Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update

Whoa, A LOT has transpired since the last Blue Note on the first day of October. Now it's THE LAST day of October. TRICK 'ER TREAT!!!. Later on, a statement that I've NEVER made in one of these notes...

Tonight, (Sat. 10/31) HALLOWEEN!! It's our first gig, open to the public, in a month! Join us at the state's premiere blues club, Blues On Grand, 15th and Grand Ave. in downtown Des Moines. Costume or not. Let's resurrect the old Freaker's Ball! We'll have The Blue Band box of masks with us, come out and be someone else for awhile. Show time is 9:30p. Take a nap, we play until 1:30a. Make sure you stay til the end so you can set your clocks back EXACTLY when the time changes at 2:00am!! Why do we inflict these biorhythmic changes on ourselves twice a year? Those of us who live on the opposite side of the day from "normal" people NEVER see the sun during Standard Time. I'm depressed just thinking about the depression that I'm heading into. But I digress...

Next Friday (11/6) is THE FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH CLUB, at The Hub, bub. 4th & Main, right here in Sparkle City USA. Perhaps it's the fact that I only have to travel 12 blocks to get to The Hub. Or maybe it's the cool in-house sound system run by top-grade professionals. Or maybe it's the crowd of people, some of whom I've known for 30 years, that we get to play for. Or maybe it's the constantly encouraging management and staff of the place. Or maybe it's the "geezer" hours that we play (6-9pm) Or maybe it's that Bob Guthart always brings his GREEN guitar to jam with the band. I'm not really sure why I love playing that date, but I do. Come out and help me figure it out. Pizza by the slice, a couple pops, a few dances, and yer home before the 10 o'clock news. You have no excuse. Be there...

A couple/three dates that have come in that you might be interested in planning for: Fri. Nov. 27 (the day after Thanksgiving) a fundraiser for The New Bohemian Festival in Cedar Rapids. CR is trying to rejuvenate the flood ravaged areas of town and we're tickled to be invited to be part of this event, to be held at Gatherings, Bottleworks Building, 905 3rd Street SE in Cedar Rapids, we play 8-11pm... Sat. Jan. 9 we have (tentatively) been invited to play at The Mill in Iowa City. Hopefully this will be a celebration of the Hawks being NATIONAL CHAMPS!...and Sat. February 13 we have been invited to a local Arts fundraiser in Ames, more info on that as we get it...

The statement that I've never made in one of these notes: I am engaged to be mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmarried. (I knew I could get that out there) After 20+ years of chasing after, and running away from each other, Carolyn and I have decided to try something that neither of us have ever done. Be married. To each other. We've found a house that is exactly 4 blocks from her house and 4 blocks from my house (talk about yer meeting in the middle!) that we think offers enough space to "get away" from each other, have 3 vehicles all parked in a garage, and that we (think) we can afford! We should close on that house before year's end with the actual wedding in early 2010. I hope the marriage lasts at least as long as the courtship!...

There are now only 8 weeks left before my "early retirement" from the University of Northern Iowa. I'm freakin' out. The band biz is, shall we say, "challenged", I'm getting married and I'm buying a new house. (I've been 100% debt free for about 5 years now, so taking on house debt with a dubious income (none?) is really making me anxious) On the good side, Iowa Public Radio has indeed offered me a contract to continue to produce the Backtracks Rock'n'Roll History show (which has a very cool Halloween special tonight (Sat. 7-10p) so while you're driving to Blues On Grand, tune me in) and the new Sunday evening (5-6:30p) blues show Blue Avenue (have you the seen the cool statewide newspaper advertising campaign that IPR has included me in also?) My lawyer advises a few changes in the EIGHT page document, but I'm sure that the legalese can be worked out. IPR Executive Director/CEO M. G. Herrington and Music Director Al Schares put a lot of time into making this offer possible for me. I am grateful. I'm hoping to produce those shows for Iowa Public Radio for at least another 37 years (the 37th anniversary of my hosting the first rock'n'roll show on ANY Iowa public station was Oct. 3)...

Our dear friend Nancy Shaw was laid to rest last Friday the 23rd. We were scheduled to help Nancy and Jim celebrate their 37th anniversary just three weeks from now. I will remember her as someone that was always encouraging and supportive of life in general and The Blue Band in specific. Jim Shaw really needs a lot of that kind of encouragement and support from all of us now. Deaths like this always make me think too much. Realizing and dealing with one's own mortality is a tough one. End of life issues are something that I have avoided (denied?) for quite some time. Something like Nancy's passing is a stark reminder that we all will deal with this sometime, ready or not. YIKES! Getting older ain't for sissies! Tell those around you who are special in your life that you love and value them before it's too late...

We've still got a lot of open dates through the Holidays, so if you need some entertainment for that last minute Xmas party or you'd just like us to set up in your basement to play before/during/after the NFL games on Sunday, give us a call! (319-277-4007) hotfudge@cfu.net (www.theblueband.com/contactBob.htm)...

It's late, I've still got some recording to do for the radio shows this weekend, and I still have no idea what the costume for Halloween at Blues On Grand will be. See ya on the Blue Highway, USE YER DAMN TURN SIGNALS, rub yer zydeco/washboard tie to the tune of The Monster Mash, think in terms of chocolate wedding CAKE, and always know that we love you. Bob Dorr & The Blue Band