A small but MIGHTY crowd.

Lets face it folks.... snow storms suck! But I have to give thanks and all credit to Huey and Brian (Drums and Bass) for braving the weather and driving 70+ miles despite 7+ inches on the edge of the Laurel Highlands from whence they came whilst we only endured about 2 or 3. Thank you Brian and his wife Sherry for the framed pictures of the band around the tree and an individual action photo. Very thoughtful and nicely done! Thanks Linda for having us again at the Homestead, it is always a good time there. It was a very intimate (a polite term for about 10 people or small) crowd that ROCKED!. Actually there were more people when you consider turnover, but I dont think there were more than 15 plus the band and the wives at any given time. Randy....hope you feel better dude, we missed you, Justin and Holly tonight.

The band played very well again and the crowd was very pleased as was the owner Linda and Megan the bartender. New and exciting things in store for 2010! Plus since the prices of everything have gone up, the band is only increasing rates by $50 a show. Should be some new clubs and an expanded territory since I can go beat the bushes now that I lost my day job 2 weeks before Christmas and will be collecting unemployment. Central PA, Eastern OH, Northern WV and the panhandle of MD....LOOKOUT! Here comes Southern Spirits!

Merry Christmas EVERYONE! Thanks Cheri for making the end of 2009 a memorable one and I know your future looks increasingly brighter going forward and I certainly look forward to seeing you again in the future.

Next week we are off for the Holiday and then New Years Eve we are at the Town and Country for a command performance by the owner as we originally intended to stay at home with loved ones at that time. Then on Saturday the 2nd, we are at Six Packs in New Castle, PA on Rt 65.

Again, Thanks Brian and Huey, Antoinette and Sherry, and Merry Christmas everybody. May you all have a blessed Holiday with loved ones or the one who loves YOU!

Rick

Hazel Manor

The band was SMOKIN hot in Ellwood City last night. Tighter than a gnat's ass. The crowd was small and mostly the wrong demographic, but the band rocked on and the crowd was still very appreciative. Got canned by the shit company I work for yesterday.... thats right! 2 weeks before Christmas and I found out that it was a set up and had been planned as long as 3-4 months ago. When I first heard I was on "the list" for refusing to cow tow to illegal practices, and being called names by my direct supervisor I decided to tough it out as they deliberately made my job exponentially harder.... BIG MISTAKE! Several silver linings though to this! C'mon people! We've introduced Phillip (our tip jar.. get it??? Phillip the tip jar?) Now that y'all know that over 1/2 the band is unemployed... well. you get the picture. Also, I now have more time to get some more lucrative gigs, AND REALLY GET SOME STUDIO WORK DONE. I also will collect unemployment until I can find new work since the reasons for my dismissal were a bunch of CRAP. So the resolution for the New Year will be to get the new albim DONE and play live cuts for the GREATEST AUDINCES IN THE WORLD! OUR FANS.

Rick

Beaver Falls Turners

Great fricken night! I mean WOW was the band tight and the sound was great! After being sick with a respiratory infection all last week (I think I finally shook the damn thing) I was a little froggy before the show and rather worried I wasn't going to be able to sing. Boy was I wrong! I think it was probably one of the best vocal performances I've had in a long time (although I do tend to be hyper-critical of MY performances). Being a "members only" club, the crowd wasnt overly huge, and they were rather laid back, but they were very complimentary between sets.

Next week its back to Ellwood City and the Hazel Manor. Gonna be another wild Ellwood crowd!

Bootsies

The first really rough night in a while for me. While I was sick, I could at least do the material admirably albeit rearranged a little to avoid the high notes. Tonight the old pipes wouldnt cooperate and I just wasnt satisfied with my performance. It became such a distraction that I wasnt playing all of my instruments properly either. Damn sinus infection dripping onto my vocal chords. But the silver lining was that there were 15 people there in the first set and then another 15 added 1/2 way into the second.

One of these days, I'll get Norma to stay for a whole TWO sets... or maybe even 2 and a half! (Haha) But I totally understand because the weekends usually take as much out of me as the work week. Ah, no rest for the weary working 14 hours a day and getting to bed between 8 & 9 during the week only to stay up til 6 AM Sunday morning after a show Saturday night. Way past MY bedtime, So anyone who works a similar crazy schedule???? I can surely understand if they can't make it thru a whole show. Ahhhh kisses so sweet.

The band sounded OK although I thought there were power surges during the night and I was right. Unfortunately I believe that even though my amp was surge protected, the keys and foot pedal werent and I think the boost blew a channel in my amp. DAMN!

Rick

Hog Wild

What a great night. One of the things I love about Ellwood City is that you could play a different bar every weekend there, have a great big raucus crowd and only play to about 5 or 6 of the same people. Hog Wild was a great time and though the venue is small, it ROCKS! Sorry 6 packs cancelled, but we picked up Hog Wild at the last minute and put on a helluva good show. We'll be back Jan 9th and cant wait. Tonite we play Bootsies in McKeesport. Last time the Jaeger girls were there and all had a good time. let you know how that went later.

Rick

Homestead We Love YOU & THANKS!!!

WHAT A GREAT NIGHT! Thanks to whoever dropped the $100 in the tip jar! It was GREAT to have Holly back in the house and thanks to Timmy for finally getting out to see the band. The band was tight, the room was full, and danced and sang and yelled and shouted for more... I wish everywhere was that gracious and fun. Ellwood City ROCKS! And there were pretty women out the wazoo there too. Thats a good thing because then the guys come out to see the pretty girls and the girls come to be seen and meet guys. Its a cause and effect thing. Its a good thing.

My new guitar finally stayed in tune and I was able to play rhythms while Moe and Frank dueled out solos on Green Grass and High Tides and Highway Song. Happy Birthday Laci and Happy Birthday Ty! After 3 weeks of fighting that residual respiratory infection, I sang Journey's Lights and Stay Awhile and NAILED IT! It felt good. I hit all the high notes on ALL the material and didnt have to stay away or rearrange any of my vocals.

The band played really well except for the last song of the night and I'm STILL trying to figure out why and how that happened. Fortunately liberal amounts of alcohol applied generously throughout the crowd made it alot less noticeable to the audience. Looking forward to Friday and Saturday night next weekend. I wonder how many will show with Black Friday and the start of hunting season. I'm not expecting much, but you never know. As always, a special thanks to our faithful roadies Randy and Justin. Sorry about what happened between the second & third sets Justin but we don't have much control over perceptions when you get wrongly accused of crap. Special thanks to Randy who lets me dance with his girlfriend Holly while I sing the slow stuff. Its all at her insistence but I enjoy it too.

Rick

A VERY special night in Manor PA

As I sit here typing and trying to stay awake... having been up for the past 24 hours,,, and eating for the 2nd time in that same period, I can honestly say that tonight was ONE of the most special nights that the band has played. While the guys played well, the sound was REALLY good considering that we did not have any sound reinforcement on any of the instruments, and its a large hall with high ceilings and a small but appreciative crowd..... I was absolutely THRILLED when lo and behold (after I made a flipant comment about coming to see the band to a lovely young woman I have been speaking with but had never met) this thing of beauty came walking down the ramp into the hall and IT WAS HER!!!! What a GREAT surprise!

And while my voice went a little sharp and flat against my will from time to time, & cracked every now and then, she was very gracious and flattering. Pretty good kiss after the 1st set too!!! What a sweetie. Thanks for comin out Norma! Even if it WAS only for a little bit, it was very special for me. I hope you enjoyed it and I cant WAIT to take you to Bootsie's in 2 weeks the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Hmmmm, may have to stuff the bird.... and eat some pie and... HEY! Y'all gitcher minds out da gutter now..... (cept'n you NA, thats your perogative! ROTFL)

Anyhoo, lookin forward to next weekend at the Homestead in Ellwood. Those Ellwood City crowds are ALWAYS great whether they are large or small. Its always a good time. Regardless.... I owe someone a special surprise to repay the one I got tonight.... Don't worry, I'll think of something

Tired and stupid and hoping to be up by Steeler time...

Rick

Thanks Tony and Y-103!

Was a really good night at Town and Country!!! What a GREAT crowd! Thanks to the promos on Y-103 the evening was a success. Tony the clubs owner is a class act! (and dont tell him I said he's a stand up guy too) The band sounded very good despite the frog in my throat... (I still havent shaken my respiratory infection completely and it may take another week or two). Looking forward to the Manor Legion next weekend. Havent been there in a while due to some flooding there.

Rick

The Alpine Inn and A BIG one next Saturday

There is not much I can say about the Alpine Inn except it was a VERY good night for the band. I have to admit I was really concerned as to how my voice would hold out since on Wednesday I started coming down with something, Thursday I was off work and being treated for swine flu ( I didn't have a fever though so if it WAS swine flu, it was non-contagious and a mild case), Friday I worked 13 hours and my nose ran liike a faucet up until showtime and my voice was extremely hoarse. But I'll be danged if my voice performed better than my brain did last night! I guess after 30 years, you learn to "sing above" a cold as it is put. I hit almost every note I aimed for and while I noticed a difference in tone and timbre, everything was in tune and rockin well!

I do feel bad about giving it to my cat Wink though.... poor guy has runny eyes now. Today I can honestly say I feel MUCH better.

Next week is a big show at the Town and Country Lounge on Rt 422 just west of New Castle. That place is a cozy little joint that has great food and good people. Tony the owner is a class act all the way. Listen for the radio ads this week on Y-103 in Youngstown, OH for the show! I really want to pack that place for Tony and make him a lot of money next week because He always treats us so well.

Hope to see EVERYONE there.... except my ex-wife! LOL

Rick

Jaeger Girls!!! HOORAY !!! And a Couple of BIG nights upcoming!

Really good crowd at Bootsies in McKeesport, PA last Saturday night and the Jaegermeister girls made it that much more special. BIG kudos to the guy dancing and doing the Capt Morgan poses... what a lot of fun HE was too.

BIG night coming up for the halloween party at The Alpine Inn in Beaver Falls on Rt 18 at The PA Turnpike. What a BEAUTIFUL room with a BEAUTIFUL crowd and Great acoustics! ALWAYS a good time there. 1st class all the way, and the balcony is a great place to see the show too! (No... none of you are safe from ME up there either....)

ANOTHER BIG NIGHT coming up at the Town and Country Lounge on Rt 422 just west of New Castle in Edinburg. Some may remember the FREE pig roast we played there earlier this year. As a club owner, Tony is a class act. Hmmmm... Speaking of class acts, and beautiful people, A SPECIAL THANKS to Cyndi Duncan who is helping the band get promoted for the upcoming show Nov 7th at the Town and Country. She works for a broadcasting company that has THE #1 radio station that plays classic rock in the area. And I have to tell you, it IS the best... just like Cyndi. Thanks doll! You've been a BIG help.

Anybody coming to the Alpine Inn this Saturday might want to get dressed up.... I am told by the clubs owner Al there are going to be prizes! (No his last name isn't "Pine" either smart a**)

Rick

Bootsie's Bar

Great time at Bootsie's Bar! I got like 5 pics posted here. Made some new friends and have a tentative new booking here on Nov. 28th. The band sounded great (again) and everyone enjoyed themselves. Beer-tenders Gemma and Molly kept everyone from dying of thirst. Some decided to test their Halloween costumes out for next week.

Thanks to Joe for having us and hope to see everyone there again after Thanksgiving!

Brian

Another Great Six Packs Night

As you may have read before... WE LOVE SIX PACKS! What a great bar. Such an active and appreciaive crowd, they stay ALL night and dance, yell and sing along with the band. The band put on one helluva show. We were tight, had a good mix, weren't too loud and burned it up all night. AND SOOOOOO many beautiful women! All I can say is that is a GREAT fricken place! Despite others who hang out there, they didn't show up which made it even better.

Jojo, we hope you feel better soon! Holly??? Thanks for the dance! Still havta think baseball LOL! Looks like I have a weekly dance partner for the slow stuff. Don't miss the next time we're there on Nov 27th the day AFTER Thanksgiving on a Friday.

Gotta be gettin to bed. Its 6:30, I got home about 3:30 and I got involved with typing my new special friend Norma from Pittsburgh an email. My E- penpal lol, ate and now I am dozing at the wheel here. Anyway, next week is Bootsies in McKeesport. See y'all there. Sorry for any typos... I'm BEAT! DAMN it was a good night!

Rick

Sims Bowling Alley

And the band rattles off another good show! Sims bowling alley was a really good time. I got to dance with Holly (happy birthday honey...22 is a great age) as I promised I would last week, and it was nice having a warm body close for a change (I had to keep thinking... baseball, baseball, baseball. lol I'm TEASING! Thats Randy's girlfriend now so stop it!) So... I also noticed that we have a new follower to the blog. Welcome Roxanne! Unfortunately, because we are all getting old and feeble minded, we couldn't remember you unless you are the really attractive Roxanne we met at the Paramount (we never forget a pretty face!)

Speaking of really attractive pretty faces.... Thanks Lori for all of the wonderful compliments about the band. Its great to meet new people and we were grateful for the opportunity to meet YOU. Thank the couple you came out with for bringing you and for their compliments as well. Hope to see you again real soon... now that you have a schedule, it should be easier, and if you (or anyone else) loses or misplaces the schedule, you can see it online at http://www.southernspiritsband.com/ or email us at southernspiritsband@gmail.com and we will get back as soon as possible. We try to get to our email frequently, but sometimes we forget (Its that old and feeble thing again). Oh yes.... and Lori? Since you left early with your ride, you missed: Ramblin Man and Melissa/Allman Bros, Long Train Runnin/Doobie Bros, Can't You See and 24 Hours at a Time/Marshall Tucker, Keep on Rocking in the Free World/Neil Young, Stealin/Uriah Heap, Hold Your Head Up/Argent, Needle and the Spoon/Skynyrd and I'm sure I am forgetting some more. But thanks again! You were great! AND the more pretty faces in the crowd? The more guys come to see the pretty girls... that means more people seeing the band and thats just good business. Since you came with friends, if you ever need a lift to see a show, just email us and we will see what we can do to get you to and from safe and sound or just call the number on the business card anytime.

Thanks to all of the guys from AWS up in New Castle for coming down and catching the show. Wiz, Shawn and Shaky and your girls too! Thanks to Randy our roadie for making it and helping tear down and load out. I actually got home before 2:30! Now we just gotta get you there when we set up and load in (lol). Thanks to the two lovely young ladies who were dancing throughout the first and second set. Didn't get to meet you or get your names, but you were alot of fun and seemed to have fun too. (and I have to admit that teasing you was incredible fun for me)

And why is it many of the bars we play advertise us as The Southern Spirit Band??? That last "S" always seems to get lost. Hmmmm I don't know. Other things I wonder about are: The farther away timewise I get from my ex-wife... the more fun I'm having with the band it seems. The wives and girlfriends all say I am more interactive with the crowd and seem to be REALLY happy. Yeah... I guess its true. But since hardly anybody really reads the blog, and I seem to be the primary writer.... I can pretty much let my private life all hang out here. Coooooool.

Next week is Six Packs in New Castle! Always pack 'em in there like sardines. Great place to play. Don't miss the halloween party at the Alpine across the street from Sims on the 31st. Can't wait to see you all.

Rick

A Whirlwind Week!

Wow!!! All I can say is WOW!!! met some great people, played with some great people and put on some great shows. It started last weekend when our buddy Jim Kane got married on Sept 26! Congrats Jim and Donna. Frank, Moe and I (along with Randy and Holly, our road crew) travelled to Travelers Rest, SC and jammed with some quality people. Chris Hicks performed the ceremony then took the stage and played up a storm. (For the past 12 years he played with Marshall Tucker... and 8 years with the Outlaws before that!) What a helluva nice guy! Chris and his wife Jenny were very kind and complimentary about the guys and I, and I really appreciated that coming from a talent like him. I hope to play with him again in the future. Rock On Chris Hicks Band! (even if you did try to hire Randy away from us!!! LOL)

Then Moe and I took off west to Nashville Music City USA... (Nashvegas as they call it) and WOW! What an experience. We visited with Jaime Laritz who is a childhood friend of Moe's and if you REALLY want to see a true guitar hero, then search his name on You Tube! Mindblowing talent , owner of Dog Ear Studios and a super nice guy. Class "A" all the way. While we were in Nashville, we ran around the live music district and saw some great talent play including Trace Adkins' bass player, a guitarist named JD Simo who I expect to hear alot from in the future, and then of course the few celebs who were clubbing and sitting in like members of Poison and Tommy Tutone. I told Moe Nashville was the land of beautiful women and once again it didn't disappoint!!! Everywhere you look and I mean EVERYWHERE there were nothing but beautiful women... and the majority of them were actually NICE!!! L.A. Has NOTHING on that town.

Met a beautiful country girl online named Nikki Cole. Met her thru MySpace of all places. She is a 24 year old artist that is up and coming and I would expect to see big things from her in the future. Look her up if you're into country music on MySpace. She is a real talent... its just gonna take the public a little time to realize that. She's a really nice kid and I wish her the absolute best...(and if you read this honey I hope this finds your mother doing better too)

Then Yesterday!!!! The Homewood Junction Heritage Days Festival in the afternoon AND the Alpine Inn later that night. What a GREAT crowd at both places! There were almost as many beautiful ladies at the Alpine Inn as there were in Nashville. Got a cutie for one of the bartenders, and the women in the crowd were really good looking too. Its great to show off a little talent when there are pretty faces in the crowd...Why??? cause I'm a show off....!!!! The band was smokin hot at the Alpine. We held the crowd almost all night which is saying something in this economy with the DUI laws and all. And while several of my mates didn't think we sounded that great during the day, I believe that we sounded great then too... I will admit that it was hard to hear on stage as it was an outdoor gig, but I went out front (the joys of a wireless mic) and the band was really great there too and I am not saying that either cause I'm in the band.

HEY!!! We're just playin across the street next weekend at Sims Lanes?? I dont know how THAT happened, but I've never played a bowling alley bar before either so it should be exciting.
Hope to see all of you there!!

Rick

Homewood Heritage Festival and Alpine Lounge photos

A very long day for the band! I was up for 24 hours by the time I got home. Check out these photos from the Homewood Heritage Festival, and these photos taken by John Briney at the Alpine Lounge. Thanks to John for doing such a great job and for sending them so promptly!

Next week we'll be at Sim's Bowling Lanes. See yinz there!

Brian

Whats a Turner?????

I found out last night after a GREAT night at the Beaver Falls Turners Club that a Turner is actually a Turnverine (sp?) and this has to do with gymnastics. While the Turners in Beaver Falls had no gymnastics program due to lack of interest, they DO have a bowling alley attached to the club and that is also part of the Turners tradition as was explained to me by the club president Barney. AND WHILE this particular Turners Club has no active gymnastics program, there were SOME very pretty ladies at the club with whom I would not have minded tumbling on a mat with... (hee hee I am SOOOO bad). Anyway, I would like to commend the band on some really GREAT playing last night. Great rooms lend themselves to great sounds. I also want to thank my sister Melissa and her husband Jeff for showing up last night. First time she has ever seen the band and first time I have gotten to meet her husband. Good stuff. (for those of you with questions, she is my sister by marriage). Looking forward to Salatinos River House Cafe in Charleroi over in the Mon Valley next week. Should be exciting. Conquering the world 1 Valley at a time! Mon, Ohio, Allegheny, Beaver, Shenango, Mahoning! Thats alot of territory to cover but we WILL do it.

Rick

Ghost of Billy the Kid

The first real track of the new upcoming recording is in the can conceptually. Hopefully the band will learn this song and we can do it live as we have had some promises made that we would be "visited" or "seen" by some industry people once we started incorporating our original mateial. Won't be tonite at the Turners Club in Beaver Falls though. The song? Ghost of Billy the Kid. Don't get any preconceived notions though because its hard to pigeonhole this piece into a genre. Reminiscient of classic southern rock but not dated (sounding like it was written for the period in time when southern rock ruled the airwaves) the song has a driving beat behind the story of a drifter who is accused of murders he didn't commit. If we ever get it into video production proper, it will be a MONSTER! So far, the initial focus group type tests have come back resoundingly positive. Wish us luck!!!! We could be becoming real big real quick. Hope y'all can keep up.

Rick

WE ARE NATIONAL !!!

Well,.... The Birmingham News in Alabama on al.com mentioned Southern Spirits from Pennsylvania in the Aug 4th edition. Apparently James Carville made a quote that "Pennsylvania was Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between" and the band Southern Spirits from that same state plays Sweet Home Alabama!" (quoting both James Carville and adding the article quote as it appeared) We also made the Philly Examiner about our gig at the Alpine Inn a few weeks ago... (man WHAT A NICE ROOM!), and that article was very flattering also.

guess we gotta learn We're Ba-a-a-a-a-a-d, We're nationwide. Hope to see y'all at the Homestead in Ellwood or when we pack 'em in like sardines at Six Packs in New Castle, PA. Thats gonna be soooooo wild. A good time will be had by all. THANKS BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA!!!

Rick

A little time off

Well... The pig roast was a success. Thanks to all who came out. I also wanna thank everyone who came out to the Alpine Inn just off the Beaver Falls exit of the PA turnpike on Rt 18 N. What a BEAUTIFUL room. Thanks lisa and Al for having us, and Allan (Alan?) for booking us at the Heritage Days Festival the afternoon of Oct 3rd in Homewood Junction just across the street from the Inn and behind the Holiday Inn Beaver Falls. Cant wait to play the Inn again on Oct 3 after the festival. And AGAIN fo the Halloween party Oct 31! we're up on facebook guys. Search Southern Spirits. Got links to our website and blog!

Rick

PIG ROAST !!!!!! FREE FOOD

Got a really good feeling about the pig roast this Sunday on Rt 422 West between New Castle and the Ohio State line across from Michelangelo's Flea market. I think its going to be HUGE!!!

People keep asking me about what time we are playing and while the shindig starts at 2, the band starts around 3 I think.

I have heard a LOT of great feedback from Thunder and it is really appreciated. I also want to give a shout out to Lisa and Ron and hope to see them there. Hell....HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE.

Rick

Thunder in the Cascades at Coopers Lake

F**K !!!! I love playing that sh*t !!! Its been about 10 years but its still fun as hell. I have to admit, the biker crowd is definitely my favorite to play for. Thanks Johnny for having us and Bob for making us feel welcome. You guys definitely know how to throw a party. Next job should be just as good. in 3 weeks, we are playing a PIG ROAST... thats right, a PIG ROAST. It is a get together in appreciation of customers for the Town and Country Bar on Rt 422 west just shy of the Ohio line. The food and entertainment are FREE... thats right, I said FREE !!! Ya gotta pay for the booze though. We will be playing outside and the festivities start at 2 PM. Hope to see you there. If we get a third of the people who said this evening that they were coming out to that then we are going to need another pig.... really!!! A BIG thanks to my wife Debi who passed out fliers for the upcoming event.

Anyway, it was a f*cking great time tonite and the band was smokin hot. Everything was tight and the crowd was extremely appreciative. I would definitely do it again and I think I can speak for the band that they would too.

Beth and Brad from The Intent were very complimentary regarding our band and most of the band stayed for their first set after we finished tearing down and packing up. The Intent ALWAYS plays to a huge crowd at Thunder and pleases every year. I spoke to Beth about working some future dates and she was more than amicable and willing. I TOLD her we would end up playing together at some point in the near future. Some members of my last band were less than hospitable towards The Intent ten years ago for no real reason. Quite frankly it was embarassing. But Beth is good people and hasn't harbored any ill will and I am sure we will be putting something together in the near future.

P.S. Our email for the band is southernspiritsband@gmail.com for those who want to get in touch. We love hearing from our fans and since the web page is STILL under construction, it does not appear anywhere there. HOPEFULLY, Antoinette got some good video we can use on the web site. The only stuff we have is old and not of the greatest quality.

ANYWAY... Sorry it took so long to finally get back to the blog. I promise I won't be so long between posts. Love you all... yes that means YOU too if you are reading this. (no its not some secret code... I DID say ALL of you and that means everybody. Peace Out!

Rick

Another fine show at the Homestead

Smokin' hot night for us, musically speaking! Everyone was spot on and sounding tight. Great crowd, some new faces, all of which had a great time. Wendy servin' up the drinks didn't get much of a break all night. I just had a blast! Can't wait for the next time we play there.

What hockey game?

Brian

Ellwood City Block Party

Having never been to one of these, I wasn't sure what to think before we arrived there. I was pleasantly surprised to see hundreds of Harleys parking in the street while we were setting up the equipment. Some of the band arrived late, then trouble with the sound system (usually, a dead snake is a comforting sight), resulting in a 30 minute late start. Once we got started, though, I forgot all about the problems we had and had a great time performing for very responsive crowd! (Ya gotta love bikers!) The band sounded great, performance-wise and (thanks to sound engineer, Jim) audio quality was awesome. We got so many compliments on our sound and performance and BSed with so many people that we didn't get to take too many pictures, but, we got some. I posted them here.

Great time, good people, much fun! I'd love to do another!

Brian

The Homestead

Great time at 'The Homestead'! The band sounded GREAT! The audience was AWESOME! Big thanks to Mike for having us there, as well as to the bartenders, Darla and Linda, for doing a bang-up job! Special thanks to Moe's brother, DJ, for taking some great photos of the audience and the band. I posted them here. Thanks also to "Jay Vee" for buyin' me a couple beers!

Kathy and John set a new record in the "Number of Gigs Attended" competition. I'm not keeping count, but, man, it's a lot! Thanks for coming out again!

We'll see everyone there again on Jun 6th!

Brian

its that time of year

Well???? I guess its that time of year again. People are starting to get outside more and with money being tight everywhere, the clubs are getting emptier. I have to admit that the pictures of the band Brian has are VERY good. With a little editing, we could have a potential back cover for an album! On a sad note, Southern Rock suffered yet another blow yesterday with the passing of the bass player for Lynyrd Skynyrd who assumed duties after Leon Wilkersons death. On a brighter note, we are at the Homestead tonight. The sets have changed up some, the band has been tight, and the sound has been getting better. Y'all need to buck the trend and come see the band. Forget camping, forget working in the yard, get a babysitter for the kids and join something special.... a great band playing live music that YOU grew up to. In some places you have to pay big bucks for that kind of entertainment and you never get to meet the band. We are totally accessible and ready to entertain you! See you there

Band Pics...

We have a new photo display online! They are pictures that may (or not) end up on the website, eventually. There are a couple that could be album covers. The link is Band Pics. (On the far left of the page, "All Albums" is highlighted in blue. Underneath that is "Band Photos", click that, and wait for the pics to load. You can view a slide show by clicking on the 'ring of squares' just above the picks on the right.) Save it in your favorites and visit it often, (like weekly) (or weakly), for updates. I'll be putting new ones up after every gig, if I remember to take them. The 70's were tough on me. Oh, the 80's, too. And the 90's. Enjoy!

Brian

If YOU missed the 3rd set at the Moose......

For those of you who missed the 3rd set Saturday night at the Ellwood City Moose or if you missed the show..... shame on you!!!! We played a "this is the part of the show where we pull it out our A**" section that included Whipping Post (which as Moe put it, we havent played since 1902), La Grange and Flirtin With Disaster (neither of which we have ever played together before last night). We had a GREAT night and man oh man were the first two sets smokin. We changed up the set list and really played well. Adding Long Haired Country Boy by Charlie Daniels and sung by Brian has given the crowds something to sing along to and Green Grass and High Tides with Moe and Frank dueling on guitar always gets the crowd on their feet after the song screaming and applauding. Great to see Moe's brother DJ and young Elliott, Anthony and Joey (Moe's kids), Debi, Frankie and Sherri. (missed ya Antoinette!), John and Kathy. New friends and fans Rob, Melissa (sorry we didn't play the tune of the same name for you), Randy, Wiz, Holly, Amanda (Holly's sis) and any and everybody else I forgot or failed to mention. The weather was fricken beautiful which usually hurts the draw of the crowd, but we still had a decent size group.

This is a GREAT group of guys we have assembled. LOTS of talent. Next week is the Manor Legion. Hope to see all the folks from Irwin there. Love you all my brothers. Couldn't do it without you!

Rick

P.S. Sorry about steppin on you Brian in the third set. I thought you were done speaking which is why I started gabbin to the crowd. Maybe we should steal a buzzer/light system that we can push a button that a red light goes on when we are talking to the crowd, and goes out when we are thru on stage. Yeah...RIIIIIIGHT! As soon as I steal a new amp and a telecaster to play on stage, and a new PA and some more lights so we can unemploy some of those cheap labor Chinese who made our current light show. LOL

The Homestead

Great night! The band was tight, there was a great crowd, (we had our spies..... not really, check out the other bars that had bands in Ellwood City) apparently nobody bothered to tell the other clubs in town not to book a band because everyone would be out to see us. We played to a full house while the other bands played to table tops. Ellwood City is really starting to become a 2nd home for the band. If we ever hit it REALLY BIG, I am sure none of the guys would complain if the town said we were from Ellwood City. As I may have said before, it's easy to see how Donnie Iris made it so big with the GREAT crowds Ellwood has to offer.

Thanks to ........ Kathy and John, John, JoJo Biker, Jeebs, Bill, Matt and Becky, Nicole and everyone else who showed up at the Homestead Bar. Next week its off to the other side of town where we will be playing the Moose Club. The band did really well. Everybody was tight and the sound was good for not being mic'd. next week we'll try and roll out another new one for y'all by Molly Hatchet.

Sometimes we play our best stuff at the end of the night just to get y'all to stick around. Know what I mean? HELL YEAH! (everybody take a drink). just makin sure you're all payin attention!!! Look forward to seein everybody next weekend.

Rick

Where'd everybody go???

Well, we played Sweeneys Cafe and Pub and those few who were there really seemed to enjoy themselves. Stephanie (sp?) behind the bar was most gracious and kind and had good things to say. Unfortunately due to the Easter weekend, it was a hit or miss proposition. Thanks to Mandi at the Waffle House on Race Track Rd by the Meadows track and casino on the way home for the great service and engaging conversation after we ate on the way home. Being a truck driver by trade, I miss the waffle house as I used to frequent them often when I was over the road. But alas, being a local driver has limited my stops at the various epicurian establishments us drivers eat at. (I know, never end a sentence with a preposition)

The band sounded very good for being off for a week. Would some rich folk please throw some money our way so we can quit our day jobs and pursue this thing the way it was meant to be? LOL! This band is just too damn good with too little time to be able to do what really needs to be done.

Rick

Hazel Manor

Great night! The band is back on track. The sound was good, the energy level was electric and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Randy for helping haul equipment, and Jeff who was a very accommodating host. The sound stage was very quiet and as a result the band was tight. I hope something opens up so that we can get back there soon. Thanks Steve for the great pics and video. Its always great to see you there. Plus, and of course... our #1 fan Kathy made the trip and John was with her too. Next week is the Ellwood Moose! Hope the crowd migrates, but it seems we get a few familiar faces in every club in Ellwood City, but each club has its own crowd.
The band loves playing in Ellwood because the crowds are large, loud and appreciative. It makes me understand why Donnie Iris made it so big as he is from that area originally.

Could Ellwood City be (once again) the spring board for another great band??? Time will tell.

Rick

P.S. I love these guys. What a special group

Retooling for the future

Well.... where do I start. I've spoken to everyone about the Manor Legion performance and we all agree that it was a trainwreck. Although it was still better than most bands out there it was not the southern spirits show most are used to seeing. So, we are recommitting ourselves to making the show much better by refocusing our efforts to control the sound and volume, and not allowing external or internal distractions affect our show.

I plan to.... in the near future.... get the band some good sound reinforcement and transportation for such equipment. I also plan to purchase a fender telecaster and an amp, as well as a volume pedal for my rig as the keys are hardly heard since my rig is not properly amplified. I realize that this will take several thousand dollars so it may take a few months, but we will be so much better with proper sound and lights.

With that said, it is off to the raucus crowds in Ellwood City at the Hazel Manor to put on a much better show than the last two weeks have been.. Like any good team, no one goes undefeated and we have lost the past two weeks after a great long winning streak. Time to start a new one!

Brian is right.... Kathy has sole claim to the #1 fan title. I think she has missed only 1 show. Thanks kath! We all love you.

Rick

Where are my manners?

In reference to the comment to 'Hey Again' by Hughy. (Below) I apologize for not doing this before.

Thanks to Jeff of "Hey Andy's" for giving us a chance to play in his establishment. We all appreciate him taking a chance on having us there, sound unheard.

Thanks also to Antoinette for her aggressive marketing efforts and making this gig (as well as others to come) possible. She has been doing a bang-up job of getting our name out there in an area where we are virtually unknown. I (as well as the rest of the band, I'm sure) appreciate the time and effort that she is putting in to get us playing often. Booking gigs is not as easy as it sounds, and she is doing a great job. Kudos, babe!

Thanks to all who came to see us there. Hopefully, we will gain some new fans. Kathy (holder of the world record for attending Southern Spirits gigs) will have to tell John about it, since he didn't make it.

On a performance note, the timing issues were all mine. I seemed to be daydreaming, but, I was actually distracted by worrying about the set-up and whether or not everyone could hear everything. So, my bad.

Okay. Now on to the Manor Legion!

Brian

Hey Again

Ditto everything Rick mentioned below. Great time, great crowd. Probably the worst night that we've had (musically speaking), but, still not bad. The band just seemed to be a tad off. Personally, I had some timing issues on a couple songs. Possibly, we were due for a not-so-great night. We usually don't have a problem finding "the groove". Possibly the long commute or the strange "split room" set-up may have played a part. Who knows? All in all, still a great time and place. I can't wait for May 16th to go back there to redeem ourselves.

Don't you just love Antoinette's mom? She ROCKS! She needs to come out more often! A pure pleasure to finally meet her.

On to the American Legion in Manor!

Brian

Six Packs Bar and Grill

PACKED!!! Thats the only thing I can say about the show last Saturday night. A GREAT crowd, a full house, and thanks to the staff (Ashley and Kate...no not the Olsen Twins) and Lori for having faith in booking us, and Ed (one of the club owners) for all the kind words and extra incentive at the end of the night. I can't find the myspace page for the bar so I cant see what wassaid, or pictures or nuthin. Bums ne out, but I AM looking forward to rocking the Mon valley this week at Hey Andy's. Antoinette is psyched and we dont intend to disappoint. It promises to be really exciting and the start of a whole new territory for us. We cover about a 50-60 mile radius around Pittsburgh and its GETTING BIGGER! Longer trips for us, but the fans really make it worth it.

The band was great last week as usual and didnt miss many beats for not having played for 2 weeks. there were some rough spots but all in all nobody noticed but the band. We have become really good at covering up mistakes and making it look like a planned "live" rendition of a song. Not really wrong notes, but more oops I missed a cue stuff that extends a song of whih I am most guilty. Take the highway started ot a little rough, was a little fast, but came out just fine. We may have to keep the "pull it out our a** (butt) section of the show. it also allows us to add new music to our list of songs without having the luxury of a practice since we're booked solid and alwas adding dates through the summer. This is a good thing.

Its all good! See y'all out there.

Rick

its been a while

HEY! I just worked 75 hours this week! Crap! Doesn't give me much time on the blog. Especially working the 10P til ? shift. Anyway, we are playing Six Packs tonite. Promises to be a huge crowd for such a small intimate joint. Lookin forward to it. The guys are in for a surprise tonite....what I like to call the let's pull a song out of our collective asses part of the show. This is when we take a song we have never played out live together and play it for an audience. The menu tonite is Take The Highway by Marshall Tucker. We'll see how it goes. I am excited about tnite. Next week too since its' Huey's people and his turf. It's about time we played for his crowd. We still gotta hit Butler for Frank, and I am sure we will play there soon. Hmmmmm, gotta talk to Moe about all of the Ellwood City bookings cuz you can only play 1 small town so many times. We have 3 weeks in a row there, although the crowds in Ellwood ARE the BEST! Don't get me wrong, the crowds eveywhere we play are great, but Ellwood hoots and hollers and dances and screams and cheers. 50 people sound like 500! Cant wait to see what the crowds south of here are like. Been workin like a dog these past few weeks. The money is nice, but I havent had time to try and get the recordings done for the big shots. Hope that boat hasnt sailed. Speaking of Marshall Tucker earlier.... hear we are playing WITH them sometime this fall. Exciting stuff. Well....til next free 5 minutes.....maybe in a few weeks (haha).

Rick

Manor Legion Gig

Thank yinz all for supporting our performance at the Manor American Legion! I had a blast. It was nice to see a bunch of my friends come out to hear us play. Our most avid fans (in this area), Kathy, Jan, Dana & Tony, as well as their friends (and hopefully our newest fans) plus the Legion regulars (ditto) all seemed to enjoy themselves. The band sounded great and had a blast jammin' for yinz. Can't wait to play there again on March 14th.

Back to laundry. I'll try to blog again before the Ellwood City Moose gig.

Brian

Good Job Guys

Hey there, just droppin' a line, but I wish it was warm enough to go fishin'. I just wanna say that I had a great time Saturday at The Manor American Legion. Great place to play and hang out. Friendly people that love and support the band, and a possible connection to get an outside summer gig. Mandy was really cool and took care of the band and the patrons. Even The Liar's Club showed up, ha ha ha. You had to be there. Looking forward to playing there again soon, I think sometime in March.
I'm not used to using proper grammar or Capitol letters when needed. I thank the guys for being great as usual and pulling off the new songs that we rehearsed once, and for getting through Feel Like Makin' Love by Bad Company a song that we've never played together, ever!!!! That's why I love this band. We can pull off songs like no other band. It's like if two of the guys kinda know a song that someone requests, we try it and pull it off pretty damn good. Then walla we have a new song to add to the list. Great job guys!! Keep up the good work!!

MO

Lots of Exciting Stuff and New Years Resolutions Kept

Great show night last night. I have to admit that the last few shows, including last night at the Manor Legion, constantly reminds me of why I love playing for al you people. It was a great crowd and a larger crowd last night in the great hall. The people were very appreciative and supportive and expressed their satisfaction with the band. We, in return are very sincere when we say "Thank You" to everyone who speaks with us during the course of a show because without the good people we play for, we wouldn't be able to afford the priviledge of playing for you all. Thanks to Mandy and Alan for keeping the drinks flowing for the patrons. I cant wait to go back in March. Hopefully its warmer and Antoinette and the wives can make it so Kathy has some company.

We have some new clubs coming up in Monongahela and Belle Vernon, PA called Hey Andy's and Sweeny's Cafe and Pub. Exciting Stuff! I look forward to rocking out for those great people closer to Hueys home base. Six Packs in New castle allows me to play really close to home so I am excited about that date on Feb 28.

I belieeeeeve that Huey is going over to Brians today so that the rhythm tracks to 4 of the originals we have done for submission to the powers that be who have requested material in an effort to get us to that next level. The material has been received well so far and my fingers are crossed that success is within our grasp because I cant think of a more deserving group of guys that could use a big break. Hmmmm.... even more exciting stuff.

Looks like my new years resolutions are happening!!!! This is a monumental FIRST for me. (read the previous post regarding those resolutions) No, I didnt quit smoking but we're playing new material, recording the original material, Moe actually blogged, and Brian has the southernspiritsband.blogspot.com address on our schedules! 4 out of 5!!!! Who knows!!!! Maybe Frank n Huey will actually blog! New clubs, new music, new faces..... LOTS OF EXCITING STUFF !!!!!

Rick

Town and Country ROCKS!

All I can say is WOW!!!! What a bar! GREAT CROWD, great staff, great owner. This was by far the best crowd we have played for yet. The guys in the band were hot as usual and only got better because of the electricity in the crowd. Nights like tonight always remind me of why I love playing so much. Good looking girls brought out the guys, people yelled and cheered and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Kathy and John for helping to bring our equipment to us as it was all at Brian's place in anticipation of playing down his way last week... which was cancelled due to 10 inches of snow up here, and ice down there. Thanks to DJ Ray for pumpin jams between sets. I love playing for all of you. Any crowd that gets into the music, sings, yells and comes up and gets to know the band is GREAT and we thank you because it IS appreciated. The crowd mostly stayed all night with very few people leaving after the second set mostly because of the DUI laws that are screwing bar owners and bands everywhere. I'm not knocking the fact that people should be responsible when drinking if they are driving, but DAMN! there are more DUI's in the jails than there are other criminals. I think its a revenue issue that is justified by public safety and social issues. Regardless of my views, the crowd, the owners, the bartenders and just the whole night was fricken GREAT! I would definitely look forward to playing there again whenever they want us. Thanks to everyone at the Town and Country on Route 422 West just outside of New Castle, PA where Good food and Good Friends meet and let the good times roll! In our case...good times rock and rolled. Thank you, I can't say enough about the positive experience we had there. Rick

Whats with the weather????

How come the weather sux when i make a post? Its fricken -8 degrees out there with a -30+ wind chill. DAMN! Anyway, guess we might try out a few new songs tomorrow night but we'll see how they go in sound check 1st. Frank and Moe are eager to do the new material. Me? I wanna make sure that the material is ready for public consumption b4 doing it. anyway, I am excited about playing the town and country cuz its about 3 or 4 miles from where i work and some of the guys may come out and see us. Nuthin like playin for friends. GO STEELERS! had to get that 1 out. See y'all 2moro.
Rick

BAAAAAAD Weather

8 inches and counting and its not even noon yet. My deepest apologies to those who planned to see us at the Irwin Eagles tonight but the worst of the storm hasnt hit yet and we got 8 inches already, Frank has ten and its snowing an inch an hour. Its just too dangerous for Frank, Moe and myself to make our way down there. Surprisingly enough, Brian said he only has about an inch but I am sure he will get more. I am actually waiting for the state to declare a state of emergency up here and then no one will be allowed on the road except emergency vehicles. We had a great time playing at the Eagles but alas it was not meant to be. We are still playing in the Irwin area at the Manor Legion and other nearby places so keep an eye out. Unfortunately the website dates arent current so I'll have to rely on Brian to post them here or Moe to post them on the web. Sorry again Eagles. you will be missed

New Songs

We've been working on some new (for us) songs. .38 Special and Montgomery Gentry tunes. Probably the most difficult to learn tunes I've ever played. Try to remember that these guys had tons of time in a studio to nail these tunes, and that only the perfect takes (plus over-dubs) is what you hear on the recording. (Okay. I'm just trying to make myself feel good.) I'm sure that they play them well live, though I've never heard.

Come out to hear us. We've been working our gonads off on these tunes and I hope that it shows. I know that my crotch bulge is a tad smaller. (If that's even possible.) See yinz soon!

Brian