I have so many things to be thankful for. I am thankful for my good health and newly rejuvenated spirit. I am thankful for all the opportunities I have been given to make a living doing what I love to do. I am thankful for the people around me who have given their soul and dedication and loyalties to keep our Blue Family going. And, I'll be thankful when I'm able to sell that "extra" house I seem to have! But that's for later...
I'm really looking forward to the two gigs this week. Tonight (Wed.) the pre feast workout, on the dancefloor of Blues On Grand, 15th & Grand in Des Moines. It's the state's most revered blues club. It's the home of the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame (it makes me smile to see so many pictures of inductees that have worked with The Blue Band and have had major influences on our sound. Sam Salomone, Ron DeWitte, Tommy Giblin, Rick Cicalo, Steve Hayes. They've all got their picture on that HOF wall) PLUS, it's almost "geezer gig" hours! We start at 8:30, take shorter breaks and play to just a little past midnight, so you can get home and roast yer turkey. Or whatever you do after a night of dancing...
Thanksgiving night, I'll be hosting Iowa Public Radio's Night Music show 7-10p. Tradition has it that we hear Arlo Guthrie's tale about a certain Thanksgiving weekend at Alice's Restaurant (yeah, the whole 19 minute version) (you can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant, excepting, Alice...and there isn't gonna any 8 X 10 color glossy photographs with circles and arrows to be used as evidence against us...but that's not what I wanted to talk about...)!!!
Friday marks our first gig in Cedar Rapids in quite awhile. We're playing a fundraiser for The New Bohemian Art/Music Festival that takes place over the Labor Day weekend. Silent auction, art display, drink specials and three sets by the full 6 piece version of The Blue Band at Gatherings, Bottleworks Building, 905 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA The event runs 7-11:30 p.m., Blue Band 8-11 p.m...
Our friend Martin (Muddy) Watson will be playing bass this week. Mark will be celebrating not only the Thanksgiving holiday, but the arrival of his 4th grandchild last week! Man, he's got FOUR grandkids and I'm just getting married for the first time next month! Wow, I've got a lot of catchin' up to do...
And next week, Friday, (12/4) (seems like we were just havin' a pork chop on a stick at the State Fair a couple weeks ago and now it's almost DECEMBER) it's First Friday time at the Hub, 4th & Main, here in Sparkle City. 6-9pm. I really enjoy that once a month, early evening, get together. We'll be bringing our Christmas tunes with us, mistletoe optional...
So I got this extra house that I need to sell. I'm trying to look at it as a VERY expensive place to stay for the 3 months that most of the contractors say it will take to remodel and add onto the house I currently live in! But don't let that stop you from making an offer on this cool little 3 bedroom house in central Cedar Falls!...
I also have this fabulous band that would love to sell you a night's worth of Holiday party entertainment! (after that Hub gig, we currently don't have work until NEW YEAR'S EVE!!) (YIKES!) (Talk about yer Blue Christmas, DOUBLE YIKES!!)...
Remember two years ago when I dared to go to the grocery store the afternoon before Thanksgiving? This year I decided to go there before writing this late night note, in order to avoid all the mayhem. Everything was going fine until checkout time, which was 11:58pm. Apparently this is the magic hour when the Hyvee system shuts down all the registers to begin accounting for the following day. I was, of course, the next person in line when the registers took their break. Four minutes later the register came back on line. Part of the reason I went to the store was that I had a HyVee coupon for milk that expired on 11/24. I was next in line at 11:58pm on 11/24. But the register scanner at 12:02am, 11/25 said that the coupon had expired...I am thankful for the human teller who let me use that 30 cents off coupon that I waited nearly 6 minutes to use...
Be careful on the Blue Holiday Highway cuz there's a whole lotta wacky turkeys out there. Rub yer washboard to the tune of Turkey In The Straw (or Alice's Restaurant) always leave a little room for CAKE (or punkin' pie) give thanks for all your blessings (I'll be thankful when all the wedding planning will be done!) and always remember we love you. Bob Dorr & The Blue Band
