So, back safely from another great Music Cruise with Cross Canadian Ragweed, Stoney Larue, and Wade Bowen. Had a great time, as always. Thought I would share with you a little video I cut together – the RK boys (minus me and Shifty), and George Devore donned sailor outfits to surprise Ragweed (and the crowd) onstage during their set. I followed close behind, armed with my trusty iPhone camera in one hand, and a cocktail in the other.
This is Biggen:
For a couple weeks in 2008, we had the pleasure of getting to know him. He was one of the most genuine, unfiltered people I’ve ever met.
It was a unique time for the band – our friend Adam Odor was out subbing on bass in Jimmy’s absence, and in the middle of a month long tour, our tour manager Brad Cinalli had to leave. So in an effort to help us finish the east coast tour we were in the middle of, our management sent out BIGGEN. Todd Brewer. We didn’t know what to make of him at first, except to note that he was a strange addition in the middle of a strange tour. He lived up to his name – he had a belly laugh bigger than Texas (he’d say Tennessee, probably), and it was infectious. He would laugh so hard that you couldn’t help it – whatever had tickled him was about to tickle you. He had done many things – from Professional Wrestler to Tour Manager to the Nashville stars, he had done it all, and had a story about each and every day. We may not have even known it at the time, but he helped us through a tough time just by being there and by being himself.
Biggen had survived a bout with cancer – had part of his lower intestine removed and had been through chemo. I only knew him post-cancer, so I can’t say for sure, but I believe he was probably always the Biggen we lived with for two weeks. He had an enjoyment of his life and love for the people around him, even the the ones he had just met (read: US), and he made you feel it. This may have come from being faced with death and being given some more time to work with, but like I said, I bet he was like this from day one. It doesn’t matter anyway, because he made the most of the time he had left. We got to be part of that. It’s something to aspire to.
You hear this a lot if you’re a music fan probably, but I spend more time with my traveling brothers – the band, the crew, and our driver – than I do with my own family. So it’s not surprising that even after only two weeks on the road, Biggen and I stayed in touch. When it was time for him to catch his flight home at the end of the tour, he got choked up. He told us he loved us. Not exactly your everyday occurrence in band-life…
We texted, emailed – you know how it goes. And one day he told me the cancer was back, and back with a vengeance. He didn’t have much time, and what did he want to do for his last hurrah? He was going to load up all his family and some of his Nashville music friends and take one last bus ride around the country! I’m not sure if he ever got to do this – the next time I talked to him, he thought he felt well enough to have a friend bring him to our Nashville show at the Exit/In. We never saw him that night, and I guess I’ll always regret not going to find him that day. It’s just that I thought he was really coming to the show. It’s hard to imagine Biggen staying away at showtime.
I know he didn’t like being in a bed, doped up on morphine for the pain – so I’m glad he’s free now. We lost Biggen yesterday. Rest In Peace, buddy – you were well loved and you will be missed.
Here’s another photo of him – both of the photos I’m posting here, he asked me to take so he could send them to his girlfriend back home so she’d know he was ok. I guess that tells you just about all you need to know. 
DA
Ok, this is the last time I’m gonna invite ya….To our Celebrity Softball Jam tomorrow (April 19) at The Dell Diamond. Check out this video, and try not to cry. Then, as you’re wiping away the tear from your cheek (you’re not as tough as you act), and claiming things like “I just have something in both my eyes”, go grab some tickets or visit The CSJ Page for more info, or just get the kids all sunscreened up and send ‘em to bed that way so they’ll be ready to go in the morning.
See ya there, tough guy. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.
-DA
The man, the myth, the legend.
I know a lot of you have been wondering about our bass player situation post-Jimmy. What I can tell you right now is that our original bass player has been back out with us for a while and it’s going great.
You’re asking, “But DA – don’t you have a bunch of hotshot bass player buddies in Austin you would have loved to play with? Wouldn’t you want to move forward instead of back?” And the answer would be yes – I had lots of thoughts like that. And then I was told Shifty was coming out with us. And we played a HALF of ONE song in soundcheck, and it was pretty clear to me right away that sometimes there’s an intangible something about the way certain people make music together, that can’t be defined exactly. But I’d like to think I know it when I hear/feel it. See, I’m the rhythm section’s biggest fan up there. I know, I know, you love you some bass and drums groovin’ together, and YOU’RE their biggest fan. Well step aside. And stop asking why I’m turned around toward the drum kit instead of shooting you a giant grin. I’m focusing on what these guys are doing, and trying my best to complement it and help steer the ship.
So the way I figure it, Jazz and Shifty kind of came up in the music world playing together, and they developed their intangible sense of groove, pocket, etc., together. As my buddy Joshua would say, it’s UNFUCKWITHABLE. I came along later, and for the first two of my nine years with this band were spent playing with the lineup just as it is right now. When Jimmy came along, it was immediately comfortable for me, as Jimmy Jam and I go way back, having played with lots of different people together over the years, in lots of different musical settings. I like to think the band developed through some of it’s best years during that period of time, and I do miss Jimmy’s playing a lot. Hear that, Jam? But back to the original point, it has been cool to feel the band slip back into that certain pocket that only Jazz and Shifty can create, especially on older material (Back Around, from Millican was the tune we played in that first soundcheck, for example).
Who knows where all this will lead us? I never know, but it has been fun having Chris “Shifty” Schelske back. He’s 7 years sober, he’s a sweetheart of a guy, he writes some killer songs, and sings great. And he likes this weightlifter protein shake powdery stuff that I haven’t quite gotten used to yet. I shot the above picture of him outside Slim’s in San Francisco, and I love it because it should tell you all you need to know about him.
Welcome back, pal.
Greetings from 20,000 feet! This post is coming to you from one of Southwest’s first four wifi-enabled planes. I’m on my way to Phoenix to start a 2 week West Coast run, and I’m pretty excited about this new development. So far it works really well, even as the whole plane was logging on, as soon as they said we could! I hope this trend continues – it would be great to be able to count on connectivity on all or most of the flights we take. I’m sure that’s not too far off…
Yeah, I know what some of you old-schoolers are saying – “I don’t want to be that connected – I like my time on the plane when nobody can reach me”. Well, aren’t you just a stick in the mud. You probably don’t like puppies either. Furry, lovable little puppies.
Anyway, if you know me at all, you know I am loving this. I’ll see ya in Phoenix! -DA
Addendum to earlier post: I had to log on 5 separate times…..other than that the service worked great, but this was a hassle. I’ll be filling out their survey when they send it. Just like you knew I would. -DA
Ok ok, let’s don’t make a big deal about it. Most people only blog once every few months, right? Anyway, I’m back, and of course I intend to post like crazy but you know how these things go.
Just returned to the bus after an unprecedented 3 WEEK vacation. It was awesome, and I’m pretty sure my musical batteries are recharged and ready for the summer tour schedule. Saw lots of family, the bride and I had our first house full at the new place, and spent some time at my father in law’s Paradox Ranch near Amarillo for some heavy R & R.
Aside from getting chased out of there by a gathering BLIZZARD, it was great. Barely made the first RK show in Houston due to said blizzard. That was a bit stressful, but then something had to jar me out of that vacation dreamland I was living in.
Hope to see y’all out there somewhere soon – thanks for reading and bearing with my sporadic output.
Oh yeah, one more thing. I’m gonna try to re-open comments around here, now that I’m spam-proofed a bit better than before. We’ll see how it goes. Keep your online Viagra and gambling businesses to yourselves!
DA
These are Rhode Island Stuffies:
Though I spent 4 years of my life on the East Coast, I have never had these stuffed clams. They….are….AWESOME. Bloggable, as it turns out.
I’ve been waiting a long time to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in concert. A long time. So this afternoon my bride and I drove down to The Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Selma, TX, sat on the tailgate and had a beer together like the old days, and then went in and heard one of the best and most inspiring shows I’ve seen in a long time. What a great band – a real band in the truest sense of the word.
Dave’s highlights:
Mike Campbell’s extended solo on Saving Grace. 335 fuzztone creamy goodness.
The acoustic version of Learning To Fly, with the crowd singing the last few choruses. Beautiful.
Petty/Campbell with dueling Gibson Explorers. Bastards.
Honey Bee. One of my favorite riffs of all time, so I was gonna love it no matter what. This version wasn’t as out of control as I might have liked, but after you see Dave Grohl behind the drum kit playing it, everything else seems tame. This was my “write-it-on-a-napkin-and-hand it to the band” song, and I was so glad they did it. My favorite thing about this performance was the look on Scott Thurston’s face as he rocked that riff. Yeah, I had binoculars. So what?
TP&HB Rules.
Thanks for reading -
DA
Well, it took a few days without a decent latte to make it to the best one. I know, the tour is far from over, but it’s hard to imagine my morning latte at Stumptown in Portland getting beaten any time soon.
Really, this is the way they are supposed to be. If you make it to Portland, do yourself a favor and check them out. Also check out their website – it has great info for the coffee geek and is really well designed. Big thanks to my friend Kristie for driving me over there after I stumbled out of the hotel, and getting me back on time for bus call (almost).
Honorable mention goes to Grendels, right across from the Doug Fir where we played, but the kids over at Stumptown are really geeky about their coffee, and it shows. Of course these things are a matter of taste, but theirs has everything I’m looking for, for sure.
It’s not all about coffee, of course – had a good show at The Doug Fir. Great crowd, thanks to everybody for coming out. Portland is always one of our favorite stops.
Just beginning a tour out west – This is the first in my series of notable lattes. As I tour cool coffeeshops in each town, whenever somebody makes me a latte worth mentioning, I’ll show it to you. Fascinating stuff to be sure, with apologies to you non-coffee geeks out there. Of course the Mecca of this trip will be Portland, where I’ve never gotten a bad latte as long as I’ve been going there. Can’t wait!
My first great latte of the tour – day one, Starry Night coffee shop, Ft Collins, CO. Barista even stopped by to ask me how it was after I tried it – nice!
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