The Beginning:
“I just need to find a place where I can lay my head”
–“The Weight” by The Band
So concerned was I with things like food, clothes, merchandise, gear, toys, electronics, make up, costumes, Jared’s things, Rudy’s things, wrapping up at home and saying goodbye to our friends and family, that it slipped my mind entirely to bring PILLOWS! Or DID I?!?!? I mean, I’ve been wanting a new pillow for months now, so…
Other than some heavy-headed comfort issues, Day One’s 3 hour travel to Wenatchee went well. Rudyard serenaded us the whole time with tunes from Mungo Jerry’s “Summertime” to Michael Jackson’s “Bad”, “Welcome to the Jungle”-GnR to ACDC’s “TNT”, and everything in between. We talked about mountains and farms and at one point Rudy said, “Every time I see a grassy mountain, I think it’s green blood.” Ah, the inspiration of nature…
The “drop off”:
So, since we’ve played in Wenatchee several times, we’ve developed a fan base, some of whom have become “frans”. (Fans turned friends!) This was demonstrated before our gig with the families who offered to take Rudy for our not all-ages gig. We are, every day, reminded of the the kindness of others and the benefits to reaching out. Anyway, my favorite part of this story comes from the amazingly clever and downright hilarious sense of humor our Rudyard is developing. As we drove to the sitter’s house, Rudy asked me where we were. I said Wenatchee. He laughed a bit and said that sounded funny to say. Then, he asked if Wenatchee was where Mario lived. I was at such a loss… I sat there trying to make a connection.
I said, “Mario? From Mario Bros?”
“Yes, Mom. Mario.”
“I can’t understand why you would think Mario is from Wenatchee.”
“Because, it’s (I’ll write it phonetically with an Italian accent) A-Wa-nA-chee!”
And he used the Italian hand motion too….
As I was laughing in the front I hear from the back,
“Yep. Nailed it.”
Told the story at the gig and now we have 40 Wenatchee residents who are proud of the little Italian village they live in!
The Show:
Ron, the owner and mastermind behind the RadarStation, a little art gallery, cinema, music venue, shop of curiosities, and now home of Wenatchee’s first and only burlesque troop, the Radar Dames, has facilitated the growth of a delightful underbelly culture in Wenatchee. So, naturally we felt it would be the best place to kick off our tour. We underestimated just how electric the night would be. We were warmly welcomed by fans old and new, ranging from early 20’s to our newest fans in their 80’s!! We shared stories, rocked, surprised everyone (including my 2nd cousin in her 70’s meeting me for the first time…) with a couple of bawdy burlesque numbers, shared the stage with the Radar Dames, sold some new merch, and had one of the best shows ever!
While we were loading up our gear, a man on a bike rode by with a free pizza, we took a picture with a giant wiener, had a cider with our sitters, then settled into bed in the back of the truck, where Dad continued reading a selection from the Hobbit. We were out in seconds. (Sorry Gandalf). Huge and lovely sleep was earned and taken greedily…until the first of 1000 trains rolled by what seemed like right next to our window. Well, you can’t win ‘em all. And, at least Rudy slept.
My favorite quote of the night came from a fan who said, “Every time I get done watching one of your shows, my face hurts!” Weather we are melting the face or causing it to laugh, cry, smile or sing, we’d like to hurt all the faces on this tour! Welcome to the official 2018 “Smile Tour”! “Adventure is out there”!
