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Dan Larson
11-12-2005, 1:33 PM
Last night my wife and I went to see Alejandro Escovedo at Shank Hall in Milwaukee. We zipped downtown, pulled into a parking spot on the street right outside the club, and walked in an got a great spot to watch the show-- all just 20 minutes before the show started! Even though it was a capacity crowd (only 300), it was an intimate and laid back evening with Alejandro and his band. The audience was mellow and appreciative, and Alejandro worked his usual musical magic. Wow, what a great evening!

I've lived in other cities with much to offer, but it's hard to beat Milwaukee for the "feelgood" factor.:D

Dan

Dale Thompson
11-14-2005, 7:47 PM
Dan,
I'd seen Johnny Cash several times before in large venues such as Chicago. However, about ten years ago, my daughter got her mom and I tickets to a Saturday Cash concert at a small (600 seat) theatre in Manitowoc. We were in the second row which was all but on the stage. :)

After his classic introduction, "Hi, I'm Johnny Cash!", He immediately apologized for appearing onstage for the FIRST time in his career without shaving. :o He explained that he was playing the "bad guy" in a movie out in Hollywood and the Friday shooting was behind schedule. He couldn't shave until the shooting was finished. :cool:

Guess what! We all forgave him and he and June put on an incredible and very intimate performance. God Bless both of them!

Most of the "Outlaws" are gone. :( Country music just ain't no fun no more. The new "clones" just haven't spent enough time in honky-tonks, rehab centers, blood/mud/beer covered streets, prison and local jails to sound REALLY sincere!! ;)

WILLIE, KENNY, CHRIS, DOLLY, LORETTA and a few others have a HUGE burden to carry forth, but they can handle it!! :D

Dale T.

Jarrod Nelson
11-14-2005, 11:56 PM
Phestigo? I lived in Oconto for about 10 years. Just moved to the other side of the state about a year and a half ago.

I sure miss Woodworkers Depot in GB though.

Dan Larson
11-15-2005, 9:27 AM
Dale, you're a lucky guy to have seen Johnny Cash once, much less several times! Unfortunately I never got around to doing this before he died. Looking forward to seeing the Cash bio flick "Walk the Line" later this month, though!

Peter Gavin
11-15-2005, 10:59 AM
Around 1988 or so I saw I poster for the Cash family at the Rock County fair (Janesville). I think it was around $8 for addmission to the fair which included free admittance to the concert venue (an outdoor pavillion). Believe me, we had a great time. For the next few years I managed to find a local fair/ carnival event (Beloit Riverfest for example) where Johnny and Roseanne were playing for a totally reasonable price and saw him. It was amazing, because at the same time he would be playing fancy concert halls and charging top dollar. I think he considered it a way to repay his fans who couldn't afford the big name locations. He (they) sure didn't slack offon the picking and singing.

Peter

Dale Thompson
11-15-2005, 7:55 PM
I sure miss Woodworkers Depot in GB though.

Jarrod,
My whole shop is full of their stuff. They have great service at great prices. Since I was a kid (or, at least, a YOUNGER kid), I always wanted to own a toy store. After I first visited "The Depot", I wanted to own both. I wake up screaming in the middle of the night!! :eek: Can you imagine? Trains, RC planes and cars, slot cars, etc. in one building and woodworkers Heaven right next door?!? :D :) "CALGON---TAKE ME AWAY!" ;)

Dale T.

Dale Thompson
11-15-2005, 8:32 PM
[QUOTE=Dan Larson]Dale, you're a lucky guy to have seen Johnny Cash once, much less several times!

Dan,
I am VERY lucky! :) Jim Reeves, Ernie Ford and others probably had better voices than Cash. However, he was argueably the greatest story teller of our time, both in song and in the spoken word. I know that tens of millions of folks around the world will agree with that statement. People BELIEVED what he sang and said. Acording to his biography, his scariest time on stage was when he was doing the live show at either Folsom or San Quentin. He suddenly realized that the crowd was totally within his control. The guards suddenly became irrelavent. If he had made some comment like, "LET'S ALL GET OUT OF THIS LIVING HELL!!", the result would have been immediate and catastrophic. :eek:

Oak Creek? I'm presently working on a full fireplace mantle sytem for my daughter and son-in-law down in Oak creek. I'll tell you one thing, messing with a bunch of crown molding angles and other things from a distance of 180 miles is a VERY interesting challenge. That stuff can be a challenge even when you are working "on site". :( At a distance of 180 miles, there is NO margin for error and making errors is my woodworking specialty. ;) :) It kind of makes me think of freaking out with the Cash song, "Cocaine Blues". :cool: :)

Dale T.

Dan Larson
11-15-2005, 8:55 PM
Oak Creek? I'm presently working on a full fireplace mantle sytem for my daughter and son-in-law down in Oak creek.
Hey, small world isn't it? Sometime when you're down in Oak Creek (and don't have crown molding on your mind), we'll have to get together for a beer at Erv's Mug.

Dan

Dale Thompson
11-15-2005, 9:11 PM
Around 1988 or so I saw I poster for the Cash family at the Rock County fair (Janesville). I think it was around $8 for addmission to the fair which included free admittance to the concert venue (an outdoor pavillion). Believe me, we had a great time. For the next few years I managed to find a local fair/ carnival event (Beloit Riverfest for example) where Johnny and Roseanne were playing for a totally reasonable price and saw him. It was amazing, because at the same time he would be playing fancy concert halls and charging top dollar. I think he considered it a way to repay his fans who couldn't afford the big name locations. He (they) sure didn't slack offon the picking and singing.

Peter

Peter,
Congratulations! You probably saw Cash when he was on his comeback from the deepest pit a human being can ever experience. His voice was a bit huskier than his first recordings on Sun Records, but the experience in that voice, in my opinion, was far more resonant and sincere. With the "cheap" tickets, he was not only repaying his fans but also thanking them for their understanding of his ongoing battle with addiction and other personal problems.

At one point, he committed himself to death by crawling into a maze-like cave in Tennessee. He crawled until his flashlight batteries ran out and fell asleep in absolute darkness. Somehow, he was awakened by a silent voice that told him that something greater that he would determine when he died. It was NOT to be his decision! He turned around and crawled through the inky blackness of the tunnel maze with no idea where he was going. Suddenly he saw a light! June Carter was there with others at the cave entrance. Giving him food and drink and getting him to the hospital, they used a "Tough Love" approach. He slipped a few times after that but otherwise did the concerts that I'm sure you were most privileged to attend. Congratulations!! :)

Dale T.

Dale Thompson
11-15-2005, 9:24 PM
we'll have to get together for a beer at Erv's Mug.

Dan

Dan,
I'm an old guy and beer puts me to sleep. :( Could I have a Manhattan if I buy? ;)

Dale T.

Dan Larson
11-15-2005, 9:33 PM
Dan,
I'm an old guy and beer puts me to sleep. :( Could I have a Manhattan if I buy? ;)

Dale T.
Fortunately for you, Erv's is a full service watering hole.:D

Dan

Tim Armstrong
11-18-2005, 3:13 PM
Dan - I totally agree with you. I'm originally from Milwaukee and moved south of the border - into the land of Bears and Bulls. I travel a lot for my job as well and have spent a good amount of time in many great cities - coast to coast. While I love the individual charm of all the places I've been and lived, Milwaukee really is my favorite city. It's the perfect size - big enough to have lots going on, but small enough that you hear about those things and can get to them. Shank Hall is a great example. Have dinner at the Pasta Tree up the road on Farwell.

On a warm summer day - there is no place I would rather be than downtown Milwaukee on the lakefront. (February is another story);) .

Although there is a shortage of woodworking shops - just Rockler and Woodcraft as I remember. But, for those who have never been - I think you'll be impressed if you have a chance to visit. Just go in the summer!