I just left Tom and his wife Pat. They arrived in Bossier City at about 7:30 p.m. They are staying at the hotel where I play at the "piano" bar.
Towards the end of the evening, he played several songs on my keyboard. He plays very well and has an excellent voice.
Afterwards my wife and I and the Cavanaughs went to Hollywood Casino for a late dinner.
It was their first time to try Crawfish. I think they liked them o.k., but it WAS a buffet so they had plenty of backup choices as well.
We took plenty of photos, but I'm too tired to process them tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
They are leaving in the morning to drive their new truck back to Michigan.
More later,
DonM

Don,
it's always great when two Synthzone members meet in person; I will never cease to thank this Forum because it has enabled me to meet some of the best people I have ever known in my life.
Please, share with us pictures and all the details you can.

Ah Yes, Bossier City. I remember it from my youth. There were more great bars and nite clubs in this town than any person could have frequented in their lifetime--but I gave it a heck of a try when I was 22 years old. Damn, that was 40 years ago. Don, it the place still as much fun and is it still filled with great clubs?

Gary

hi Don & Tom: Look forward to seeing the pics. btw: What tunes did you guys play that evenng? I assume you included 'Jambalaya', right? Did you get a chance to record your performance? If so, would love to hear. - Scott

I don't remember how to paste pictures here, but here's a link to them. http://www.imira.com/Album/GuestView.asp...p%3FCPIndex%3D0
Click on the photos to make them bigger.
We had a great time, but the visit was too short. We did see Tom and Pat again this morning, because I left my cell phone in Tom's truck and they were nice enough to drop it off at my house, as they were on the way out of town.
Travelin' Easy--Bossier City still has some clubs, but it's not like the old days when illegal gambling, B-girls and all that was wide-spread. We now have three Casinos, and two more just across the river in Shreveport.
Back in the 50's and 60's though, it was really wild. I came to town in 1977 and got in on the tail-end of it. The Louisiana Hayride was still going, but only a shadow of it's former status.
Scott: I played a lot of Country music Saturday, because that was what the customers were asking for. We had several very talented singers on hand, plus a couple of good guitar players. Aaron Cash (Johnny's half-brother) was there and he sounds exactly like Big John himself. He's a few years younger and stays on key a little better!
When I finally persuaded Tom to play while I took a break, the audience loved him. He played "Route 66", "I Saw Her Standing There", and several more (I was gone to the rest room for a while!)
Tom also took photos, and I'll bet he will post some.
DonM


[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 06-15-2003).]

Thanks for sharing the experience DonM. It's great that you took some pictures for us. And yes, the stool did look like it was set a little high for Tom

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 06-16-2003).]

Thanks for sharing the great shots. And I thought Don Mason (left) was tall at 6'-5". By the looks of the bottom pic, perhaps Tom (right) should have pursued 'hoop dreams'. - Scott

Scott,
I thought the same at first, but then realized that Don is sitting on his stool (look at the mic in front of his face...)

Tom's taller than I am. . . . until I stand up. You can see us standing with wives on the link up above.
Not only am I taller, but I'm fatter too. But 32 pounds less than a month or so ago. Atkins is working great.
I didn't intend to wear that shirt to work. I had an earlier job that ended at 6:00 p.m. Had to pack up and cross town for this job, and I got there about 7:00. I had a nicer shirt and vest with me, and I carried them into the motel, intending to change, but there were people there already, so I just sat down and started playing.
DonM

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 06-16-2003).]

Yeh! Me Too! I thought Tom was 8' tall. Thanks for explaining that Don.

We got back to Michigan late last night. We had a ball visiting Don and his wife Susan. They went above and beyond "southern hospitality". Don must have done something good to merit Susan for his wife. They are both great people. For those new to the forum I purchased Don's Ketron X1.

Don is a terrific performer and it was great listening to him. When I hear people like Don, Donny, and Uncle Dave perform I sometimes wonder why I bother. They are that good!

We ate crawdads after Don was done playing at the hotel. They are good but a lot of work for very little meat. According to my weight I SHOULD be 8 foot tall. Don was sitting down in the picture. I'm 5'7" and I think Don is about 6'6" or there abouts.

Don makes the PSR2000 sound great. I was not at home on his ax and his chair was a little too high for me but I managed to eek out a couple of numbers. There was all kinds of talent there (including Johnny Cash's half brother) and they were all friends of Don. One of Don's friends did some Wilson Picket and it too was great.

We did not have enough time with Don and Susan and I hope that they will visit us in Michigan sometime. I would like to play a round of golf with Don sometime.

We left Don and Susan and drove the truck we bought on Ebay to Memphis. We got our room and headed to Beale Street. We did some walking up and down Beale Street looking for a place to eat that had some music going on. We found a place that had the 18 piece Memphis Jazz Orchestra playing. These cats were all terrific players too. We ate and listened to a couple of sets then went back to our room and crashed.

The following day we drove back to Michigan. We had a great time. I'm going to send my pictures to Don so he can link them.

Now to meet the rest of the forum members .......


Tom

P.S. What is a B girl?

[This message has been edited by Tom Cavanaugh (edited 06-17-2003).]

Tom,
I received the pictures and will ad them to the others today sometime.
Maybe one day we can take an extended trip and visit you and some of the others on the forum. Which day of the year is it warm enough to play golf in Michigan?
I did play Sunday afternoon. I guess I was so tired after two doubles in a row that I couldn't overswing, because it was one of my better rounds.
I was pretty disappointed in the crawfish. They weren't seasoned enough. After a "session" or so, you get to where you can peel them very quickly, about like peeling boiled shrimp. Anyway, you got to taste them. If you ate them regularly then you too could be 6'5"!
DonM

The photos Tom took are now posted. http://www.imira.com/Album/GuestView.asp?AID=827405&BackURL=%2Falbum%2FMemberListAlbum%2Easp%3FCPIndex%3D0
Don

Tom,

What is a "B" Girl? You definintely have to get out more. As for the crawdads, I wasn't very excited about them myself. However, if you ever have the opportunity to eat Maryland style steamed shrimp, the big guys that average 10 to 12 to the pound, you'll know what they're so popular. The same holds true with Maryland style steamed crabs. Donny and Dave will be more than happy to fill you in on these mouth-watering delicacies. When washed down with an ice-cold beer, it's like dying and going straight to heaven.

Cheers,

Gary

B Girls hang out in the bar, approach the men customers, flirt with them and get them to buy drinks, at about triple price. Of course there is no alcohol in the girl's drink, so she can drink all night.
Other services are optional but usually available.
DonM

Seriously,

What is a "B" girl and what is "B" stock in a music store. I'm guessing that b stock is something that was bought and returned. Would a "B" girl be slightly used as well?

I answered before you asked. Here is the next answer: 749
Now ask the question.
Don

B stock is equipment that has been slightly used, either by a customer, or as a demo.
I have purchased Yamaha B stock after they sell the units used at trade shows to dealers.
DonM

don pics wont post?

Something must be wrong with Imira. It worked earlier. Now I can't even get to the main page. I'll continue to try.
DonM
P.S. I just tried again. They are definitely having problems.

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 06-17-2003).]

ok now on the pics don....must have been the site itself.......

I guess that in 30 years of playing I've played in the wrong places to never have seen a B Girl. We have always played the animal circuit, the country clubs, the VFW's and American Legions.

Hmmmmmm........it gets better Tom....
There are places with [C] girls alo!!

Nice photos guys .. looks like a great time ... DonM, I take it that's a 'mock' piano you've got your board sitting in? .. At the place I'll be working this Friday I set up in a similar fashion, except it's a real piano ... Also, what do you use as a music stand? ...
t.

Music?? I don't need no stinkin' music!
Seriously, I don't use much music when I play there. If I do, I just lay the book on top of the fake piano. My stool is high enough that I can see it.
I have my own piano bar, but it is in storage. I made mine so that I use a keyboard stand instead of having the keyboard actually fit inside the piano. It is much better.
You can see a picture of it on my webpage. www.donmasonmusic.com
Don