Yearly Archives: 2017
TWO WAYS TO APPROACH FAME (WILLIE NELSON VERSUS BOB DYLAN)
May 12, 2017
OK, that was a trap, now wasn’t it? No one should ever write the words Willie Nelson VERSUS Bob Dylan. 🙂 For musicianship, I would go with Willie just for his Django Reinhart riffs alone (which I am trying to steal to this day), but as a writer, it’s impossible to compare this caliber of artists. The lyrics for … Read More
HORSES DON’T GIVE RECORD DEALS! (FORT COLLINS TO LOS ANGELES)
May 5, 2017
From 2003 to 2007 I lived in the gorgeous and peaceful Colorado town of Fort Collins, Colorado, aka the front range. Brutal winters but every other season was perfect. Hiking and biking trails, good food, and a perfect little tree-lined downtown that reminded me of our school days in Lawrence, Kansas (rock chalk, baby). I had a gray little … Read More
“DON’T DIE IN A SCHLOTZSKY’S BATHROOM” (AUSTIN, TEXAS)
April 30, 2017
So I’m at SXSW a few years back. I flew down to speak on a panel, so sadly the band was not with me. I’m staying north of town with our former tour manager Tony Hubbard (Ohio Tony), one of the smartest and funniest mofos you will meet in your life. If you remember the band’s DVD Little America, … Read More
WHY IN THE WORLD IS A ROCK BAND TALKING ABOUT FINANCIAL LITERACY?
April 25, 2017
Hello folks! Heading out on the I-40E today from Nashville to play a couple of month’s worth of shows around the Midwest and discuss financial equality. The coffee is hot, the skies are gray and beautiful, and the band is rehearsed and ready for battle. Here are the four questions I am most often asked about why we are traveling … Read More
MEETING CHUCK BERRY
April 13, 2017
RIP Chuck Berry. The Grandfather of Rock ’n’ Roll. Chuck gave us guitar slingers as much of a path forward as anyone. Keith Richards stole all his early riffs from Chuck, as did about 100,000 more of us. I remember working round the clock to learn the intro riff of “Johnny B Goode” for one of my first bands … Read More
THREE SONGS THAT WILL HELP YOU AVOID WHITE LINE FEVER
February 10, 2017
Any road dogs, big truckers, or folks with long commutes know this feeling well…You shift in your seat as your eyes start to glaze over. You pound coffee, roll the windows down for cold air, or scream song lyrics at the top of your lungs, hoping some magic force will keep you awake. I realize we shouldn’t drive when we … Read More
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
February 3, 2017
A few years ago we played the Chinook Tavern in Denver, Colorado. Out of nowhere, rain clouds gathered that even us Kansas boys were nervous about. Hoping the tents above us would hold, we pressed on, and without warning, a solid sheet of water fell upon us and started pummeling all of the gear we had set up. We attempted … Read More