Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update

Here is the latests from Bob Dorr and The Blue Band

Yeah, I know I told you that there probably wouldn't be a Blue Note this week, but a bunch of "stuff" has come up that I wanted to make you aware of, SO...

Please don't take any of the following as "whining". The Blue Band is WAY better off than hundreds of small businesses that have been effected by the devastating floods here in Ioway. We are all physically safe and sound. All of our equipment and tools of the trade are functional and ready to do the next job, putting us in far better shape than many, but(t) here's the scene jellybean...

Last night (Tuesday) was the 3rd job in the last scheduled 4 that we lost to the floods. We were scheduled to play a national conference in Des Moines. National exposure and good money on a Tuesday? Cool! It was canceled because of the raging Raccoon River (no, under the circumstances, we don't get paid. How can I morally ask for money in a situation like that? Maybe you can, I can't) and now, the same raging rivers in Des Moines have canceled the annual 4th of July celebration in Windsor Heights. Fortunately, this date has been rescheduled to August 2. Unfortunately, I had to ask the Riverside Casino to let us out of our agreement to play there on Aug. 2 in order to be part of the Windsor Heights celebration. Riverside does not have another opening until the second week of November, so anyway you look at it, we've lost another gig. If you've ever wanted The Blue Band to play a deck party at your mansion on the hill for the 4th of July, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!! (seriously, call me-319-277-4007, we need the work) I have not heard what will happen with our appearance at Sturgis Falls Days here in Sparkle City, which is scheduled for next weekend. I walked down to Tourist Park last night. There's still LOTS of water. On the other hand, the park next to The Ice House Museum, where the Jazz Festival is held (which was under 8 feet of water last week at this time) is drying out quickly and could probably be used. I'm hoping Tourist Park can dry out in the next 8 days, so we can play that date...

Dennis, our road manager has not been as lucky as the rest of us. The city of Cedar Rapids allowed him access to his house for the first time on Tuesday. He called saying that the good news is that the water never totally submerged his house. The bad news is that the water got to within ONE FOOT of totally submerging his house. His beloved garage, with all his gearhead tools and specialty items is totaled. He's hoping to rebuild the place himself. I hope he'll let us help him. (he can be a little "independent" sometimes. Must be that Marine training!)...

So, Bob, tell me something good. OK, try this: Terry at the Main St. Waterloo office worked her magic on the Waterloo City Council and has been able to reschedule the flooded out Fridayloo/Blue Birthday celebration for THIS FRIDAY!! (6/20) Lincoln Park already had a scheduled event, so she got the council to go along with the idea of blocking off Lafayette St. and having the party in the street. The specific location has not been determined, but it'll be somewhere between 4th and 5th Street on Lafayette. Just go to the Screaming Eagle (4th and Lafayette) and follow the music. We play 5:30-9:30. Come on out and help us do it in the road! There's even a possibility that we'll have the 2008 Tour shirts by then! BRING CAKE!...

Amazingly, my attitude has not sunken to the point of giving up. I am taking inspiration from those who have lost everything to tornadoes and floods and insist that they will persevere. I have no idea how these folks are carrying on. I am inspired by their resolve...

Speaking of tornado relief, I got this email that you might be interested in:

Please Help Spread the Word.... Sunday June 22nd 4pm The Hub, located at 406 Main Street Cedar Falls, Ia., will be hosting a Benefit Fundraising Auction for the Aplington-Parkersburg Athletic Department. I am sure most of you have heard about the tornadoes that ripped through the A-P area on May 25th. In addition to the homes and businesses that were destroyed, the tornado took the high school. The event will feature a Silent Auction and a regular Auction. The 4 NFL players from A-P (Aaron Kampman-Packers, Casey Wiegman-Broncos, Brad Meester-Jaguars, Jared DeVries-Lions) will be in attendance and will be available for autographs and pictures. Some of the items up for auction: Autographed Brett Favre Jersey, Autographed Eli Manning Jersey, Super Bowl Football signed by Eli Manning and NY Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, MILEY CYRUS SIGNED GUITAR, Signed Basketball from National Champion Kansas Jayhawks, Signed Jerseys from the 4 A-P NFL Players, Aaron Kampman Pro Bowl Jersey, and much more. Commemorative t-shirts will also be available for purchase. There will be a silent auction from 4-7pm and a traditional-guy talking-really-fast auction at 7pm. Live Music will follow the Auction action. Cover charge is $5 and the event is Family Friendly. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an e-mail. Thanks. David Kelly Owner/Operator The Hub 406 Main Street Cedar Falls, IOWA 50613 (319) 266-2360

The 8 o'clock hour of my Saturday night Rock 'n' Roll history show on Iowa Public Radio will be full of Flood/Storm/Rain songs. It was kind of cathartic for me to put this hour together. Maybe it can help you through this also. And don't forget that I start my once a week hosting of IPR's morning talk show The Exchange July 1 and every Tuesday in July. When's the last time you saw/heard me do ANYTHING at 10 in the morning?! Find out more/listen on line at www.iowapublicradio.org...

Speaking of cathartic (yes, I had to look that one up) this note has done me a world of good. Thanks for letting me vent. I needed that. See yas on the mudcaked, debris strewn, Iowa Blue Highways, keep rubbin' that zydeco tie so it won't get rusty, remember CAKE is always consoling, and don't forget we love you very much...Bob Dorr & The Blue Band

Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update

For those who don't know Bob is based in Ceder Falls Iowa, which is one of the many Iowa towns affected by the Flood of 08. Those of us who follow the Blue Band are glad that Bob survived the storm.

If the old saying is true: It gets slippery when it's wet, then the entire state of Iowa must be advanced formula WD-40, cuz baby, it's wet...

Because you regularly read the message board (don't you?) you already know that Thursday's appearance at the Sturgis On The River festival in Davenport (which was moved from the riverfront because of the flooding) was cancelled because of the massive flooding not allowing us to get there! At 8pm, one of the nation's busiest cross country highways, I-80, was shut down for a 30 mile stretch. They don't know when it will reopen...

Tonight's (6/13) Fridayloo/Blue Band birthday party in Waterloo has been rescheduled for next Friday, June 20 (hold on to that CAKE) It's odd that the party was postponed, not because Lincoln Park was flooded, but because flooding has closed all the bridges leading to that park, so no one can get there!...

Saturday night's show at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino is still on. Providing we can get there. Hwys 21/63/14/330, south to Des Moines from Sparkle City are all closed because of the flooding. If the Hwy 20 to I-35 route stays open, we'll see you in the Finish Line Lounge right after the horse races (about 10pm)...

I must say, that in light of the total devastation of thousands of homes and families, I will never complain about a few inches of water in my basement ever again. (altho' I reserve the right to mention the malfunctioning of a certain sump pump every once in a while) The most incredible and awe inspiring volunteer and city government effort I have ever seen, featuring round the clock sandbagging, saved Sparkle City's downtown area from destruction. Unfortunately, the North Cedar area was not spared Mother Nature's latest wrath. MANY houses were completely under water. Cedar Falls Utilities entire first floor was totally submerged in what looks to be about 8 feet (yes FEET, not inches) of water. Somehow CFU employees managed to keep the power on and the water uncontaminated. I LOVE the fact that Sparkle City owns it's own utilities company! When I walked the levee of sandbags the night of the crest, ducks were literally swimming in the tree tops! Then the water moved on to Waterloo, where it's still residing on many downtown streets and making a normally 15 minute trip across town into a two hour ordeal of finding an unflooded route where the bridge across the river is not underwater itself. In the last 40 hours, here in the Cedar Valley, the water has dropped over 6 feet. That means that it's down to levels that are regularly called "severe flooding". It's also because all that water moved into Cedar Rapids, causing more flooding, damage, and destruction than I have seen since Katrina. Dennis, our stage manager, said that at 11am Thursday morning, there was about four FEET of water around his house. The water in Cedar Rapids has risen 2-3 inches EVERY HOUR since then. It's predicted to crest tonight at over 32 feet. The previous record in Cedar Rapids was in 1929 at 19 feet. I feel awful for all those people and businesses. I have not yet heard from our friend Pinkstuff. CHECK IN GIRL! We's worried 'boutchya. The good news is that the Cedar Rapids crest is s'posed to be overnight tonight. The bad news is that all that water is headed toward Iowa City, which is already experiencing MAJOR flooding problems. YIKES!! Mother Nature, I'm cryin' UNCLE!! Enough of this year long rage. Iowans are good people who do not deserve this unrelenting tirade. QUIT IT, MOM!!...

On a COMPLETELY different subject, I have been asked by the producer of Iowa Public Radio's morning talk show The Exchange, to be a guest host of that show one day a week thru July! I'm thrilled and apprehensive at the same time. I'm a talk show junkie, but I've never actually tried to host an entire hour of talk with someone I've never met before. Should be "interesting". I'll be on every Tuesday in July, starting July 1. The show runs 10-11am. DOUBLE YIKES! Be the host of a talk show BEFORE noon??!! Listen anywhere on the planet at www.iowapublicradio.org...

Because most of the gigs next week are private parties (except for the aforementioned rescheduled Fridayloo/Blue Birthday Party, in Lincoln Park-Waterloo, next Friday, 5:30-9:30pm) (remember the CAKE) there probably won't be a Blue Note next week. Maybe we'll dry out so it won't be so slippery on that wet Blue Highway! USE YER DAMN TURN SIGNALS while boating in the streets. Pray for drought. Invest in corn futures. And always remember, we love you, rain or shine... Bob Dorr & The Blue Band

Stevie Wonder: Higher Ground

Searching for higher ground is certainly the word around Iowa tonight. The Governor has announced that things are now officially worse than the flood of 1993. For those not aware of 1993, us in Iowa certainly remember that nightmare summer. Much like this year, it has been a snowy winter, and then once spring sprung storms raced across the prairies. Then the rivers overflowed starting east of the Mississippi, and moving west into Iowa. All that water and no place to go. The rain has fallen all night tonight across NW Iowa into the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers, which meet smack dab in the middle of Des Moines. However, what is amazing about Iowans is their ability to plan and adapt. So far, even with record flooding, Des Moines will probably stay dry. Yet, other parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana are not so lucky. So tonight take heed of Stevie Wonders advice, and seek higher ground.

Stevie Wonder & Rob Thomas - 2005 - Higher Ground ( Live 8)
Uploaded by bebepanda

Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Trouble In Mind

Here is another interesting clip from the railroad. From what I could learn from watching the video is that this concert took place in England. ( Perhaps that explains why they can't clap to the song:-) (BTW, to all my friends in England, that is just a joke:-) Very cool video, and I get the train and blues connection, but wow, could you picked a little better day and weather:-)

Speaking of weather things are getting bad around here in the great state of Iowa. Flooding is all over the place and they are saying heavy rains and severe weather are coming around tomorrow night. Not great news. However, the nice thing about this song, is that even if things are so bad that you are ready to lay your head down on the railroad tracks, to wait because the sun is going to shine once again. So lets all hang in there and see what tomorrow brings.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Trouble In Mind
Uploaded by bluespunt

Its Flooding Everywhere

About A year ago I posted this video because my basement was flooding. Well once again my basement is wet. I must say that flooding sucks! No doubt every year when the waters start seeping through the basement it reminds me of the flood of 93 when my hometown Des Moines Iowa became the largest city to loose its water. We were without water for three to four weeks. If you haven't been without water for that long you really don't realize just how important it is!! No showers, no baths, using rain water to flush the toilet. ARGH!!!

However, I am luckier than most. Now I live on a hill, and I only have a inch or so of water, so compared to other people I am lucky. I just hope that the sewer system hold ons, because if that would back up it could be ugly! So I am spending a lot of time in the basement with the shopvac, and my little water pump. The pump is pretty useless because it gets too hot, and quits after about an 1/2 hour. However, my wetvac kicks a$$! I have pumped 60 gallons or so of water out of my basement today, which sounds impressive, but really that is only a wet floor. People east of me are pumping that much in minutes! I have inches of water, but they have FEET of water! Perhaps what is really scary is that Des Moines is in the cross hairs again. Saylorville reservoir is near the overflow, and the Raccoon River is getting way over its banks even up here.

Last year this video and a lot of prayers helped, so lets hope for some magic again. Here is Stevie Ray Vaughn playing Texas Flood!

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood
Uploaded by PigLips

Flood Update

Well, the basement is drying out, so I am posting for now:-) Watching the radar on the computer, and praying that the big storm clouds keep moving south! Looks like a week to dry out before the next big rain. It's enough to give ya Da Bluze.