THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM......

Or is it? I'm not calm. I'm stressed out. I'm busy as hell! Our new LP comes out 10/19/2010 in the US (Spark and Shine records).

This will be followed by an early 2011 release in Europe. You would think that would leave me sitting around bored anticipating the launch of "Please Stand By". Not so!

Things are getting crazy. Deadlines are approaching. Products are being manufactured. The folks at my new label are busting their asses getting it done. And now we have a larger team with the addition of Terrobird Media - www.terrorbird.com for our press and radio in the USA. This is a big deal.

And as if that is not enough, my band members are falling apart. Literally! Tiny Dancer broke his leg while sexting on a segway.

Can you believe that shit? He knows better than that. No sexting and driving Tiny Dancer! Now he's flat broke, no insurance to cover his medical bills, and looking at 3 months off his feet (which means 3 months off work). He can still play guitar, but this is a financial disaster for the greatest lead guitar player in the business. The whole band has shifted into "save Tiny Dancer" mode. So we are doing what musicians do best and hosting a fund raiser. It's still in the planning phases, but we'll be throwing a big bash at the Sunset Tavern (Seattle) on Saturday August 14th. All proceeds will go to Tiny Dancer so he can dig out and hit the road with the band. Stay tuned for more details.

A week after Tiny Dancer went down, Ben showed up at my house with a brace on his leg. What the fuck? Is the Rodeo cursed? Turns out Ben's injury is minor and was not caused by sexting. He's gonna have to get some shit cleaned out of his knee, but expects it go quickly. Damn it! All cowboys are now on lock down until "Please Stand By" hits the streets. No more injuries PLEASE!

So while cowboys have been occupied breaking their own bones, I've been working hard to get shit done. Most of our fall tour is booked. I'm still trying to fill in Texas and a few other dates. I hope to have a full schedule complete in the coming month. We are hitting most spots from our previous tours, plus we kick it off with an appearance at Seattle's Bumbershoot festival on September 6th. Buy tickets to see us and you can also see Mary J. Blige on the same day. I like that. You can check out the full line up here:

http://sched.bumbershoot.org/

All the hard work is paying off. Spark and Shine is doing it in style and I can't wait. I'm totally excited about the vinyl. It's already in production and it's going to be a super exclusive limited edition pressing. Full color packaging with color inner sleeve, a Rodeo comic book inside, and download cards for digital lovers. There will be 500 printed like this and I expect they will go fast. Stay tuned for information from Spark and Shine if you'd like to pre-order. You can keep up with things at the Spark and Shine site:

http://www.sparkandshine.com/

Here is a little tease for those of you who can't wait. Pink inserts for the center of our vinyl masterpiece:


Consider this one a shout out to the payphones we love so much in Europe:


There is a lot more going on, but some of it will have to be a surprise. Look for us on tour. I'll keep you up to date with stories from the road.


Shit, I can't wait to get back out there. Can't wait to see all our friends around the US. Can't wait to get back to Europe. I better get back to work. There is planning to be done. Tell all your friends around the world to look out. The Rodeo is taking over. And we need your help!

This is a grass roots movement. This is a revolution. All of you are making it happen. You've been spreading the word. You've been showing up at our events in Rodeo attire. You are preaching the gospel of the Rodeo. I thank you for that. It fuels my cowboy spirit. Now let's do this shit.

Brent