I can't believe it's been 5 years since I posted in here! Well, here's a quick update. I'm still playing in the Pee Wee Bowen Band, we have New Year's Eve at the Lakewood Yacht Club (no band table, no spouses allowed) and then we're off till January 13th. The horn section is a rotating cast half the time, but the guys who play are good, so it's been working out OK in that department. Our drummer uses an electronic kit that he put together himself. It doesn't look anything like a drum set at all, but he gets the best sound out of that contraption I've ever heard drums do. He's also a multi-instrumentalist and he's given me a lot of positive input on my projects and he's helped me with my equipment selections and performances. The band is as popular as ever. Pee Wee's 74 now and he's slowing down from when I first joined him. We've all been through a lot together.
In September, I hosted a benefit featuring 7 bands at Diamond Jim's in Texas City to raise money for my lifelong friend Jenny. Her kitchen was destroyed by fire and when the inspectors came around to turn the electricity back on to her house, they told her she had to have the whole house rewired...also re-roofed and re-walled...in other words, a complete rebuild. Some friends had it financed...but I raised enough money to buy new appliances for her kitchen. That was the goal, and we did it.
the best thing that came out of that whole deal was I called the Citykings, who I hadn't played with in 12 years, and asked them about having a reunion for the benefit. They all said yes...and we've been together ever since, practicing every Thursday night at Randolph's house. We decided to make a second album in 2018. The practices are aimed at that goal. I have 2 new guitars. I knew it was time to upgrade my equipment, and a couple of weeks after I got a new Guild Bluesbird, Kyle surprised me with a custom-built Stratocaster-type guitar that has turned out to be the best guitar I've ever had. I also got 2 new amps, and they're just what the doctor ordered for the new Citykings material. Attached is a Photoshop graphic I made of all the new stuff. Life is good! WC1