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--- In , "Gavin Ehringer"
<gavinehringer@e...> wrote:
>
> Ted,
>
> Maybe 8-9 years back, I was on a big sweep of every ski resort in
the West for a now-
> defunct website. I got to Hailey, Idaho, right around Christmas and
saw SP's were playing
> at Bruce Willis' place. So, I paid the outrageous price (like $20 at
the door), knowing most
> of it would go to the house and not your band. Sigh.
>
> Your band was awesome! It is what inspired me to buy a guitar and
start learning to play
> surf. Bruce Willis, however, did not inspire me to learn harmonica.
I wrote a stellar review
> of the band on the site.
>
> Just thought you might like to know...
>
> Gavin
Thanks Gavin,
I remember that well. I think we did 2 sets of New Years shows in a
row there. It all came about because a friend of ours from Portland
moved to Hailey to be a house painter to the rich and famous. He gets
the gig painting the interior of Demi's 1800s gingerbread Victorian
that she has purchased as her new "doll house". Literally. She bought
the house to showcase her doll collection and so her daughters can
play in it. So he's painting and listening to our first album on the
boombox and Bruce Willis comes in and starts asking our friend about
the music. Pulp Fiction was just out, so Bruce is all hot on the
Surf/Instrumental thing. He actually paid us very well, put us up,
and gave us free ski passes for two days of skiing. Not bad at all.
We never gave a second thought to the cover charge-we thought
everybody in town was a millionaire anyway and that no one "cool"
would ever know we played there. Bruce was pretty nice for a celeb,
he gave us Cuban cigars after the show and took us downstairs to his
sanctum sanctorum in the basement of the club. There were all of
these TV monitors showing the action on the floor of the club from all
of these different mini security cams. Since the show was over they
were
playing dance music, and he was manipulating the camera angles to
zoom up
rich girls' dresses and zoom in on their shakin' butts.
One year the
headliner was James Cotton and the next was Betty Wright (The Clean Up
Woman-Stax). They were both great and super nice to us white surf
boys. "Space", the organ player from James Cotton's band did Soul
Pilgrim with us like it was meant to be done. In soundcheck we played
two bars from it and he was like "ok, I got it", showed up that night
and tore it up. The year we played with Betty Wright I had a 103
fever the whole time and was puking before and after the set, but
somehow held it together and hallucinated while we played. Afterwards
she said "I saw you workin' out behind those drums." I felt better and
was a little in love with her.
Great story Ted. I wonder what Chuck Berry would have to show on
his "security cams" :)
Bill
www.myspace.com/reluctantaquanauts
--- In , "spskins" <superchimp9@h...>
wrote:
>
> --- In , "Gavin Ehringer"
> <gavinehringer@e...> wrote:
> >
> > Ted,
> >
> > Maybe 8-9 years back, I was on a big sweep of every ski resort in
> the West for a now-
> > defunct website. I got to Hailey, Idaho, right around Christmas
and
> saw SP's were playing
> > at Bruce Willis' place. So, I paid the outrageous price (like
$20 at
> the door), knowing most
> > of it would go to the house and not your band. Sigh.
> >
> > Your band was awesome! It is what inspired me to buy a guitar and
> start learning to play
> > surf. Bruce Willis, however, did not inspire me to learn
harmonica.
> I wrote a stellar review
> > of the band on the site.
> >
> > Just thought you might like to know...
> >
> > Gavin
>
> Thanks Gavin,
> I remember that well. I think we did 2 sets of New Years shows in
a
> row there. It all came about because a friend of ours from
Portland
> moved to Hailey to be a house painter to the rich and famous. He
gets
> the gig painting the interior of Demi's 1800s gingerbread Victorian
> that she has purchased as her new "doll house". Literally. She
bought
> the house to showcase her doll collection and so her daughters can
> play in it. So he's painting and listening to our first album on
the
> boombox and Bruce Willis comes in and starts asking our friend
about
> the music. Pulp Fiction was just out, so Bruce is all hot on the
> Surf/Instrumental thing. He actually paid us very well, put us up,
> and gave us free ski passes for two days of skiing. Not bad at
all.
> We never gave a second thought to the cover charge-we thought
> everybody in town was a millionaire anyway and that no one "cool"
> would ever know we played there. Bruce was pretty nice for a
celeb,
> he gave us Cuban cigars after the show and took us downstairs to
his
> sanctum sanctorum in the basement of the club. There were all of
> these TV monitors showing the action on the floor of the club from
all
> of these different mini security cams. Since the show was over
they
> were
> playing dance music, and he was manipulating the camera angles to
> zoom up
> rich girls' dresses and zoom in on their shakin' butts.
> One year the
> headliner was James Cotton and the next was Betty Wright (The
Clean Up
> Woman-Stax). They were both great and super nice to us white surf
> boys. "Space", the organ player from James Cotton's band did Soul
> Pilgrim with us like it was meant to be done. In soundcheck we
played
> two bars from it and he was like "ok, I got it", showed up that
night
> and tore it up. The year we played with Betty Wright I had a 103
> fever the whole time and was puking before and after the set, but
> somehow held it together and hallucinated while we played.
Afterwards
> she said "I saw you workin' out behind those drums." I felt better
and
> was a little in love with her.
--- In , Ran Mosessco <burnman@n...> wrote:
> Hi Ted,
> Thanks for sharing the stories from "the good old days".
> I'm very glad you joined the group as everyone else is. I am very
excited about seeing you guys play live again - I intend to take a
flight from San Diego to Seattle if everything goes as plan. I would
have stayed for the Portland gig, but I have to play that night at the
Casbah in San Diego.
> I missed you guys the first time around (as I was living in Israel),
so I'm not gonna miss one of my favorite bands ever play live.
> BTW - whenever I needed to teach a new drummer in my band what surf
drumming should sound like I used to make a little collection that
always included your version of the Godfather team and Downshiftin'.
> Like the rest of the So-Cal residents I wish you could come our way,
but I think we all understand we have to appreciate that you play
these 2 shows at all, and just hope sometime in the near future
something could be worked out.
> See you in June,
>
> Ran
> The Sand Devils
>
> Thanks Ran, we'll see you in Seattle.
>
> > Thanks Gavin,
> > I remember that well. I think we did 2 sets of New Years shows in a
> > row there. It all came about because a friend of ours from Portland
> > moved to Hailey to be a house painter to the rich and famous. He gets
> > the gig painting the interior of Demi's 1800s gingerbread Victorian
> > that she has purchased as her new "doll house". Literally. She bought
> > the house to showcase her doll collection and so her daughters can
> > play in it. So he's painting and listening to our first album on the
> > boombox and Bruce Willis comes in and starts asking our friend about
> > the music. Pulp Fiction was just out, so Bruce is all hot on the
> > Surf/Instrumental thing. He actually paid us very well, put us up,
> > and gave us free ski passes for two days of skiing. Not bad at
> > all.
> > We never gave a second thought to the cover charge-we thought
> > everybody in town was a millionaire anyway and that no one "cool"
> > would ever know we played there. Bruce was pretty nice for a celeb,
> > he gave us Cuban cigars after the show and took us downstairs to his
> > sanctum sanctorum in the basement of the club. There were all of
> > these TV monitors showing the action on the floor of the club from all
> > of these different mini security cams. Since the show was over they
> > were
> > playing dance music, and he was manipulating the camera angles to
> > zoom up
> > rich girls' dresses and zoom in on their shakin' butts.
> > One year the
> > headliner was James Cotton and the next was Betty Wright (The
> > Clean Up
> > Woman-Stax). They were both great and super nice to us white surf
> > boys. "Space", the organ player from James Cotton's band did Soul
> > Pilgrim with us like it was meant to be done. In soundcheck we played
> > two bars from it and he was like "ok, I got it", showed up that night
> > and tore it up. The year we played with Betty Wright I had a 103
> > fever the whole time and was puking before and after the set, but
> > somehow held it together and hallucinated while we played. Afterwards
> > she said "I saw you workin' out behind those drums." I felt better and
> > was a little in love with her.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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