Wednesday, February 14, 2007

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Finally got it together and posted lots of blog. New posts are January 23rd and forward. Scroll down and get reading. If you would like, please feel free to post comments.
Michelle

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Day before Valentine’s Day and still getting the last minute calls for gifts. Packed up and on the road by 9am. As we head into Texas I look up Ford dealerships. My girl needs an oil change and my inspection sticker ran out in December. You know how redneck Texas can be. They will stop me every 10 feet because of the sticker. I find 2 dealerships in El Paso. I call the first one. They want $200 for an oil change and $60.00 for an inspection. Yeah, right. I call the other one. Shamalay Ford. $79.95 for oil and $12.50 for the inspection. That’s more like it. Plus they said it would take an hour and it did. They gave us a spot to park our trailer and took the big girl in right away. While we were sitting there this other guy was whining that it was taking 2 hours. The whole time I was there he kept going in and annoying the techs. No wonder it took so long. I would make him wait too. He was just a complainer. He had this nice “I’m fat and having a mid life crisis” Mustang. People like that don’t deserve nice cars. We head out and I get to stop at McDonalds. Yes that’s right. I made Jimmy stop there for lunch. Now I wish I didn’t. I got the McNuggets that have been sitting for an hour. I feel like I’m gonna puke, especially being in the back of the truck and bouncing around. We are trying to get to Abilene tonight. Probably will get in around 8ish. We will sleep in (hopefully) and head into Dallas tomorrow. We have a meeting at Vari-Lite on Thursday. We went through the border patrol without incident. The dog sniffed the trailer for Mexicans or drugs and waved us on. We finally get into the campground. What a looong day. I am finally able to post 2 weeks of the blog that I have been writing. I got email from our cousins in Poland. They sent pictures of Hanna who is just under a year and a half. She is so cute! Time for bed for us.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Out of bed and getting ready to go. Jimmy runs into Jack in the men’s room and asks about Holbrook. Holbrook usually takes his stroll around 10am but Jack lets him out early so I can say goodbye. He’s such a sweet dog. Told Jack that Connie and him are welcome to visit us up in Albany on one of their trips. I’ll miss the Mesa KOA. We have stayed there 3 times and met some really nice people there. Off to Stage Call to pick up our trailer. Thank you Stage Call for keeping her safe. We pull in and hook up and we are on the road again. Pull into Las Cruces, NM about 6PM and get settled in. The campers across from us are walking their 2 cats on leashes. I used to put Minnie on a leash and she was great. I put Jeter on and he looked like a kite. He was pissed off and flying around in the air. Maybe we will try it inside for a little while until he gets used to it. Tonight is 2 hours of 24 and then of course more General Hospital. I should be finished with this stack of tapes soon. My mom will be sending more to Nashville, where we will be all next week.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Up and at ‘em on Sunday morning. It rained during the night so the alley way is flooded. Have to carry our heavy suitcases to the truck. We get packed up and are ready to hit the road. We stop at Whole Foods and stock up on blueberry granola. Trying to get on the road so we get to Mesa before dark so I can see Holbrook. No such luck. We get in just after dark and set up at the campground. We don’t have our trailer yet so we just have snacks and sandwiches for dinner. Settled in for the night with Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters and more General Hospital on tape.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Pretty uneventful day, worn out from the past couple of weeks. I spend some time on the computer. Jimmy and I make pancakes for breakfast and him and John head over to Pops place to say hi. We pack up most of our stuff today so we will be ready to head out on Sunday.

Friday, February 9, 2007

The day I have been waiting for; the real reason I am on this trip, Production Meeting 4. I get a little bit of a late start. Jimmy was going to come with me and drive the beer cart and take photos but with Valentine’s next week someone had to stay and work. I elect Jimmy to do that. I get to the course and Dave is calling me. We play enough golf together that he knows I’m usually early and on the range. I tell him I’m in the lot and will be right there. I get in and Dave is paying for the carts, they only take cash…glad he didn’t spend it all this week. I run down to the range with my clubs and see everyone. I start snapping some photos and then whack a few balls. This is not a good sign, I hit really good shots; this does not bode well for my course game but I actually play really well the whole game. I always get tired around 17 and that hole I usually suck at. But I try and finish in a better place on 18. Dave is my partner and we play with Frank Stedtler from EFM and Gary Chrosniak, PM for Godsmack. We have a great time. Frank sunk a 50 footer on 3 and I sunk a 36 foot putt but I don’t remember where. I don’t know what was in the wind that day but balls from the other foursomes came awfully close to hitting us. One flew through Frank and I on one tee and the other slammed down between me and Gary on another tee. I think Gary may have crapped himself…hehe. When we finish 18 I turn around and take photos of the others playing. Everyone seems to be having a great time. Barry Podob from LeParc Hotel and Kevin Miller from Venice Blueprint Company win.

They tied with Mike Amato and Jay Sendyk but they won on the handicap hole. Mike Llewellyn from EFM and Phil Duncan from ATS got the coveted Jackass Award for last place. Michelle Freedman from LeMontrose Hotel rode around delivering beer and water and Nicki Goldstein met us at the 19th hole. We all head out to La Luna y El Sol for munchies and drinks. The golf tales get wilder as the alcohol flows. Everyone is just happy to be hanging out together. I love this family. I hate to leave but I am whooped and John and Jimmy are cooking dinner. Back at the house they have rustled up one of John’s famous pork chop dishes, delicious as always. I fill my belly and head to bed. I haven’t had any decent sleep in I don’t know how long. I’m waking up every night between 2 and 3 AM and not really going back to sleep. Maybe I’ll sleep when I get home in March and see Jeter. He helps his mama sleep.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

We get up early and head out to Starbucks to meet with Mike Amato. We have a great time telling war stories about the road and some of the bands that we have in common. Mike is just one of those people you meet that makes you say “I’m glad I know him”. He heads off for some Linkin Park business and we head to the Hyatt for lunch and one of the panels. While at lunch with guess who? Could it be? That’s right Dave Paiva. I should just adopt him. At lunch my mom calls to inform us about Anna Nicole Smith. After lunch is “Making a Production Of It” panel. It was a great discussion. Went over some of the age old problems like you know when you get to production rehearsals and you see the schedule, the set and other things and you say “How the f*ck are we gonna make this work and who the hell was in on the planning?”. The money people are in the bar whooping it up, they don’t come to the production panels because they don’t want to be held accountable. Thank goodness there are people out there like Jake Berry who know how to get it done. After the panel we visit with some people that are attending and head up to the bar, that’s right a very loud bar. We were planning on going to the awards but after getting back to John’s in rush hour traffic we really didn’t have it in us. How do people drive like this every day? We are in for the night. I’d rather get some work done on the computer and rest up for the Production Meeting 4 Tournament in the morning. YEE HAAA!!!

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Day 2 of Pollstar, the morning starts with work before we roll down to Venice Beach to visit with Francis DellaVecchia from Cultural Connections, SGA has worked with him on things like the Marijuana Policy Project. The MPP is actively working on passing legislation for medicinal marijuana. Excellent organization, you need to check them out and get on their newsletter list, http://www.mpp.org/ . We are going to be doing more for them in the future since it is a cause we believe in. The best thing about my business is we work with our friends and get to work on causes we believe in. How many people get to say that?
After a wonderful meeting with Francis we head to the Hyatt, who by the way wants $31.00 to park my truck for a few hours. They said they have the best price, yeah right, $16.00 right around the corner. Making our way to the Cyber Café we get some work done and run into Kendall and then Paiva (is Dave stalking me?). We accomplish a little bit and then head up to the noise fest. We see Stuart Ross and Chuck Randall and then I run into Pearl Aday and Scott Ian from Anthrax. Haven’t seen them since 2000. I love traveling and running into friends. Paiva gets stood up for dinner so he wants us to go out. We head out and either we went to the wrong place or I don’t know what but it was horrible Mexican food. Sat in my gut like lead and I have one of those strong Polish stomachs that can eat anything. Now, I don’t know if this is true or not but he got some suggestions on restaurants from Stuart Ross, gee thanks man. After dinner, Dave drops us off at our $16.00 parking lot and we head back to John’s house.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Heading into LA for lunch at the LeParc with Barry Podob, I love his hotel. His Tour Link “Top Dog” award is front and center at the front desk….Congratulations! As we head into lunch so does Peter Fonda. He has a new movie coming out called Ghost Rider. We meet with Barry and have a great lunch as usual. Last time I was in LA I was having lunch at the LeParc. I had a Chicken Caesar, Jimmy had a burger and Barry had the Oriental salad. And of course Barry “forced” me to have the Crème Brulee trio. I didn’t share. Pretty rude…not. We talked a little golf, upstate NY and cars, Barry’s 1982 (?) Porsche recently caught fire and died. He is still in mourning. We checked out some of Barry’s current swag and are working on some new items for him. If you have a daughter about the age that would like the American Girl stuff ask Barry about the hotel package. Barry took us on the tour of the hotel. They just finished remodeling the whole thing. I guess it took about 3 years, one year per floor. The rooms were always awesome, now they are fabulous, all new fabrics, counter tops and the best part…flat screens in the bed room. I tried to get left behind but it didn’t work. After lunch we head to the Hyatt to listen to the keynote address. I run into Bob Belber from the Times Union (The Knick Arena) in Albany, NY. Also Jimmy Koplik and Wayne Goldberg from Live Nation and a variety of other folks. Of course our ever faithful sidekick Dave Paiva finds us and sits with us. He has to run out and find some one to translate, he has a call from Mexico. Stephanie from Pollstar grabs the head of catering and saves Dave’s butt. Ticketmaster announced a partnership with iTunes at the opening of the conference and we all get $25 iTunes and $25 to spend with Ticketmaster. My friend Christine just lucked out since Jimmy and I don’t have iPods and we don’t buy concert tickets. After the keynote we head into the opening reception and chow down. We check out some of the trade booths and as I pass by one I here a voice call my name. I turn around and at the Rhino Staging booth is Kendall Carter. Its been a dog’s year since I’ve seen him. He tells me after Katrina his sister Yvonne moved to Pflugerville which was just down the street by 10 minutes when we lived in Texas. I hate being out of touch. It was so good to see Kendall again. He was a great PM when I was out with him. Heading upstairs to the bar, Holy Cow! I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere so loud, it amazes me how loud money talks. I won’t post my full commentary here but I stayed a very short while and headed back out to West Hills for the night.

January 30-February 5, 2007

We spend the next few days working and setting up appointments with I Love All Access, Rat Sound, Branam, LeParc Hotel, Marijuana Policy Project and others. Have to get the newsletters ready to go to remind people about Valentine’s Day. Also working on a lot of quotes for clients. New tours coming, everyone wants new swag plus all the new business contacts we made at TourLink. It is insanely busy and I feel like I live on my laptop. I need to get Jimmy a new one. We are looking at a Mac for him. Apparently Bill Gates and the PC Posse have something against him and are out to get him. I say operator error. Over the weekend we visit with Dave “Pops” Clements, his wife Linda and Mr. Cat. Mr. Cat had a tangle with the garage door opener but he is okay. Pop's mixes up some margaritas, and we all munch on chips, dip and guac. Delicious! I totally forgot Pops had a 65 T-Bird AND a 65 Mustang. How lucky can you get? Their house is beautiful as is the backyard where everyone sips their margaritas. More war stories are told and we make it an early night. Check out Pop’s website. We are also getting ready to attend Pollstar CIC for the first time.

Monday, January 29, 2007

We get up on Monday and head out of the KOA towards Stage Call. We meet with Loren and Kyle to talk about t-shirts and Loren is kind enough to let us leave the trailer there while we go to LA. What is it with California where you can only drive 55 with a trailer….lame. We head towards LA after our meeting and get to Papa’s Place (John Gabrielli’s) around 8:30. I want to watch 24 but Jimmy doesn’t want to drag out my TV. We hang with John and off to bed.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Sunday is golf day. Boy am I ready, I’m just not sure my body is. It has been well over six months since I last played. I meet Paiva and his wife, Rose at 8:30 and we head to McDonald’s (yes, I am sneaking in some McD’s) and then to the course. I’m sure Rose is happy to have Dave out from under foot for the day. We head into the pro shop to get some range balls and I get a call from cousin Tony telling me the propane ran out. I tell him to turn on the electric baseboards. I’m not paying Suburban Propane any more money. I don’t trust them and I don’t like them. Don’t tell me I can’t have a gauge on my tanks so I can see how much propane I use. Chicks are doing good, don’t like the snow too much though. Amy and Tony have been selling eggs. Back to golf – head to the range to whack a few and get loosened up. Trying out the rescue clubs – they don’t seem to rescue my game. We pair up with Keith Mitchell from Shockwave Cargo and Chris “Pigeon Killer” Barnes from Cami Systems. We are the first to tee off. We are scrambling, the guys behind us are playing Lone Wolf and we all suck. The course is pretty nice – not used to the brown grass though. The grass is always green at the Roost. No one can seem to keep it on their own fairway and Paiva loses balls left and right. Now the “Pigeon Killer”. I will spare you the details but it is exactly how it sounds. The tee, the ball, pigeons on the tee box and a not so great shot. Stupid birds. I told Chris, had it been a Coot he would be up the creek with me. Nice round of golf, back to hotel and more goodbyes and off to the Mesa KOA to see Holbrook.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Saturday morning is here and that’s more than I can say for a few people that have to be awoken by their offices wondering why they are still in bed….Paiva…..beauty rest, I guess it hasn’t worked for you. Panel discussions, lunch and more discussions. Jimmy only makes it to breakfast and lunch. He is busy uploading Valentine products and other work and doesn’t attend the discussions. I assume he is at work but I catch him goofing off with the guys outside. I show him who’s boss. You can take a PA off the road but not out of the girl. I quickly straighten them out only to disappear before they know what hit them. Paiva does a good imitation of me now. The boys razz Jimmy, I go back to business and Jimmy is off to work.
Well, the last night is here with dinner and the “Top Dog” awards ceremonies. By bus we are shuttled to the venue. By nature we are all still in grade school as some of the boys grab the bus mic and decide to entertain us. The stage is set for the awards as we all pile in to fill the place. Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” accompanies a video of touring personnel that we all hoot and holler at as our friends come across the screen. But its end is humbling as we remember those we have lost too soon in life. The ceremony rolls on with all the hi jinx and rib jabbing that is expected but the visions and thoughts of lost friends and touring partners these past few years just won’t let go. Yes their friendships now turn to memories that I will carry with me always. God Bless.
What I need is what the Hyatt girls are throwing. A bustling party of spirits and sounds to get you moving around the room. The night trucks on and the goodbyes begin and we all wish and toast to a great year that’s already on its way. Good night and thank you all for a wonderful long weekend. Until next year, safe travels!

Friday, January 26, 2007

Friday is full of industry specific panels with a wide range of speakers, some thought provoking discussions and an inside view of other industry businesses that only goes to show that we all have the same small business issues. Lunch is served and we mingle amongst the roar of conversations. What a great atmosphere. Lunch comes to an end as the next round of panels start. YEAH! There’s ice cream. It’s funny we are just a room full of kids. Yes this day wouldn’t be complete if there wasn’t an open bar and dinner at the bus BBQ. The food is delicious and the company is fun as usual. I see a few new faces and run into Mark Spring and Ian Kinnersly who live in the area. Saw Opie in the lobby earlier in the day but didn’t get a chance to say hello. We hang out with the girls from Travel Wellness and the couple that has that really cool receipt scanner. The only thing not fun is that a band is playing way too loud so it is hard to carry on a conversation. Seth with Access Pass and Design stops by and is nice enough to give Jimmy a jacket. We go upstairs before we head to Sluggo’s again. Jimmy is working on the computer. I am flat out exhausted. I haven’t been able to sleep for almost a week and it is catching up. I lay down and sleep for 10 minutes. Apparently Jimmy has been talking to me but I am out cold. He finally whistles like he does to Jeter and I wake up and spring into action. I practically land in my shoes and I am out the door. Little trick I learned as a production assistant on the road…I just need 10 minutes to charge my battery. We head to Sluggo’s for just a half hour or so (yeah right). Jimmy is talking with Carl from Professional Wireless Systems and he is keeping Jimmy mesmerized from his tales when he used to work in communications at the White House. He worked under Reagan, Bush 1 and Clinton. I am talking with Martin Kelley and Kari Obernesser from Loews Denver about the issues of hotel check in, one of the pet peeves at the panel. It is so cool to see people from different parts of the industry trying to help each other in their businesses. Several hours later Jimmy is pointing at his wrist and pleading with his eyes, sorry bub I had my 10 minute power nap. I am enjoying a conversation with Jim Digby, Martin, Lance from Tour Supply and watching Allison from the Grand Hyatt Seattle beat up on Keith Mitchell from Shockwave in a merciless game of tic tac toe. Keith is trying to get me and Paiva to get up and play golf in the morning. I told them to call me. I am safe in the knowledge that they won’t make it so I can try and get some sleep. Tonight we are not last in the bar but it is still late. See you in the morning.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Pack up and roll, it is time for load out from the campground! Today it’s laser tag, mini golf and go cart racing. 11:30AM arrival for an 11:45 departure for an afternoon of fun for all. Yeah right, it’s rock and roll and never on time. We take off just a little off schedule. It is really great to see new faces and all the TourLink veterans from years past. Mini-golf starts and we are in the 1st group to play. Martin Kelley, Jamie Peck from BSL in Baltimore and us. The game is loads of fun. Who’s in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place doesn’t matter when you realize who you are playing with because I see across the course Dave Paiva putting backwards between his legs, imagine that…it’s by evolution that this industry is a species of its own. Next is lunch and then on to laser tag. I am in first place, maybe sharp shooting could be another career path for me? Now the always eventful go-cart racing starts. In the second group race, just leave it to Jimmy to bump and spin Teresa Tracy with the Hilton Indy around 360 in a hairpin turn. Well I guess whatever it takes to make new friends. The race stops temporarily as Jimmy is reprimanded by the track officials. I do come in second but may have taken the lead if it wasn’t for Jimmy’s mishaps. Back to the hotel in a beautiful Roberts Brothers Coach by Prevost. Sometimes I really do miss Prevost. It takes everything I have not to crawl into a bunk and fall asleep. Check-in and load in to our hotel room for a few hours of work and get ready for the opening night party. Downstairs at 7PM for food, drinks and laughs. By 10PM we all roll over to Sluggo’s for even more food, drinks and great conversations with even more new faces. For us it ends at midnight but for many others it goes on until 3 or 4AM. I promised myself that this year I would pace myself so I would be awake for golf on Sunday.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Today is a beautiful day with the morning sun warming our faces and the awesome view of the Superstition Mountains rising up before us as we prepare breakfast. Work, work, work, it never ends, thankfully our attention to work is distracted by a wonderful greyhound named Holbrook, a tiger striped beauty with the grace of a bygone champion. He is now retired at a tender age of six but you can see the hardships of years as a racer (96 total) in his body and eyes. With the love and attention of his new owners, Connie and Jack, he has bounced back from the rigors of racing to the youthful bliss of the puppy inside. Back to work as the sun rises and fades into the west. We ready ourselves for the unofficial opening night TourLink Party at Sluggo’s Bar and Grill. I love this industry, we walk into Sluggo’s to see a half dozen friends and clients. We try to manage, but its hard to stay focused in one conversation as more and more people pour in. We see Jim Digby, Martin Kelley from Christie Lites-Toronto, Dave Paiva from Cube Services and more. As always we seem to be the last ones leaving but it is always worth it. Our day starts early tomorrow, or should I say today as it’s almost 2AM. Goodnight to all.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Midmorning we’re on the road again, out of LA to Mesa, AZ. Nothing new today and with 400 miles to go, the more things change the more they seem to stay the same. Years and years of touring the world and now, touring again, promoting our business and seeing old friends. It is so wonderful to see that time and distance doesn’t change the bonds that are made on the road.

Tour Guide Magazine puts on TourLink every year in Mesa, AZ to unite old friends and set the stage for new friendships, build partnerships and the health of the music touring business. We near our destination at the foot of the Superstition Mountains in Apache Junction, AZ. The sun is setting as we settle in for the night, the fading light upon the mountain only reminds us of how much this area has changed over the decades. No longer is this mountain out of the way with the encroaching Home Depots, Walmarts and miles of subdivisions, mother nature teaches us that the beauty of her work goes on forever.