Bushwaller's - 3/18/06 - Frederick, MD

OH MY. This gig was like a dream. Bushwaller's has become one of our favorite venues to play with consistent good turnouts. I was worried that folks would be winded from St. Patty's Day on Friday, but it turns out my worries were totally unfounded. What a show!

The place was full during the entire show and just progressively got more and more crazy. At one point about halfway through the show I saw in the distance that the windows in the very front of the place were totally fogged up from all of the heat and bodies. I was sweating like a whore in church. It was awesome.

There was a specific breaking point for the gig where things just went over the edge and into "out of control" status. I remember it vividly. We had just finished playing a song, and I went to call out the next tune and switch from guitar to piano. As I sat down at the piano and looked up at the crowd, there in front of me was a wall of unbelievably attractive girls that seemed to appear out of nowhere. I made a lame joke asking if "the Hot Bus" had just pulled up at Bushwaller's and in my mind I wondered if maybe I had fainted on stage and had mercifully been taken to this promised land.

For the next hour or two we were all in rock heaven. I gave my friend Mitch (who, in case I haven't mentioned before, is one of my closest friends and was my partner-in-crime throughout college) the job of "party liaison," so he was giving out beads and getting everyone riled up. There were some gorgeous Australian girls (with a guy who looked exactly like David Bowie, it was uncanny) who eventually came on stage and danced with us. One was wearing the shortest skirt I had ever seen and Chris even let her wear one of his guitars (wouldn't' you? See pictures on the website). Other girls came on and off stage, and eventually one of the Bushwaller's employees had to ask girls to leave the stage because of laws and safety issues that I will curse for the rest of my life.

Not about to let that stand in our way, Randy and I decided to walk into the crowd to dance with people and play our instruments. I even played one song on guitar that I usually play on piano, specifically so that I could become mobile. Shots were flying around, attractive girls were everywhere, and we were playing, singing, and jumping around like wild animals that had escaped from some kind of illegal rock and roll experiment. If only some of my ex-girlfriends could have seen me...

Earlier while I was playing piano, there was this girl in a green shirt who I think I could've married right on the spot. She was absolutely the most adorable thing I had ever seen. Very petite and elegantly pretty, she looked like she was probably the sweetest girl in the world. I just wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home with me. Her name was Kathleen. I hope she listens to the CD...

I got to talk with a lot of very cool people during breaks and after the show. I also had some friends drive all the way from Richmond, VA, to come see us play. As always, many thanks for everyone's support. The shows wouldn't be half as wild and fun without all of the awesome people we get to share them with.

Thanks to my friend Chris who came from PA to see the show for taking some great shots. I highly recommend visually supplementing this entry by viewing the pictures on the website. Here's what I mean:



A pretty high-profile week of gigs coming up for the FLB. An acoustic full band show at McGrath's in Harrisburg on Thursday, and then a show at the Eclipse Nite Club in Hagerstown on Friday. I visited Eclipse a couple of weeks ago and the place is awesome. Huge club with a big stage and an exciting ambiance. A great rock environment. Our friends from 106.9 The Eagle will also be at Eclipse and the FLB will be giving away t-shirts, CDs, and stickers. You can't miss it!

On Saturday, we'll be playing at Charles Town Races and Slots in Charles Town, WV. This place is a casino with slots and horse racing and has a big stage right in the middle of everything. The Vegas of West Virginia! My mother loves to gamble at Charles Town and is going to be on top of the world. She won't know what to do with herself--when/where else can you drink, smoke, gamble, and watch the FLB all at the same time?! There's also this giant multi-panel GinormoTron TV screen behind the stage where they film the band and eventually give us a DVD of the show. Another one you can't miss. See you soon...

Flinchy's - 3/17/06 - Camp Hill, PA

Ahh, St. Patty's Day. Kind of strange that there's a holiday almost specifically observed for drinking heavily, at least that's what it seems like it has become. Ain't that America...

Tonight was our friend Christy's last night in the area with us before she moved back to Memphis for a new job. She has supported us and come to countless shows since the beginning of the FLB, so I hope we were able to send her off properly. We're going to miss the hell outa her, but we know she'll come back soon.

Flinchy's was pretty packed when I got there, but there was some funkiness that sort of prevented the gig from being as wild as I thought it could have been. The dinner crowd ran late, so the FLB didn't get a chance to set up and start playing until about 10:30 P.M. Plus, when we did start playing, there were folks that decided to sit at tables right in front of the band--tables we usually move for a dancing area.

Flinchy was very hospitable and we imbibed our share of Irish spirits. There were certianly a few Guinness-sponsored versions of a couple tunes. We played "Vertigo" by U2 in honor of the holiday and also broke out a never-played-before version of "Werewolves In London." I thought it rocked.

As a surprise, I also broke out my bagpipes in their first ever public performance. I started learning how to play the pipes about two years ago and have been dying to give them a shot live. Flinchy's had calmed down some at this point (since many had been drinking all day), so I thought it was a good place for a test run. We played a very impromptu and rough version of "It's A Long Way To The Top" by AC/DC, which has a pretty good bagpipe part. My friend Mitch sang vocals on the tune and I think he scared the begeezus out of everyone. Good times...

After the gig, Mitch and I and a couple friends stuck around until close. We ended up at the Camp Hill Diner very late and went back to crash at Flinchy's place. I think it was around 5AM when we finally made it to bed.

Please turn to Side 2 of St. Patty's Day Weekend '06...