"I'm singin this song 'cause I'm a man that plays the blues

I've walked every one of them roads and I paid my share of dues

And I can tell you this, this life was meant for you.

It's given us a path to walk, it's up to you to win or lose

That's when you got to do it to it, it won't be long

That's when you get the keys to life, start singin' your song

Wakon. "

Wakon
Freedom Ryder

Teresa Arruza will be playing violin on many of the songs from the Freedom Ryder album and several from her Key of Life CD. That is such a treat for me. Teresa's violin is a poem, her voice a beautiful color and her Spanish heritage brings a touch of exotica.

Also on board for the show is Scottie "Skinz" Laughlin who contributed so much to both albums and so many countless gigs in Florida and Colorado. If the solar system ever needed a soundtrack, Scottie is the musician for that gig. His highs and lows and all the stuff in-between are celestial. And I like him on my songs, too.

Christopher Stark is the madman in my life and in my songs. Christopher rips a solo, takes apart the verse and arranges for them to meet at the chorus, shaking hands happily. His work as our lead guitarist and arranger is unparalled.

John Gibbs, a new friend I've met through Christopher, brings energy to everything we do. He's creative, loose and fun to make music with. There are so many new twists John brought to the band - he has what I call QQ - Quiet Quality.

Concerts on the Road
Our last big-rig RV tour was to Colorado in November of 2000-something.. Florida in November is perfect - the hurricane threat is gone for another season and the heat and humidity is above sub-hell summer levels. So to leave Florida for Colorado - in November - what was I thinking?

Well actually, the gigs were great, I'll say so myself. I'm glad we went and even gladder I didn't drive the RV (thanks, Skinz). We played 14 gigs in 20 days, I guess we broke even and were fed well. And I got to walk on water, albeit frozen, but a lifelong dream fulfilled nonetheless.

The giant pine and snow-covered mountain behind me is Mount Helpme, as in Help Me Thaw My Fingers. Actually, I'm standing on a frozen river, I don't know the river's name - but it's beautiful, serene and has a quiet quality you find only in Frisco County, Colorado.

I'm beautiful, serene and have a quiet quality myself (okay, two out of three isn't bad) but, man, I was cold! Did I mention Florida in November?

Anyway ...
We got a lot of positive press from the Frisco, Evergreen, Dillon Lake, Copper Mountain and Breckenridge newspapers (it might be just one newspaper owner, but I'm told there is a healthy journalistic competetiveness in the Colorado mountain towns, so I might be wrong) and the fans liked the new songs. Coloradan hospitality was its finest.

Note to myself: next time we go out to Colorado (which I can't rule out), the RV gets plugged into that exceptional bastard's outdoor walk-in venison freezer and we suck his power dry, for reasons we won't get into here.

Come to think of it, with gas around $3 a gallon, it might be a while before the RV moves ever.

Thanks to the people I love to make music with: Scott Laughlin on the skins, Teresa Arruza on violin and Christopher Stark on guitar (who couldn't tour with us this time.)