http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:58:15 GMT http://bandzoogle.com http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=614341      What to write about? Very often when I sit down to write (which isn’t very often), I cant think of the right words to express my ideas. It isn't a problem with my ideas; it’s a problem finding the correct words and putting them in the right order. After that, I have to worry about grammar and punctuation, and then I have to go back and delete all the y’alls and aint’s. (Not really.) In the end, I am left with something that is hopefully comprehensible and probably not a true expression of my original idea.      Music, however, is very different. When I sit down to write music, I start with an emotion (the one I am feeling at the moment), and then develop that into a melody or groove that truly represents that emotion better than any words ever could. The same emotion is provoked in the listener that I was feeling at the time of composition, or, as with improvised music, emotions are conveyed in the moment; everything happens instantaneously in the present. This is true and complete expression.      Don’t think I am knocking written language. I love to read, and I love to write just as much, but I cannot truly express myself with words. Words conjure different meanings for different people, and can be interpreted in as many ways as there are people who can read them. A word is not a physical thing. It exists only as an idea in the human mind. One of the miracles of language is that there are so many people who have so many of the same ideas about so many of the same things, we can communicate with abstract sounds that have nothing to do with the things they represent. This in itself should be regarded as a great human accomplishment, but not taken for granted. Given the word “God,” for example, everyone in the world has a different meaning associated with it in their mind. Therefore, if I say “God” to someone, they are not understanding my idea, they are substituting their own. One person may associate that word with an old white man sitting on a throne in the clouds, while another may associate it with an expansive force that encompasses everything. Those are such different things that the word is almost useless as a method to convey ideas.      Music, on the other hand, is very different. (I am somewhat partial to music). As a method of superficial communication, it is not as effective as language. It would be much harder, if not impossible, to tell someone that you would like to order fries with your cheeseburger using only music as a method of communication. That is where language is of greater value. Almost everyone who speaks English has the same idea about what a cheeseburger is, or at least close enough to place the order. Where music becomes more effective is when an individual is trying to express less concrete ideas, like “sad” or “ecstatic”. These words, when spoken, only give a very general idea about the true state of affairs. However, if I were to pick up a guitar and play “sad” or “ecstatic”, I could convey these emotions even better than the word “cheeseburger” could convey the idea of the thing. It is possible to actually bring forth the same emotions in another using music.      Music is true, perfect communication, and it has no barriers. A musician can communicate the same thing in the same way to anyone in the world. One cannot lie with music. Music is truth, and played with true intentions, it is a force more powerful than any armies or governments. Music played with love can and will change the world in a very concrete way. People just need to listen. -John
     Music, however, is very different. When I sit down to write music, I start with an emotion (the one I am feeling at the moment), and then develop that into a melody or groove that truly represents that emotion better than any words ever could. The same emotion is provoked in the listener that I was feeling at the time of composition, or, as with improvised music, emotions are conveyed in the moment; everything happens instantaneously in the present. This is true and complete expression.

     Don’t think I am knocking written language. I love to read, and I love to write just as much, but I cannot truly express myself with words. Words conjure different meanings for different people, and can be interpreted in as many ways as there are people who can read them. A word is not a physical thing. It exists only as an idea in the human mind. One of the miracles of language is that there are so many people who have so many of the same ideas about so many of the same things, we can communicate with abstract sounds that have nothing to do with the things they represent. This in itself should be regarded as a great human accomplishment, but not taken for granted. Given the word “God,” for example, everyone in the world has a different meaning associated with it in their mind. Therefore, if I say “God” to someone, they are not understanding my idea, they are substituting their own. One person may associate that word with an old white man sitting on a throne in the clouds, while another may associate it with an expansive force that encompasses everything. Those are such different things that the word is almost useless as a method to convey ideas.

     Music, on the other hand, is very different. (I am somewhat partial to music). As a method of superficial communication, it is not as effective as language. It would be much harder, if not impossible, to tell someone that you would like to order fries with your cheeseburger using only music as a method of communication. That is where language is of greater value. Almost everyone who speaks English has the same idea about what a cheeseburger is, or at least close enough to place the order. Where music becomes more effective is when an individual is trying to express less concrete ideas, like “sad” or “ecstatic”. These words, when spoken, only give a very general idea about the true state of affairs. However, if I were to pick up a guitar and play “sad” or “ecstatic”, I could convey these emotions even better than the word “cheeseburger” could convey the idea of the thing. It is possible to actually bring forth the same emotions in another using music.

     Music is true, perfect communication, and it has no barriers. A musician can communicate the same thing in the same way to anyone in the world. One cannot lie with music. Music is truth, and played with true intentions, it is a force more powerful than any armies or governments. Music played with love can and will change the world in a very concrete way. People just need to listen.

-John
]]> Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:58:15 GMT CEDF0EB99C77FB998916FBEAA3C58AA4 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=579954       I came to a conclusion a few years ago. Gravy tastes good on everything. Some thick, brown sausage gravy makes any food you can think of taste really, really great. It makes sushi taste just like gravy! It makes biscuits, pancakes, eggs, waffles and even gravy taste like gravy. The only problem with gravy is that you can’t get it everywhere. Only in the good ol’ southeast USA can you get real gravy. Sucks to be everybody else.      Another thing you can only get here is real, quality, certified beach music. This is where beach music is from, and apparently, this is where it will stay. In The Embers’ fifty-two years on the scene, ‘Soul’ music has been copied, twisted and transformed into what is referred to today as Beach Music. This has defined an entire generation of people from a large region of the country.      Arguably, gravy has done the same thing. What did Bobby Tomlinson, General Johnson, Jackie Gore, and all of the Spinners eat for breakfast countless mornings while on the road? Gravy. When this amount of gravy is consumed on a regular basis, it could have very real physiological and psychological effect. I believe that gravy played a large part in shaping the music that we now call ‘Beach Music,’ and the musicians who play it.      Scientific studies have shown that an increased amount of gravy in the bloodstream actually helps to develop certain areas of the brain. A large and regular intake of gravy could allow the brain to more freely make all the complex calculations and react faster to more intense stimuli. Along with a genetic predisposition to be faster and more talented at an individual instrument, and having the physically larger brain required to play beach music, gravy might have shaped the American musical landscape and it’s musicians more than anyone could imagine.      Clearly, more research needs to be done before any formal conclusions can be drawn, but one thing is for sure: with regular exercise, practice, and hard work, along with regular servings of thick, brown gravy, human beings are able to reach new heights and raise the bar for musicians throughout the whole world. -John  Ray      Another thing you can only get here is real, quality, certified beach music. This is where beach music is from, and apparently, this is where it will stay. In The Embers’ fifty-two years on the scene, ‘Soul’ music has been copied, twisted and transformed into what is referred to today as Beach Music. This has defined an entire generation of people from a large region of the country.
     Arguably, gravy has done the same thing. What did Bobby Tomlinson, General Johnson, Jackie Gore, and all of the Spinners eat for breakfast countless mornings while on the road? Gravy. When this amount of gravy is consumed on a regular basis, it could have very real physiological and psychological effect. I believe that gravy played a large part in shaping the music that we now call ‘Beach Music,’ and the musicians who play it.
     Scientific studies have shown that an increased amount of gravy in the bloodstream actually helps to develop certain areas of the brain. A large and regular intake of gravy could allow the brain to more freely make all the complex calculations and react faster to more intense stimuli. Along with a genetic predisposition to be faster and more talented at an individual instrument, and having the physically larger brain required to play beach music, gravy might have shaped the American musical landscape and it’s musicians more than anyone could imagine.
     Clearly, more research needs to be done before any formal conclusions can be drawn, but one thing is for sure: with regular exercise, practice, and hard work, along with regular servings of thick, brown gravy, human beings are able to reach new heights and raise the bar for musicians throughout the whole world.

-John  Ray
]]> Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:40:00 GMT 34C84DBA6E53465EFFD6A766F2514F3C http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=311598  An interview with Embers guitarist David Dixon, conducted by master bass player and visionary John Ray.  Special thanks to Nigel Maidstone Gillingham III for producing this podcast at his studio in Brentwood, England. Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:20:00 GMT AB0C39AAC97A144456A2D893B5DF2B25 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=170357 This podcast contains new information, a request for fans and an interview with a band member! ]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:11:20 GMT D420AEF9554EF010372BCDFB06AE13A5 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=163919      I was walking my dogs near my house the other day, when I was stopped by a small group of swifts flying close over my head. I watched them as they flew towards a large flock not far from me. The place I was standing was overlooking a small valley with I-40 running right down the center, and houses all around as far as I could see. It was dusk, and people were all rushing to get home for dinner, and this flock of about a thousand birds was performing aerial acrobatics in the turbulent air above the interstate completely unnoticed by the human traffic on the ground.      What these people were missing, listening to their radios and talking on their cell phones, unaware of anything but the cars in their immediate area, was one of the most beautiful, intricate dances I've ever witnessed. The immense group of participants wheeled around a large area of the sky, all turning in unison, different sections breaking off here, and rejoining there, and all of it coordinated perfectly and synced up so that the group moved as a single unit across the sky. More swifts were flying in and joining this mass of birds all the time, seemingly coming from all over the city to take part in this dance and then roost together when the daylight is finally gone. As soon as they reached the main flock, the small group of four or five would immediately fall into sync with the main flock, as if they were performing a three-dimensional dance that was rehearsed for months.      It was not rehearsed in any way, though. Scientists have studied this flocking behavior, and have come to many conclusions about its purpose, but nobody can know for sure what these birds are thinking. When I look at this behavior, as a musician, it seems clear to me that regardless of the reason for it, what they are doing is dancing. They might be dancing as a way to determine the hierarchy of roosting or to scare predators, but the fact remains that they are all moving together as one using a form of instantaneous communication that is unknown to science, but very well known by musicians. It is this same form of communication that we use on stage every night when we improvise, when verbal communication and body language are not an option. The most that we can do on stage is yell out a word or two or give a look with an eye, but this is not in any way sufficient to communicate the intricacies of music. All the time we have to be aware fully of everything that is happening around us, while then figuring out how best to add our sound to this, and then listening to the whole of the group and make any changes that need to be made, at the same time we employ all of our years of accumulated theoretical knowledge about what notes to play, how to play them, and how to achieve this technically. It takes much more than lifetime of practice to master this, and I can say for myself that I am just beginning to learn how to dance this dance of music and artistic expression through group performance.      These birds have mastered this dance. It is clear to me watching them that while there might be some underlying survival technique related to this dance, they are finished feeding for the day and are dancing as one; a whole society of swifts coming together for one last improvised salute to the fading daylight. This is something that we, as a different species of animal living in a much larger flock, should learn from, and something that we musicians should study very thoroughly, and try to imitate with our own dances. -John Ray      What these people were missing, listening to their radios and talking on their cell phones, unaware of anything but the cars in their immediate area, was one of the most beautiful, intricate dances I've ever witnessed. The immense group of participants wheeled around a large area of the sky, all turning in unison, different sections breaking off here, and rejoining there, and all of it coordinated perfectly and synced up so that the group moved as a single unit across the sky. More swifts were flying in and joining this mass of birds all the time, seemingly coming from all over the city to take part in this dance and then roost together when the daylight is finally gone. As soon as they reached the main flock, the small group of four or five would immediately fall into sync with the main flock, as if they were performing a three-dimensional dance that was rehearsed for months.
     It was not rehearsed in any way, though. Scientists have studied this flocking behavior, and have come to many conclusions about its purpose, but nobody can know for sure what these birds are thinking. When I look at this behavior, as a musician, it seems clear to me that regardless of the reason for it, what they are doing is dancing. They might be dancing as a way to determine the hierarchy of roosting or to scare predators, but the fact remains that they are all moving together as one using a form of instantaneous communication that is unknown to science, but very well known by musicians. It is this same form of communication that we use on stage every night when we improvise, when verbal communication and body language are not an option. The most that we can do on stage is yell out a word or two or give a look with an eye, but this is not in any way sufficient to communicate the intricacies of music. All the time we have to be aware fully of everything that is happening around us, while then figuring out how best to add our sound to this, and then listening to the whole of the group and make any changes that need to be made, at the same time we employ all of our years of accumulated theoretical knowledge about what notes to play, how to play them, and how to achieve this technically. It takes much more than lifetime of practice to master this, and I can say for myself that I am just beginning to learn how to dance this dance of music and artistic expression through group performance.
     These birds have mastered this dance. It is clear to me watching them that while there might be some underlying survival technique related to this dance, they are finished feeding for the day and are dancing as one; a whole society of swifts coming together for one last improvised salute to the fading daylight. This is something that we, as a different species of animal living in a much larger flock, should learn from, and something that we musicians should study very thoroughly, and try to imitate with our own dances.
-John Ray]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:34:50 GMT 0B4D87480595E921EE579A07ADAB1E0B http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=159353 Welcome to the Embers very first podcast! This is the first podcast in the history of the Embers and the first in a series to be aired throughout 2010! Join host Pat McCutcheason as he interviews band members and introduces fun and interesting segments throughout the series. You are invited to write in with your requests and suggestions for future podcasts! ]]> Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:20:00 GMT D549DD9E127DD9FA90B64144EDAC9026 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=35084 This past weekend, we had the privilege of visiting a Veterans Hospital in Charleston, SC. It was an inspiring and humbling experience, to say the least. On Friday night we played a Veterans Valentines ball with our friends, The Tams. We both had a great time, and the large crowd was very appreciative. Thank you all that attended! We were put up in a very nice hotel in downtown Charleston, and the next morning we made the trip to the VA Hospital. I don’t think any of us knew what to expect, or what we were even supposed to do, but we met with our contact there and she escorted us to a patient’s room. The first guy we met was from Conway, SC, and was very happy to see us! We just hung out with him for a few minutes, and moved on to the next room. We visited with about 25 patients, and all of them were happy to see us, and just get a chance to talk to some people and be appreciated. Everyone in the hospital was a veteran, and some had obvious war injuries. We made sure all of them knew how much we appreciated their sacrifice, and I could tell that that made all of them happy. The whole thing was a very surreal experience, and by the end of our 2 hour stay, I felt much smaller. We are entertainers, and our job is to make people happy; it seems to me that this should be part of our job requirement as well. Not just for veterans, but anyone who is in need of cheering up, for any reason. I got the impression from some of the people in there that they were not going to ever leave the hospital, and that they had almost given up on life. If we could make one person smile, just once, then I would say our trip was worthwhile. It was worthwhile. -John Ray This past weekend, we had the privilege of visiting a Veterans Hospital in Charleston, SC. It was an inspiring and humbling experience, to say the least. On Friday night we played a Veterans Valentines ball with our friends, The Tams. We both had a great time, and the large crowd was very appreciative. Thank you all that attended!
We were put up in a very nice hotel in downtown Charleston, and the next morning we made the trip to the VA Hospital. I don’t think any of us knew what to expect, or what we were even supposed to do, but we met with our contact there and she escorted us to a patient’s room. The first guy we met was from Conway, SC, and was very happy to see us! We just hung out with him for a few minutes, and moved on to the next room.
We visited with about 25 patients, and all of them were happy to see us, and just get a chance to talk to some people and be appreciated. Everyone in the hospital was a veteran, and some had obvious war injuries. We made sure all of them knew how much we appreciated their sacrifice, and I could tell that that made all of them happy.
The whole thing was a very surreal experience, and by the end of our 2 hour stay, I felt much smaller. We are entertainers, and our job is to make people happy; it seems to me that this should be part of our job requirement as well. Not just for veterans, but anyone who is in need of cheering up, for any reason. I got the impression from some of the people in there that they were not going to ever leave the hospital, and that they had almost given up on life. If we could make one person smile, just once, then I would say our trip was worthwhile. It was worthwhile.
-John Ray
]]> Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:45:00 GMT 4999155525AA7F4584B80FD92FF1A01B http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=34539 It is way past time for another blog - Right!?!?!? Here goes: Man the first of the year has been rough so far! Why you ask? The transmission crapped out in my van. I bought this van from the Chrysler Dealer here in Raleigh this past May. It was used with only 62K miles, leather interior and decked out to the max. The perfect family hauler. Well - I learned the hard way the history behind this model van and its transmission woes. This is a really long story........ fast forward - It broke down on I-95 south (with less than 80K miles) at about 10pm just after new years. We got the van back today after four garages and three tows. I won't talk about the expense, ongoing inconvenience or sitting on the side of the road for hours (at night) with the wife and kids. Far too sad - although, I did enjoy the time spent with them. It was nice considering the mandatory circumstance. I just want to send a special thanks to my really good friend that helped me through it all. His tireless drive to help us and get this taken care of accompanied by the same caring attitude from his wife saw our family through this mess. They even loaned us a cool old school Jeep to drive in the interim. Were it not for them, we would have been ran over or popped between the eyes by the 8-ball instead of just being behind it! Thankfully, our friendship has grown through this ordeal and for that our family is very thankful. They know who they are! I owe you one (or more)!! Things are brighter today. We got the van back late last night and drove it to Virginia today (we made it there and back with no issues) to get another car. This vehicle is a family heirloom that has been in our family for years and was once owned by my father-in-law, then his brother. We have it now and needless to say, my wife is tickled as she will be the principle driver. She has always loved the car and has very fond memories if it. My little red car, that I bought new several years ago for cheapo band travel, will be handed down to my nephew Stenson - a first time driver this year! The only draw back to all this - I'm now mini-van guy. Anything for my family. I love them very much! These are our cars as they set in our driveway tonight… This is Tracie's new ride. This is my nephews new ride minus the cool tag of course. Finally - this is my new ride. At least I know the transmission is good and it has a killer stereo. Not to mention the automatic doors and liftgate! Just look for the old guy cruising the mall wearing a cape and providing car care tips and rides to the less fortunate… -free
Here goes: Man the first of the year has been rough so far! Why you ask? The transmission crapped out in my van. I bought this van from the Chrysler Dealer here in Raleigh this past May. It was used with only 62K miles, leather interior and decked out to the max. The perfect family hauler. Well - I learned the hard way the history behind this model van and its transmission woes. This is a really long story........ fast forward - It broke down on I-95 south (with less than 80K miles) at about 10pm just after new years. We got the van back today after four garages and three tows. I won't talk about the expense, ongoing inconvenience or sitting on the side of the road for hours (at night) with the wife and kids. Far too sad - although, I did enjoy the time spent with them. It was nice considering the mandatory circumstance. I just want to send a special thanks to my really good friend that helped me through it all. His tireless drive to help us and get this taken care of accompanied by the same caring attitude from his wife saw our family through this mess. They even loaned us a cool old school Jeep to drive in the interim. Were it not for them, we would have been ran over or popped between the eyes by the 8-ball instead of just being behind it! Thankfully, our friendship has grown through this ordeal and for that our family is very thankful. They know who they are! I owe you one (or more)!!

Things are brighter today. We got the van back late last night and drove it to Virginia today (we made it there and back with no issues) to get another car. This vehicle is a family heirloom that has been in our family for years and was once owned by my father-in-law, then his brother. We have it now and needless to say, my wife is tickled as she will be the principle driver. She has always loved the car and has very fond memories if it. My little red car, that I bought new several years ago for cheapo band travel, will be handed down to my nephew Stenson - a first time driver this year! The only draw back to all this - I'm now mini-van guy. Anything for my family. I love them very much! These are our cars as they set in our driveway tonight…



This is Tracie's new ride.



This is my nephews new ride minus the cool tag of course.



Finally - this is my new ride. At least I know the transmission is good and it has a killer stereo. Not to mention the automatic doors and liftgate! Just look for the old guy cruising the mall wearing a cape and providing car care tips and rides to the less fortunate…


-free


]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:15:00 GMT 44BC193F031FDD2C4CCE6000BD3D731B http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32410       My friends, I’m here today to tell you about a brand new organization I am founding. It’s called the Rick Sanders Save the World Federation (RSSTWF). With my plan I will: 1. Solve the gasoline crisis 2. Reduce work related stress by half or more 3. End world hunger and possibly the need for food altogether 4. Cure all deadly diseases 5. Reduce traffic accidents and save millions of lives.      Today I will tackle three of the problems I have mentioned. 1. Curing deadly diseases.      Think tanks! Now wait a minute! Hasn’t that been tried before, you ask? Yes, and with less than satisfactory results. However, they are GOING ABOUT IT THE WRONG WAY! Have you ever noticed how amazing the new video games are? These people who design these are brilliant, witty, clever, innovative people! And computer geeks do research better than anyone! Put these guys in the same room with the top surgeons and medical researchers in the country. The computer guys will look at the problems from a completely different angle. Ideas will bounce around and sooner or later solutions for a cure of all deadly diseases will be found! You could throw in brilliant architects, engineers, professors and philosophers! And maybe a Beach Music musician or two?      Ok, we’ve solved the disease problem, on to the gas crisis and saving lives on the highway.      Pass a law – maximum 35 mph speed limit. Whoa! Before you organize a posse to do me bodily harm, hear me out. Due to reduced speeds the world would need half the gas it uses. Prices would plummet to well under a dollar a gallon leaving more money to spend on you and your loved ones. Of course we would need a special lane or two at the regular speed limit for emergency vehicles and people with the important job of spreading joy and beauty to the world, such as actors, clowns, jugglers, and Beach Music musicians. And what would you do with that extra time it takes to get to work? Well, for starters, I would suggest you purchase the entire Embers CD collection because nothing reduces stress better than good old Beach Music. As a by-product, reduced speeds would save not thousands, not millions, but BILLIONS of lives in traffic mishaps!      If everyone in the entire world donates a quarter (more if you have it!) to my foundation we can save the world! The Embers could embark on a world tour to promote my plan and spread the happiness and joy that beach music brings!      Next up - - solving world hunger and work related stress. Till then, your friendly guru, philosopher, soothsayer visionary and all around good-guy Ricky Paul Sanders will be working tirelessly to SAVE THE WORLD!! 1. Solve the gasoline crisis
2. Reduce work related stress by half or more
3. End world hunger and possibly the need for food altogether
4. Cure all deadly diseases
5. Reduce traffic accidents and save millions of lives.

     Today I will tackle three of the problems I have mentioned.
1. Curing deadly diseases.
     Think tanks! Now wait a minute! Hasn’t that been tried before, you ask? Yes, and with less than satisfactory results. However, they are GOING ABOUT IT THE WRONG WAY! Have you ever noticed how amazing the new video games are? These people who design these are brilliant, witty, clever, innovative people! And computer geeks do research better than anyone! Put these guys in the same room with the top surgeons and medical researchers in the country. The computer guys will look at the problems from a completely different angle. Ideas will bounce around and sooner or later solutions for a cure of all deadly diseases will be found! You could throw in brilliant architects, engineers, professors and philosophers! And maybe a Beach Music musician or two?
     Ok, we’ve solved the disease problem, on to the gas crisis and saving lives on the highway.
     Pass a law – maximum 35 mph speed limit. Whoa! Before you organize a posse to do me bodily harm, hear me out. Due to reduced speeds the world would need half the gas it uses. Prices would plummet to well under a dollar a gallon leaving more money to spend on you and your loved ones. Of course we would need a special lane or two at the regular speed limit for emergency vehicles and people with the important job of spreading joy and beauty to the world, such as actors, clowns, jugglers, and Beach Music musicians. And what would you do with that extra time it takes to get to work? Well, for starters, I would suggest you purchase the entire Embers CD collection because nothing reduces stress better than good old Beach Music. As a by-product, reduced speeds would save not thousands, not millions, but BILLIONS of lives in traffic mishaps!
     If everyone in the entire world donates a quarter (more if you have it!) to my foundation we can save the world! The Embers could embark on a world tour to promote my plan and spread the happiness and joy that beach music brings!
     Next up - - solving world hunger and work related stress. Till then, your friendly guru, philosopher, soothsayer visionary and all around good-guy Ricky Paul Sanders will be working tirelessly to SAVE THE WORLD!!
]]> Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:04:03 GMT E3B74269EDA4093E02E8CC8B93B28F5F http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32271   Day three in Korea: after going out and playing at “Woodstock,” getting up at 9:30 was a little more difficult than usual. I’m still not adjusted to Korea time, and my schedule is still a little out of whack. We hopped on our bus and headed to the Seoul Station, to get on a bullet train to take us to Daegu. I tried to sleep on the way there, but was too interested in watching the scenery. The train went 300 kph, or about 190 mph. On land, that is by far the fastest I’ve ever been! It was surprising to see how developed Korea is. As we passed through the countryside, it seemed tha even the small towns all have high rise condominiums, and the towns are all very compact, leaving all of the factories and farms outside of the cities. We passed through tall mountains which reminded me of the cascade mountains in Washington, except much older and covered with trees. All of the vegetation I saw was basically identical to North Carolina, and none of it felt very foreign. We arrived at the base to find our crew had already set up for the show, and the stage looked amazing! Those guys are good. Our sound crew consists of nine guys, who make quick work of setting up and tearing down, leaving us to worry about music and sound checking. The show was great, and the sound was awesome, even though we played in a gym with high metal ceilings and concrete walls (about as bad as it gets for acoustics). It was nice to do a show with our costumes and tuxes, and all of the skits tha go in the show. The audience was very appreciative as well. Nothing eventful happened after the show, this time. We took the train back to Seoul, and went to the hotel and to sleep! It was nice to get a full night’s sleep for a change! -John Ray to get on a bullet train to take us to Daegu. I tried to sleep on the way there, but was too interested in watching the scenery. The train went 300 kph, or about 190 mph. On land, that is by far the fastest I’ve ever been! It was surprising to see how developed Korea is. As we passed through the countryside, it seemed tha even the small towns all have high rise condominiums, and the towns are all very compact, leaving all of the factories and farms outside of the cities. We passed through tall mountains which reminded me of the cascade mountains in Washington, except much older and covered with trees. All of the vegetation I saw was basically identical to North Carolina, and none of it felt very foreign.
We arrived at the base to find our crew had already set up for the show, and the stage looked amazing! Those guys are good. Our sound crew consists of nine guys, who make quick work of setting up and tearing down, leaving us to worry about music and sound checking. The show was great, and the sound was awesome, even though we played in a gym with high metal ceilings and concrete walls (about as bad as it gets for acoustics). It was nice to do a show with our costumes and tuxes, and all of the skits tha go in the show. The audience was very appreciative as well.
Nothing eventful happened after the show, this time. We took the train back to Seoul, and went to the hotel and to sleep! It was nice to get a full night’s sleep for a change!
-John Ray]]> Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:02:34 GMT B64714C5D1F2EC5D3F276F4275DDAE09 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32224   Yesterday was our first show, and despite a major setback (no luggage), the show came off beautifully. We played in Seoul, on the army base, for a small crowd of about 75 soldiers and families. If you’ve seen our Christmas show, then you have seen that we wear two different tuxedos, and we all have several costume changes. All of that stuff, including a lot of our gear, was in our luggage. Awesome. We had all been wearing the same clothes for 4 days, and some of us were getting pretty full of smell. Hwong our helpful escort, got us some military shirts, and some of us washed our clothes in the bathtub. We found out, however, that Korean t-shirts are sized a little differently than American shirts. Hwong brought us two shirts each, one a XXL and one a 3XL. On me, the XXL fit about like a large, and the 3XL fit like a XL. Korean people are just smaller than we are. Walking around, none of us could find any clothes that fit us. At the show, we met up with Ms. Shirley Commander, who is our liaison with the MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation). She went out and bought us all new clothes! Not everything, but enough to get us through the show and rest of the night. The worst part about wearing the same clothes for four days is the socks. Yes, our underwear smelled very bad, but the socks just got horrible. They get very uncomfortable, very smelly, and amazingly stiff. OK, enough about our clothes. So we did the show, without most of the skits, and wearing blue jeans and sweaters. The skits we did do were the Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra skit, and Johnny Cash. Both were heavily improvised because they basically rely on costumes! JT, Wayne and Rick all held it together, though, with a lot of “Now imagine I’m wearing a wig and black vest” kind of things. The crowd loved it, however, and all of the improv made it almost more funny! What could be more funny than me dressed up like a ballerina, though. Nothing. Im the funniest. After the show, we were presented with gifts from the commanding general (he gave us blankets so we wouldn't get cold without our luggage). Then Ms. Shirley took us all out to dinner on the base, and took us, exhausted, back to the hotel. Well, some of us still had some energy...... We got back to the hotel to find our luggage! Or, most of it. As it turns out, we got 12 of the 14 bags we initially checked in Raleigh. 5 days later. Thanks, D***a. You suck. David and Linda Tomlinson are now the only two without their luggage, and they are taking it pretty well. So after we put on clean clothes, Eddie, our monitor tech, Dave, Stephen and I head downtown to see if we can find something fun to do. We head into a bar called “Woodstock,” because we hear Jimi Hendrix blaring from the window. A sign on the door says “Open mic night,” in English, and as we walk in to the tiny club, we see a stage with a mostly full band setup. There are lots of amps, a couple guitars strewn around the stage, a PA with a couple of mics, and a drum kit with at least 1 1/2 sticks on the floor. We sit down at the bar and begin talking to the bartender, whose name I dont remember, and ask if we can go play a little bit. There were only about 7 people in the bar and none of them looked like they were participating in the open mic night, so we got up on stage and played some blues. There was no bass, so I played a keyboard through a bass amp to sound like a bass, Stephen played drums, Dave played guitar, and Eddie sang and ran sound for us. The “crowd” loved it! We got wild standing ovations after every song, and calls for “encole!” Immediately after we finished, the bartender ran on stage with a schedule book and offered us a gig Saturday night! I wish things worked like that in the US! My life would be a lot easier. Anyway, it’s 3 am here, and I need to get to bed tonight. Until next time....... -John Ray At the show, we met up with Ms. Shirley Commander, who is our liaison with the MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation). She went out and bought us all new clothes! Not everything, but enough to get us through the show and rest of the night. The worst part about wearing the same clothes for four days is the socks. Yes, our underwear smelled very bad, but the socks just got horrible. They get very uncomfortable, very smelly, and amazingly stiff. OK, enough about our clothes. So we did the show, without most of the skits, and wearing blue jeans and sweaters. The skits we did do were the Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra skit, and Johnny Cash. Both were heavily improvised because they basically rely on costumes! JT, Wayne and Rick all held it together, though, with a lot of “Now imagine I’m wearing a wig and black vest” kind of things. The crowd loved it, however, and all of the improv made it almost more funny! What could be more funny than me dressed up like a ballerina, though. Nothing. Im the funniest.
After the show, we were presented with gifts from the commanding general (he gave us blankets so we wouldn't get cold without our luggage). Then Ms. Shirley took us all out to dinner on the base, and took us, exhausted, back to the hotel. Well, some of us still had some energy......
We got back to the hotel to find our luggage! Or, most of it. As it turns out, we got 12 of the 14 bags we initially checked in Raleigh. 5 days later. Thanks, D***a. You suck. David and Linda Tomlinson are now the only two without their luggage, and they are taking it pretty well.
So after we put on clean clothes, Eddie, our monitor tech, Dave, Stephen and I head downtown to see if we can find something fun to do. We head into a bar called “Woodstock,” because we hear Jimi Hendrix blaring from the window. A sign on the door says “Open mic night,” in English, and as we walk in to the tiny club, we see a stage with a mostly full band setup. There are lots of amps, a couple guitars strewn around the stage, a PA with a couple of mics, and a drum kit with at least 1 1/2 sticks on the floor. We sit down at the bar and begin talking to the bartender, whose name I dont remember, and ask if we can go play a little bit. There were only about 7 people in the bar and none of them looked like they were participating in the open mic night, so we got up on stage and played some blues. There was no bass, so I played a keyboard through a bass amp to sound like a bass, Stephen played drums, Dave played guitar, and Eddie sang and ran sound for us. The “crowd” loved it! We got wild standing ovations after every song, and calls for “encole!” Immediately after we finished, the bartender ran on stage with a schedule book and offered us a gig Saturday night! I wish things worked like that in the US! My life would be a lot easier. Anyway, it’s 3 am here, and I need to get to bed tonight. Until next time.......
-John Ray]]> Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:35:00 GMT 0354BAA9FBACB8674D51131176FFCAF4 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32157 We had our meeting with Bobby and learned that we will hear around 6pm whether or not our luggage can be located. We have to perform a show tonight without our charts, outfits, props and more. We plan to go over and perform our Christmas music with whatever we have when we get there. We may be issued Army Fatigues to wear. That'll be very cool. We're still playing this one by ear but one thing is for sure - We will make this happen irregardless of our situation. I found some really thin socks and cardboard underwear at the mini-stop. Things are looking up! Tonight will be exciting. Check back for updates. Ray and I plan to send updates as often as possible. We wish you all were here to share in this experience with us - assuming we all I had our luggage! -free
I found some really thin socks and cardboard underwear at the mini-stop. Things are looking up!

Tonight will be exciting. Check back for updates. Ray and I plan to send updates as often as possible. We wish you all were here to share in this experience with us - assuming we all I had our luggage!


-free



]]> Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:42:13 GMT DA12DEBF217AAA99EDB1BC0F2A303E35 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32147 More than 24 hrs. - Still no luggage! You can't just go out and buy socks here! I tried to buy shoes. Good luck finding a size 11. NONE ANYWHERE! All shirts are a little too small. Re-DEO(dorant) can only work so much. A small bottle of that was 8000 Won! Razors and Shaving cream are offered within our rooms here over the Mini bar - for 20,000 Won! I would like to take more pictures of our group but we're all wearing the same clothes! God Bless the MWR that gave us two T's with the gift bag when we arrived. We'll proudly wear them. We are going downstairs for breakfast and strategy meeting this morning. We'll get another status report on our luggage/costumes & props and then decide what type of show we can perform today. We will give these guys and their families that are here a show no matter what! They deserve so much more. -The Show Must Go On free
We are going downstairs for breakfast and strategy meeting this morning. We'll get another status report on our luggage/costumes & props and then decide what type of show we can perform today. We will give these guys and their families that are here a show no matter what! They deserve so much more.

-The Show Must Go On

free
]]> Thu, 18 Dec 2008 05:19:32 GMT CF77E49BDA190C760184039EBA552376 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32145 &nbsp;Sorry Wayne, I hadn't read your blog before I wrote mine, so I'm reiterating some things you have said. &nbsp;To see all the pictures from the trip, go to our new <a href="./weekinkorea.cfm">Week in Korea page. So here&rsquo;s the deal: we arrived in Seoul at 6:00 Wednesday morning without incidents at customs, and walked through the easy-to-navigate airport to the baggage claim area to find a sign on the baggage claim belt saying that our luggage had been &ldquo;delayed.&rdquo; Bobby and I had been to talk to a D***a representative at the LA airport who assured us repeatedly that our bags would be on our flight. He was very convincing. He was also very wrong. After talking to a very helpful Korean Air representative, we determined that our bags had never left the Atlanta airport on our D***a flight, and he thought that maybe D***a would ship some of our bags on a later flight that day, around 5:00, he said. Well, we had a show that we were planning to play at 4:00 that day, and we could not play it without our bags; all of our costumes, tuxes, and some of our instruments were in those bags! For those of you who saw our Christmas show, you can see why we would need those things. We can be funny and play music without tuxedos and costumes, but we had the opportunity to move the show to Sunday, so that&rsquo;s what we decided to do. As we were leaving the airport, a little disgruntled, we met with Hwong, our guide for the trip. He was very jovial, and taught me a little Korean, and corrected the little bit that I already knew. We hopped on his bus, with our driver, Te, and rode for about an hour to get to Seoul from the island airport that we were on. One thing I noticed on our drive was how much the country is developing; the entire trip was through construction zone after construction zone, with some very interesting new buildings popping up. Another thing I noticed was that in Korea, the bigger cars get the right of way. On our bus, which was about a 40 passenger bus, we got to go wherever we wanted, and everybody else had to get out of the way. There are also a lot of different cars here, that I had not seen before, like a Samsung, which is made in Korea, and probably most popular car second only to Kia or Hondai. We got to our hotel, about 9:45 in the morning, just in time for the largest, most elaborate, best, fanciest, most diverse, tastiest, exquisite breakfast buffet I have ever seen. Truly continental! They had everything that you can possibly imagine. There were different sections for different countries&rsquo; cuisine. I had Australian beef medallions, Korean vegetable pudding, Japanese breakfast sushi, and waffles! After that we all relaxed for a little bit. Our hotel rooms are plush, to say the least. I showered, put on the provided bathrobe and sandals and went to the 29th floor to hang out with Dave and Spit Shine (Stephen), and take some pictures from their room. We then washed our clothes in the bathtub, and went for a walk. I had seen on a map that the National Library of Korea was only a couple of blocks away (or so it seemed), and we headed that way. It was more than a couple of blocks, and we ended up seeing some different sides of the country. Overall, though, everything we saw was very clean, organized and the people were friendly towards us. Once we found the library, we went in to discover you had to have some kind of special access to get in, and we didn&rsquo;t inquire further because we probably count read anything anyway. We just wanted to see it. So we headed to the gift shop. Inside, we found out what all the construction was outside; they are building a National Digital Library, which is probably the coolest building I have ever seen! We made our way back to the hotel, and tried to find a place to eat. After passing several very expensive places, we settled on a &ldquo;American&rdquo; style place, that proclaimed it was the &ldquo;Home of Party.&rdquo; The waiters were all wearing Hawaiian shirts and Santa hats, (of course!) and the menu looked a bit Applebees style. The food was excellent, though, and we enjoyed ourselves in the &ldquo;American&rdquo; atmosphere. After that, I came back to the hotel and went immediately to bed. I am writing this now at about 5:00 in the morning after getting the first full 8 hours of sleep since last week! I feel great now. Anyway, until next time, -John Ray  Sorry Wayne, I hadn't read your blog before I wrote mine, so I'm reiterating some things you have said.  To see all the pictures from the trip, go to our new Week in Korea page.

So here’s the deal: we arrived in Seoul at 6:00 Wednesday morning without incidents at customs, and walked through the easy-to-navigate airport to the baggage claim area to find a sign on the baggage claim belt saying that our luggage had been “delayed.” Bobby and I had been to talk to a D***a representative at the LA airport who assured us repeatedly that our bags would be on our flight. He was very convincing. He was also very wrong. After talking to a very helpful Korean Air representative, we determined that our bags had never left the Atlanta airport on our D***a flight, and he thought that maybe D***a would ship some of our bags on a later flight that day, around 5:00, he said. Well, we had a show that we were planning to play at 4:00 that day, and we could not play it without our bags; all of our costumes, tuxes, and some of our instruments were in those bags! For those of you who saw our Christmas show, you can see why we would need those things. We can be funny and play music without tuxedos and costumes, but we had the opportunity to move the show to Sunday, so that’s what we decided to do.
As we were leaving the airport, a little disgruntled, we met with Hwong, our guide for the trip. He was very jovial, and taught me a little Korean, and corrected the little bit that I already knew. We hopped on his bus, with our driver, Te, and rode for about an hour to get to Seoul from the island airport that we were on. One thing I noticed on our drive was how much the country is developing; the entire trip was through construction zone after construction zone, with some very interesting new buildings popping up. Another thing I noticed was that in Korea, the bigger cars get the right of way. On our bus, which was about a 40 passenger bus, we got to go wherever we wanted, and everybody else had to get out of the way. There are also a lot of different cars here, that I had not seen before, like a Samsung, which is made in Korea, and probably most popular car second only to Kia or Hondai.
We got to our hotel, about 9:45 in the morning, just in time for the largest, most elaborate, best, fanciest, most diverse, tastiest, exquisite breakfast buffet I have ever seen. Truly continental! They had everything that you can possibly imagine. There were different sections for different countries’ cuisine. I had Australian beef medallions, Korean vegetable pudding, Japanese breakfast sushi, and waffles!
After that we all relaxed for a little bit. Our hotel rooms are plush, to say the least. I showered, put on the provided bathrobe and sandals and went to the 29th floor to hang out with Dave and Spit Shine (Stephen), and take some pictures from their room. We then washed our clothes in the bathtub, and went for a walk. I had seen on a map that the National Library of Korea was only a couple of blocks away (or so it seemed), and we headed that way. It was more than a couple of blocks, and we ended up seeing some different sides of the country. Overall, though, everything we saw was very clean, organized and the people were friendly towards us. Once we found the library, we went in to discover you had to have some kind of special access to get in, and we didn’t inquire further because we probably count read anything anyway. We just wanted to see it. So we headed to the gift shop. Inside, we found out what all the construction was outside; they are building a National Digital Library, which is probably the coolest building I have ever seen!
We made our way back to the hotel, and tried to find a place to eat. After passing several very expensive places, we settled on a “American” style place, that proclaimed it was the “Home of Party.” The waiters were all wearing Hawaiian shirts and Santa hats, (of course!) and the menu looked a bit Applebees style. The food was excellent, though, and we enjoyed ourselves in the “American” atmosphere. After that, I came back to the hotel and went immediately to bed. I am writing this now at about 5:00 in the morning after getting the first full 8 hours of sleep since last week! I feel great now. Anyway, until next time,
-John Ray]]> Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:30:00 GMT 6C1847853D7253082463C73DB96F71D5 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32128 Ray is exactly right! Korean Air is the best airline out there. We've since learned that D***A is not! Since missing our connection on a D***a flight at the fault of D***a, we have since arrived in Seoul, Korea as Ray stated on time at 6am local. 4PM back home. To our surprise - NO LUGGAGE! It is now 11:13pm local time and we still have no change of clothes nor do we have any costumes or props. Reversible undies would be nice about now! We still have no clue as to where our luggage is thanks to D***a. We may have to perform a show tomorrow night dressed in fatigues donated by our troops. In addition, our trip to the DMZ is most likely cancelled at this point. We had a show scheduled for today but it has been postponed until Sunday. We had heard earlier that eight bags would make it tonight but they weren't sure which bags it would be - none made it. We have developed a new slogan - &quot;Down with D***a - Up with Korean Air!&quot; We've had a mess on our hands since leaving Raleigh - thanks D***a. But we will perform for our troops! We will bring home to Korea for them. We came here for them and we won't let them down. Luggage &amp;props or not - these gals and guys come first. We are all so whipped right now. I had stayed up for 35hrs. before finally nearly breaking my neck dosing off on the way to LAX. Once on the Korean Air Bus - life was grand! Let me tell you what made this entire day all better. <a href="http://www.skype.com" target="_new">SKYPE. If you don't know what it is, click on it. With a webcam - it's money! More video and blogs coming all week!!! -talk soon, free
We've had a mess on our hands since leaving Raleigh - thanks D***a. But we will perform for our troops! We will bring home to Korea for them. We came here for them and we won't let them down. Luggage &props or not - these gals and guys come first.

We are all so whipped right now. I had stayed up for 35hrs. before finally nearly breaking my neck dosing off on the way to LAX. Once on the Korean Air Bus - life was grand!

Let me tell you what made this entire day all better. SKYPE. If you don't know what it is, click on it. With a webcam - it's money!

More video and blogs coming all week!!!

-talk soon,

free
]]> Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:27:22 GMT 70BB52389A234E8C7145F8156873367A http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32107 &nbsp; I am still on the plane, about two hours away from Seoul, Korea. I have just slept for a solid 7 hours, though, which is the most consecutive hours of sleep I have had all weekend! Our prestige class (almost first class) seats recline all the way flat, making an amazingly comfortable bed! Stephen and I just walked around the plane a little bit, and it appears everybody else in the group is still asleep. I was served a breakfast of some cold roast beef and whole cloves of garlic, which was excellent, roasted seaweed, and porridge. All amazingly good. This is definitely the way to fly! We will arrive in Seoul at 6 am, check into our hotel, take a shower, and leave again at 10 am to travel two hours by train to play our first show. It is good that we all have slept well on this flight, because we will have a very long day when we get there! Im going to sign off for now. Check in later today for more updates and pictures, movies, etc. -John Ray and whole cloves of garlic, which was excellent, roasted seaweed, and porridge. All amazingly good. This is definitely the way to fly!
We will arrive in Seoul at 6 am, check into our hotel, take a shower, and leave again at 10 am to travel two hours by train to play our first show. It is good that we all have slept well on this flight, because we will have a very long day when we get there! Im going to sign off for now. Check in later today for more updates and pictures, movies, etc.
-John Ray]]> Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:10:00 GMT C0372601FCFF42E1E2DE8CFBD46706A6 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32106 Today was the day. I stayed at Jerry&rsquo;s house in Raleigh (I live in Winston-Salem), because we had to get up at 5:30 to go to the airport to catch our first flight to Atlanta. We arrived on time, and secured a place in the hour long line to check in for international flights. The other members of the band arrived right on time in the bus, with the exception of David, who woke up at his house in Greenville about twenty minutes after he was supposed to meet Wayne at his house to leave to go to the airport! Leave it to Dave. We checked in all 14 of our bags with the help of &ldquo;John&rdquo;, our amazingly helpful Delta clerk, and Dave managed to make the 75 minute trip to the airport in 50 minutes (driving exactly the speed limit, of course), and was able to make the flight with us. The nine of us, (the band plus John, Bobby&rsquo;s brother and our booking agent, and Linda, Bobby&rsquo;s wife) piled onto the plane for the hour flight to Atlanta. The flight to Atlanta was slow, to say the least. There was a lot of cloud cover, I guess, and we were an hour and a half late getting to the Airport in Atlanta, and we were left with about 5 minutes to traverse the entire length of the airport, which proved to be a completely impossible task. All of the Embers, along with probably 20 other Delta passengers, missed the flight to Korea. Jerry and I were the first there to see the plane pulling out of the gate, and were informed that we could go to the ticket counter to catch another flight an hour later on Air Korea (even better!) We turned around and sprinted to the ticket counter, only to see a line at least 3 hours long just to talk to somebody. Jerry managed to find somebody talk to with Delta who, after 3 solid hours of working with us, managed to get us 9 first class tickets on an Air Korea flight leaving LA at midnight, LA time. So we waited until 5:30, Atlanta time, and flew 5 hours to LA where we waited until midnight (3 am EST), and boarded our plane for Korea. Finally. I am writing this from the plane now, and I must say that Air Korea is about 1000% better than any airline I have ever flown on! It is now 5:45 EST, which means I have been up, traveling for 24 straight hours on about 3 hours sleep. Needless to say, I am going to wrap up this blog and go to sleep. Now. Goodbye! Check back tomorrow, because I will be writing blogs everyday so you guys can follow along with our trip. -John Ray
The flight to Atlanta was slow, to say the least. There was a lot of cloud cover, I guess, and we were an hour and a half late getting to the Airport in Atlanta, and we were left with about 5 minutes to traverse the entire length of the airport, which proved to be a completely impossible task. All of the Embers, along with probably 20 other Delta passengers, missed the flight to Korea.
Jerry and I were the first there to see the plane pulling out of the gate, and were informed that we could go to the ticket counter to catch another flight an hour later on Air Korea (even better!) We turned around and sprinted to the ticket counter, only to see a line at least 3 hours long just to talk to somebody. Jerry managed to find somebody talk to with Delta who, after 3 solid hours of working with us, managed to get us 9 first class tickets on an Air Korea flight leaving LA at midnight, LA time.
So we waited until 5:30, Atlanta time, and flew 5 hours to LA where we waited until midnight (3 am EST), and boarded our plane for Korea. Finally. I am writing this from the plane now, and I must say that Air Korea is about 1000% better than any airline I have ever flown on! It is now 5:45 EST, which means I have been up, traveling for 24 straight hours on about 3 hours sleep. Needless to say, I am going to wrap up this blog and go to sleep. Now. Goodbye! Check back tomorrow, because I will be writing blogs everyday so you guys can follow along with our trip.
-John Ray]]> Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:10:00 GMT F3C6ED3740821FB40F19F163DB21EBE6 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=32028 Well - it is 3:55 am. I am finally ready to go. Everything is packed, music and all details are ready. Just waiting to see what I've forgotten. We are all really excited and hope the troops have half the fun we will. What a true blessing for us to have the opportunity to play for our troops. An honor of the highest regard. Stay tuned to this trip and our website. Rayford and I plan to keep you up to date with video and text depending on how well the internet connections will be. Our flight departs RDU at 8:25am. We have to be at the airport and 6:30am. Please keep us in your prayers and ask the good Lord to please work through us to touch the hearts of our soldiers and their families. Especially those that are there alone. We want to bring them a little bit of home here at Christmas time. I already miss my family and have been missing them for three days and haven't even left! Their solidity strengthens me. I can't wait to get back home. Everybody stay tuned this week! -free
We are all really excited and hope the troops have half the fun we will. What a true blessing for us to have the opportunity to play for our troops. An honor of the highest regard. Stay tuned to this trip and our website. Rayford and I plan to keep you up to date with video and text depending on how well the internet connections will be.

Our flight departs RDU at 8:25am. We have to be at the airport and 6:30am. Please keep us in your prayers and ask the good Lord to please work through us to touch the hearts of our soldiers and their families. Especially those that are there alone. We want to bring them a little bit of home here at Christmas time.

I already miss my family and have been missing them for three days and haven't even left! Their solidity strengthens me. I can't wait to get back home.

Everybody stay tuned this week!

-free


]]> Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:06:52 GMT E3707ACD664AF73DF48681D099515F3C http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=31793 As you may know, this past Sunday the NCAA Women's Soccer Finals were held at Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary. We were invited to play in the parking lot to welcome the soccer fans as they arrived. Man was it COLD! The wind was also whipping around enough to cut the skin. Bobby did his best to make conditions bearable by renting two large patio heaters. Problem was, no one really knew how to operate them. The one we were able to get working was useless due to the amount of wind current! We played for about an hour before the game was to begin. Some of us had learned two days prior that we were invited to sing the National Anthem for the finals match between UNC and Notre Dame. Some of us learned when we arrived that day. SURPRISE! Nerves have a way of getting involved at this point. We have all performed the anthem at one time or another (I think) but never collectively. Needless to say, we had no time for rehearsal. When our show was complete in the parking lot, a very polite man approached me and asked if I was singing the anthem. I replied, &quot;Am I?&quot; I told him we were all going to do it. He said, &quot;Well, we've got about seven minutes to get to get over there.&quot; Guys were putting instruments away and at this point I knew we were going to perform it cold - literally and figuratively. We were led directly onto the field and right out in front of the crowd. I was handed a microphone and told we had about 2:30 minutes. To make matters more un-nerving, this game was being televised on ESPN to a national audience. We had no idea if ESPN would pick up the anthem or not - but I was thinking about. I made sure not to mention it though until afterwards. I gave the guys a pitch and a tempo and we quickly and quietly sang it to each other in our huddle on the field. Suddenly, we heard our introduction over the PA system and waited for someone to tell us to go. I can't remember seeing anyone point to start - when the talking stopped we just did it. We were barreling through and the next thing I know, I'm hearing harmonies as if we'd rehearsed! I know I was singing the lead part but I'm not sure what the other guys were doing. The sun was right in my eyes. I couldn't even see who was singing what but I was pumped! Or, maybe I was just really cold. Either way, the song was over before I knew it. The fans cheered and the game began. We immediately got out of the cold and had pizza from Papa John's. During reflection, we were all surprised that we performed it without a hitch. I must've been really nervous because right after that entire scenario was over, I was exhausted. It was quite a rush. I must say, there is hardly anything more rewarding than performing our National Anthem before a grand sporting event. It was indeed an honor to be asked and I look forward to doing it again very soon. I am very proud of all the guys in our group for quickly and effectively pulling together at a moments notice to make this happen. A true testament to their professionalism as has always been the reputation of this group. I said all that to say congratulations to the Lady Tarheels on their National Championship Victory over Notre Dame. I am officially declaring The Embers their good luck charm! By the way - Who plays an outdoor show in December?!?!?


We played for about an hour before the game was to begin. Some of us had learned two days prior that we were invited to sing the National Anthem for the finals match between UNC and Notre Dame. Some of us learned when we arrived that day. SURPRISE! Nerves have a way of getting involved at this point. We have all performed the anthem at one time or another (I think) but never collectively. Needless to say, we had no time for rehearsal. When our show was complete in the parking lot, a very polite man approached me and asked if I was singing the anthem. I replied, "Am I?" I told him we were all going to do it. He said, "Well, we've got about seven minutes to get to get over there." Guys were putting instruments away and at this point I knew we were going to perform it cold - literally and figuratively. We were led directly onto the field and right out in front of the crowd. I was handed a microphone and told we had about 2:30 minutes. To make matters more un-nerving, this game was being televised on ESPN to a national audience. We had no idea if ESPN would pick up the anthem or not - but I was thinking about. I made sure not to mention it though until afterwards. I gave the guys a pitch and a tempo and we quickly and quietly sang it to each other in our huddle on the field. Suddenly, we heard our introduction over the PA system and waited for someone to tell us to go. I can't remember seeing anyone point to start - when the talking stopped we just did it. We were barreling through and the next thing I know, I'm hearing harmonies as if we'd rehearsed! I know I was singing the lead part but I'm not sure what the other guys were doing. The sun was right in my eyes. I couldn't even see who was singing what but I was pumped! Or, maybe I was just really cold. Either way, the song was over before I knew it. The fans cheered and the game began. We immediately got out of the cold and had pizza from Papa John's. During reflection, we were all surprised that we performed it without a hitch. I must've been really nervous because right after that entire scenario was over, I was exhausted. It was quite a rush. I must say, there is hardly anything more rewarding than performing our National Anthem before a grand sporting event. It was indeed an honor to be asked and I look forward to doing it again very soon. I am very proud of all the guys in our group for quickly and effectively pulling together at a moments notice to make this happen. A true testament to their professionalism as has always been the reputation of this group.

I said all that to say congratulations to the Lady Tarheels on their National Championship Victory over Notre Dame. I am officially declaring The Embers their good luck charm!



By the way - Who plays an outdoor show in December?!?!?


]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:35:00 GMT A4E51CEE0F7935968911A91EC6D40461 http://theembersband.net/blog.cfm?feature=45284&postid=31177 I do indeed understand how to blog. I have encouraged the entire group to blog since the inception of this site. It just ain't that easy. I like to blog though, admittedly at first I saw it as a trendy sort of venture. Now I find it refreshing and new! This past week marked the beginning of all the weights being lifted from my shoulders. Although I am not yet able to stand straight - I do see the light - until next year. Months of preparation for the Christmas show has finally seen its manifestation in our first performance this past Saturday. I began listening to music for this year's show right after Christmas last year. I began planning around August 1st. Never fails, it always comes down to the last minute. I think back to our very first Christmas show in '05. We had no idea what would happen and our first show was kind of like tossing a kitten into the air - you figure it'll land on it's feet. We weren't as prepared as we have been the past two years. Showbiz, huh? This year was different. We've been blessed with some very talented and willing (to try anything) band members. More than ever before. We've seen Bobby's idea for the use of video come to fruition. We're now using stringed instruments onstage and I don't mean your standard bass and electric guitars! The camaraderie within this group makes anything possible. I appreciate that. As you may have already read, we had some major technical difficulties in our first show. I can assure you they won't happen again. It was a comedy back stage. All the same, the show was just fun and reminded me why we do what we do. After a 17 hour day on three hours of sleep, I got into bed at 5am. I slept until 1:30pm Sunday. I grilled for the family and showered around 8pm. I fell asleep and woke up around 3am. I realized I had missed the Sunday night game and many texts and emails. After answering them and getting my proper info, I was off to sleep again around four. I woke up after 11am Monday morning. I can't remember sleeping that much. I had samsonite under my eyes! I had a ton of catching up to do Monday. I'm still a little worn out, sore and behind on things. I think I bruised some ribs during one of our skits. Oh well, the show must go on - as they say. We have been discussing putting together floor shows for next year to return the floor show status of the group. I think we should cover shows for every occasion. First we'll have the Valentine's (or singles awareness) with The Embers program. Next will be President's Day! Each member will perform as a different president and introduce famous speeches into song! Next is 'Easter with The Embers' and then..... nevermind. That's crazy; we do plan to bring real floor shows back this coming year. You'll be surprised with what we have planned. Well - the rambling is running out. I hope people come and share in the Christmas season with us this year. Sure would love to see you all! -free p.s. and I didn't get beat with the ugly stick. I did however brush by the bush.
I like to blog though, admittedly at first I saw it as a trendy sort of venture. Now I find it refreshing and new!

This past week marked the beginning of all the weights being lifted from my shoulders. Although I am not yet able to stand straight - I do see the light - until next year. Months of preparation for the Christmas show has finally seen its manifestation in our first performance this past Saturday. I began listening to music for this year's show right after Christmas last year. I began planning around August 1st. Never fails, it always comes down to the last minute. I think back to our very first Christmas show in '05. We had no idea what would happen and our first show was kind of like tossing a kitten into the air - you figure it'll land on it's feet. We weren't as prepared as we have been the past two years. Showbiz, huh?

This year was different. We've been blessed with some very talented and willing (to try anything) band members. More than ever before. We've seen Bobby's idea for the use of video come to fruition. We're now using stringed instruments onstage and I don't mean your standard bass and electric guitars! The camaraderie within this group makes anything possible. I appreciate that.

As you may have already read, we had some major technical difficulties in our first show. I can assure you they won't happen again. It was a comedy back stage. All the same, the show was just fun and reminded me why we do what we do. After a 17 hour day on three hours of sleep, I got into bed at 5am. I slept until 1:30pm Sunday. I grilled for the family and showered around 8pm. I fell asleep and woke up around 3am. I realized I had missed the Sunday night game and many texts and emails. After answering them and getting my proper info, I was off to sleep again around four. I woke up after 11am Monday morning. I can't remember sleeping that much. I had samsonite under my eyes! I had a ton of catching up to do Monday. I'm still a little worn out, sore and behind on things. I think I bruised some ribs during one of our skits. Oh well, the show must go on - as they say.

We have been discussing putting together floor shows for next year to return the floor show status of the group. I think we should cover shows for every occasion. First we'll have the Valentine's (or singles awareness) with The Embers program. Next will be President's Day! Each member will perform as a different president and introduce famous speeches into song! Next is 'Easter with The Embers' and then..... nevermind. That's crazy; we do plan to bring real floor shows back this coming year. You'll be surprised with what we have planned.

Well - the rambling is running out. I hope people come and share in the Christmas season with us this year. Sure would love to see you all!

-free

p.s. and I didn't get beat with the ugly stick. I did however brush by the bush.



]]> Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT 532A2A8A41705EAFE8504A3B6B84C010