Holy Water & Whiskey - what's fit to print:
July 6 , 2008, Cuba NM. The CD is doneg and we will have it in our hands by the end of the month. Unfortunately, between going to play in Iowa, festivals, and some vacation time, finding time for a CD release party is going to be a challenge. We'll have the CDs at the gigs, but the earliest we might get them is just before we leave for Iowa. If we come up with some great idea for something easy for everyone, we'll be sure to let you know. Otherwise, we will probably look for a time in the second half of August to have a party.
I hope you had a great 4th of July. We played for a neighborhood association party in Rio Rancho. It was organized by a man who, after he'd come to hear us many times, we found out that not only was he from very near where Maria and I grew up - but my dad, who was an old-fashioned general practicioner, had taken out his tonsels! Anyway, it was a nice gathering - and we met some very interesting people, not the least of whom was a 97 year-old woman who'd been a teacher and administrator in Kansas City, MO. She could carry on a conversation like nobody's business and everyone had a great time laughing.
The gig in Iowa is getting all set up. We are all looking forward to it. I'll put some pictures on the blog. Fortunately, Fort Madison improved all their flood-control after the '93 flood (as did Niota, IL - across the river) - so they didn't get hit too badly. We have everyone praying that we don't have a thunderstorm or tornado and that all the travel happens safely. Maggie is really looking forward to seeing all her old friends, cousins, and other relatives - and just having a good time in Iowa again.
May 17, 2008 We had a very nice gig at the Smokehouse on Friday. It was not wild, but everyone was listening and having a good time. Saturday, we headed south to Hillsboro for their 2nd Annual Hillsboro Heritage Day. There were lots of groups - many local - and it was fabulous. There were so many authenic, local musicians there - ranchers and ranch hands and kids and...well, it was just a treat. A manager of one of Ted Turner's ranches was the sound man for the day and did a great job under challenging circumstances -with bands changing every hour. The Adobe Brothers (some from ABQ) played for the evening dance and it was so great to see kids and older people out on the floor dancing! Pete Fust, who with his wife Catherine, owns and runs the Black Range Lodge, performed admirably as master of ceremonies.
It was great to have Albuquerque fans show up - and then I realized that this music not only makes Bruce, Scott, Maria, and me get out of town and away from all the other work from time to time, but is a great excuse for other people to go see a new place. Anyway, all of you who made that trip - made our day!
This morning, Catherine, who owns the Black Range Lodge helped out a couple from Alberta, Canada (Shelly and Ken) find music for their wedding at the lodge. HWW and the Sabinal Sisters (Beth and Joyce) and John and Bill Ronstadt from Tucson (yes, they are cousins and cousins of Linda's) gave them a wedding chorus on the deck of one of the houses at the Lodge. We started with Tumbling Tumbleweeds and Cool Water, then the Rose. The Sabinal Sisters led "Let it be me" and "Oh, Baby I love your ways". Then it broke down into some rock and roll - ending with a choral singing of "Dream" and a rousing rendition of "Johnny Be Good". Well, if you are thinking of getting married and want to have a memorable occasion, I'd check with Catherine at the Black Range - I think Ken and Shelly got much more than they imagined!
Below is a picture of us (thanks Alta and Rob) in the back getting ready to listen to John and Bill Ronstadt playing with Chris Brishear and Peter McLaughlin. These guys just started singing together and while Chris and Peter are incredible, the depth that John and Bill bring to the entire group is astounding. They are also nice people, which, of course, makes the whole thing hard to take (just kidding!). We'll be doing the Black Range Lodge New Year's party again this year (2nd annual, also) - so it is something to consider because it was quite a party last time.
May 5 , 2008 Well, next week we go hear the CD so far. It is sort of terrifying. And it is tough because we've picked up another tune, Blue Wing, that is clearly going to be one of our favorites for a long time and isn't on the CD. Thanks to Manuel for pointing Blue Wing and Holly and the Berry out to us. I also want to say, after our fun at the Corrales Growers Market and all the great times we have at O'Niell's and the Smoke House, that we are all exceptionally appreciative of all of you who come to hear the music and have such a great time. It was wonderful to see Jan and Rob at the Grower's Market, too! We are really blessed with the music and all the incredible people we have gotten to know through it. For those of you who get Bruce's emails about the band, I am thinking of assembling them on the webpage somewhere. One of our good friends who hardly ever shows up to hear us but is a huge fan of Bruce's band notices has suggested he put them into a book! All I can say is they are about to get much funnier - so if you know someone who isn't on the email list but should be, talk them into writing Bruce and joining up. Life is short and we don't laugh enough. Music and laughter have been shown to extend people's life span! Hugs, Maggie
April 9, 2008 I thought I'd let you see what we are thinking about for a cover. We are still undecided, though - so send suggestions if you want to. It was very hard to think of what to do after the truck picture, which was a classic, especially when the leaves aren't all out on the trees for taking a new shot.
April 6 , 2008 We played a house concert last night and had a wonderful time. When we started to play, because everyone is sitting close, we could hear people talking. One man said, "I don't remember the name of the band. It's Holy Water and something that does't go with Holy Water!" Anyway, we are done recording (we hope) and are waiting to hear the mix. Fingers crossed! Thanks to Jim and Mary Ruth for everything. We're playing again at the Lavendar Festival. I'll update the schedule this week. It is going to be a fun summer. Miss you all!
March 14, 2008 We drive up to Pagosa Springs tomorrow. Should be a fun gig. It was greata seeing everyone at O'Niell's, a place we are starting to call home! We've laid down most of the tracks for the CD now - should finish next week, then a few weeks of mixing. We have to get some pictures and aren't sure when there'll be time - or the place, but have our fingers crossed. I hope Cuba is a little drier than it was, because there is one place we thought of for our picture. We call it Washburne Canyon - we don't actually know if it has a name, but we feel we've planted a little invisible flag there! I hope you get our band emails - Bruce is so funny sometimes. If you don't, just write him (bdwashburn@aol.com) and he'll add you to the list. We've got lots of festivals booked this summer, so it looks like, the Lord willing, that we are going to have some great fun this summer. We are still looking for more things to do, though - so I have my fingers crossed we can get into some city gigs and a few more things in Santa Fe. When we played in the SF Plaza we sold 30 CDs while we were doing our sound check! If it hadn't rained, we probably would have sold out. We'll wish us luck with the CD. It's not mixed yet, so we don't really know how it sounds - it sort of feels like the baby is coming in a couple of weeks and we aren't ready. Stay well.
Feb 18, 2008 We are in the thick of the CD. We are able to do about 1.5 songs per night. This time, we're trying to figure out how to get some talking on the CD - heck, you'd want to hear one of Bruce's jokes every single time you played the CD, right - not! But we'd like to figure out a way to get a bit of the flavor we get when we are performing. Hard to believe, but we are getting lots of calls for festivals, etc. Thanks to Steve and Yvonne for helping us get the jobs in Pagosa Springs. It will be fun to see that part of Colorado.
Our place in Cuba is all iced in and muddy in places, too. We have a flock of wild turkeys who've decided to make our farm home. We love to watch them, but our neighbor is a bit miffed we haven't bagged one for him. He says "in season" means "when they are by your house." We're checking on that one! Back in the studio tomorrow to finish "Talk it all over with Him" and lay down "Wayward wind." I wrote some new words to the blues song - makes it much more our style. I think you'll like it.
Feb 10, 2008 The other blog had so many pictures in it, I decided I'd start a new page - you can find the old information on the "previous blog" link above. We had a great time at O'Niell's last Sunday. We didn't realize it was SuperBowl Sunday until a few days before. We thought we might have 4 or 5 diehard fans, but, bless your hearts, the place was full. It was great to see the little Irish Dancers and their parents, one of our neighbors, and lots of good friends - even some new friends. Someone gave a card to Scott - but I'm not sure what happened to it - so if you see this (Gus?), please send us your email address (bdwashburn@aol.com).
Wish us luck on the CD. We just realized we've got to get at least 1.5 songs down a night to even have a chance of getting this done in the time we've scheduled. So everyone, say whatever prayers you say - we really hope to get this out by June. I wrote some new words to our blues tune and am calling it "Laugh when the sun won't shine". We'll have 3 originals on the album - "Ill Wind" that is about a successful divorce (and my finding Bruce!), "Grandmother's Angel" about my grandmother going back to the orphanage where she grew up and seeing an angel, and, now, "Laugh when the sun don't shine" about the qualities of a good man/woman and the challenges of finding one! It will also include a bunch of Gospel tunes (Marks, Talk it all over with Him, It's Me Again, etc.) and some other favorites (Always Trust your Cape, Goodnight Loving Trail, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Cool Water, etc.) We've bitten off a big chunk of tunes, so keep your fingers crossed that we say healthy and awake!
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