Tails
From The Top Dog
November
18 , 2004
Well, my Polka peeps, 'tis true that all "good" things must come to
an end and our trip to New Braunfels, Texas was the last batch of Boxhound
shows for the year. Thanks to Dave and Tim for doing great jobs behind
their instruments and behind the wheel of the motor home. Thanks as
well to all the folks that came out to the shows, the DJ's who played
the new record and the old ones too and to everyone who booked us this
year we love and appreciate all of you!
Well, to catch up a little,
we need to go back to our PA run. The first show was at the Sygan Slovenian
home in Pittsburgh with Larry Placek and his band. We had a pretty good
crowd, which at first we thought must be due to Larry! Surely these
people who came to dance did not come to see us! And, though I'm still
sure that they did come to see Larry, they had a great time with us
anyway! Once again proving that there is an older crowd who gets and
enjoys Boxhound style polka. We even learned a new dance from a lady
named Ruth. I think she, like my mother, is a fan of the movie, "Dirty
Dancing" because she definitely added a little "dirty" to the Polish
hop! She even did something that I have dubbed the "Polish Dog Hop"
which is done by sitting on the floor and scooting, kinda like dogs
do when they have "that Itch". Thanks to Larry and the guys for the
use of the P.A. and for running it for us, we always enjoy seeing you.
After the show we traveled
to Scranton, PA. The next day we went to Mike Magdon's music store and
let me tell ya, if you need an instrument of any kind or accessories
for that instrument, you need to see Mike! He has a great selection
of lots of things. Of course I went straight to the guitar department,
but Magdon Music has anything you need, be sure to check them out in
person or on the web at magdonmusic.com.
Also, thanks to Mike for donating an accordion to Circle of Concern.
He's the first person to offer up a donation and his generosity is greatly
appreciated. So, go see him, he's a great guy and his staff is just
as nice as he is!
We were in Scranton at the
Cultural Center for a show and t.v. taping. The show went pretty well
and I got to catch up with my high school friend Caroline Cash. Caroline
is an actress and singer in Maryland and is one of only about......well,
one person that I've stayed in touch with from back in the day. She's
a new comer to the polka world, but I think that she may have come to
stay! She especially enjoyed some of the polka hair styles and outfits.
I may look up one day and see her in a "Swiss Miss" outfit with a gentleman
who has fine taste in cranial carpet. Well, maybe not, but at least
she's Boxhound fan! Thanks for making the drive Caroline it was great
to see you! Thanks to Cindy Garren for taking care of us while in Scranton
and to Bill Flynn, too. Bill was our show host and is not only a fan
of the Boxhounds, but a reader of my witty commentary of which there
probably aren't many fans!
So, we take a couple weeks
off and then head to TEXAS!!!!! The Wurstfest is always a good time
and we got to play there for 5 days! Now when your drummer is from San
Antonio and he tells you that his mom is of Mexican heritage and you
realize that your just a short drive from his home, you've got to hit
him up for some authentic Texas food! Not that we don't love the sausage
and kraut and different sorts of meats on sticks that festivals offer,
but a home cooked meal is always appreciated. So, we went to Dave's
house and his mom, dad and grandmother all had a part in the meal.
My apologies for not partaking more that day Mrs. Vaughan, because what
I ate later was fantastic! Fajitas, fresh Salsa, fruit, it was all great.
We learned a few things about Young Dave as well. His mom said that
he was "Mr. Everything" in high school. You know the type, good student,
yet athletic, in the chorus and band, but sang the kind of songs using
the kind of instruments that the chicks dig! His band director called
him.....what was it....exemplary? We also found out why Young Dave kinda
stares at you when your talking to him and takes a bit to respond.....it's
because he's "cerebral"...duh! I knew that! We had a great time learning
all about YD's formative years and meeting his parents and grandmother.
That's about it as far as Dave's house goes since I promised his dad
that I wouldn't say anything about the pool turned pond in the back
yard, complete with goldfish and frogs....oops!
The shows were pretty good,
we had a few of our regular fans there and we made some new ones too.
We even had some people leave the....should I say it?.....should I?......
Yes I should, the Jimmy Sturr show in the barn to come over to be with
us in the "little" tent! Who rocks your polka baby! We got to hang with
Charlie and Michelle from down around Corpus and Charlie's 90 year old
dad George, who was always one of the first up to do the Chicken Dance!
They have become friends as well as fans of the Boxhounds and it's always
good to see friends. We had friends from the Dallas/Fort Worth area
come down and Young Dave's friends made the drive too. They are always
great to have around and even when I looked down from the stage and
thought they were completely exhausted.....or drunk.....or maybe both,
they were still at the ready to get up on stage do a little dancing
and polka prancing, Thanks for making the party come alive when we needed
you!
I guess that's about it!
I'd like to once again thank Tim, Dave and Lynn....Marie and apologize
to them and thank them for allowing me to make them out to be the butt
of many journal entry jokes all summer! You guys are troopers and fine
musicians and most of all, we're all still friends......I hope! Lynn
has asked them for the end of year entry too, so I'm sure that paybacks
will surely be hell for me!! Thanks to Lori Young too for processing
all these entries for the web site and correcting all my bad grammar
and punctuation! Thanks to Jimmy the Brush and Squeeze records for the
freedom to be creative with their stable of.......well, their artist.
Remember JB that these journal entries, while intended for public consumption
and stimulation still remain and always will be my intellectual property.
Thanks to my wife who continues to be supportive no matter where the
music takes me!
Finally, thanks again to
everyone who made the year possible for us, we appreciate you immensely.
For all my Polka peeps, always remember that music must evolve like
everything else does. Without the infusion of fresh sounds, concepts
and ideas, the polka genre will keep getting smaller until it truly
is history. That's why we do what we do.
Rock n' Roll has come a
long way since Elvis, country has come a long way since Hank Williams
Sr. and the blues have come a long way since Robert Johnson. I could
go on and on, but you get the picture.
For now, I hope you all have
a great holiday season and will find a reason to be thankful everyday!
Peace,
CK
PS Lynn....Marie thinks that
tire treads on the side of the road look like squirrels!
Tails
From The
Top Dog Archives
10/7/04
9/22/04
9/1/04
8/13/04
7/25/04
6/29/04
6/13/04
