Posts Tagged ‘bus group’

Tonight is a good night. 

I have developed a real positive feeling over the last couple of days. I see my obstacles, I acknowledge them, and I welcome them. I am aware of my path I’m really ready to walk it. 

In the real world, and in dreams, our lives are the same: there is hope, there is conflict and there is resolution. No matter how tragic or spectacular, in the end, the outcome is always the best situation for the greater good. It all makes sense. I think that whatever my heartships, whatever my trouble and struggles may be, in the end, the outcome will be what needed to happen. 

I am sitting tonight in good company, in good atmosphere, missing the road, missing my band and missing the fans, but this is a much needed break and deliberation period. I think I’m ready finally to take the load on without buckling under the stress and pressure. 

I’m back to writing songs and being able to write without expectations, but just for the pure purpose for therapy and getting things off my chest and onto the paper, like heart web strings, making a home. I’m back!

I’m trying my hardest to put aside the paranoia and scare tactics that have been nailed into my head about the music business and taking chances. You know what I say? I am the exception. I don’t are (respectfully) what the veterans and masterminds of the music industry think about the music industry. I am a songwriter and a musician and I like millions out there believe in what I’m doing and will continue on with what I’m doing at all cost, because it’s my duty to, because it’s the only thing I know how to do, and because there are millions of people who need me.

So,I love you fans, I love you music, I love you music industry experts, I love you famous music icons and I love you haters. I am one girl against the world and I am all packed up and ready to come and change your mind.

X

Hey guys!

We are resting easy in Atlanta for the day. We head back to FL tonight after sun down because the air conditioning in the van doesn’t work anymore (of course) and its been spitting heat at us. I’ve been doing some catching up online so there are a few things I want to talk to you about, or write to you about.

First off,

our kind fans and friends at the Steel Bridge Songfest after hearing our nightmare story about the bus, started an act of pro-active lemon-sending to the Bus Group. There is a short video you can watch. Basically, they all took a lemon each, wrote a message on it, and are sending it to the Bus Group addressed to the president. I wish it was my idea, but it wasn’t. It came out of the brilliant brain of Rick Younglove. So if you can, buy a lemon, write a message on it and mail it to them. Let’s make sure they know that we wont back down, and what they did to us isn’t right and wont be forgotten. Here is a short video you can watch of the lemon activism. Send the Bus Group some lemons too!

Next,

I would like to remind all of you folks that are in the greater Tampa Bay area, we are playing a FREE (!!) show next Friday the 25th at The Local 662. Its right across the street from The State Theatre, address is 662 Central Ave. Please come out, say hello, give us hugs and let us cry on your shoulder like babies for 5 minutes. Also on the bill is BAMF’s, Marksmen, and Sons of Hippies. Show starts around 9pm so please get there around 8:30pm to see everyone. We will have our new cds, tshirts and stickers if you haven’t gotten them by now.

Lastly,

I sat down to make a wish list of things we are short of and/or need this year. If you have any of these things and are looking to get rid of them, or you could donate them to us, it would make our road life much much easier. One man’s junk, is another man’s treasure and we are no ashamed to recycle. :]

1. Mac Laptop- my G4 has crapped out on me time and time for the last time now. We don’t have a computer to use on the road, post updates,record demos, etc. I went on ebay to look at what they go for used. If we had the money we could get a MacBook for $400. If you have a mac that works and has Garage Band on it that you don’t use, we could really use it! It will help us keep in touch with you, because at this point, we are at the mercy of people and places that will let me use their computers.

2.Cam Corder- We have been wanting to videotape our road adventures,shows, and things that are interesting but we don’t have anything to do it with. This last tour would have made a pretty interesting and amazing documentary had we something to record it with. Any cam corder with USB cable will work.

3.Instrument Cables- Things get left behind and stolen on the road. We are short 2 cables right now. Any old,working instrument cables will work.

4.Small PA- Some of the venues we are playing this year don’t have a sound system, and neither do we, which means we can’t play the shows. Those are usually (and strangely) the highest paying gigs. We don’t have a lot of space however, so we would be looking for either 2 small powered speakers, or a small PA with a head.

5.Microphones-Somewhere,sometime my Beta 58 got broken this trip. I usually use my own microphone on gigs because one, I know how it sounds and how to sing in it, and two, Bacteria and slobber from other singers don’t touch my mouth :]. Any Beta 58 or better will do.

6.Small External Hard Drive-This would be needed to take recording sessions with us. So far we’ve done a few sessions on the road, written and recorded songs and we don’t have them because we have no way of getting the actual session. If we have the session it makes it much easier to keep track of the originality of the song once we go into the studio for the next record.

7.Digital Camera- Our digital camera has a broken screen and a lense. So, any digital camera you have laying around that you know takes good photos would be great.

8.Guitar Stands-Another piece of equipment that keeps getting stolen/lost is our guitar stands. We are left with leaving our instruments on the ground. At this point we need one guitar stand. Any old guitar stand will do.

9.GIFT CARDS/GAS CARDS-Gift cards for Clothing/Food and Gas Cards are probably one of the main things. Seeing as though we don’t have money for much, if we had an extra $50-$100 for gas when there is an emergency will help get us to the next gig, and also clothes/food cards will get a whole lot since we wont have to spend too much money on mundane things. Any brand, any store, any amount.

This is our GIANT wish list. Not in order at all. If you have these things and can spare them, or you could donate $ for us to get them, or even get them for us, you’d be helping out an obvious never ending cause (our musical struggle) but you’d be at least keeping us afloat to do what we are out here to do. If you donate to us you will receive the new record and I pledge to email you any songs that are being recorded as B-sides or demos for the next record. Also, I will get you into any of our shows you want to come to.

If you have these things and can donate, please mail them to:

1904 Arrowhead Dr NE

St Petersburg FL 33703

ATT: Geri X

oh, yes, and also the Bus Group Address is:

Bus Group 1928 Hyannis Court

College Park, GA 30337

Ok , so bam! here is a whole heap of information for you. We are tired but so ready for the next leg of the tour.

Thank you kind people for reading and helping. If we ever get famous, you all will have front row tickets to every show you want!

Love, needy little G

After much moping, silance and dumbfoundedness, and hours of waiting at a gas station stranded in Nebraska, we pulled it together. 

We called a toe company and waited for them 3 hours to come and tow the van into a repair shop in Omaha. Then thanks to Rob and his kind friend Dick, Steve and I got dropped off at the airport to rent another car, drove to the repair shop and picked up Greg, Dan, our stuff and the puppies. Then we found a hotel and spent the night watching comedy central. 

I’m not really seeing the lesson here since we’ve done this excersise 5 times now in 3 weeks. Yes we can rent a car, yes we can find a mechanic, yes we can stay together. I get it. The same blow is starting to get annoying. All we want to so is just get to these gigs, why is that so hard? 
 
We had to cancel the next 3 shows so we can just drive to Milwaukee. In a couple of hours we are gonna leave and just get there. We’ll figure out how to get around. It’s a holiday weekend so they won’t get to look at our van till Wednesday. Once they figure out what’s wrong with it and fix it and we figure out how to pay for it, we have to figure out how to get back to Omaha and get it. 

Don’t get me wrong, no amount of bullshit will make me give up, but Im getting tired of the same issue stranding us. This has turned out to be a $14,000+ piece of shit van. If we can sell it for anything, Im just thinking we should get a minivan with good gas milage and either rent a hotel every night or stay at peoples houses. That would seriously be cheaper. 

Thank you guys for donating time and time again and being kind and caring. You’re keeping me sane. 

Next gig will be among friends and family at the Greenroom in Sheboygan, see you there. 

Geri X