The year is coming to an end once again. 2004 was a good year for me and the boys. In January, Tony and I had the pleasure of appearing on “Words & Music,” a television show on Channel 19 WEBB TV broadcast from the campus of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC. Later that month the four of us had the good fortune of appearing at Massanutten Ski Resort in Virginia with our families in tow.
We made several promotional appearances throughout the year on 1290 WHKY Talk Radio’s First Talk w/Hal Row out of Hickory, NC, Real Radio 104.1 FM Clear Channel Radio’s Melissa Foxx Show out of Orlando, FL, WSGE 91.7 FM out of Dallas, NC, 103 FM WCIR Morning Hookup w/B-Rez & Tasha & Cheap Thrills Records out of Beckley, WV.
The Weeklys and several other music-related magazines printed nice articles in support of the band and live music in general. Our CD’s are now regularly carried by several on- and off-line stores including CDX Mixed Media, Awarestore & Sunshine Daydreams and are nearly sold out. Our albums caught a nice review by “Left off the Dial” out of Arlington, VA.
We were able to host two fundraisers for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Hickory and Charlotte, NC and one for International Dental Volunteers in Charlotte.
In March we threw together a concert at The CoMMA in Morganton. It’s a space I’ve played as an actor, but never as a musician. It was a lot of fun and I was blessed with a performance by my family for my birthday during intermission. The boys chipped in and sent me to see Prince, too! We captured a great performance at The CoMMA on DVD & CD.
For the first time, the band traveled from North Carolina to Jersey and back down to Florida and everywhere in between. Thanks to APCA, we were able to hit the college scene a little harder from South Carolina to Miami. We were fortunate enough to return to Disney World twice. Over the summer we hosted an open jam night at The Store in the UNCC area. We met some very talented musicians.
We had the pleasure and honor of appearing with Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre and Arrested Development at The Neighborhood Theatre’s NODA Fest. We performed with an array of local talent including Driftwood Project, Sol Funky, Simplified, Jared & Co., Buddaheads, Mieka Pauley, Mood Cultivation Project, None the Wiser, Contagious, Black Market Radio, Lauren & Company, Spookie Daly Pride, Abe Reid & The Spike Drivers, Bellyfull, David Childers & The Modern Don Juans, Laughingravy, Gigi Dover, Blue Merle, Mar & Dave Matthews Cover Band.
We hit more festivals than we ever have before including the Greater Hickory Smoke BBQ Festival in Hickory, NC, The Neighborhood Theatre’s NODA Fest in Charlotte, NC, Festival in the Park in Roanoke, VA, Hickory Alive in Hickory, McHale’s T-Box Festival in Fort Mill, SC, Summer Jam UNCC in Charlotte, Hannah Flanagan’s Apple Fest in Hendersonville, NC and Apocalypse Cow Party in Richmond, VA.
We didn’t host as many special guests this year, but as always it was a pleasure getting together with percussionists Rick Cline & Phill Kirby when we could.
In August, we rolled into the studio to track our latest studio album. We’re about to wrap up editing and finish tracking some odds and ends.
2005 will prove to be another prosperous year. We’re looking to release our second studio album in the Spring accompanied by another memorable CD release Gala. We’ll be hitting the college scene even harder and heading west. You’ll witness the birth of a new website, you’ll hear another album’s worth of new original material and you’ll find Jif on keys more often than not. In any case, none of this would be possible without the love and support of family, friends & fans. I’m very grateful for the fine unit of musicians I get to take the stage with every night and work with behind the scenes. It’s a collective I’m proud to be a part of. Thank you and God bless.