Hollywood Nights...

You may remember me telling you a while back about a band caalled "Junkyard" and how much I love their music, well a few weeks ago I got to see them perform live in Hollywood. This was the first time I had seen them since 1991, when they opened up for Lynyrd Skynyrd. I spent the ride up there wondering how the show would go and hoping I would get a chance to meet the band.
My wife & youngest son went with me. My oldest had to skip because I forgot to list the date on a conflict sheet when he signed up to crew his High School's musical.
We talked a lot on the way about the memories I have of the band and their music... Funny how music & memories seem to accentuate one another, huh? I played some of their song's for my wife the night I met her... I also played a lot of their music when I was dealing with my divorce...
I cannot tell you how exciting it was for me when we pulled into the parking lot of the club. When we got out of the car, I looked at the building to see David Roach (Lead Vocalist) and Chris Gates (Lead Guitarist) standing on the sidewalk. As we walked up, I struggled to remember that they were "ordinary" people and tried to keep from staring or interrupting their conversations. I waited and finally got the opportunity to say hello and introduce them to my son. The Guys were great. I easily could have expected them to be a little put off by people getting too excited about meeting them, but they were very gracious people. I asked about taking pictures and was welcomed by both of the guys. So here are some shots of me & Junkyard. David Roach & Me


Big Chris Gates & Me


Me, Pat Muzingo, & David Roach

As you can tell, We also got to meet Pat Muzingo (Drummer) inside the show. Granted, My wife admonished me at least once about embarrassing her by being star-struck by these guys, but you gotta understand. To me, they are like the Beatles, or Led Zeppelin.
I bought 4 of their C.D.s (Two of them I already had downloaded from the band's website, but I wanted to buy Hard copies so the band would get the profit from it. ) and a DVD. I also loaded up with 4 T-shirts.
When the show started, I was a little unsure. I had never heard of the opening acts and had no idea what to expect. The First was a local band, I don't remember their name, and I didn't care for their music. I didn't particularly like the frontman, as I thought he was a little arrogant, but onward...
The second act was a Band called "Little Caesar" Surprisingly I really liked them. Their music was exceptional and the stage presence was wonderful. They were perfect for the venue and a great opener for Junkyard.
The third act was "Rhino Bucket". Musically, they were actually pretty good, however, I don't think their singer should be allowed to do shows where children are allowed in the audience. My 12 year old son did not need any lessons on the etiquette of one-night-stands. That's all I'm saying.
From the moment Junkyard took the stage I was instantly twenty years younger. I watched wide-eyed and sang along every word of their set. We did move from our table to the stairs beside the stage to finally the floor in front of the stage. Trying to get the best possible pictures. Mildly put, the three of us had an absolute blast. They could have played all night and I would have rocked with them to the final note.
A couple of days ago I learned that they will be back at the same location in August. This one is on a Thursday, but I'm pretty sure I'll be there... I owe my oldest son a show, and I can't think of anyone else that would be as perfect for his first concert.
Maybe this time I'll get to meet Todd Muscat & Tim Mosher... Oh, and maybe they'll play "Death Kiss Morning"...
One can Hope

Nothing In Particular

Well, as you've noticed it's been a busy couple of weeks since I last posted. Truth be told, I really should be doing something else right now, but...
Let's see... I've been doing quite a bit of riding, lately. Mostly to work & back, but that can be quite a ride in itself. Working in construction means I'm moving from one location to another all the time. Friday I was working right down the street from my house, Thursday I was a lot farther away. So I roll with it. That's why Kate has the saddlebags, so I can carry my tools from one place to another.
As I was preparing to leave work on Thursday, I started receiving a lot of static from co-workers because they thought I should have another guy who was going to the same job Friday carry my tools on his truck. I wanted to bring them home so I could take out some that I knew I wouldn't need at the new site. Apparently , they don't understand the ingenuity that bikers posses. I do take a few of the heavier tools out & put them in the opposite bag, to keep the weight balanced better. I know the bags are only rated for a certain weight and I'm rather sure I exceed that on a regular basis. I also understand product liability and the process by which those weight ratings are established, so I take the responsibility on myself. I don't heavily overload the bags, I just use sense. I mean, come on seven pounds?
I had a couple of things that I special ordered from San Diego Harley last weekend that I hadn't heard about, so I gave them a call yesterday. My parts were in. I just hadn't gotten a call. So, I went down to pick them up. I took the truck and the whole family went. As usual, there was a party going on. They have some kind of event every Saturday. So after I got my parts ( A new cover and a hardware rack) we looked around, did some shopping and had lunch. I don't know who the band was but they did a great cover of Johnny Cash's Hey Porter and some other great songs. I wonder if Junkyard would be willing to play one of these?
The new cover fits great. It's a Nelson Riggs. I picked it because it's UV rated and Lifetime Guaranteed. While those are fine selling points, I'm not impressed with the customer service I've received from their website. I sent a very professional looking business style email, complete with greeting, opening and closing, asking what size to get and explaining that it was for a 2007 FXSTCI with saddlebags and windshield. Their response was simply "An XL would fit well".
Ok, I realize I'm a bit anal, but I would hope that anyone in sales would try a little harder to be polite and professional. I decided to look past it & order the cover anyway, figuring it was maybe a less than educated person on the computer, but when I got the cover, an XL just like they recommended, I practically needed a shoe horn to get it on the bike and no way were the straps going to reach to tie it on. I took it off, folded it up & shoved it back into the box. I called the Dealership & told them the problem. To their credit, there was no hassle, no problem. They told me to take it back & order the right size, now that I was sure what that was. A lot of dealerships would have made me send it back through the manufacturer. I highly commend San Diego Harley for their assistance in clearing this up.
As For the cover, the XXL fits great, and I'll let you know if it fails to stand up to the UV, or if they fail to honor their Lifetime Warranty.
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I can be such an Idiot sometimes. I bought tickets for my whole family to see Junkyard Several months ago. Now the show is next Saturday & we've just realized that my oldest son is working on crew for his high school musical and their final performance is the same night. I forgot to put the concert on his conflict sheet and now he's stuck. I can't let him walk away from his commitment, and I can't blame him for being disappointed in missing the show.
I asked his teacher if she could spare him for that one night, but she said no and now I'm wondering if I even should have asked. It's not her fault I spaced it. To top it off, my wife isn't sure she wants to go, so I may be eating two tickets.
Have I mentioned that I'm ADD? In my case that may stand for "A Damn Dumbass".
Take care, all. I'll Catch you on the road...