Blue Ribbon Day! We deserved it, I'd say! Started with a great chat with our friends at Magic 63 Radio, been having some trouble connecting due to wierd cell phone reception. Then we headed into town, decided to check out the Rio Grill, might as well start at the top. Lo and behold, Derek set us up with a great lunch after we'd played a couple of sets both outside and in. One for one, we were stoked.  


Then on to the streets of Carmel, where only recently they repealed the ban on live music, but then again maybe they checked my pulse and decided that I was OK. It is possible that this tour is tougher than I'd thought. We hung out at Wittpenn's Fine Antiques and visited our friend Chip (who helped us get the tour T-shirts together. BTW: if you want one you ought to order as soon as you can, they are going fast. You can do it at: www.wayoutwestmusic.com all proceeds go to JMW) The crowds, mostly foreigners, all agreed that Cow Bop was the best band around, especially in its price range. After that, we just followed the hordes, who were very generous and ensured that Hank will be well fed with gas for the rest of the trip. Now we have to refine our menu options, at least financially. The action-packed afternoon ended at Jack London's with a well-deserved beer (except Noah), earned for a well-played set.

Playing so much and on the street is really having a great effect on the music and musicians. You have to project your sound out there, and the importance of being heard yet retaining nuance, expression and character are the hallmarks of great musicianship.

On our way back to the truck we met up with Gaston Georis, one of the more fortuitous moments of the day. He invited us over to his restaurant after the party. Speaking of which, the point of no return party at the Carmel Youth Center was heartwaring and swingin. Scott Brown (who helps Mike run the workshops and is a stalwart music master in the area) got it all set up for us so we could open up with some of our road-tested material (and I don't mean asphalt!) Then all the kids joined in: Andrew Parker who is going into eighth grade at Washington Middle School in Salinas) set the tone. He 's been playing with the band quite a bit and has a deep pocket and swings hard. We also had: Brice Albert, back from his tour of Japan with the Monterey Jazz Fest All-Star Band, and Max, Anna, Brittny, Alex, Tyler, Jacob, Cain, Matt, Michael and numerous others. We played through some tunes and had a great time, everyone made us feel so suppoprted and I appreciate that everyone participated and got a taste of the JMW experience in action: What it is we do and why we do it!

Then over to Casanova's for some more playing. We started out on the front patio where we got a generous tip for (and I'm not making this up!) playing Happy Birthday for a dog. It was his fifteenth (105 in dog years) and I'm sure Doris Day would approve. We serenaded our way throughout the whole place and were well-received by all. Then Gaston set us up with a bountiful table full of splendid food, wine and great spirits.

I must admit, that with the way things were going, I was more than concerned that one of our CowBoppers might decide to jump ship since we'd docked here in our home port. But morale is high and I think we'll make it out of town with our heads held high, rearing to go, ready to take on the next challenge in the name of music-performance and music-mentoring. Just to be sure, I'll breathe a bit easier when Hank and Dinah clear the county line with all five of us in tow.

Onward ho!