Friday, July 15, 2011

Mmmm Burritos

      My most favorite thing about California is the Mexican food. Not only is the food cheap but so fresh and flavorful. For the whole Cali run I was on a 2 burrito/day diet. Meal-in-a-sack, what a great invention!  
     After rubbing elbows with rich and elite, We headed over to Santa Cruz then down the coast making stops thru Half Moon Bay, San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach. These shows were a string of promo gigs for Coors Light. One of Donavon and the band's corporate sponsors. All these took place in small venues catered to clients and associates of the brand. Most of these hits were full of drunken bar goers and loud networkers. We did leave these shows with some new fans. The rule of thumb for free shows goes as follows, If you don't pay you don't appreciate. Not always true, but these shows seem this way. Through the obnoxiously loud crowd, we managed to muscle though these shows. My mortgage does thank Miller Coors for the work. 
Diamond Donny on failed trumpet
     Our next proper show was at the Bircher Aquarium in San Diego. What a great place! The actual show took place over the man made outdoor reef behind the aquarium. I could look over the stage and see starfish and sea cucumbers everywhere. As I gazed over my right shoulder I had a beautiful view of some great surf peeling away from the La Jolla pier. The show was sold out and we even had a random high-heeled reef dancing girl. The security guard came to remove Miss Dancing Shoes from the rocky reef before she went down into sea cucumber hizzy but she was playing hard to get. That was very entertaining. Here are a few pictures from the gig.
under the sea or stage in this case






Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Going back to Cali

Hello all, Once again the DF summer tour has begun. After a very short trip to Brazil and short stay back at the hizzy in good old Jacksonville, we headed out to California for a three week tour down the coast finishing up with a 72 hour trip to Lisbon, Portugal to play a festival. 
     Our first stop took us to the town of Petaluma. I love this little town. Petaluma reflects the good aspects of small town living with the benefits of being in close proximity of a major city. The town is full of Hippie cowboys. Just grab your boots and hat throw on that tie dye and head down to the five and dime/coffee shop. We spent a couple of days at the Best Western Petaluma and enjoyed the not so fresh continental breakfast. At least it was the right price. The show was at The Mystic Theater in downtown Petaluma. The Mystic has a great vibe and a friendly staff. 
    The following day, we packed into the Sprinter and drove up to McCloud for a private party for members of the William Hearst legacy. The party was poolside at the Wyntoon Mansion which happens to be nestled deep down in the forest of McCloud. This place is off limits to the general public and can only be accessed by a two path road guarded by big black bears and mosquitos. This Castle was left by Willie to be used exclusively for direct descendants of his blood line. The main house is something out of a mid-evil story book. Each room is filled with furnishings, artwork and personal items of William and his children. The property has a fast flowing spring-fed river flowing around the house. There are giant trees securing any ariel paparazzi from stealing some photos. The party was fun and turned into an in the pool party for most of the guest. The best part was Pete's rendition of "Baby's got Back" which was topped off by Donny's perfect 10 one and half off the diving board in his manties. 

     The late night party finished up at smaller mansions down the road in the actual town of McCloud that was also owned by Hearst. We arrived at the house late so we could not see the layout of our accommodations but when I awoke at 5:30 am for lobby call and made to order breakfast, I could not believe my eyes. It was as if I clicked my heels and appeared in 16 century Europe. That is when I realized this is how the other half lives. Once again our schedule never allows for much down time and the rule of thumb is if the gig is at an amazing spot, there is no time to enjoy. I do feel blessed to have the opportunity to visit this beautiful place that otherwise would be completely out of reach. Now on to another place....