Dysentery, Shea Quinn, Another Flinchy's Kind of Night, and Ray Lamontagne

As some of you may or may not have heard, the week before last I unfortunately contracted dysentery, most likely from some shady food I had on the 4th. I always thought that dysentery was something from the Oregon Trail era and limited these days to third-world and travel experiences, but alas, I was mistaken. The illness is still alive and kicking here in the U.S. It was quite an unpleasant experience and I will spare everyone the details. If your curiosity gets the best of you, Google away...

The one GOOD thing about the illness was that it altered my perspective on life somewhat, as life's experiences do. Driving around in the Blue Dragon after my recovery never felt so wonderful. It feels like every day after dysentery is a good day. You sure can't take your health for granted...

The other BAD thing about the whole experience (besides the illness itself, of course) was that I had to cancel both a Friday and Saturday gig--one in Alexandria and one in Silver Spring. I absolutely DESPISE having to cancel gigs, but in this case I was just physically unable to perform (I was in the ER at around 5am Saturday morning). Total bummer...

But that's all behind us now, a shadow of the past. I was good to go for my outdoor gig at Zephyr Express on Wednesday in Harrisburg. I drove up, set up, played three songs and it started pouring. Everything soaked. No worries, though. At least I didn't have dysentery anymore...

So, since I was in Harrisburg and I got out of Zephyr pretty early, I decided I'd try to visit a few folks. First off, my goddaughter Madison and her parents Mark and Lauren. Mark just moved into a new apartment in the area, so I was able to catch up with them there. I hadn't seen them all for months, so it was great to finally get together for a little while and just talk and catch up. Maddy's now walking and talking (sorta) and she's just a riot to hang out with. A hug and a kiss from her and life is grand...

Next, I swung over to Flinchy's because it had been way too long since I'd seen Flinch and the gang. It was a busy Wednesday night--Shea Quinn and Steve were playing inside to a sizable audience and there were also quite a few people outside despite more rain that seemed imminent. All the usual suspects were there: Flinchy, Mike Hancock, Trina, Sheena. It was great to see everyone. I had a couple of beers and a couple of shots a Jager (cursed stuff) and Shea was nice enough to even let me come up and do a few songs.

For those of you not familiar with Shea Quinn, Shea is a songwriter/rockstar extraordinaire. Not only that, but the few times I've spoken with Shea, he has been an incredibly kind, friendly, and a really down to earth guy--especially so to a kid like me who doesn't know anything about anything.

I'll be honest and say that I wasn't really familiar with Shea and his work before I met him this past year at Flinchy's. From what I've heard and researched since then, he was the lead singer/bass player for the Sharks, a band out of Lancaster, PA that formed in the early 80s and gained quick national recognition. They've had MTV videos, shared stages with countless national acts, and have releases on major labels. In addition, Shea's songwriting talents have been and continue to be utilized in many capacities, including use by national artist Jeffrey Gaines. Shea plays quite a bit these days in several different groups/arrangements, including the Sharks and The Luv Gods. Bottom line: Shea rocks and is one cool and talented dude.

So, we closed the bar down and I decided to make myself a sandwich at Flinchy's suggestion. Not long after I helped put some chairs up to finish the night out, Flinchy comes into the bar and asks if I want to ride the train. I thought the Jager had gotten to him and was a little hesitant at first, but the next thing I know Flinch, myself, Sheena and another girl are all getting on a train engine that's parked on the tracks right outside of the bar.

Flinchy knew one of the drivers, Sammy, and he was nice enough to take us for a ride down to Shiremanstown on the train and then drive us back in his car. It was a very profound experience to be riding a freight train at 4am with half a buzz. One of those things you won't forget. Flinchy always seems to outdo himself. After our ride, Sammy drove us back to Flinchy's apartment and we all hung out there for a while. I got to meet Flinchy's new lab, Tucker, and talk with Sammy some. Sammy seemed like quite an interesting guy, been driving trains for 30 some odd years if I recall the conversation. I bet he has a few secrets of life tucked away in that nogan of his. I hope I see him around some more the next time I'm up that way. I left Flinchy's apartment for home around 5:30am.

I made it into my driveway here in Ijamsville around 7am on Thursday. What a Wednesday. I caught some sleep before driving up to Philly that Thursday evening to meet my friend Lisa from LVC and her boyfriend Bob to see Ray Lamontagne perform. If you haven't bought any of Ray's music yet, you should. His music is some of the most heartfelt and emotional stuff I've heard in a while and he has quickly become one of my favorite artists of all time.

So, to say the least, life has been pretty interesting as of late. The highs and lows, it's all part of the story. I'm anxious to get back with the band and play. Between my illness and Ken's vacation, I feel like I haven't played a show with the guys in forever. This Saturday should be a lot of fun. We'll probably unveil a couple of new original tunes, too. I hope to see you all there...