Hey there all. Rob K here. I hope everyone had a great weekend. We sure did. Had two, nice full houses on Friday and Saturday. Thanks to all those who attended. I thought we played pretty well this weekend. I really enjoyed doing the Europe '90 show at the Newport. I was at those shows, and it is always fun to recreate a show that I attended.

We had the day off yesterday, which was nice. I usually try to play golf on the day off, but we haven't had the weather for it yet. Hopefully tomorrow, in Charleston, (one of my favorite towns).

We rarely have a day off in one of our hometowns, so yesterday was a treat. Dino lives here in Lexington KY and he got to spend the night at home last night. Good for him. Saturday was his daughter's first b-day, so they had a little party last night. It was really nice getting out of the hotel life and being in someone's home for a nice gathering and good meal. Many thanks to Dino and Shannon.

A quick one night stand tonight, day off tomorrow and then a tough four night run coming up. Hoping to see you all out there this week.

Thanks, ROB

Hello, CLEVELAND

Hey there folks, Rob K here. Long time listener, first time blogger. I've never blogged before, so it may take a few entries to get in rhythm.

As Rob B. said, the tour had been going well, but damn, it's been cold! A balmy 30 degrees today in Cleveland. It's nice to be warm again.

Not sure what my topics will be as we go forward, but today I thought I would talk about some of the cooler aspects of being on the road.
One of the best things about being on the road is the opportunity to see some of the great historic places around the country. Yesterday was a banner day on that front. As you see in the picture, I made the pilgrimage to the historic Motown studios. What a treat!! Jeff Mattson and I went over before soundcheck, (we raved about it so much, Dino ended up going over later in the day), and it was truly mind blowing. To stand in the "snakepit", studio A, home of the Funk Brothers. 14,000 songs were recorded in that studio. Every Motown hit up to 1972, I believe was created right in that little room. You could feel the vibe oozing from the place. All of the original recording equipment is still in there. The 1870's Steinway piano that played on every Motown hit is still in the corner, as well as the vibraphone, B-3 organ and a few of the drums.

I am a huge fan of Motown, not just because of the music, but also because of the way Barry Gordy started with a vision, and an 800 dollar loan, and turned it into an empire. At one point Motown owned every building on the block, using them all for different aspects of the business. Motown also came along at the perfect time to aid in the changing times of society. It became a bridge to help integrate black and white society and culture, and that importance should never be lost. Really the only negative I see from Motown, is the lack of fame and financial gain for the musicians themselves. Most of them were paid very, very little for making some of the greatest music of all time. They finally got some recognition with a movie about 10 years ago. Unfortunately it was too late for some of them to enjoy it. Today only 3 of the original Funk Brothers are alive.
If any one reading this has not seen the film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", that is your homework assignment. Thank you for indulging my ramblings. I am open to suggestions on how to do this better and even on fielding questions you may have for us. PEACE

Baby, IT'S COLD OUT HERE!!!

Hello bloggers! This is DSO’s first amongst many.

Had we known, we should have named this tour Til Hell Freezes Over! We flew into Des Moines and it just got colder and colder. BRRRRRR Woke up on the bus in Milwaukee and it was minus four outside and 45 inside! But, the music has been hot! Our boy Jeff has been tearing it up every night.

The Pabst Theater in Milwaukee is one of the most beautiful settings for a show. Just when the show ended, the fire alarms went off. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard anything as loud as that! We just pulled in Detroit for our day off and was promptly handed a notice from our hotel that they will be testing the fire alarms all day. Sheesh, we can’t get away from the cold or the alarms. Is the music that hot?

I hope as we head down into the south the warm weather finds us! Koritz is hell bent on playing golf even if he has to play with black balls in the snow.

Safe travels and see you at the shows. Rob Barraco