Whiskey and Rebellion

My busy summer continues... I am now concentrating my time on a new band called "Whiskey and Rebellion," formed from members of North of Nowhere and with the addition of Dave on rhythm guitar and vocals. We're concentrating on southern rock - Cross Canadian Ragweed, Drive By Truckers, Tom Petty, etc, doing more of the obscure stuff (hey, when people walk into a club and hear a band doing a song they're not familiar with, they assume it's an original!). We've got some gigs booked in September and October, so it was time to try our sound in front of a crowd. Here we are doing a version of the DBT song "Puttin' People on the Moon." That's Max on bass, Dave on rhythm guitar and vocals, yours truly on the drums, and Chris on lead guitar. A fine time was had by all, and keep on rockin'!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part 4

Well, my Constant Readers must think I've had a very busy summer, music-wise, and they're right, I have; and it's not over yet! Here's a vid of my band North of Nowhere playing a version of the Band's "The Weight," with yours truly on the Hammond. It's been a dream of mine since I got the thing a year ago to actually play the beast with the band in concert. Well, the concert had to be at my house, since the heavy old thing is a little hard to gig with, and I did fumble around a bit (you should have heard the song before it in the set - lost in the wilderness, I was - but we needn't go there). Also featuring my middle son thrashing away just fine on the drums. Support local music - go out and see a band tonight! and keep on rockin'!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part 3

More of the TMF Summer Jam Band, rippin' through the Smithereens' "Blood and Roses." Personnel is as before, but featuring (that's generous - I think I'm buried in the mix, but I'm there) yours truly on guitar. Thanks for looking, and keep on rockin'!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part 2

Yes, it's time for another installment of "how I spent my summer vacation." I was in Washinton, IL over the weekend for the umpteenth annual TMF summer jam (I think we've been doing this for 20 or 25 years). At any rate, here's the boys running through "The Kids Are Alright" (and doing an admirable job of it too, I might add - wish I were playing on that song instead of running the camera). Left to right you've got Brian on guitar, Shawn back in the soundproof booth on the drums, Bob on bass, Greg on vocals, Ronnie on guitar (doin' the Pete Townsend windmill chords), and Rick on guitar. A fine time was had by all, and we literally rocked until we dropped! Get some rest, now, and then keep on rockin'!

Jammin' at Merkel's

Out in the backwoods along a curvy country road in rural Washington, Illinois, you'll find a cluttered machine shed loaded with old tools and debris from years of living on the same land. But don't let that fool you - in the back of the garage, crammed in between stacks of vintage amps, drums and guitars, you'll find a row of kitchen chairs and a row of players ready to pick and grin. You've come to the right place - Merkel's, where local country players gather every Wednesday and Friday night to play all night. I was introduced to this local hot spot last weekend when I visited my friend Bob, who is a regular at Merkel's, and the bass player in my college band. I, along with Rick, our guitarist, came out to sit, listen and hopefully join in. There's usually 9 or 10 folks playing at any given time, and I was told that on a particularly busy night, over 50 musicians showed up to jam, and they played until 4 AM. I asked our host, Delmar Merkel, if I could get an award for coming the farthest to play, and if I got any special deals on account of it was my birthday. He told me to grab a beer and get on up there and spell the drummer. I ended up playing two hours...if I couldn't be with my family, it was a great way to spend a birthday. Here's the boys (and one girl on drums) making their way through "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road." That's Delmar in the middle in the green plaid shirt. Ya'll come back now, y'hear, and keep on rockin'!

Boogie in Badgerland

Up in far north Wisconsin, where only the bears and hardy campers roam, is a nice little roadhouse called the Windsor Bar, owned coincidentally by our lead singer Rick's sister. Saturday last my band North of Nowhere played for the Windsor's grand opening, and a grand time was had by all. I must say, I haven't played that much music in one day since I was a kid - we played six sets, spread out between 3 and 11:30 PM; then we sat around the campfire with acoustic guitars and did some pickin' and grinnin' for another hour or so; we were a tuckered bunch when we all finally crawled into our racks at 2 AM or so. Here is a vid from the last set - that's Jarad on rhythm guitar, Rick on vocals and rhythm guitar, yours truly on drums, Max on bass, and on the far right, Chris on lead guitar. Thanks for watching, and keep on rockin'!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part 1

Welcome back, Constant Reader, to a little feature I run in the Summer called “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.” Last week was spent chillin’ at a resort called Fillenwarth Beach in Okoboji, in the Iowa Great Lakes region (ok, no snickering here…they are really big lakes, and they are great!). The area has a rich heritage of fine music, and since this was where I spent my youth, it still resonates with me whenever I go back. I had the opportunity to visit the Iowa Rock and Roll Music Association museum and the newly rebuilt Roof Garden ballroom in Arnold’s Park, where one can find memorabilia of Buddy Holly’s appearance at the Surf Ballroom, and concert posters and other memorabilia from “The Roof” and other venues from the golden age of the great ballrooms across Iowa in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. I saw a couple of great bands at the Roof, and was able to take in a performance by my high school buddy Mikee Cusack’s band, “FRB (Freedom Rock Band)” in my hometown of Storm Lake on July 4th. They only get together these days for that one gig a year, but they do have a new CD out called “Life is a Joy.” They have always had a rabid following in Iowa and it’s unfortunate that they don’t have the opportunity to play more gigs.

FRB in concert at the Sunset Park Band Shell, Storm Lake, IA, 7-4. Left to right; Eric Hovey on guitar, Mikee Cusack on guitar, Bill Hoft on bass. This venue, designed and built for oompah bands in the 30’s and 40’s, is a really lousy place for a r&r band to play – I know, I’ve been there and done that!



Richie Lee poundin’ the skins doing a credible version of “Wipeout”. He also did a killer Buddy Holly impersonation.



The Senn Menn appearing as part of the “Rock the Roof” concert series. I’m impressed that they’re still filling the joint after all these years!




Thanks to http://www.iowarocknroll.com and www.freedomerockband.com for the info, and keep on rockin’!