The Ranch, 7/12-13/19

Hello Brothers and Sisters!

This weekend we, the ANB and I, are back at what you might call this band's "home base". I've been playing here at The Ranch since January 2012, right after it opened, with various and sundry bands. This weekend, even though it was a bit light due to opening night at the Orange County Fair, was a ton of fun.

I didn't have to work today due to my 4/10 summer schedule at work. I slept late, had a good workout, washed my truck, washed me, then headed for the gig down the 57 freeway. I forget how crowded the freeway can be even though I'm going opposite of rush hour commuter traffic.

It took me longer than I expected to arrive at the venue but I still had time to order supper and run through a few tunes in the green room. Tonight I enjoyed the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and a nice Kale Salad.

Look at that! Our soundman extraordinaire, Mark, even labeled my wireless IEM pack "BassCliff". How cool is that?

Johnny Magic Fingers and I have a moment before downbeat.

This is the last line dance before we start our first set.

Arnie points at the bass player under the blue lights.

Our first set went swimmingly, then we headed for the bar as the dancers had their way on the dance floor while the DJ played.

I was in a martini mood. After a couple I was feeling pretty fizisticated.

I've always heard that martinis (I like vodka martinis) are like breasts. One is not enough and three are too many. I had only two.

Here are Randy and John having a more cowboy drink called "beer". Maybe I'll have one later.

I think perhaps this is the last line dance before the second set. No matter. We were ready to go whenever the DJ stopped.

This is a picture I took as I entered the stage for the third set. Jason is giving Jed, the new guy, some pointers.

Here's Amanda talking to the crowd while Arnie tunes.

Before one of our sets, Amanda is kind enough to take a selfie with me. She's just so dang nice to this old country bass player.

Our dear friend Melanie came up to the stage to request a song. I'm pretty sure we played it for her.

Stephanie, Bonnie, and their friends had fun tonight dancing in front of the bass player, trying to get him to mess up.

We played one of Amanda's original songs tonight, "Healing When I Ride", and it was awesome. There was a LOT of feeling in that performance. I can't wait until we can get more of Amanda's songs on stage.

This is what Amanda does when she gets bored while we're running tunes in the green room. Silly girl.

Saturday night was typically epic. I started by driving through the robo-wash on my way to the gig. I gotta keep Big Betsy looking good. 

Then I headed down the 57 freeway which was surprisingly devoid of many sticky spots. When I arrived Jed and Arnie were running some tunes in the green room. I thought I'd join them after I had my supper. 

I had the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich again with a beet salad. Great stuff. 

Before downbeat I went out front to say "Hi" to some friends. Then I noticed the band on stage. I figured I'd better get there too. 

Amanda looked like she was a member of the Mod Squad with her bell bottoms. 

"Tell me something, boy." 

"Aren't you tired tryin' to fill that void?" 

"Or do you need more?"

"Ain't it hard keeping it so hardcore?"

Amanda and I got lots of compliments on that song tonight. It went really well, very dramatic. All the dancers were having a great time tonight, line dancers included. 

Jason stuck his tongue out at me. 

Jed and Randy get ready for the next set. 

I think Johnny Magic Fingers is ready. 

On the third break I made it my mission to take a picture with all the pretty girls in the room. I didn't quite get to them all. But here are Stephanie, Shelly, and Kathy. 

Here's Toni.

Here's Tammi.

Here we are, the last set, entertaining the masses. 

After we are done at 12:30am the DJ keeps the crowd line dancing until closing time. I helped Johnny load out. 

On the way home I picked up a sixer of Stone Delicious IPA. I really can't tell much difference between this and the regular Stone IPA. The "delicious" IPA may be a little more citrus-y tasting and has a little more alcohol, 7% vs. 7.7%. It went well with my late night snack of tortilla chips and salami. 

Tomorrow we have an early gig, a 5pm downbeat for a one hour Carrie Underwood Tribute show at the Slide Bar in Fullerton. I've never played this room so it should be an adventure.

This just in: Johnny and I will not be traveling to Santa Fe next week to play with True Willie. That event was cancelled a few hours ago due to a death among the staff at the resort. The head chef passed suddenly so they've cancelled our show to use the showroom for a memorial service. A little weird, but OK, I guess. My condolences to family and friends. Since contracts have been signed, deposits made, airline tickets bought, I imagine there will be some financials to work out. We expect to get paid a substantial percentage of our agreed upon price due to the last minute cancellation. Too bad. I was really looking forward to the trip, the fun, the camaraderie, the experience, and the adventure. It's always a blast traveling with the TW band.

Oh, here's a gif I made during "Shallow". I took a few pictures during Amanda's verse before I started playing. She can be very dramatic. 

 And lastly, here is a picture that DJ Leo took that night. I actually kind of like this picture.

 

That was our weekend at The Ranch. We'll be back there again next month. We are pretty much in the rotation here one weekend a month. It's a nice place to play. Thanks for looking! 

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff