A Stage With A View

Have you ever had a room with a view? I remember vacationing in Mazatlan and staying at the old Hotel Belmar. Although the hotel is in a slow state of decay, the oceanview rooms are well worth the $45 per night. Especially, I remember waking up in the middle of the night and seeing a full moon setting over the Pacific. Magic.

Every once in a while The Resonators will play a gig in extraordinary locales, as well. Cibolo Creek Ranch, Padre's, and The Granada Theatre come to mind. These settings didn't achieve their special flavor by accident, though. Through a mix of business savvy, attention to numerous details, and lots of money, these west Texas institutions are truly noteworthy.

Living in the Big Bend, any time you can be outdoors, it's the same kind of powerful effect. We just got through playing an engagement at the employee residences at Panther Junction in Big Bend. The gig was held on an outdoor basketball court on a rather chilly February evening. Now before I go any further, answer this question: Have you been to Big Bend National Park? If not, you may not understand where I'm going with this. If so, it will make perfect sense.

Playing in The Resonators is the best. Playing in The Resonators with the Dead Horse Mountains and Sierra del Carmens in the bakground just can't be beat. I told you so. If you've ever been to Big Bend, the imagery is unforgettable. The gig itself was a great one. We're embarking on a string of engagements that are almost weekly until July, so getting in the playing time will have a positive impact on the songbag. For the first time, we did El Taconazo, Borrachera, and Cotton-Eyed Joe. With The Pig coming up on Friday, I'm certain there'll be some wood-shedding of even more tunes.

Hey, it's almost time for the voyage up to Denver to pick up my eBay van! I only paid $1345 for the monster, so I hope it's not too much of a clunker. I just keep getting these Partidge Family visions in my head of all the band piled into the van and off we merrily go to the next gig. Of course that fantasy could have several optional endings, like driving down the highway in July with no air conditioning, or worse yet: stranded on the side of the highway. We'll just have to see. My $5000 eBay equipment truck hasn't let me down so far.

Thanks for visiting!

2010 Starts off busy, then we're back!

So we played a couple of gigs right after Christmas, and both went very well. Great people to play for and the band responded with spirited performances. Once the dust settled, it was time to get back to our "day jobs" and begin a new year. It seemed like things couldn't get any busier than they had been during the closing weeks of 2009--wrong! From the beginning of January until mid-February it just got unbelievably busy once again. So busy that The Resonators never gathered again under one roof until February 14. But that gathering was worth the wait....

We had been asked to play a Valentine's Day dinner show at a soulful place here in Presidio called The Enlightened Bean. Gathered together for the gig were Taro, Alfredo, Manolo, Lucy and John. Our set list was full of some really nice tunes, and they were performed very tastefully. Usually The Resonators blow the roof off volume-wise, but this occasion called for a little restraint. In the end, patrons and the restaurant owners alike seemed to be having a terrific time, and that's essentially what every performance should boil down to. Good job, Enlightened Bean, on putting together a very soulful evening of food and music down here on the border.

On Saturday, February 20 The Resonators played at Padre's in Marfa, Texas for the very first time. WOW! How a place like this can open up and find its groove so quickly is really impressive. Whether it be the ambience, the decor, the food, the management, or the patrons, this place is off to a really great start. We had to first play a short mariachi show--also in Marfa--and Padre's owner was very understanding about getting in a soundcheck once we finished up with Mariachi Santa Cruz.

The patrons who were present (A LOT, by the way) kind of felt us out for the first 30 minutes or so, then with the ice-breaker with the lovely Pam Gaddis, everyone decided the "water was OK." From then on, it was a big pachanga until 12:30 AM. The band filled up every square inch of the stage, as "Eggy" Jesus Hernandez was able to join us on Latin percussion. I love these guys (and gal, especially)! What an immense privilege to be able to play in The Resonators!

Next up: practice! We have about a boat-load-and-a-half of new material we want to start playing. We just need to have a few free minutes to actually be in the same place together. Looking forward to the next gig!

See you soon!