:Lately:

My band has 2 shows under it's belt now. HarvestFest back in October went good for our first show. We had a few little technical problems, but that's because we didn't get a sound check before we started. I tried to pull a rock star move and ended up unplugging my guitar. Definitely embarrassing.

Our second show was last weekend in Weatherford, Oklahoma. That's about an hour west of OKC. The set went fabulous, except for Gary not having his voice and Ian having to learn his songs on the way to the show..... Here was the set list:

-Savior (Skillet)
-Jesus Be Glorified (Skillet)
-Untouchable (MCR Original)
-Reason (MCR Original)
-Shine (Collective Soul)
-Blessed be Your Name (Praise & Worship staple)
-How Great is Our God " "
-Better is One Day " "
-Everlasting God (Lincoln Brewster)
-Strong Tower (Kutless)
-Consuming Fire - I think we're going to end every set with this one. It's a song that most of our crowd will know, it's a passionate song, and builds to an awesome drum fill/guitar solo and then we rock it for a few minutes before ending it.

The kids were there were great. There were a few that banged their heads the whole time. Afterwards, we got to talk to a few of them, pass out some guitar picks and sign an autograph or two. Yes, that's right, we're doing autographs now.

We left East Texas at 8 a.m. Saturday morning with the temp around 70 degrees. By the time we got to OKC around 2, it was in the 40s. We were wearing t-shirts and shorts, so needless to say we had to find the nearest Wal-Mart and get some appropriate clothing. Little did we know that "Ice Storm 2007" was coming to central Oklahoma. After the show, we drove by a building that had a marquee that had the temp at 20 degrees. It started icing over and we were driving about 40 mph down the highway on the way home.

On a side note, in my younger days it wasn't a big deal with room with a couple of other guys. Now, closing in on 30 years of age, I have to have my perfect conditions for sleep. We rolled into the hotel room at1:30 a.m. and the guys crashed out. I did not sleep a wink the entire night. I think I dozed off some time between 4:30 and 5, but it certainly did not last long. The other guys in the room could've set a world record for loudest and most continuous snoring. But, these are the stories that make these trips memorable. I thank God for the opportunity to live out a dream and have fun at the same time.