Bluewine

Nice one Dave. I need a break like that. We have two big gigs coming up soon this month. Daryl

Sounds good. 👍 Daryl

Love the lighting. The band looks great. Daryl

I refused, I don't smoke . Daryl

It's why I like 80 minute featured shows.And believe me they're hard to come by for us. It's easy to manage 80 minutes. It's a much faster paced performance than a festival or fair show. Daryl

We're pretty lose with set lists unless it's a higher profile theater show. Daryl

Pete, Maple Road hasn't rehearsed in years and that's with adding two new members. I'm a guy that believes in specific agenda driven rehearsals. Im not big on unstructured free form rehearsals I don't see rehearsals in our future. Everyone is young and busy. It would be great to nail down a few things we struggle with. Daryl

Dave,I think the post hit home with a lot us because we've been there. Last weekend we played on the deck of a residential home. There's a video clip, but it's not worth sharing. I've played on grass and I remember playing in a tent with no stage playing on dirt ,no grass. Off topic. Our local Milwaukee guitar hero Greg Koch is visiting England this week. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/VJMhikXSREHZBUcN/ Daryl

Things have changed over here since Covid. The standard bar/pub gig was 4 hours with two 15 minute breaks. Now it's 3 hours with the same breaks. I'm bragging a bit here, but after 17 years Maple Road no longer books bar gigs. We do winerys, brewerys, private events, festival, fairs and theaters. We plays an average of about two hours. Daryl

I would be very embarrassed to ask a band to set up and play on grass. Daryl

We went to that Brewers Game today Dave. I couldn't help but bring it up. They agreed it was a disaster. Daryl

I went to a Brewers Game today and was sitting next to our band leader and I couldn't help it. I said " Hey, was it just me or was Bob really struggling last night?" He agreed and felt it was a confidence issue. Daryl

It was a long drive. We were way out in the country. It was very dark when I left and almost got hit by a car I didn't see when turning onto the highway. The car was moving at approximately 70 miles an hour. We have a nighttime gig coming up in the city of Milwaukee in a neighborhood I don't care to be in late at night at my age. I'm going to tell the band leader that I won't be able to drive to that gig. As for the gig,our dep drummer struggled a bit. At times the timing just wasn'tthere..Very nice guy, great attitude. Hopefully it was a confidence thing. We depend on our 2 dep drummers a lot. As it is with many private parties the pay was generous. I haven't discussed what happened with the dep drummer with our band leader and I probably won't. It's not really my place. Daryl

Chuck has been with Billy Joel for the last 25 years. Daryl

My good friend and bandmate Chuck Burgi played drums for them for a while. Daryl

Really, I didn't know that? Daryl

Was Brand X 70s prog? Daryl

OMG! Private Party today. Tough spot for me. I always brag about my short commutes to gigs compared to some of the commutes you guys make. We're providing sound & lights so there's no room in the van for me. I have to drive. It's an hour and a half one way. I know nothing about this private party. We don't usually book gigs this far away unless it pays well. We're all going to a Brewers Game at . American Family Field ( formerly Miller Park) on Sunday. The Brewers are already in the playoffs. Daryl

Sounds great Dave, It sounds like a done deal to me.Playing 80s rock would be fun for me. Keep us updated.👍 Daryl

Hi Dave, Can you tell us more about the 80s band you're auditioning for. Established, new band, local to you ect. What's the audition format? Age of the band members. What songs will you play at the audition? Do you know these guys? I don't mean to be nosey, I've always been interested in how bands conduct auditions . I think you would be a great match and asset to any top notch 80s rock band. Daryl

Nice pics! Daryl

The Band Feel. You can find them on YouTube. Check out Sweet Virginia. Daryl

This gig was not a match for Maple Road. A jazz trio for background music would have been more appropriate. Nobody was interested in us.We played an 1.5 hour set then took an 1.5 hour break while the big $$ auction took place. We came back an played for another painful hour. On the plus side we strengthened our relationship with The Thelma Performing Arts Center and the "green room" was top notch. Daryl

I've never paid to play a gig. Daryl

They are sort of like Southern Rock meets Led Zeppelin. Daryl