest my tired feet and just enjoy the sunshine, the mild weather and the cool breeze that blows against my back. This feels like Europe, it feels like France. I love it.

Currently Listening: Jose Gonzalez "Veneer"