Single Release Tour - Pensacola, FL (Day 11)
Waking up to a warm and sunny day was a surprise. We haven’t had one in awhile. When we left Nashville there was snow on the ground and it pretty much stayed that way for a solid week. The house we stayed at in Lafayette, LA was great and our host, Josh, was awesome but it was time to say goodbye. We got on the road to Pensacola, FL and had a lot of fun on the way there, listening to more Teena Marie and some Luther Vandross.
The past few times we’ve played Pensacola have been sweet thanks to a band called The Gills who have now become close friends of ours. They’re great about helping promote the shows and getting involved. We were all set to play with The Prince Brothers which houses a few members of The Gills. Unfortunately, one of them fell ill and couldn’t play. So, instead of The Prince Brothers we got a four-man drum off. It was pretty fun to watch.
The venue, The Ready Room, was new to us. I wasn’t sure what to expect, all I knew was that we had a great guarantee and it was a Monday night… I didn’t feel like I should ask for much more than that. By the time PM went on there were a lot of people there and many of them were there for us! On our last visit to Pensacola we played with The Gills and our tour mates at the time, The Winter Sounds. I noticed a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. I’m always excited when people blew off the monotony of a Monday to come see us. Despite the odds, we had another financially successful night. I know I talk about money a lot but at this level, I’m slightly obsessed with it and I think I need to be. I don’t want to be twiddling my damn thumbs when it comes time to record another slew of songs. ANYways… We played the show, they came, they saw, they bought, they left.
Earlier in the night we met a nice girl named Maddie (not sure if she spells it like that). Matt from The Gills told me that we could stay with her. He had been text messaging me the day prior to the show explaining how great her place was and that her parents were planning on feeding us… all the wonderful things a traveler wants to hear. Well he wasn’t kidding. When we arrived at the house I was, at first, slightly apprehensive. Could they be serial killers? They don’t know who we are and they’re opening their home to us… us being nine guys. Well I was wrong… they were NOT serial killers, they were the most hospitable family I’ve ever met while on the road. The Dad came out, introduced himself and then showed both bands to their quarters, Maddie’s room. She lived in a room adjacent to the house that was FULL of beds. It would have fit all of us but I was a“band”oned by my guys who found even better sleeping arrangements inside. Speaking of inside, when we walked into the main house there were not four, not five but SIX pizzas waiting for us. There were demolished in no time flat. After food we went out back to hang around the fire that Mr. Dold had made for us. Then, at 4:30am, I went to bed… Stuff and satisfied.
I think a lot about being a middle aged guy, with kids and a family. This guy had it down no questions asked. SEVEN kids and every one of them were polite, mild, kind… I feel like I needed to hang around and get some lessons. Thank you Dold family for the kindness you showed us.
Josh
