4/21, 11am: Greetings from Canada! We’re here in Rama, Ontario, at Casino Rama, just an hour or so from Toronto. The casino & hotel is on a lake and has a mountain lodge/Indian motif that is in keeping with the picturesque setting in which it is situated. I’ve got a beautiful room here replete with fireplace, sitting area, large glass-enclosed shower, and a nice big bed. Of course, no casino experience would be complete without the requisite buffet and they’ve got it! It may please those close to me that, while I continue to make several trips (no true buffet-lover can do any less!), I’m coming back with smaller portions. I read an article a few days ago about why French women are so skinny. The reason?...they eat what they want but in smaller portions than us Americans. Makes sense.
Monday, back in Myrtle Beach - where we spent the better portion of last week - Jeff and I took in a minor league baseball game. It was the Myrtle Beach Pelicans versus the Winstom-Salem Warthogs. The Pelicans are a Class A affiliate of the Braves and The Warthogs are a Class A affiliate of the White Sox. For $8.50 each, we had two box seats just a couple rows back from the 1st base dugout. It was fantastic! When you’re that close, you really get a sense of how fast the action is when there’s a ball in play. First of all, the pitches look like they’re being shot out of a cannon. The balls coming off the bats seem even faster! Jeff & I were in foul-tip territory, so we definitely had to pay attention. A few went in our general direction - one lady got cllipped and required minor medical attention - but all we got our hands on were the many hot dogs and peanuts we consumed. Final score?...Warthogs 4, Pelicans 1. So, as we exited the stadium along with our fellow forlorn Pelican fans, we hit the pro shop for souveniers and tucked away a memorable & enjoyable evening in Myrtle Beach.
Musically speaking, I would say that things have settled into a nice groove. The band is in fine form and spirits are high among all concerned. My bass is showing some small signs of the wear & tear of so much travelling and, while it still plays & sounds great, I’m wondering - after almost 15 years - if another one is in order to share the load. It would be tragic if something happened and I had nothing to fall back on. Sometimes, though it’s rare, the airline will not let me take it as a carry-on. I’ve seen the way some of these baggage-handlers toss it around andit makes me cringe every time. Thank goodness I spent the extra money and got a good case!
That’s all for now. We’ve got two more here in Canada, then a show in Connecticut, and home! It’s been a most enjoyable trip and I’m looking forward to Vegas and Atlantic City in May.
Stay tuned music fans!
--Adam
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Friday, April 15, 2005
Ahhh, Florida! Brrr, South Carolina!!
4/15, 3:23pm: Just finished lunch - a delicious turkey wrap w/ fries (Beth loves when I go into detail
about my food) - and decided it was time to update the old journal. Right now we’re in Myrtle Beach, S. Carolina where, I must say, it’s beautiful but rather windy & cold. However, the sun is out and as soon as I finish this I’m going to take a walk to the health club and hit the weight room. I can finally move without my skin feeling like it’s being rubbed with sandpaper (more on that later).
We kicked off a week in Florida at West Palm Beach where it was incredibly warm, sunny, and quite tropical (as you might expect). Had a good show and then took off for Naples. Naples is Florida’s version of Beverly Hills but near the beach and without the plastic surgery. We stayed at a luxurious hotel called The Inn on Fifth where the sliding glass door in my room opened up to a lovely courtyard & pool. Yup, I could literally take 10 steps and be basking in the sunshine next to a perfectly heated pool. I don’t know about you, but I like it when the water is around 78 degrees; just cool enough to cool you down, but not so cold as to cause shrinkage.
Anyhow, first day there I laid out by the pool to get some sun & fun. I don’t know, it must’ve been around 2pm; had a mag, my shades, and some lotion. A slight breeze was blowing from the southwest (actually, i don’t know where it was blowing from or if there even was a breeze, but it sounds good doesn’t it?) and all the pieces were in place for a slice of paradise. Fast forward to 2 hours later. I’m in my room, red as a tomato and wondering where the time went. Oh boy did I get nailed! Plus, I was wearing my sunglasses the whole time (don’t want to get wrinkles around the eyes!) and so I had this reverse raccoon look going on for the next 4 days. Oh, and did I mention it hurt like hell? Aside from that, Naples was great.
Where next? Clearwater! Not the beauty of Naples, but equally great weather and, thankfully, places to eat after 10pm as well as a decent-sized mall within walking distance from the hotel. I had left my cellphone charger in a previous hotel room and was grateful to find a Radio Shack where I could by another.
In Clearwater we had truly one of the best shows ever. Not only did the band sound great, but Humpy was clearly enjoying himself. I noticed he was having fun with the music; playing around with the melodies a little bit and even throwing in alittle scat here & there. (FYI: “Scatting” is a term for vocal improvisation). Also noticeable was his inclusion of some very funny and perfectly timed jokes I had not heard before. When he gave Jeff (our MD) a high-five as he exited the stage, I knew we had hit one out of the park.
And so, as I sit here in the comfort of my room in the Hilton Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC, I contemplate - among other things - how perfectly I trimmed my goatee this morning, how fortunate I am to know the love of a terrific woman, how grateful I am to be doing something I love in such beautiful surroundings (no...not napping!), and to have my Dad - whom I love - happy and healthy and continuing to win at poker.
Until next time...
--Adam
about my food) - and decided it was time to update the old journal. Right now we’re in Myrtle Beach, S. Carolina where, I must say, it’s beautiful but rather windy & cold. However, the sun is out and as soon as I finish this I’m going to take a walk to the health club and hit the weight room. I can finally move without my skin feeling like it’s being rubbed with sandpaper (more on that later).
We kicked off a week in Florida at West Palm Beach where it was incredibly warm, sunny, and quite tropical (as you might expect). Had a good show and then took off for Naples. Naples is Florida’s version of Beverly Hills but near the beach and without the plastic surgery. We stayed at a luxurious hotel called The Inn on Fifth where the sliding glass door in my room opened up to a lovely courtyard & pool. Yup, I could literally take 10 steps and be basking in the sunshine next to a perfectly heated pool. I don’t know about you, but I like it when the water is around 78 degrees; just cool enough to cool you down, but not so cold as to cause shrinkage.
Anyhow, first day there I laid out by the pool to get some sun & fun. I don’t know, it must’ve been around 2pm; had a mag, my shades, and some lotion. A slight breeze was blowing from the southwest (actually, i don’t know where it was blowing from or if there even was a breeze, but it sounds good doesn’t it?) and all the pieces were in place for a slice of paradise. Fast forward to 2 hours later. I’m in my room, red as a tomato and wondering where the time went. Oh boy did I get nailed! Plus, I was wearing my sunglasses the whole time (don’t want to get wrinkles around the eyes!) and so I had this reverse raccoon look going on for the next 4 days. Oh, and did I mention it hurt like hell? Aside from that, Naples was great.
Where next? Clearwater! Not the beauty of Naples, but equally great weather and, thankfully, places to eat after 10pm as well as a decent-sized mall within walking distance from the hotel. I had left my cellphone charger in a previous hotel room and was grateful to find a Radio Shack where I could by another.
In Clearwater we had truly one of the best shows ever. Not only did the band sound great, but Humpy was clearly enjoying himself. I noticed he was having fun with the music; playing around with the melodies a little bit and even throwing in alittle scat here & there. (FYI: “Scatting” is a term for vocal improvisation). Also noticeable was his inclusion of some very funny and perfectly timed jokes I had not heard before. When he gave Jeff (our MD) a high-five as he exited the stage, I knew we had hit one out of the park.
And so, as I sit here in the comfort of my room in the Hilton Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC, I contemplate - among other things - how perfectly I trimmed my goatee this morning, how fortunate I am to know the love of a terrific woman, how grateful I am to be doing something I love in such beautiful surroundings (no...not napping!), and to have my Dad - whom I love - happy and healthy and continuing to win at poker.
Until next time...
--Adam
Friday, April 8, 2005
Raising the curtain in Arkansas
4/5, 10:47pm: Hi music fans! I write this from my hotel room in Arkansas; Fayetteville, Arkansas, to be exact. We’ve kicked off another leg of the tour and despite what was a grueling 5 weeks in Europe, I was looking forward to seeing everyone and doing the show again.
Yesterday, JD (piano), Jeff (MD), and I flew out of LAX together for Arkansas via Cincinnatti. I arrived early Monday morning at LAX at 7am for my 8:30 flight to be confronted by; not one, not two, but three different (and long!) lines before boarding my flight. I have come to the conclusion that there is no longer such a thing as being too early for a plane. Think you can waltz in 30 minutes before boarding that quickie to Phoenix? Forget it! Those days are over. We should bomb the shit out of...I don’t know...somebody, just for forcing us to go through this song & dance now. Oh how I long for the days when you’d walk through the terminal in your suit & tie, fedora tilted to the side, and mosey out onto the tarmac where the prop job and a pretty lady in a crisp stewardess uniform would be waiting. Ah, how I miss those days. <cue “As Time Goes By”> Wait a minute, I wasn’t even born yet! In any event, I do recall at least a slightly simpler time when people weren’t so scared. I wonder if we can ever regain that trust & peace of mind.
So, we had a show tonight at the Walton Performing Arts Center. Now, a quick note about the name “Walton”. It’s the last name of Sam Walton who is the founder of the store we have come to know and love as Wal-Mart. Yup folks, I’m here at ground-zero of one the great American retail success stories. Will I trade in my burgundy turtleneck for a blue vest & name tag? Only time will tell. For now, I still have a gig.
Anyhow, tonight’s show went beautifully. We have a couple of new faces in the band and they not only nailed it, but they brought in a fresh element to the overall sound as well. I look forward to getting to know and working with our new drummer and backup singer as they are both friendly & talented people.
So, with what seems like a band of refreshed and newly exuberant musicians, I am optimistic about the weeks ahead.
And Mr. Walton, just in case, I wear a large.
Until next time...
--Adam
Yesterday, JD (piano), Jeff (MD), and I flew out of LAX together for Arkansas via Cincinnatti. I arrived early Monday morning at LAX at 7am for my 8:30 flight to be confronted by; not one, not two, but three different (and long!) lines before boarding my flight. I have come to the conclusion that there is no longer such a thing as being too early for a plane. Think you can waltz in 30 minutes before boarding that quickie to Phoenix? Forget it! Those days are over. We should bomb the shit out of...I don’t know...somebody, just for forcing us to go through this song & dance now. Oh how I long for the days when you’d walk through the terminal in your suit & tie, fedora tilted to the side, and mosey out onto the tarmac where the prop job and a pretty lady in a crisp stewardess uniform would be waiting. Ah, how I miss those days. <cue “As Time Goes By”> Wait a minute, I wasn’t even born yet! In any event, I do recall at least a slightly simpler time when people weren’t so scared. I wonder if we can ever regain that trust & peace of mind.
So, we had a show tonight at the Walton Performing Arts Center. Now, a quick note about the name “Walton”. It’s the last name of Sam Walton who is the founder of the store we have come to know and love as Wal-Mart. Yup folks, I’m here at ground-zero of one the great American retail success stories. Will I trade in my burgundy turtleneck for a blue vest & name tag? Only time will tell. For now, I still have a gig.
Anyhow, tonight’s show went beautifully. We have a couple of new faces in the band and they not only nailed it, but they brought in a fresh element to the overall sound as well. I look forward to getting to know and working with our new drummer and backup singer as they are both friendly & talented people.
So, with what seems like a band of refreshed and newly exuberant musicians, I am optimistic about the weeks ahead.
And Mr. Walton, just in case, I wear a large.
Until next time...
--Adam
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