He's Leaving Home

Well, I stashed my main suitcase and my Telecaster on the crew bus this morning. It's a beautiful, brand-new bus, fresh from the factory. It's amazing how far tour buses have come since I have been in the business.

I started out riding in Silver Eagles and now it's pretty much all Prevost. Flat screen TVs in every lounge. DVD players in every bunk. Home-sized refrigerators. Espresso machines. We have three "junk bunks" to store gear, so nearly everything you might need can be stored inside the bus, as opposed to in the bays below.

As much as I love being home and meeting with electricians, alarm guys, trying to be a DIY plumber and tree trimmer, I'm anxious to get back out again, probably because it's only a 3.5 week trip. The first leg was a 9 week run and that was pretty taxing. This leg looks fairly easy except for one long haul to a gig in Aspen. Besides, when I get home, I'll be just two weeks away from being married...I can't wait.

Billy got a new guitar during the break, a Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman. That should be a nice complement to his Gretsch Hot Rod. Bob bought a new pedalboard, and once we transfer his pedals on to it, it will make setup and tear down easier since they will all actually fit. Right now I am dealing with a dangling appendage of a Boss EQ pedal.