Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update

Hello. My name is Bob and I am sexagenarian. There. I said it. They say if you publicly recognize that you have a problem, then that's the first step toward "managing" your illness. I am sexagenarian. I am sexagenarian. I am sexagenarian. I am not feeling any better about it. Worse yet, the prognosis is that I'm likely to be sexagenarian for TEN YEARS! Might as well enjoy it with friends and family, so I'm having a party in the two most significant cities in my life during the last 30 years (YIKES, I have now led The Blue Band over HALF of my life) Friday the 13th (TONIGHT) at The Hub, 4th & Main right here in Sparkle City USA (Cedar Falls) 6-9:30p and Saturday in Des Moines at The Bombay Bicycle Club, 8410 Hickman Rd, 7-10pm. (Both are Geeezer Gig hours, just in case you too have the sexagenarian affliction) Each night will be WAY different. For the hometown show, our longtime sound consultant Phil Maass is bringing out the multi-track recorder and the song list will be totally self indulgent. Thru the night we'll try to play all of my original songs (yeah, even the 3 Christmas songs) plus songs that others have written for me and have become Blue Band signature songs. Some of my songs (Simulation Stimulation, Git Yer Shit Together, Gimme Your Kiss For Christmas) we haven't played in years. It's been fun revisiting these tunes. I'm scared to death that I won't remember the arrangement or the words (so are the boys in the band) but hey, I wrote the song, it can go any damn way I want it too!! What makes it a little more challenging is that the first two sets will be video recorded with three HD cameras, so we should have a fantastic record of all my senior moments. Amie Steffen, at The Courier did a really great story about the party, complete with picture of the group who played New Years Eve, check it out at: http://wcfcourier.com/entertainment/open-dorr-blue-band-frontman-candid-about-milestone-birthday/article_dd464d6b-ca54-5ffd-9969-97a91ce73f16.html YOU are in charge of bringing CAKE! But wait, there's more...
After Friday's party, Mark is leaving on his annual 6 week trip to Florida (he is a practiced sexagenarian) That means that our longtime friend, Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer, Muddy Watson will be the bass player on Saturday (and all the gigs until March) Our repertoire is a little smaller and more on the familiar/jam side with Muddy, so expect to hear more of the old Blue Band cover songs on Saturday (yeah, here's plenty of warning, we might even play Mustang Sally if we can get that tip jar filled) (yes, it's sad that "at my age" I'm still out there begging for tips) I'm gonna toss a spare guitar amp in the truck in case any of our musician friends want to play a song or two. Once again, YOU are in charge of bringing the CAKE! So, Friday at The Hub if you want to hear mostly our original material and Saturday at The Bombay Bicycle Club for the sing along, party covers. (the club has large screen TVs that will have the NFL games on while we're playing, so you won't miss that Tim Tebow shuffle) (I still can't decide what's more unbelievable: I'm 60 years old or Tebow beat The Steelers) Hope to see yas both nights...
And if ya can't join us Saturday, I hope you can catch my annual It's My Party And I'll Play What I Want To edition of the Backtracks Rock'n'Roll History Show on Iowa Public Radio. Lots of my old 45s (as always, pops and scratches at no extra charge) and LPs that I used to play on the 70s KUNI show Progression. The show runs 7-10p. More info: http://iowapublicradio.org/studio-one/backtracks/ And on Sunday's Blue Avenue show, in addition to new blues releases, hear a 15 minute set of one time Blue Band guitar player Bryce Janey, recorded by Phil Maass at the Campbell/Steele Gallery in Marion a few months ago, with the "blues on vinyl" set including a song from the legendary Mother Blues Band! (The Chief with Patrick Hazell) http://iowapublicradio.org/studio-one/blue-avenue/
After this weekend, we're not scheduled to play until the Central Iowa Blues Society Winter Blues Fest on Sat. Jan. 28, (www.cibs.org) so there might not be a Blue Note next week (so I can fight the sexagenarianism) Please continue to spread the True Blue Word that it's too late to stop now and we're booking dates for THE NEXT THIRTY YEARS Tour. We'd love to be part of your town's festival or your neighborhood block party or your own sexagenarian party: http://www.theblueband.com/contactBob.htm I'm sure we can work something out, we need the work. I might be old, but I'm a long way from collecting that mailbox money (social security)...
Sixty trips around the sun. That is a lot of different planetary alignment! See ya on the Blue Birthday Highway, rub yer washboard to the tune of The Happy Birthday Blues, don't forget that YOU are in charge of bringing the CAKE, and always know that we love you, even if you're not sexagenarian. Bob Dorr & The Blue Band