I made an observation the other day: I was calling some business and when the lady answered the phone she asked me if I would mind holding and then put me on hold. While I was on hold I started thinking that she probably wasn't really asking me a question; she was simply making a statement. She wasn't actually asking me if I wanted to hold, she was telling me to hold. Then I realized that the question is a question that hasn't got a good answer anyway, because if you say “no”, then she's gonna think “No, he doesn't mind holding”, when you might really mean “no, I don't want to hold!'. The truth is, most of the time you answer “yes”, because you mean “Yes, that's fine, I don't mind holding”, but if you meant “Yes, I DO mind holding”, she would just assume you meant “Yes, I don't mind holding” and you would end up on hold anyway. So, in conclusion, after analyzing this question, I've realized that the reason why they ask you “Would you mind holding?” is because it's a very polite way of telling you to hold - and no matter what your answer is they assume you don't mind and they put you on hold anyway. Would you mind holding for a second while I go get a drink of water and finish my journal entry later?
Last week I officially decided that I've now seen all of Utah. It was while on Highway 21 between Milford and Garrison, in my trusty Isuzu Rodeo filled with bluegrass instruments.
Utah is the state of my birth, and for all the places I've been, it remains one of my favorite. I think the variety of geography is unbeatable, and the quality top-notch. Here's a brief overview of my experiences around the borders of the state, starting at the top and going clockwise:
I once hunted deer with a muzzleloader (black powder, lead ball, buckskins) in the mountains above Snowville. Very cold. Saw one deer, took one shot, missed by a mile.
Last week I spent three hours on the side of the freeway in Tremonton when the band-mobile exploded on the freeway.
Lived in Mendon while I went to school in Logan which is next to the town where I was born, Smithfield. I've been to the back of Logan cave 3 times.
I used to believe that no one had ever found the bottom of Bear Lake. My dad broke some ribs on a four-wheeler while trying to ride the four-wheeler in the lake. That was weird.
I spent my high-school weekends hiking above Huntsville, in the Middle Fork area. I used to cross-country ski around Snow-Basin. A girl took me downhill skiing there once, but I crashed a lot and we never went out again.
My grandparents lived in Enterprise/Morgan while I was a kid. That's where I learned to shoot, fish, hunt, chuck rocks, and stop profuse bleeding with dirt.
Evanston is not in Utah. It is also not pronounced “Evingston”.
I've backpacked into countless high Uintah lakes. I once speared a piece of jerky and posted it on top of Kings Peak, making that piece of jerky the highest thing in the state of Utah for as long as it lasted.
Once, looking for dinosaur bones near Vernal, I found the remnants of a cow and packed home a piece of the spine – my parents never told me it wasn't a dinosaur, and for years the thing sat on my bookshelf.
The RubberBand shot the “Be the One” music video in Roosevelt and Duchene.
Wellington has a park in the middle that I have eaten lunch in more than any other park of any other town I've lived in.
I'm very fond of I-70. I think the San Rafael Swell is awesome.
Ah, Moab. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways: Canyonlands (Needles District), Arches, the Maze, Chesler Park, Little Wildhorse Canyon, Blue Bell Canyon, the Slickrock, Porcupine Rim, Amasaback, the White Rim Trail, Elephant Hill, Poison Spider Mesa, the Pizza Hut, Prophet Bob and your illegal homes blasted out of rock to house your too-many wives, Goblin Valley, the Confluence, Dead Horse Point, etc. etc. There's no end to the wonder of that little corner of the state.
Reservoir Powell. You are not a lake. You are a giant toilet of refuse and oil-spills. You are the symbol of waste. I want the canyon back. HEYDUKE LIVES!!
I spent a summer dressing like a cowboy and playing mandolin and banjo in a little theater in Kanab. I know an obscene amount of cowboy poetry for a guy my age.
I was “escorted” out of Colorado City once by dudes in big trucks when I was cruising around out of sheer curiosity. Weird town. ‘Nuff said.
I lived in Hurricane for a few years. My wife was born and raised in Toquerville. I worked in St. George for 5 years. I have family in Santa Clara and Ivins. The biggest pot bust in Utah history just happened above Pine Valley.
Which brings me back, more or less, to Eskdale, Utah, and my Rodeo full of bluegrass instruments. I really enjoyed my visit to that Community.
I learned to whistle on a trip to Topaz Mountain, where I visited again this summer. I can still whistle.
My uncle makes targets for the military to blow up in the Dugway Proving Grounds. He has never offered to bring me along and watch stuff get blown up by jets and bombers.
On a trip to the Salt Flats, I set my land-speed record on a motorcycle and discovered the skeleton, saddle, rifle, and hatchet of a mountain man, apparently buried haphazardly by a friend. We reported it to the U of U, but no one seemed to care. Doing our own research, we discovered the journal of a man who survived the Salt Flats by eating his buddy on the same mountain we found our bones.
I got kicked out of the Peppermill Casino once for being under-age while watching a band.
I think that's pretty much the whole perimeter. To tell the tales of the middle of the state would take hours, and they might not be as interesting. It seems all the interesting people I have met have lived on the fringes.
Well, here's to fringes. If you've never been to Utah, it's worth your time. If you're new to Utah, just get in the car and drive around. If you're a native to Utah but have never left your quaint valley of comfort and niceness, well, I have nothing to say to you.
And I can't wait to know the rest of the world like this. Everything I've seen makes me grateful for a chance to live life and see the world – and as a musician? Even better!
As you may know we've got a new video for "Be The One". It's awesome and we want to spread its awesomeness by offering handwritten lyric sheets and autographed CDs. Below will tell you all the ways you can win.
click here to win one of 5 autographed copies of Last Man Standing just for watching the video. Scroll to the bottom of the page to enter. This is a really cool site if you look through the musician pages you'll find us!
click here to win a framed handwritten lyric sheet for "Be The One" or an autographed copy of Last Man Standing. All you have to do is watch the video and sign up for the contest.
You can also check out this blog. They will let you know another way you can win a framed handwritten lyric sheet for "Be The One".
The last and final way (so far) to win a handwritten lyric sheet is watch this video. There will be directions on how to win, watch the full video for all the instructions. One lucky person who leaves a comment on this video will win an autographed copy of Last Man Standing.
That's a total of 12 autographed CDs and two framed handwritten lyric sheets that we're giving away so far. These would be great presents for the holidays, which are coming up sooner than you think.
So the other day, I was walking around an airport listening to the music that was being played over the speakers. I thought, wouldn't it be cool if the music was actually coming from musicians performing live in the concourse. Then the thought occurred to me... for thousands of years the only way to hear music, ever, was to have a musician performing the music live. All the dances, gatherings, weddings, restaurants, parties, etc... had to have musicians performing in order to have music there. In a way, i kind of wish music was still like that. I remember hearing how my great great grandfather would pack up his violin, jump on his horse, and head down to the local dance so he could play music. I think we would have a lot more shows if the only way to listen to music was to be there in the flesh. With this thought, I think i appreciate music and musicians more than i did before.
I was just reading in Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass today and came across this line:
[it is] "first-rate to ride, to fight, to hit the bull's eye, to sail a skiff, to sing a song or play on the banjo"
Profound words eh? Somebody once asked us how we would describe what we do as a band, what encapsulates the music we create. We told them that our music is a celebration of life. I think that is still true, because even though we have had a lot of ups and downs, we have always thrived off of the experience of playing live for people. Because really, that is what a live concert is anyway right, it is a celebration of life. Of that moment. There can't be a celebration without people there to celebrate, so thanks to all of you who have come out to shows this summer and who plan to come in the near future. It is kind of a mystery what happens when people get together and celebrate through music. I think Walt sums it up well with this line:
"What living and buried speech is always vibrating here, what howls restrain'd by decorum"
If you've been to one of our shows, then you probably have a special insight into that particular thought.
Shupe has appendix removed yet continues to rock
Current mood: ninja
Category: Music
Ryan Shupe has appendix removed yet continues to rock
As many of you know who have been to one of our shows in the past few weeks, Ryan Shupe had his appendix removed and played a show 2 days later. This officially qualifies him as a ninja, because he basically healed himself with ninja powers. He has been playing shows steadily since the operation about 5 weeks ago. He says that it has been painful, in fact it still hurts after a few weeks, but when he is on stage he doesn't feel as much pain. Shupe is very grateful to the fans for all of their support.
Thanks to all of you who have come out to our recent shows. The Sandy Amphitheater show was nearly sold out this year and we, as always, love playing for our hometown fans. We hope you enjoyed the acoustic set that we did up in the middle of the crowd. We have always wanted to do that because we love to be close to everyone when we play.
We've got a new widget that will keep you updated on everything we've got going on. ou can post it on your MySpace page or any other social networks you belong to. Just click the Promote button on the left side of it and it will give you the code to post on your profile.
Once you've added it leave us a comment letting us know you've added it and we'll add you to our Top Friends, making you totally AWESOME across the internet.
This past week, I have been giving a lot of thought about motivation. What motivates people to work hard and to do anything? What is it that drives us or keeps us going? I remember when I was 11 years old and in the 5th grade. I was going to a school assembly to watch some big show at the time and it turned out that it was some kind of music band. I remember peeking through the students sitting in front of me so I could get a better view. The music started and the band was performing. I don't really remember what all the instruments were but I do remember seeing someone up on that stage playing a guitar. A feeling of " That is Awesome" came over me and I remember thinking that I wanted to do that. I wanted to play the guitar. There I was, a little 5th grader, sitting in the back of the room with the most huge-gantic desire to play the guitar. After school I ran home, well ,the bus ran me home.I was excited!!! I couldn't wait to tell my mom and dad about who came to my school that day. Then came the tough part and that was asking my mom if it was alright if I could play the guitar. It seriously took me 2 hours to work up enough confidence, strength, and courage to ask her. The moment came, I finally broke through my shyness to ask. I asked," Mom? Would it be ok if I could play the guitar?". While my eyes were still closed, I heard her say" Yeah, sure!! I was jumping around with joy. There I was taking guitar lessons and loving every minute of it. Throughout my middle school ,to junior high years, and even into high school I would practice a solid 5 hours a day. Mostly all of my time was spent on playing the guitar and grew up having few friends because of it. Twenty-three years later, I am still playing and loving it. I am still practicing and sometimes still pulling off 5 hours a day. I have learned and am still learning to work hard. You have to work to achieve the very best. Being in the band for 12 years has helped me to become a hard worker. Someone might have to dangle a carrot in front to get me to do something, but what happens if i don't like carrots? Desire is what I have. That is why I still love playing music. That is why I am still playing with the RubberBand. That is why I am still playing the guitar.
knighted
