AUG 7-9 /08 DEERBROOK, WI Shenandoah at Fuddfest and Big Country Days in Chapin, IL

AUG 7-9 /08 DEERBROOK, WI Shenandoah at Fuddfest and Big Country Days in Chapin, IL

Shenandoah left from a new location... a diffierent Kroger...since whoever owns the Kroger parking lot in Franklin decided to stop letting musicians leave their cars overnight. No more buying snacks for the bus from that store! They lose...

We headed out for Deerbrook,WI and Chapin, IL around 11'o'clock , Wed, August 6th.
Billy Ryan was aboard this time and had good news about a new record deal in the works. We are keeping our fingers crossed for him.

We arrived in Deerbrook on Thursday to find the weather was perfect..the storm they had the night before had cooled things down quite a bit..blue skies and very little humidity. We were thankful. Fuddfest looked like it was gonna be fun. Fuddfest started out as a birthday party nine years ago...now it has grown into a permanent stage facility and big venue with name acts every year.

Soundcheck was around three o'clock and proved to be a tough one with technical problems from the drum station. I always hate it when things don't run smooth but with much diligence, problems were solved. Bart always saves the day.

After soundcheck, food was brought to the bus and we enjoyed baby potatoes, ribs, chicken and other goodies. We then made it over to a VIP tent and did a meet and greet around 5 pm. We met the "MotherFudder" and other staff and I accidently signed a fellow's shirt..he turned his back to me and I assumed he wanted my signature on the back of his shirt..Ooops...lol but it was all good_

Several of us wandered over to Chris Cagle's bus area and chatted with various members of his band before our show. Mike Folsom had played with their drummer years before and they were catching up on old times. I had met their keyboardist, Jeff at an artist relations pre-namm show event earlier in the summer. It was good to see him again. They were gracious enough to pull out a lawnchair for me to sit in , while we chatted in front of Chris's bus. Nice guys.

Shenandoah took the stage at 6 pm and we gave our best for 75 minutes to a large, enthusiastic crowd. Jimmy Yeary at one point, told them to stand and yell out "we're having a good time and happy to be here"..or something close to that effect. Then he told them to sit down. :) I love it when an audience takes directions well. :) At the end of our show, Jimmy was presented on stage with a very cool, neon sign that said, "Shenandoah...Cumberland Road". We were honored. When our set was over, we signed autographs and took pics out front before Chris Cagle and his band went on.

A couple that had gotten married on stage with Shenandoah 13 years ago, spoke to us after the show and gave us the picture that was taken from that night. In the picture was Shenandoah, complete with Marty Raybon, Ralph Ezell, Donnie Allen and the bride and groom. We all looked so much younger in the pic. We wished them many more years together and were glad to have been a part of that moment years ago.

Several of us stood or sat on the side of the stage to watch Chris Cagle, who went on at 8 pm. He and his band put on a high energy show and worked the crowd very well. Our bus pulled out before his show was over but we got to see most of it. We headed on down the road about 20 miles..where we would park the bus for the night.

We slept on the bus that night in the motel parking lot.. as our rooms would not be ready till the next day. Before retiring for the evening, Mike Folsom, MIke McGuire, Bart, Byron and myself went to the motel lobby to get some munchies from the vending machine. Shelley, who was the front desk clerk for that evening.. saved us from the junk food monster and was kind enough to fix us all the waffles we could eat..complete with butter and syrup. We flipped coins to see who would get the first waffles up. McGuire ate the first waffle! Shelley went way beyond the call of duty and we appreciate her hospitality and conversation. In our opinion, Shelley needs a raise. They are lucky to have her. 

Friday was our day off and one by one we headed up to the motel room to clean up or get on the internet..or just fall into a bed bigger than the bunk. Before going to the room, several of us ate breakfast around 9 am at a place right down the road. The rest of the day would find us wandering back and forth between the bus and the room.

There was a field and woods behind the motel parking lot and I took advantage and put a chair out there in the middle and worked on several songs. Byron Cumbie, our merch guy and resident photgrapher... snuck up and shot some video of me in the field performing, "I Love Livin' in the Country", a song about how it feels living in the boonies. My guitar was out of tune and my hair was a mess..making me look a little like "Beetle Juice"..lol They are threatening to put it out on you tube. Oh boy..
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Around 5 pm , we walked down the road and ate at the Country Kitchen.. a nice little family style restaurant. All of us got the buffet except Jimmy Yeary, who ordered pancakes instead. Once again Jimmy freaked, insisting that I had talked to him while having food in my mouth...now..would I do that? Mike McGuire finshed off his buffet with a rather large chocalate shake..it looked good but I was already stuffed.

That night, Bart had to fix a belt that had come loose on the bus before we could leave for Chapin, IL. With the belt fixed, we pulled out of that motel parking lot at midnight and were on our way to do our Sat. night show.

Chapin, IL_ Big Country Days_Sat. August 9

Saturday, we arrived in Chapin, IL to play the "Big Country Days" show. It was a pretty day and a wonderful little town but it was hot and the humidity was brutally high. Before setting up the gear, we were taken to a large wooden buliding where we were served bread, green beens, baked beans, potato salad, barbeque and buffalo. It was good and we ate our fill. On the walls were many pics of all the acts that had played there over the years...everyone from the Larkins to Garth Brooks. Some of the staff was telling me that Garth still talks about all the trains that came through Chapin, during his show. We were told to expect several trains bellowing through our show also. Oh well...what can you do...

The stage was concrete and only the back part was covered..which meant none of us were under it. I felt like I was baking and thought I could hear a faint sound...like bacon cooking...lol Sound check proved to be another frustrating experience...this time major keyboard problems arose and not being able to resolve them..I had to use completely different sounds. That's always fun but I was thankful I had a way around the source of the problem. The show must go on. The heat may have been a factor in the top keyboard failure. Bart was also having to deal with major PA system headaches..so all in all..another soundcheck that lasted way too long.

After the torturous soundcheck was over, our opening act, Borderline set up their gear and did a line check to get ready to go on around 5:30. We got to talk to them for a little while before their show..as they told us stories about some of the recent acts they had opened for...they had recently worked with Lonestar. They were big fans of Shenandoah and we appreciated their kind words.

Around 6 pm, Billy Ryan, MIke Folsom, Jimmy Yeary and Byron Cumbie caught a ride back to the motel to get cleaned up. McGuire, Jim Seales, Bart and myself stayed behind on the bus. I ended up shaving and washing my hair in the sink on the bus..too lazy to fight the "crowds" with limited time at the motel.

Shenandoah worked the crowd from 8 o'clock till 9:15 and came back to do one encore. After the show, we signed autographs for a very long line of folks who seemed to really appreciate us being there. Small towns really let you know how they feel.
When the last one in the autograph line was gone , we went back into the building where we had eaten earlier and signed more stuff..pics, posters, etc. We also got a picture with the opening act, Borderline. We had fun and thanked the good folks from Chapin, IL for their hospitality and for having us.

With the last pic signed and the bus all loaded, Mickey Riley pointed the Hillybilly Hotel in the direction of Nashville. We watched a creepy, psychological thriller called "The Village" till 3 am and hit the bunks....only to wake up in Nashville around 7:30 am.

Yes once again, another country music adventure had been had by all.

Down the Road...Stan Munsey