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from
the band: Last March [March 10-27th, 2004], the ‘Mango loaded up ole Dualie and headed out on our first-ever western tour (dubbed the Silverado Tour). We set our sights on the great square state and hoped that Southern rock would still work at 8,000-plus feet above sea level. Here is a journal of the “Silverado Tour” – enjoy! Monday, March 8: Departed Athens at 9:00 am. Made it to Kansas City, MO. albums listened to (albums): Robert Cray: Some Rainy Morning; Medeski, Martin & Wood: Combustication, Stout; The Sundogs: BB Gun Days. Tuesday, March 9: Made it to Denver, CO. Met up w/ friends of ours Jeff Motes, Laura Carnes, and Anne Bollmeier for dinner, beers, and pool in downtown Denver. Thanks to Jeff and Laura for the lodging and Jeff for the ski gear! albums: Stevie Ray Vaughn: In the Beginning; Jaco Pastorious: The Birthday Concert; John Coltrane: Blue Trane; Ry Cooder/Buena Vista Social Club: Mambo Sinuedo; Soulhat: Good To Be Gone; Soulive: Live; Junior Brown: Guitsteel Blues. Wednesday, March 10: Vail, CO: City of Vail. Arrived in Vail, where we had our first gig, playing for an après ski event on an outside stage right in the middle of Vail Village. We played for 1,500-plus people clad in ski gear, and had a blast. Apparently Southern Rock does work in high altitudes. We saw the Mississippi twins – Leslie and Nancy Shands, as well as our old Potbelly’s friend Cripper, and Jeff Motes made the drive over from Denver. Nice to play for familiar faces in unfamiliar places! Speaking of which, that line/2nd verse in “Ham It Up” was inspired by an encounter in Vail, CO back in 1994.Ten years later, and it still rings true! albums: Sam Bush: Ice Caps; Old & In the Way: That High Lonesome Sound. Thursday, March 11: Denver, CO: Dulcinea’s 100th Monkey. This was a pre-String Cheese show right across the street from the Fillmore. We enjoyed visiting with our friends in MOFRO, who were opening for SCI. We also saw our old Tallahasseee friends Brandy Henley, Ted Radey, and Lyn Phelan as well as Sara Fox and Sara, our new friend from Athens. Myles Russell flew in to Denver and begun his ride with us for a few days. Myles always finds a way to make sure that we’re fulfilling our billing as a rock band. If we’re slacking in the rock department, Myles is always there to give us a little lift. Much thanks to Randy from Boulder, who made the drive and hooked us up with several live cds to listen to on the road! albums: James Brown: Slaughter’s Big Rip Off; Steely Dan: Can’t Buy A Thrill. Friday, March 12: Aspen, CO: The Grottos. Back in Cambo’s ol’ stompin’ ground. He lived in Aspen for 2 ½ years and this was like a Western homecoming for him. We had a nice article in the Aspen Daily News and a great reception from Cam’s friends out there. This day was also our first of SIX ski days on our trip. Randolph and Julia Turner, Clay Anthony, Barney, and Paige Hutcheson all made it possible for us to enjoy skiing with their wonderful hospitality and hook-ups! Thanks to all of y’all! Spivey and I had never skied before, so it was an adventure for sure. Click here for pictures of Spivey (the blue-jeaned wonder) and the rest of the ‘Mango on the long sticks. Thanks to Tim Lucca for booking us at The Grottos. albums: Beck: Mellow Gold; Jerry Garcia Band: Live (Disc 1); Little Feat: Dixie Chicken; Greyboy Allstars: West Coast Boogaloo. Saturday, March 13: Aspen, CO: Whiskey Rocks. We had another killer day skiing and playing in Aspen. Thanks to Richard for having us at the Whiskey Rocks and to Paul Levine for putting on this show. The Mississippi twins made the trip from Vail, and our good friend Will Harraway opened up the set for us. Will plays bass for the Atlanta-based band The Sundogs. Will played acoustic guitar and sang a smokin’ set of Sundogs originals and a cover or two for good measure. Be sure to check out The Sundogs’ new album BB Gun Days. Killer no-depression rock. Monday, March 15: Breckenridge, CO; Sherpa & Yeti’s. Once again we got to hang with the Mississippi twins. Myles was still with us, always getting the energy going in the room. Cam’s cousin Laura Williams lives in Breckenridge, so she came out, and Laura Carnes made the drive from Denver. Randy came from Boulder and brought more live music for us to listen to on the road. Curt Vordermeier drove over from Steamboat, and after the show he escorted us back to Steamboat through Dualie’s first-ever snowstorm. Once again, familiar faces make it much more fun for us out there on the road! albums: Little Feat: Live show from 1972; JJ Cale: Live show from 1990. (Thanks Randy for the cds!) Wednesday, March 17: Steamboat, CO: The Tugboat. Exit Myles Russell. St. Patrick’s Day. Curt lives in Steamboat and works at the Tugboat, a Health Club, and Old West Steakhouse. Needless to say, it’s nice to have a friend in Steamboat who works at those kind of places! We met Curt when he lived in Isle of Palms, SC and worked at The Windjammer. He has been one of our most avid supporters and we’re thankful for his hospitality! Our friends Jill and Ron Orosco drove TWELVE hours from California to hang with us in Steamboat. We met them on the Jam Cruise and Ron has done some artwork for the band. albums: Blue Floyd: Live show Thursday, March 18: Steamboat, CO: The Tugboat. More of a locals show compared to the previous night. Great vibe in the room for sure. Friday, March 19: Durango, CO: Storyville. Spivey woke up to a hairy drive over the pass leading to Durango. He was not happy. He’s much more suited for sea level driving. albums: Traffic: Live show from 1972; Jamiroquoi; Stevie Wonder: Live show from 1973; Eddie Murphy: Greatest Hits; Bob Marley: Live show. Saturday, March 20, Telluride, CO: Fly Me To The Moon. Wow. Tellride is amazing…truly majestic, as if you’ve taken a leave from the real world for a while. We arrived Saturday afternoon and there was a Peace Rally being held in the middle of town. Ziggy Marley and Michael Franti from Burning Spear were giving a free concert, the weather was beautiful, the people were beautiful, and we were happy to be finishing our Colorado tour in such a beautiful place. We were treated very well. Cam and Jess got to do a radio interview. Cam and I happened upon a fashion show after a gondola ride over the mountain. Great to see our friend Beth Childers, and we enjoyed meeting the fellas from Dexter Grove. Sunday, March 21: Jess headed to Las Vegas for a bachelor party and Cam, Spivey, and I headed to Aspen for some skiing and hang-out time. Cam and I had the pleasure of playing with his old band – Jes Grew – for two shows that Sunday. Thanks to Randolph, Vittie, Rob, and Paul for sharing the stage to us for those gigs. albums: Funk Brothers; Chopin: Soundtrack from The Pianist; Eric Lindell. Wednesday, March 23: Cam, Spivey, and I headed back East towards Kansas City, MO to meet up with Jess and play the three gigs to get us back home. It was sure hard to leave those beautiful Rocky Mountains for the tumbleweeded flatness of Kansas! albums: Robert Walter: Money Shot; Stevie Wonder: Musiquarium Vol. II; Lonnie Smith: Live at Club Mozambique; The Doobie Brothers: The Captain and Me; Jamiroquai; Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers; The J.B.’s: Anthology Disc 2 Thursday, March 25: Kansas City, MO: The Grand Emporium. Nice blues club. Not a grand blues club per se, but nice nonetheless. Kansas City is a cool place. We saw Starsky & Hutch during the day. Friday, March 26: Fayetteville, AK: George’s Majestic. Enter our good friend Robert (Rawbutt) Chaffe (Shaft) to play keys with us for these two Arkansas dates. Robert played with the Kudzu Kings and still lives in Oxford, Mississippi. We always have a good time with ol’ Rawbutt. We played a Happy Hour set for an hour – mostly blues tunes. Folks were dancing…it’s the first time we’ve seen somebody take their shoes off and spread powder on the floor where they are dancing. Must be an Arkansas thing. Then we played two sets later on for a little bit of a younger crowd than set one. It was good to see old Tallahassee friends Jeff and Eileen Schomburger. albums: Emma Gibbs Band: Out To The Country; Clint Black: Killin’ Time; King Floyd. Saturday, March 27: Little Rock Arkansas: Sticky Fingers. Myles Russell reappeared, as did Arkansas resident Eric Cooper. The two of them together makes for a certain unique energy in the crowd for sure. We always play better when Myles is there. albums: Freddie King: Anthology. We were so ready to get home after our long trip, we packed up and headed home straight from Little Rock. We had an amazing trip out West, mostly in part to all of the folks who made us feel welcome. We had friends travel to see us play, invite us into their homes, and hook us up with ski passes and meals and all sorts of accommodations. Once again, we are thankful for our friends who make our job so fun and rewarding. Take care and we’ll see ya soon out on the road! Peace, Proc
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