Wed Apr 13 Tulsa OK - UNIT D
The GPS guided us earnestly up to the driveway of UNIT D (pictured), but something felt wrong. Sometimes GPS does get it wrong, like when you type in Main St South instead of North for example, or if it takes you on a perilous journey throughout the back roads of Nevada.
As it turned out, we were in the right place. It is a hot day here in Tulsa, t-shirt weather. We are kind of beat from the long boring drive from Fort Collins (see map), so instead of driving off in search of the real club, we knock on the door of Unit D. A burly middle aged man opens the door. Bill is his name. "You boys ever been to Oklahoma?" , he asks. Right away we are welcomed in to the mysterious quasi underground world of Unit D. It's kind of an invite-only private club, a former car garage, featuring bands of Bill's choice for entertainment. He does about a half dozen shows a year. We felt instantly at ease. The BBQs out front get lit, and we are invited to spend the rest of afternoon drinking our own microbrews (see Colorado entry) with the Unit D inner circle, watching Bill slowcook ribs and chicken the "right way" in a smoker. After the show we are invited for a nitecap at a downtown club, Arnie's Pub, where the Unit D posse are regulars. Pretty soon, the house music changes to our "Mountain Meadows" album cranked up. I felt like a rock star. As we leave the club, I notice that we are right along old Route 66. Another famous milestone for the journey.
One thing that came up in our beer soaked conversations at Unit D was bible belt televangelists. We make it a point to visit Oral Roberts University on the way out of town the next day to see the fantastic Jetson's inspired campus. i got a shot of his praying hands statue. As a local joke goes, those hands once started to come apart, and after much deliberation how to glue them back together it was found that sticking a $20 bill in between them did the trick. The hands closed right up on it. Ha ha ha.
Thur Apr 14 Hot Springs AK - Maxine's
Maxine's is supposed to be the site of the oldest whorehouse in Arkansas, though that kind of sounds like their was a beginning to the oldest profession. Maybe it's the oldest in Hot Springs. Anyways, here we are in the hometown of Bill Clinton, and ex mobster resort town ready to slug it out. We have a big affinity for Kevin and Agnes, who own the joint, and basically discovered us on behalf of the state of Arkansas. They are a very hip and worldly couple who met in LA and migrated back here with a young son in tow and started up this super cool club. They found out about our Mountain Meadows album and took a chance on us during that album's US tour. The relationship has proven to be great between us, and the people we meet here are absolutely charming.
Agnes and Kevin. Such kind hearts. Kevin offered us his favourite bourbon, and Agnes put together enough much meat, buns and fruit the next day to feed an orphanage.
That night we witnessed the start of this years' grand tornado fest which ripped through the area as a wild and crazy hailstorm as we finished the show. The next day it hit a little to the East and killed about 50 people in the Carolinas and Virginia. Brings a new definition to the term "mobile home".
Fri. Apr 15 Denton TX - Dan's Silverleaf
We were about an hour late for soundcheck due to the long drive from Hot Springs. No matter. Dan the owner greeted us immediately with a smile and a beer. Talk about Southern Hospitality. Gotta capitalize those words.
About a half hour to the N/W of Dallas, Denton is a renowned town for producing some fine music. Bands that know how to sound good like Midlake and Centro-matic are from here. It is also home to North Texas University. The downtown is an interesting square block at the top of a hill around a grand courthouse, quite hip with NT students abounding, thrift and record stores, restaurants, music clubs. Paste magazine voted Denton as America's best music scene 2008. ok enough already.
I made a tweet noting that it is one of the only places to see street punks drinking lattes, and also bought a wonderful 4-cd Woody Guthrie box-set for 20 bucks.
And now ... the Six degrees of Stephen Bruton:
-Stephen Bruton was Kris Kristofferson's main guitarist for much of his career, until he passed away in 2008
- Our soundman at Dan's Silverleaf was scheduled to mix Stephen's band at a show in Denton the day that he died. His band played the show anyways.
- The movie "Crazy Heart" (2009) was dedicated to the memory of Stephen Bruton, who played a key role in the music writing for that film, and coaching Jeff Bridges on guitar.
- I was half way through watching "Crazy Heart" when we played at Dan's Silverleaf.
- As a studio engineer, I recorded Stephen Bruton, along with Kristofferson's keyboardist Donnie Fritz for a Canadian movie entitled "The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico" (2005).
- "Guy Terrifico" was, like it's antecessor "Crazy Heart", a film about a troubled alcoholic country singer.
-Kris Kristofferson has a Rhodes collar.
(sorry to the band for that one). There ya go. 6 degrees.
Driftwood TX
After Denton we kind of had to hightail it to Austin, about 6 hrs away. We left there at around 3AM after an obligatory stop at Whataburger (ask us), and ended up sleeping on the side of the highway somewhere near Waco. How roadlike.
A great festival this is, and our first of the season. It's a summer vibe, and very exciting for us to play in an area where we are getting known. There were some other bands there who are potential buddies as well. Shoutouts to KAOS pirate radio who took us to a semi secluded campsite for a real interview and a couple songs in the woods. Also to our pal Jimmy Stelling who came with his Gal and kid all the way from Virginia to see his buddies play. Jimmy is one of the best banjoists I've ever seen, and makes the darn things too. Scott Avett of the Avett Brothers plays one, and those fellers would have been there playing it the night before had it not been for a newborn in their midst, cancelling things and all.
Congratulations to Scott Avett and his wife on their second child.
