Playing 5 gigs in 4 days, including Sunday and Monday of this week, has got my schedule topsy turvy. (I always wanted to use the words topsy turvy in one of these notes) (I have no idea why)...
Friday (TONIGHT) we're headin' to Ottumwa for the Live After 5/TGIF celebration, 5:00-7:30 PM in Central Park (right next to The Hotel Ottumwa) free and open to the public, all ages welcome. Food and beverages are available for purchase. Girl Scout Troop 929 will be in the park with childrens activities. The series has been sponsored by the South Ottumwa Savings Bank for more than 10 years, we've been part of the series nearly every year. For more information, contact Pam Kaupins at (641) 682-7541, or go to www.sosb-ia.com...
Saturday (7/30) could be one of the most fun Downtown Davenport/Bix Street Dances of all time (and there's been A LOT of fun Bix Street Dances!) I went to Jr. High (Sudlow Tigers, baby!) and High School (D-town Central, home of the BLUE Devils) (ya shoulda seen me throw that ball) in Davenport. So there is literally a FOUR generation following of bands I've been part of in that town. Wayne Lyons, the bass player in Tortoise & The Hair usually shows up (don't laugh, Tortoise & The Hair won the daily competition at the Henry County (IL) Fair in 1967!) (a picture of Tortoise & The Hair can be found at http://www.theblueband.com/iablues.html) (Which one was Tortoise, anyway) (but I digress) Add to that, RAGBRAI ends in Davenport Saturday. The Blue Band has been part of about 25 RAGBRAIs over the years. Saturday should be a GIANT reunion-type crowd atmosphere, with people from all over the nation ready to get their BLUE on. We play the Main Stage, 2nd & Main St., 7:30p-9:30p...
Next week starts a two week run of dates with a number of substitute players. (what? band members have lives outside of the Blue Band?) (what could possibly be more important than playing the gig?) Mark and Al will be gone the first weekend of August, so our longtime friend, Iowa R & R Hall of Famer, Muddy Watson, will be the bass player and David Bassinger, the baritone sax player that plays with Eddie in the Diplomats of Solid Sound, will be Al's substitute in the horn section. Those guys will play with us Fri. Aug. 5 at The 503 in Iowa Falls and Sat. Aug. 6 at the Celebrate Washington Festival in Washington IA. Both horn section guys (Eddie and Al) will be gone on Aug. 13 when we play the Cedar Trails Fest, but Mark will be back and we'll be joined by Bob Guthart, who often sits in with us at The Hub, on second guitar and I'm still lookin' for a substitute horn player on that date. Altho' the nature of having substitutes cuts down on the available repertoire, I'm actually looking forward to the different sound we'll have for a couple of weeks. More on all this next week. I hope the substitutes know enough to BRING CAKE!...
The topsy turvy schedule really means that I have yet to finish the necessary radio production during these 3 days between gigs. It's 2:40 in the morning, I've got about another hour and a half to finish the show I'm workin' on and I'll have to be on the road around noon to make it to Ottumwa for set up time. I gotta go. See ya on the Blue Highway (use yer damn turn signal) (sorry, Dolores) Rub yer washboard to the tune of Goin' Home To That Old Hometown Of Mine, Strawberry shortCAKE is always a great way to celebrate a homecoming, and don't forget that we love you. Bob Dorr & The Blue Band
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