VAN HORN, TX

We rolled through the pitch black Texas night to get here. I10E filled with border patrol and red sodium stoplight security checkpoints. New Mexico’s desert landscape still bleeds into the Western side of this relentlessly large state. Texas First, America second baby. Out of cell range, I listened to a book on tape called “Game Change” about the last election. Nothing says Rock n Roll like a good book on tape.

Jim Madden is like Willie and BB, he refuses to fly,  he will only take a bus. We are told that Madden and Willie both make constant stops right here in Van Horn. A much safer place to park your van and trailer for the night than El Paso (which JR has re-coined “El Death”). The Chuy’s in Van Horn has Madden’s favorite meal on the menu (I’m gonna try for Gooding’s favorite Veggie meal here in South Tejas but the odds are thin). We will get to leave an 8x10 here for the wall even though no one has any idea who these Kansas boys traveling with dogs and cats could possibly be.

Van Horn is the town some of the scenes from “NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN” were filmed in. We are very close to Marfa, TX and on the lookout for air powered cattle guns. Beautiful, desolate country. Plenty of space to dream in. We love and miss you all and we are now only 7 hrs away from the mania that is SXSW.

Do me a solid and cross your fingers for our #1 road dog, friend and confidant, Stoney Langley, who is going through a rough spell in OKC. Stone has stuck with us through thick and think and protected us at God only knows how many shows. We are coming to see you soon Stone…..

Contest!

Baseball Fans. Surprise, AZ

Full nights sleep. Eating oatmeal and drinking coffee here at the Windmill Suites, reading Jerry Weintraub’s fiercely entertaining book “When I stop Talking You’ll know I’m dead”.

Surprise, AZ is humming like a wire with baseball families (Rangers VS Dodgers). A kid smashed into me screaming at his sister “I don’t want to play puppy tag!”. I don’t know what that is but I feel like I just played it.

The whole world is a stage here at the Windmill…as JR pointed out, a wonderful mix of quirky sports fans. The Hobby Lobby decorative fans: with sports logos on their earrings and their favorite team’s colors as their shoelaces. The old curmudgeon fans:  who recite statistics and to the ballpark knowing they are just gonna be pissed off and let down the whole day long. The stoner fans in the parking lot, who we chatted up about our friends in the Texas music scene, ”Micky and the Motorcars”.

We are out of LA in a hotter more widescreen desert, the sun is platinum bright. Time to return some calls and eat up some miles. All eyes on Van Horn, TX for tonight’s next stop with the van and Penske.

“I play in a band” LA to PHX

The week or so before a tour is a blur. Once you hit the open road, things have no choice but to settle down. Planted in a van barreling down the highway, cell service waning, no more time to tinker and obsess over the last %1 of a recording. You are forced to realize there is a world outside the studio and office, and a hell of a lot of gorgeous countryside rushing by you.

Welcome to the first leg of the THE SKY EATS THE LAND tour, spring 2011.

I have done us both a disservice by reporting to you only through twitter and facebook lately. I’ll stop filling up my black and white dollar journals in my illegible lefty handwriting and use the laptop to do my best to dictate the trails and tribulations of a road family setting out on it’s 9^th year of touring.

This tour blasted out of the gate a little different than any other My sister, Jenny, is moving to Austin at the same time we are heading there for SXSW. Billy drove her Penske with her car and cat in tow, Jesse and I drove the big white freightliner with her dog, Army, in the back.

I10 East is desolate and peaceful- the sun dissolving in streaks of pink and burnt orange in the rear view. Saguaro cactus and sagebrush. Two hours from Surprise, AZ, a tire blew on the Penske and Jenny and Bill were stuck out on the highway. Everyone met up again around midnight, visiting with Danny Dark, the most passionate radio promoter in the West, and eating veggie pizza with enough Garlic to kill anything that ails you.

I got on the landline at the hotel and spent a great hour on the phone with Gary Hizer from the Urban Tulsa. I talked about the new record and my hopes for this tour, and Gary and I geeked out about the force that is Bruce Springsteen. I haven’t heard a bad thing about Springsteen EVER. A former manager of ours said he was once at a party with Bruce, and this very old and well to do woman walked over and asked Bruce, “so what is it that you do?”…Bruce answered…”I play in a band”. When things get heavy out on the road, that’s a pretty good way to find your footing and remind yourself how simple it really is... “I play in a band”. It’s more than enough.

MARCH NEWSLETTER!

--- Gooding Spring Tour Dates
--- Help Us Build A Green Bus
--- NEW LP THE SKY EATS THE LAND
--- New Placements
--- Little Red T-Shirt Contest!

MARCH/APRIL TOUR DATES:
The boys are rehearsing for tour and will be kicking off the next run at the Viper Room in LA on March 12th. Here are the dates so far...
3/12 The Viper Room – Hollywood, CA
3/18 Heart of Texas Fest – Austin, TX
3/25 Belle Isle – Oklahoma City, OK3/26 Treehouse – Tulsa, OK
4/1 and 4/2 Rock Island Live- Wichita, KS4/4 Conf. on World Affairs- Boulder, CO
4/6 Laughing Goat - Boulder, CO
4/9 Café Athens - Fort Collins, CO
4/12 Cicero’s - St. Louis, MO
4/13 Blueberry Hill - St. Louis, MO
4/14 Your Mom's Downtown Bar - Omaha, NE
4/15 Zoo Bar - Lincoln, NE
4/16 Record Bar - KC, MO
4/19 Borders - Wichita, KS
4/22 Cowgirl Hall of Fame - Santa Fe, NM

HELP US BUILD A GREEN BUS!
The old van is about to go to the great gig in the sky. We are raising money to build a eco-friendly bio-diesel shuttle bus for 2012. For the next 120 days we are giving away a TON of merch to those of you kind enough to help us raise up some funds. Check it out HERE.

NEW GOODING LP: THE SKY EATS THE LAND
We have been locked in the lab laying down a new collection tracks... here a few of them right HERE. We are enjoying a thrilling departure from THE RETURN, as this record captures more of the LIVE sound than ever!

NEW PLACEMENTS
Our music has recently been heard on VH1/Pepsi's Superbowl Fanjam, Harry Potter 6 (Blu Ray), and A&E's Breakout Kings (Trailers and commercials - Thanks to Expansion Team NYC). Still recording new music for CNN International and will be launching 14 new trailer tracks with Sonoton soon.

LITTLE RED T-SHIRT CONTEST
Ever had a great idea for a GOODING T Shirt? Click HERE and you could win an autographed guitar!

Thanks and see you on the road!
G

GOODING at the Viper Room : Saturday, March 12, 2011

GOODING 50 State Tour, State #21 WEST VIRGINIA