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May
7th, 2004 - On the Road
Big day today, and it started rather auspiciously,
with a major thunderstorm. This blew our plans of putting the small
speaker to use for a PA (graciouly donated by Accugroove) on the
top of the truckbed cover. We moved it inside, covered the bass
(which extends over the tail gate with a tarp, man, this truck holds
a ton more than I thought it would) and crunched down for our pix
at Michigan & Adams. It was windy, we had trouble keeping our
hats on...yikes!
I'd made everyone (including me) put our dough in envelopes, and
seal them, in line with our challenge. I'll admit it wasn't as difficult
as I thought it would be, although Mike tried to keep a $50 in his
socks. When he forked it over his total was $66, and he swore he
didn't plan it. Other than the weather, the tight quarters and my
uptight mood (thinking they were going to mutiny), all was swngin.
We moved on, the skies began to comply and we were happily headed
down route 66, which is very well-marked thanks to a lot of people
in this state who care about history.
Had lunch at the Launching Pad, a strange futuristic barbeque joint...i
know, an oxymoron...wait till you see it.
Played at our first hit, an outpost in Bloomington, a place called
the Fox & Hound, we thought it might be a pet groomers, but
it was a hair salon, not my usual type of gig. The people were great,
treated us right and sent us down of then the road with enough gas
money to make it to the state line...thanks Ted & Vicki. We
inched over to Funks Grove, which is so happening it could be called
funks groove. They make their own maple sirup, spelled that way
cause they don't add sugar, nice folks and serene picturesque spot.
Then to Springfield. Lew Grigsby was waiting for us, and he has
rolled out the red carpet...wow, put us in the route 66 hotel! He
also brought us out to the town Dawson, a 500 person swingin little
farm town with as many grain silos as people. We ate killer food,
were treated like kings and played for many appreciative folks.
Lew also brought along his trumpet and his sax playing pal Bob White
and we jammed up a storm. Man, if I'd known this was going to be
this cool I'd a done this a long time ago. Met up with Palomino
Patty, who is the Executive Director Illinois Route 66 Heritage
Project (I think she has somethng to do with all the signs, big
thanks there, didn't have to stop to ask for directions, not that
I would have, and you know how that could end up...PintoPammy ridin
shotgun), and she has helped set us up for tomorrow. Between her
and Lew we might not get out of Illinois. We are scheduled into
the Cozy Dog Drive Inn tomorrow lunch time, known for being the
orignator or inventor (do you invent food) of the corn dog, not
for jazz or western swing. However, its starting to sound like our
kind of gig, then tomorrow night we got an actual night club hit
at Lime Street. It's sweet. Keeping my guard up though, got the
feeling I might be being set up...more to follow, whipped for now...zzzzz
Quote of the day:
"It's cool, you taking our money" Dan Robbins (Cowbop
bass player), surrendering his bank roll first thing in the A.M.
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to check out pictures from May 7th |