Reno, Tahoe and San Fran

Before playing the Tahoe gig, we had about 36 hours in Reno to kill. I won't go into details, but I learned to play craps and had a great time while there. I lost some money, but not enough to break the bank. The gig in Tahoe was fun, but it was the post-party that stands out in my mind. Some of you might know that Sammy Hagar and Cabo Wabo Tequila go hand in hand (and inbelly). There just happens to be a Cabo Wabo Club at the casino that is adjacent to the venue we played. Before the gig that night, Sammy invited Davy to jam with him after the show at his club. Unfortunately I missed the portion of the post-party where Davy, Michael Anothony and Chad Smith jammed out Sweet Home Alabama with the house band (Sammy was busy swigging tequila). But a couple hours later Davy, PK and Steven were invited to the stage to play a few songs. They ripped through 'fun' versions of Messin' with the Kid (Junior Wells), Outside Women Blues (Blind Joe Reynolds) and Coming into Los Angeles (Arlo Guthrie). By 'fun' I mean, everyone had fun...but it was after a few shots of tequila and a few beers. VERY fun, but fun with a little sloppy. :)

After sitting in nearly 8 hours of traffic getting into San Francisco, the guys played their own rockin' show at the historic Slim's. It was a fun to see the guys play for a full 2 hours versus the 40 minutes they are allotted opening for Chickenfoot. The crowd was rabid and clearly loved the show.

Off to SEATTLE!!! (yes, this is posted after Seattle, but I'm a day or two behind...more to come!!!)

Riverbeds

So after playing a fun gig with Chickenfoot in Atlanta two nights ago, Davy and the guys had the stage to themselves last night in Mobile, Alabama. They were the headliners at the BlueGill, a true southern family owned restaurant with a deck and stage that overlooked one of the many tributaries of the Mississippi River. Some of you might remember a tragic Amtrak train crash that happened some years ago near Mobile. That accident happened just a short boat ride away from this restaurant. A while back Davy saw a special on TV about the tragedy and it became the inspiration for his song called "Riverbed". Knowing this, a fan of Davy's set up a boat ride for us to the site of the crash. It was a pretty intense and sobering trip. Davy said he'll never play the song the same way again...

The last time Davy played Mobile was on his 21st birthday a year ago in April and it was clear the town was eagerly anticipating his return. The doors were supposed to open at 6pm, but a line started to form around 4:30pm and by the time 6 o'clock rolled around, there were about 200 people lined through the restaurant and into the parking lot waiting to get in. One of the biggest supporters of Davy in Mobile is a local DJ for 92, The Zew. He introduced the band and promised a 'longer set than last time' to already noisy crowd...and the boys delivered! Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam ripped through a 2 plus hour set of originals and covers and not only featured countless solos from Davy on guitar, but Seattle native Ty Bailie showed off his chops with some incredibly wicked keyboard solos as well. Drummer Steve Barci also got in the act with a drum solo - complete with a beer chug. The band rocked...the crowd rocked...it was a rockin' night!

Now we have 4 days off as we travel to Lake Tahoe to meet up with Chickenfoot again. And I'm counting the days until we get back to Seattle! One week to go...