NEXT SHOWS ARE:

FRIDAY, JAN. 9 - FRESNO FOX TELEVISION SHOW "GREAT DAY" I WILL BE LIVE ON THE AIR WITH THE BAND! 7:00 am - 10am.  Playing songs from my CDs and interview! Tune in and give us a call.

FRIDAY, JAN. 9 - CHUKCHANSI CASINO, COARSEGOLD

SATURDAY, JAN. 10 - CHUKCHANSI CASINO, COARSEGOLD

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WED. DEC. 31 - YOSEMITE LAKES PARK COUNTRY CLUB, COARSEGOLD

A SUPER EVENT PLANNED!

WISHING ONE AND ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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SUNDAY, DEC. 21 - LOU'S PIER 47, SAN FRANCISCO 

Visalia has all four seasons. Winter is mild compared to the East coast, yet it gets cold with fog and rain. Today as Brian Beal, Lenny Mendoza and I head out on to 99 it is raining. We get a chance to talk a little on the drive, this is my first show with a bass and drums from Visalia. Working with LA musicians since I moved, it has taken seven months to meet pro players here. There is only word of mouth referrals so it takes awhile. It has been quite a change for me moving from the heart of the city to the country. I can see it takes a lot longer to adjust than I thought. It is a process of trying to get back to where I was day to day plus add the new. Stopping for lunch in Tracy, a town growing fast and becoming very modern, we are soon back on the road in the rain. Along the way the malls are so full the off ramps back into the freeway. San Francisco is quiet, the rain and pre Christmas Sunday are slow. I had got a call from Big Rick that my buddies Mike, Thomas, Ricky and Big Rick would be coming to the show. Terrific news! After a set up and a few shows to a small but into the music crowd the place slows to about the least I've seen Lou's. We play on with Lenny and Brian doing excellent work on the songs. Latter as we drive back to Visalia talking about Tulare county. It is big county, and has a lot of features I'm very interested in learning about. Sooner or later I will become a local as I was in Los Angeles. It takes time though. 

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Saturday, Dec. 13 - TAPING FOUR SONGS ON LOCAL  FRESNO TELEVISION SHOW "VALLEY MUSIC" KJEO, CHANNEL 32

airtimes are WED. DEC. 31 at 7pm, FRIDAY, Jan. 2 at 9:30pm, SUNDAY, Jan. 4 at 8pm, and MONDAY, Jan. 5 at 8:30pm 

Arriving in Porterville during a rain storm that ends around noon. I am walking through the studio door before 10am. Ken the producer is upbeat and I'm up for the fun of taping this television show. Rocky who plays keyboards at the recording studio next door hooked this meeting up. Thanks Rocky! After watching a previous show on the computer, Ken's band opens and closes the show, we start getting a mix on vocals and my acoustic. The acoustic sounds real nice. The production on the show is top notch. Just a very pro sound and look. I perform three songs, "Cool Running","Black Coffee At Sunrise" and "Home". I feel good about everything and the playback is cool. Ken and I do an interview segment and we wrap up the show. I enjoyed this a lot. Nice vibe, good people and a chance to promote here in the Central Valley. As I drive north on the 65 highway towards Exeter the rain is on and off. I am getting an understanding of the deep country music roots here. I did not realize in Los Angeles how strong and important country music is to this part of California.

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THANK YOU BARBARA WHITE editor at ZBANDS.COM for featuring BW and song on your cool webzine! 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!!!

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FRIDAY, DEC. 5 - SEQUOIA BREWING COMPANY, FRESNO

Local Coarsegold drummer Howard Smith and LA bass monster Brian Levine and I meet at this upscale eatery in North Fresno. Cool place with good food and a nice stage. Howard can play drums very well at a low volume. Friends Paul and Celeste are here and well known local drummer Scott Black is in the house as well. Great crowd right up to closing. I'm still new to the Valley so it is great to connect with a club that feels good for me to work at.

SATURDAY, DEC. 6 - TABLE MOUNTAIN CASINO, FRIANT 

With the musicians from Friday night, we are loading into this huge casino to play right on the gaming floor stage. Friant is in the country side of Fresno. The hill sides are doted with mansions for ranch homes. The casino has great food and is a very nice gig. Terrific to be here. This gives me a chance to play to a wide range of people and is very good for me to learn skills to work stages in this situation. The show goes very well. Time flies by. We load out and Brian and I drive to Visalia. With Hollywood under three hours drive from my place, Brian is soon on his way home. He has a new car and plans to be working Wednesday night at Kanters bar on Fairfax in West Hollywood. Great weekend and enjoyed working around my new home, the Central Valley of California!

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FRIDAY and SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28 & 29 - YOSEMITE LODGE AT THE FALLS, YOSEMITE

With the weather very nice, a feel of fall in the air, I drive up highway 41 to Yosemite. The park has an entrance fee of $20. The Valley floor is 33 miles inside the park. This where the hotels and small town of Curry Village is located. The first time you see the valley after exiting the big tunnel is amazing. It is a National Park in every sense of the words. The main waterfall is the tallest in North America. I am meeting Adam Gust and Brian Levine at the hotel so I'm here first. The gear is set up in the lodge Bar, a huge room complete with fireplace that holds a couple of hundred people. The hotel is many smaller buildings with rooms centered around a plaza that has all the holiday lights up on trees. They say that Yosemite has fantastic points of interest for every season. I believe this, Yosemite is a very special place.

The place is full of people celebrating Thanksgiving weekend. The band is ripping and the dance floor is full. Sonjia is here from Los Angeles and Brian's dad works at the park. The night goes by quick and everyone heads for their room to get up early and out to the park. 

Saturday morning and the weather is sunny and brisk. I visit the museum and get a great lecture on native American artifacts. The day to day life here in the valley long ago. At 2pm I joined a walking tour with a park ranger who gave a super 90 minutes on Bears in Yosemite Park. Walking a trail through meadows and across a couple of bridges. Back to the hotel for dinner and on to a Rockin' Saturday show. Lots of locals here tonight. The place just goes off like the Firefalls of 68 when they use to push burning logs from the top of the waterfalls. We all have a lot of fun, sharing this great place we are lucky to visit. Wow. I am up at 6am and load the gear, have breakfast and slowly drive out Highway 41. What a fantastic place to visit.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE! 

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 - LUMBERYARD BREWING COMPANY, SONORA

After a check in call from Doug Birmingham and Marvin Sperling, a few moments later they pull up to my place in Visalia. Two excellent Los Angeles musicians playing this weekends shows. I book rooms in Turlock a town two hours north of here. After check in I take back roads to Sonora arriving in time for a very nice dinner and set up. The local newspaper Union democrat ran my photo in support of tonights show. Soon a good friend Robert Cumpston walks in followed by Mark, Chris, Cathy, Les and his wife. When Dave Spinetto, Connie and Matt sit down at the table we have a great group of Summerville Bears. My high school I went to here in a near by town. The show is a Rocker with lots of visiting and dancing. I go out to the truck and get my camera for a few photos. Around 1am I pull the truck up to the side door and we load up for the ride to Turlock. After awhile we are surrounded by thick fog. Fog is common here in the Central Valley this time of the year. So thick you can hardly see to drive. I am experienced at driving and soon we pull up to our motel.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22 -  CHIEF CRAZY HORSE BAR, NEVADA CITY

After a breakfast at Hometown B. we are on the road heading for Sacramento. Checking into an old hotel in the old town district. This place is off the 160 freeway and at one time, maybe during the sixties was very happening. A conference room, huge, a giant pool and the rooms all facing the court yard. for some reason it reminds me of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Maybe not. The entire neighborhood is left in the sixties. Wow, kinda like a movie set. Still the rooms are nice and we are only here for awhile. The band boards the van and we drive up the 80 freeway to the 49 in Auburn and into Nevada City. Winter is here so it is chilly as we put the gear in the club. Dianna and Pierre serve a nice dinner and friends are here to say Hi. My long time good friends Joni and David arrive and we get a chance to visit. The club fills up and the dance floor is full. Mike a local keyboard player is sitting in on blues tunes and on breaks I sell a few CDs. Some friends from Zigato's in Sacramento are here and Kelly, Kathern and Shane stop by to wish the band well. I love making new friends around California, it is the best part of my job. The whole state is beautiful and it is so much fun traveling all four corners. Nevada city very nice, with a look of the gold rush era, stone streets, old Boston looking buildings. The show tonight has the most people of all my shows here. A good sign for future bookings. With the temp at around 34 degrees we load the van and drive to Sacramento. Before we  leave, I do photos with friends and Dianna offers Doug and Marvin some super homemade french fries. They accept and agree, these are some of the best french fries in the state. Tomorrow is San Francisco and Lou's. Nice.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23 - LOU'S PIER 47 - SAN FRANCISCO

We drive over to Hamburger Patties in Old Town Sacramento this morning. Around 16th and J streets. Love this part of the city. Old Victorian buildings, lots of trees. The food is excellent here and it has a great vibe.Then I drive Marv and Doug to the historic Old Town along the River. Very cool place, I wish we had time to go into the railroad museum. It is fantastic! Pulling up to Lou's on the Wharf about two hours later it is brisk but nice outside. The club is closed until 5pm when we start, so there is time to walk around. I see a friend from the East bay so we chat about Thanksgiving coming up soon. The room fills up and we play until 7pm take a dinner break and return for two more shows. This is a great room started long ago and has had some of San Francisco's best musicians on the stage. I always get into the show and rip on guitar. Later we drive back to Visalia moving along easy until Merced where we are surrounded by a very thick fog. The truck joins up with the big trucks and it takes everybody watching out as we can only see  few feet in front of us. This goes on for about 90 minutes, making driving very tough. Marv. has never been in this kind of weather driving and he calls me when he gets home and says he can only work Los Angeles shows. I understand his concern. I travel statewide all year, in all seasons and all weather. Musicians often say " they don't pay us to play music, they pay us to move the equipment".

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THURSDAY, NOV. 13 - VOODOO LOUNGE / HOUSE OF BLUES, ANAHIEM

Arriving in sunny So. Ca. with temp at 87 degrees, I pull up at Doug Birmingham's house for rehearsal. He is booked to play drums next week in Northern Ca. The session is cool and I am next on to West Hollywood to a great luggage repair shop called Jacop's on third street. In business for 23 years they can fix my handle on the Les Pall case better than Gibson! Diving into rush hour traffic after 3pm is a crawl and so thick you had better be a good driver to hold up under the stress. I check in near Anahiem's Disneyland with a super deal on the room and get ready for the gig. House of Blues / Voodoo Lounge is bumpin' with lots of people and they serve a terrific dinner. Rich Smith is here on drums and Marv is on Bass and we just totally rip. The show is the best I have ever played here. My hands are on fire.The bar has dancers and I even see a Bay area friend in town here tonight. Great response and within five minutes drive I'm back to my room to rest.

FRIDAY, NOV. 14th - CLUB HOUSE BAR and GRILL, PLACENTIA

The sun is shining and I am totally lost on side streets in Buena Park. I am not on a freeway and I only know the freeways here. After awhile I see the freeway in the distance and find an entrance. Yes. My world works better at 70 miles an hour. Today it is one stop after another, pick up the guitar case from Jacop, Lydia for hair, Brent and Amena for a restock of the "Blues Alive" CDs plus phone calls and a drive through Beverly Hills. I would like to have lunch in Bev. Hills but it is way to crowed. Wow. Fuel up and head south for the Anahiem hills gig tonight. The business news is will General Motors collapse and cause a huge drop in the Stock market and unemployment to really rise. We will see. Dinner at the Lakeview diner and into the club early. No motel room booked tonight as I am driving all night to get back to Visalia. The stage is nice, set up my gear and I meet a very cool group of bartenders. Tina, Missy and Nathan are very welcoming, making me feel good about this new club on the tour route. The show is a blast Matt Oloffson is smacking down some big time drum work and Marv is right there to hold down the groove. The place is packed and right up to 2am the crowd wants to Rock. I quickly  load my truck for the three hour drive home. Marv gets a call that there is a huge fire right in the middle of my exit out of LA. near the 5 freeway and the grapevine. I have to move fast, freeway to freeway, 57, 60, 5 north past Burbank and on to Santa Clarita. Fire trucks racing by me lights flashing, cop cars with them. I can see a big ball of orange in the sky, off ramps blocked and the wind is pulling my truck out of my lane. Must be blowing very hard outside, whiping the flames. This is in the heart of the valley, all homes and city streets where the fire is located. Soon I am up on the mountain, it is around 3am and it takes until 4:45 am to pull into my driveway. Visalia has a little valley fog but it is quiet and my old cat Beebo wanders out to join me for a bowl of Wheaties. Five am is a very nice time of the day. 

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FRIDAY, OCT. 31 - CROWN BILLIARDS, SAN RAMON

Rain is due for the weekend around the state. Rich Smith, Marv and I are heading for the Bay Area leaving Visalia around 3pm. After living in the city for years my house will have Trick or Treaters ringing the door bell tonight. Still overcast outside we have dinner in Livermore and race to get inside the club before rain. We make it and downbeat at 9pm. The costumes of everyone coming through the door are great Lots of different outfits. There is a cash prize for three of the best so people are into it. The fun bar / pool hall is located in an up section of the Bay Area. very nice shops and all kinds of well established business's. The vibe is for fun and the band with guest Harpman Matt is Rippin'! Sarah, Russ and Kevin are hosting this event and they have a good crowd. The rain breaks around 1:30am and we load out and get back to the motel for sleep.

SATURDAY, NOV. 1 - HENFLINGS, BEN LOMOND

Starting the day at my favorite breakfast place in California. The Railroad Cafe is super. Jo greets us at the door and I can feel at home here. Around 5pm we head into a wicked rain storm towards Ben Lomond. The truck is crawling along against pounding wind and rain. Cars are turned around from an accident on the twisting highway 17. Loading in to Henflings in a full on rainstorm we are drenched. The crowd is with us and folks are here even in the rain. We grab dinner from the market across the street and it really quite good. My long time buddies are here, Steve S. setting up his new mesa amp to sit in with us. Hot local drummer Rod Wilson his here with two good friends of his. The music is rippin' hot with guest players Rod and Steve jumping in on songs. Towards midnight we learn a huge tree has blocked our exit out of town. The main road off of this mountain is closed. The club has a very cool door guy and he writes us a detailed way to take back roads off of the hill. The rain is pouring down as a convoy of two cars and the band truck leave Ben Lomond. Slowly we drive watching every street sign and turn in the road. A feeling of being in an Indiana Jones movie is with me as I drive. After awhile we pull into Scotts Valley safely and after a blast from the truck horn we are on our way back to the motel. By the time we get to the edge of Livermore the rain has lighted up and around 3:15am I am looking forward to sleep.

SUNDAY, NOV. 2 - BLUE HERON, COARSEGOLD

It is a beautiful sunny and blue sky day. The rain has cleaned up everything and we travel across the state east towards Yosemite park.  After arriving at the club house the football game is on the TV and it is going to be a good one. Gary and Moneka are on the deck outside waving to me as I take a few photos near the lake. What a fun surprise! The buffet today is super and around 4pm we kick into some tunes. Everybody is here, many very nice people I have gotten to be friends with. About halfway through the afternoon, Scott the sax player walks in with his horn. Great! Scott plays terrific and fits in to the sound easy. Everyone is very nice to the band and as I move around the room to say hello to friends, the talk is of New Years eve this year. I am booked for the event here and will bring in Kirk Nelson from Los Angels plus Scott has agreed to join us on stage. I think it will be a wonderful evening.

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24 - VINNY'S, CHOWCHILLA

Marv arrives in his PT Cruiser and we are on our way. I make a stop at Penara bread shop for a sandwich and while in line a young boy named Luke says hi and that he saw my show in Exeter. He is there with his family and I really enjoyed talking guitar with such a nice fan and his family. It was a nice compliment to be recognized from the show. As we pull into Chowchilla and up to the front of Vinny's I remember a story about this town. A long time ago the Central Valley of California was a vast open range of cattle and ranches. No fences just rough and tumble western folks and their cattle. This is before the railroad got here. Chowchilla was a place they could come to for supplies and a few other things. This town has a wild history. WE set up in a building that houses Vinny's club, it was once a bank on main street. They drive 300 head of cattle down main street once a year as a celebration of the towns history. The kids in school are let out for the day to see this. The dog Zero is chewing a toy on stage as we set up. Cool little dog with black around his eyes. The music is rippin' and a few girls in front start to flash the band. Wow this is like a saloon complete with a small group of Hells Angels out front talking around their bikes. Fun and peaceful the evening goes by and we load the gear in the truck. Howard Smith is drumming for the show this weekend and does a good job.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONEKA! Thank you for booking the band for your party on Sat. Oct. 25th 

After reading an email from Moneka that I can get in to the hall for set up tonight at 1pm, i am out the door and Marv and I arrive in downtown Visalia. The downtown of Visalia is very upscale with lots of places to shop, cafes, and a very healthy night life of bars to party at. Moneka and her best friends are there getting the decorations, table center pieces and going over the dinner for tonight. I get to meet her son Steve and we plan the CD music for the guests. Howard Smith calls me at home around 6pm that he is at the hall and ready to Rock. Tonight's band will feature an excellent sax player I met here in town, John King. A musician with a blues background that fits in very well with the show. Before dinner I get a chance to meet many of Moneka's friends and enjoy the chance to know more people from Visalia. The band starts the music and after a couple of songs Moneka and Gary come up to the microphone and say a few words to their guests. Lots of dancing and a huge Happy Birthday singalong from everyone is part of the fun. I am good friends with this wonderful person who has many many close friends. A rare chance to have an overview of her life. Moneka tries very hard and has helped many people, her fight to help animals in trouble is very well known. She is native Visalian, with ties to the community, many of her friends stand up during dinner to tell stories of the good times they have spent together. With the last of the guests saying how much fun tonight was, the band packs up the gear and loads the truck. Nice to be working in town tonight and close to home. Thanks to Moneka and her husband Gary, Visalia is feeling more and more like my new home. 

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THURSDAY, OCT. 16 - VOODOO LOUNGE, HOUSE OF BLUES, ANAHIEM

Out the door and on my way by 7:30am. I am excited to be working for the next few days in Southern Ca. The weather is great, Fall temps are back. I start with appointments at 11am and work my way through the day towards the show, Mesa Eng. replaces all my tubes in my amp which gets long hours of use. Today I meet with seven musicians for work in the future. Traveling by myself gives me a chance to get a lot done. I can move from one task to the next quickly. Pulling into the security lot at Disneyland around 8:30pm the guards are very nice, so I visit awhile.  Rich Smith and Marvin Sperling are already here so before long we are set up and playing tunes. This is Marvis's first show with me and he does very well. Rich and I go back quite a ways with gigs. The crowd is light, coming and going after dining on classic fare. Towards the end the bar builds up and we turn up and rip. After playing four hours in the afternoon for musician auditions and three shows tonight my hands are rippin! Driving towards the Marina in Los Angeles it's quiet and parking on a side street I slip into a friend's guest room for a few hours sleep. I like to work almost around the clock on the road.

FRIDAY, OCT. 17 - PARADISE STORE, SANTA BARBARA

Out the door very early I'm in Beverly Hills for breakfast at the Farm. Nice place near the Museum of Media. Stop by the bank and take a walk in the area. One of my favorite cities in California. Pick up a few things at the Grove Mall in West Hollywood. Visalia does not everything yet. Although I could order on line some stuff. Living here in Los Angeles for over twenty years I still have my favorite places and most of my day to day life stuff if I need it. I enjoy living in Visalia the quality of like is better. After lunch with an upcoming business contact, I meet Matt O. and marv in Venice. We jump on the very slow moving 405 freeway and catch the 101 freeway towards the north. It is a crawl al the way to Ventura and this is eating up lots of set up time when we get there. With the brakes smoking from driving over the 154 highway to Paradise Cove in the Santa Barbara mountains we are there. My friend allen is here and a friend from 25 years ago WC walks in. Wow! We talk and remember early days in Hollywood when I had first moved there from San Francisco. Jimmy a long time music industry pro is here tonight. He traveled with Hoyt Akton for 38 years and has a  book with him of amazing photos and things from years of the music industry days and nights.I get a feeling of inspiration to be a part of the music industry legacy and all the travelers / singers who came before me and built this lifestyle of cities and songs. Around ten pm we load up the gear for the drive to LA. Jimmy sings us a song he wrote with Hoyt Akton that went to number one on the country charts. The drive back is smooth, not that much traffic at this time of night. Agreeing to leave at 7:30 am we off load gear to everyone's car so I can stay down south on Sat. after the shows. Later I'm visiting a birthday party until 12:30am and then it's time to sleep. I need rest for two shows on Sat.

SATURDAY, OCT. 18 - BIGGS HARLEY DAVIDSON RALLY, SAN MARCOS (DAY)

After tripping a breaker at dawn, I'm out the door and driving down the 405 south. Today would prove to be huge. Pulling in to Biggs Harley D. lot I meet up with Marv and we go out for a quick bit of food before set up. San Marcos is a clean modern city with a big future. Very nice place to live. The show is smooth with the sets rolling along and Matt O. driving the drum engine of the band. A good drummer makes everything  happen. We pack up around three and begin the minute by minute run to close the festival on the main stage in Covina.

SATURDAY, Oct. 18 - BLUESAPALOZZA/THUNDERFEST, COVINA (NIGHT)

 I am living in my truck, which I enjoy when traveling. The convoy of us three musicians pull up to the stage and are greeted by my long time friend Steve Brooke. Wow this is going to a good one. Ace keys player Kirk Nelson is here and I can see some buddies like T are already near the stage. We rip into the tunes red hot from playing for hours earlier in the day. The crowd moves forward to us and the sound picks up the storm of blues. By the end of the second set we are in a Blues Power rush, complete with encore and CD sales. Yes! I live for shows like this. Later with the gear on board, Matt O. heads for yet a third show in downtown LA, Marv is off to see his girl and I'm driving south to stay with my very cool sister Maryanne and her husband Dale. No hurry, just drifting. I'm very ready for sleep and am out like a light after midnight. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 19 - SWALLOWS INN, SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

Morning and I'm watching football over breakfast with my brother in law Dale. Oceanside is a beautiful seaside town with fresh air and a big future. Camp Pendelton has a lot of open land here that will one day be sold. A possible location for a football stadium. San Juan is amazing, warm, sunny and clean. Everybody is here early because it is a fantastic fall day. Marv's girl Wendy is with us and we visit at a band table between shows. I have lunch outside on the patio of a super eatery, thinking this is like a coastal town in southern Europe. The blue of the ocean, people strolling along in front of little shops. The Swallows Inn is up for a dancing good time and the girls here are good looking southern Cali girls. Oh Yea. I meet two very nice young ladies while am selling CDs, Terry and Brenda. After a few goodbye's to everyone, I point the truck north to cross the grapevine and into the central valley. Thinking how much I enjoyed and loved this visit to my former home in California. Now it is time to get back to all my day to day good stuff in Visalia. I am excited about the new week ahead.

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SATURDAY, October 11 - EXETER FALL FESTIVAL (DAY)

On Friday night Rich Smith calls and says he has to turn around from his drive to Visalia and return to Los Angeles. He will be helping out a club in Fullerton with his drum work and just get up at 6am and drive here to Visalia. Wow! Ok Rich you are a goer! Sure enough at 9am he pulls in and we have breakfast. A little while later Mr. Powers arrives and we are on our way done Caldwell to Exeter. The weather is beautiful and there is a lot of people here for the Fall festival. We are on a bandstand in the center of the park. This is a classic small town America event. Well planned with a lot of help from all of the local community. I am excited to be here and the music and show go very well. Everyone knows somebody here, my good friends Moneka and Gary are here along with Laurie G. Crafts, vendors and the crowning of Miss Exeter 2008 make this a highlite of the year. Super start to the day.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 - MONGO'S, GROVER BEACH (NIGHT)

Returning to my house the band has lunch and rests before we leave for Grover Beach. The ride is a lot of laughs because Rich and Matt have an interesting take on the current National election and being polled.

With the gear set up we sit down to an outstanding dinner. The club is not only fun, the food is great!

The club is Rocking with Lyle, Christy and Pete, local musicians. A New York guitar player introduces himself , turns out Ed and I are friends with a long time drummer friend of mine living in Florida, Gil Gauck. Frank the GM runs a cool club and the band rips into the tunes as the crowd dances and parties. Late into the night we drive arriving around 4am. Having crossed some very open land. Everyone gets some rest for Sunday's show. 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 - LOU'S PIER 47, SAN FRANCISCO

Breakfast with the band and off to San Francisco. Matt Oloffson is pulling into town and Rich Smith is on his way to Los Angeles and a show at a well known biker bar Cooks Corner. Mr. Oloffson and Mr. Powers play well together so this will be a huge show. We stop in Los Banos to have dinner at a fast food place because everything will be running right to the minute. Pulling into San Francisco the Columbus Day Parade is just finishing, people, traffic, everything is wild. Getting into Lou's on the Wharf is tough but we start right on time at 8pm and the show is a roller coaster of fun. Driving home Matt Powers says he will be taking time off to work at a casino to get more support for his two year old son and wife. We all agree this is a high note for him to end on. Still the door is open for him to play a show with us anytime. I enjoy meeting people and musicians like everyone have to balance their lives with responsibility and time pursuing their dreams. Even after arriving near 4am, everyone plans to be up early taking care of important Monday tasks.

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FRIDAY, OCT. 3 - THREE RIVERS INN, THREE RIVERS

This journal will be nice to read over time. however I sometimes get behind and it stays on my to do list for awhile. Moving this year really set me back on a lot of projects. You know moving to a brand new city is very time consuming.  This weekend Matt Powers and Howard Smith are on for shows. I meet Howard and Mat at the gig in Three Rivers. This gateway to Sequoia National Park is a wooded small town with a river running right next to the club. Beautiful location. Setting up we dig in for tunes. The crowd is a no show and we play to a hand full of music fans. There are a table of people here who saw me play here in the spring and they are having a good time dancing. Could be rain, Festival in Visalia or just not a night for music. We play good, pack up and talking with Jen the owner plan to wait until spring to rebook. I could use work close to home but will wait until tourist season returns.

SUNDAY, OCT. 5th - BLUE HERON, COARSEGOLD

Ah one of my favorite places YLP in Coarsegold. I don't know why but we just match up here at the club house and have a lot of fun. I have gotten to know people here and just hit it off with most folks. Love playing this room. Today lots of friends are here and Howard Smith is a long time resident with lots of fans for his drum work. Matt Powers moved here a few months ago and lots of people are enjoying meeting Matt and seeing him around town.The show is good one and as I drive back to Visalia, I am planning a super New years Eve show at the Blue Heron in Coarsegold.  

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SATURDAY, SEPT. 27 - BROADWAY LOUNGE, REDWOOD CITY

Matt O. and Mr. Powers arrive in Visalia for a show in Redwood City part of the Bay Area. driving along talking and still up from our trip to Oregon. locating the club we are soon set up and heading for a nearby pizza place for dinner. I have two long time buddies here and Mike B. and Big Rick join us for dinner. Walking back to the club Rick and I stop by the Little Fox to see what's going on for music tonight. Nothing as it turns out. I would like to get booked here. Most rooms are tough to get a booking, some harder than others. You send a press kit, call and hope they take a chance on your band. I travel a lot to work all the time. Tonight the crowd is here to see me and hear my songs. Scott the Hunter, his lovely lady Lynn and many more friends are here. Even some nice people from Twain Harte in town for the SF Blues festival drove down the 101 to dance to some Rockin' Blues guitar. The show goes smooth and it is nice to have a club to play here in Redwood City. I went to Jr. High here and a bit of my freshman year here in school. I remember my mom driving me and Big Rick to guitar lessons on Saturdays to a still open music store near this club.the band plays great Mr. Powers and Mr. Oloffson lock in on the grooves and the show Rocks. I get a chance to visit with friends and this kinda carries me back to Visalia about three hours away. Near 4am the band drives into Visalia. Always an easy drive when the band is playing tight and the crowd is with us at the shows.

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 19 - CHOWDER,BLUES AND BREWS, FLORENCE, OREGON

Road Trip! Ok, first Matt O. and Matt Powers and I leave on Thursday for Medford Oregon. This is an eight hour drive right up the center of Ca. on Highway 5. Great vibes, lots of music talk and dinner in Redding at you guessed it, Home town Buffet. I love the selection. We are ready to eat and there is only about two and halk hours left to go to check in. Arriving in Medford I can see a nice section on the other side of the freeway. My motel pick from the internet is a dive. Gee. What's up with these photos of the place. We are downtown and near the bars so the place is going strong with people parting until after three. The next morning we have a great breakfast and drive through some of the most beautiful countryside. This part of the USA looks like New England, green forest and lakes and rivers. Amazing! Pulling up to the Florence convention center I am greeted by the promoter who is a very nice guy wishing to help make our visit and show smooth. Terrific! We are first up this evening so we get a long sound check on a big stage and great PA. As the check ends in walks this Sax player who turns out to be an Ace musician from the NBC show "the tonigt Show with Johnny Carson" He rips and agrees to join us on stage for our show. The place is packed with Blues fans and we are ripping into the tunes. lots of dancing and a solid oncore. After a huge dinner at a nearby casino we drive all the way back to Medford to our motel from the past. What year was this place built? Very ready to sleep. 

SATURDAY, SEPT 20 - UKIAH BREWING CO., UKIAH

The open road, great mountains and National forest all the way to Ukiah. Shasta Mountains. Huge!

After a ride along Clear Lake we pull into Ukiah and check in. The show goes well at this kinda organic grill and brewery. Talking with the locals the crowwd is smaller tonight due to the rain last night and possible rain tonight. 40% of the economy here is on homegrown smoke. The growers are worried about mold on their stash. As a  non-smoker I don't know about this, as a business I get it.  Back to the motel to get rest and plan for S.F.

 SUNDAY, SEPT. 21 - LOU'S PIER 47, SAN FANCISCO

A beautiful fall day and we are driving across the Golden Gate bridge in to San Francisco. Along the marina there is a kite flying festival. Kites of all styles flying in the wind above the bay. Fantastic! Lou's is a special club. The crowd is from all over the world visiting S.F. and tonight Mr. Oloffson, Mr. Powers and I are on a roll as the place is in a full tilt boogie. After midnight we drive out on the Bay bridge for the ride home across the central valley. Livermore, Tracy, Modesto, Fresno and about 4am into Visalia. Glad to be home yet what a lot of fun this journey has been.

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 12th - BLUE HERON, COARSEGOLD

With a plan to meet musicians near Visalia I connect with Matt powers / Bass and Howard Smith / Drums. We hook up by chance after I got their numbers from musicians I had talked with. Here in the country you need to just get out and ask around as there is no musician's contact service. One call leads to the next and soon you are meeting fellow musicians. Tonight we are in Coarsegold's Yosemite Lakes Clubhouse. One of my favorite places to play. Howard and Matt live near here and I am only about 90 minutes away. In the city there are rehearsal halls where you rent a studio to rehearse. In the country everybody jams at someones house. Often it is the drummers because he needs to play and have somewhere where you can not bother anyone with sound. Howard was nice to let Matt and I pull the songs together at his house. My first show without Los Angeles musicians. The crowd is small tonight with mostly people I have met here from Sunday shows. Still we boogie and it goes well. Much thanks to the friends who showed tonight. 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 14th - PARADISE STORE, SANTA BARBARA

This day starts with a three and half hour drive from Visalia to Santa Barbara. Wow. Up into the Santa Barbara mountains on highway 154 to Paradise store an historic general store for campers and people visiting a nearby lake. My friend Allen is here, former owner who put long hours into keeping this place running and built a great stone stage on the side of a hill. I meet the new owner Mark and his wife and we get some food from the excellent BBQ grill here. The show goes very good, Adam Gust slaming the drums and Oscar Huguet tearing into his six string bass. The people are digging the songs and the weather is perfect. Playing outside is fun and the sound in this small out door venue is nice. We pack up the gear and as I say goodbye to Adam who is getting ready for a two month tour with the Red Elvis's things change. Oscar announces he will be taking time off to take care of his 86 year old mother. I call Matt Powers on the way through Grover Beach and he says he will travel to Oregon with Matt O on drums and myself next Thursday. This is super news! I need to get the truck ready and rehearse with Matt P. to travel 12 hours north into Oregon in four days. Today ends the long standing Oscar Huguet's bass playing with the shows. 

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FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, SEPT. 5 & 6 - THE IRON DOOR, GROVELAND  /  POSTPONED!

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EVERYBODY HAVE A ROCKIN' THE BLUES LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!!!

NEXT SHOW IS SUNDAY, AUGUST 31 - BLUE HERON, COARSEGOLD

YOSEMITE LAKES PARK COUNTRY CLUB 4pm - 8pm 

My family is in town to visit us in Visalia. Our first backyard grill and major house party here. Oscar and Adam arrive from LA around 1pm and we are soon in the truck on the way to YLP. Coarsegold is in the foothills at the southern entrance to Yosemite National park. The Sunday's here are a wild time with everybody going for it and the band just loves the kindness the folks here show us. On many Sunday's friends host a pre-show party at their home and we stop by to say hi. Today Lisa has invited us, and we enjoy visiting with everybody. Lisa gives me three little started plants for my place. Later she brings us some great take home food from the BBQ. Lisa you are very nice to us! The club house has an amazing major buffet, with all the extras. Dave Henderson a cool local singer sings a couple of tunes and the crowd always likes to hear us work together. As the show starts in walks Laurie G. with her Mom Syl. What a great surprise! Adam and Oscar play great and will be home in LA by 1:30am. I enjoy that my new town Visalia is central to my shows so I get home tonight in about 90 minutes.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 14 - HOUSE OF BLUES VOODOO LOUNGE, ANAHIEM

After being away from Hollywood for three months I have a ton of things to do while I am in town. I am out the door at 7am and roaring down highway 99 with a 10:15 appointment and meeting appointments about every 90 minutes. My Lawyer, CPA, Dentist, Guitar tech, friends, Gusipi Franco and on and on. My sister Maryanne is in Beverly Hills today with her grand daughter so lunch at one of my favorite lunch places is in order. At the last possible moment I am on the way to Anahiem. Driving over Beverly Glen canyon, along Mulhulond Drive that is way above the city with a view like from an airplane. This city is amazing, everything you could ever want and more. The city of dreams.

 I have not seen Adam for awhile, as he tours with the Red Elvis's during summer. Oscar and I along with Adam and Sonjia have dinner and visit before the show. I play in the resturant so it is mostly people on vacation eating before they get back out to Disneyland. After the show I follow Adam and Sonjia to there place and stay in the guest room. The truck is sounding like there is motor trouble or something. This is not good. I plan to get up way early and get on the streets. It is already 2am.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15th - SKIP FORDYCE HARLEY DAVIDSON, RIVERSIDE

Out the door early and over to a repair shop for the truck. They find the power sterring is leaking fluid and seeing how they are contacts from way back will fix it today as a rush order. Demtri the owner lends me a very fast sports car and I am on my way around the city doing things. The traffic is a nightmare. Going from place to place no time to have lunch. I am moving Cali Bee music to Central Ca., lots of thing to do today. A quick stop by Performance guitar to see Yasue and Kuni, pick up my Strat from a set up and out into rush hour traffic.

I get the call that the truck is ready, steam cleaned the engine of fluid and repaired. The show is early in Riverside, 6pm on the lawn in front of Harley - Davidson Riverside store. Lots of people, BBQ going, Matt O and Oscar arrive together from Los Angeles. The show is Rippin' hot, the band opens with a 90 miniute set and after a dinner break and CD sales we close up smoking through some Blues. Wow. What a blast. We talk with the store manager about a huge Bike rally for 2009. Yes. What a great day. I head south to my sister Maryanne's home to spend the night. After a cell call to hook up she meets me at the drive way and offers some hot soup and easy conversation. We always have a few laughs together, she is very kind and nice. Tomorrow I will visit family here in the Oceanside area My niece has a new baby boy.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16th - HYATT HOTEL BLUES and BBQ, HUNTINGTON BEACH

 What a super start to the day. Southern California has the best weather. traveling back home after the show tonight. I have a wonderful visit with my sister's family and drive up the coast to Huntington Beach. This is the surf capitol and it is a wonderful resort. The Hyatt is huge. I load in at the service entrance where the delivery trucks back up to the loading dock. On to a elevator and get completely lost. The stage is on a court yard plaza with a view of the ocean. Beautiful! Oscar is late stuck in traffic, Matt o. is late in traffic, my friend Kirk Nelson is booked to play keys and he is right on time. There is a delay from the hotel to wait for a wedding to end so the musicians get a break and late works out ok. The show is a lot of fun and my Southern Ca. friend Princess is here tonight having fun for her Birthday. Happy Birthday Princess! I get to sell some CDs and soon the gear is back on the truck. The landplane is moving accross freeways heading for the Grapevine and out to Central Ca. This was an incredible  three days in Southern Ca. Loved  it!

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 8 - BLUE HERON, COARSEGOLD

THIS SHOW IS OUTSIDE ON THE GREEN, YOSEMITE LAKES COUNTRY CLUB 7pm - 10pm

Matt O and Oscar drive up from LA on nice summer day. With the gear on board we are on our way up Highway 41 towards Coarsegold. When I first player this gig a few years back I really liked the area and the people that live around Yosemite Lakes Park are supper nice. At that time I never would have thought that a few years later I would be living 90 minutes away in Visalia. Life is funny that way. Tonight's show is outside and it is hot out but as the evening goes on it settles into a classic summer's evening. We play music as everyone is sitting on the lawn with the lake behind us. Excellent location. Lots of famlies here tonight and after the show a small group of kids, maybe between 1st and 6th grade age gathers round and I sign autographs and we talk about how much fun summer is. I want to say Thank you to Dave Henderson who brought the lights so we could play outside.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9th - VINNY'S PLACE, CHOWCHILLA

On a classic summer day Oscar, Matt and myself are having breakfast at Mimi's in town. They are staying over at my place so we have time to get around Visalia and check out Guitar Center and other places. We leave for Vinney's, about an hour plus up highway 99, around 7pm. Smooth show on Main street, we get some folks in late and rip into a lot of classic rock that don't get a chance to play.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 10th - LOU'S PIER 47, SAN FRANCISCO

Summer on the Wharf is huge. People from all around the world. Tonight the crowd is Rockin' and it is shows like this that make all the difference.  The band is so up when the music is right and everyone in the club has a great time. We leave for Visalia and get in around 4am.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 1st. - CROSSROADS, FRESNO

After talking with Pro Harp player Tumbleweed, he is on his way to Fresno tonight to sit in with the band. Top LA drummer Matt O. is in town with Oscar and we drive over to the Crossroads club. Nice room, full PA and soundman. We are playing two shows in concert for $8 at the door ticket. We get a good crowd and the sound is good as we rip into the tunes. Playing lots of blues and Tumbleweed is playing strong on the harp. Another pro harp player is in the audience tonight, David Bonner who sits in at the Blue Heron. Harp can give you a blues sound for sure. The group plays great and we do alright at the door. The Fresno Bee had ran a story and that helped bring people in. Cool club hope to play here again. 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2nd - TABLE MOUNTAIN CASINO, FRIANT

Checking in at security, Oscar, Matt O. and I turn in our drivers license's. Then we cart the gear to the stage located in the center of the gambling floor. We have a nice group of people gathered around and I sell a few CDs. The food is terrific at the buffet, the shows are played right to the minute and soon it is time to pack up. These shows are really top 40 gigs, Blues plays well to this crowd so I can work here tonight. I write my own stuff too, kinda blues rock pop songs and I can perform some of my songs too. I know from living in Hollywood for 20 years that artists want to write and perform their own songs. This is a road that takes each writer through a lot of Hollywood experiences, trying to find a buyer for their songs. A way to bring attention to their work and make money to live on from their songs. This is tough, but sometimes you get lucky and amazing things happen It is worth the time and effort to try, no matter what becomes of your success or no success. The experience of going for it in Hollywood will be with you all your life and at least you gave it a shot. Often people leave Hollywood with all kinds of good things that are not even related to the entertainment business.

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FRIDAY, JULY 25 - GARLIC FESTIVAL, GILROY (day)

Rod Fowler does not want to work with Oscar, I don't have anyone else to work the shows. Rod had said he would do me a favor and play Fri & Sat. That's it. Everyone is mellow and get along it is just some drum and bass players don't groove together. Who knows why. I'm a guitar player. Locating the entrance to our stage we pull up on a super morning. A country band sounds out of it but play on. I wounder how the booking works. After a walk around the festival and photos, we set up. Not many people at first, then the crowd just keeps getting bigger. The set is clean, I'm stressing because the grooves are a mess, but we still get a good mix and vibe. I announce that CDs are on sale after the show and after I put my guitar down a huge line of buyers and blues fans are in front of this six foot off the ground stage. I'm bent down signing and selling CDs. The stage manager wants my gear off the stage. He can see the amount Fans, so he helps move the gear so I can keep meeting and greeting. Bars are not the same, festivals are about fans, Blues, and buying CDs. Very cool to gig here. Later we back up the gear and drive to Santa Clara and check in. Not much time before or second show of the day!

FRIDAY, JULY 25 - HENFLING'S, BEN LOMOND (night)

After resting up at a creepy motel. Man did I pick a cheap dive. We load up and roll up Highway 17 to Ben Lomond. Tonight is great because my friends Scott and Lynn are here and my long time buddy Steve S. is playing guitar with the band. Before we play Rod F. resets up his drum kit with the hi - hat on the other side then he usually plays, making the cymbals right in my ear. What can you do, he says he plays better this way. The crowd is cool and we rip intp the songs. I have made friends here although Sunday's are way better for me to play here. I notice that at my clubs I do better business on Sunday's. Maybe my crowd feels like hearing Rockin Blues on Sunday. I don't know.

SUNDAY, JULY 27th - BLUE HERON LOUNGE, COARSEGOLD

 We are up and out of this run down motel six and off to the buffet at Hometown B, one of my favorite places to eat touring. I stop at Kine's truck stop in Fresno and Rod F. unloads his gear. I have been lucky to have Rod cover these dates but tonight a smoking drummer from Los Angeles is meeting us in Visalia and will play at the Blue Heron. The show is ripping with lots my friends here tonight. One of the clubs in Ca. that really enjoys my music and we always have a good time. Matt is a hit with the crowd and Oscar plays well with Matt O. Later we return to Visalia about 90 minutes from the club and Matt and Oscar jump in Matt's car and are flying down 99 towards LA. Traffic is light and they look forward to getting in about 1am. It was good weekend but sooner or later I will need to find musicians here in the Central Valley.

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FRIDAY & SATURDAY - JULY 18th & 19th - FIBBER McGEE'S, FRESNO

Moving to the Central Valley has kinda put me in a bind for musicians. I don't know anyone here and my Los Angeles players are three hours away. Oscar takes the Greyhound bus in today. he says that it is not that bad, just kick back, read and then your there. Ok. I meet him in nearby Goshen and we drive directly to Fresno. The club wants the gear set up by 6pm so there is no disruption with the dinners and waiters. After we set up back to Visalia for dinner and then back to Fresno. Wow. I drive a lot. Rod Fowler is on drums, I met him some how and got the CDs to him and he says he is ready for work. Now I remember, I met him playing a quick gig with the Central Valley blues Society. He kept my card and gave me a call. The show is alright, however Oscar and Rod do not agree on the groves. Sat. is more of the same with a late night crowd that does not seem to listen to the music. Some nights are better then others. I like that I'm close to home but this room is not right for me. I think that moving to a new place can be rough and have it's draw backs. Still I love the new excitement and challenge of moving to Visalia and the Central Valley.

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FRIDAY, JULY 11TH - THE RIVER VIEW, THREE RIVERS

This show was postponed due to power outages in the area. Will post the make-up date. We did not find out until we arrived at the club. Sorry for the late notice.

SATURDAY, JULY 12TH - HOLLISTER INDEPENDENCE RALLY, HOLLISTER

Joe Miller is traveling with Oscar and I this weekend. A Visalian for a very long time, it is nice to have a local cat on board. We leave for Hollister early, crossing the valley floor on 198 highway. Talk is about the area as I am interested in learning all I can about my new part of California. Traffic comes to a stop on the intersection of one way to Gilroy and the other to Hollister. Soon we pull up to the beer garden and set up. A band before us would like to play a little longer, they drove all the way from Ohio. Ok, do another set. Sandy is here and brings a huge electrical cable to tie into the generator. We set up and rip into the tunes, the crowd is rockin', lots of friends are here. What a blast. The event is as big and peaceful as always. Thanks Horse Power productions for a very well produced festival.

SUNDAY, JULY 13TH - LOU'S PIER 47, SAN FRANCISCO

I stop by Joe's house and we are off to the City. One of my favorite places, Lou's on the wharf. What can I say it is always a good one. Joe Miller plays solid and before we know, we are crossing the bridge on our way back to Visalia. Three hours later we pull in. Joe has to be at work at 6am and Oscar is on the 7:05am greyhound bus back to Los Angeles. These guys are tough musicians. 

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HAPPY JULY 4th AMERICA!

THIS WEEKEND WE ARE PLAYING GIGS AT:

FRIDAY, JULY 4TH - TOWN CENTER IN EXETER at 11AM

Matt O. on drums and he is on the road heading towards Visalia. He has been up all night coming off a late night show in LA. Oscar is all ready in town and we wait for Matt. First the call he is close and then he is here and we quickly load the drums and we are on our way to Exeter. The scene is a classic Fourth of July park gathering, we are set up to play the Gazebo. It is fun on a nice hot summer day. My friends Gary and Monica bring their dog Rony and LG is here everyone is enjoying the music and wandering through the stands and booths. Later we all go to the new Indy Jones movie and watch fireworks over the city from the ball park. 

SATURDAY, JULY 5th - BIG DADDY'S SMOKIN' BBQ in SUGAR PINE 

Staying in Modesto today, we drive up on to the mountain and play Lonny's place Big Daddy's. Matt and Connie are here and it is always nice to see good friends. They often see us play around the state, traveling a lot like the band does. After a super show, Lonney hands me a check for payment. Hmm, he never does that. On Monday I find out the check is no good. I call and he says he will pay when business gets better. He never does, and he is the only club in the state of California that has ever burned us for a show. We lose all the expense of motel, food, gas and wages.  

SUNDAY, JULY 6th - BROADWAY LOUNGE in REDWOOD CITY

Over the San Mateo bridge and in to Redwood City. This is my first show here and my buddy Big Rick has put together a great event of long time friends from San Carlos High school. There was a neighborhood around Farm Hill Blvd. and Canyon Road where everybody knew each other growing up. Lots of people are here and everybody is having lots of fun. Murph the owner is Rockin' and Big Rick, Mick B, Paul W., John Henry, lots and lots of friends who know each other for a long time. Miss Monique is here and Big Rick and Monique take a super photo on Big Rick's Harley. Monique looks terrific! We load up and head for Visalia after a fantastic day in Redwood City. Big Rick has a lot of friends. 

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THIS WEEK THE BAND IS IN RENO NEVADA!

SATURDAY, JUNE 28th - ELDORADO CASNIO FESTIVAL " BBQ, BLUES & BREWS"

3RD STREET STAGE AT 11:30AM - 1PM

On Thursday I leave Visalia early and drive to Los Angeles and pick up Oscar, stop by pick up two book cases in Westwood and on our way North. Seven hours later I am dropping off the bookcases, loading our music gear and heading for Reno, about five or six hours away. We are driving through thick smoke over highway 80. The forest fires are huge and the smoke covers two states. The traffic is light over the pass and the air clears up as we pull into Reno. Dinner and rest as I am due to start press at 5:30am.

First up is a television show on Virgina Street, next is the NBC television outlet here. A cool morning show, sing and play my acoustic. The casino has provided a Limo for the day. After some breakfast we are on our way to a top radio show for an hour of promotion live with the DJ and Beverage people from the casino. Each stop is a lot of fun and I'm playing acoustic live on the air. Back at the casino I join the ESPN broadcast live afternoon show. The top drive time show here is next with some acoustic "Pride and Joy". Back to rest and dinner, getting excited about the show Saturday.

I leave for the Reno airport to pick up Adam who is flying in from Chicago. He is on time and we truck back to the casino so he can have breakfast and meet at the stage. The sound and stage are great and at 11:30 we lay down a very strong 90 minutes of Blues Power! My cousin and her family are helping me sell CDs and folks are into it. My brother and his wife are here for support. West Coast Rockers editor Leigh is taking pictures and after the show I meet a lot of nice blues fans. My good friends from Nevada City area, Joni and David are here from California. Thank you for your support! There are thousands on Virginia street here today! My cousin Sheri hosts a lunch for the family and around six pm I am driving over the Donner pass towards Visalia. This was one of the most fun weekends, filled with solid promotion Rippin' music and lots of very supportive and nice people.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 20 - O'REILLY'S, GROVER BEACH

I leave Visalia early in the morning and drive to Los Angeles about three hours away. Jim Kersey from Led Zepagin in playing drums this weekend along with Oscar Huguet on Bass. As I'm driving into town the temp gauge for the outside reads 111. It is a major heat wave. We load the gear and with the truck stressing drive north on the 101 freeway. In Grover Beach the temp is the same! Right next to the ocean! They are breaking records here today. We set up and the President of the SLO Blues Society is here to introduce the show. After ripping it up until midnight we load up and head accross the state to Visalia. Whipping through the quiet roads of 46 and onto 41 and 198. Nothing out here for miles.  It's about 3am when we pull in. The band is staying at my place and it feels nice to be here rather than a motel. Super location Visalia, right in the center of the state.

SATURDAY, JUNE 21 - BLUES, BREWS, & BBQ - VISALIA OAKS BASEBALL PARK

Jim is a monster drummer,even looks like John Bonham. Tonight we are playing the baseball park with a great big PA system run by the talented eng. Andy Border. We play last and it is exciting for me to play a show in my new hometown. The stage monitors are sounding good so the band flys into the songs with long ripping solos. The crowd is having fun with the music, all the different types of brews and food. Classic summertime fun. I have some good friends here, Moneka, Gary, Tammie and her husband, plus a lot of friends from BBQ and Blues shows.

SUNDAY, JUNE 22 - LOU'S PIER 47, SAN FRANCISCO

Jim and Oscar are staying at the Holiday Inn in Visalia. This one of the biggest and best Holiday Inn's anywhere. After lunch we are on our way to the city. Up 99, across 152, north on 5 and three hours later we are loading gear into Lou's. It is a back alley along the water, sea gulls everywhere and the smell of the docks, fresh air but salty. Lou's is a long time fixture here in SF, with the most famous Blues bands getting there start here. I think it was founded by a women with the last name of Lou. The food is served downstairs and the bar and music are upstairs. The band tends to play long shows here because the crowd is going for it and really parties hard. Tonight we are into it and after three shows in a row are on our game and rip. Later we load the gear on a warm San Francisco night and head out over the bay bridge. I am always very up after the shows and drive three hours back to Visalia, gliding in about four am. The next morning I drive to Los Angeles and back. Wow! 

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THIS WEEKS SHOWS HAVE BEEN POSTPONE. FRIDAY, JUNE 13 in UKIAH and SUNDAY JUNE 15th in COARSEGOLD are postponed and will be rescheduled.

This weekend was built around Big Daddy's BBq in Twain Harte and Lonney cancelled the show with no notice to the bands. Bad business. The drummer young Matt O. could not make the weekend because he could not leave Los Angeles until Friday morning, to late to travel to Northern Cal. I was dealing with a family emergency . The Yosemite Park promoter was contacted and Ukiah was alerted and everyone was nice to postpone the dates. We very rarely move shows. Sometime you have to.

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LAS VEGAS- JUNE 7TH - LOUIS'S FISH CAMP

 After my first week living in Visalia, Adam, Oscar and I drive to Vegas. I had drivein south on 99 early and meet them at Oscars place. I am still buried in boxes and in  a moving mode  back at the house. We breeze across the desert and into town. The gig is at a new mall in a very nice eatery. Louis is a famous  chef from the south east. My good friends John and Shirley booked the gig and have gotten us all rooms at a near by hotel / casino. The food is great southern cooking and we have fun playing blues at a low volume. My nephew arrives later (cool local bass player) and Shirley and her friends are here and things are smooth.  Vegas is growing to be much more than casinos on the strip. It is now just a great big city with beautiful places for locals to go and have an experience like the best of Los Angeles or New York. The next morning we are up very early as I can't wait to get back home and keep unpacking and moving in. I look forward to expanding my tour dates to include Nevada all year long.-------------------------------------------------------------------

FRIDAY, MAY 23 - ZIGATO'S, SACRAMENTO

Rich Smith is on drums this weekend. We drive north to Sacramento and check in. I am excited because I will be moving to Visalia next weekend. The shows sat. and sun. will be in a hometown and I will see lots of friends. Tonight the show is in a nice hotel with a great dance floor. Joni and David are here for dinner and dancing and I meet some very nice regulars to the club. Randy the promoter is very cool and this date keeps in Sacramento. I love playing shows in Sac. Great blues town. 

SATURDAY, MAY 24 - LUMBERYARD BREWING CO., SONORA

I am going to stay in Modesto and drive in and out of the mountains today. It is Memorial weekend and the room rates are very expensive. There is a Hometown Buffet near our rooms that we all like. As I drive up to the club it is clear that the building is an historical landmark.This was the head office for the big lumber mill here. Tree cutting permits and all mill business was done from here. The club is full and the food is very good. Great fun to see my long time friends from school, like Les, Connie, Tim, Bob C. as well as Rewood City friends Big Rick and John Henry. Kinda of rainy and damp out tonight. Nevada City friends Joni and David are here celebrating Davids Birthday!

SUNDAY, MAY 25 - BIG DADDY'S SMOKIN" BBQ, SUGAR PINE

Today the sun comes out and it feels like the start of summer. We set up and eat here at the opening of this new location for Big Daddy's.Lots of people here and Tumbleweed, ace harp player is sitting in. The band is ripping some Rockin' blues. Alot of classmates are here, Cathy t. and Connie and Matt along with a friend Jack french who was on the school track team with me. Later we are taking a back road called Highway 59 to Merced. Dark and narrow, but the truck makes every turn easy. I am staying at my new place tonight. First time to sleep over. there is nothing but a bed yet how I look forward to my first night in Visalia. I have lived in Los Angeles for over 20 years so it is fun to get ready to make the move to Central California. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

THURSDAY, MAY 15th - HOUSE OF BLUES / VOODOO LOUNGE, ANAHEIM

Adam, Oscar and I drive south to HOB. Right after going through security, I have a flat tire. I never have a flat with my michelins. There spikes in the road did not lower enough. You know the ones that you can't back up over, one way only. So I call triple A and wait until five minutes before downbeatI'm all set up so the drive speed changes the tire and I race upstairs and go to work. Wow, can things work right sometimes. 

FRIDAY, MAY 16th - SHORELINE VILLAGE, LONG BEACH

I get up go over to my locker in Culver City grap a spare and have it put on. We are all going to Long Beach tonight for a show on the marina looking out at the sail boats and Pacific. Super location. On Sax is Phil from New York and Joe Robb. They sound terrific together and give the trio a big sound. A few photos and we can hardley drive away from visiting with Joe and his son Bo. Great evening show here, really enjoy Southern Ca on nights like this. 

SUNDAY, MAY 18th - DEER LODGE, OJAI

It is very hot today. Over 100 degrees and we are on our way up to Ventura and then turn inland. The place is so crowded they can't find a place for us on the patio. The manager says you will have to set up on the side of the road. I don't think so. The owner is contacted and they move us in to the nice cool bar. Better. My friend Bill T. is here and we are talking about how oil companies are selling less because people are driving less. he works for a big fuel company. Sonja is here with Adam and they are going up the coast after the show. Everybody gets some BBQ and even later as we load the truck it is stilll hot.  Ojai is one of the best little towns in the state.

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FRIDAY, MAY 9th - BROKEN WING, HOLLISTER

 Into Hollister for a pre Rally gig. This is a beautiful building restored and remodled into a very nice bar. Could be in S.F. it is so stylish. This was a bank and still has vaults. The show is smooth with locals stopping by and saying " I saw you at the '07 biker rally".

SATURDAY, MAY 10th - CASEY'S IRON HORSE, MADERA

Crossing the valley floor and over to Madera. We are traveling with an excellent sax player from upstate New York this weekend. Dennis the owner is here handling a rally and BBQ. The show is rolling and Manny the Harp comes in and rips on some tunes. The band sounds co