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!