It's about freeking time...

Well, it's about time to update my band blog (seeing how it's been such a long time since my last update) and I've got some exciting news to report. As most of you probably know by now, we spent time in September at The Zone in Dripping Springs recording a new 6 song CD of Christmas tunes that we're really excited about. It's called "Tangled in Tinsel" and it's fantastic. (So there.)

New music...
We worked with Lloyd Maines again to produce and I can't say enough kind words about him. He's so talented and so creative and so much fun to be around. He's produced the last several studio projects we've released and it was a lot of fun to see him again and catch up. Pat Manske was our engineer on Not That Lucky and we enlisted his talets again for this new EP. These two guys have really become a part of our team and it's not only a blast working with them both, it's great to count them as friends and it feels like Two Tons has grown into a bigger organization than just the 4 or 5 guys you see onstage every night. We tried our best to create a collection of songs that is "nice". Our goal was to release a Christmas CD that isn't too far left pr right of center in regards to the holiday classics we all know and love, but we also worked hard to stay true to ourselves and our sound to bring something new to this genre. We love it and we hope you will too. Stay tuned online for an official announcement of it's release. We're shooting for Tuesday, November 8, but we're waiting on the arrival of the physical product in addition to finalizing the licensing for digital downloads. I'll be posting here as well as on FB & we'll be announcing on our official website as well. (As I write this, Kevin just received a call that the CD's are supposed to arrive today!)

Two Tons of Steel
Too bad we won't be around to see them because as long as it's been since I last posted on here, it's been an even longer time since we've played in Lubbock, but that's where we're headed. We're all together in the van and barrelling our way down the highway en route to the Blue Light. We don't make it to Lubbock very often, but we always have a great time when we do and we've had some fun nights at the Blue Light. We make our way back down to Boerne tomorrow for a private party which means we'll probably have to get up kind of early, but I'm sure tonight will be a fun adventure and I'll be sure to update tomorrow on today's events. The sun is shining, the sky is clear, the air is cool and dry -- it's a beautiful day in Texas and you should be outside enjoying it just as soon as you can. Be safe ot there wherever you are and we'll talk soon.

- Dodds

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Somewhere outside of Lubbock.

We're tearing up the road!

I woke up yesterday morning feeling GREAT after our previous night's performance at the El Dorado Casino. While a casino performance provides a slightly different audience for us, the El Dorado is always a fun time and they've turned the stage into quite a production!







Dave (our front-of-house audio engineer) is super cool and it's always fun to catch up with him. He's yet another brother I wish I lived closer to and had the opportunity to hang out with more often. We played a quick 90 minute set and once we were torn down and packed up, we enjoyed a mellow night backstage with a few drinks and some fun conversation and eventually made our way to find hotel rooms where Rhoades and Dennis and I proceeded to stay up even later hanging out. The cool weather was so nice that we left the door wide open to let the outside in and I felt like I was in college again. Late night laughter is always the best and there's never a shortage of that when I'm hanging around those two.










Nocona Nights, Nocona, TX.
It's been at least a year since we played Nocona Nights (and probably longer) and looking back this morning I can't even accurately describe the fun we had last night with the good people of that community! We arrived in Nocona a little bit early and checked into our rooms before loading in. From there we headed into town where we were welcomed like kings! As has happened with lots of places we've played, playing in Nocona almost feels more like a homecoming for a family reunion than it does a job booked by our band-for-hire. Everybody there took great care of us and we threw down a fantastic show that left everybody grinning from ear to ear and ready for a party! From the venue we were invited down to the local VFW to hang with all our Nocona pals and listen to the local band playing there. It wasn't but just a few minutes of my settling into a cold Shiner when I was asked to dance by a gal several years my senior and everybody there looked on to see what my reaction was going to be. It only took me a second to remember that "when in Rome..." and I led her out onto the small dance floor where we two-stepped and rock-stepped 'til I thought she might give out but she was like a little girl out there and it was just a short while before she found me again and told me to "put down your drink and quit talking and let's go DANCE!" to which everybody had a laugh!




We had a fantastic time with all the locals and as much as I love my Shiner Bock, my favorite beer is a free beer and everybody made sure that none of us were empty-handed for very long (which was really nice because we've been paid by check for the last 3 nights and in true Chris Dodds fashion, I left town only after leaving my cash and cards at the house which left me destitute for this trip - save for the beer and sodas picked up along the way and the bags of flaming hot Cheetos I grabbed from the El Dorado.)




We ended our night at the VFW shortly after I joined the drummer for a sort of impromptu tagteam version of "Wipeout". I can't help it. Jumping up with a band and going guerrilla on them has become like sport to me now. Sabotaging a song when nobody's expecting it is always a thrill for me and I like to do it every chance I get. From the VFW we headed back to our rooms and Rhoades and D and myself found a Jeep parked right near the back door of the hotel and loaded onto the trailer-hitch rack was a cooler that was host to a treasure of another 9 Modelos and a lone bottle of water.




Yes. We took their beer. It wasn't a complete loss for them though. We took it in exchange for a shirt, a CD, and two koozies. And a piece of firewood that Dennis was NOT quick to part with.







(BBQ is like religion in Texas and Dennis is a high priest.) He picks up wood for smoking everywhere we go and it's not uncommon to open the doors to our van and have chopped wood fall out onto our feet. So that was Dennis's offering - though I'm sure they'll be confused as to why there's a chunk of a tree in their ice chest. We even autographed the CD for 'em. Hopefully we'll meet them someday and hopefully they'll think it's as funny as we thought it was at 3:00am. And yes. It's still just as funny this morning.







We're now slowly meandering our way southbound towards Austin/San Antonio. This week we'll be at Sam's Burger Joint in San Antonio on Friday and at the Broken Spoke in Austin on Saturday. Come join us and be sure you say hello. We always enjoy visiting with everybody. Here's hoping everybody has a fantastic week and remember to make time to get out and enjoy this gorgeous Texas Spring weather. 'Til next time...

- Dodds

Location:Jackson St,Bowie,United States

Back from the dead.

Contrary to popular belief, the current rumors of my death (or the death of my blog rather) are greatly exaggerated. Neither I nor my blog have expired and in fact, there should be plenty of blog fodder to post soon.










Summertime is right around the corner that means that I'll be out with Two Tons a whole helluva lot. What that means for you fine folks reading this from the comfort of your happy place is that we'll hopefully be in a town near you and I'll have lots to write about our musical campaigns in every establishment we stop in.







Right now we're en route to Shreveport, Louisiana to play the El Dorado casino tonight. We like this place. The sound is great, the stage is plenty big, and the sound engineers and staff are all really cool. I'm not ballsy enough to gamble, so I won't be spending much time on the floor but Fallon and I always get a laugh out of walking around and checking out the names of the machines. Slots like "Kitty Glitter" always make us laugh. Some of you know I'm kind of a tech nerd and I'm having fun with all kinds of cool camera/film apps on my phone. I'll be sure and post some of my favorites photos up here soon as well. Seems like everytime we're all together we find some situation that's worthy of (digital) celluloid archival.













Hopefully everybody out there is enjoying this beautiful Texas spring weather as much as I am. It won't be long until it's crazy hot again. I'm praying for some Souh Texas rain so's the rivers are up for this summer season and the 16th annual Two Ton Tuesdays at Gruene Hall. A full and flowing river is a happy river. That's all I've got for now. Hopefully I can find the time to post some new material this weekend that's worth reading. 'Til then, everybody be safe and get out and play. The sunshine and cool breeze is too nice to not feel against your skin. We'll talk again soon...

- Dodds

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Georgetown,United States

Armadillo!

Hey all you cats and kittens out there, this is just a quick post to let you know that Two Tons will be in Houston tonight at The Armadillo Palace.  Come join us as we spread cheer to all patrons big and small.  It'll be a good time and we're looking forward to seeing all of our Houston pals again.  Hope all's well and we'll see you tonight.

- Doddsy

Saturday, December 4, 2010, 11:51 PM

So we were a bit apprehensive about playing the "early" slot at Dan's tonight in Denton but to our surprise, we had quite a nice sized crowd that came out to spend their Saturday evening with us. We played a full 2 hour set and SLAYED it tonight!







So much fun! Thanks to everybody who came out and be sure to mark your calendars for later in the week when we'll be back up this way twice. We'll be back up in N. Texas on Thursday night to play Cape Buffalo and Lakewood Bar and Grill on Friday night - both in Dallas. Saturday night we'll be rocking The Armadillo Palace in Houston. Gonna be a good week! If you're anywhere near and you feel so led, come out and join us! Rhoades is now driving us through the night to get home from Denton. "And miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep..."

- Doddsy

Saturday, December 4, 2010, 3:16 PM

It's a cool 50 degrees in Tulsa, OK today. After all too brief a rest after last night's fun, we left our hotel to grab lunch. Rhoades and Fallon and I fed our bellies at an Indian buffet and shared some laughs about last night. In case you missed it, I'll share my thoughts with you now. After having left my home at 10:30am to meet the guys at 11:00, we made our way through time and space to arrive on the other end of what wound being 10 hours on the road (9.5 together in our time capsule). Surprisingly, we were all feeling pretty good despite having been packed into the van for such a long time together (although the van smelled somewhat of a locker room by the time we crawled out of there). We arrived in Tulsa at the Merc and set about to unloading our gear and using our best Tetris skills to fit all of our instruments into what is quite a small area that serves as the stage. Once setup, we even had plenty of time to say our hellos to old friends and a few new ones too, and time to quench our thirsts; our throats dry from such a long day's journey (Wink! Wink!)










We then played a long first set of just under 2 hours before breaking to visit a bit more with our patrons and wet our whistles one more time before finishing out the night with another 60 minutes of music. We quit right around 1:30am and then our night "began". Not quite as wild as other nights we've spent in Tulsa, but long into the wee hours of the morning (as is so often the case with my friends in this band.) Rather than dread these late nights out every weekend, I've come to where I really enjoy them and even look forward to being out til way past crazy-stoopid o'clock.




After so many miles unbroken by nothing except a few stops for gas and vulgar bumper stickers, we were hungrier than we were thristy and the hotdog vendor outside on the corner hooked us up with however much (or little) nourishment there is contained his tubes of salted animal meat product squeezed between the sides of a white bun loaded with everything we could possibly fit onto them. The "Party Bus" rented for the night that was parked out in front also made for some very unique entertainment while we dined, the likes of which can only be witnessed after midnight outside of one of the many area watering holes. (Remember - there's a reason why yo' momma siad to be home before midnight, because "nuthin' good happens after midnight".) And of course once the festivities outside had calmed down, we made our way back into the empty lounge to enjoy a nightcap (or two) (or three) and see what the few remaining bar employees really look like under flourescent lights.










After lots of ridiculousness and lots of laughs (some of which was captured and committed to celluloid for posterity's sake), we said our thank you's and goodbyes and ventured into the early hours of a new day to find our quarters for what remained of the darkness. Once checked in, Dennis decided he was hungry enough to head back out in search of something tasty.




Rhoades and I followed him back to the van where I attempted in my own weird way to assist in his hunt for food by using the map application in my iPhone to navigate us to the nearest late-night eatery but we only wound up burning fuel and stopping at a local filling station for what offerings we could find at that hour. (Note: The maps app on the iPhone WILL chart a course "From: Current Location" "To: Eggs". However, the chances of being led to anywhere that actually serves eggs is anybody's guess and thus, our settling on a gas station for a "meal") I settled on a sausage/egg/cheese biscuit and some chocolate milk, followed up by an Andes thin chocolate mint and I'm not sure what Fallon found but Rhoades ate something with a corn tortilla and it was very fried. That's all I know. The rest of the night was pretty tame and we all found our way into our beds at roughly 4:30am. Party! We're now approaching Denton to play Dan's Silverleaf Tavern and rock everybody's faces off. We're playing the early set tonight which means we'll make our way back home through the night to wake up in our own beds tomorrow. I'm not sure what shows are on the schedule this week, but I'm sure we'll have a blast a couple of somewheres a couple of times this week at least. In the meantime, enjoy this cooler autumn weather and be safe out there and we'll talk soon.

- Doddsy

Friday, December 3, 2010, 2:41 PM

It's been soooooo long since I've posted an update and I really have no reason why I haven't been more diligent about keeping up with this online journal, nor do I have anything substantial enough to say that warrants a new post but nevermind that. If you've read this far, you're hooked. Plus, it's 9 hours from SA to Tulsa and we're not even to Dallas yet which brings me to my first item of interest. We're driving to Tulsa (duh!) to play The Mercury Lounge tonight. While 9 or more consecutive hours in a van is most certainly not the first thing I think of when I decide what would make for a fun day, the weather outside is beautiful, my companions are my pals, and above all I get to see the layout of our great state of Texas (& my favorite place to be in the whole world). The Mercury Lounge has recently come under the ownership of our pal Reggie, who prior to owning the bar was previously our favorite bartender. (Well, "male" bartender anyway!) It's been quite awhile since we've been back through Tulsa to play the Mercury and I can safely speak for all of us when I tell you how much we're looking forward to playing the "Merc" again tonight. We've had the good fortune of making friends with so many great people in Tulsa and it will be great to see everybody again out there tonight. Of all the places we play, the concert posters for our shows up there are easily the coolest of any made for us anywhere. Thom and Ian with A-Studio Design do some fabulous work. Head over to http://www.astudiodesign.net to see what I'm talking about - you won't be sorry. I love their work.




So here we are. Dallas, Texas. Just like I pictured it. Rhoades is driving and his GPS shows black lines all along our route. Green lines = open lanes, Yellow lines = congestion/traffic, Red lines = slow moving traffic, Black lines = apparently means everybody for that length of the road has stopped completely. Oh well. More time for me to spin into written words the random thoughts generated through my synaptical points of electrical currents pulsing through my grey matter. The absence of my online presence since we returned home from our midwest tour is no reflection of a lack of travelling since that time. We've continued to play and play and play, and play some more. We've been back to play Granada Theatre in Dallas, Hank's in McKinney, Phoenix Saloon in New Braunfels, Broken Spoke in Austin, Continental club in Austin, Austin City Limits music Festival, and many other fine establishments since my last dispatch.










I took part in the Texas Big Beat in Houston which is a drum related event and benefit and I also held my first ever "clinic" at Sam Ash Music in San Antonio. With Halloween and Thanksgiving now past, we are finally starting to wind down a bit in preparation for the Christmas holidays. Looks like the first couple of weeks of January we'll be taking off to spend time with family and decompressing/rejuvenatung from our 200+ dates played in 2010. The end of January will find us flying back to Norway where we'll play on a boat trip travelling from Norway down to Germany. From there we'll head over to Amsterdam and play 2 nights at a festival in Holland, another of my favorite places in the world. In the meantime, stay tuned right here for more updates throughout the end of the year. We have a few more really fun shows before ringing in in 2011 and I'll do my best to keep you up to date with my brand of verbose entertainment describing our all-around tomfoolery. This is really my outlet to do my best to create a black-hole vortex of "timesuck" that by the end of which you wonder where your time went and why you spent so much of it reading this. My best to everybody and I'll have more to say soon, I promise - and next time it'll even be worth reading.

Cheers.

- Dodds

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone