The end of a very long but fun week

Man...
When it gets hard to know even where to begin a blog about how much we did last week, you know it was a long one. We were able to pack 7 different shows into 4 days, so I'll just run them down one by one briefly.

Show #1: 6:30 am, Wednesday February 6th - Live on Fox 7's "Good Day Austin"
I call this one at 6:30 am, because that's when we have to be there by. It started very early, but went off very well. John and I were there with our good friend Carl Miner back in August, so he and I had an idea of what to expect. This was the first time we had the full band there, and it was really great considering how early in the morning it is (for musicians anyway) to do that show. Joe Bickett always does a great job at making this early morning performance so easy when we're in the studio, and I was a little more comfortable this time around being in front of the live TV cameras. It's pretty much the equivalent of being on stage in front of a live audience, only - well, not. :)

Show #2: 9:30 am, Weds. Feb 6th - Webcast taping at Fox
Since we didn't have to be back at the studio until 9:30, the guys and I decided to go over to Katz's for breakfast - a favorite hangout for us when we finish playing 6th street. This was probably the hardest show during the week for me because I didn't have an audience to play to, and the cameras were rolling, recording our every move, word, and note for 60 minutes. The energy I get from the crowd at our shows was obviously absent, so I just keyed in to the fact that they were there, in a sense, so I didn't lose my timing. But it was a good performance, and it was off to get ready for the next one.

Show #3: 7:00 pm, Weds. Feb 6th - Cindy's Gone Hog Wild
We always have fun at Cindy's, but our fans didn't show up until later on in the evening, and we ended up having another good one there. This is our first residency gig, and the folks at Cindy's are always happy when we're there. Our good friend Lynn brought her friends out, and it made the evening that much more entertaining, and we're always thankful for Lynn. She compares the quality of our shows to 'watching her children grow up.' :) The night would've been complete had I been able to get home at a decent hour, especially after such a long day, but Bill decided to complicate things and leave his keys in the gear van, already speeding its way back to north Austin, so I had to drive him back to Dripping Springs - oh well.. it wouldn't happen again, would it? Surely not...

Show #4: 8:00 pm, Thurs. Feb 7th - The Pickled Pelican in Rockport
These shows are becoming somewhat regular for us, and we're really happy when we're able to get down there. We didn't get to leave Austin until mid-afternoon, so we didn't get there until about 40 minutes until showtime. But, everyone at the Pelican, (especially our friend Meg) really loves it when we're down there, and it started getting interesting as the night wore on. We were getting many, many shots bought for us - so many that we had to cut ourselves off just so we could finish the show! :) Our pal Terry Evans was also there, and even let us stay at his place in Key Allegro, so we didn't have to worry about the hotel expense. The ocean is so peaceful, and even though we didn't get a chance to see much of it in the dark, waking up in front of it is nothing less than cool.

Show #5: 7:30 pm, Fri. Feb. 8th - Austin Music Foundation show at Hill's Cafe
This show was the whole reason we went to Fox, and also were honored with 1 of only 3 webcast airings for "Love Austin Music" month. Once again, we were running late enough to get back in town, so Bill and I elected to head straight to Hill's once we hit town and relax for a bit before the show. Thankfully, the weather worked out so beautifully that we were able to play outside under the oaks. Also, while we were loading in and setting up the webcast was airing online, so we all watched while we worked.
The crowd was really great, as well as the attendance, which included our new friend Joe Bickett, (who gave us a great introduction - thanks again, Joe!), Suzanne Quinn from the AMF, and friend and fellow musician, Eric Leikam. The boys and I always enjoy playing at Hill's, and we were glad to see so many people and familiar faces in the audience that night, who were just as happy as we were for the weather to stay nice.
Now, here's the funny part. Remember when I mentioned Bill's leaving his keys in his stick bag Wednesday night? Well, he did it again, and only now, this time my car was brought up by Bill's wife, and we couldn't use the van. So, I had to take Bill, Traci, his drums, my gear and all but 2 monitors for our system out to Oak Hill in my little SUV. Thankfully, Bill is a master at packing the gear, but I felt at any moment on the way there that the vehicle would explode spontaneously at any moment. Bill's lap (among other things, if you get my drift) was probably the biggest casualty of the journey due to Traci's having to shift during the 20 minute trip, but something tells me he's not going to be making that mistake again anytime soon. :)

Show #6: 10:00am, Sat. Feb. 9th - Tarrytown Farmer's Market
At last, I was finally able to sleep in my own comfortable bed the night before this show, and was thankful to do so. But, 8:30 came around much too early Saturday morning, and we had another great show at the lovely Tarrytown Farmer's Market. I was also very happy to see my very good friend Angela stop by and bring her parents over who were in town visiting from Missouri. It was another great show, despite the fact that we were all pretty beat up by Saturday morning, and poor Carl kept having problems with his car. It was even more noticable when we were breaking down and loading out after this show, and no one really said a word. :)

Show #7: 9:00 pm, Sat. Feb. 9th - Giddy Up's
So here we are, finally at the last consecutive show on the 4 day run. There was already a very cool crowd waiting for us to set up, many of whom saw us on Fox 7, and were anxious for us to get started, among them, Ronnie Huckaby, piano player extraordinare for George Strait , and one of JC's friends. The crowd was very responsive, even though I had my moments of pause due to the lengthy hours we'd put in that week. But thanks to my boys and a couple of Red Bulls, we were able to make it through and even had another friend of JC's, David Baxter, sit in on a song with us. Don't be surprised if you see him around at another show soon - he's a great guitar player, and has Carl's approval and blessing to stop by often!

Well, that's it for now, my friends. Things are definitely picking up, and even though this entry was a little longer than I expected, it was quite necessary, and there are, of course, more details that would be too boring (or legal) to put in. :) But thanks to a great bunch of guys who I'm lucky enough to share the stage with, the hard parts of stage and road life really aren't that hard, when you really enjoy what you do, and who you do it with. I'm thankful for both.