Destin Destination

Sweetwater Junction had me on their books for this, a longish weekend jaunt to Santa Rosa in the sunshine state and then north to Moultrie, known to be "The Antique Capital of South Georgia".  I packed my bags, made a few charts with some significant modifications to a few (got Marley's Jammin' down in the correct key of Bm as opposed to the old version I had of F#m [?!!] - which turned out to be a savvy premonition as we played it both nights and it was killin'!), and prepared myself for a tumultuous, sleep deprived couple-a days of backseat riding, poor food choices, and general band member hi-jinx.  A good time was had by all.

It started bright and early Friday morning, getting the boys to their respective schools.  Sabina was actually home for the day, working from home and later taking Jack to a doctor's appointment.  We met at Brian's at 8:30 to load up the trailer, getting on the road around 9.  We took I-85 south (then 185) to Destin, or more specifically Santa Rosa.  The trip took us through Dothan, Alabama, where we were pulled over for sort-of cutting somebody off in heavy lunch-time traffic.  Through of series of talks with the officer, we were eventually let go with a warning.  Nice!  Lunch at Subway and before we knew it, we had arrived at the venue: Eden Gardens in Santa Rosa.  It was perfect weather for this outdoor gig, with lights strung across our stage.  For these two jobs, we were joined by Donnie Sundal, a serious force of vocals, keyboards, and studio wizardry who operates Neptone Recording Studios in Destin.  We had to hustle a bit to get set up before the ceremony began, since it was outdoors as well and Brian was playing during it.  After our sound check, we enjoyed some shrimp gumbo provided to us and then went to check out the beach.  Nice white sand!  When we showed up, Brian called and asked that we come back asap to be ready for the dances.  Ugh!  As usual, my 5 minutes on the beach went by all to fast, although I waded out a bit too far and got my shorts wet!  Never did get them dry again.

The first dance was You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne, the Mother/Son was Wonderful Tonight.  Other songs played: Old Time Rock and Roll, Domino, Signed Sealed Delivered, Ain't No Sunshine, I Want You To Want Me, & Into the Mystic.  It all went over really well; the gig was great.  Donnie has a great voice with tremendous range.  I ended up singing many songs that Donnie wasn't prepared to try.  It all worked out.  It was great to have 2 keyboardists.  They complimented each other very well.  We were a very musical machine!  Donnie's Nord was incredible: the Swedish technicians have really figured it out!  Great clavinet, piano, organ, and horns sounds.  Dan gets great sounds too, sometimes opting for a whirling, kind of ominous low grade siren in conjunction with a solo setting to set the mood.  Had some classic jam band moments of energy escalation.  I think that is a big component to this band, the build up of energy, even when it starts out quite full on.  A lot of that is attributed to Mark, so he deserves mention right there.

Brian started out as co-pilot.

Mark guided us down I-85.

Until we got to Alabama, when Brian took over and trouble came a-knockin'.

Steam rising from his brow.

There's a new sheriff in town.

He doesn't know I'm taking his picture from the back seat.

The citation - just a warning.  Cool cop.

Arriving at the "venue".

Ready for soundcheck.

Feasting on gumbo and salad.

A romantic walk on the beach!

Beautiful time of day.

My one trip to the beach this year.

Blurry shot from the bassist.

Getting ready to tear their heads off.

Donnie & Mark.

Dan the Man.

Chef's Delight.

Cake Detail.

Only 1 circuit provided.  No lights tonight.
Don't clients ever read the contract?

dw

Tobias, Eden, SWR with MacBook next to me.

I've known Mark since 1992.

Donnie & Mark.

A cool kid with some dorky parents.

Wish I had taken more shots like this.

Sweet soul singin'

Nice "B3" pose!

Had to stop by 10:30 as I recall, being outdoors and whatnot.  Maybe it was 10:15?  Packed up the trailer and headed to Neptone, where we slept over the night.  Donnie equipped the facility with bunk beds and a couple of other places to crash as well.  For some reason, we decided it would be a great idea to walk up to AJ's, a local bar and restaurant - well wouldn't you if you could?  It was crowded and fun, but in retrospect, we could have used more sleep the next morning.  The band is slightly crazy, so ya never know...  I did enjoy a fine late night steak 'n cheese cooked in front of my bleary eyes, complete with peppers and onions.  Yum!  I was fine while the band was playing, but when they stopped I was ready to go.

Marky Mark cutting up!

So tired - little did I know...

A stroll up the road to AJ's.

Here we are.

I thought the band was on a break - they were done for the night!

Friends of Donnie's saying hello and how do you do!

Studio 1

Studio 2

Our adventures led us around and about.  Getting back to the studio, we were locked out.  After beating on the front and back doors, Dan finally let us in!  Whoo hoo!  I was so relieved.  Morning came too fast and we were up by 9, figuring out how to turn on the shower in my skivvies, packing up, and hitting the road by 10 or so.  I was truly impressed with this massive bridge: The Mid-Bay Bridge, a 3 1/2 mile piece of roadway hovering above the gulf waters.  It was a long drive to Sundown Farms Plantation in Moultrie, GA and we were going to be a bit late.  We stopped in Thomasville for some much needed coffee - thank you Brian!  As it turned out, we made good time and had an extra half hour more than we originally expected.  The weather was a bit blustery and it actually sprinkled a bit, but we were under cover.

Crossing the Mid-Bay Bridge.
 It was a long drive for some of us - nuff said!

Done at 10:15 - in the car by 11:30.  Home sweet home at 4:45.  Happy to be back.  It was an adventure.  Wish I could lay it all down but what happens in Destin stays in Destin!