Haiku You

Anchorage Alaska

Why ya gotta be so cold

it’s like, October

Ya Gotta Believe-Brown,Smith,Underwood

I Wasn’t Ready for the Cold

Damn. Anchorage Alaska…and all I want to do is curl up under the covers and watch netflix. People, it’s coold

Anchorage 10:15

I left Nashville in 85 degree weather, a flip flop day if I ever saw one, and landed in Anchorage at 5:20pm and it was a crisp 32 degrees. My initial thoughts were, not too bad, it felt good. But last night after our performance at the Alaska Airlines Center as we were leaving the venue, opening that door, the cold shot right through me and immediately chilled me to the bone. Our shuttle van was across the parking lot so we walked oh… 50-60 yards and honestly, I was shaking by the time I made it to the van. Something about going from extreme to extreme that my mind and body just weren’t prepaired for. I mean even here in Anchorage, it just didn’t go from 85 to 32 overnight, It was a gradual process. And so the people here aclamated…                I just ain’t done that yet. So with the memories of The Bird House Bar and all the amazing things we did here during our last visit still vividly fresh in my mental rolodex, I’ll admire the beauty of the Alaskan frontier from the comforts of my 70 degree hotel room. Make my way up the the gym. Who knows, I might  even get my sweat on in the steam room. Stayin warm until it’s time to turn up the heat tonight on stage.

Anchorage

I just gotta face it, my Addias hoodie and me just aren’t ready for the cold.

A Whirlwind of a Week

Wow,

With the release of Tim’s new record Sundown Heaven Town on the 16th came a lot of promo and believe me I’m sure that for every hour I put in Tim put in 5.

We had radio interviews Monday morning at 8:00, Tim had already been there two hours and when we finished at 10:00 he was still being interviewed. We caught a 3:50 flight to NYC and after a light dinner hit the sack. We had a 4:50 AM lobby call to walk to the Good Morning America set…4:50AM. Crew had a 3:30 AM call…poor bastards.

We ran the songs a couple of times, let the cameramen do their dance, and it was open season on time and we were sleepy hunters. I went out on the street and had a cup of coffee and just watched people…like ants or are ant’s like people…weird. The performance was great. I love me some Robin Roberts, she’s a diamond of a lady. But had a great time. I wore my new My Chemical Romance T-Shirt…I love that artwork. Someone let Gerard know will ya?

After the GMA performance we had a couple …well four, hours to kill and I was back at my room and under the covers in about 10 minutes, I wasted NO time. I didn’t sleep the entire time but the rest was nice. I’ve discovered how hard it is to sleep in a city that never sleeps…

Soon it was off to the Hammerstein Ballroom where we were to record a LIVE streaming concert celebrating the record. The day was filled with choreography and camera positionings. Not high kicks and grapevines but more like “you go here, take Green Grass solos there…” The event was going to be something special and we really wanted everything to sound and look great.    
Well, I’ve yet to see it…but from what I’ve heard it was a success. I know from my perspective, It was a party and people were having a great time, diggin the music and we had a blast playin it. LOVE playing those new songs! Shotgun Rider Sheeesh! Great song, We’ll be playing that one for another 20 years.

The following morning some of the guys had to go do an acoustic performance with Tim on The View… I wasn’t one of them…so I slept in. 8:00am We still had a noon pick up to go to Rockerfeller Center to tape The Tonight Show. I know right? Crazy Shit!… Lil Ol’ME!! But yeah…The Tonight Show…Anyway. Sound check and camera blocking in a cold TV Studio was the worst part of my day. Oh..It was Random Selfie Day…by the way…stupid me…man and I wanted one with Questlove, Chickened out!

The Tonight Show performance was great! I was particularly eager to get some camera time during this performance because Breedlove Guitars offered to endorse me and they offered me one of their mandolins in exchange for a little exposure. After watching the show I think they will be happy.  

I love New York. It’s magically beautiful but I also love my little piece of earth here in Tennessee. I have grown to truly understand the full meaning in Dorothy’s words, “There’s no place like home.”

Check out something I wrote…

Somthin’ Magical Goin on Here…

Funny to me how imaginary lines on a map divide us into groups and make us seem different. We’re currently in Canada and the people here love Country Music. In fact they rocked our socks off a couple nighs ago at the Molson Canadian Amphitheater in Toronto.I can’t wait until tonight here in Edmonton.

That’s one of the many things I love about music. It’s ability to cross all communication barriers and unite you with a melody.
You don’t have to speak english to so sing the words to a song. You just do. It’s like magic. People in Japan go to a  Journey concert and sing every word of “Don’t Stop Believin'” and can’t speak a word of english. Something magical happening there..

But all that to say we’ve been having a great time out here, bring the music, the
fellowship, the happy, to people all across Canada and the United States. I totally love seeing people sing our songs and have a good time, it’s such an adrenaline rush. So “Don’t Stop Believin!!” and don’t stop comin to the shows.

Peace!

Go get em!
Deano

lovin livin life

Wow! has it been that long since my last post? Amazing! I’m a procrastinating son of a….

i mean well, really. But the day just flies by and before i know it i’m crawling into my bunk thanking Him for the day He just gave me and praying that i get to see another. At that point in the day there’s not a damn thing i can do about it EXCEPT! use those feelings to motivate me to try harder.
i dig the whole blog thing. i’ve  journaled for many years, i actually have three full journals completely full of memories. The fantasy that one day my kids will stumble upon them in a dusty old Goodwill donation box and read them, turning me into the hero i always wanted to be drives me to continue writing in them. But this is cool too. i really enjoy sharing what i do and some of what goes on out here. But i do love the process of writing. Ya know, i heard that the new Common Core academics program doesn’t call for cursive instruction and that public schools will be more likely to drop or, at least de-emphasize it. What is this world coming to…Wholly Shit am i rambling? Yes Dean, You are. Sorry!
Well, let’s see #sundownheaventown info…the shows have been great! All the acts are gellin’ well! We have been enjoying watching the World Cup with a couple of Kip’s guys. David, our stage left electric guitar player and Manny, Kip’s bass player have been getting together daily to play chess….yes chess. Of course around 2:00pm you’ll find all of us out in “The yard” as we so affectionatly call it, shakin’ ropes, flippin tires, flinging around kettle bells and anchor chains, doing rockstars, farmer carries, Hinhu pushups, Yogi walks. What the hell ever happened to good ol jumping jacks? But all that to say the other guys are great and everybody is having a great time.
We have a show here in the Orlando area on Tuesday, a travel day then a four in a row, followed by an 10 day break. Really looking forward to the break. Gonna try to get lost somewhere with the family unit. Connect with them unplug everything else.

Hey ya’ll do yourself a favor. Carve time out of your day to do what makes you happy. Color with your kids, walk the dogs, read a book or just sit and be. i know for me personally, i can fill my day with “taking care of stuff,” forgetting the most important thing.

Peace!

Stay Out Of My Way!

There are times when i catch myself trying to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. The balancing act of  touring road musician, father, and a husband becomes a bit arduous. Struggling to keep everybody happy, i quickly lose sight of my own happiness.
i want to fix everybody and everything, yet i lay in a pile of a thousand jagged pieces. i beat myself up for falling short of my desires and before long everything seems all screwed up.
i constantly have to remind myself to “Stay out of my way!!”
i can screw myself up! i can convince myself that i’m a failure, that i’m weak, no good, fat, ugly, you name it, if i give them enough time and attention those negative thoughts soon become me. And that is not me, and that is not how God wants me to be. Okay Dr. Seuss.  
So you know what i do? i thought you’d never ask. Now, it’s not easy, and it does take work but with some time and conscious effort you’ll see what i’m talking about.
i try to push those negative thoughts out of my mind with good thoughts. The moment they start to creep into your my head i shove them out with thinking about all the positive things in my life, or by repeating a simple positive phrase over and over until my negative thoughts disappear. Sometimes it takes awhile but i have found that if i can turn my focus to the positive instead of the negative things begin to change.

My pastor, the late David Foster, used to always say, “we are messy, screwed up people and hurt people hurt people.” That’s the truth, we are messy and when we are at our lowest and most hurt is when we say or do things that hurt the ones that love us the most. Don’t get in your way, don’t let yourself fill your head with negativity. You are a snowflake, a fingerprint, created in the image of God, there is no one like you on this entire planet. You are special, a ray of golden light shining through the clouds. Believe in yourself and stop trying to fix everything. Remember, to be a fixer of things you must first be fixed.
Love!

Deano

Haiku You

Bridges carry you.
High above uncertain ground.
Concrete certainty.

Back at it!!

Batteries charged and back at it! As the gig in Las Vegas winds down, March 20th-21st and April 11th-12th being our last two weekends, we are getting amped up for the new Sundown Heaven Town Tour.  A whole bunch of  new songs and all the great old ones you all know and love. So looking forward to sleeping in my bunk.

i always get asked, “do you ever get tired of being on the road?” And my honest answer is, “yes.” Somedays being on a four week run, on 40ft of bus, rolling down the highways and byways, can be taxing, especially the older i get. i mean, i’ve always felt totally blessed and i  so love my job but i’m also a daddy and a husband and being out on the road makes it tough to fill those tanks. Sure, technology has made it easier to stay in touch what with Skype and facetime and everything, but the hugs and kisses, the personal touches of a loved one are crutial to a fully rounded happy being. i usually say it’s not the road i get tired of it’s the 22 1/2 hours of time i gotta kill til i get to do what i love that wear me out. But this is my life, it’s what i know and definatly what i love and i will do it as long as i’m physically capable.

So what’s with people using iPads for cameras. i know they have pretty good cameras on them but from one friend to another you look silly holding that big thing in front of your face. There was one guy this weekend at the Venetian taking pictures with his ipad and all you could make out from the stage was fingers, arms, and shoulders. He had a black square for a face. We see you people and we love seeing your happy, smiling faces. Step away from the pad, get you a good little point and shoot and let your smiles shine.

Only you can make a bad day good. Smile, love, and be happy.

Peace

Bad Boys