Billrod Sounds Off

I'm Baaaaack!!!!!

2005-12-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

All is well here in Dallas,Tx. The weather is constantly changing, warm days to extremely cold the next. Hockey and Basketball is in full swing. The Mavericks are in second place and the Stars are in first. I also recently worked with the Rolling Stones and Neil Diamond and Paul McCartney. Great shows!!! The AAC has been full of action and there is so much more going on in the future here. Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay and Bon Jovi. I worked the Major League Soccer championship here in Frisco,Tx. It was an awesome game with the Los Angeles Galaxy winning in overtime over New England. The holidays are now upon us and I am hoping that everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday. Keep checking back........

billy

2005-01-25T18:04:00.000-08:00

Check out the highlight temperature we endured....

2005-01-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

Twenty below and still taking pics, only Texans do this...

2005-01-22T12:40:00.002-08:00

Layovers create alot of love....

2005-01-22T12:40:00.001-08:00

Lost ???

2005-01-22T12:40:00.000-08:00

Thule, Greenland Satellite Tracking Station

2005-01-22T12:39:00.000-08:00

Gotta Love my Texas Hold 'em Hand!!

Final Show

2005-01-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

Final Show….
Today is our final show. The tours were a very nice treat.
We went back to the venue and setup the main room and sound checked and rehearsed. The guys wrote a new tune and it sounds great. Look forward to running it by our fans back home. They are already asking us to return here for the First Light Festival or the 4th of July Festival. After dinner, we went to the club and had a great crowd. Colonel Haven presented everyone with the Certificate of The Brotherhood of Greenland Travelers. Basically making it official that we crossed the Arctic Circle and set foot in Kalatdlit-Nunat. We were also presented with honorary coins from the Commander from the 821st Support Squadron for Outstanding Performance. We also received honorary coins from the 12th Space Warning Squadron and from Team Thule United-“Guardians of the High Frontier”.
These coins are a military tradition all over the world. They are carried at all times and it is not a good thing to be caught without one. Thank you so much gentlemen. It has been an honor to meet you all and perform for you.
The show went great. After the show, the guys posed for pictures with the Colonel and anyone else that wanted. What a way to wrap up this great experience. We depart on Friday barring any bad weather. As of now, we do not know if an Asian tour is going to happen. With everything that is going on since the devastating tsunamis that struck all around there. We will wait and see what the military asks of us. We are all in agreement that going there is the least we can do for our men and women of the military that are going above and beyond to assist the victims of this cataclysmic event. We are also going to do our part in raising contributions to aid the victims and especially the children. Check the Waking Norman web site for more info. There will be a special Red Cross Benefit on January 16th with several bands performing at Club Memphis in Addison, Texas to raise money for the Red Cross. Call 972-386-5151 for more info. As of now, I do not know if we are performing, but that does not mean we won’t be a part of it in some way. Will wrap up this tours blog when I get back. I am not looking forward to that 12 hour flight home. See you all soon…..

billy

2005-01-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

2005 off to a great start…..

We had another day off to go where ever we want on the base. Some of the guys took advantage of the fitness center. Great facility. Some of the others went to the community center and hung out in the library or very slowly checking e-mails. Others stayed at the room and rehearsed and wrote tunes. We headed down to the club and reset our equipment in what they call the casual bar. It was a very intimate setup. The guys performed about 2 hours of acoustic numbers for a great crowd. Even though there was NFL football on, the place was pretty full and they enjoyed the unplugged version of Waking Norman. We have tours setup of BMEWS, DET3 and Thule Heritage Hall. The radar facilities should be really cool to check out as well as the satellite tracking systems they use. Today was pretty much a laid back day. We have a full band performance tomorrow night. This will be our final show on this tour. We have had a blast meeting everyone. Check back soon...

billy

Happy New Year from Thule...

2005-01-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year……..
Great show last night. Got some great sleep finally. Today we are headed to the Pavilion by the Lake. Gorgeous place. It overlooks the surrounding bay and if you look hard enough, you can see the surrounding ice caps. We played poker and watched UT and Michigan duke it out. What a game!! Believe it or not, this was my first time playing Texas Hold Em’. I actually did great. Had a lot of fun. We enjoyed music and food and basically had the day to get to know the military men and women. Although there are not that many women here. Most of these guys did a tour of Iraq early on, so we heard some pretty wild stories about their experiences. We also met a couple of boys from back home. Spring, Texas and Fort Worth. We are not the only ones a long way from home. We have been asked to perform a special acoustic show tomorrow and we are more than glad to accommodate. Will let you know all about it.

billy

New Years Eve in Thule.....

2005-01-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve

We headed down to check out more sights today before our show ringing in the new year. Everyone is still kind of freaked because of the lack of sunlight. We went to check out a place called the Tavern last night. It is sort of a Danish hangout. Great folks. Everyone had fun getting to know all kinds of things about the Danish culture. For instance, these folks love to eat and drink. A lot!! But they have a great time doing it and when it is time for work, they take that very seriously. We were asked to come down early tonight to be the guests of honor at the big dinner before the show. They have a huge spread prepared. Both American and Danish dishes. It was awesome!!!
We waited a bit before starting the show. Had to digest a bit. After we all had the traditional Danish potato schnapps shooter, we started and the crowd loved it. If I have not mentioned it before, all of our fans back home donated merchandise to hand out to the military here. We are not allowed to sell merch here, so we gave away CDs and shirts and caps. I think we actually accommodated everyone that asked for one. It was really cool to see all these people walking around the base with Waking Norman hats and shirts on. After we did our 2 sets, we all toasted each other and hung out backstage. Mike and I got a little rambunctious and were hamming it up for the camera. We got some great video footage and pictures. We will try to get that up on the site as soon as we can, but with dial-up internet, we would be here a while. So please be patient. Well, tomorrow we are having a party thrown for us at the pavilion by the Lake. Doogie and Senior are having us over for a Texas Hold Em game and watch the Rose Bowl. Go UT!!!! Anyway, will get back to this soon.
Happy New Year Everyone !!!!!!!!!!

Thule, Day 2

2005-01-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

Thule AB, Greenland…Day 2…..

Well after finally getting some shuteye, we went up to the Base Exchange for some supplies. Saw a couple of Arctic Foxes roaming around, we were told to stay as far away as possible. These guys are rabid. We then headed to the venue for a mid afternoon rehearsal. Kind of cool to walk in the club and hear them playing our CD. We went through a couple of tunes and headed over to the radio station for interviews. OZ Radio, Doc Jim was well prepared for the guys; he actually had an old Benjamin Allen Band CD that was autographed. Small world. After several questions, Doc played a couple of songs and we went and had dinner and then headed back to perform our first show. The crowd was very receptive immediately and the guys were so pleased to see their response. Because they have a large Danish population here, we did not know what type of response we would get. It all clicked right off the bat. We did 3 sets with a couple of encores and then hung out with the TOW gang. The after parties here are something else. We actually saw a glass of warm water thrown from a glass into the air outside here and it immediately turned to snow. Freaky!!! Senior knows how to throw a party. We were still trying to get acclimated to the conditions here. It is very dry and cold. So you have to keep hydrated. Any way, lots of fun and we headed back to our rooms. The next gig is NYE, so have to take it easy.

Day One in Denmark

2005-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

Thule Air Base—Greenland, Denmark…..Day One…..
Hello all. I apologize for not blogging sooner, but internet access up here is very limited and it is all dial-up. We arrived at Thule Air Base in Greenland, Denmark on Wednesday Dec. 29th. We flew from Dallas, TX to Baltimore, and then took a 6 ½ hour Military Aircraft flight from BWI International to Thule. We arrived at 9:20 am. Thule has its own time zone. They are 2 hours ahead of Texas. They gave us a very warm reception upon arriving. United States Military personnel and Danish contractor personnel were awaiting us on the tarmac. Our gracious hosts, Colonel Haven (821 ABG/CC) and Mitch Hebert and Master Sergeant Daniel Hampt had everything ready for us. It was so cold coming off that plane. Officially this time of year, there is no sunlight, so it is dark 24 hours a day. The temperature stays pretty much at 10 to 15 degrees below zero. The wind chill is about 20 to 50 degrees below zero. Needless to say, weather can become dangerously extreme very quickly. Our hosts handed us all the traditional parkas that are worn here on base. After checking in with personnel, we went to drop off all our gear at the base lodging. We were then taken to a briefing presented by Colonel Haven. He told us about the mission of the base. Thule Air Base is the up most northern military radar and satellite tracking point. Thule is 400 miles south of the actual North Pole. After Colonel Haven’s briefing, he gave us all Air Force t-shirts as souvenirs and they then took us on a windshield tour of the base. We then grabbed lunch and headed for the Top of the World Club. This is where we will perform 3 full shows and 2 acoustic shows. We setup and sound checked. Every one was wiped out from flying non-stop since 5:00pm the day before. It is pretty hard to sleep on a plane, and the guys were pumped about the upcoming trip, so they did not catch any shuteye until the military aircraft flight, and turbulence was pretty rough at times.
We then headed back to our rooms and tried to catch some shuteye before dinner. Fruitless for most. We headed back up to the TOW Club and started meeting everyone. Troy sang a couple of karaoke tunes and the guys learned how to play Danish billiards. I want to send a shout out to Doogie and Senior and Rachel and Maria and Misty and George and all the other U.S. Military and Danish personnel that made our first day so pleasant and welcomed. Thank you so much from all of us. Will keep updating these blogs. Stay tuned.

Off to Denmark.....

2004-12-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

Well we are off on another Waking Norman tour. This time we head further north to Denmark and Greenland. Thule, Greenland to be exact. Weather reports state that it is consistently -15 below 0 or colder and it is dark 24 hours a day. We will be performing for the men and women of the U.S. Military for a special New Years Eve Show and also some television and radio shows. Keep checking back for more info and pictures.

billy

2004-12-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

In front of The Blue Room

2004-12-09T09:52:00.001-08:00

2004-12-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

Emerald City in front of the White House..

Forgot to add these links as well....

2004-12-07T23:47:00.000-08:00

Check these out as well.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/whtour/redroom-ipix.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/whtour/centerhall-ipix.html

White House......

2004-12-07T23:20:00.000-08:00

Hello from our nation’s capitol…….

Sunday 12/5/2004
Well, I am back on the road again. This time I am in Washington, D.C for the annual Congressional Christmas Gala that is hosted by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. It is being held in The East Room of the White House. I am here with the Emerald City Band from Dallas, Texas. This marks the second time that President Bush has extended an invitation for this exclusive event to Deno Taglioli and the members of Emerald City. I want to thank them for inviting me to be a part of this most memorable occasion. We flew into Baltimore, Maryland on Sunday afternoon. Great weather, sunny and in the mid-fifties. You can’t ask for better weather than that in December. It is sort of unusual for this time of year, but it made for great sight seeing. After collecting our entire luggage, we loaded up into 3 black vans that the White House sent to pick us up. We were driven from the airport to the hotel with a police escort. After checking into the hotel directly across the street from the White House, (I could throw a stone into the window of the Department of Treasury building from my window) we went to the rooftop of the hotel which has an incredible view of the National Mall. You can see for miles from up there and as the sun set, it was quite a sight. Relaxing and talking with friends over a glass of wine set the tone for what turned out to be a wonderfully enjoyable experience. The band engineer/ singer and friend Mark Russell and I went down to the Waterfront Harbor for a great dinner at Tony & Joe’s Steak & Seafood House. It is located in the heart of Georgetown and is right on the waterfront of the Potomac River. There were several sailboats on the dock decorated with Christmas lights for people walking along the waterfront to view and take pictures of. It was a nice scene. We headed back to the room to begin planning our big day at the White House.

Monday 12/6/2004
We got up quite early to take in some sight seeing before our 4:00 call time for sound check. Mark and I walked down the National Mall to the Smithsonian Institute of American History. We viewed the presidential exhibit, which features articles and memorabilia from all the administrations. Learned a lot of new things about some of our early presidents. One president, I believe it was William Harrison, was elected at the age of 78, making him the oldest president ever to hold the office. He wanted to prove to the American people that he could still perform the job vigorously and without question. So he prepared what became the longest inaugural address ever given, it was over 2 hours long. He gave it on a very cold and damp morning, without wearing a coat or hat and ever taking a break. After that day, he developed a cold which a month later turned into pneumonia and he died. By the way, that was also the shortest term ever.
We made our way to the new Beatles exhibit. It was a collection of never before released photos of the Beatles taken by Life magazine photographer Bill Eppridge. It was from their first trip to America. If you ever get the chance, make sure you make a point to see this. You will not be disappointed. We then viewed the enormous American flag that was hanging on the main lobby wall. It was the flag that they hung at the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks. It was quite astounding to look at and remember the awful events of that day.
We then headed into the America at War exhibit. This contained memorabilia from every war that America has ever been in. From the Revolutionary war to the current Iraq war. Clothing, weaponry, vehicles, articles, intelligence gathering, photos and film. This exhibit alone made the trip worthwhile. They also had a huge piece of the metal structure from the 70th floor of the World Trade Towers. Next stop was the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. We rode in an F-18 jet simulator. That was awesome. Saw a section of Skylab, and the original Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk plane and more.There was so much to see, but time became a factor and we had to cut this visit short. We left and started heading back. We stopped off at the National Archives Building and the FBI Headquarters. Also the Justice Department Building and saw the Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue. Stopped off at the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Gardens as well. Made our way back to the hotel and picked up Deno and headed to the White House for a pre-production meeting. After picking up our credentials at the security office outside the main gate, which by the way has incredibly massive security! Round the clock helicopters patrolling the immediate vicinity. Bomb sniffing dogs all over the surrounding blocks. Armed military soldiers and police officers everywhere. They do not mess around. The security office was across from Lafayette Square. You might recognize this place from all the media reporting that goes on from here. The cameras and mock studios stay setup 24 hours a day here. Continuous coverage of daily events at the White House. We went in to the White House and immediately I was overwhelmed with the historical significance of this place. Oil paintings of past presidents decorated the walls and the staircase that leads to the presidential residence. Walked into the Red Room and from the window, you could see the lawn where Marine One lands. A small putting green that is right outside the Presidents office. The small baseball field that President Bush had built for little leaguers to come play at. Just amazing. The Red Room was Dolly Madison’s music room; this is also the room that Eleanor Roosevelt held her press conferences and Jackie Kennedy greeted guests here following the funeral of JFK. Mrs. Bush also holds arts discussions here.
We walked into the East Room, where they had just wrapped up a meet and greet with the Sesame Street gang and school kids from area bases. You might have seen some of this footage on television. The East Room has a lot of historical significance. President Lincoln’s coffin was laid in state here in 1865, President Nixon said his farewell from here in 1974 and George H. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the famous trade treaties to end the Cold War in 1992.
We prepared the stage, wired up the sound system and waited for the band to show. Once they got there, they setup and we were about to start sound checking, when they told us to stop everything. We were to not make any noise and stay in that room. They closed all the doors, literally sealing us off from the rest of the White House. We would later learn that President Bush had come in with the new interim president of Iraq, Ghazi Al Yawer and they had a sit down meeting complete with media coverage and press conference.
Once they wrapped up, the head usher and his staff came back and opened all the doors back up and let us walk around and view the rest of the place. To think of all the dignitaries and leaders of countries from all over the world that have been in this exact place was quite something. It was definitely an honor to be there. We rehearsed a couple of tunes that President Bush had asked the band to perform for their introductory dance.
Once they wrapped that up, we were given 1 hour to go back to the hotel and change. We were only one block away so we walked back over to the hotel. We came back to the White House and waited for the word. Once guest arrived, the band started performing some light standards and smooth jazzy dinner music. The guests were comprised of Congressmen and women and their guests. I recognized Representatives Martin Frost and Ciro Rodriguez and U.S Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. There were so many people there. Once the President and First Lady came in, they were escorted into the Red Room where they held the receiving line. Guests formed a line and were escorted into the Red Room to meet the President and First Lady and take a picture with them. The receiving line was long and the President and First Lady stayed there for over 2 hours welcoming everyone. It was great. I stood in line for about twenty minutes. I was approached by an usher, who by the way, all wear formal military dress style uniforms, she asked me how I wanted to be announced to the President. I thought, how cool is this. As I walked up to the doorway of the Red Room, I started to get a little nervous. It’s not every day you meet the most powerful leader of the free world. I was introduced as Mr. Billy Rodriguez of Dallas, TX and I shook his hand and hers and he told me that I looked really sharp tonight. I told him that I grew up in Beeville, TX. He knows where Beeville, Texas is. His father, President George H. Bush used to come to Beeville once a year to dove and quail hunt while vice-president and again as president. I remember as a young boy, going out to Chase Field to watch Air Force One land and then watch the motorcade drive into town. Pretty cool!! Took my picture and then was escorted out of the room so the line could continue to flow. I went back into the East Room with a huge grin and everyone was having a great time. The Congressmen and women and guests were thoroughly enjoying the band. Deno and the band were giving them the royal treatment. It was a great party. The President really loves the Emerald City Band and they were more than glad to perform for him. Anytime, anywhere. Let’s see if we can get back here for his inauguration. The party ended around 11:00 and we walked around taking photos with remaining guests. Once everyone had left, the head usher and White House Staff members asked us to step into the dining room for drinks and food. It was very festive. Very nice people and for a while, you forgot about where you were at. We stepped out in front of the White House entrance and we were given special permission to take group pictures there. They normally do not allow this. We loaded up into the vans and went back to the hotel. What a night. We changed and went to Ebbet’s Grill down the street and watched the end of the Cowboys game. What a thriller that ended up being. We enjoyed drinks and everyone had a different story about the evening to tell. Lots of fun. Well, the next morning, we had brunch and headed to the airport. What an adventure. An experience I will never forget and that I am proud to have been a part of. Hope you enjoyed this lengthy story. I will add photos of the trip as I get them. My photo of the President and First Lady will be posted once I receive it from the White House. Keep checking back for more details. Next trip is Denmark and Greenland. Another Waking Norman tour heading into 2005. See you then……….
P.S.--Check out this link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/whtour/eastroom-ipix.html

billy

2004-12-07T22:18:00.000-08:00

In front of the National Archives Builing

2004-12-07T22:17:00.002-08:00

Nervous dude.....

2004-12-07T22:17:00.001-08:00

What is past is prologue....

2004-12-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

2004-12-07T22:16:00.001-08:00

Bummer.....

2004-12-07T22:16:00.000-08:00

The Fab 5.....???

2004-12-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

The White House ( outside looking in )

2004-12-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

This is where all media camps 24 hours a day to report from the White House

2004-12-07T22:13:00.001-08:00

What a night......

2004-12-07T22:13:00.000-08:00

At Ebbet's Grill after party, wondering how I ended up with this shoe..

Back in the Saddle......

2004-11-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

Well,
I am back at it here in Dallas. I worked a couple of Dallas Mavericks games and also the Texas Stampede Rodeo, which is the pro rodeo circuit. Great entertainment at this event. Gretchen Wilson, Pat Green and Gary Allan. I also worked the Links Ball at the Fort Worth Convention Center with Joe McBride and Benita as well as a Motown Revue. Great event. I was also fortunate enough to run sound for great jazz saxophonist, Joseph Vincelli. This was a private event held at the Trammell Crow residence. What a spread this place was. The library alone was twice the size of my place. Great band performance that evening. Great news to add, Waking Norman will be going back out on the road to perform a New Years Eve Party in Greenland. Yes, Greenland up in the Arctic. We will be performing for the troops again. So check back for pics and stories. I am also producing the new Waking Norman CD which should be out by Christmas. Check www.wakingnorman.com for more details. I am also proud to announce tha a project I started over 5 years ago with Deno Taglioli of the Emerald City Band has finally come to fruition. The CD should be out by Christmas and check back here for more details regarding a CD release event. This is something I am really proud to be a part of. Thanks to Deno for allowing me to be a part of the experience. You rock brother!!!! Keep checking this blog site for more info about what is happening in my world...... Stay cool................

billy

Back in Big "D"....

2004-11-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Well Hello,
We finally made it back to Dallas and I am sure the guys are glad to be waking up in their own beds. I have to say that even though it was a short tour, it sure was tons of fun. Thanks guys for the break from work and I look forward to doing it all again. We have a show this weekend at Sullivan's in North Dallas. This should be a big show. We have received lots of e-mails and calls regarding it. Keep checking this site regarding my upcoming events, some separate from Waking Norman. I will be leaving December 5th for Washington, D.C. to work with the band Emerald City. We will be performing at the White House for the Bush Family. They hold an annual Christmas Party for the immediate staff and their families. It is held right their in the East Room of the White House. I am looking forward to it and telling all of you about it. I also am going back to the Super Bowl to work for NFL Films. As well as my regular work with the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Cowboys and FOX Sports. Since the Dallas Stars are officially on strike, I will be freelancing the rest of my schedule out. Check back for more details.......

billy

2004-11-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

My reindeer got away from me....

2004-11-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

You can't see it, but I am standing on 2 feet of snow...

2004-11-03T15:24:00.001-08:00

These guys are up to no good!!!

2004-11-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

Loading up the gear for another show down the road!

2004-11-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

Mikey acting up. What's new!

2004-11-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

Do not feed the reindeer kids. This guy nipped me right after this picture.

2004-11-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

Cold men walking !

2004-11-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

2004-11-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

2004-11-03T10:11:00.001-08:00

Great Sunset View

2004-11-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

2004-11-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

2004-11-03T10:09:00.000-08:00

Ketchikan, Alaska Pics--Thanks Mike

Ketchikan News....

2004-11-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

Ketchikan, Alaska News......
Troy and Wes(bass) and myself forgot to set our clocks back to observe daylight savings time. So we were down in the lobby at 6:00am instead of 7:00am. Bummer!!! Did I not say in my last blog that I needed to set my clock back? What an idiot!!! Anyhow, we loaded up the van and truck and headed to the airport. Our travel plans are pretty much out of our hands, as the Department of Defense makes them. They had us flying from Fairbanks,Alaska to Anchorage,Alaska(south), changing planes. Then fly to Seattle, Washington,further south, go through a 2 hour layover, more airport food,ugh!!Then we fly to the island of Ketchikan,Alaska (northeast). We arrive at 8:30 pm and we walk outside to find our contact and Mikey and I are immediately fighting a monsoon type rain and wind storm. Cold, huge drops of rain that is nailing us completely sideways. The winds are so strong here , we almost could not land on the island because of wind shears. Apparently, this is pretty common here,because of the surrounding mountains. Ketchikan is primarily a fishing village and a seasonal stop for cruise ships that are on the Alaska route. We are to perform at the Ketchikan CGS. Our host ,Mike Malheiro was extremely nice and accommodating and we are very thankful for every thing he did for us. Thanks Mike !! Riley Audio provided sound and we setup and sound checked with enough time left before show for the guys to get in some X-Box games that were set up in the adjoining recreation room. Mike and Nick (guitar) were going at it pretty intensely. The show was pretty much a full seated crowd. Mostly families. The kids in attendance were very engaged once the show began and before you knew it, the whole place was into everything the boys cranked out. Thanks to the staff there for being so hospitable. What a great way to finish the tour. We could not have asked for a better way to close it out. Thanks Ketchikan CGS. We packed up and went back to our rooms and grabbed what little shuteye we could. We had a 7:00 am call and headed back to our familiar stomping ground. THE AIRPORT!!! Last time checking in all those bags and cases. RIGHT ON!!! Pete says "Thank God". We flew to Seattle and had a 2 hour layover. We hung out in the American Airlines Admirals Club to kill time and watching early election results. I have my fingers crossed for *********. I hope he wins so we can get all this negativity out of our faces and fight the real bad guys. Once I get back home, I will update the pics and have a final thought on the tour. Who do I think I am, Jerry frickin' Springer ? Any way, stay tuned for more..............

billy

Off to Eielson AFB,

2004-11-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

On our way to Eielson...
Well, call time came very early after the Denny's debacle. I woke up our lead singer Troy who I was rooming with at 6:30 am and he is not an early riser by any means. He mumbled something about his microphone not working or something that sounded like he thought he was at sound check. After he regained his wits, we got down stairs to the lobby before the other guys. Except for Pete,of course.
We loaded truck and van and headed to Eielson Air Force Base . On the way there, we stopped off at the North Pole, yes North Pole, Alaska. And there is actually a Santa Claus village and workshop. We stopped off to get some pictures of this spectacular site. I think all the kids in our families would get a real kick out of it. I actually touched a reindeer. COOL!!!
After letting the little kid in all of us out for a while, we climbed back into the van and headed further north. Eielson Air Force Base. What a facility. Jets everywhere. A-10's and F-16 and F-18's. Sweet!!! Pete was in heaven. You could feel the thunderous roar from their engines as we were driving by. Kind of gets you pumped. Boys will be boys.
We headed to the Yukon. This is the venue we would be performing at tonight. Big room and very friendly folks there. We setup and sound checked and worked on another new song. Wes and Nick and Troy were laying out this idea that they had been mulling around with and before you knew it, BAM, new song and boy does it kick. "One Heart" is the title.
By the way, as we were leaving Fort Wainwright Army Base, the temperature sign read 16 degrees. Brrrr!! Fresh snow everywhere. I just love it !! After sound check, one of the A-10 jet mechanics on the base gave us a surprise tour of a hangar loaded with A-10 fighter jets that just came back from Afghanistan and Iraq. They are awesome. I can only imagine what goes through the mind of a Taliban fighter as he sees these low flying destructive flying machines coming at you, flown by an American pilot who is the best in the world and who is trained that there is no room for errors. We got to check out the cockpit. There are so many controls that your focus and responses have to be instinctive and routine. This gave me a whole new respect for fighter pilots. They are the nuts!!! On the planes, there are marking designating how much action they saw. A single bullet represents that you unloaded your cache of tank piercing bullets that are fired out of the turret gun on the nose of the plane, the cache is approximately 1100 bullets. The jet we took a picture on and in front of saw the most action of the fighter group. He expelled 6 full cache of rounds. 6600 shots he took, this guy had fun!! The other markings are computer guided missiles that destroy bunkers and munitions dumps as well as airport runways and hangars and other strategic targets.He expelled 8 of them. Very busy guy. Man, we were having a great day!!! We went back to the club and blew off some steam by playing pool and talking with the men and women of the Air Force. Great stories they had. The show went great and all the folks loved the guys, as they should. The band signed autographs for everyone and then we headed back to our quarters to catch some shuteye. We have a 7:00 am call time, plus I have to set my clock back 1 hour. Anything for extra sleep. Next we head to Ketchikan, Alaska. Ketch is a small island of the foremost south east corner of Alaska, bordering Canada. Sounds interesting. I will let you all know. Check back for more..............

billy

2004-11-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Mike and Billy-Thanks again Mike!!

2004-11-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

BJ and the Bear !

2004-11-01T12:23:00.002-08:00

Smart Bombs

2004-11-01T12:23:00.001-08:00

2004-11-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

The Osama picture has crosshairs right between the eyes.

2004-11-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

This fighter saw the most action of all the fighter jets out of this unit. Notice the bullet and bomb markings on the side above Osama.

2004-11-01T12:20:00.001-08:00

Jet Fighter Fuel Tanks

2004-11-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

A-10 Fighter

2004-11-01T12:19:00.001-08:00

2004-11-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Check it out!!

2004-11-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

....

2004-11-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Apache Helicopters, Baby,Loaded!!

2004-11-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

Arctic Strykers in Training

Fairbanks and countin'

2004-11-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

In Fairbanks, just chilling, literally..

We arrived in Fairbanks from Clear, Alaska around noon. We were a bit early so we decided to head straight to the venue to check out the facility. We were met by our POC and shown around. We would have to come back the next day since we do not perform until Friday, so we decided to check out the base. Fort Wainwright is located in Alaska's Interior region adjacent to Fairbanks. The major unit at Fort Wainwright today is the 1st Brigade, 6th Infantry Division (Light). At Fort Wainwright, arctic soldiers work and train in temperatures ranging from 80 degrees F in the summer to minus 50 degrees F in the winter. The Arctic Support Command, headquartered at Fort Wainwright, also has units at Fort Richardson, including elements of Special Troops Battalion; 4th Battalion, 123rd Theater Aviation; 203rd Personnel Service Battalion; 267th Finance Support Battalion; 98th Direct Support Maintenance Company; and Law Enforcement Command. The temperature here is about 18 degrees and this is at 2:00 pm. We saw a couple of Blackhawk Helicopters performing maneuvers and also could here M-16 machine gun fire in the nearby woods where the soldiers were training. This happened throughout the day and night. You kind of get used to it after a while. One thing there is definitely not a shortage of up here is Ravens. These birds are everywhere and they are huge. Our violin player, Mike Horne, thought they were black pigeons. Forgive him; he is from Houston, TX. We drove into town to check out the area and there was quite a bit going on. Fairbanks has quite the nightlife. The sound company that we were using for this event is owned by Stephen Hunter, who turns out, is a very popular DJ on the side. He goes by the name Fifty- Fifty. He spins at a couple of clubs here and does very well. We had dinner and headed back to the rooms to catch some shuteye. Woke up early the next morning and managed to get some great pictures of soldiers de-icing a helicopter and in training. I wanted to go snowboarding, but time would not allow. We headed to the venue and sound checked. The guys got in a great rehearsal. They also wrote a tune while there. We will be coming back to Texas with 3 new songs, maybe 4. They are doing a great job creating on the road. On a side note, Captain Pete, otherwise known as, "Dalrymplestiltskin", has been a complete blast to work with. Out of all the tours and shows that I have been fortunate enough to work on over the years and all over the world, the click that I have enjoyed working with Pete has been one of the easiest and memorable. Even though it is a short tour, you have to be on top of everything. And believe me, nothing gets past Pete. The guys have all expressed to me that they have no worries about anything with Pete with us. Kudos Pete!!! Look forward to the next tour leg. And from what I hear, Asia is calling for Waking Norman. Keep checking out the website for more info. After dinner, we headed back to the Arctic Oasis Club and performed for the men and women of the U.S. Army stationed here. Good crowd and very receptive. It was an early show, 8-10 due to the fact that they wanted military families to attend. The kids that were there enjoyed the music. The guys signed autographs afterwards and then the fun began. After packing up, we went to get a bite at Dennys. It is the official furthest northern Dennys in the U.S. Yes, there is a sign stating so. We sat down and ordered our food, meanwhile Rosie our assistant business manager and Jackie and Namicha who help with merchandise support were in Chicago clubbing and decided to call the guys. Three girls on three separate cell phones with three guys on three separate cell phones discussing nothing cross country. After waiting over an hour for food that had not shown up, we got frustrated and got up and walked out. As we were in the parking lot, we glanced in and saw our waitress walking up to the table with a huge tray full of our food. We said what the heck and went back in. Guess what. All the orders were either wrong or the food was very cold. Bummer for her. Hello $2.00 tip. We obviously left abruptly and went back to our rooms. Another day down. Stay tuned for more. I want a give a quick shout out to our Waking Norman team back home that could not come on this tour with us. MA, Rosie, Beth, Ernie Knirk, Bob DuPre, Jackie, Namicha and the rest of the support staff who are so valuable to us. You are all with us in spirit and we could not have put this together without each and every one of you. From all of us, thank you so much. Blogger Out!!

billy

Live from Eilson.....

2004-10-31T08:11:00.000-08:00

Still trying to setup connectivity here at Eilson AFB so I can view my blog site. We are headed back to Seattle then up to Ketchikan, Alaska which is off the coast of Alaska. We are at a CGS Base there. Once I get settled, Iwill catch up on these blogs. How about those Michigan Wolverines yesterday? What a game. By the way, we took a tour of an A-10 Fighter Jet yesterday. I have pictures and more details. Stay tuned.

billy

2004-10-31T01:49:00.000-08:00

2004-10-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

Mikey posing before running from the incoming surf!

2004-10-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

The mountains in the background are over 10 miles away.

2004-10-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

Here is the view I described in an earlier blog!

2004-10-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Billy storming the beach!!

2004-10-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Buffaloes in Kodiak

2004-10-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Looking a little too serious !

2004-10-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

My Rehearsal Setup

Clear the way....

2004-10-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Clear AFB......
Well the flight from Kodiak to Fairbanks was interesting. Bumpy on the takeoff, again, we were on a cargo plane, so the takeoff was rough. It was raining most of the day which made for a bumpy flight in air. Once we landed in Fairbanks, we deplaned and it was snowing pretty hard. Huge snowflakes the size of half dollars. For some of the guys, this was the first time experiencing real snow. The snow we rarely get in Texas is nowhere near this nice. Of course. We grabbed all our cases and luggage at the claim area and loaded up a truck and van that was waiting for us. Two Air Force officers were their to escort us to Clear, Air Force Base in Clear, Alaska. It is about 120 miles southwest of Fairbanks up in a mountain. It is an Early Warning Radar Detection Facility. Pretty cool place, but nothing around for miles. They pretty much built their own little town in one huge multi-level building that is competely connected from one end of the base to the other. Because of the extreme temperatures, noon has to go outside unless they are patrolling or leaving the base. Everything is there. Bowling Alley, sports bar, barber, dining hall, gym and fitness center. Library, rec room and post office. There is even an activities store where you can checkout fishing and hunting and hiking gear. You really never have to leave to get anything. Only one drag. No cell phone service. And we did not have access to internet service, so that is why I am doubling up on my blogs today. We checked in after the drive up the mountain which took a lot longer because of the weather. The roads were frozen over so we could only drive 30-40 miles per hour. That sucked. We arrived and they had really nice suites for us on base. We got a good nights sleep and setup the next day. RK Productions from Fairbanks provided the sound. Great work Stephen Hunter. Thanks for the extra help. The PA worked great and other than having to program the digital effects, which took a while, everything went smoothly. We got a good sound check and rehearsal and looked forward to the show. We got in a workout and had dinner , then off to do the show. Since this is an isolated AFB. We did not know what to expect crowdwise. Needless to say, the place was full. Lots of buzz after sound check spread and people were ready to see what the big deal was. The guys once again kicked them hard. After 2 sets, they signed anything that was put in front of them. One thing, I will always be able to tell anyone who asks, that I was in Clear, Alaska the night the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. The gig went great and we have to thanks Sgt. Ray for everything, he was awesome and we look forward to working with him again. Afterwards, we enjoyed performing some karaoke with the officers and that was fun. I even got up and performed a Creed song. Funny !!!!! Thanks also to Riley the bartender. He its getting transferred to Cape Cod and is counting the days. Good luck buddy. You will love it there. Well, we wrapped up the night and hit the hay around 2:00am. We had a 6:30 am travel call time. We are headed back to Fairbanks. Stay tuned for more from Fairbanks and have a great week........

billy

2004-10-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

More from Big A....

2004-10-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

More from Big A----
After all the sight seeing, we headed back to the barracks and rested before heading to the Golden Anchor venue. We had a great crowd, mostly people intrigued from the radio show performance. Once the guys started, it turned into mostly a standing room only crowd. The guys captivated them right off the bat. These folks did not know what to expect because of the isolation of the island. What band comes and performs at a military facility off the coast of Alaska? Waking Norman, that's who! The Armed Forces Entertainment Network surprised them by bringing us up here and they totally soaked up every moment of it. After the first show, which started with a couple of acoustic numbers and wrapped up with several originals, the guys sat down and began answering questions and autographing CD's and T-shirts and posters for the entire intermission. Both military and civilian folks were thanking them for coming and wanted to know more about the band and where they are from. We talked to people from all over the world that were there. U.S. Coast Guard personnel making a stop enroute to the U.S.--Russian waters that they patrol and Kodiak locals who come up for the seasonal fishing and hunting. After the first intermission, Nick started with a cover of Jimmy Hendrix "Little Wing" that began with a 2 minute guitar solo that he unexpectedly threw in. The trio of Nick, John and Wes then began the tune and wrapped it up with the entire crowd on it's feet. What a way to start a set. John and Wes broke into an impromptu drum and bass solo that floored the crowd halfway through the set and things never slowed down. Mike and Troy were revving the crowd up with their stage show and mesmerizing performances. The guys were smoking hot and the crowd could not get enough. I had a rough time controlling stage volume, but no one seemed to care that it became louder than I wanted, and to be honest, neither did I. It rocked!!!!
We wrapped up the last show of the nigh with a new original the guys wrote on this tour called "Little Girl" and then performed "Lullaby" for our encore. The guys have been really extra creative musically on this tour and should come back to Dallas with at least 3-4 new tunes. We then visited with all the fans at the after party and gave a big shout out to Doug and Paula at the Golden Anchor for being so attentive to our every needs while in Kodiak. We look forward to coming back and from what I hear, we have been asked to come back to perform at the Kodiak Music and Arts Festival in the spring. We packed up the bus and headed back to the barracks to catch some shuteye. We have to do another morning radio show tomorrow and then catch a flight to Fairbanks by way of Anchorage. Stay tuned for more from me as we continue on our journey..

billy

2004-10-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

I am looking at a Sea Lion body surfing...

2004-10-26T14:12:00.002-07:00

Mixing Virginia for Radio Show

2004-10-26T14:12:00.001-07:00

Red Foxx??

2004-10-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

The Boys out of their element !!

2004-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Mixing Radio Show

2004-10-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

Kodiak Locals

Kodiak Kalling.....

2004-10-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Kodiak Kalling :

Well, like I stated earlier, we finished the radio show and one of the local service men took us on a tour of the island of Kodiak to take in the sights. These mountains are full of rivers and streams and there are a lot of different types of wildlife all over them. We had a wild Red Fox come right up to our van and allowed us to photograph it. I assume because they have no natural predators here, they are not frightened of anything. We drove further down this winding road and spotted several American Bald Eagles perched on a huge tree near the Pacific shore. It was a sight to see. They are a lot bigger than I expected and I see now why they are our national treasure. Watching them in flight is surreal. We drove further down the road and spotted a herd of North American Buffalo. They too seemed unafraid of our vehicle and allowed us to get as close as several feet from them to get some great pictures of them. We avoided getting too close to the calves. I don’t think the mommas would be too happy about that. We took off again and stopped at a small bay inlet where the water was so still that the majestic mountains that surrounded it created a mirror image on the surface. If you really concentrated, you could really lose yourself in this vision. I took a picture of it, but it would never do the sight any justice. We also spotted several Whitetail birds that fly so low, they practically skim the water with their bellies. Pretty cool to watch. This particular road we were on is the only main road that does not even meet. It winds around the shore of the island but only goes about ¾ of the way around because of the enormous mountains that surround Kodiak. We drove up a mountain side and went over it. Once at the top, coming up over it, you saw the Pacific Ocean. The tide pounding the huge rocks on the shore. We found a clearing and got out to appreciate the clear blue water coming up on the charcoal grey colored sand on the beach. Truly amazing. It was pretty brisk out there, but no one seemed to mind. We took several group pictures with an island in the background that is one of many small ones that are all over the skirts of Kodiak. Just as we were all skipping stones on the surf, we spotted a Sea Lion, of all things, BODY SURFING. I kid you not. It would wait for a big wave, and then paddle off and ride this 10-15 foot wave just like we do when we are at the beach. Then head back out and do it again. What a showoff!!
Our tour guide Jeff, who was truly a trooper for dealing with us first timers, took us to our destination. A military rocket launch facility. Complete with missile silo and command center. These guys are in communication with missile silos all over the world. This was a pretty intense place. As an avid opponent of nuclear testing and armament, at least I know that these guys are very safe and this facility is very secure. Our host there, once we received our security clearance, showed us around. We visited the weather center that updates Cape Kennedy and Cape Canaveral for shuttle launches as well as rocket launches they do for NASA and the military there as well. We also saw where the payload specialists compile their data on these launches and I even got to see where they encode every wireless frequency in the natural wave spectrum. As a wireless frequency user, this was an amazing experience. To be able to see every frequency out there and how much they are used and what frequencies we are never able to even get close to using as the government keeps them all to themselves. By the way, Dallas and Atlanta are by far the largest in frequency usage in America. We drove about a mile down from the command center to the actual launch pad. This building houses the actual rockets prior to launch. It’s on board computers are programmed and the payloads are loaded and it is tested over and over again before they fuel it and prepare for launch day. When that comes, they open the huge automated bay doors and it rolls out on tracks that resemble railroad tracks to the actual silo. This silo is 11 stories tall. Complete with a flame trench. We went inside and went all the way to the top to see where the top of the rocket is. Awesome. I now see why they call these guys rocket scientists. They are that!!
Once we were done driving the host nuts with questions, we loaded up and headed back down the mountain and back into town to grab lunch and loot the base commissary. We never got to see any bears. Bummer. Maybe because it was opening day of bear hunting season, they were a little busy running for their lives. I hope on some way this lengthy story somewhat explained what we were so fortunate to see. Check back later today for details about tonight’s concert.
Stay tuned…….

billy

2004-10-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

The beat goes on......

2004-10-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

And the beat goes on…….

We left Anchorage Sunday afternoon. Checking in all of our flight cases takes a long time at the airport. Since all road cases must weigh less than 70 pounds (FAA and Military regulations). Every individual case has to be weighed and inspected. I am traveling with my personal tools and recording equipment which consists of a CD recorder, Mini-disc recorder and Digital 8-track Roland 1680 recorder/mixer as well as my laptop. I am documenting all shows on this tour and once I get back, I will take them into a studio somewhere and see what we have and try to put something out for our fans. The setups have been tricky audio wise. Lots of close miking and trying to keep the stage level at a minimum has been a challenge. Because the band Waking Norman has such huge stage energy, songs tend to get up there in stage volume and the bleeding into the vocal microphones tend to become an issue. I have to really ride the faders to avoid this from transferring into the front of house mix, but keeping my levels to tape consistent. The guys have been very accommodating, allowing me to preset monitor levels and leaving them set to avoid feedback to tape. This gets to be pretty tedious for me. Back to the airport issue. Once all gear is inventoried and tagged, now comes time for the personal luggage. By the way, that means a new gate. Once all this is out of the way, at least an hour has rolled by and needless to say, the people in line behind you are not too pleased.
Once we got past security, we sat down at a Chili’s inside the terminal and briefly watched the Cowboys getting taxed by the Packers. WOW!!! We met some people who were on their way to Kodiak and they told us about some local hotspots to check out. Once we walked out on to the tarmac, we boarded a cargo plane. This plane is front loaded with cargo and holds about 50 passengers. The flight was going pretty smoothly until we started to descend in to Kodiak. Because Kodiak is an island, the airport is surrounded by huge mountains. We are told that the wind gusts are consistently in the 40-70 miles per hour range. The plane was bouncing everywhere. Side to side and up and down. It was nerve racking. A couple of the passengers were really nervous. Our bass player Wes was next to me and he leaned over to me once we landed that out of all the flying he has done, that was the first time he was worried. He said a little prayer for all of us. It must have worked. Thanks Wes! This is also the first day of bear hunting season. So there were a lot of hunters arriving with bows and rifles. It was something to see. All these guys in camouflage, unloading equipment. We headed straight to the Kodiak Coast Guard Station. Our host Captain Joe Bower had personnel there waiting for us to help us with anything we needed. We went to the venue and met our Sound company, Royall Sound & Lighting. Once we assessed the audio situation, I orchestrated the setup and made a nice intimate live music setting for the show that we will be performing Monday night. We are performing for the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard. These people are responsible for patrolling the Alaskan Pacific coastline, keeping an eye on the Russians and Chinese vessels that are in the area and making sure they do not enter U.S. waters. We went through a quick sound check and powered every thing down and went to our quarters. It is a military style officer’s barracks that they have put us up in. Individual rooms. COOL!!! We unpacked and went to dinner and went out to a local pub/restaurant called The Rendezvous. They had a guy performing there that played a Cajun style lap guitar. He was awesome, but one kicker, he is Australian. Cajun Australian. Who would have thought? Went back to the room early and got up the next morning to do a live morning radio show on KRXX 101.1 FM acoustically. Just the trio, Mike on violin, Nick on acoustic guitar and Troy on vocals. I setup my 8-track digital mixer right there in the control room along with the guys and plugged the violin and acoustic guitar in directly, added 2 vocal microphones and sent them a stereo feed. I also picked up the 2 hosts dialogue via my room mics. We were to do a 10 minute interview which included performing a live song. The newest single not out yet, “Virginia”. While they were playing, the 2 hosts were looking at us in total amazement. They LOVED it!!! As soon as they finished the tune, they took a commercial break. Then they asked us to stick around and we did another 15 minutes of interviews and performed the song “Lullaby” off the latest CD “Two Years Gone” which we are touring to promote. They totally put their morning show on hold and took no calls. It was great!!! We left there a while ago and we are about to go take in some sight seeing. Stay tuned for more!!! This has been the first time in a long time that I have had so much fun being back out on the road for a length of time and I could not ask for a better cast to be around. P.S.—Thank Ernie and Bob of Moonrise Management for the great dinner the other night in Anchorage. Fresh Halibut and Mussels with a great wine is the stuff!!! Loved it and wish you could have been there with us. Pete is taking great care of us. He is the bomb!!! Check back soon for more road stories. Have a great day!!!!
billy

Hello from Kodiak,Alaska !!!

2004-10-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hello from Alaska,

We just finished performing at the Down Under Club at Fort Richardson Army Base in Anchorage, Alaska. The crowd was great and Waking Norman’s performance was totally energized by the enlisted men and women in the audience feeding off the sounds of the band. We had the honor of meeting people from all over the country that are stationed there. They really appreciated the CD’s and shirts and caps that we gave away courtesy of our Dallas, TX fans that donated them. Prior to the show, we enjoyed an incredible seafood meal at a local restaurant that we were told about by the locals. The view of the Pacific Ocean Bay was awesome from the restaurant. The food was also incredible. We also signed CD’s and posters all night between sets and after the show. Once we were done, we went to a local military pub on base after the show with the host of the military tour and once the guys walked in, the enlisted men and women and officers stood and applauded the guys. It was surreal. They were so appreciative of their coming up and entertaining them. Especially considering that they could be shipped out at any moment. Lead singer Troy Mayfield got up on stage and sang a Randy Travis tune at the karaoke bar. Everyone went nuts. We also received a nice gift from the host of the base. The description that I was always told of Alaska is nothing that I have seen. This place is incredible. The mountains and wilderness views are something else. We have also been working on new tunes while here. The creation process is going great. Thanks to Creative Light and Sound for their support while performing in Anchorage. They had great gear and were totally on top of everything from day one. Dan Hemme, thank you. Graham and Stefan were a big help. Thanks guys. We went back to my room afterwards to review recorded music from the shows and also went over new music that is in the process of being written. We will have some great stuff once we get back. We will be headed to Kodiak, Alaska in the morning. I dread packing. My stuff is getting out of control. Why did I bring so much stuff? The 3 hour difference is also throwing me off. What do you know, it is Sunday and there is NFL football at 9:00 am. Right On!!!! Well, gotta go. Check in tomorrow for more on the WN News. Thanks. Go Mavs !!!!!!

billy

2004-10-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

Anchorage, Alaska Update

2004-10-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Just performed last night at the Kashim Club at Elmendorf AFB for the troops and the show went great. Waking Norman entertained the men and women of the Air Force here and threw it down. Will have pics up soon. Our hosts, Major Turner and their staff were very accommodating and the crowd was very lively. We only wish we could have had more merchandise with us , because they could not get enough of it. The guys must have writers cramps after signing so much stuff. It started to snow right after our show and we are headed to Fort Rich today for another show. I will put up an audio blog later that Troy will tell you a great story about our initial departure from Dallas, TX. The tour started off with an unusual story and before you knew it, we were off and running. One cool note, on our flight from Dallas to Seattle, we had a sign of good luck come our way. On our flight were men and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, going home for 15 days of R & R. We chatted with a couple of them while waiting for the flight and while on the plane. We met soldiers from Puerto Rico and Pennsylvania as well as California and Oregon. They were glad to hear about what we are doing and thanked us for thinking of them. What a great feeling to know that performing music pleases so many people in different ways. Makes you forget about the bad things in the world for just a bit. Well, gotta go, Troy is falling asleep waiting for me and the guys are about done getting their workout in. It is chow time and off too sound check. Check back soon and keep rockin the free world.

Waitin' for the Bus

2004-10-21T03:20:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
Finally got all the details worked out and believe it or not. We are good to go on Operation Alaska. I am all packed and waiting for my ride. I guesss I am a little anxious, but this should be something to remember. Keep checking my blog for more Waking Norman info and I will do my best to give you the scoop on all that is good with us. Feel free to forward this blog address to all wN fans. Stay tuned !!!!!!!!

2004-10-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Ready to go !!

Audio Test

2004-10-03T15:53:00.000-07:00