Signing the Sock

July 09th, 2009
Posted by Antje, No Comments

Dear Diary,

This last week we did 6 shows in 7 days: Lombard, Elmwood Park, Dixon, Mundelein, Hoffmann Estates, and Elgin - - all in Illinois. We saw a lot of cool things and met a lot of great folks. Sold CDs. Signed autographs. Played a lot of music. These are things that all of us love and, because of that, every show we do is important. But, there are those times, events, occurrences that stand out for their uniqueness and make touring truly memorable.

This past week it was this:
Yup, after signing CDs, hats, t-shirts, dollar bills, flyers, posters, pictures, postcards, and (although against our policy) a few body parts, we had the great honor of signing a sock… and a baby sock no less.

I’m not sure if it was as great an experience for the baby… perhaps a bit ticklish… perhaps annoying. Who knows. In any case, it really helped put my week of touring, which was already a great pleasure, over the top.

Happy 4th of July DD.

Antje

Heavy Weather

June 23rd, 2009
Posted by Fran, 1 Comment

Dear Diary,

 OK. I guess we’re now paying for all of the narrow escapes we had during last year’s tour. There were 2 shows in particular at Loves Park & Hickory Hills (both Illinois) that must’ve set records for the fastest tear-down times in rock. I am not exaggerating when I tell you, dear reader, that the moment the last piece of gear was loaded into “Big Blue” the rains fell. HUGE amounts of rain each time. The band would enjoy a laugh at our incredible luck and we’d be on our merry way.
Not this week.
Tuesday’s show in Glenview was a wash-out. Lotsa’ tarps and trash bags covered all of the equipment, but the stage got soaked to the bone while we waited for show time. We had to break it all down and pack it up quickly in the downpour. (Don’t try this at home, kids.)  And my boots had just about finally dried out from the flooding in Biloxi.
Wednesday afternoon found us mopping up and drying off all the gear back at H.Q.. Bertha (God bless her) provided extra towels and moral support for the crew and after 4 or 5 hours we had some sparkling clean cables and amp racks ready for service. What the heck, they needed a good cleaning anyway.
Thursday found the band on the banks of the Mississippi in Burlington, Iowa for the popular Steamboat Days festival. I swear the humidity was 300 percent due to the storms that blew through the night before. Everyone was drenched with sweat at the 1st break & I really appreciated the comfort of our air-conditioned coach to help bring the ol’ body temp back to near-normal. We had a wonderful guest bring the group a huge bag of her patented oatmeal/coconut/chocolate chip/cranberry/walnut cookies which disappeared faster than you could list the ingredients. Thanks, again L.!

 Oswego, Il- a tornado warning pre-empted the rock. Safety first, of  course. Hey, at least we’re getting a lot of practice setting up and breaking down the gear.

 The Alsip gig was a lot of fun in spite of some power-related gremlins in the system. The kids were great as they lined the stage,  providing a glow stick light show for us near the end. Special thanks to the Alsip P.D. for helping out with the load-out lighting.

 We’re heading your way soon, I’m sure- stop by and say hello and don’t forget to bring along some friends and family.

 -Francis K.

The sunrise side of the state…

June 15th, 2009
Posted by Antje, No Comments

Dear Diary,

This weekend the band went up to Alpena on the sunrise side of Michigan. We played a show presented by True North Radio Network  - who were super nice and treated us super well. 

A pretty hefty drive from Chicago, we left on Friday and took our time getting to the area. Once there, we checked into the hotel and promptly headed to the amenities: pool, hottub, sauna. I’m not sure if it was the threat of our “rocker” lifestyle that cleared the pool area out but it was just TIN HORSE in the hottub before long. We spent the late evening talking and laughing and generally having the fun time we normally have when we’re together. I’m not sure if that was fueled by whatever Pauly spiked our cokes with but, regardless, it was a grand time!

The next morning was spent quite leisurely and eventually we headed over to the amphitheater, on lovely Lake Huron. The sound crew and folks from True North Radio were just awesome.  And then, of course it was show time. The promoters counted the attendance at 2,000+, a record for their concert series and, as you can see for yourself at http://www.youtube.com/tinhorse, a fabulous group at that.

We’ll be returning to the area in August and we can hardly wait. In the meantime, we’ve got 4 shows this week and 4 shows next week.

Until next time,
Antje

To Flu or not To Flu…

June 04th, 2009
Posted by Antje, 1 Comment

Dear Diary,

What do you get when you’re on a tour bus with a sick bandmate? Sick. It’s inevitable. I mean, sure there are separate areas and each bunk has it’s own curtain isolating it from the rest of the world but if you’re coughing and sneezing on the bus, chances are everyone is gonna get ill.

Now this last weekend, I came to the bus in the midst of the flu and so did Jay. We each got ours from separate people and places but we did double whammy the bus and so, lo and behold, before the weekend was out, 3 more people were holding there heads and moaning. And it’s one of those long-lasting, body-racking, energy-zapping flus so, as I’m still experiencing it, I know the “newbies” will be sick into this coming weekend and our show in Brocton, IL.

Well, we still do the best we can and have loads of fun… and often sweating it out on stage really helps.

Hoping all of you out there are feeling good!

Later,
Antje

For Those About to Rock…

May 01st, 2009
Posted by Fran, 1 Comment

Dear Diary,
 Well, the gang’s all rested-up & we’re ready. This weekend we climb back aboard ‘Big Blue’, (she’s turquoise, actually), and head out to Dixon, IL for WRCV’s listener appreciation extravaganza on Friday night. WRCV has been spinning our tunes for a while now, so be sure to arrive early to secure yourself a good spot at the show.
Believe me when I tell you that the whole band is positively chompin’ at the bit to get back to doin’ what we do best -delivering our patented brand of SMOKIN’ southern rock & country music, live & in person.
Saturday night’s performance will be our 1st time playing at Logan’s Bar & Grill in lovely Freeport, IL. Always a pleasure to make some new friends!
We’ve got some surprises in store for the fans this season so come on down and see what all the fuss is about. You’ll be glad you did…
-Francis K.

Another run-in with the law and a couple of storms!

March 31st, 2009
Posted by Antje, 2 Comments

Dear Diary,

We’re back from the deep south leg of our Bucking the System tour and feel great. First off, we played Baton Rouge:  Boudreaux & Thibidoux Live - a great venue with the BEST food ever, thanks to Michelle who cooked a feast beyond compare.  The folks at B&T were fantastic and we hope to return there asap!  But, as tends to happen, some funky weather was waiting for us and wouldn’t you know it was the first tornado Baton Rouge has seen in some 15-20 years? TIN HORSE curse? Hmmmm….

The next day bought sunshine for the drive through New Orleans and on to Biloxi, Mississippi for a two-night stint at the Hard Rock. The first night, we played with rock legends HEART. We rocked the stage until 2:30am. Sometime in the last set, Andra got a note from a crew person that said, “Your trailer is drowning”. Andra passed it on to Andy who passed it on to Sal who said, “We don’t have a trailer on this trip.” Well, looking after the show, we saw that the water from the flash flood had risen to the first step of the tour bus. I’m sure someone in the band will write more about this. Suffice it to say, by the time we got to the bus, I was wading in water that came above my knees.

But, to get to the point, dearest of diaries, we, TIN HORSE, had yet another run-in with the law. You may recall that Caroline received a jaywalking ticket about a month ago… if you haven’t already, you should really view the re-enactment. This time around, I was bored and wanted to give Sal a break from driving. Face it, if you can get behind the wheel of a 45-foot tour bus, you should give it a whirl. We were near Ullin, IL and I was listening to George Jones on the satellite radio minding what I thought were my Ps and Qs. All of a sudden, there were lights in the rearview (which on a tour bus is actually a camera) and I was pulled over.

Turns out I did break a law by not changing lanes while passing a police car that had pulled someone over on the side of the road. I was, and still am, really sorry about that. I shoudl’ve known better. The police officer and his backup treated me respectfully and ended up giving me a warning. They also gave the bus a once over and, wishing us well, went on their way. It was a situation where you admire and respect the law - and not just because I didn’t get the ticket.

Well, suffice it to say, Sal ended up driving after that claiming he was well-rested enough and I shamefacedly retired to my bunk .  But Sal got his…. oh, yes. In Mississippi on the way home, he was pulled over because he was going 53. The minimum was 45. ??? No ticket but maybe all the officer wanted was to sneak a peak on our bus. Who knows.

All in all it was fantastic trip.

Until next time,
Antje

Hanging in Iowa

March 24th, 2009
Posted by Antje, No Comments

Dear Diary,

We’re just back in for a couple of days before leaving again for Baton Rouge and Biloxi (where we’re playing a show with legends HEART, yeehaw!). This past weekend we were in Iowa City, IA playing a couple of nights at Riverside Casino. The folks there were sooooooo nice: Rich and Ian. And we met some fun guests at the resort as well.

What does the band do when we’re not actually on stage? Well, we go swimming in the pool, if they have one; we work out in the fitness room, if they have one; we even gamble a little (well, I don’t but some of us have been known to drop $2 here and there… imagine it, the recklessness!).  This past weekend was so nice, I had lunch out on the green and took a little walk. The boys in the band even got little tans (really, they’re sunburns). We try to sleep when possible and we joke around a LOT! It really is all a lot of fun.

We’ll have more updates about the shows so we’ll talk soon, Diary.

xo
Antje

Lansing, Michigan and beyond…

March 19th, 2009
Posted by Fran, No Comments

Wow, this particular weekend had it all. A snowstorm, fantastic baked goods, a bus breakdown, and beautiful women that weren’t even band members. (See photo gallery)
Oh, yeah, and the shows were great, too.
Would you expect anything less?
Packing for Riverside, Iowa this week and Biloxi, Mississippi for some well-deserved fun in the sun. Two-nighters are the best since they give us all an opportunity to chill and check out the pool, gym, saunas, etc. that the hotels have to offer. I swear I’m getting a ‘mandatory massage’ clause put into my contract for this summer. Stay tuned.
-Francis K.

It aint over…till its over

February 23rd, 2009
Posted by Crew, No Comments

My name is Sal. Yes the bus driver. A special shout out to by friends at teamsters’ hall!

We just spent the weekend on the bus in Michigan. What I mean is the band was on the bus and I was under it. There are always problems on a rig that big. A lot can go wrong, hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical, mechanical or no water for the toilet. There is a band member who always has a concern about that.

But this time it was electrical. The bus had problems starting at the barn. So before we left I put three new batteries in. It started up and off we went. But after arriving at the venue and loading in, I went to start the bus up…. and nothing. The bus wont start.

So under the bus I go. I meet a wonderful baker who offers to drive me all around to get parts. Did I mention it has started to snow and the police have shut down the interstate? So I replace the batter cables and still nothing. But now the batteries appear to be dead.

I call a company for a jump. After three different trucks come…all not having the right gear… they dispatch a young guy who is 19 years old. Hell I have socks older than him. We try charging the batteries to no avail. So he tries jumping the starter… and that’s when the fire starts. There we are in a blinding snowstorm and the bus has burnt some wires and wont start.

I have learned a valuable lesson from the past. Always look at the band, smile and give them the thumbs up. Fake it!

The amazing part is this kid wont call it quits. I have officially pronounced the situation, DEAD! But like some young intern in an emergency room he keeps pounding on the chest of his patient screaming you, “aint gonna die.” And to my amazement and 35 years of driving… the bus starts! He wipes the sweat from his brow and smiles.

He has beat the odds and taught this old dog a new trick.

 

I won $25 on NASCAR!

February 15th, 2009
Posted by Andra, No Comments

Dear Diary,

Today I went to a Daytona 500 party with some friends of mine from high school.  I don’t follow sports much, and I only know the name of one NASCAR driver (Dale Jr, obviously!).

Well, you know boys, they like sports, and they like betting.  When I found out the wager was just $5, I figured, what the heck.  So I went to nascar.com and bet on the two cutest drivers who hadn’t been taken: David Ragan and Denny Hamlin.  For any of you girls out there who don’t follow the race, it’s the UPS car and the FedEx car.  It was a package deal!  Wah, wah!

Well, after the first hour and a half, there were a bunch of wipeouts, and then the track got rained on.  When they called the race, guess whose driver was in front of everyone else’s?  The UPS guy!!!

So, I happily collected my earnings from the upset NASCAR fans at the party.  I think I just may follow NASCAR from now on.  Plus…cute guys!