Shinybass journal 12/08/18

Well…where the heck have you been? 

That is the $10 question. I have been just a little busy lately. Too busy to post? Well, let’s say I’ve been focused. And that means I haven’t posted because of focus on life, family, and the great unknown. We’ve been darn near everywhere in the past couple of months, and the road of good intentions gets the most traffic and the least amount of followthrough.

The road is a bittersweet experience for me. I love the thought of playing bass in far-off lands, and hearing great tones through  thunderous PA. That’s the ego talking. Then there is my family: the two nuggets and my (very) understanding wife that lets (yes, lets) me go on the road. The superego then kicks in and says ‘OK, you can do these things, however, if you do, you must make the most of this time, and bring back presents for everyone.’ 

I used to buy magnets and coffee mugs in my early travels, thinking ‘Well, I don’t know if I’ll be back…’, and here we are, over 2 decades later. I stopped buying those things years ago. I’d have a whole tourist shop in my house. I have enough stuff. I actually bought a new shirt every time I played the Grand Old Opry. That stopped after the 4th time, too. If I continued that trend, I’d need a much bigger closet. 

So what exactly have I been doing? Well, being Daddy, husband, bass player, producer, freelance writer, videographer, amateur (VERY amateur) home repair tech, dog washer, day care specialist, housekeeper, chef, and nanny. I think that’s everything. Oh yeah, and I do a few shows in between. And did I mention I partially tore my rotator cuff? Ahh yes. 

Since it’s been a few since we’ve talked, I’ll get you ramped up in a couple entries. Last we met, I believe we were on the East Coast. The next week was a West Coast bump. Flying out to the west coast means that we get a little time to see some things, and since we have an SUV and van instead of a bus, then life gets a lot easier for my wanderlust. 

I was able to get up early with our FOH engineer Kenny Thurman and get to the Fender Factory for a little early morning swooning. I wasn’t allowed to get a lot of pictures because of the sensitivity of the new products, however, it was a wonderfully enlightening trip. 

The beauty of California never ceases to amaze me. We can go from desert to lush forest to ocean to mountains, and usually in the same day. We had an intimate show up in Big Bear, a really pretty resort town nestled in the mountains outside of Los Angeles. You know what’s great about Big Bear? Well, just about everything. You know what is not? Having to leave Big Bear at 3AM to catch an early flight home. Ugh. Why did they build Nashville so far from Los Angeles? 

So you leave the glamour of touring and finally get to take a vacation. As in no tour buses (OK, we took a tour around the city of Barcelona), no guitars (well, I did have to play guitar for a wedding), and definitely no hotel problems (I might have flooded the Air BnB shower), and we certainly won’t meet up with other musicians (OK, I ran into Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones in front of his hotel and we chatted for a few moments…)Fine. No kids. There. I found something. My beautiful wife and I went to Barcelona and Gerona, Spain with no children. And it was glorious. If you have the chance to get to Gerona, do it. You won’t be disappointed. 

If there is enough interest (feel free to leave a comment), then I will do a full journal entry on our trip to Barcelona, in case any of you are thinking of going. In the meantime, I’ll get you even more up to speed in the entries to come. 

I’ve missed corresponding with you all. I have had quite a few unexpected people ask me about my blog, and so as long as you ask, I’ll keep writing. And as the winter months hit and touring slows to a crawl, I’ll take questions and topics to touch on as well. Let me know how the marble in my head can be of service. 

It’s good to be back. Enjoy the ride.

I’ll see you on the road.