Tuesday, December 29th

Greetings all, I hope your Christmas was all that you expected it to be and maybe more. For one day it was nice to just sit home and chill. I cooked a little food and watched some videos.(Nice)

Below you will see a picture of my former next door neighbor just back from Afghanistan. It seems like just yesterday I was coaching him as my starting catcher for our Youth Baseball Team. In those days he was guarding home plate, now he is helping to protect our country. God Bless you Christopher. Who ever thought ten years ago he would become a Marine. Awesome!
So now as the year comes to a close I have a couple reflections of my own from 2009 I'd like to pass on. Who would ever think we would ever recover from $4 a gallon gasoline prices. Who would ever think Chicken Wings would cost more per pound than a T-bone Steak. Who would think that the Federal Government would take all the gun ammunition off the shelf after next year and put tracer codes on every piece of ammo a sportsman will ever buy. Who would think that a pack of cigarettes would sell for as much as $8 a pack. And not to mention beer prices taking a 60% hike all in one year as well. 10% unemployment, people going to bed hungry, consider how lucky we all as this year comes to an end. It's getting to be a very scary environment that we have entered into here in the last couple years. If in 2010 you do nothing else, become informed, register and vote. Make it a New Year’s resolution and tell your friends about it too. You can't bitch about something if don't try to fix it, and there's much fixing to be done. There’s more time and space than I have, but I'm sure I have you all thinking.

No music report this week, as we were off for the Christmas Recess*
Sunday we went back into the studio for the final days recordings. We reviewed all 12 tracks and put most of the finishing touches on each of the 12 cuts. We also had one more guest join in on our review, Mr. Jeffery A. Jeff contributed some sweet mandolin tracks as well as guitar work on about 3 cuts. Myself and DD put down some more tracks as well and not to mention the highlight of the day when KW pulled out an accordion and played on one of the tracks. Very cool. I got the picture too, look for it on the album cover.

We began this project back in early July, five months later we have a ton of time and money all tied up here and we hope you all enjoy the labor of some of this area’s most premier musicians and the love they all shared in making music. We thought we would never get through it, and now we wait for the engineer to give us the final mix down. So many footnotes and thanks will be handed down as well- and then “Full Circle” will be just that – “Full Circle” completed. {Feb. 2010}

And now for this week’s show... NEW YEARS @ THE HOTEL- $15 per - person with a sit-down dinner. You can't beat it! The show begins about 6pm and dinner to follow. The party into the next Decade with the SCB and there are still a few good seats available.
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This week in Rock And Roll History:
Scotty Moore- Elvis Presley's lead guitarist is 78 today...
Dennis Wilson- Beach Boy's Fame- drowns this week at a party in 1983
George Harrison is stabbed in his home by an intruder. George manages to subdue the intruder{ kicked his ass} and was turned over to authorities this week in 1999.
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In closing - have great and save New Year’s . We here at the band thank you all for your continued support and we’ll see you all next year.

Mikee^^Dee-- peace..

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Well hello my friends.

Once again we close up yet another year with the SCB. It was a very busy year for us as we played over 60 shows this year. It was possibly one of the busiest years ever. I guess you can see where our hearts do lie. We even tell family members now if they have an event for us to attend or even play, they better make plans a year in advance. It has gotten that busy for us.

As we look back on 2009, some good things came by and probably more negative ones took their place. We attended Myrtle Beach and that was good. It rained all summer and that was bad. KW opened the camp at the lake and that was good. We lost some close friends and that was bad. I am very much now looking forward to 2010.So where do we begin? Let's talk about "Full Circle" first. Once again we headed back into the studio to wrap up some loose ends and get the rest of the visitors recorded and done. December 28th is the last weekend to cram. We have to do it all this weekend and finish it. (Remember we started this project back in early July) who would have imagined the time we would invest on this album – incredible!

Here is the breakdown so far: the album will consist of 12 tracks (about 50 minutes of material) The songs are much longer this time around. One cut is almost 6 minutes long. There will be at least 10 musical contributions from different band members as well as 5 different vocalists. I'm in the process of laying out the track- play sequence from the demo.

This is a bit of a challenge. As you know from the last 2 albums, SCB is a band of so many faces. This album is no exception. We covered some southern rock, blues, Americana, and not to mention some love songs. Also included is a sensational instrumental written by KW that is as nice a piece of music you will ever hear. We do one of these on every album and this one is no exception. The final cut on the album is tribute tune that we put on there for our late great Bass player Vince who passed away from cancer complications back in 1993. We gathered as many of the past members of the SCB that we could find and had them all contribute a bit of something for that tune. Vince was a big Merle Haggard/Willie Nelson fan. So I guess if you liked what we have been doing over the last 3 years you will love this new CD, as it truly follows that path. Remember this- DD is an eighties boy, KW is a country crooner and I'm a 70's rocker. Put that all together and you're bound to have some excitement.

Two quick notes: The contest that we entered into with original music last month - we finally heard back and we didn't make the cut into the top 8 bands selected. We weren't the NASCAR type I assume.The only band I even recognized by name was a band out of Norwich - Talyor Made, and that was for a country node. Most of the bands that placed were all big city bands.

But on the second note DD got an e-mail from a radio station down in southern Florida that showed an interest in our material.

Now if I were a rich man I would start up a radio station and play nothing but "unsigned bands" I would love to review peoples stuff and play all the best that there is. And let me tell you this “there is so much unsigned talent out there that you would not believe. The comparisons between that and public radio are miles apart. It’s worse now than ever. (Don't get me stated - let's move on - I rambled on long enough)

Trust me, something has to change pretty soon as radio stations are going broke doing the same ole same ole, maybe they will all wise up some day and listen to some of the people that make the music that they suck off of (Quite the Concept there huh?)

Show review: Last Saturday night at the Hitchin’ Post - Let me tell you this much, we all expected a tremendous turnout for the week before Christmas. We were all ready, Carlos our overseas correspondent printed up over 20 new High Road CD's and new business cards. The problem was the turnout was light, and we didn't drink enough whiskey and the mood to create magic just didn't happen. Now I know this much, our last 10 gigs - were all smokin’, so we were due for a fall. Sorry, it was like a bad night in the bedroom and all you can do is apologize and try again. There was no little Blue pill for us that night. The capper of the night happened on our very last tune, Darrell broke the jack right off his Bass, KW broke a string and I broke a drum stick - All on the same song. We were done. Better luck next month.

So now, this week we are off for the Christmas Holiday. It's like the week preparing for the Super Bowl. NEW YEARS EVE AT THE CENTRAL HOTEL There are still a couple tables open. Sign up and party with us for the New Year. Start it off right with the SCB!

And in closing- not to forget - This week in Rock And Roll History:The Drifters record the hit single “This Magic Moment” this week in 1959Joe Walsh joins the Eagles this week in 1975, and Jimmy Buffet Celebrates his 63rd birthday on Christmas day. Wow a Christmas baby!
So from myself and The Short Change Band, we wish all who have supported us through the year a very Merry Christmas and a safe Holiday.

Love ya's & peace,

Mikee^^ Dee

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Well hello to you all!

We are headed for another "Hump Day" Wednesday, and it’s a mere week and days before Christmas. Awesome as once again we reach the end of another year. Not a big reporting week but a busy one none the less - so let's get right to it.

The Week in Rock and Roll History: (It’s amazing enough that both events are listed as happening on Dec 16th--- THE SAME YEAR as follows:)
Dan Fogelberg - of the "Longer Than" fame days died of prostate cancer on this day in 2007:Nicolette Larson also died on the 16th of December 2007 of brain cancer:And as an extra here- Ludwig Von Beethoven was born on this day in 1770: Amazing huh?

Saturday night’s show was for the Walton Fire Department’s Christmas party. All I can say here is "what a great group of people". They all worked so hard to put on a great party and we tried our very best not to let them down. We must have been successful as we played the out the entire night and we sold out of our CD’s. (We would like to apologize for the people who wanted CD’s, but there were none left in stock. We are replenishing our inventory this week)

The food was put on by TA'S - a local restaurant in the town of Walton and they fed us like there was no tomorrow. Wow! I hope they ask us to return next year as we had a ball.Then, Sunday morning - you know the drill "Back in the Studio". Hey I know this sounds like a broken record but with Chris the "horns" guy who came in Sunday and next week all the rest (we hope) to wrap up this long awaited project by month’s end and then Dean works all of his magic for the month of January, and then "Low and Behold" the Full Circle CD should be ready to go on sale.

Don't forget, if you were a ticket holder this year to "win the band for a day" contest and you saved your stub-, the new album will cost you a mere $5, and for all others it's a $10. It will contain a full 12 cuts and approximately 40 to 45 minutes of music. There are about 15 guests musicians, some of the best the Triple Cities has to offer and worth every penny. Trust me.

And finally, this Saturday evening we’re on to the Hitchin' Post for an early show. The Band begins at 8pm. Don't miss our live acoustic rock show, it's really sounding good. Come check it out.

Hey, go back and continue your Christmas shopping wrapping, decorating and we will see you all Saturday.

Peace,

Mikee^^Dee

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Hello everybody. I hope that you have all begun your Christmas shopping as I have not even started yet. Our five-event weekend like the one that just passed leaves little or no time to explore the possibilities of gift shopping. With myself, I have to be in the mood or it doesn't happen. So no time = no mood= no shopping- film at 11.On to the week in sports---- Let's go to the week in Rock and Roll history

This week in Rock and Roll History- Roy Orbison dies of a massive Heart Attack this week in his Tennessee home in 1988. Also - The Grateful Dead officially disband 4 months after Jerry Gracias death- this week in 1995

On to last Friday night. This was a crazy weekend for the band as well as myself. I began Friday afternoon putting on a spaghetti dinner at the fire house. I feel it was success as we served over 60 meals. Wasn't quite the turnout we wanted but we covered expenses and made a few bucks as well. On to Davy's Friday night-The crowd was much lighter this week from weeks past. But if you looked out onto Rt. 12- there was not a lot of road traffic either. It was dead. But the show went on and the couple dozen patrons got to witness a show that was of a double digit quality for sure. We just decided to play like the house was packed even though it wasn't . At the end of the night we had people come up to us and actually compliment the performance we just pulled off. So it always pays to play your best- and who cares where you are- just do it. Great show brothers.

On to Saturday at the Central Hotel. Well, it began to snow early in the afternoon and I think the road conditions deterred a lot of people. Also, there were many Christmas parades, parties and like real people do - Christmas Shop. Once again the band kicked ass and took names. We even have a few photos , check them out. Life was good.

Onto event #4, We went back into the recording studio Sunday morning for yet 2 more guest installments. This album will surely be the bands greatest production ever. We have been on it since July and it just keeps developing with every stroke we add to it. This weekend we will add the horns and then onto the final guest weekend possibly on the 18th. So much work and so little time. We also entered one of the new tunes into a song writers contest and we are all excited for KW as we await our results. You may even have the opportunity to vote, so we will keep you informed. We continue to play out many of these new tunes every weekend and I no longer announce we are doing our own material till after the song finishes. I am amazed at people’s reaction to our songs if they think they are someone else's. Some people actually sing the words in some cases- sweet huh?

Then out of the Studio and on to gig #5 for the weekend I gotta tell you something - this band has probably hosted or have played a hundred benefits in the 25 yrs. we have been together, and I have to say this, we have never played a more somber (sad) event then we did this last Sunday afternoon in Windsor. This benefit was for John and Beannie Brown as Beannie was suffering from pancreatic cancer. The morning of the benefit Beannie lost her gallant fight to the disease and the news traveled so very fast.

Then came the benefit. There was not a dry eye in all the house. Tuff, the owner of McBrides in downtown Windsor hosted the event. You could not have found a more asserted, dedicated person to host this event. What a great job Tuff and his staff did- as well as all the folks who donated raffle items and volunteered their time.The band played out of the goodness of our hearts for brother John for over 5 hours and like I said earlier- there wasn't dry eye in the house - as we all could feel Beannies presence. Incredible. Peace to you John as you grieve in your own way. We love you brother.{and note this we just played their wedding here last May. How tough is that?}

And in closing, we are out of town this weekend playing a Christmas Party for some friends down in Walton. We are back at the Hitchin’ Post on Saturday, December 19th at 8:00pm.

Be safe and drive safe, and have a safe week.

Mikee^ Dee