Shinybass journal entry 01/17/19

So this is (was) Christmas….

OK, I guess the holidays are officially over. Well, for most of us. There are three holdouts in my neighborhood, and they are not letting the Christmas spirit leave their bushes. My little brother wanted to keep the lights and tree up until his birthday (March 13!). I think the longest we made it was the third week of January. Henry asked if we could keep the lights up until his birthday. September is a long way out, but I can almost guarantee someone will still have the yuletide spirit (or downright lazy spirit) going then.

SPEAKING of Christmas (I am so good at that segue business…) we (Phil Vassar and company) did a Christmas tour across the land celebrating the season. I know it’s way past due to write about Christmas, and in the day of here and now, we tend to lose sight of ‘remembering’, or maybe we’re just excited about the here and now because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. Either way, I’ll try and give you some highlights.

The tour was a combo tour with Phil and Lonestar, who have sold a few million records and had a nice string of hits in the day. They are consummate pros and make the touring thing very easy. My days were spent hanging out A LOT, which meant that I could get out and enjoy some sights, as I like to do, as well as catch up with friends and family as time and distance permitted.

We combined bands to make a ‘super group’ of sorts on some numbers, which meant that we had to be on our best behavior musically, and we had some really shining moments. Their crew was top notch as well. Fun times all the way around.

We started in Biloxi, Mississippi and ended in Frederick, Maryland. I like both of those towns, and most of the ones we visited in between the itinerary bookmarks. We did two nights in Milwaukee (well actually 3 since the power went out for one of our shows and we had to make it up the following week), and celebrated my birthday at Calderone Club. Don’t hate.

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We also went way up North to Plymouth, Mass and Lowell, and for the first time in 100 years, we weren’t trudging through 6 foot snow drifts. I had two amazing days of lunches with old friends, sightseeing, and great coffee. Wins all the way around. Ever since I was a small child, I wanted to see Plymouth Rock. Well, I found it. Many years and miles later… Speaking of many miles, I missed the boys’ Christmas program (again) this year. Thank God for FaceTime. It was a hard evening for me, for sure, but I was able to hear it before we went on.

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You may have noticed a little Supro bass and Noble DI action just above. In the middle of the tour, I decided to jump in and produce a track (Happy Xmas) with my friend Aubrey Grant. We had a very small window to make it happen, but we did. If you want to give it a listen, go HERE. Thanks to all the great musicians and engineers that made it happen. It’s hard to tackle a John Lennon song, and I think they all nailed it.

So then we closed out the Christmas tour with a couple of sold out shows, which always makes it fun. The shops in Frederick are quaint and locally owned, which I dig, so I did some last minute shopping as well as got in my history and coffee.

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So what did I learn on this tour? I learned that casinos have their own power grid, as opposed to the venue actually inside of said casino. I also learned that Plymouth Rock is a little smaller than expected, but still cool. I also learned that 3 days of wine and pasta and pizza is about my limit. Good thing gym memberships are cheap right now.

In the coming weeks we have a few shows, and I’ll keep you up to date on more doings within my world, namely recording and product stuff, if you dig that sort of thing. Tuesday night (Jan 22) here in Nashville at 3rd and Lindsley I am taking part in a tribute to Quincy Jones, which should be a great night for music. Come on out and say hi.

See you on the road!