Howdy Saddlepals!
Just back from two great RITS shows in Asheville, North Carolina. You should have been there... that's all I can say, you shoulda been there. We had a great time!
Weather was great and the truck was in a good mood so got there with no problems. We found the hotel okay, but it was not, as they had told us when we made the reservations, within walking distance of the theater. We scouted out where the theater was, got something to eat, then chatted a while in the room.
We loafed around the room for awhile Friday morning, reccouperating from the 8-hour drive the day before. I crossed-stiched a small project for a friend here. It's almost done so I can go back to the Riders project that's been on hold since I was sick this spring...We got to the theater early and...(drum roll, please!)...We found Katie Miskulin minding the Mercantile! Katie is Joey's 11-year-old (soon to be 12) daughter. She's one of the nicest young ladies I've ever met! She was genuinely amazed when she found out we were such big Joey fans! Of course, Ellen and I were thrilled when we found out who she was. "You mean Joey's here?" We talked to her for a long time and she seemed to really be surprised that we liked her Dad as much as we did. She kept saying, "Well, I really love his voice, but he's my Dad!" She's really a nice girl...I was really impressed. Much more mature than you might expect an 11-year-old to be. But you can sure tell she's Joey's daughter. She's every bit as sweet as he is. (And they have a Bichon Frise named Tia, too! She wasn't there, but she did appear on Country Polkatime!)
Anyway, the kids' show was great! It was a lovely, small theater, very cozy! Similar to where they did the Abintra benifit in Nashville, but a little smaller. Ellen and I had good seats, not front row, but in a special handicapped seating area to accommodate the wheelchair. It wasn't as close, but it was dead center and a clear view, so the pictures should be good.
They did lots of good stuff, including having the kids up on the stage. A couple of older kids came up too, and one of them, when Slim put the microphone up to her to catch her singing a line, said, "Yeah, right!" One boy just stood there with his arms crossed and didn't sing a word. Evidently, he was too cool to participate...But most of the kids were adorable!
They did "Hoop Dee Doo," and sure 'nuff, they did the chorus line! It was a hoot, just like Bobbie said! I tried to get pictures of it...I hope they come out well.
Woody did rope tricks. He only made it through the Cowboy Wedding Band once, but he got the helicopter to work, and he looked good doing it! Lots of good music, jokes and fun was had by all.
When we went out and talked to the guys after, they seemed genuinely pleased to see us. Ranger Doug was particularly talkative because he had lots of good news to tell. For those of you served by American Heritage radio stations you can start calling your station and requesting "Amber Eyes"! Warner released it to American Heritage radio stations as a single! Our Ranger is on the radio! Yee Haw!
AND: They will soon be releasing a songbook/tape combination of Saddlepals, their first kids' album. And for all you Ranger Doug fans out there, he proudly told me it contains pictures of ALL his kids! A real must for all the cyberpals, I would think! It sure is for me! (He said you should also be able to get the songbook seperately from the tape if you want.
AND: They re-recorded "Virgen Maria" for inclusion on the new Christmas Album for this year! Ranger Doug said it was a bit different than the version on his solo CD, with a new verse in Spanish!
AND: The RITS office will soon be moving to a new location. I don't have the address; Ranger Doug said they were supposed to close on the new building Friday. He said they'd be moving soon. He also mentioned how happy they are with their new manager, which I am glad to hear!
Ellen requested that they do "Palindrome" (which will be included on the new album due out the 14th of July.) When she requested that, Ranger Doug said, "Okay, we have two requests...'Palindrome' and 'Desert Serenade.'" When I reminded him that I had not requested it this time (I was trying not to be a pest!), he said, "but you always want to hear that one, so we'll do it for you this time too." That, my friends, is why he's the Idol of American Youth! And yes, they did both "Palindrome" and "Desert Serenade" at the 8:00 show. They also did "Texas Sand" which Joey knows is my favorite Joey song! (Evidently, it's Katie's favorite Dad song too, so she said she'd tell Dad to sing it! He did! That must be why Joey's the Idol of the Polish accordion players!) They got called back for encores at both shows. Both times they started with "The Merry Go Round Broke Down," and then went to "You Are My Sunshine." At the 8:00 show, they also did "He Walks with the Wild and the Lonely" (also from their soon-to-be-released album, I'm pretty sure).
More schmoozing afterwards, plus a trip to the bus, and as they drove away, Slim opened the window, gave us the Roy and Dale wave, and sang "Happy Trails." It was a wonderful trip, and I'm already looking for another one! Our Cowboys are the best.
I guess that's it (ain't it enough? Never!), so I'll catch ya on down the trail! 'Til donna j rides your way once again:
So long saddlepals! It's been so good to see ya...
donna j.
Every day...the Cowboy Way!
All photos and material ©1998-2013 by donna j.
