On The Road Day Two

At 6 am, I woke out of a deep sleep and a dream of robbery, blood and large stacks of cash. Buttermilk was featured prominently in the dream. Now I'm dreaming SOF? Oh no. The air was cool in the mountains. It was another perfect summer day in Aspen.

Around 8:30, Paul called the room and suggested breakfast. We met downstairs at the hotel and ordered some Aspen fake Mexican tacos. Paul listened politely as I gave him my uneducated take on last night's show. Soon the coffee kicked in, the volume increased and the F-bombs were dropping. Suddenly, this Paul Simon wannabe from the next table was up in our grill about language and behavior. I thought he was coming over for an autograph. Silly me. Being early in the day with no alcohol involved, we took it in stride, did our best to comply while making threats and muttered Fuck New York under our breaths.

Later our host from last night arrived to take me on a tour of Aspen medical marijuana stores. Sweet child of Miley Cyrus! My mind was totally blown by the intersection of weed and modern commerce: brand name designer weed, pre-rolled blunts in tubes, eatable products of all descriptions, hash, even massage oil loaded with THC. Are you kidding me? The next place even had a "pro shop" with caps and logo shirts for sale. Oh how the world has changed since Floyd's Hotel.

My tour continued with a look at the winners of the Aspen big house contest. Interesting but I was getting jumpy as our departure time was getting near. With minutes to spare, I got back to the hotel, gathered up most of my stuff and jumped on 'Milk. Being last on board, my seat was 4B, but it was a good view from the back of the bus. David was in 4A and he helped a SOF tour rookie feel at home.

'Milk huffed and puffed as we climbed out of Aspen and up Independence Pass. It was hard to tell if we were going any faster than the bikers at times, but in the end we made the summit. There was a long fall to the bottom on the other side where we stopped for the heart-healthy food the band survives on. Oh my, Betty Crocker would not approve. The rest of the trip went quickly with limited visibility even in the flat lands. I got to see the literary creativity of the band as the group story unfolded. David took the wheel and proved to be a better driver than DJ. "Brandy", my ass. Paul came to the back to sit with me and Monty was snoozing in his little bunk dreaming of JENNIFERS.

We made it to Denver and stopped at Tony Brown's Aunt's house. Nice people and very hospitable. The band had dinner and got ready for the show.

An old friend from Hill School picked me up and I stuck my head back into the real world for a bit. We went back to his house and met another inmate from the Pottstown School for Wayward Boys. A great dinner followed and we got to Herman's Hideaway just as another band was clearing the room with its puzzling act.

Tonight the set was only 60 minutes, but still a good one. Small crowd, but there were a few enthusiastic drunks in the house who keep up entertained. Again, Water was cool and the set varied a lot from the night before. She Was Good To Me worked well. The Country from the first album rocked hard and stood out.

After some conversation on the street and the load out, Paul, David and I went back to the stash house for a pool tournament and a couple of beers. The SOF team exhibited good hand eye coordination and misspent youth. They won and I crashed hard.  

On The Road Again

I had a few open days and decided to get back out on the road with my favorite band Sons of Fathers.  When the band is traveling, David Beck writes a daily travelogue. I thought it would be fun to write my own version. Here it goes:

Mountain Tour Summer 2012 Day One:

I woke up early after a restless night. Doesn't that always happen before any early morning flight? It was cool and the ocean was calm as I pulled away from the house. Southwest was kind to me. Off on time and the fat lady from the circus had no interest in the seat next to me. We landed in Denver and I made a mad dash down the longest concourse I have ever seen and snagged the earlier flight to Aspen. 

I arrived into a beautiful mountain day. Cool air and bright sun.  A friend of the band picked me up and brought me to the Sky Hotel. Cool place. After a quick check in, I was riding in the legendary Buttermilk with David, Paul and Monty to a radio appearance in KDNK in Carbondale. The DJ had the Colorado version of the Willie pigtails that were joined together in a braid. New to me. Nice guy and a big fan of the Sons. There was some chatter and then "Cool Water" live on the radio. First time live for me and it sounded great. 

We made a short stop to give 'Milk some beauty treatments so we sat outside at a nearby cafe and caught a bite.

Next stop was a radio station in Aspen which was a step up from Carbondale. Instead of the full Willie, the DJ had a $5000 mountain bike in the hall. A little conversation on the air, another Cool Water and we were out the door. 
  

After some brainstorming around the pool back at the Sky, we geared up for a major conference call. However, the gods of Hollywood did not smile on us and it didn't happen.

A little downtime and Paul, David and I set out for dinner at Cache Cache. Our host's sister owns this highly regarded Aspen eatery. It turned out to be one of the best meals of my life. Our host was lively, free with the wine and a pleasure to be around. He did initially mistake me for David's father, which didn't hurt my feelings too much. Obviously, he has never heard me play guitar. (Sorry, Bill W)

With minutes to spare, among low hanging clouds, we sprinted to the Belly Up. Arriving just as the opening act was finishing the last song, the boys were on stage in a flash. Not sure how they do that. 

The show opened with Cool Water which was a great choice. Next up was Down Below another good one. The club was starting to fill up and the band was taking charge. The show is a bit of a blur at this point, but here are a few impressions: In the last 60 days, the band has really grown and come together. T. Browne has found his place and is a budding rock guitar god. Mammel's keys are now up in the mix and adding color and texture to the songs. Look out when he jumps up from that bench, things are getting serious then. Ray is growing braver by the day. He is getting some high, beautiful screams out of the flat white bitch. He owns Almost There. 

Paul, David and Dees are the heart and guts of the band and this night they rose with the intensity of the love and excitement of the crowd. 

The big songs: Burning Days and Diggin's Done were large and are auditioning for stadium venues to come. There was good ebb and flow to the set and at the end the Beatles cover had the little girls and drunks dancing their asses off. Sons of Fathers will become The Road Goes On Forever of this band. It is the signature and history in the making. 

At the very end, Paul threw down the East Texas, church going gauntlet. Channeling Al Green meeting Elvis, he dropped the guitar and laid me down in sweat and tears. 

Reluctantly the crowd filled out. Monty pushed some merch, the equipment went to the trailer and the night was done. 

High on the crowd and the music, we laughed all the way to the Sky Hotel. Plans were being discussed back at the pool. Looking at my watch, I realized I had been up for 23 hours. My first trip around the hook in many moons. I said good night.   

Bob Dylan, Newport and the Stratocaster

Bob Dylan and the guitar that he reportedly played at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 have been in the news this week. A show called History Detectives aired a segment last night about a Fender Stratocaster now owned by a New Jersey woman that may be the guitar that Bob played that historic night in Newport when he turned the folk world upside down. Of course Bob's people dispute the claim.

This much is known for sure: on July 25, 1965, Bob took the stage with Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper and the rhythm section from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. They played a loud, raucous three song set that showcased the new direction of Bob's music and signaled the death of the folk music movement. Here is Maggie's Farm from that night:

If Bob's leather jacket and new look didn't blow the folkies' minds,  I'm sure the sound of the band, particularly Mike Bloomfield's leads, must have sent them over the edge. It sounds pretty raw and edgy today. Can you image it at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965? Oh my.

How about the choice of Maggie's Farm? I wonder if Bob was sending a message with the these lyrics:


                             Well, I try my best
                             To be just like I am
                             But everybody wants you
                             To be just like them
                             They say sing while you slave and I just get bored
                             I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

4th of July by Dave Alvin

4^th of July by Dave Alvin is the perfect song to kick off the holiday weekend. Written and performed by an Americana music icon Dave Alvin, it is a lyrical music poem of longing and unrequited love set to the background of our national holiday.

Since I first heard it covered by Robert Earl Keen on his outstanding 1997 release Picnic, 4^th of July has held a permanent spot on my short list of favorite contemporary songs. It also opened up my ears to the impressive musical catalogue of Dave Alvin. My dive into Alvin’s music began when I bought his 1994 release King of California. It is a great album.

Alvin also ranks high on my list of great modern singer songwriters who are not getting the recognition they deserve. With a career that started 30 years ago as a founding member of the Blasters and X, Alvin has gone on to develop a sound that might be best described as Alt-California Country. Whatever you call it, the music is based on great songwriting and stylish guitar playing. Rolling Stone Magazine has called Alvin "an under recognized guitar hero" and I agree. Watch him rip it up at the end of the video above.

The Best of the Hightone Years released in 2008 includes several hits from  King of California as well as California Snow and Abilene, which are two of his great songs. It would be a great place to start your Alvin collection.

Eleven Eleven released in 2011 begins with the rocking Harlan County Line, which was heard on the show Justified this past season and includes several other great tunes.


Add some Alvin to your playlist and have a great 4th.

GONE GIRL

I was an English major is college. I hope the writing on this blog is a positive reflection of that education. Modern American fiction has always been my biggest interest. That’s what I collect and like to read the most. I am always looking for a great new book or author.

When I hear about summer reading or a "beach read" book, I am immediately suspicious. Most books with that description have very low literary content. I do end up reading a few of these books, but more often than not I am disappointed in the end. Every year the bestseller list is littered with summer books that are not that good.

I picked up Gone Girl with limited expectations. I saw that Gilliam Flynn had written two other best sellers, but I was not familiar with either of them. I did read a positive review of Gone Girl, so I decided to give it a try. After a few chapters, it was clear that this was a very unusual book. In fact, I was having a hard time putting it down.

Gone Girl is a gripping book of crime fiction about a very dysfunctional marriage. Nick and Amy have been married for five years and it is not going well. The book reveals their story in alternating points of view. Back and forth, it is a very twisted version of "he said, she said."

When Amy disappears suddenly without explanation, the mystery begins. Did Nick kill her? It sure looks like it at first. Ultimately, it is not that simple and the twists keep coming. Trust me, you will not figure this one out before the last page.

For a good summer book written with style, interesting characters and a plot that needs a road map, pick up Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. You will not be disappointed.

We Didn't Have Another

The Belmont Stakes lost much of its luster when I'll Have Another was scratched and retired on Friday morning. In spite of the disappointment of having no triple crown possibilities which reduced the crowd by 30,000 people and busted out every ticket scalper in the city, Saturday was still a beautiful day of racing at Belmont Park.

 In the end there was a feel-good story to remember as Union Rags brought the prize home to a very deserving owner Phyllis Wyeth and trainer Michael Matz tasted success again at the highest level. It is always good to see nice people win the big ones.

In a dramatic finish that echoed this year's Derby and Preakness, the front running Paytner was caught in the last strides by a very game Union Rags. For the third triple crown race in a row, a horse trained by Bob Baffert (Bob Blaffert as he is known in certain circles) was denied at the wire. I had most of my money on Paytner and was initially disappointed that the rider (pinhead) let Rags get by on the rail. In the end, I was happy Union Rags won and holding a saver exacta 3-9, we didn't have to go back to the city by railroad.

I had not been to a Belmont since War Emblem's failed bid in 2002. It really is a beautiful track with a size and scope that is breathtaking. The New York crowd included a good selection of mini wise guys and Soprano wannabes who kept us entertained all day. There also was a girl who was topless at the paddock while they were saddling the horses for the Belmont:

 It was a great day of racing. Our group parted ways after a great dinner in the city with plans to meet again at Del Mar, Saratoga or Breeders Cup for more racing later in the year.

A High Five From Bob Dylan

Ever since my fascination with Bob Dylan and his music began in the mid-60's, there has been one other great friend who has shared this passion with me from the very beginning. I have referred to him as BobCat Numero Uno on this blog many times.


You could say that we spent the Bob formative years together. We went on trips to Roberts Records with Guitar Johnny Nicholas to buy our first Dylan albums. We have bought, shared and discussed hundreds of Dylan bootlegs since the release of the Great White Wonder. Beginning in 1974, we have seen Bob live countless times. Over the years, these live experiences have included some of the best and some of the worst of Bob, but we remember and enjoyed them all. If we hadn't spent all this time on Bob, we might have invented Facebook or something like that.

 Here in his own words is the BobCat's story from last Tuesday:

"So I caught a glimpse of Dylan receiving his medal live on CNN last Tuesday as I was finishing up an appointment in downtown DC. I decided to walk by the White House on my way back to the office to check out the action. From previous visits, I knew to cut through the tree lined walkway by the Treasury Department to get a less crowded look.

As I looked up from my iPhone halfway down the walkway, who was walking right at me not 20 feet away with that unique semi- shuffle, but Bob himself. He had his shades on and was fully buttoned up in 90 degree heat. I blurted out a quick: "Congrats on the medal, Bob." At which point, he pivoted toward me and stuck out his hand. We high-fived and I added: "If this was in London, I'd have to call you Sir Bob." We had a good laugh at that and he kept pointing back at me and smiling as he walked to his car."


What a great story and don't think I'm not a little bit jealous. After all, I'm a guy that dreams at least once a year about meeting Bob. I have had some close experiences in real life (See my post from July 22, 2009), but I haven't met him yet. I guess it is good to have something to look forward to. BobCat Numero Uno, you are a lucky guy.