As the old saying which I just made up goes, "It ain't a blog post if you don't mention Canada."
So true, ain't it? But we'll get to that.
As you may recall, we were destined for a big jaunt across corn country, or what used to be corn country. This year it seems more like a lot of plants that someone forgot to water. I think the technical term is, "drought." But, as planned, we played in Williston OH. Our new friend Ellie played some songs before our set, and that was awesome. And during our set, we were presented with balloon hats. And just as a presidential candidate must don the T shirt over the necktie, we wore the hats . . . and we'll appreciate your vote in November.
After that concert, we had to hightail it west, because we were scheduled the next afternoon in Decorah IA, which is a goodly distance away. We did in fact make it in time, and played for Rally Day at a local park, which was great fun, despite the keyboard's tendency to need to be rebooted from the blazing sunball in the sky.
We both went home, and then regrouped for the third outdoor concert of the month in Grass Lake MI, which is quite close to Jackson, which claims to be the birthplace of the Republican party (though it should be noted that Madison WI, Exeter NH, and Crawfordsville IA, all make this same claim). Anyway, we had a great time, and then hung around in town to play at a worship service in the morning at the sponsoring parish.
We both went home, and then Michael came out my way yet again so we could head down and play in Columbus OH, where everybody seems to wear red on Saturdays, in anticipation of shouting out the cleverest cheer known to human kind. We stayed at my house that night, and then the next day headed to our stomping grounds of western New York to play at Holy Ghost Church, in Bergholz. Saw all sorts of people from our past, and took in the stunning display of pastors' photos in the narthex, where we watched the Evolution of the Smile.
We stayed in downtown Niagara Falls, just to ramp up the nostalgia, and then bright and early headed back to Bergholz to play for a delightful group of grade school students from Holy Ghost school. Then, obviously, we had to go to Viola's for a sub, and DiCamillo's for a loaf of bread, and then I dropped Michael at the airport, and drove on home to the second largest city in Ohio.
Which brings us to the ancient maxim regarding blog posts and our neighbors to the north:
In the morning, we're both flying to Calgary so we can drive on down to Lethbridge Alberta, which is the commercial, financial, transportation and industrial centre of southern Alberta. And I believe it is also the center of those things, if I'm not mistaken.
Don't forget to welcome October when it comes around. (October has a long memory when it comes to being slighted in such matters.)
george
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Such an august August!
Come on now, admit it: You never think of august as an adjective, do you? You're welcome.
So, let's see . . . as expected, we had a great time in Saskatchewan. As it turns out, Saskatoon is a lovely city (at least in the summer), and we spent several days hanging out with the people of CLAY. Though that sounds like I'm talking about Davey and Goliath, it's actually an acronym, as you can see. Met some great folks, and we're looking forward to visiting our Neighbors to the North for concerts in the months ahead.
After our Canadian excursion, I met my family at Michael's house in California, and then my family embarked on the august Great California Road Trip, which took us from Los Angeles to San Francisco, visiting all the important vistas along the way, and being welcomed by this spry fellow who came out of the water to greet us.
Once we reached San Francisco, we dutifully left our hearts there, and headed back home, so that I could repack and go to Kansas City.
After Delta decided that a blinking light in the cockpit was cause for getting it turned off, my flight was delayed enough that I missed my connection, so Michael sat around waiting for me in Kansas City, chatting with the locals and whatnot. Once I finally arrived, we headed off to Missouri, which loves company, and we billeted in Clinton, MO.
We played songs for a couple worship services in the morning in Clinton, and then had a lovely lunch with the youts at a local restaurant, and then headed back for a happy afternoon concert in town there. Then it was back to Kansas City for a little sleep before flying home in the morning.
Next up, Michael will become a year older than I, and on that same day my three-year church job comes to an end. Then, Michael comes to visit me in Ohio, as we embark on the august Great Midwest Road Trip from Toledo OH to Decorah IA, and all points in between.
See? An august month indeed!
Oh, and don't forget, our new double live album is available for your purchasing and listening pleasure. You can find it here.
george
So, let's see . . . as expected, we had a great time in Saskatchewan. As it turns out, Saskatoon is a lovely city (at least in the summer), and we spent several days hanging out with the people of CLAY. Though that sounds like I'm talking about Davey and Goliath, it's actually an acronym, as you can see. Met some great folks, and we're looking forward to visiting our Neighbors to the North for concerts in the months ahead.
After our Canadian excursion, I met my family at Michael's house in California, and then my family embarked on the august Great California Road Trip, which took us from Los Angeles to San Francisco, visiting all the important vistas along the way, and being welcomed by this spry fellow who came out of the water to greet us.
Once we reached San Francisco, we dutifully left our hearts there, and headed back home, so that I could repack and go to Kansas City.
After Delta decided that a blinking light in the cockpit was cause for getting it turned off, my flight was delayed enough that I missed my connection, so Michael sat around waiting for me in Kansas City, chatting with the locals and whatnot. Once I finally arrived, we headed off to Missouri, which loves company, and we billeted in Clinton, MO.
We played songs for a couple worship services in the morning in Clinton, and then had a lovely lunch with the youts at a local restaurant, and then headed back for a happy afternoon concert in town there. Then it was back to Kansas City for a little sleep before flying home in the morning.
Next up, Michael will become a year older than I, and on that same day my three-year church job comes to an end. Then, Michael comes to visit me in Ohio, as we embark on the august Great Midwest Road Trip from Toledo OH to Decorah IA, and all points in between.
See? An august month indeed!
Oh, and don't forget, our new double live album is available for your purchasing and listening pleasure. You can find it here.
george
Friday, August 3, 2012
A Update
I know, I know, "A Update" is bad grammar. I should've said "An Updates." But let's not get all persnickety, okay? Point being, your date is about to be up.
So, since we last checked in, we were launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund our new album. Because of the overwhelming support of our supporters in supporting us, we raised far more than we had hoped, and we were able to take a little bit of time off while Michael recuperated and regained his strength. Though he will continue a chemo-therapy regimen until December, the doctors have done a marvelous job of limiting the side effects. That treatment, by the way, is preventative in nature, with the aim of preventing a return of the cancer they removed in the surgery.
Since all that, we've played a few concerts, and the band has fared quite well. The day after the 4th of July (a.k.a. July 5th), we played in a town called Minerva, OH, which sounds like a mispronunciation of maneuver Ohio, which sounds political, but we all know better than to mix politics with A Update. The next day we returned to Camp Mar-Lu-Ridge, in Maryland, where we had a very fun time playing for campers and parents.
Then, in mid-July, we headed to the city of New Orleans for a large gathering of Lutherans and had a marvelous time being "citizens with the saints." It's a good week when you can play the Superdome twice without having to be tackled by some 300 pound linebacker. The youts who gathered accomplished some amazing things that week, including donating almost 1,200 pints of blood, collecting enough money to build over 100 wells in developing nations, and--though it sounds kind of weird--donating a lot of hair. Amazing what 33,309 people can do together . . . for instance, be equal to the population of New York City in 1790.
Next up, we're returning to one of our top 10 favorite provinces: Saskatchewan! Looking forward to some summertime in the True North. Meanwhile, hope you're staying cool, will consider coming to one of our upcoming concerts (or even hosting one!), and if you're looking for some summertime reading, there are liner notes in our new album, which you can buy here.
Consider your date to have been upped.
george
So, since we last checked in, we were launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund our new album. Because of the overwhelming support of our supporters in supporting us, we raised far more than we had hoped, and we were able to take a little bit of time off while Michael recuperated and regained his strength. Though he will continue a chemo-therapy regimen until December, the doctors have done a marvelous job of limiting the side effects. That treatment, by the way, is preventative in nature, with the aim of preventing a return of the cancer they removed in the surgery.
Since all that, we've played a few concerts, and the band has fared quite well. The day after the 4th of July (a.k.a. July 5th), we played in a town called Minerva, OH, which sounds like a mispronunciation of maneuver Ohio, which sounds political, but we all know better than to mix politics with A Update. The next day we returned to Camp Mar-Lu-Ridge, in Maryland, where we had a very fun time playing for campers and parents.
Then, in mid-July, we headed to the city of New Orleans for a large gathering of Lutherans and had a marvelous time being "citizens with the saints." It's a good week when you can play the Superdome twice without having to be tackled by some 300 pound linebacker. The youts who gathered accomplished some amazing things that week, including donating almost 1,200 pints of blood, collecting enough money to build over 100 wells in developing nations, and--though it sounds kind of weird--donating a lot of hair. Amazing what 33,309 people can do together . . . for instance, be equal to the population of New York City in 1790.
Next up, we're returning to one of our top 10 favorite provinces: Saskatchewan! Looking forward to some summertime in the True North. Meanwhile, hope you're staying cool, will consider coming to one of our upcoming concerts (or even hosting one!), and if you're looking for some summertime reading, there are liner notes in our new album, which you can buy here.
Consider your date to have been upped.
george
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The Road Ahead . . .
Well, I have to say I've gotten a little bit better about updating the blog. (There was plenty of room for improvement of course, so this might just be what economists call "Regression to the Mean." Although, that might actually be the name of some death metal band, now that I think of it. And if it isn't, then it should be!)
On to updating . . . which won't take long.
Things in Lost And Found world have taken some dramatic turns in the past couple of months. We've been working on a live album . . . well, technically, a double live album, because we grew up in the 70's. We recorded all the tracks, and were moving along with post-production stuff when Michael went in for some pretty serious surgery.
This put our album production plan on hold to some extent, since touring is what makes us able to finish the project, and we're not sure how much we want Michael getting on airplanes and sitting in the van for endless drives around the country.
So, we started a fundraising effort through Kickstarter in order to finish the project. If you go to that link, you can see the full explanation, plus you can jump on in to help us fund the project and--hopefully--raise a little extra cash to live on through the end of the year, without having to add more gigs to the calendar.
The bottom line is, our current focus is on keeping Michael as healthy as possible through this six months of treatment, and then busting back out in full force in 2013.
If you're a person who has been blessed in some way by what we do, and would like to help us get through the challenges that the next six months will present, we ask you to please surf on over to our Kickstarter page and help us out by taking advantage of some of the groovy options there.
As always, we appreciate your prayers and support, and we look forward to coming to your town in the months ahead!
George
On to updating . . . which won't take long.
Things in Lost And Found world have taken some dramatic turns in the past couple of months. We've been working on a live album . . . well, technically, a double live album, because we grew up in the 70's. We recorded all the tracks, and were moving along with post-production stuff when Michael went in for some pretty serious surgery.
This put our album production plan on hold to some extent, since touring is what makes us able to finish the project, and we're not sure how much we want Michael getting on airplanes and sitting in the van for endless drives around the country.
So, we started a fundraising effort through Kickstarter in order to finish the project. If you go to that link, you can see the full explanation, plus you can jump on in to help us fund the project and--hopefully--raise a little extra cash to live on through the end of the year, without having to add more gigs to the calendar.
The bottom line is, our current focus is on keeping Michael as healthy as possible through this six months of treatment, and then busting back out in full force in 2013.
If you're a person who has been blessed in some way by what we do, and would like to help us get through the challenges that the next six months will present, we ask you to please surf on over to our Kickstarter page and help us out by taking advantage of some of the groovy options there.
As always, we appreciate your prayers and support, and we look forward to coming to your town in the months ahead!
George
Monday, March 19, 2012
Lenting along . . .
So, Ash Wednesday came and went. (As did the ashes that some people got on their foreheads.) And we did as most folks do after Ash Wednesday, and headed for Pigeon Forge, TN. Our hotel had a Krispy Kreme AND a KFC in the parking lot, so we knew we were in the right place alrighty! Played a fun gig with the locals, and then Sunday night headed up to Knoxville, where we played our little concert, then raced back to the hotel to watch someone we know and love receive his first Oscar. A thrilling finish to a great weekend!
From there, Michael headed home, and I popped over to the World's Capital to take in a little conference on Architecture and Worship. With March marching along, it was time to head to Oklahoma, where we haven't been in a long while. Played a really fun gig, with lots of people in attendance, then headed back to Michigan so we could begin Lutheran Schools Week with 3,500 middle school students in Saginaw. Now THAT was fun! In the afternoon, we played the local Lutheran High School in town, and then headed back to my house in Ohio.
Then, we spent a couple days hatching our new plan, which I'll tell you about in a minute. At the end of the week, we drove south to Columbus, where we played for the Ohio District Lutherans, and the weekend's speaker was out old pal, Famous Actor Justin Vetrano. Had a fantastic weekend, and then headed back home, where I dished out corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, and Michael took in a little Los Angeles Marathon activity.
And, as promised, here's our new big idea:
Starting the day after Palm Sunday, which you obviously know is April 1st (no kidding), we will begin posting videos every Monday on our new Youtube channel. If you go there now (go ahead, I'll wait), you can subscribe to the channel, and then every Monday for many months to come, you'll be able to see a new video of us talking about one of our songs, and then playing the song.
We're very excited about this project, and we hope you'll enjoy them and comment, and come to concerts, and visit our website, and buy our new album, which will be released at the beginning of summer. (As you can see, we've got some seriously high expectations of you.)
But, first things first: Go to our youtube channel and subscribe.
Seriously, I'm still waiting. And I've got other things to do, like finish watching season 2 of LOST, for instance. So get going, would you?
george
From there, Michael headed home, and I popped over to the World's Capital to take in a little conference on Architecture and Worship. With March marching along, it was time to head to Oklahoma, where we haven't been in a long while. Played a really fun gig, with lots of people in attendance, then headed back to Michigan so we could begin Lutheran Schools Week with 3,500 middle school students in Saginaw. Now THAT was fun! In the afternoon, we played the local Lutheran High School in town, and then headed back to my house in Ohio.
Then, we spent a couple days hatching our new plan, which I'll tell you about in a minute. At the end of the week, we drove south to Columbus, where we played for the Ohio District Lutherans, and the weekend's speaker was out old pal, Famous Actor Justin Vetrano. Had a fantastic weekend, and then headed back home, where I dished out corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, and Michael took in a little Los Angeles Marathon activity.
And, as promised, here's our new big idea:
Starting the day after Palm Sunday, which you obviously know is April 1st (no kidding), we will begin posting videos every Monday on our new Youtube channel. If you go there now (go ahead, I'll wait), you can subscribe to the channel, and then every Monday for many months to come, you'll be able to see a new video of us talking about one of our songs, and then playing the song.
We're very excited about this project, and we hope you'll enjoy them and comment, and come to concerts, and visit our website, and buy our new album, which will be released at the beginning of summer. (As you can see, we've got some seriously high expectations of you.)
But, first things first: Go to our youtube channel and subscribe.
Seriously, I'm still waiting. And I've got other things to do, like finish watching season 2 of LOST, for instance. So get going, would you?
george
Thursday, February 16, 2012
And so, 2012 Begins . . .
So, perhaps you've made a New Year's resolution or two. If so, mid-February is right about the time when you're probably starting to slip a little, isn't it? (See? I am psychic !) Well, fear not my friends, because Lent is perfectly timed this year so that you can make the commitment all over again in order to keep things going. And then, when we hit Easter in April, well you'll be focused on doing your taxes, and that should keep you out of trouble for a while . . . unless you owe money, in which case your need for belt-tightening will get you right back into the kind of discipline you promised yourself at the end of 2011. And then, after you make excuses over the summer for why you deserve a break from your harsh discipline of the preceding months . . . well, you know what's just around the corner, right?
All of which is to say, I'd better get busy with fulfilling my own resolution, which was to occasionally fill in this big white box on my computer screen with a brief history of our goings on . . .
So, January 1st I preached at church, and then made my 13th Annual Moroccan Cornish Game Hens. I don't know what Michael did that day.
January 2nd, we slept in and then spent some time cleaning the house and . . . what? Am I going too slow for you? Okay, let's jump ahead to actual gigs then . . .
The first weekend of the year, we flew down to Houston, where our pal JD teaches music at a local school. As everyone knows, January 6th is Epiphany, and we spent the day at . . . wait for it . . . Epiphany School. Can you believe the coincidence of that? Michael says he and JD planned it that way, but that would be way too clever, if you ask me. We had a great time sharing songs back and forth with the students during the day, and then had a super fun concert in the evening, which was preceded by a fine selection of grilled meats in the parking lot. (AKA "burgers and dogs.")
Then it was back home for us both, until we flew down to Asheville (where I once lived, btw) and had a delightful return engagement at the Cove, playing for some local Methodist youth who were braving frigid temps and having great fun it seemed. From there we both headed home for a bit, until it was time for Michael to come to the midwest, where I met him and we headed off into the Land of Lincoln.
Aurora, IL is the home of Wayne and Garth, as everyone knows. And we had an excellent time there, partying on by way of playing a concert. We got to see some old friends that night, and that was especially cool.
From there we asked ourselves, Hoosier State? And then headed off into the most confusing assemblage of time zones, known locally as Indiana. More locally, we were in the capital of the state, which is named after the state with the addition of the Greek suffix for city, since as you know, Indiana was settled by Greeks escaping the invading Trojans, who tricked them by using a giant basketball filled with soldiers. But, enough of me and my history-buff showing off . . . While visiting the city of Greeks, we once again got to hang out with some old friends, and that was great. Played two nights there, and then headed back to our homesteads because the Superbowl was about to roll into town, and you don't want to receive a roundhouse to the head from one of those bad boys, I tell you!
Before you know it, along comes February, and on the 2nd day we all take a few moments to remember Bill Murray, who is still waking up to Sonny and Cher every day, somewhere in Pennsylvania. Speaking of that topic, the next Sunday was my Parish's Annual Meeting.
The next weekend, I was looking forward to our trip to Florida, given that I drove through a blizzard to get to the airport that morning. Of course, it was obviously therefore the coldest weekend of the season in the Sunshine State. Nonetheless, we had a great time hanging out with some old friends, and posing beside their new mascot, which Michael insists is a big chicken, but Michael's just full of stuffin', as his movie idol might say. That night, because of the high-tech hosts, we experienced our first streamed concert! Well, I suppose we didn't experience it, but people watching online did. It seems to have been a smashing success, and we're going to be looking to figure out the process and stream more concerts in the future.
And with Jacksonville being our final pre-Lenten concert, you are now brought all up to date and what not.
Good luck with your resolutions. But keep in mind, December is coming, so don't be too hard on yourself, okay?
All of which is to say, I'd better get busy with fulfilling my own resolution, which was to occasionally fill in this big white box on my computer screen with a brief history of our goings on . . .
So, January 1st I preached at church, and then made my 13th Annual Moroccan Cornish Game Hens. I don't know what Michael did that day.
January 2nd, we slept in and then spent some time cleaning the house and . . . what? Am I going too slow for you? Okay, let's jump ahead to actual gigs then . . .
The first weekend of the year, we flew down to Houston, where our pal JD teaches music at a local school. As everyone knows, January 6th is Epiphany, and we spent the day at . . . wait for it . . . Epiphany School. Can you believe the coincidence of that? Michael says he and JD planned it that way, but that would be way too clever, if you ask me. We had a great time sharing songs back and forth with the students during the day, and then had a super fun concert in the evening, which was preceded by a fine selection of grilled meats in the parking lot. (AKA "burgers and dogs.")
Then it was back home for us both, until we flew down to Asheville (where I once lived, btw) and had a delightful return engagement at the Cove, playing for some local Methodist youth who were braving frigid temps and having great fun it seemed. From there we both headed home for a bit, until it was time for Michael to come to the midwest, where I met him and we headed off into the Land of Lincoln.
Aurora, IL is the home of Wayne and Garth, as everyone knows. And we had an excellent time there, partying on by way of playing a concert. We got to see some old friends that night, and that was especially cool.
From there we asked ourselves, Hoosier State? And then headed off into the most confusing assemblage of time zones, known locally as Indiana. More locally, we were in the capital of the state, which is named after the state with the addition of the Greek suffix for city, since as you know, Indiana was settled by Greeks escaping the invading Trojans, who tricked them by using a giant basketball filled with soldiers. But, enough of me and my history-buff showing off . . . While visiting the city of Greeks, we once again got to hang out with some old friends, and that was great. Played two nights there, and then headed back to our homesteads because the Superbowl was about to roll into town, and you don't want to receive a roundhouse to the head from one of those bad boys, I tell you!
Before you know it, along comes February, and on the 2nd day we all take a few moments to remember Bill Murray, who is still waking up to Sonny and Cher every day, somewhere in Pennsylvania. Speaking of that topic, the next Sunday was my Parish's Annual Meeting.
The next weekend, I was looking forward to our trip to Florida, given that I drove through a blizzard to get to the airport that morning. Of course, it was obviously therefore the coldest weekend of the season in the Sunshine State. Nonetheless, we had a great time hanging out with some old friends, and posing beside their new mascot, which Michael insists is a big chicken, but Michael's just full of stuffin', as his movie idol might say. That night, because of the high-tech hosts, we experienced our first streamed concert! Well, I suppose we didn't experience it, but people watching online did. It seems to have been a smashing success, and we're going to be looking to figure out the process and stream more concerts in the future.
And with Jacksonville being our final pre-Lenten concert, you are now brought all up to date and what not.
Good luck with your resolutions. But keep in mind, December is coming, so don't be too hard on yourself, okay?
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