It's Almost HERE!!!

Can you believe how long it's been since I posted an entry here? Me either... I know, I know, I'm lazy. The good news, though, is that the new CD is ALMOST here! We've been having just a little bit of trouble getting the artwork right but now all that should be done and we're ready to go. It seems like every time I give someone an idea for what the release date will be something comes up and we have to move it further back. For that reason, I'm not going to post a date here- yet. Soon though.

We're also excited about getting back out on the road playing in front of people! The next two months look really great, with stops all over the place. Austin, South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, West-By-God-Virginia, Maryland... Should be a good time for us! Hope to see a lot of folks out there.

Today is New Years Eve. Tomorrow will be the first day of 2006. That sounds so futuristic to me- 2006. Just say it out loud a few times. Two thousand and six. Two double-ought six. Oh six. However you say it it sounds to me like it should be a long damn time from now- but it isn't! I do feel like this is going to be a good year, though. I hope the rest of you are as excited about it as I am. I also hope happiness and health follow all of you wherever you go- what else could you need, right?

Happy New Year!

Doug

The Ups, the Downs.....the Ups

I thought I'd post a little story about two of our recent gigs and how they went. The first one was a Wednesday night show at the Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville. We'd been excited about this one for a while- we were opening for Pete Anderson and Moot Davis. Pete's just a guitar god, a real hero of mine.

Two days before the show, I get this little stye on my left eye. The day of the show, it's more than a little stye. It's huge. If it were any bigger it would need it's own Social Security Number. Any of you that know me know how much I love going to the doctor, but Telisha called and made an appointment so I went, got some drugs, the whole nine yards. I get home from the pharmacy just in time to pack up the car and head to Charlottesville.

We get there and no Moot and Pete. We wait and wait- me wearing sunglasses (not because of my rock-star persona, mind you, but to try and keep from scaring small children with my new growth...). Finally the folks at the Gravity get a call from Moot- he's about an hour away. This will put him in Charlottesville in time for a 15 minute load in and 15 minute sound check before our show is supposed to start. Great. There goes my little elbow rubbin'/ass kissin' session with Pete before we start playing.

Of course, the show must go on, so T and Joe (one of the Gravity Lounge sound guys- super nice guy, BTW) and I decided that even though we were playing first, we'd go ahead and sound check. Everything sounded great, and we were ready to go as soon as Moot and Pete got there, loaded in, and did their quick little check.

About this time we look around and notice that a fairly decent crowd has gathered for a Wednesday night show! This is good! In spite of what a tough day it's been so far, Telisha and I are excited to hit the stage and play our little hearts out for the crowd. We head up, grab our instruments, tune up, smile at each other one time, and fire into the first song. Well, at least I did- but something just wasn't right... Something was missing... I get to the part of the song where I'm supposed to play my first solo (remember, now, PETE ANDERSON is in the crowd!)of the night and.... I play it- but there's nothing there to back me up- just these blank notes heading out into space. Telisha's Mandolin isn't putting out any signal at all! CRAP!! What? We just tuned up and it was working! We make it to the end of the song and a very forgiving crowd claps enthusiastically. Telisha and I take turns sweating and making jokes with the audience while the other one of us plugs and unplugs all kind of things. At this point we try to do a few songs that we don't use Mando for and between them return to our jokes/banter and crawling around on stage trying to get a signal out of that damn mandolin.

Eventually, about the time all the cords, patch cables, preamps and tuners look like a huge pile of spaghetti at Telisha's feet, we decide to forget it. Let's just go with what we've got and make the best of it. What this means is no solos for Doug tonight. All of our songs will sound a little more sparse than usual, but hey, like I said before, the show must go on!

So it does. We end up haveing a ball. No, it isn't the best we've ever played, but we did make a few new fans. I think everyone appreciated the jokes about T's mandolin playing skill as well. What it boils down to is that even on one of those nights where it just seems like everything that can go wrong does, it's still great. There's still nothing I love better than standing on stage beside Telisha and playing our songs together.

After the show, we got to spend a few minutes with a good friend of ours in Charlottesville talking. A few minutes turned into a few beers, and then she invited us back over to her place to spend the night so we wouldn't have to get a cheap hotel room. It's about 1 in the morning when she calls her husband and says "Honey, put some clean sheets on the bed- Doug and Telisha are going to come stay at our house tonight." So we head over to the Cottage and sit around and talk for a while with two GREAT friends, and finally hit the hay.

The next morning thier son gets up and says "I can't belive you brought the band home..." Wow, how many kids will ever get to say that in their lifetime? Anyway- to round up this long post- we have a great home-cooked omlet for breakfast and thank our friends before we head out to face another day, fortified not only by the food, but by our friendship as well.

NEXT- Bynum with Hooverville- and the conclusion of what happened to the BIG STYE!!!

Busy Busy Busy...

Ok, so I've been a slacker on the blog. I haven't posted anything since early August and here it is the end of September! I'll try to make up for it. The truth is, we have been pretty darn busy! We've played some really fun shows, and we've got some really fun things lined up in front of us as well.

This coming Wednesday night we're opening for Moot Davis and Pete Anderson at the Gravity in Charlottesville. Wow! I have to play my guitar in front of Pete Anderson! That's just a little scary, but it'll be a blast. I really like Moot's music and Pete is the perfect guy to be working with him. Telisha and I are both looking forward to meeting both of them. For those of you who don't know, Pete Anderson played with Dwight Yoakam for years, and was a big part of that signature Dwight Yoakam/Bakersfield sound.

We've also got a show on Friday we're pretty excited about. We'll be down in North Carolina (Bynum, to be exact, close to Durham) with our good buddies Hooverville. I know I go on and on about how much fun it is to play with them, but it really is. They're great guys and great musicians. They're also putting out a new record about the same time we are, and I've seen it and heard it! It's good- real good. We've been talking about trying to put together a little mini-tour with them in the Spring. I hope it works out.

That's just about all I've got right now. We're still working on all the business stuff with our new record, still working on the artwork and photography. It's coming along, though! We'll keep you updated.

Talk to you soon-
Doug

Home again...

We're home from Nashville. What a blast. The big surprise from the last post was that we got Darrell Scott to do some recording with us! To me, Darrell is just about as good as it gets- it was a real dream come true for both Telisha and me to listen in on Darrell rocking out to songs we'd written! We also got Eamon McLoughlin from the Greencards to come in and lay some killer fiddle tracks. I just can't get over how lucky we are! I've already talked about how great all the other musicians were, so I'll try not to just go on and on about it.

So now for the boring stuff- we're working on all the mastering, cover art, publicity and all that kind of stuff. We're still not sure of the release date, but it seems to be stretching further and further. I just can't wait to get it out there and let everyone listen to it! For now, though, it looks like it'll be early Winter.

I guess that's all for now. Y'all be good-

Doug

Good News!!

Man, we got some good news today. Unfortunately, I can't post exactly what it is, but I thought I'd at least post that things are going well! So, even though you don't know what it is, just give us a little fist pump in the air accompanied by a good loud "Hell yeah, baby!!" If you're at work, substitute that with a quiet "yessssss....." You know what I mean.

Ok- That's it for now- Over and out. As soon as I can post what it is, I will. Probably in about 2 weeks or so.

Doug

Week One FINISHED!!

What a great week! Telisha and I just got back to Martinsville after an amazing week in Nashville. I can't believe how GREAT the people we're working with are- we are soooo lucky. Things are sounding good and coming together fairly quickly. We recorded everything we've done so far live with me, Telisha and Kenny Malone. Several of the 'keepers' are first takes, and one is even the practice track where Telisha and I were just trying to teach the song to Kenny for the first time! Miles just happened to record it, and when we listened to it, we decided that it was the one to keep. Pretty amazing. Miles and Kenny are both a blast to work with- Kenny is a walking metronome and he's always tapping on something. For instance, here's a Kenny Malone quote- "Hey Miles, this is a great sounding stool, man!" We've also had the opportunity to spend some time with Dennis Crouch. What a KILLER bass player. Incredibly nice and humble guy as well- actually Kenny, Miles, and Dennis all are incredibly humble, especially considering all the greats they've worked with. We're talking Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Don Williams, Crystal Gayle, Darrell Scott, Tim O'Brien, Steve Earle.... the list just goes on and on. And now US? Like I said- we're lucky.

More soon!

Doug

Independence Day!!!

Well, all the bags are packed and we're getting ready to head out. We've got fresh strings on all our guitars and mandolins. Telisha and I think it's pretty cool that it just happens to be the 4th of July. We're pretty damn excited. Nashville- only 9 hours away! We start recording tomorrow afternoon at about 1:00 Nashville time. This week we'll be laying most of the basic tracks with me, Telisha, Kenny Malone (WOW!) and on Thursday, Dennis Crouch (Wow again!). We are truly lucky.

Other than that there really isn't a lot to say today- I promise when we get there, get our bearings, and get a few sessions finished I'll post some more. Assuming I can get to a computer. Ya'll take care- wish us luck.

Doug

I've been thinking...

Most people reading this (yes, both of you...) already know that Telisha and I quit our day jobs to pursue careers as musicians. I guess doing something like that puts one in a contemplative mood. It kinda makes you think about what all "this" is about, anyway. What really is important? It's amazing to me, now that I stop and think about it, how much time we all spend at work and how high it is on our priority list, yet how unimportant what most (no, not all) of us do on a daily basis really is. We're busy little bees. Worker ants. Sheep. Cattle. Moo.

Obviously deep down we know there's something else we're living for. I mean how many songs are there about computer networks? Or great poems about how nice the formatting on that financial report is? Or paintings of Dale, highlighting how efficiently he runs the ripsaw down in the plant? Not many. Sure, there's art about people at work, but it usually emphasizes the human aspect of it, not what a great employee or great worker someone is. If it didn't, though, would it be your favorite song? Quick thought experiment- What IS your favorite song? Why? Is it a hard driving rocker that gets your adrenalin pumping? A love song that reminds you of someone? A classical piece that just lets you drift off and get completely immersed in the rich, full sound of the symphony? Maybe it's a country heart-breaker. I'm sure some smart-ass will say their favorite song is "16 tons" or "John Henry was a Steen-drivin' Man," but really- your favorite? And aren't those really about the state of the human spirit more than anything else? I digress. The reason that song is your favorite song is because it means something personal to you- something from outside the day to day drudgery most likely. Unless the song you picked was by Toby Keith or Britney Spears, in which case it just means you're an idiot.

I'm not really sure what I'm driving at here, but I think this is it- Every now and then maybe it's a good idea to check your priorities. I don't think we all need to quit our jobs and head out to do something else, just think about what's really important to you. What do you want people to say at your funeral? "Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, we're gathered here today to pay our final respects to Doug. Boy, he sure could fix a computer." No thanks. If anyone MENTIONS computers at my funeral, I swear I will HAUNT you. And forget Casper, I'm talkin' Poltergeist style.

There are a lot of people I look up to. Some because of the personal sacrifices they've made in their lives to make life better for others (Thanks Mom and Dad). Some because of the things they do outside of their 'day jobs.' People who help out with charities, all kinds of things. Some because they made the choice to go for it- whatever "it"is, and whether they "made it" or not. Keep in mind, all of those things are hard work- I'm not saying we shouldn't work hard at what we do.

One more thing and I'll bring this ramble to a close. I'm going to do my best to constructively butcher a little parable I heard a long time ago- I hope I can do it some justice. I tried to google it to make sure I had it right, but couldn't find it, so this is my best attempt. I think it might be Marx, but can't remember for sure.

There's this fella who passes this other fella on the way to work. The other fella is just sitting on the riverbank, all laid back with his fishing pole. Disgusted by the lazy bum, our hero heads on in to the office- or wherever he works. That evening he passes by the same guy on the way home, who just smiles and waves as the good worker passes by. Day after day this happens and every day our protagonist gets more and more disgusted. Eventually he's had enough, so he says to the guy, "Hey- you know, I pass by here every day. All I've ever seen you do is sit there fishing. What are you doing with your life? Just wasting it away on the river bank! You're a disgrace!"

The fisherman sits there for a minute thinking. In reply he says, "Well, you know, I like to fish. I get plenty of food for my family. I'll never be rich, I guess, but we're happy. By the way, what are you in such a rush to get to every morning when you pass by here?"

Immediately, without even thinking, the worker snaps back, "I go to work every day! I work hard and I provide for my family. The poeple who work for me depend on me! I save my money so that when I'm old I can retire and sit on the river bank and fish!"

Anyway, make of if what you will. I'm going fishing. (actually, I don't really like to fish- but you get the idea...)

Hot Diggity Dog!

Those were the BEST Hot dogs I've ever had in my life! Keep on cookin'!

Welcome!

Welcome to the No Evil Blog! Telisha and I will try to keep everyone up to date with what's going on. As most of you probably know, we're getting ready to head off on a big adventure. This your spot to read all about it and let us know what you think! Look for more to come soon.

doug