I and the Kelly Rae Band had another long drive to a nice gig at the Toscana Country Club at Indian Wells, near Palm Springs. We played another event here at the beginning of the month as a quartet. I hope they have us back more. It's a great venue and they treat us well.
Tonight's event was a fundraiser for a scholarship fund the residents support. They raised over $175,000 tonight.
By now you all should be familiar with the sights on the drive out there. There wasn't quite as much snow at the top of Mt. San Jacinto today. It's been a while since the last weather system has gone through.
OK, who can name this monstrosity rising up from the desert floor at the foot of Mr. San Jacinto?
(It's the Morongo casino.)
And of course the windmill farms are always a little eerie to drive through.
I checked in with security at the front gate. "I'm with the band" always works.
As I pull up to the venue, Jack and Kelly are unloading. Jack is running sound for us today.
As I wheel my gear in, Art and Paul pull up. Paul is filling in for Daniel today. Daniel is out of town on a family trip.
We're on the same stage in the same room/tent as last time. It's a nice place for a party.
I always like to check out the golf carts at these places. I found a Jaguar this time.
Here's the view from the entrance to the banquet tent. I could get used to this.
When I bought my new amp I also got this adapter to connect a regular 1/4" speaker cable to the Speakon (Neutrik) connector. My GK Neo410 cab has Speakon connectors but my older cabs do not.
It's been a while since Jack ran sound for us. He has to refer to our stage plot to get everything situated. He's a good guy to work with.
My rig for the evening, Carvin LB76, Carvin RL 210, and my new GK MB500.
I brought my Guild Pilot 5-string as a backup, just in case, but left it in the gig bag behind the stage should I need it.
Everyone is here and it looks like we are just about ready to sound check.
After sound check Mario puts the finishing touches on his drum tuning.
The band retires to the bar to await our supper.
We get cozy by the fireplace. There was no need to light it this evening. It's a pleasant night out here in the desert.
Then we are escorted to the dining room. We had it all to ourselves.
We had a half chicken, BBQ'd most excellently, along with green beans and rice.
Kelly joined us a little later. She was getting all dolled up.
After supper we donned our cowboy clothes and waited for the "Go" signal.
OK, let's git'r done! We got the word. Then it was time to make some music. Here's Jacks view from the sound table.
Jack brought lights tonight. The stage looked pretty good.
I'm not sure what the guests had in the buffet but it looked impressive.
Paul and Art say "Hi" just before we start our dinner set.
Kelly was looking fabulous this evening.
Hmm, since my amp is not as big tonight my amp-selfie is taken from a different angle.
Jeff and Jack ham it up as we begin our dinner set while the guests wander in from cocktail hour.
Mario gives himself rabbit ears.
The guests continue to filter in, find their seats, and get ready for food, announcements, testimonials, and maybe a little bit of fun later.
After our dinner set we take a break on the back patio. We're all hittin' the bottled water and doing some rough-'n-tumble phone checking. That's the way we roll.
That crowd's a little too rough for me. I wander back around front to get a cup of coffee and take another picture in the same spot as last time we were here. I'm a creature of habit.
The guests were very generous and patient. While the announcements and auctions were going on we just sipped coffee and took it easy.
Then we played a long dance set and the folks had a great time.
Jeff sings one of their favorites, "Friends In Low Places".
Art is having fun. Paul looks like he's working hard. You may remember Paul from when I first joined the KRB. He's an excellent musician and I'm glad he was available. He did a great job.
After we played "Mustang Sally" and a couple of encores for $600 in tips, we helped ourselves to the apple cobbler before we started packing up.
Yes, another successful party, good food, good fun, good remuneration, and a good long drive. Such is the life of a weekend warrior.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. I don't have a gig this weekend, unless I get a last-minute call. My next gig is March 12th, another Palm Springs area country club gig. Thanks for looking!
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
