The Night Shift... Continues!

[draglist]

Good luck, John. Let me know if I can help in any way. bp

[WildcatOne]

Right now I'm kicked back, listening to the NHRA audiocast, resting from a whirlwind 2 days and contemplating doing some work on George. The band played 3 complete shows at 3 locations inside of 24 hours Friday and Saturday. We landed a new gig at a place up in North Houston...rare air for the Bay Area's favorite band...we get 2 nights a month at this place, it's called Martinis & More. They'd never heard of us before. There was some trepidation amongst the staff as we loaded our equipment in and got ready to play, about what kind of material we did and what our style is...I was there early and I was polite and friendly to the waitresses but they still seemed kind of...is worried the right word? Well, we played, packed the place to the rafters and had the entire joint dancing, jumping and shaking, cheering and raising all kinds of hell and (most importantly to the manager) buying drinks from the first note we hit until Pee Wee said goodnight. We totally killed 'em. The manager pulled Pee Wee aside and said we're in for good. He released another band and booked us in for the forseeable future. Pee Wee doesn't like to do that because we're already about as successful as we can be and he wants other bands to work, but these guys were not anywhere near this level and they didn't care, didn't draw much of a crowd and were apparently just going through the motions of playing somewhere...it takes much more than that to land and keep a good gig like this is. You have to work for it. You have to go for the throat on every single note and make it stick. Not since the notorious Club 21 in Galveston, which got wasted in Hurricane Ike and is slowly rebuilding, have we seen anything like this...girls went wild. WILD...the music does something to them...the girls come in groups to this place, there were a couple of dozen single chicks in front of us each night dancing to us...or with each other...and they were all over Pee Wee like a cheap suit. Pee Wee's wife was there smiling. We were doing our jobs. We were given 6 more dates running through summer and into fall there. They LOVED us. It felt so good to have this happen...a completely new and foreign audience of people from a whole other side of town that didn't know anything about us and we went in there and knocked their socks off. The manger and his wife danced. He slapped me on the back and yelled GREAT JOB!!! With a fist full of money in the other hand...in the middle of these 2 nights, we went down to Tiki Island and played for their comeback festival...Tiki Island was devastated in the hurricane...so we were constantly on the go for 30 hours but we pulled it off. My left hand's fingers are throbbing and sore today but within a couple of days they'll toughen up and be that much better in the future. The band is doing great. We're now booked all the way through next year. Life is good. WC1

[draglist]

That's fantastic, John! You guys are the greatest. I can't wait to get down and see you play. Too bad you don't do Dallas. I have a 10 day business trip there in August. bp

[Rapid Randy Baker]

So Cool!! Good things keep happening in your life WC,,,proud of you.

[WildcatOne]

We had an easy time of it last night, in spite of the terrible weather. A church group from Freeport rented the Haak Winery in Santa Fe and hired us to play from 8-10PM. They were running late because the highways and freeways around here were almost undrivable with the storm conditions we're having right now, they came up in a bus, and they didn't finish up their dinner until 8:30...the upside was we only played 90 minutes, didn't hardlly break a sweat, ya know, and we got paid very well for what we did...we kept 'em jumping...this one group of girls was dancing close to where I was set up...they were doing ballet like the fairies in Swan Lake and they were a joy to watch. They're just great folks, having this party at the winery allowed them a chance to have a few drinks, get together with a rocking band and cut loose for an hour or so. They loved us, it felt great. Last week, a guy from the Wildcats pulled me aside and said "I hear you guys are rock stars, man. How is it?" I said hmph. Not really. It's just that it has something to do with the way people act towards me. They seem to have this kind of image thing about us...like when I have a conversation with somebody, I feel like I'm being interviewed. They keep asking questions about me. I've given autographs, had my picture taken a thousand times, been offered every conceivable activity and substance known to man, and have been pampered like a baby by people I don't even know. It embarrasses me sometimes. I have also been through the other end of the deal and have been treated like I'm the scum of the earth by "event directors" and patrons who see us as servants at the banquet of their lives. Even targets for them to aim their hangups at...either way, I see it all as a job, as a way of being paid for services that I deliver. I'm happily married with kids and responsibilities just like a lot of folks who come out to see us play. The big difference is that this band is now reaching new heights and gaining momentum, and more and more higher-paying jobs and higher-profile gigs keep coming in. The majority of people expect notoriety to go with the mojo, but when I'm not onstage, I'm just John. I suppose the point I'm getting at here is that last night after the gig was over, Pee Wee pulled me aside and told me in 25 words or less how much he respects and appreciates what I do and how proud he is to be playing in this band with me...and it's HIS band...I was humbled by his words, but I also can't say how much I appreciated him telling me that. He is a great, great guy. "Rock Star" or not, my job is to play the songs, entertain the crowd, and be a good guy out there. So far, so good. Cheers, WC1

[WildcatOne]

Same here, Wheelz. Same here.

I have met a lot of very different and unique people out there in the band's circuit, but some of these folks are unforgettable. One of the most seemingly unlikely friendships I have made and treasure is one I made with a cowboy named Hoddie. He's the genuine article from the top of his stetson to the silver tips of his ostrich-hide boots. Pure-blooded cowboy from Santa Fe, Texas. Nicest guy I ever met. He shows up at just about every show we play in public, he is a very well-mannered gentleman, and he's the dancingest guy in the whole place. There hardly isn't a song that he doesn't have a lady out there on the dance floor, twirling her around and smiling at us. All the ladies love him...he isn't afraid to dance...I hang out with Hoddie a lot because he's just so darned interesting...he is computer-literate, he's semi-retired now from a successful career in some field, I forget exactly what it was, but it wasn't something you'd expect a cowboy to be doing. When I was out sick and had the surgery, during my recovery I received several positive, uplifting emails from Hoddie, encouraging me to get well soon and get back out there, crowd-walking during my guitar solos, announcing Pee Wee from the stage, putting on my show and interacting with the crowd...he's a great guy. I didn't even know he noticed all the stuff he was telling me about that I did and he missed while I was out...anyway, I got this great picture from him tonight and I thought I'd share it with you folks. Meet Howdy Johnson, 1968, Haysville, Kansas, riding "Circle G"....he's a good fellow, Hoddie is. Cheers, WC1

That is one VERY pissed-off bull he is sitting on! YIKES!

[draglist]

That's great, John. Thanks. bp

[Rapid Randy Baker]

Very Cool,,thanks for the stories,,but like Wheelz says,,NO CAKE FOR YOU!