Evil Doer Spammers
Category: MySpace

Hey, if any of ya got bulletins from me touting Macy's, Ringtones,  Elephant meat, etc., it wasn't me, alright?  Sorry 'bout that but some evil spammer hacked my account.  They will be flogged and punished accordingly.   Cheers, John

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Yet More Ramblings..

Feb 3rd and 4th

Wow. Both nights at the Mello Center were sold out. Ritchie Valens family really outdid themselves.  Made a nice contribution to "Guitars Not Guns" for the local community too in Ritchies name. Very cool.  Donna was at both shows. The "Donna" from Ritchies song, "Oh, Donna."  You can still see why he had a crush on her. She's a cutie!  After show party at Jalisco's. People were taking a gazillion pictures. Too many people offering us tequilla shots.  Had three myself I think...er...can't remember. Closed Jalisco's down and then stayed up till 3:30 am talking to Bob, Ritchies brother and his wife Joanie at the local all night Diner.  Till next year! Viva Ritchie!

Feb 7th to 11th

Mahnomen, MN. We're at the Shooting Star Casino.  No cell service, no internet and we're there two full days. Of course everybody and their brother needs to get ahold of me then.  Both shows go very well and were packed. Snow storm stars the morning we leave. Let's get outta here!

Geo, my brother gets sideswiped by a teenager in a SUV during our drive to Des Moines, IA. Ed and Geo go spinning across I35 like a merry go round.  Everyone okay, thank God.  Waiting for police report and bumper to bumper traffic turns a 7 hour drive into a 12 hour one. Beat, dog tired when we get to Des Moines.

Feb 10

We're at the Val Air Ballroom. Sold out.  1200 people. Loud sound..almost remeniscient of Green Bay's Riverside but not quite as loud. Good show except Sammy got the stomach flu and had to leave the stage a few times in between songs to upchuck in the bathroom!

Feb 11

We're at the Winnavegas casino in Sloan, IA.  Middle of nowhere kinda. Great crowd and the staff is super nice to us. Everyone has king crab legs and steak for dinner.  I play texas hold em for about 10 minutes after the show...win whopping $25.00.  Stay up late with some locals who take us to a 24 hour cafe for breakfast.  Great hang, thanks! Ahhh, back to L.A. and sum sunshine!

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WDP final days of tour

Jan 28

On to Loc Du Flambeau,WI ..er...did I spell that right?  Can't ever remember..anyway, Lake of the Torches casino...2 shows, first show is a "non-smokers" and is sold out, second is a "smokers" show and is about half full. Oddly enough, you'd think smokers would be a rowdier crowd but it was quite the opposite..the "Non's"  win hands down. 

Jan 29

Calumet, MI. Upper peninsula of Michigan area.... way up!  "Youpers" these folk are called.  We pickup a locally made CD at a truck stop halfway there. Every song on it is about Youper farts.  It's pretty funny..for about 10 minutes then we can take no more.  This area of the country in the winter can get up to 12 feet of snow in a day or two. We're really lucky only about 7 inches exists and the roads are relatively clear.  The Calumet Theatre we play at is amazing. Old and ornate and quite beautuiful...great sound too.  The audience is very responsive...they are starving for entertainment in these parts especially this time of year.  We are the only ones dumb enough to book a show during the winter and they are very grateful.  Nice folk.  Hot pizza waits us back at the hotel and we all reflect a little on this year's tour.  Long drive tomorrow to get back to O'hare airport in Chicago.  Wow, the tour went by quick.   Now, it's on to what looks to be an annual event for the Ritchie Valens family up in Watsonville, CA at the Henry J Mello Center. Last year sold out so quickly they decided this year to add another night. I'm told both nights are sold out so  we're really looking forward to it.

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Road Ramblin's continued..

Jan 25

Great show at the Reif Center last night however I make the unfortunate mistake of taking Ray "Ritchie Valens" Anthony's advice of taking some of the leftover backstage hospitality food back to the hotel with me.  The salad and olives I ate sit in my stomach like tiddly winks. Wake up later and bombs away. Nice. Get a nice stomach flu for the next 24 hours and am real, real lucky no show today but just a drive to Eau Claire, WI. Big Ed handles the drive while I squirm and pray I don't hurl.  Get there okay but I immediately realize I've left my laptop and bag back at the Sawmill Inn lobby in Grand Rapids,MN!! Damn!!  Call the Sawmill and they have it! They are going to Fed Ex to me to Green Bay! Am so very lucky. I next crash and sleeeeeeeeeeeeep for hours and hours to revive health. Intermittent bouts with a room temperature bottle of 7up and saltine crackers. Yum.

Jan 26

Feeling better today, energy back and great balls of fire if I'm not ready to rock.  Biggest crowd ever at the State Theatre, over 800.  Duh! We realize that the original Winter Dance Party Tour was here on this same date in Eau Claire 47 years ago. Good timing and vibe. Weather is unbelievable..in the 40's and sunny! Loving it. 

Jan 27

Arrive in Green Bay in one piece and just in time as Fed Ex truck is pulling to the hotel lobby.  Yippeee! My bag arrives in one piece with laptop in tow.  Prepare for serious battle with Riverside Ballroom sound check.  Place has tremendous history.  Louis Armstrong, Buddy Holly, Bopper, Ritchie, Hank...you name the legend, they've played there. Sound check goes amazingly well and swift.  The weather is still fantastic! We're not even wearing coats.  Arrive to a smoky, sold out ballroom of over 1000 people. The fans in Green Bay are just tremendous and this year somehow tops all in sheer volume and response. We see lots of young folks rocking too which is always great. It was so loud we could not hear ourselves sing onstage. What a rush...nothing like it anywhere.  How can we not come back here again?  Long live the Riverside Ballroom!

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More Ramblin' WDP adventures

Jan 20

Wow, Chicago Willowbrook Ballroom we pull in over a 1000 people! Best crowd ever.  "B" the owner, takes great care of us. 3 course meal and adult beverages too.  Beautifully timed snowfall hits right at the end of the show and turns the parking lot into a bumper car ride. Wheeeeee!! 

Jan 21

The ride to Hartford, WI is only three hours but of course we still have to stop to feed Mark Micklethwaites intestinal worm. The boy eats constantly and still looks like Mr. Peabody.  The Schauer Center in Hartford is a beautfiul theatre.  Holds 600 seats and we sell it out. Fantastic crowd. One of those crowds that hasn't heard or seen our show before and laughs in all the right places. Everything goes like clockwork. "We'll be back."

Jan 22

Menominee, MI!  I can't even pronounce it properly but it's about a 45 drive from Green Bay, WI...upper peninsula of Michigan?  About 800 people show up for this benefit for the Kiwanis club. Not sure what Kiwanis do but am glad to help.  Great responsive crowd! They bought DVD's and CD's like hotcakes too.  

Jan 23

Hell drive to Grand Rapids, MN today. 8 to 9 hour drive. Drive got so boring we stopped and bought a sirius satellite receiver and subscribed on the spot.  Good comedy, music plus Howard equals time elapsing. At least no show and fantastic hotel awaits us. "Sawmill Inn."  The only jacuzzi I've ever done laps in it was so big.  Bopper in lobby pontificating over what snack food item to get out of vending machine. He wants something fat free.  Popcorn?  Er..it says, "Butter Lovers"  on it.  Try the trail mix Bop, I say. Hitting my sawmill sack. It's gonna be nice to sleep in.

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Road Warrior

Jan 9th

Ramblin' man traveling from K.C., MO to L.A. on hwy 40. I make a pit stop at the "Big Texan."  The place where if you eat 72oz of cow flesh in under an hour you get it for free. Boy, do you get it. I pass on the Rawhide and wonder why I even stopped. Maybe because the place looks like a cross between Pee Wee's Playhouse, a western set and Monty Hall's "Let's Make a Deal."   "What's behind door number three?"  Oooh, clogged arteries, too bad.

I stop at a Crackhead Barrel in Gallup, NM for sum country fied chain food. Am waited on by a native american with a mullet hairdo. Has our government forced these do's on them?  

Arrive in L.A. after a night in Flagstaff. Good to be home except for the rotten moldy coffee still sitting in the coffeemaker.

Jan 14th

Am in Panama City, FL at Gulf World Marine Park. What a hoot. Great crowd but even better was the priavte tour of the joint. Got to shake hands with a dolphin. Great creatures. Want one for my bathtub.  Smart, sexy and they whine a little bit. Sound familiar? Can't live with, can't live without.

Jan 19th

First night of annual WDP tour. Arrive in Chicago and eat pricey meal at Harry Carry's.  Everyone bitches about the cost but after stuffing faces it quiets down. I buy the Bopper's son his meal and bud. Everyone is beat and we all settle down for the night in our own rooms. No more sharing rooms on this tour or we'd all go loco. Not sure what that strange sound is next door..is it Ray's room next to mine? 

Later on,

Ramblin' John M

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