Vegas, Flagstaff, and Durango...

This band moves fast. We hit a city, do our thing, and get out of town. We won't have any scheduled days off at this point until we return to Seattle at the end of March. That's the way we like it. That's the way we roll.

The past couple of days have been a whirl wind and I'm just now getting to the blog. I guess I left off in Los Angeles. The last thing I remember was soothing my hangover in the hot tub of the Disneyland Holiday Inn at 9:00 AM before we loaded the van. It's rare we stay in a room with hot tub access and I try to get the most out of the amenities. It was nice to get away from the other cowboys and soothe my aching head.

We made it to Vegas without any trouble and got a room at our regular spot, Hooters Hotel and Casino. Hooters is always cheap and hospitable. This time we got rooms for $29.00 a night. Can you believe that shit? A cheap room is critical to tour finances and Hooters is right in the middle of everything (just across the street from MGM). This is our third time to stay here, so it's starting to feel like home.

This would be our first time to perform at the Double Down Saloon. I've heard a lot about this place. People keep telling us to expect a wild time. That's what we live with everyday, so it seems like we'll fit right in. I start things off right by marking my territory.

I like the Double Down. It looks a little rough and it feels like one of our regular spots. They've got one of my favorite slogans painted on the wall. Like a typical tourist, I had to get a snapshot.

I consider it a personal challenge to cram five cowboys on to a tiny stage and this is one of the smallest I've seen. Problem solver Ben Strehle snaps into action and creates a stage extension for my mic stand out of one of Sugar's empty gear cases. What would we do without Benny boy? He's like a walking, talking swiss army knife wrapped in a cowboy suit. God bless him.

Once things were set up we ripped into a single set of my favorite Rodeo tunes punk rock style. Bryan Crawford killed it on the drums and kept us pumping throught the set. It was sweaty and it was good. I did my best to stay atop the tiny stage and keep from knocking Tiny Dancer in the head. After our set, we hung out and met local folks. Do you know how hard it is to meet locals in Las Vegas? More music, more connections, time to go!

Next stop, Flagstaff. After loading the van, I called dibbs on the back seat and curled in to the fetal position. Something about that spot makes me sleep like a baby. Next thing I know we are making a road side pee stop and there is snow on the ground.

Sugar has things set up to get a tattoo when we get to Flagstaff. A friend from our last visit owns a shop and hooks him up with an appointment. This is his second tattoo this tour and he always has to take it up a notch. So do what do you think it will be? Maybe an eagle, or a rose? How about a dragon? Know, that wouldn't be special enough. In a flash of genius Sugar decides to honor the person he loves most and gets a comic book image of himself on himself. Hell yeah! That's the Sugar McGuinn I know and love.


I love the Hotel Monte Vista. This is our third or fourth time to play here. They treat us well, give us rooms, and always show us a good time. And now they've got us on the back of their t-shirt:

We had a ton of fun at the Monte Vista. So much that I don't have time to get into it now. I've got some vids from the show and more pics, but I'm in Durango now and need to get to the Summit to set up. I'll catch up on the rest when I have some more time.

B

ps - The Hotel Monte Vista is rumored to be haunted.