First, all the details have come together for a Christmas show in conjunction with Main Street Waterloo on Dec. 2. We'll be playing in The Black's Building on east 4th St. 5-8:30p, a ceremonial Christmas tree lighting will happen in the park across the street, the Fat Man (Santa, not Elvis) is expected to be on the scene and those who have been naughty or nice will be justly rewarded. (sometimes naughty is SO nice) There is no, zero, zip, nada, charge for the event and a Ho Ho Ho is guaranteed for all! More info: http://www.mainstreetwaterloo.org/eventsDetail.asp?eventID=120
And we've been invited to the week long 4th of July celebration in Oceola on July 5. We now have more jobs booked in the first week of July than we do in the entire month of January! Come on Summer!...
Those two bookings are the "happy face" on an otherwise daunting situation. The Chief has accepted a full time job that will severely restrict his availability to play with the band. He will now be part of the maintenance staff at University Hospitals in Iowa City, 2nd shift, M-F, and every 5th weekend. He starts MONDAY! YIKES!! Good drummers are hard to find (especially for what we can pay) Great drummers like Steve are nearly impossible to find. This situation is likely to have major baring on the soul searching question of keeping it going or letting it go. At once, I'm experiencing anxieties of trying to replace an Iowa Blues Hall of Fame player, who has been a staple of our band for eight years, along with a sort of exhilaration from the possibility of bringing in new blood and change to our group. We'll soon see which emotions win out! This is a golden opportunity for Steve to get a regular paycheck and University benefits. I'm very happy for him. As a matter of fact, he's an inspiration that proves men of our age CAN get jobs in this economy! His "six months probationary status" will be up just as we start our busy summer season, so maybe, if we haven't found a replacement by then, he'll be back on a regular basis. But that's not important now. What IS important now is to find a drummer for the Dec. 2 Christmas party!! That's where YOU come in. Please help spread the word. WE NEED A DRUMMER. And the longevity of our group is dependent on it! Steve will be with us the day after Thanksgiving (11/25) for the New Bo Community Radio Station fundraiser at Parlor City Nightclub in Cedar Rapids (take a break from shopping, this event runs 3-7pm) (that's right, it starts at 3 o'clock in the afternoon!) (by the way, there is NO cover for this event. New Bo will raise money by contributions and sales of t-shirts/posters/etc) Steve will also be with us on New Year's Eve (you got yer room and ticket don't ya?) (http://www.theblueband.com/newyear.htm) and any other dates that his schedule allows until we find someone to do the job. Catch him while you can!...
Tonight's (Sat.) Backtracks rock'n'roll history radio show is another LIVE show, 7-10pm CST. You can make advance requests (always helps in finding your song so it actually makes it on the air) simply by replying to this note or leave me an email at bob.dorr@bobdorr.com Or call during the show, 800-772-2440 ext. 5. It's a one-man operation, so I answer all the calls myself in between engineering the show and running back and forth between the control room and the library, so if you get thru, let it ring, I'll answer asap. I do not have access to IPR's computers and do not have a smart phone (I refuse to have a gadget that's smarter than I am) so I won't have access to email while the show is in progress. Remember, the show deals exclusively in songs that are at least 25 years old. More info: http://iowapublicradio.org/studio-one/backtracks/ Call me, baby...
Thanks for the many inquiries about my 86 year old father-in-law's TRIPLE by-pass surgery on Wednesday. The doctors were very happy with the surgery, he's out of the ICU, had some real food today, carries on a conversation, has good color and a smile on his face, and even took a few strolls down the hospital hallways. Next thing you know, he'll want his snowblower back so he can take care of all the walkways by his apartment building! We're anticipating his pre-Thanksgiving release from the hospital and are all very thankful that he's progressing nicely...
I have had three different dogs over the 30 year history of our band. Adults without children (like me) tend to look at our pets as our kids. Blue Family condolences go out to one of the truest Blue People on the planet, Blue Tattoo, on the passing of Depot, the black lab. I feel kinda like one of Depot's uncles. I saw him and played with him within a month of when Barb first got him. His relentless energy always brought me smiles. I saw him the day before he passed. He REALLY loved his owner and she loved him. I feel so bad for her loss...
Many people on this list have responded to our on-going discussion about persistence and The Blue Band's longevity. Should I stay or should I go? I'm sure this is now made a little more complicated by having to replace a key member (do I REALLY have to rehearse Willie & The Hand Jive and Mustang Sally again?? After 30 years??) (YIKES!) My wife's insight really has me thinking: "honey, when I look up on the stage at The Hub, you REALLY look happy". My dad always said that my "problem" was that I loved what I do. Guilty as charged. Or, as John Lee Hooker said, "if it's in there, it's got to come out!" No matter what happens with the drummer, I'm bookin' all the dates I can and promise to play every one that I book (still could use a couple more Holiday parties to play!)...
Speaking of Holidays, as promised, (or threatened) some archived live performances of Blue Xmas songs are now posted on the Listen To The Band page (http://www.theblueband.com/bluemusic.htm) I hope it brings you some smiles for Christmas...
All I can say for certain about the drummer change over is that whomever does the job better like CAKE! See yas on the Blue Highway, keep workin' on your washboard tie chops cuz you might be the only percussionist we have that evening. This Thanksgiving I give thanks to you for the many blessings that you have helped bring to my life, and never forget that we love you (whether you can play drums or not!) Bob Dorr & The Blue Band
No comments:
Post a Comment