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Been a strange couple weeks since we got home. The jet lag was murder but I'm finally sleeping through the night. For nearly a week Laurie and I would be out of gas at 4pm but when we went to bed at 11pm at night we kept waking up at 3am and were wide awake.
The summer tour season has wound down. We have shows for winter but now is the time to start creating new material and start working on next seasons tour.
I've already been writing and recording demos of my ideas to give to the band. Laurie & I have started some brainstorming sessions about music ideals and marketing for next year as well as lyrics for the new songs. We'll spend many hours working on the preparations for the recording sessions. Rehearsals with the guys and I'll have to write charts for any added studio players (I'm thinking of a horn section for a couple of songs.) It's really a monumental task just to put one CD together but this year we have two separate projects to deal with. A new RWB project and a special CD that's still in the hush hush mode. It should be a great musical expression with a twist.
I'll fill everyone in as it develops.
Our body of work has been growing slowly for almost 3 years and the most interesting thing about that is that we sell music all over the world through our site, and others and we generate sales from Downloads in greater and greater numbers every month. The newest surprise came in the mail today. Sadson Music received a check from BMI, our performing rights society for airplay of our music on radio, internet and subscription services including several airlines. It was really fun to see a list of all the outlets that logged our music in the first 3 months of 2009. I always try to be the artist first but part of you MUST be the bean counter if you don't want to deal with a record company and the way the industry is now NOBODY with talent should run around fixating on getting "signed".
All I can say is doing things indie has been a long, hard, difficult road but I feel that it's the most satisfying way to go to keep your artistic vision intact. Sure, other people may have more bling but they always seem to disappear after awhile. I plan on being here giving my music out to the world for as long as I possibly can. Give a listen, it just might make you feel.
www.rustywrightband.com
Rusty
Sep 15, 2009
Bluzapalooza IV, Rusty's Wrap-Up
BLUZAPALOOZA IV Second Leg of tour - Japan
Sorry for the delay. Internet access was a bit spotty at the bases in Japan
and our schedule was very tight so there was little time for writing. so I thought
I'd do a recap of the 3 shows in Japan all in this post.
Day 1 in Japan
September 10, 2009
Our Japan Air flight left Incheon International Airport in Korea and we landed at Narita International Airport just outside Tokyo. We had just really become comfortable in Korea and had made a great friend in our driver, Mr Yi so our departure was a bit sad, but we knew there were more people to play for - and
duty calls.
Mr. Yi was a true Godsend. He went out of his way on many occasions to help us during the tour. He found music stores when we needed parts. He haggled with the shop owners so we didn't get taken advantage of. He drove us around on his own time to get laundry done and helped us find the best deals on shopping and places to eat. He taught us Korean phrases and told us where we could go to sight see
and where NOT to go. When one of the speakers blew a high end driver during a show he took it upon himself to take it to be repaired the next morning.
He wasn't obligated to do any of this. His job was to drive us from point A to point B but he chose to be a friend and we are most definitely friends in return. So much so that on our last day we felt we just had to do something for him so I gave him a Bluzapalooza cap and a tip and Laurie gave him her Bluzapalooza jacket right off her back. He had really liked them when we arrived and asked how he could get one.
Mr. Yi and Laurie
I wanted to give him mine but he's a small guy and Laurie had the only jacket in his size. I felt bad that she should give up hers and told her not to. I would try and get one and send it to him but she was adamant. She likes Mr. Yi a lot too and didn't hesitate to give him the coat off her back...That's my girl :-)
We left Korea and arrived in Japan to meet our POC "Spike" Uchino. Spike is a Japanese national who works for AFE. He does a good job of organizing and our first nice surprise was when we saw a full size tour bus show up, YEA BUDDY! There's nothing better for long haul drives than a big old bus with large plush seats and all the extras.
We arrived at Yakota Air Force Base and got our credentials for base access, after which we were taken to
the Kantos Lodge on base. The lodge is a VERY nice military hotel and the accommodations were suites with full kitchens and living area. It was a very nice place to stay. We had the day free so everyone kind of scattered and did various things. Laurie and I stayed close to the rooms because we had an early interview the next morning at the Armed Forces Radio Network.
Day Two in Japan
September 11, 2009
We headed out at 8:30am for the interview on the morning drive time show. Spike picked us up in the tour bus and we headed out to the station. Armed Forces Radio in Japan boasts a listenership of 800,000 to 1 million listeners! WOW. At the station we were introduced to our AFN Liaison Felix and morning show host Jeff St. Sauveur. Jeff is a friendly guy and we relaxed and enjoyed the 30-minute interview. He played songs from the new CD and talked about our tour and the Bluzapalooza organization. We gave him CDs for giveaways and did a video shout out for his show after the interview.
From there it was time to go get the guys and setup and sound check for the show at the Yakota Officers Club – or the O Club, as they call it. It is a nice place, rather like a country club, with restaurant, banquet facilities and a bar area. We performed on a nice size stage in a ballroom-size room that had been set up for the show. We went on at 7p.m. - right after dinner and did two 50-minute sets, playing for a nice crowd of enlisted men, officers and their wives. (The show was open to all ranks). They loved it and danced and cheered all through the show. Afterwards we ran around meeting everyone, signing photos and handing out more CDs and cards to our website. It was a fine evening and it really made us feel good about what we were doing.
Day 3 in Japan
September 12, 2009
We left the comfort of Kantos Lodge and headed for Yokuska. We arrived and met our POC, Jason and went directly to the O Club there. It was very similar to the club at Yakota so setup and sound check was easy.
The show was open to all ranks and visitors and to our surprise there were quite a few Japanese people in the audience including members of the Mot Oteru Band, a Japanese blues act that performs at the base regularly. They were very excited to hear an American act and the local commander introduced me to
all of them before the show. They were extremely polite and were very interested in seeing
us perform. These folks loved blues style music and have built their entire repertoire around
American blues music. They clapped and cheered and smiled all through the show. There was none of the posturing and testosterone you often run into with bands in the states. By the end of the show we made friends and signed autographs and gave more CDs away. It was another fine evening making music and friends.
Right after the show we packed up and climbed aboard the bus again for a two-and-a-half hour drive to Camp Fuji at the base of Mt. Fuji. We were scheduled to play the Camp Fuji Friendship Festival there on the 13th (our last show). Since community turnout is quite large for these festivals on the bases our liaisons worried we might get stuck in traffic if we waited until morning to leave.
Day 4 in Japan
September 13, 2009
We rolled in to Camp Fuji about 1a.m. and checked into the Mountainview Inn which is the
on-base billeting. Camp Fuji is a long-established Marine training site, which has been around since WWII. Being a Marine base it is much more Spartan than the other branches. Marines are all about what you need to get the job done not about frou-frou. Our rooms were clean and comfortable but there was no Wi-Fi so we had to go to the club for the enlisted personnel for that. Everything at Camp Fuji is spread out. Nothing is close by. Luckily, our POC Shaun had allocated two vans and drivers to help get us around. Because the base was open to the public while we were there the PX and mess hall were closed. We did get to eat a breakfast of omelettes, bacon, hash browns and toast and coffee/juice with the troops but after 9am there were no more meals.
We were the closing act at the festival and weren’t scheduled to go on until 7p.m. so we asked our driver take us into town for some provisions. Laurie, Lee and I went to a big supermarket which had fresh seafood as well as everything else you could imagine. We bought some grocery-type stuff since there were
refrigerators and microwaves in the rooms including some big sampler platters of fresh sushi.
We had some on the plane coming over and decided to get more as well as all the other normal munchy-type stuff. OH - and you have not had a real egg roll until you try them here. WOW, are they good!
Dave, Justin, Andy & Pete took the other van into town to eat at a real Sushi restaurant. The kind
where you sit at a table and there's a little trough that runs all the way around the restaurant filled with
flowing water. The various types of sushi come floating by on small decorative plates of various colors.
When you see what you want you pick it up out of the trough and eat. The waitress then tallies up your bill
by the number of plates stacked up and the colors tell her the price of each kind of Sushi.
Showtime came and they drove us to the backstage where we tuned up and prepared for our set.
We went on and kicked off with the instrumental, Hell on My Heels, which lit the marines up right away!
After that we tore through a 60-minute show of our most intense songs and were greeted by
enthusiastic claps and hoots from the people. The Japanese were a little freaked at the intense guitar
but the "Jarheads" ate it up (God bless em'). After the show we were invited to the Roadhouse and the upstairs officer’s club. There we were greeted by the camp commander and many marines who loved the show. We hung out there for almost two hours talking and partying with the guys. I bought beers for many of them and handed out the remaining Bluzapalooza caps as well as photos and cards.
I love playing but we all had as much fun shooting the breeze with these guys as we did doing the show.
Marines are my kind of folks. No BS. Straight up and to the point, with a strong desire to laugh and party -but ready to get the job done - no matter what. Yeah, these guys are definitely cut from a very special cloth.
We left the next day for home, tired but satisfied. This tour was extremely grueling and we were on a
flat run almost all the time but as we all sat in the van on the drive home from the airport we discussed
our experiences and everyone agreed they'd do this again. In fact, a lot of the sentences started out with
"Next time we do this we should..." So I guess we will be "lifers" for the military. Why not? It's the least we can do to express our gratitude to these people who risk their lives so that we might be able to live ours the way we choose.
God speed and good fortune to the noble men and women of the United States Armed Forces. I will gladly play my blues for you until everyone comes home.
This is Rusty Wright signing off for Bluzapalooza IV and Armed Forces Entertainment.
Peace.
Sep 12, 2009
Catching up on the tour...
Saturday, September 5 2009
Show #3 BBQ & Blues, Osan Air Force Base
Osan is an extremely nice base, with the officer’s club resembling some of the nicer country clubs Rusty and I have performed at. The BBQ & Blues Festival was just getting into full swing outside the officer’s club when we arrive. As our bus pulled up we were geeked to see our faces plastered on a huge banner strung across the intersection. Too cool. We unloaded our borrowed amps and keyboard and do a quick sound check. Lee went to work with audio crew from the Korean sound company to get our instruments and vocals dialed in and everything seemed fine at that point. Since we still had several hours before our performance we were directed to a private room in the O club that has been set aside for our use. Some of us set up our laptops and go to work on video clips, posting to our tour blogs and sorting the photos we’ve taken so far. The rest of the group heads back outside to hear the first act, a local band.
The first half of our set sent off without a hitch. Great crowd, great response. Then right at the end of the set sparks began spitting outward from the outlet box Dave’s keyboard was plugged into. We quickly yank the keyboard’s transformer cable but the damage was already done. We took a break so the MC could take care of some announcements and we could confer with the sound company folks to try to come up with a solution. Before Dave and I could leave the stage smoke began pouring up out of the Line 6 guitar amp. Another piece of gear fried. The only solution was to change up the set and finish the performance as a four-piece, with Dave watching glumly from side stage. We all felt bad that some equipment got wrecked, even though it wasn’t our fault and there was nothing we could have done to prevent it.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Show #4 Labor Day festivities, Hanson Field House, Camp Casey
No luck in finding a transformer or getting the fried one repaired for Dave’s keyboard. We were disappointed at the possibility that Davey might have to sit out a show or two until we could resolve the equipment issue. Fortunately, Frank --- Our main AFE contact in Hawaii contacted the owner of the equipment rental company and made arrangements for us to borrow a keyboard for the show from a band called USA Express who was scheduled to play earlier before us at the festival.
Lots of families in attendance for the Labor Day activities, which included entertainment, demonstrations, vender booths, and games and contests for both kids and adults, inflatable castles for bouncing – all the normal stuff you see at a community festival.
Dave usually plays a Hammond B3 at our shows but AFE was unable to provide a B3 for the tour so Dave has been hooking a laptop to the keyboard and is using a B3 simulator program to get his B3 sound. It’s not an ideal arrangement for him but sounds pretty darn good, all the same.
It was great being able to perform outdoors. There has been little variation in day/night temperatures since we’ve been here, with only one humid day. We were the final act of the evening and by the time we took the stage it was dark. The only drawback to the outdoor shows here have been the big ass bugs. At Osan, we had to contend with spiders spinning webs in the equipment on stage while we played. At Camp Casey bugs that looked like mayflies started landing on us as soon as we started playing. At one point I looked over at Rusty and saw a half dozen of the mayflies clinging to his shirt and a huge praying mantis making its way up his back at an alarming rate of speed, heading straight for his ear. I got the feisty little interloper off of him but he/it remained up on stage with us through the rest of the show. At the end of our set the camp’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) director presented the band with a gorgeous engraved plaque. Then we were able to spend some time signing autographs and chatting with some enlisted folks who’d hung around to say hi. Everyone has been very friendly and appreciative – we all look forward to the time we spend after our shows talking with the military folks and finding out where they’re from originally, how long they’ve been away from the states, etc.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tommy D’s, Camp Humphreys
Each venue/event has been quite different. Our last Korean show at Tommy D’s was more like a regular club gig than a concert. When we arrived we learned there had been a bit of a snafu with communication. A local band, New Sensations, was also scheduled to perform the same night. Their show was cancelled so we could go ahead with ours. Instead of being irked, the band was very friendly and came out en force to the club in support of our show, which we thought was really, really nice. At Kunsan, JBL Simple Tunes (from the Philippines) had their show pushed back until after we’d done our 2-hour show, They came out early to hang out and talk, and then asked for autographs and chatted for a bit before setting up their gear and performing. We were able to stick around and hear them too, which was nice.
At 9 a.m. we checked out of the Kaya Hotel and boarded the bus to head back to Incheon International Airport. Today we fly to Narita Japan and we’ll be met by Spike, our new AFE contact person. We stop at the warehouse to drop off the equipment we have used for our Korean shows and then our last trip with Mr. Yi.
We were very sad at the prospect of saying goodbye. Mr. Yi has been very gracious and patient with us this past week. Our trip would have been much more stressful and much less successful had he not been so willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. After Pete discovered his borrowed drum kit was lacking parts Mr. Yi located a music store en route to our second show and even helped negotiate the best price for the parts since none of us could speak the language. When the keyboard transformer and a guitar amp fried during our performance at Osan, Mr. Yi found a huge music mall and volunteered to come in to work SIX HOURS EARLY to drop some of us off on base to do laundry while he chauffeured the rest of the group to the mall to get the transformer repaired and find the other gear we needed, and on our last full day in Korea he picked us up several hours early and drove us back to the shopping district just outside Osan Air Force base so we could shop for souvenirs. Bluzapalooza IV stayed on track thanks to Mr. Yi so it felt right to gift him with one of the Bluzapalooza tour jackets he had admired earlier in the week.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Destination: Tokyo, Japan
I am enthralled with Tokyo – at least from the window of the bus. We have been in Japan for just a couple of hours and already have been seduced by the sophisticated beauty of this megalopolis . According to Wikipedia the greater Tokyo area is home to some 35 million people, making it the most densely populated metropolitan area on Earth. Tokyo and Seoul are the largest cities I have visited to date. Years ago I had the opportunity to perform in European cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne – cities more known for their history and old architecture, but Seoul and Tokyo are a huge contrast - very vibrant and contemporary, while maintaining an exotic air. I don’t know that I would enjoy living in such a huge city, but visiting is certainly exciting.
Saturday, September 10-11, 2009
Yokota AB
Before we can check into the hotel we have to stop at the guard station to get signed in and get our temporary base passes. This takes about an hour. We’re all exhausted and the photos on our temporary passes look fairly demonic. For this leg of the trip we’re being housed on base at the Kantos Lodge where we each have our own suite at the Kantos. We have good coffee, Wi-Fi and the mattress is soft – a huge improvement over the concrete hard beds in Korea. I definitely could linger here a while but we have two short nights here. In the morning we pick up our PA rig from storage and head back over to the guard house for yet another round of paperwork and photographs. It takes well over an hour to process our temporary passes. My second photo isn’t any more flattering than the first.
We walk over to the Officer’s Club to set up. It’s a nice size room with a formal atmosphere and a decent size stage. We go back to the hotel for about 90 minutes then walk back over to the restaurant for an excellent dinner. We eat an embarrassing amount of the wonderful warm, dark bread and honey butter. As we leave the restaurant a lady named Tara Werner walked over to introduce herself to us, saying she’d been to our website and was looking forward to the show. By the end of the evening I felt like I’ve made some new friends and that we definitely will stay in touch.
Show #3 BBQ & Blues, Osan Air Force Base
Osan is an extremely nice base, with the officer’s club resembling some of the nicer country clubs Rusty and I have performed at. The BBQ & Blues Festival was just getting into full swing outside the officer’s club when we arrive. As our bus pulled up we were geeked to see our faces plastered on a huge banner strung across the intersection. Too cool. We unloaded our borrowed amps and keyboard and do a quick sound check. Lee went to work with audio crew from the Korean sound company to get our instruments and vocals dialed in and everything seemed fine at that point. Since we still had several hours before our performance we were directed to a private room in the O club that has been set aside for our use. Some of us set up our laptops and go to work on video clips, posting to our tour blogs and sorting the photos we’ve taken so far. The rest of the group heads back outside to hear the first act, a local band.
The first half of our set sent off without a hitch. Great crowd, great response. Then right at the end of the set sparks began spitting outward from the outlet box Dave’s keyboard was plugged into. We quickly yank the keyboard’s transformer cable but the damage was already done. We took a break so the MC could take care of some announcements and we could confer with the sound company folks to try to come up with a solution. Before Dave and I could leave the stage smoke began pouring up out of the Line 6 guitar amp. Another piece of gear fried. The only solution was to change up the set and finish the performance as a four-piece, with Dave watching glumly from side stage. We all felt bad that some equipment got wrecked, even though it wasn’t our fault and there was nothing we could have done to prevent it.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Show #4 Labor Day festivities, Hanson Field House, Camp Casey
No luck in finding a transformer or getting the fried one repaired for Dave’s keyboard. We were disappointed at the possibility that Davey might have to sit out a show or two until we could resolve the equipment issue. Fortunately, Frank --- Our main AFE contact in Hawaii contacted the owner of the equipment rental company and made arrangements for us to borrow a keyboard for the show from a band called USA Express who was scheduled to play earlier before us at the festival.
Lots of families in attendance for the Labor Day activities, which included entertainment, demonstrations, vender booths, and games and contests for both kids and adults, inflatable castles for bouncing – all the normal stuff you see at a community festival.
Dave usually plays a Hammond B3 at our shows but AFE was unable to provide a B3 for the tour so Dave has been hooking a laptop to the keyboard and is using a B3 simulator program to get his B3 sound. It’s not an ideal arrangement for him but sounds pretty darn good, all the same.
It was great being able to perform outdoors. There has been little variation in day/night temperatures since we’ve been here, with only one humid day. We were the final act of the evening and by the time we took the stage it was dark. The only drawback to the outdoor shows here have been the big ass bugs. At Osan, we had to contend with spiders spinning webs in the equipment on stage while we played. At Camp Casey bugs that looked like mayflies started landing on us as soon as we started playing. At one point I looked over at Rusty and saw a half dozen of the mayflies clinging to his shirt and a huge praying mantis making its way up his back at an alarming rate of speed, heading straight for his ear. I got the feisty little interloper off of him but he/it remained up on stage with us through the rest of the show. At the end of our set the camp’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) director presented the band with a gorgeous engraved plaque. Then we were able to spend some time signing autographs and chatting with some enlisted folks who’d hung around to say hi. Everyone has been very friendly and appreciative – we all look forward to the time we spend after our shows talking with the military folks and finding out where they’re from originally, how long they’ve been away from the states, etc.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tommy D’s, Camp Humphreys
Each venue/event has been quite different. Our last Korean show at Tommy D’s was more like a regular club gig than a concert. When we arrived we learned there had been a bit of a snafu with communication. A local band, New Sensations, was also scheduled to perform the same night. Their show was cancelled so we could go ahead with ours. Instead of being irked, the band was very friendly and came out en force to the club in support of our show, which we thought was really, really nice. At Kunsan, JBL Simple Tunes (from the Philippines) had their show pushed back until after we’d done our 2-hour show, They came out early to hang out and talk, and then asked for autographs and chatted for a bit before setting up their gear and performing. We were able to stick around and hear them too, which was nice.
At 9 a.m. we checked out of the Kaya Hotel and boarded the bus to head back to Incheon International Airport. Today we fly to Narita Japan and we’ll be met by Spike, our new AFE contact person. We stop at the warehouse to drop off the equipment we have used for our Korean shows and then our last trip with Mr. Yi.
We were very sad at the prospect of saying goodbye. Mr. Yi has been very gracious and patient with us this past week. Our trip would have been much more stressful and much less successful had he not been so willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. After Pete discovered his borrowed drum kit was lacking parts Mr. Yi located a music store en route to our second show and even helped negotiate the best price for the parts since none of us could speak the language. When the keyboard transformer and a guitar amp fried during our performance at Osan, Mr. Yi found a huge music mall and volunteered to come in to work SIX HOURS EARLY to drop some of us off on base to do laundry while he chauffeured the rest of the group to the mall to get the transformer repaired and find the other gear we needed, and on our last full day in Korea he picked us up several hours early and drove us back to the shopping district just outside Osan Air Force base so we could shop for souvenirs. Bluzapalooza IV stayed on track thanks to Mr. Yi so it felt right to gift him with one of the Bluzapalooza tour jackets he had admired earlier in the week.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Destination: Tokyo, Japan
I am enthralled with Tokyo – at least from the window of the bus. We have been in Japan for just a couple of hours and already have been seduced by the sophisticated beauty of this megalopolis . According to Wikipedia the greater Tokyo area is home to some 35 million people, making it the most densely populated metropolitan area on Earth. Tokyo and Seoul are the largest cities I have visited to date. Years ago I had the opportunity to perform in European cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne – cities more known for their history and old architecture, but Seoul and Tokyo are a huge contrast - very vibrant and contemporary, while maintaining an exotic air. I don’t know that I would enjoy living in such a huge city, but visiting is certainly exciting.
Saturday, September 10-11, 2009
Yokota AB
Before we can check into the hotel we have to stop at the guard station to get signed in and get our temporary base passes. This takes about an hour. We’re all exhausted and the photos on our temporary passes look fairly demonic. For this leg of the trip we’re being housed on base at the Kantos Lodge where we each have our own suite at the Kantos. We have good coffee, Wi-Fi and the mattress is soft – a huge improvement over the concrete hard beds in Korea. I definitely could linger here a while but we have two short nights here. In the morning we pick up our PA rig from storage and head back over to the guard house for yet another round of paperwork and photographs. It takes well over an hour to process our temporary passes. My second photo isn’t any more flattering than the first.
We walk over to the Officer’s Club to set up. It’s a nice size room with a formal atmosphere and a decent size stage. We go back to the hotel for about 90 minutes then walk back over to the restaurant for an excellent dinner. We eat an embarrassing amount of the wonderful warm, dark bread and honey butter. As we leave the restaurant a lady named Tara Werner walked over to introduce herself to us, saying she’d been to our website and was looking forward to the show. By the end of the evening I felt like I’ve made some new friends and that we definitely will stay in touch.
Sep 9, 2009
Farewell Korea, Hello Japan
We finished our last show at Camp Humphrey and we're packing to leave for the airport at 9am. We fly to Tokyo Japan and do a show at Yokuska. From there it's on to Yakoto and then the Fujifest at Camp Fuji.
Korea has been a great experience. The Country, the people and their culture are truly beautiful. I think we Americans could learn a lot about patience and civility from them.
The many fine US Servicemen and women have also been a real pleasure to meet and play for. We had a fine time at Camp Suwon. The crowd there really made us feel good and want to play even more for them. Kunsan, Chinhae, Camp Casey, Camp Humphrey. We were honored to perform for you. Our deepest respect and appreciation go out to you all.
Well the clock is ticking so time to hit the shower and pack for the next trip.
Talk to you all from Japan!
Rusty
Korea has been a great experience. The Country, the people and their culture are truly beautiful. I think we Americans could learn a lot about patience and civility from them.
The many fine US Servicemen and women have also been a real pleasure to meet and play for. We had a fine time at Camp Suwon. The crowd there really made us feel good and want to play even more for them. Kunsan, Chinhae, Camp Casey, Camp Humphrey. We were honored to perform for you. Our deepest respect and appreciation go out to you all.
Well the clock is ticking so time to hit the shower and pack for the next trip.
Talk to you all from Japan!
Rusty
Sep 6, 2009
Start of week #2: Today we head for Camp Casey
Now we're back at the Kaya Hotel in Seoul. This will be our base of operations for the next several days. It will be nice not having to lug all the luggage with us every day, and the rest of the shows here in Korea are within 2 hours of Seoul. Today we head for Camp Casey, and we'll be performing inside Hanson Field House. We've seen photos of the field house, which is pretty impressive, sizewise so we should have a fun time there.
Thanks for following along. We'll be posting a lot more shortly.
Chinhae Naval Base and BBQ & Blues at Osan Air Force Base
Show #2 Chinhae Naval Base
Traveling from Kunsan Air Force Base to Chinhae Naval Base took us through some breathtakingly beautiful mountain scenery. This is a lovely country. No space is wasted. It appears that most people live in the cities - there doesn’t seem to be a lot of urban (and suburban) sprawl like there is in the US. There is a lot of open land and crops are laid out in neat patches where ever there is a flat space. Greenhouses abound. We’ve seen ginseng, rice, grapes, blueberries, fruit trees, even the sloping ditches are planted with crops like hot red peppers.
The show at Chinhae was fun. Most of the bugs have been worked out of the sound system and everyone is settling in with their gear. We had a really good time performing - having Craig Smith sit in on bass was a lot of fun and we had a great time chatting with the navy personnel who came out to see us. We even met several people who hail from Michigan originally. Since this base is small and rarely has access to AFE entertainment, we passed out quite a few of the cds that we brought with us to give away.
Our off base lodgings for the night will become one of the more colorful tales we tell from this trip. The Hole in One Hotel where we stayed after the show has nothing to do with golf, believe me. When we pulled up, our driver Mr Yi told us he refuses to stay at the hotel, which appears to be the kind of place that rents rooms by the hour rather than the night. Our first clue was the bondage rack attached to the wall in our room. Then there was the machine at end of hall which dispensed sex toys rather than sodas. Hot water did not seem to be a necessary amenity. When we arrived back at the hotel after the show there were “business cards” carefully displayed on the entrance steps. Mr. Yi waved and drove off to his alternate lodgings and we reluctantly trudged up the steps to our funky rooms. Fortunately, the rest of the night was blessedly quiet and uneventful.
Osan Air Force Base is a very nice base, with the officer’s club resembling some of the nicer country clubs Rusty and I have performed at. Rusty has already detailed the equipment meltdown so I won’t go into that again. The weather has been sublime since we've been here and it was a beautiful evening to be outside playing music for folks. We talked with a concert/festival promoter there who is interested in bringing us back to Korea for a regular show tour. We'll see what happens with that.
Sep 5, 2009
Chinhae Naval Base Day 2
Show 2 on our itinerary
We had managed to find a fairly well stocked music store on the way to the base and bought all the necessary parts we needed to fix our technical problems. I was amazed at the way the Koreans conduct business. The ladies who were running the store were dressed in formal attire and looked as though they were ready to go out on the town to a fine restaurant for an evening of dining and dancing. Mr. Yi explained that Koreans take business at all levels very serious and have a strong sense of professionalism even down to their dress. But they still have a market mentality. Haggling over price is considered normal and is expected, so with a little help from Mr. Yi I managed to get the equipment at a very fair price and we were on our way to the show.
Chinhae Naval Base is based on the southern coast of Korea. They are a major support hub for ships and subs in this part of the world but since it's a very rural setting they don't have much for a liberty port.
After a 5 hour bus ride we arrived and set up at Duffy's which is the base club. It's connected to a snack bar and might hold 200 people if you pack them in. The club manager was very kind and did everything in his power to make our show as comfortable as possible.
We met the vice commander who greeted us and gave each member a commemorative coin from Chinhae NB. He apologized in advance about a low turn out. Due to some unscheduled military exercises, most of the base had shipped out a few days earlier. I told him there was no need for apologies, we were there to play blues and spread some smiles and whether there were 2 people or 2000 they all get the same show - our best.
We started around 7pm and there were about 30 people, mostly medical staff and some off-duty security people in attendance at that point. The show went very smooth and Lee (our audio engineer) had a very nice mix going. The intimate setting allowed us all to relax and just enjoy playing. The band was smokin' by the end of the first set, and although the crowd was a bit small, they were VERY enthusiastic! We had a blast and they did too.
At one point I brought up HM1 Craig Smith. He's a Navy EMT who contacted us in advance and asked if we would let him sit in on a song. Our shows are usually mostly original material and are pretty orchestrated so sit ins aren't very practical, but in this circumstance I felt we had to make an exception. I brought him up about mid-show and introduced him. His buddies all stood up and cheered and clapped for him and we kicked into the B.B. King classic "Thrill is Gone."
He was a great player! He settled right in and at one point I threw him a ride with the drummer which got him another big ovation. At the end of the song I gave him a Bluzapalooza cap and CD to remember the night.
After the show I met the base doctor and talked with everyone there. We handied out photos and CDs, and signed autographs. Everyone was extremely nice to us and told us how much they appreciated our coming out. The base is small and is in such a rural area that they don't get a lot of stateside entertainment. Hell, I'd play for these folks any time. Their enthusiasm made us feel good and caused us to push ourselves musically just because we wanted to return the love they were showing us.
After the trucks were packed we stuck around to talk to folks and unwind over Burgers and drinks. The house band came on after us to finish out the night with 3 girls doing vocals out front. They really had great harmonies and Laurie, who loves harmony vocals, enjoyed their show most of all.
We finally called it a night and went back to the hotel around midnight. Feeling good and very glad to be here.
On to Osan Airbase tomorrow,
Rusty
www.rustywrightband.com
We had managed to find a fairly well stocked music store on the way to the base and bought all the necessary parts we needed to fix our technical problems. I was amazed at the way the Koreans conduct business. The ladies who were running the store were dressed in formal attire and looked as though they were ready to go out on the town to a fine restaurant for an evening of dining and dancing. Mr. Yi explained that Koreans take business at all levels very serious and have a strong sense of professionalism even down to their dress. But they still have a market mentality. Haggling over price is considered normal and is expected, so with a little help from Mr. Yi I managed to get the equipment at a very fair price and we were on our way to the show.
Chinhae Naval Base is based on the southern coast of Korea. They are a major support hub for ships and subs in this part of the world but since it's a very rural setting they don't have much for a liberty port.
After a 5 hour bus ride we arrived and set up at Duffy's which is the base club. It's connected to a snack bar and might hold 200 people if you pack them in. The club manager was very kind and did everything in his power to make our show as comfortable as possible.
We met the vice commander who greeted us and gave each member a commemorative coin from Chinhae NB. He apologized in advance about a low turn out. Due to some unscheduled military exercises, most of the base had shipped out a few days earlier. I told him there was no need for apologies, we were there to play blues and spread some smiles and whether there were 2 people or 2000 they all get the same show - our best.
We started around 7pm and there were about 30 people, mostly medical staff and some off-duty security people in attendance at that point. The show went very smooth and Lee (our audio engineer) had a very nice mix going. The intimate setting allowed us all to relax and just enjoy playing. The band was smokin' by the end of the first set, and although the crowd was a bit small, they were VERY enthusiastic! We had a blast and they did too.
At one point I brought up HM1 Craig Smith. He's a Navy EMT who contacted us in advance and asked if we would let him sit in on a song. Our shows are usually mostly original material and are pretty orchestrated so sit ins aren't very practical, but in this circumstance I felt we had to make an exception. I brought him up about mid-show and introduced him. His buddies all stood up and cheered and clapped for him and we kicked into the B.B. King classic "Thrill is Gone."
He was a great player! He settled right in and at one point I threw him a ride with the drummer which got him another big ovation. At the end of the song I gave him a Bluzapalooza cap and CD to remember the night.
After the show I met the base doctor and talked with everyone there. We handied out photos and CDs, and signed autographs. Everyone was extremely nice to us and told us how much they appreciated our coming out. The base is small and is in such a rural area that they don't get a lot of stateside entertainment. Hell, I'd play for these folks any time. Their enthusiasm made us feel good and caused us to push ourselves musically just because we wanted to return the love they were showing us.
After the trucks were packed we stuck around to talk to folks and unwind over Burgers and drinks. The house band came on after us to finish out the night with 3 girls doing vocals out front. They really had great harmonies and Laurie, who loves harmony vocals, enjoyed their show most of all.
We finally called it a night and went back to the hotel around midnight. Feeling good and very glad to be here.
On to Osan Airbase tomorrow,
Rusty
www.rustywrightband.com
Sep 4, 2009
Bluzapalooza IV
First Show at Kunsan Air Base
The day started off with a short walk to the USO at Yongsan Base which was just a few blocks from our hotel. Mr. Yi, our driver and general guardian recommended it. They serve a great breakfast for a very low price and accept American currency so we could save the Korean Won (that's the name of their currency).
After a fine US- style breakfast we gathered up our stuff and loaded out of the Kaya Hotel. We went back to Yongsan Base to get our base passes so we would be authorized to walk around freely. It felt a lot like going to the Secretary of State office back home. You took numbers, sat in the waiting room and then got your picture taken and filled out more paperwork and then they scan your fingerprints. After an hour or so everyone had new ID cards for getting around on the bases.
Our next stop was at the garrison warehouse where we were met by our truck driver, Mr. Ti.
POC Shirley Commander met us and we started loading all the amps, drums, PA gear, cables, keyboards and support gear for the tour all packed in nice brand new steel flight cases. NICE.
I ran around with a gear manifest checking every case and making sure we had all the stuff I requested on the rider then the crew would roll it out to the trucks and Mr. Yi and Mr. Ti would load them. (We learned from Shirley that everyone in Korea address each other by their surname. You never address anyone by their first name until you've known them for a long time AND they give you their permission)
Once the gear was loaded we said goodbye to Shirley and hit the road for a 4-hour drive to Kunsan Airbase. Everyone is still suffering jet lag but we're coming around and the excitement is building.
Korea is a very beautiful country and the scenery is amazing so the drive really didn't seem that long. We rolled past all the barb wire and blast barricades to the guard house at Kunsan where several heavily armed MPs were waiting. I think that's the moment we realized that we were at a very serious place were people are working and living in a world where their lives are at risk.
North Korea, that place that we all laugh about in the states because of the weird dictator who runs it, is just a short drive from this base. The fighter group stationed here has to be ready at a moment's notice to deal with a government that has all kinds of missiles and artillery trained on them. One of the airmen said that if North Korea attacks the south that the life expectancy of everyone on that base is about 20 minutes.... geeez. If that ain't stress, I can't tell you what is.
We loaded the gear in to the Loring Club and started hooking up all the gear. An unfamiliar rig takes a little longer to set up and of course since it was our first show there were technical glitches. Some of the cabling was shorted out so we had to reconfigure things a bit. Then a crucial piece of hardware for the drum kit was missing, uh oh. There was no way to get a replacement but then lady luck smiled. One of the airmen at the base had a small practice kit he played with the camp band. He made a quick run to another building and brought back the piece Pete needed. Whew!
We got set up and made a run to the Alice Hotel outside the base. This place was AMAZING. Glass and stone bathroom with a huge tub next to a shower with giant sprayers, and even a bidet (you know, one of those toilets that shoots water jets at spots I really can't describe :-)
Led lighting with various colors and slippers and silk robes in the armoire and a 42" plasma screen TV with every kind of electronic entertainment device known to man. After a quick shower and change of clothes we ran back to the base where I met with a reporter from Armed Forces Network. She did a video interview about the band and tour and I talked about the reason we wanted to come play and about the Bluzapalooza tours. After that The base Commander, Colonel Malfer did a welcome and introduction. He presented us with a plaque in the shape of a wolfs head that said "To the Rusty Wright Band, 3 September, 2009. From the Men and Women of the Wolf Pack. Thank you for an outstanding performance. Kunsan Airbase, Republic of Korea." It's the finest award we could receive.
We launched into our show and proceeded to give all we had. The crowd was extremely enthusiastic and greeted the end of each song with a roar of approval. At the end of the 2-hour show we did our instrumental called "Hell On My Heels" which is the song podcasters said US military personnel in the Middle East were requesting.
After the show we greeted as many peopleas possible. We signed pictures and passed out CDs, occasionally posing with folks for a picture. These people were just marvelous to us. I met several people who came from Michigan. Two gentleman who walked up and said "Hey, great show man," in a slow drawl that I knew instantly. I said "Alabama?". A bit surprised, they both smiled and one said "Mobile" and the other said "Muscle Shoals". I grinned and said, "Howdy cousins." I told them about my family in Florence and we ended up doing double shots of Southern Comfort to toast "down home."
It was midnight by the time we packed up and loaded the truck and bus and we hadn't had a chance to eat dinner so we all headed over to the commissary for pizza and burgers. We laughed and talked and Andy & Pete were running around taking video. Over all it was a great first show, even with the glitches. We made it back to the Alice Hotel and before Laurie & I crashed I remember thinking how cool the crowd was. They really enjoyed the music because they don't get a lot of it. As far as we're concerned we'll play for these folks anytime.
Next stop, Chinhae Naval Base
Rusty
First Show at Kunsan Air Base
The day started off with a short walk to the USO at Yongsan Base which was just a few blocks from our hotel. Mr. Yi, our driver and general guardian recommended it. They serve a great breakfast for a very low price and accept American currency so we could save the Korean Won (that's the name of their currency).
After a fine US- style breakfast we gathered up our stuff and loaded out of the Kaya Hotel. We went back to Yongsan Base to get our base passes so we would be authorized to walk around freely. It felt a lot like going to the Secretary of State office back home. You took numbers, sat in the waiting room and then got your picture taken and filled out more paperwork and then they scan your fingerprints. After an hour or so everyone had new ID cards for getting around on the bases.
Our next stop was at the garrison warehouse where we were met by our truck driver, Mr. Ti.
POC Shirley Commander met us and we started loading all the amps, drums, PA gear, cables, keyboards and support gear for the tour all packed in nice brand new steel flight cases. NICE.
I ran around with a gear manifest checking every case and making sure we had all the stuff I requested on the rider then the crew would roll it out to the trucks and Mr. Yi and Mr. Ti would load them. (We learned from Shirley that everyone in Korea address each other by their surname. You never address anyone by their first name until you've known them for a long time AND they give you their permission)
Once the gear was loaded we said goodbye to Shirley and hit the road for a 4-hour drive to Kunsan Airbase. Everyone is still suffering jet lag but we're coming around and the excitement is building.
Korea is a very beautiful country and the scenery is amazing so the drive really didn't seem that long. We rolled past all the barb wire and blast barricades to the guard house at Kunsan where several heavily armed MPs were waiting. I think that's the moment we realized that we were at a very serious place were people are working and living in a world where their lives are at risk.
North Korea, that place that we all laugh about in the states because of the weird dictator who runs it, is just a short drive from this base. The fighter group stationed here has to be ready at a moment's notice to deal with a government that has all kinds of missiles and artillery trained on them. One of the airmen said that if North Korea attacks the south that the life expectancy of everyone on that base is about 20 minutes.... geeez. If that ain't stress, I can't tell you what is.
We loaded the gear in to the Loring Club and started hooking up all the gear. An unfamiliar rig takes a little longer to set up and of course since it was our first show there were technical glitches. Some of the cabling was shorted out so we had to reconfigure things a bit. Then a crucial piece of hardware for the drum kit was missing, uh oh. There was no way to get a replacement but then lady luck smiled. One of the airmen at the base had a small practice kit he played with the camp band. He made a quick run to another building and brought back the piece Pete needed. Whew!
We got set up and made a run to the Alice Hotel outside the base. This place was AMAZING. Glass and stone bathroom with a huge tub next to a shower with giant sprayers, and even a bidet (you know, one of those toilets that shoots water jets at spots I really can't describe :-)
Led lighting with various colors and slippers and silk robes in the armoire and a 42" plasma screen TV with every kind of electronic entertainment device known to man. After a quick shower and change of clothes we ran back to the base where I met with a reporter from Armed Forces Network. She did a video interview about the band and tour and I talked about the reason we wanted to come play and about the Bluzapalooza tours. After that The base Commander, Colonel Malfer did a welcome and introduction. He presented us with a plaque in the shape of a wolfs head that said "To the Rusty Wright Band, 3 September, 2009. From the Men and Women of the Wolf Pack. Thank you for an outstanding performance. Kunsan Airbase, Republic of Korea." It's the finest award we could receive.
We launched into our show and proceeded to give all we had. The crowd was extremely enthusiastic and greeted the end of each song with a roar of approval. At the end of the 2-hour show we did our instrumental called "Hell On My Heels" which is the song podcasters said US military personnel in the Middle East were requesting.
After the show we greeted as many peopleas possible. We signed pictures and passed out CDs, occasionally posing with folks for a picture. These people were just marvelous to us. I met several people who came from Michigan. Two gentleman who walked up and said "Hey, great show man," in a slow drawl that I knew instantly. I said "Alabama?". A bit surprised, they both smiled and one said "Mobile" and the other said "Muscle Shoals". I grinned and said, "Howdy cousins." I told them about my family in Florence and we ended up doing double shots of Southern Comfort to toast "down home."
It was midnight by the time we packed up and loaded the truck and bus and we hadn't had a chance to eat dinner so we all headed over to the commissary for pizza and burgers. We laughed and talked and Andy & Pete were running around taking video. Over all it was a great first show, even with the glitches. We made it back to the Alice Hotel and before Laurie & I crashed I remember thinking how cool the crowd was. They really enjoyed the music because they don't get a lot of it. As far as we're concerned we'll play for these folks anytime.
Next stop, Chinhae Naval Base
Rusty
Sep 3, 2009
Our arrival and first days in Korea
When we arrived in Seoul I’d been awake for more than 40 hours. All of us were beyond exhausted but amazingly, everyone is still smiling. I can’t count the number of times I’ve given silent thanks to Angie Sweers from Ataj Salon for giving me a hairstyle that travels so easily. Before I got off the plane I ran my hands through my hair to rumple the spiky top, and away I went.
The sight of all customs workers wearing protective masks across their faces was a bit disconcerting when we went through customs. We were given a form to fill out asking if we’d had any flu symptoms and what countries we had visited in the past 7 days. We couldn’t help but wonder if we had missed breaking news stories about widespread flu outbreaks.
We were met at the airport by Shirley Commander, entertainment director for Morale, Welfare and Recreation Installation Management Command, Korea region. She hails from S. Carolina originally and has been stationed here in Korea for six years. With her was Mr. Yi, a very nice man who has been assigned to be our driver for the Korean leg of the tour. Mr. Yi has been chauffeuring AFE touring bands around for quite a while. He has been a huge help and is very pleasant company to travel with. We piled our luggage into the (short) bus and headed for Kaya Hotel in Seoul – about an hour away.
Seoul is utterly immense. There are thousands upon thousands of high rise apartment buildings for miles in every direction. Approximately 10 million people (almost half of the country’s residents) live in Seoul The Kaya Hotel, where we’ll be staying for a good portion of our trip, is located on a busy street. We were exhausted after the flight but wanted to eat some dinner before going to sleep so Rusty and I walked down to an Outback restaurant down the street. I ordered salmon with mushroom and vegetable sauce and a sweet potato. I learned that a sweet potato is not necessarily a yam, but may be a sweetened potato. Hmmm. The sauce was very good but was very spicy hot.
In the morning, Rusty and Lee walked down the street to the USO for breakfast. I stayed in the room to pack since I’m allergic to eggs and potatoes, which rules out most breakfast foods for me. I brought plenty of protein bars for the trip because I anticipated that it might be difficult finding foods I can eat. I didn’t have allergy problems years ago when I was on the road full time, but a whole slew of them have cropped up in recent years. Common foods like eggs, potatoes and soy cause crippling fibromyalgia pain now, so it’s been a relief to learn I can survive quite well on the road.
Show #1 Kunsan Air Force Base: Home of the 8th Fighter Wing "Wolf Pack"
The first show of the tour was bound to be a bit stressful since it was our first time setting up and using an unfamiliar sound system, keyboard, guitar amps and drum kit. There were some small parts missing from Pete’s drum kit but fortunately someone kindly loaned him a high hat cymbal and stand to use for the night. And instead of his Hammond B3 organ and full scale Yamaha keyboard, Davey is using a single small keyboard and is running a B3 simulation program through his laptop to give him the B3 sound.
At the start of the show, Colonel Dennis Malfer gave us a very gracious welcome and presented the band with a VERY cool wolf head plaque in appreciation for our performance at the base. Colonel Malfer, whose family resides in Hawaii, told us personnel at Kunsan are usually stationed at the base for a year. Work is underway to “normalize” the base so service men and women can bring their families with them, but it will be a while yet before this is becomes a reality. According to Colonel Malfer's bio , he has served as an instructor pilot, weapons officer, flight commander, operations officer, squadron commander and deputy operations group commander. The colonel also flew as opposing and lead solo for the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Team, the Thunderbirds. His staff assignments include Chief of the Standardization and Evaluation Branch and Division Chief, Operational Support at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces.
Prior to his current position, he was the Operational Support Division Chief at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces. He is a command pilot with more than 4,400 flying hours, including more than 100 combat sorties in the F-4, F-15E and F-16.
We really enjoyed talking with the air force personnel who came out for the show and we hope some of them keep in touch with us. It seems we've met a lot of folks who lived near Ann Arbor Michigan at one time or another. It is a very small world, really.
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