RUBY SHOES...my last gig

Last Friday night, I had a blast playing with the band at our drummer's "farewell to my house party". Rick and his wife are downsizing, and we "rocked the neighborhood" one last time. Well...for me...it was, indeed, the "last time". The guys (and gal) in the band have been very gracious and understanding about my situation, and I really appreciate their friendship. I posted this on the RUBY SHOES BAND facebook page a few minutes ago:

Not sure who all will read this, but I wanted to explain why you probably won't be seeing my face in future photos of "Ruby Shoes". Sadly, I've had to "retire" from playing percussion with the band. It was a really tough decision, but the right one. I have a congenital heart condition that runs in my family, as well as a bad lower back. The HUGE FUN of playing with these great musicians over the last year distracted me from listening to what my body has been communicating. This "band life" is just too physically challenging for my heart. I appreciate all the support folks have given me while I was having the time of my life jammin' with my friends.

Please continue to come to the gigs when Ruby Shoes is out there... guarantee you'll have to "keep on dancin' !!!"

Thanks, Shoes...it was a great ride!

RUBY SHOES...Post-gig

Just thought I'd give a brief report on the gig last night at Danny's Bar and Grill. We were crammed onto a very tight little stage (which looked much bigger when it was empty). Didn't quite know what to expect with the turnout...started off small, but by the end of our set, there were at least 75 folks in there to hear us. Frankly, I think the band wished we could have played more than our Hour and a Half slot before the other band played at 11:30. We had to cut our playlist short, but as they say...leave 'em wanting more! We had a lot of fun, though, and it was good to get some exposure. Hopefully we'll get invited to play somewhere else soon.

If you facebook, do a search for "Ruby Shoes Band" for some more photos.

RUBY SHOES...Tonight!!!

Media blitz!! Just givin' you one more chance to change your plans and come see us!

RUBY SHOES...our next GIG!

I haven't been doing a lot of artwork at home these days, but have been focusing more on music in my "spare time". The dance band I'm in has an upcoming gig at a local sports bar and grill. If you happen to be in the area, we'd love to have you drop in and check us out! See the little flyer above for details.

And if you're on facebook, you can do a search of Ruby Shoes Band to hear a few audio clips!

Ruby Shoes...all happy and everything

Nothing new to report today...in fact, I'm gonna be busy for the next week with family in town visiting.

I had told you in an earlier post that I should have some images of our band's first gig to show. So far, whoever took the photos has not shared them yet. Maybe they forgot to take off the lens cover or something. So...stay tuned. In the mean time...here's another image of our happy band.

I had said something juvenile to try to make everybody smile for the camera. Being the most immature of our bunch...I laughed the hardest at my own stupid joke. Truth is...we laugh like this all the time during practice...love hanging out with these folks!!

Ruby Shoes and a Squirrel

What the...? You waited almost three weeks for THIS? Stay with me here...the goofy photo above will make a little sense in a minute.

Since my last post, I've been quite busy with some NON-ART activities. A few months ago, I was invited to join up with some friends of mine to play in a NEW DANCE BAND! It's called "Ruby Shoes", and I've been having a blast!

Last Saturday (Feb. 26), we played our first gig at the Sheraton Hotel Convention Center in Overland Park, KS. When it was done, the events manager liked us so much, she placed us on the hotel's "preferred vendors" list for folks to call if they want live entertainment!! So we're pretty dang excited!!

Below is a group photo. I've never been in a "real" band before (though I do play in church worship bands), so this whole thing is new to me. From left to right RUBY SHOES are: Rick Thaemert (Drums and Vocals), Warren Ludwig (Percussion and Vocals), Ken Sawatzky (Guitar), Wendy Godfrey (Lead Vocals), Wendy's brother Tim Godfrey (Keyboards), and Eric Rivadeneira (Bass and Vocals).

Below are the only photos from the gig that I have for now...more will be coming. You can see my nice red congas, and the stage set-up before we played (Thanks, Tim, for the photo from your phone). If you are on FACEBOOK, a brand new page was loaded today that let's you follow our adventures...just search for "Ruby Shoes Band".

Which brings me to the stupid part about the squirrel...

I've got one in my attic, and it's driving me crazy. I had some gutter repairs done last Thursday, and evidently the little bugger got caught upstairs. Yesterday, I set traps, so that I can try to relocate him (or her...it's one of a pair, I'm afraid.) I'm hoping the tasty little peanut butter-birdseed balls that I trailed up to the traps will entice it in. A couple have been eaten so far, so I know the squirrel has found them. Hopefully this will be resolved soon, or I'll have to call the Pest Control Guy. Sigh.