You hear a lot about culture shock, but the band adjusted quickly as most of us woke up due to the heat in Memphis. Our RV Bertha has a climate of extremes. Heat rises up and into the loft and in the south, a nap in our transport is quite toasty. We parked next to the fragrant smokers owned by the local BBQ and walked into a store that let us know with decor and demeanor that we are in fact, no longer in Kansas, or Missouri or Illinois, for that matter.
Last night's gig, the first of tour, was near the modern looking campus of Southern Illinois University, but waking up just a few hours south in Memphis for BBQ was like stepping into a different world with richer food and way more sugar in the iced tea. Frogs thrive in the south, have a history in Tennessee and generally can't wait to marinate for two weeks in New Orleans for Jazzfest this year. More on New Orleans in a second. First, let's take a peek inside Bertha and at how, and who with, we will roll down the highways of this great country.
Bertha is a 1987 Mallard (Ford) Sprinter RV. She has lots of character, but unlike lots of big ladies her age, she runs strong at 60 mph down any reasonably paved interstate. Parking her is a bitch. The trailer doesn't help and behind the girth of the RV, looks like a flapping flag at the beach on a windy day while cruising down the highway. Inside, Bertha has a decidedly retro-vintage feel, with none of the vintage smell. She is well endowed with windows, two on the top and at least ten on the sides. Amenities aren't lacking either. Bertha has a gas-stove, furnace for central heat, a sleeping loft, a kitchen table that turns into a bed, a futon, a microwave, refrigerator, freezer, sink, toilet and shower. Most of our college dorm rooms weren't this nice.
The personnel inside are top notch, too. We have two new faces since last tour, Dax the Drummer and Double A the Driver. I know that's a lot of D to take in, but we'll include some pictures and links so we can get to know these two. Dax has been doing a great job learning dozens of Frogs Gone Fishin' originals, not to mention fifty covers or so, only one or two of which we'll play at a given show. He's a general rock star, with style to go with the chops. Double A is currently in the driver's seat, ballin' it down the highway for the next gig.
As a group we anticipate our arrival in New Orleans the whole time we are routing ourselves there with other gigs. We enjoy each stop and make sure every fan has a great time, but New Orleans is inevitably the main event for us. Dax and Double A have never been. We aren't sure our stage tech will absorb much more than Abita beer as pertaining to his job, but Dax will benefit greatly from his first time in the most richly rhythmic city in America. New Orlean's connection to the primal roots of music on Earth is a direct one. But this connection isn't without celebrity. The HBO hit-series Treme has brought to light the amazing musicians, many of them our friends, that dwell in literal and figurative darkness during their normal gigging lives.
While in NOLA (New Orleans LouisiAna), Frogs will play gigs at the Balcony Music Club and Banks Street Bar, in addition to a number of house parties. We'll post-up outside the JazzFest fairgrounds at a house where they sell the most delicious mojitos for five bucks. We play for the masses who are still energized from the music festival they are walking out of, ready to dance, quite literally, in the streets. You can find a video of last year's house party here.
New Orleans makes us better as musicians and we'll update you on how with pictures and videos, right here on the the blog. A large part of being a musician in New Orleans is being there in person, petitioning gigs and promoting on the street. Until then, please vote for us in a competition we are honored to be nominated for, Best Jam/Improv Band in Denver by Westword Magazine.
We've worked hard over the last year and it's great to be recognized by one of Denver's seminal publications.
Party hardy and look out for pics and vids from New Orleans in coming days! Happy Spring!
http://www.frogsgonefishin.com
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