Another Installment in Road Stories and Experiences

New musicians are “born” every day, either created or inspired by television shows like “American Idol” and “The Voice”.   Most are young people, inspired by lights and music, driven by the promise of money and fame.   I know these young upstarts are going to want to take advice from an old road veteran like myself.  You know how kids are, always looking for an experienced person to show the way.  Especially teenagers, who are acutely aware of their lack of knowledge and constantly seeking advice and guidance….

Okay now, dry your eyes and get up off the floor, I know you are weak from laughing but my blogs are meant to amuse, so I’m glad the irony doesn’t escape you.  The very people who would benefit from my advice are the last ones to take it.  So many kids are ready to jump into a loaded up van and head down the road to riches and glory, and find the exact opposite along the way.  Just in case, I have these words of advice for anyone who chooses to attempt to go out on the road.

We’ve already covered the first two lessons in a previous blog on March 1st:

Lesson #1  -  DON’T FORGET ANYTHING!

Lesson #2  -  DON’T PANIC! 

Now, for our next lesson:

Lesson #3 – TAKE A MECHANIC WITH YOU!

Economy of space is important on the road.  Every seat in that van better be filled with someone of critical importance; or else you’re carrying dead weight.  Sure, musical talent comes in handy, but when you’re auditioning band members it is prudent to ask important questions such as, “Do know how to change a tire?” or, “Do you know how to rebuild a carburetor?”  I could even go so far as to say that your vehicle might be one of the most important members of the band….so you had better know how to fix it!

Lucky for us, Jim is an excellent mechanic. For example: on our tour last year, we were driving along, minding our own business somewhere in the middle of nowhere.  The “check gauges” light came on, and we determined that the battery was not charging.  Jim recommended we pull off the highway, and we were lucky to pull into the parking lot of an Auto Zone before the car died.  Jim took out the generator, got a new one at the Auto Zone, and replaced it in less than an hour.  We were saved from the tow truck, saved from the auto shop and saved from missing the next concert.   (I played a critical role by taking this photo at the exact time it was happening).

Jim is a pretty talented singer, but his mechanical skills have earned him a permanent seat in the van.  Let that be a lesson to all aspiring musicians out there…..remember to take auto shop as well as music lessons, and have your camera handy.

This Psychiatric booth was so cute, I had to take a picture in it!

So, who is helping who?

When we were kids, my brothers (3 of them) and my sister and I all spent many hours reading Peanuts comic books.  We loved the characters, Charlie Brown with his bad luck, Lucy with her bad temper, Linus and his blanket, Pig pen in his cloud of dust, each one with their own foibles and quirks.  We connected with them and they became a part of our family.  So when I saw this prop sitting in the back of a theater, I couldn’t resist taking a picture in it.

Lucy Van Pelt, one of Charles Schultz’ characters in Peanuts, considered herself to be the giver of great advice, so she would sit outside in a little handmade booth, selling psychiatric help for a nickel.  Often, the recipient of her “help” would end up getting yelled at….I’m not sure Lucy ever gave good advice, but they say you get what you pay for.

I’ve often described our concerts as “group therapy” so the picture seems fitting for the thing we do.  I know we help people with our shows;  they get out of the house, they enjoy the music they feel good.  The funny thing is, the band gets as much “therapy” from a show as the audience does.  We enjoy the outpouring of love from the audience and we feel it the minute we begin the show, all the way to the end.  There also is a theory that people who attend theatre or concerts in groups get a positive psychological benefit from the like-minded people surrounding them……well that makes sense to me.

So we are all helping each other, and I would encourage all of you who read this blog, to go out more often, spend less time at home alone and reap the benefits of “group therapy.”  It might cost more than a nickel, but you will reap the psychological rewards!

Anne Begins the First Episode in a Series of Road Stories and Experiences

It is so strange to be writing about my travels now, since I have never had the desire to travel.  I have always been perfectly content at home; and didn’t know what I was missing!  Then, when I learned that I could take my knitting with me on a plane, I decided to go along with the program and travel with the band.  Now, when I look up from my knitting, I can see what a beautiful expansive world we live in….filled with beauty and friendly people.  Here’s one of the first things we’ve learned from our travels:

Lesson #1  - DON’T FORGET ANYTHING!  Traveling is an adventure, and adventurers need to be prepared.  A lot of thought has to be put into a trip, especially when you have so many people depending on you – the band, the presenters and the audience – thousands of people are counting on YOU to get it right.  Preparation is the key, and my Eagle Scout Jim Curry lives by the Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared.”

But….nobody’s perfect.  As hard as you try to remember everything, sometimes you forget.  For example, a few years ago, Jim and I were sitting next to each other relaxing on our airplane ride to New York.  It’s nice to relax on the plane, a little reward after a hard week of preparing, packing, planning and list making.  So there we were relaxing on the plane, and Jim snaps me out of my post-hectic-packing-lull, “ANNE!” Jim said sharply, “PASSPORTS!” and I almost dropped my knitting!   Passports!  We’re going to need them!  We were flying into New York so we could DRIVE INTO CANADA and the law requires a passport into Canada, no exceptions! “What are we going to do?”  My overactive imagination immediately envisioned me calling the presenter and telling him there would be no show unless he knew a Canadian coyote that would smuggle us into Ontario inside a barrel of lutefisk……  That brings us to lesson #2:

Lesson #2  - WHEN YOU FORGET SOMETHING, DON’T PANIC!  We had several things working in our favor:

• ON BOARD INTERNET:  Jim calmly wrote an email to our son at home explaining our situation and what to do.
• A WILLING CHILD:  Who immediately got our passports and took them to Fed Ex
• FEDERAL EXPRESS: Guaranteed delivery by the next morning to our hotel in New York by 10:00 am.

Tragedy averted.  We had a great show, and we didn’t have to climb into a barrel of lutefisk…..

I’ll let you google lutefisk for yourself

Jim Curry and the band at the Silverton Casino in Las Vegas

and there is no easy answer.  Of course we want to do a show in your home town, but it isn’t easy or cheap to travel the world with a band and gear – it’s very complicated and expensive.  You don’t just show up at a theater and say, “Here we are!  Let’s do a show!”  Heck, you can’t even perform on the street without a permit!

 The band doesn’t choose where they go.

 The venue chooses the band.  Every theater, auditorium, symphony or amphitheater has an Entertainment Director who chooses the program that they think will appeal to their audience.  It is their responsibility to sell tickets and ticket sales directly affect the success of the venue.  Added to that responsibility is the fact that with the sluggish economy, ticket sales are down 20% and you get the idea:  The buyer is under a lot of pressure to present a show that sells tickets – and our show, “Take Me Home, The Music of John Denver” is only one of the many quality shows a buyer has to choose from.

 The band does not choose where they go – the venue makes the choice.  And the venues listen to their patrons.  The best way to get our show to your home town is to talk to your local theater, write a letter or e-mail and ask them to consider our show.  Our brochure is probably sitting on their desk, under the pile with hundreds of other acts.  If they haven’t heard of us, you can give them our agent’s contact information:

Alkahest Artists and Attractions

Elizabeth Bridges

888-728-8989

Ask for:  “Take Me Home, The Music of John Denver” – starring Jim Curry

The more people that ask for our show, the higher priority it will have in the venue’s final decision.  This strategy has worked in many towns….sometimes with only ONE request.  Maybe (I hope) your home town will be next!!   Good Luck!

Jim and Anne, photo by Mary Garcia

Here we are at the end of another eventful year, and the beginning of a new year full of promise.

As most of you already know, the end of the year also means another year older for me.  December 31^st is my birthday, so the last day of the year is a double-dose of retrospect:  another year gone by, and another year added to my age.  A birthday on New Year’s Eve is a weird combination of Christmas trees, birthday cake and late night parties.  It’s a perfect time to reflect on the past, but in all honesty, I didn’t have much time for retrospection this end-of-the-year.  My friends and family kept me too busy on my birthday to think much about my past…..and the future is looming!  Jim and I are preparing to drive across the country to Florida for some concerts there – and so we start out 2013 ready to see new cities and meet new people.

So, in a nutshell (that’s what a blog is)  for me, the future is more important than the past, and the gifts that are important to me are the people I meet….YOU are the gift that keeps on giving!

My favorite John Denver song (and believe me, picking a favorite is as impossible as picking a favorite child) is called “The Gift You Are”.  It is not a popular song; it never got played on the radio or much of anywhere else I suppose.  My favorite line of the song is the first line:  “Imagine a month of Sundays, each one a cloudy day, imagine the moment the sun came shining through…..think of that ray of sunshine as you”.

Thank you for being my ray of sunshine, ALL of you, my friends, my family and acquaintances.   Those of you who think of us, pray for us, write, and phone, and Facebook.  Those of you who come to our concerts, follow us through our newsletter, leave messages on the phone, ask about our children, give us directions, feed us, send Christmas cards, talk to us after the show.  All of you that hold us in your hearts:  thank you!

Here is my favorite John Denver song, “The Gift You Are” as sung by my favorite John Denver Tribute Artist:

Jim Curry “The Gift You Are” words and music by John Denver

Enjoy!     This is a rough video recorded on a phone in the front row of the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, CA.  Jim Curry,  Anne Curry and Diane Ireland performing.  The words Jim forgot are:  “Think of yourself as a candle in the night.”  P.S.  I was going to put a video of John Denver singing his song, but he forgot the words too!!  You can look that up on YouTube.

Jim and Matthew routing wood for the custom cabinets

Resting and relaxing is simply NOT on the agenda.

We are usually working on some kind of home improvement project – or watching someone doing home improvement on television.  Jim loves to fix things, and he’s good at it.  Our very old house keeps him busy most of the time, and there is a kitchen renovation in the very near future (as soon as the electrical is upgraded……)

But in the meantime, our oldest son Brian has rented a storefront in which he intends to open a pet food store.  Ever since Brian was a very young boy, there has been a longstanding tradition between Brian and Jim:  Brian would dream something up, and Jim would build it for him.  Whether it was a Rocketeer costume for Halloween, or a tree house with a Pterodactyl zip line, Jim was only too happy to create whatever Brian would come up with.  So……. a simple pet food store has evolved into a “Pet Food Emporium.”  Brian said, “Envision a candy store for pets” and that’s what Jim built, a classy store, complete with custom shelves, counters and displays.

The scope of this project has had us preoccupied for a month now, but the store is just about ready to open.  I’ve really enjoyed watching Jim teach Brian and Matthew the many and varied skills required to make it all happen.  They’ve demolished walls, put up new walls, sawed, hammered, routered and painted.  They’ve worked on plumbing, flooring, drywall, ventilation, electrical and signage.

I can only post a couple of pictures here, but if you want to see more pictures, Brian has posted them on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PetFoodEmporium?fref=ts

Now, back to my kitchen boys!….……………

The All-Star cast in Aspen, Colorado 2012

It was Glorious and Bittersweet.

The 15^th (and final) Annual Musical Tribute to John Denver at the Wheeler Opera House, came to the end the weekend of October 13, 2012.  After 15 years, the memories are still warm.

From left, Chris Nole(played keyboards for John Denver) Bill Danoff (wrote “Country Roads”  and numerous others) Alan Deremo (played Bass for John Denver) Jim Curry, Gary Muledeer (opened for John in many concerts) Jim Salestrom (performed with JD) Richie Gajate Garcia (percussionist for JD) Mollie Weaver (performed with JD) Mack Bailey (performed with JD) Jim Horn (flute, sax player for JD) and Pete Huttlinger (guitar, banjo and mando player for JD).  Not shown: Kenn Roberts (performed with JD) Denny Brooks (backup singer for JD).

This amazing show has been brought to the Wheeler every October near the anniversary of John’s plane crash. The first producer was Kenn Roberts, then Karmen Dopslaff/Erin Huttlinger, then Mark Johnson/Erin Huttlinger.  It is a HUGE job to put on a show like this, and we give our heartfelt thanks to the producers, and the many people behind the scenes who worked tirelessly to bring this show to the Wheeler, year after year.  It has been an unbelievable honor for Jim to be invited onto this stage for the past 3 years, in the midst of such talent.

Many tears were shed during these final concerts.  Tears of laughter (thanks to Gary) and tears of sadness.  Over the past 15 years, many great memories have been made, and just as many terrific friends.  The friendships will go on, and the memories remain…I am so grateful for both.  Thanks everyone!

It’s Harvest Time!

Bring in the Harvest!

We’ve spent the better part of September driving through the Midwest on our fall tour.  For a city girl like me, the rural panorama is never boring.  Every barn, every tractor, every piece of machinery and secluded farmhouse has story and a purpose, and I am so intrigued by everything I see.

By now, the approaching fall season is unmistakable.  The smell of wood –burning fireplaces hangs in the evening air and the roadside vegetable stands are displaying colorful mums and seasonal pumpkins. Barns and homesteads are freshly painted to withstand the winter weather.  The trees are turning every shade of red, yellow and orange and every little town along our way is hosting a harvest festival of some sort.    Huge rolls of hay are sitting around waiting to be put into barns for the winter, and in spite of the drought, there are miles and miles of cornfields and soy ready to reap.  It’s harvest time for sure.

I remember a sermon in church many years ago.  Our pastor was from a farming town in Iowa, but I only remember him preaching about farming just this one time.  He said that farmers have more faith than anyone, because every year they take millions of dollars and put it into a hole in the ground.

His sermon made me think.  We are not all farmers, but all of us plant seeds with our words and with our actions.   Love or hate, hope, or despair (etc.)  and we’ve all been taught from an early age we will reap what we sow.  Even the thoughts in our heads are seeds that will grow; so be mindful to fill your head with the “good seeds” of kindness and goodness, then have faith that your harvest will be a bountiful reward of what you have planted.

“Plant your hope with good seeds; don’t cover yourself with thistles and weeds.” –Mumford and sons

Jim and I have been performing our show for Holland America Cruise lines for more than 10 years now.  I guess you could call it working.  Technically, we are “on the job” but it’s just so much fun it’s hard to remember we are working.  The first time we set foot on a cruise ship was our first contract –  and we didn’t know a thing about cruising, but we were determined to do a good job and make the company proud.  I think we managed to accomplish both.

Since then we have traveled all over the world with Holland America.  This picture is from our most recent cruise where we visited Amsterdam, England, Ireland and Iceland.  I’m standing in front of Stonehenge; a place I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d have the chance to visit – but there I am.  I am NOT talking on the phone!  I am listening to the recorded history of this ancient site.

We don’t get to work on cruise ships much these days; the demand on land has kept us away from the sea.   We go as often as we can and in the future hope to go more.  We are forever grateful for the opportunity to share John Denver’s music to the many fine folks from all over the world we’ve met while cruising.  Holland America Cruise Line is the very best of the best, and we appreciate every minute we spend on their elegant ships.

Photo by Valerie Nestrick

A Water Bottle Debacle

So, you might have gone to see our concert at Red Rocks, in Morrison, Colorado last month.   Perhaps you were thirsty and you made the climb up (or down) to the concession booth to get a nice bottle of water.  The concession person takes the lid off the bottle and hands the bottle to you, without the lid.   “Uh…..why can’t I have the lid?”  You might have asked.  You were probably told that “The band” doesn’t want anyone to have their water bottle lids because you might throw the lids at them.

We heard about this later from a friend in the Red Rocks audience it made me laugh.  Then, it made me think.  “The band” didn’t tell the concessionaires to take the lids off the water bottles.  “The band” didn’t have any idea that people might “shoot” the lids at them (when we investigated, we learned that there is a particular way to flick the lids that make them sail out onto the stage – it’s a skill – you can Google it).

Our audience is grown-up;  they don’t throw things at us. They don’t storm the gates, climb fences or beat each other up in a mosh pit.  (A good majority of our audience doesn’t even know what a mosh pit is – you can Google that too).  If the concession person had bothered to consult “The band” about water bottle caps, we would have laughed at them, and told them to hand over the caps.

We are thankful for our civilized audience.  They are helpful and polite, not likely to become a security risk.

Take a close look at the picture above; it’s from a show in Arrowhead, CA.  Take note of the beefy security guard on the left.  There were two of them placed right in front of the stage.  I remember looking down at them during the show and wondering if they normally had trouble in this quiet mountain town.  Then, suddenly from out of nowhere, a toddler wandered out in front of the stage on wobbly legs….…. were the security guards prepared to “take him out” if he came too close?  Thankfully, the youngster teetered and turned, then headed back the other direction to his mommy…tragedy averted!   And, as you can see, the brave folks of Arrowhead even dared to dance in front of the stage, not realizing that both of the guards were standing by, coiled and ready to strike!

Well….. as usual, nothing happened (except everyone had a good time).  John Denver music inspires the best in all of us.