Nifty Noodles/ Ventura Highway
8/26/01 Sunday night Ventura, CA. Harvest Car Truck and Bike Show
"You know, I might have won that 43 million dollar California Lottery jackpot" I told folks at this show... "yea, cause I bought a ticket yesterday.. So I'm not sure but that¹s' something to look forward to". The stage was unceremoniously blank. No back drop no lights, just an elevated square to the side of a old building right at the beach in Ventura. The car show was smaller than the Anaheim show I did last month.

I played to maybe three hundred people sitting in chairs. There were other folks walking around looking at the cars too but in front of me it was a lot of empty chairs mostly...Still the sound was great and I had a fantastic time I sung for an hour and a half talking very little but enjoying every line of every song. Joyride felt fresh for a change.

The weather was overcast as I sang Blue Skies. There were people in the audience that were getting the music and I focused on them. The Katina's, a band playing at the crusade, stopped their sound check around the corner on the big stage to come listen to my songs. I was flattered.

I was in a fantastically upbeat mood after my offering. I joined the crew of KDAR radio for an interview. They were covering the crusade event but didn't know I was playing for the Car show. I was surprised at how upbeat I sounded on air, Talking about how great it feels to sing outdoors here and enjoy the cars and motorcycles for free.

I spoke of my singles from Joyride and what the song "I'll always have Jesus means to me in a way I didn't recognize as my own opinion. I swear I haven't had any mushrooms for desert either... I was just in a great mood.

O.K. So there's that... Bryan d

P.S. I didn't get a single number right out of the lottery by the way... So I'll be working next week.

Nifty Noodles/ Recovering from Recovery
Friday 8/25/01 Celebrate Recovery... Lake Forest, CA.
Yep, I'm back to the recovery gig at Saddleback Church. It was the "Recovery Summit". People from all over the country come to a three day event to learn about how to start a recovery ministry in their area. This year there were three times as many folks here and it was held in the huge church sanctuary.

I gave it my best attention as I believe in this work. Somehow I missed the intimacy of last years summit. This is a growing concern in churches, finding ways to minister to the addicted. They come in all sizes and colors and don't look like the down and outer's you often picture in your mind. This summit brought to my mind other big national movements, Promise Keepers and Women of Faith. Gigs that are drawing a big response. I only worry about how easy it is to get lost in a big "movement". Numbers seem to become so important.

I didn't feel as good about this gig. I played in the afternoon and it seemed kind of forgettable. I don't know what I was expecting to happen but I felt rushed even in my forty minute set. There was a lot of stuff happening. There was a determination to meet a big agenda. Recovery from anything demands personal attention, and a few, maybe one trusted friend besides God. If there are too many folks in the room honesty doesn't happen.

O.k. This was a summit to teach others how to start a recovery program. I was looking for alittle free counseling I guess. The program kinda got in the way.

O.K. I hate to say it but there's that. Bryan d

Nifty Noodles/ Tuffin it out in Tustin
8/23/01 Wednesday night Tustin, Ca
I did an informal concert at Main Place Christian Fellowship. They gave me the whole night and preceded the concert with an outdoor picnic. The food is put together by the mens recovery outreach. I hung with all the parolees. "You probably shouldn't have the word 'recovery' hanging over the food table though" I said. It's a free local outreach to the neighborhood but half of those in the crowd were die hard fans. Still I found it tough going with the half that had never heard my songs before.

I realized how quirky I've gotten in my songwriting. The general public doesn't warm right up to it the way I'm used to. At least twenty people left in the middle of the 75 minute set. Once again song selection was a problem. My mood swings and attention deficit are so easy to see when you start dropping the needle and various selections. I did "Don't you Wanna Rap" as requested by the front row of kids under eight, who were getting restless during "I'll always have Jesus". I followed that with "Yes I Will" which had some older ladies in the back putting their fingers in their ears.

I finally just took requests from the large contingent of "mops"... (Mom's of pre-schoolers"). It's a ministry to young mothers. "what about the dads who have to watch the kids for a couple of hours now and then?" I opened after seeing the video commercial. "you could call it 'muts' (men under terrible stress)".

I was in a good mood for a change when I showed up at the gig but the sound wasn't filling me with enthusiasm. Vocally I felt o.k. And I hit all the notes but my music sounded too mushy in this room. Nothing was having the impact that I wanted to feel. The highlight was that free hamburger and punch I had before sound check.

O.K. So there's that!

Nifty Noodles/ P 63
8/20/01 Charlotte N.C.
I used to live here in the sixth grade, went to Merry Oaks Elementary, had a crush on my teacher, Miss Brown. I broke my arm too that year and I remember being real excited cause I figured it would get me some extra attention in class.

P 63 is what they're calling this singles group outreach. It' short for Psalms 63... I don't see a particular tie in to this scripture but a names a name.

Everyone on staff at this program seemed very young. All under thirty. Felt like the kids were runnin the show. I wasn't sure what to play. The church was more of a gym than a theater and from what I could tell seemed completely removed from civilization. One couple mentioned afterward how hard it was to find. Charlotte is spread out anyway. The stage was done very professionally with lights and cameras but there were only 250 people maybe and very few admitted to being single and in college. It was open to the public and most folks had come after seeing me here on the summer Jam one year ago.

I focused on relationships and tried to remember what it was like to be single as I picked the songs...I opened with "God Knows" ... "Think of Love as a good thing... But what again if it's not". I continued with four songs from LTIWH the songs seem younger sounding on this project. From there I went to the new album starting with the story of Adam and Eve. The sound was rough but I overcame my frustrations (a rare feat) I actually had folks laughing by the end of the evening. They weren't willing to agree with me on much as I shared my own struggles. It was always real quiet when I would say something like "you ever feel like...?" I finally started given 'em a hard time about how perfect they all were. That brought some laughter.

Tonight was hard though, hard to see the benefits or appreciate the work.

O.K. So there's that. Bryan d

Nifty Noodles/ Ahoy the Many Blessings
8/18/01 Milford, Delaware ... Lamb Jam festival
It was a long ride from Baltimore to the countryside where "Lamb Jam" is held. I was reading the paper in the shuttle van. Found this great story about a couple who had this 35 foot sail boat named "Many Blessings". They were tacking across shipping lanes in the Chesapeake Bay last night when the wind died just as they were crossing the path of a 700 ton freighter. The skipper of the Many Blessings went to start the engine to motor out of the way and the key broke off in the ignition. The skipper and his wife jumped overboard just before being run over by the freighter. They spent the evening floating in the channel before being rescued. Their boat floated to safety by itself, coming to rest between two empty boat docks.

I'm sure there is a cool analogy to be used someday with this story but I just thought it was funny that a boat named the "Many Blessings" got run over by a 700 ton freighter. Sounds like life as I know it! The Lamb Jam on the other hand was a blessing of it's own. I guess every festival isn't a nightmare. I played a full hour at 4:30 which as it turns out is the prime time spot. It poured rain soon after. Food was great and there was a place to hang around.... a really comfortable and relaxing homey place, Very peaceful. "Is this a Jazz audience?" I asked during the show... "Cause you seem kinda mellow." The humidity had a lot to do with it I think.

There was a real corn field back stage. I walked into a row about twenty feet in, and made a cell phone call from there just to be able to say "I'm calling from a corn field". Picture Here

These are the really great moments in life.

O.K. So there's That bryan d

Nifty Noodles/ Above Normal
8/11/01 Normal IL
I sang my songs outdoors on a summer night In my new favorite town... Normal. "I've always wandered if I'd ever find myself here" I told the guy who picked us up at the airport. I was still several levels above ecstatic to be back doing my own gigs, I found it easy to make conversation, even with George Meyers' 12 year old daughter Julie, who came with him to pick us up. "I'm gonna be thirteen in three days" she beams. Ahhh to be a teenager for the first time... It's like getting a promotion!

At sound check under the "big top", I was making up a song for her..."come Tuesday... I'm turnin thirteen, turnin thirteen, and I'll never be the same" She was delighted I think but a little embarrassed. Her older sister is in college studying to be a Marine Biologist. I guess she's had enough of these Illinois corn fields. They are every where you look. Every extra acre has beautiful green stalks of corn, now tall as a man.

The tent I'm playing in fills up with invited guests from the neighborhood. It is an outreach and 40 year anniversary celebration for this church. The sound system is incredible. Great Low end so when you hit those bass notes they literally move you.

Several folks came from many miles away hearing of this show on my website. It's just short of a circus feel and the weather is perfect. The promoter of the concert I did a month ago in Bloomington, Illinois, just five minutes from here came to this concert as well. I played a variety of music to include stuff every age group might enjoy but most of all I kept 'em laughing.

The line of folks at the end to say hi to me was peppered with folks wanting to share deep stories of loss and redemption. There was one little girl who met me first at the back table, she was six and she could not stop hugging me... I felt like Santa. I picked her up and gave her a big squeeze and she almost wouldn't let me put her down. There were lots of young kids here. Preteens (until Tuesday).

I recognized many who have been to every concert I've done in Illinois in the last five years. I noticed too an unusual number of extremely overweight individuals in attendance. One woman who weighed maybe five hundred pounds came from many miles away, bringing her own chair with her to hear my concert. There were maybe seven people in the audience who were at least two hundred pounds overweight. I mention it because it made me think about how much pain there is in a life that feels out of control... Something easier to see in someone who is super heavy... they must recognize in me what they know to be true about themselves. They must hear it in my songs. I'm starting to have my own world wide fellowship. The First Dysfunctional Dunk Church of God In Christ. "God help us" is our opening prayer.

I loved this gig, I loved the people.. It felt like... Ministry.

O.K. So there's that bryan d

Nifty Noodles/ Success plus
8/10/01 San Antonio, TX
I loved this gig..... I loved this gig....Oh thank you Jesus... I loved this gig. After the summer festival things, this was so wonderful. I'm so grateful. I've decided not to shoot myself in the head. I got to do my own music and a whole show. I sold lots of my own CD's and made lots of new friends. There were people in the audience who actually recognized my songs. I stayed in a real nice hotel and enjoyed the company at restaurant dinners instead of hot dogs and beans. I sat backstage in a library with leather couches and food trays and t.v. Monitors. Even had a shower right there just off the library. I was picked up and driven around on time in a big fancy car.

Success plus is the name of the singles group at Cornerstone church. They put on this concert. Many have been through bad relationships in the past. Maybe that¹s why they treat their guests so well. "Treat unto others as you would have them treat unto you".

They should run their own promotion agency I think. They were so efficient in promoting this show with Bob Carlisle and myself I thought I should hire them to promote my next record. They lined up more interviews with radio and television for a single day than I've had in the last four months. I was treated like a royal guest. The hotel was great and the food places we were taken to during the two day stay were phenomenal. The event was held at Pastor John Hagee's church, a church that on the inside felt like the White House. Complete with security. There was a reception for contest winners prior to the concert. An enormous lot of work from volunteers went into this event. I had a great time here!... Finally a gig that made me wanna follow my career.

Bob and I opened with the Self Righteous Brothers set, a medley of "Soul Man" and "I Thank You". I continued with an hour and ten minutes of my own songs and Bob came on after a ten minute break. He was followed by a quick sermon and an "alter call" and Bob joined me on "I'd Like to Thank You For One thing".

No there's no great spiritual story here. I was just excited about the fact that folks were gracious and I was thankful, and in a good mood for the first time in several months.

O.K. So there's that! bryan d

Nifty NoOdles/ Kingdom Bound and gagged
8/7/01 Darien Lake, N.Y. The Kingdom Bound festival
You'd think that to be one of the last bands to go on, as was the case for this Sweet C date, would be an Honor. Actually it's a test of your endurance.

Flew in a day early to be on time for a line check at 2:P.M. We weren't scheduled to play until nine tonight. At sound check we discover that the equipment we asked for is not remotely close to what we're getting. The real irritating factor about this is the complete lack of remorse for the oversight. Just a glib "oh well". The Drum kit is mediocre and the keyboard is substandard as well. After last week I've come to expect a certain level of punishment for agreeing to play these festivals.

We have a lengthy dialog about the contract and what was asked for in the agreement. All to no avail. I come back to the site at seven and they set up the keyboard back stage for me to try to find programs I can use to replace the sounds I won't have.

It is a humid overcast day. Again, there is no place to "hang" here. I sit on the curb outside the backstage gate talkin to the guys in the 77's for the first hour just to get away from the noise of new groups... really bad rap groups and "Limp Biscuit" clones... Although I was amazed at how they could make Christian lyrics to go with this kind of music, You have to incorporate rage to be convincing you know.

We walked over to the "food tent" for a hot dog and pork and beans to kill time. By eight thirty we are beginning to understand that the schedule is off now by forty five minutes. As we close in on the night we are told that we can only play four songs...........! I will have spent three days to do this festival. Sitting around outside waiting. This is a colossal sin in my book, it falls into the first degree category. Wasting time, at my age it's up there with premeditated murder! which is now what I'm thinking about. So much for the Grand reunion of the Sweet Comfort Band. My vote is to not play at all. "we would be in breech of contract" I'm told... Really? What contract? The one where we fulfill our obligations and you don't. My own agent says "it's for the fans... We can't punish the fans because of the incompetence of the festival". What fans? There's maybe eight hundred people milling around out front seven hundred and fifty of those are kids who don't have time for the history lesson.

Randy Stonehill goes on before us doing three songs. He sings a great song "An Angels Wings", that after the music I've heard today sounds especially sweet, like relief from a constant beating. We go on at ten fifteen The keyboard is cutting out in the monitors and there is a power surge that causes the pitch to vary. So it sounds like I'm modulating, or just playing in the wrong key. I was told my vocal mic wasn't up in the house either. It was ugly. But I didn't have a meltdown this time. I took my backstage pass off and threw it on the stage as a symbolic gesture of "shaking the dust of my sandals". I Quietly said to the stage manager..." I'm sure it doesn't matter to you but I won't ever be back here". The final nail in the coffin of this sad experience is that of course the head of the festival questions our desire "minister". I should take notes... When I fall short of my obligations in the future... I should question the spiritual condition of my debtors. It seems to be working for Kingdom Bound.

O.K. So there's that bryan d

8/4/01
Nifty Noodles/ Hume N Beans
Saturday Aug 4th
Hume Lake, California

Drove up alone to pick up my son and his friend. They've been in camp this week at Hume Lake Christian camps above Fresno. I stay and play a free concert for the staff and public in the area. I get to do an hour and a half show. Which was nice for a change. I wasn't however listed as the concert for this week. A mistake in the printing I guess. Many are expecting ""Everybody Duck" it's a completely different kind of music. I think folks enjoyed the set anyway. I can't always tell.

O.K. So there's That bryan d

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