Road Notes 2001

Greetings, Fourshadowites!

This season finds us with full stomachs, and fuller hearts, as we have been spending time with our families and loved ones. We wanted to take a moment to thank all our fans who so kindly follow our progress through these cold winter months!

If I may speak for the whole group, the highlight of our December tour may have been the Schwan's Christmas party in Marshall, MN. Yes, the good people of Schwans do more than just make ice cream. They throw a wicked party! And it was there that little old Four Shadow opened for Lonestar, a great country band who just won some very prestigious awards this year.

As though that weren't enough, it was also our pleasure to shake our groove thangs on a stage flooded with lights designed by the venerable PHIL COLLINS himself! Su- su- Suudio! whatever that means.

And, wherever we looked in December, there were Drew's and Stacy's parents, making another trek to see the show. And who can complain about that, when they come as they are wont to do, bearing gifts of gold, frankinscence (SP?!), and cookies!

Respectful shouts out to the fine folks of Norlake; Avera McKennan; St. Cloud Aviators; the good people of Paynesville, MN; and those kind enough to come to our show in Denison, IA, where we sang at the Donna Reed Theater. Everywhere we went, we found such generosity of spirit that we could not keep our hearts from being very full indeed.

Merry Christmas, all, and see ya in Columbia, MO on new year's eve!

Peace,

Kevin

Who says you can’t go home again? Of course you can, but only for a day and a half. Then you have to leave. At least that’s how it works if you’re in Four Shadow and you have a monster fall schedule.

Last Friday night we left Camden, Maine after an astonishingly successful show. The students and members of the community came out en masse to see us and we had a great time together. They treated us wonderfully and we can't wait to go back.

As I said we left Camden Friday night. We’d been on tour for a few weeks and we were itching to get home. You know, to check the mail, do some laundry, pay the bills. We decided that since our next show was in Green Bay, WI in a few days that we had time to make a run for Minneapolis before that show. That way we could enjoy an entire day and a half in the luxury and comfort of our own homes before leaving again for a couple more weeks. yay.

Here’s the kicker... Look at a map of the U.S. Okay, now find Camden Maine. That’s it over on the Eastern side. Got it? Good, now find Minneapolis, Minnesota. Yep, the one in the middle. See the problem? I see about 1,200 of them. That’s a lot of miles! But we wanna go home right? So time and miles are no obstacle.

We left shortly after midnight on Friday and drove. Hours pass.... Still driving.... More hours... Yep, still driving.... Oh look, we’re in a new time zone, I must have fallen asleep again. Not far now... wait, I think I left my sanity back at that last rest stop...oh well. Cheese and Biscuits, are we still driving?! Somewhere between Indiana and Wisconsin time loses all meaning. Finally, some 27 hours later, we arrive in Minneapolis at 2:30 am Sunday morning. I weep openly.

I’m sure I’m overdramatizing the whole thing. It wasn’t that bad I suppose. I can say that it was worth it. I slept in my own bed. It was good to be home. But as I said before, it couln’t last. Monday afternoon we headed out again for a gig in Green Bay. Then it was on to Kentucky for a show the day after that. No time to rest. But we love being out here; doing shows, meeting new people, and going new places. Speaking of new places, here’s some Four Shadow junkie trivia. Kentucky is the 40th state that Four Shadow has performed in, soon to be followed by number 41, Michigan, where we’ll be next week.

So that’s what’s going on with us. Thanks for checking in. I’m out.

Let me start by saying that this is truly a beautiful country. Fall is, I think, my favorite time of year. A time when the natural beauty of the landscape is enhanced by the myriad colors of the changing season. This tour has convinced me of this more than ever.

We were in Summersville, WV on Wednesday en route to Pennsylvania for a show on Thursday. We’d just wrapped up our last West Virginia show at Concord College in Athens, WV. Plenty of students turned out for the show, including two freshmen who saw us last spring when we performed at their high schools during our last visit to WV. While in Summersville we ate dinner at The Cornerstone Cafe, an amazing restaurant. We celebrated Karl’s recent milestone 1000th show as a member of Four Shadow; quite an accomplishment. Kudos to the old timer!

Also while in West Virginia we finished up the Holiday album. No, seriously, we finished it. We actually recorded the last few parts in a makeshift studio/ hotel room on one of our “days off’, if there is such a thing as time off when you’re on tour. On Monday we sent off the final mixes to be mastered and produced. You can start looking for the album sometime late next month. It’s called “Flake” and we’re really proud of the work we did on it. We hope you’ll like it too.

Thursday, in Pennsylvania, we did a show at Waynesburg College. It was another really fun show. We had a great time with the students there. After the show they took us out for a late, late, late dinner. We ate something called MTO’s or Made To Orders. It was a sub and sandwich place, but the cool part was ordering. Each of us entered our order on a computer screen, choosing our own personal ingredients by way of touch screen technology. The wave of the future I suppose.

Last night we did a show in Crossville, TN at a place called the Palace Theater. The building has been refurbished and has a long and interesting history. It was a real joy to perform there; not only was the building beautiful, but the audience we sang for received us so well. Thanks to all of you who came to the show! We look forward to coming back again soon.

Today we drove from Crossville to Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We stopped at a place called Newfound Gap near the TN/SC border and took a little hike along a section of the Appalachian trail; a path that extends from Georgia all the way to Maine for over 2,100 miles!

The Smoky Mountains, called “Shaconage” by the native Cherokee, meaning “Land of the blue smoke”, I believe, is named for the blue-grey haze that rises above the hills as a result of the evaporation of recent precipitation and the overabundance of moisture. We’ve of course improved on the haze in modern times by incorporating pollution into that equation. Yay for us! Okay, class dismissed.

We left the magnificent scenic overview and headed east as the sun set. Heading down the mountain we saw the coolest/oddest thing. A mini van was parked along the side of the road. Well, not so much parked as wedged sideways between some trees about twenty feet up from the road The breaks must have failed or something causing the vehicle to run off the road and ramp up the hill. Bummer.

So we drove a few more hours and found a nice hotel away from the tourist traps near Dollywood and such. What a mess that was! Now we’ve got a couple of days before our next show so we’ll be working on some new music and I’ll be doing some long overdue laundry! That’s it for me. Thanks for checking up on us.

Well hello there! We're in Auburn, Indiana at the DeKalb County Fair. It was quite a show tonight - not only was it our last fair of the year, and therefore probably the last time we'll sing "County Fair Love" this season (boo hoo, guess I'll have to write myself another solo), but it was all blue skies all day and then cool enough in the evening that we didn't totally fry under the stage lights. Speaking of stage lights, kudos to Craig on the light board - he was working hard back there making us look good. Ooooo, flashy lights... And extra special kudos to the ladies who cooked us an awesome home-cooked meal before the show! Wow! We were in danger of having to nap through showtime, but it was soooo worth it. Yum.

So tomorrow morning we hop back in the van and head home (another day, another 12 hour drive) to finish up the Christmas album. That's right - we're almost done, and the stuff we have finished so far is sounding ever so festive. And hey, get this - we'll even have it out in time for the holidays! So get those Christmas lists out and start figuring out how many copies you need for all your loved ones. Ho ho ho!

OK, it's after 10:30pm and I think Taco Bell closes soon (ah, life on the road - so glamorous) so I'm outta here. Besides, I'll probably be driving first shift in the morning. Carry on...

Karl

Howdy, y'all! It really hasn't been that long since the last Road Notes entry, but it sure feels like it! We've been so busy, what with the traveling and the singing and the fast food and the driving and whatnot... (Actually, not that much whatnot.)

We kicked off the tour with a three-day run at the Indiana State Fair. In between the queen pageant, the Llama Limbo (?!?), the Elvis impersonator competition, the Christian mime troupe, and the torrential downpour, we managed to get in some pretty good shows. Thanks, of course, to the Indiana State Fair Board, and to everyone who braved the elements to see our shows. We love Indiana!

On to Rockhurst University, in Karl's neck o' the woods, beautiful downtown Kansas City. We got to welcome the incoming freshmen of the '00-'01 school year, and just generally had a great time, capped off with a visit to The Cheesecake Factory, and subsequent lying around and groaning (happily, of course). We wouldn't have had nearly as cool a time without help from Mike, Meredith, Rachel, and Megan. Hope to see you guys again soon!

Then to sunny Georgia. After great shows in Tifton and Savannah, we went back to Brunswick, playing to an always full and always energetic crowd. Huge shout out to Dave (your one of the best, man) and all the crew at Coastal Georgia Community College who are always so good to us. No time for the beach on this trip, but definitely next time!

After a beautiful stretch of interstate that took us through South and North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, we found ourselves in the heart of Ohio, singing at the Devry Institute in Columbus. The weather was nice enough to permit an outdoor concert (with the grills going strong!), and the crowd was nice enough to permit us to ROCK THE HOUSE. Which we did. Afterwards we got to hang with Ohio-based a cappella group Fourth Avenue, which was tons o' fun. Hope to see you guys again. And thanks to Diana and everyone at Devry who helped us put on a great show.

And finally, to Marshalltown Community College, in Marshalltown, IA (M-town, if you're hip), where we just got done singing for an enthusiastic noon crowd, thanks to the wonderful help of Sami, Katie, and Elizabeth. We'll definitely be seeing you guys again!

Well, I can hear the guys revving the van engine, so I guess that's my cue to finish this up. Don't worry, though... they wouldn't leave without me... again. Anyway, we got some hefty touring comin up, so keep checking in for more... NOTES FROM THE ROAD!! (road...road...road)

Road notes from home still count, right?

You bet, sez I, especially when the work we're doing is some serious recording! Well, FourShadowites, it's true, we are actually recording a song for Alan Menken, the great composer of Disney fame. Now, many of you out there in the real world are saying, "Who the heck is Alan Menken?"

Well, you may not know his name (shame on you!), but if you've been breathing for the last twenty years, you definitely KNOW HIS MUSIC! He wrote the music for all of the great songs in these well loved Disney features (deep breath): The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocohantas, Hercules, and, going WAAY back, he got his start writing tunes like "Suddenly Seymour" in that classic musical, Little Shop of Horrors. So, suffice it to say, he's been around the block, wink wink, nudge nudge. Heck, i may have even left some out! Who knows? Hee hee!

And then he wrote a song for Four Shadow. We like that part. A lot. So, please forgive us if we have put a little effort into this song. And oh, what a song it is! He collaborated with a fellow named Glenn Slater on the lyrics, and the results are phenomenal! My one true hope is that someday everyone in the world can hear it, because it is so cool. i really think y'all would like it if you could hear it, cause it's such a pretty song!

Well, back to the studio for me to finish up recording and mixing this bad boy. Please stay tuned for all the glorious details! See you on the road! Indiana State Fair here we come!

Hey there folks - greetings from Valparaiso, Indiana - home of the Porter County Fair and our home for the last five days. It's been hot hot hot and humid humid humid recently - though last night we did get a big ol' rainstorm which not only cooled things off for a while but also helped grow our crowds at the roofed stage! I guess Stacy's rain dance worked!

It's been nice to see some familiar faces at our shows this week - people keep coming back and bringing their friends (and puppies) with them. Today's our last day here, though - and then we're off to the Johnson County Fair in Iowa City (that's in Iowa) for a concert on Tuesday night. For those of you into Four Shadow trivia, Tuesday night's show may be a record-breaker for us in the category of FS family attendance. Stacy's mom is coming all the way from Loveland, Drew's folks may make it, my mom is coming up from KC, and even my girlfriend's folks will be there. And we did get to see Kevin's mom earlier this weekend, so it's a big week for family. Good times.

Also featured this past week - the debut of our new summer ode, "County Fair Love", written by yours truly and paying homage to the sights, sounds, and smells of this glorious time of year - fried cheese, livestock, butter sculptures, and crusing the midway. It's been going over pretty darn well, so I guess we'll keep it. :)

Well, it's almost noon - so Kevin should be getting out of bed in a few short hours, and then it's back to work tonight for 3 more shows. I shouldn't pick on Kev today - he gets the "trooper of the day" award for last night's final show, where he was deathly ill but sucked it up and did a heckuva show, shaking his groove thing as strong as usual and sounding great, so the audience had a great time and the show went on. And then he went and passed out in the van. What a guy, taking one for the team. I am so proud to work with 3 of the best guys ever - they give it their all, all the time, and they are such fun to be with. What a great job this is.

See you out on the road,

Karl

Across The Wide Missouri

This week we return to Missouri again for shows in Shelbina and Lathrop. This is our second trip to Missouri in the past few weeks and I have to say that this state gives the phrase On the road againnew meaning. It's always good to err on the side of diplomacy, but I have to say that Missouri roads are the equivalent to a skier's black diamond run: slopes with names like Canyon Hill, Crater Pass, and Oh my god you're going to die!. Seriously, if you close your eyes (which I don't recommend if you're driving) you'll think you've wandered off the road into a cornfield or something. But I digress.

Wednesday night we performed in Shelbina, MO at the Shelby County Fair. As part of our duties for the evening we assisted in the Shelby Co. Queen Pageant, escorting the ladies onto the stage for the evening gown portion of the competition. This was preceded by a talent competition in which the girls displayed their particular talents; everything from singing to sign language. There was nothing quite like the young lady who, some months back, informed us that she could do a lap dance to the tune of "Sweet Home Alabama", but I guess you should expect more from a queen. Following the crowning of Miss Shelby Co. we did our show and it was a lot of fun. Our thanks to Phil, Lizzie, Cele, Carol Sue, and Tina for their help in making it a big success.

That's all for now. We've got a couple days off before the big Friendship Festival in Lathrop. If they treat us anywhere near as well as all our other fine Missouri friends it'll be a great event. - Drew

Hey there folks - just checking in after yesterday's trip to lovely Door County, Wisconsin. It was Four Shadow's sixth year at the Sister Bay Concerts in the Park Series, and this year was a blast as usual! Special thanks to Dave Thomas for another great show again this year, it's always a treat to sing for the folks there - it's also fun to see folks who have been fans for years and years. So our loyal following plus lots of new faces spent the afternoon with us in the park by the beach and had a great time.

And our latest entry in the "Awesome Restaurants" category is Beanie's Mexican eatery right in Sister Bay. The owner Gary had seen us on the Today Show in May, caught our concert in the park, and then treated us to dinner after the show at his restaurant. WOW! Everything was awesome - chips n salsa (red and green) were tasty and plentiful, Drew and I put away some groovy enchiladas, and Kevin wolfed down the biggest burrito I've seen. It ain't called "the Gut Buster" for nothing...

More recording in the studio the next few days, and then we're off to Missouri for the end of next week. Happy summer solstice, everyone - see you on the road.

Karl

Wow! Long time, no Road Notes! Fear not, faithful Four Shadow-ites, we have dedicated ourselves to more frequent postings. Not only because it's more interesting for you, the fans, but also because it gets kinda hard to remember all the cool stuff we've done unless we do more than one Road Notes per month. See? Everybody wins with more Notes from the Road!

What a May! We kicked off our two-and-a-half week tour of the east coast with a stop at the NBC studios in New York City, to appear on the Today Show! After being picked up and driven into Manhatten (by a stretch limo, no less!), we were whisked past security and into the fabled Green Room. Soundcheck went smooth as silk, and then... the big moment! Many of you saw us perform "Wendy" for the crowd in the plaza outside the studio, so there's no need to go into TOO much detail, but believe us when we say it was a truly grand experience. Big thanks to Anne, Al, Katie, and the entire crew of the Today Show for helping to make our national television debut a successful one.

After another set of shows at Rippowam Cisqua School in Bedford, NY (always fun singin for you guys!!), we were fortunate enough to have a meeting with Rick Kunis, assistant to Alan Menken (composer for Disney), regarding a project we'll be doing with Alan in the near future. Many thanks to Rick for taking the time to have such an in-depth discussion with us on so many different aspects of the industry; always nice to have input from the best in the game! (Keep checking the website for more on the Alan Menken/Four Shadow collaboration!)

While in New York, we stayed, as always, with Kevin's ever-gracious aunt and uncle, Melanie and Randy Kraft. And as always, we didn't ever want to leave. But, the time came for us to trek north, to the beautiful early spring foliage of southern Maine. One of the most beautiful spots in the country, and we got to spend a whole week there! All our shows went superbly (shout out to all our fans, new and old, from Bethel, Auburn, and especially Buckfield -- we need more places in America like the Oddfellow Theater), and we got to hang out with our old Maine friends: Mike, Kim, Fritz, Morty, Michelle, Jason, and of course, Shane, Collin, and Brian. You guys are terrific. We can't wait to come back!

Next stop, Pennsylvania, where, of course, we got to see our friends James, Denise, Shan, Jessie Mae, and Andy (always a pleasure, you guys!). After touring many of the schools in and around Malvern, PA (all made possible by our host and expert guide, Gail Gage, thank you so much for all your help!), we closed out that part of the trip with an evening concert at Great Valley High School. Huge thanks to the light and sound crew at the high school. Keep up the good work, guys!

And on to New Holland, PA, for what has almost become a tradition for Four Shadow -- the Spring Gulch Folk Festival! Great crowds, great atmosphere, great stage, great crew... What more could you ask for? And not only is it a performer's dream come true, but it's also huge fun for anyone of any age. There's camping, swimming, entertainment galore, shops, campfire sing-alongs, and an incredible sense of community, even if it's your first time there! (If you couldn't tell, Four Shadow loves the Spring Gulch Folk Festival!!)

And then back to the good ol' Minne-Apple, where we've spent most of the past couple weeks, whether at showcases in or near the Twin Cities, or in the recording studio, crankin out the hits! We did take a break from our studio sessions to sing for the graduating class of Duluth Central High School in Duluth, MN. At four in the morning!! But what a blast! Thanks to the Class of 2001, for being such an energetic audience (at four in the morning!!). Best of luck to all of you!

Whew! See what happens when we don't post Road Notes regularly? They pile up! But don't worry, we'll get better. Call it our New Year's resolution (hey, it works out: this June 15th is my one year anniversary with Four Shadow, so it's kinda like New Years... sort of...).

So keep checkin back, and we'll make it worth your while. We promise!

stacy -- one whole year, and I'm still the new guy... :)

Hey folks!

It's been a while since the last installment of the old Notes from the Road. But that just means that we've been busier than ever.

In the last month, we've seen western Minnesota (yay Marshall!), South Eastern and Western Nebraska (word to Doane College and Chadron State, respectively), as well as Colorado (School of Mines in the house!), with a little Wisconsin, Iowa and southern Minnesota thrown in for good measure.

Meanwhile, we have been busily preparing for the release of our newest album, which is really exciting. It's going to be a live record, taken from shows we've done over the past few months. So if you've seen us somewhere in the last little while, your show may be on our record! Who hoo! Look for that to be ready in the next month.

Other than that, we've been doing some threads shopping, trying to fix on a look for the tv thing. We are just a little excited about meeting Katie Couric, and Matt Laurer, and especially Al Roker. This is gonna be sweet, y'all.

See ya.

Kevin

Hello all and greetings from the road! It's the last week of our February/March tour, and then three of us go back home and relax while poor Stacy has to go all the way to Hawaii and play trumpet with his old college band. That poor sucker, having to do more traveling and music... Oh wait... darn.

The last couple weeks have been great. We're in Kansas now after a very nice show (and a great home-cooked meal) with the good people of Atwood, KS. I think Atwood is French for "not quite Nebraska, not quite Colorado". We sang in an old theatre there that is used for movies, community theatre, concerts, high school shows, etc. How nice to see they're using the original building and haven't torn it down to make way for a McDonald's or a parking garage or other monstrosity.

Last week we returned to Prescott, Arizona for some school shows and a Friday night public concert in the truly wonderous Yavapai College Performance Hall. We knew things were going well when we learned that advance ticket sales had already passed last year's total attendace. By the time the show rolled around, the main floor was almost filled. Our goal for next year is to fill the balcony too! :)

A special addition to our stay in Prescott was meeting with a new a cappella group called Clarity, who formed shortly after seeing us there in 2000. These four high school girls are doing their own arrangements and choreography, having tons of fun singing, and have a great sound! We spent some time with them Thursday afternoon and then invited them to do a couple songs to open up the Friday night show. They did great, and we are so proud of them! What a treat it was for us to be the inspiration for such a talented bunch. And now Clarity has inspired a group of guys at school to start a group too. So it continues...

This afternoon we head eastward toward West Virginia, which will be the 39th state that Four Shadow has performed in. Not far now! And then a showcase in Ohio and back home. Except for Stacy. That poor poor fellow.

He better bring me back something nice. :)

Hey everybody! We're in Kansas!

First stop: Pittsburg, KS, where we sang at Pittsburg State University, home of the gorillas! Many thanks to all the fine people who came out and supported us there!

Then, we drove to Lindsborg, KS, where we had some great Swedish food, and learned about the legendary Dala Horse. Then we sang for Bethany College, in a sweet room, where some of the seats rotated! It was cool, and the folks there were great!

Then after a stop in Warrensburg, MO, where we sang at Central Missouri State, it was back to Kansas. For our last Kansas gig, we played for Baker University, in Baldwin City, KS, as a part of their prospective student weekend. That was one fired up crowd! Afterward, we hung out with those folks and partied down at CASINO NIGHT. Stacy dealt black jack. Whoo hoo!

Thanks again to Karl's parents, for putting us up, and for coming to see us at Baker University.

On to Arizona!

cheers!

Hello to everyone who reads this! By the wonders of technology, I write this entry from the basement of my folks' home in Bamberg, Germany (I suppose they don't just call it the WORLD WIDE WEB for no reason). The past few days have found us jetting around on the autobahns, losing our fear of triple-digit speeds (that's MPH!), eating a metric ton of bratwursts, and refining our taste on the centuries-old tradition of German Bier. Not to mention singing some SWEET shows for great people over here in good old Deutschland.

Yes, Virginia, Four Shadow is in Germany. So wipe the dust from the atlas, crack open a cold Warsteiner, and follow Four Shadow as we take you on a day by day account of our fun-filled tour of Germany!

Monday, February 12, 2001

Boy, lemme tell you, once we landed, we shot straight out of the gate. Dad picked us up in Nuernberg, after 24 hours of traveling, and we immediately drove to our first gig in Wuerzburg, where we sang for the American Middle School there. About 600 students showed up, and all in attendance seeming to enjoy themselves. Afterwards, I was even able to say hi to some old friends of mine - thanks, Ken and Barbara for stopping on over to see us!

With that - our first European show EVER! - under our belts, we packed up and headed for Bamberg, which served as our home base all week, for some homemade lasagna (yay mom!) and much needed let-lag medecine.

Day number one lesson: SLEEP GOOD! Jet Lag BAAAD.

Tuesday, February 13, 2001

Our second day in Germany began very early with a two-hour drive in our rented van to the eastern German town of Vilseck. On the roads there we saw many trucks from the Czech Republic. Once in Vliseck, we got ready to perform two shows: one for the middle school, and one for the high school. While setting up, we learned that the armed forces over here are observing something called "Threat Com Bravo." What that means, essentially, is that dorky a cappella singers in a rented van with German plates are considered a medium level security threat, (as in, "Hey, Klaus, watch that bass guy, he's got a... low voice"?!) as is everyone else without US military ID.

Once we stopped shaking from being eyed warily by Base Security, those shows were super fun! Thanks to Frank and John, and to the community of Vilseck for inviting us and being such a great audience.

Back home in Bamberg that night we had a couple special treats: first, enchiladas made for us by Carmen, a friend from Mom's school. YUM! And in such quantity that we are still eating them at this very second, I kid you not! The second treat was our first exposure to the culture of Germany.

Mom took us all to a rehearsal of a choir she sings with, a collection of indigenous folks from around Bamberg. While we were there, we added our voices to the strains of German folk tunes, and remembered how hard it is to sight-sing in a foreign language! But after the short practice, there was an added bonus: here in Germany, the pre-Lent celebration equivalent to our Mardi Gras is already started. It is called Fasching, and just like Mardi Gras, the emphasis is on colorful decorations, good food, good drink, and lots of silliness.

Well, this choir is not just about sacred tunes and folk melodies. Let me tell you - those crazy Germans can GET DOWN. We put down our Lieder and picked up our party hats, moving over to the next room, where the decorations were nothing short of New Orleans on Fat Tuesday. There was food, drink, and of course, an accordian player kickin out all your favorite polkas. Weird Al, eat your heart out.

After a while, we added our voices to the fray, and sang a little song for them. They were so kind and appreciative, and I think that in thanking them I promised them my first born daughter. Although they tried to delay us longer and revel with them deep into the night, we made our exit early, explaining that we had to do a show VERY EARLY the next morning.

Wednesday, February 14, 2001

Now, for those of you who know me, when I say "early," you may scoff, saying, "Oh, that Kevin. He doesn't know early." And you would normally be right. But in this case, our first show was at 8:30, at Bamberg Elementary School. So Bamberg's kiddies turned out in force to hear Four Shadow squeak and strain through its earliest show in memory, and everything turned out fine... or DID IT? bum bum BUMMMM...

By this time on Wednesday, Stacy had discovered that his voice had all but left him, and that he was definitely in the latter stages of an illness, something we like to call "shoot me now before I sing again." It was painful for him, but he trudged through, and with teamwork, we re-arranged the songs so that he could have as little strain as possible.

So, the shows in Bamberg were exciting not only because I was singing for my Mom's school, but because we were re-arranging the tunes on the fly, for the most part! Still, none of the kids seemed to mind, and we had fun hanging out with them until the last possible minute, when we had to pack up and go to our next gig.

Later that day we sang for the students and staff at Bad Kissingen Elementary. Bad Kissingen is famous in Germany for its natural springs, known for their homeopathic cures. But did you know that Bad Kissingen is also famous for its strict adherence to street lights? Well, neither did we until we met the man who apparently volunteers as a yeller on behalf of ignored streetlights everywhere. At least, he sounded like one as he admonished us that we were setting a bad example for the kids by crossing against the light, and that we were subject to a 100 Mark fine ($50.00). Boy, did we ever pay attention to street crossing lights after THAT!

Thursday, February 15, 2001

On Thursday, we drove to Schweinfurt, where we performed for the elementary and middle schools. Now, this must be said about the middle school: it was there that we received hands down our loudest reception of this Germany tour, if not EVER. It seriously hurt our ears when the kids would cheer at the end of songs, because of their enthusiasm and the bouncy brick walls of the gym where we were singing. But man did their enthusiasm get us pumped! They even gave us sweatshirts with their school's name on it so we wouldn't ever forget them! What sweethearts.

Friday, February 16, 2001

On our final day of singing, we had three shows in Ansbach: one at Rainbow Elementary, one at Ansbach High School, and an evening show to benefit the band at Ansbach High. All three of those shows were so much fun, and we especially appreciate the wonderful treatment we received from Connie Erickson, the music instructor at Ansbach High School. She was there for us in the morning when we set up, making sure that we had everything that we needed, and was also there for us in the evening, when all our sound equipment gave one final sigh from its tiring week, and blew up! I am not kidding, five minutes before we were supposed to go on, our amps were smoking, if you know what I mean. By smoking I mean smoking. As in the precursor to, or result of, FIRE.

So we gathered our strength, rallied the troops, let the audience know what had happened, and with their approval (they had bought tickets and all!) did the whole 75-minute show unamplified. This was definitely the crowning moment of the tour, in my opinion. There is no finer way to end a tour than by throwing down in a cool acoustic setting, where you can hear everybody just as you do in practice. It was sweet.

And, to boot, I had a very special surprise: some very old friends showed up, including my favorite music teacher EVER, Gary Kelb, who was my band and choir director in Berlin, and who, other than my parents, is the one single person who deserves the credit for me being in this group. It was so great to see him and all the other friends who made the trek to see our shows.

And so, to all the folks who made our shows so much fun, to the folks who saw us, the students and teachers, THANKS SO MUCH! And to Mom and Dad, who were our roadies and providors during our tight schedule, YOU ROCK!

Yay Germany!

As I write this road notes I'm reveling in near-Epicurean bliss; relaxing wontonly under the warm Georgia sun and enjoying temperatures in excess of seventy degrees. I should probably feel guilty that our friends and families back in the upper mid-west are patiently chipping their cars out of large blocks of ice; importuning a higher power for the end to the preternatural cold of this winter and the return of feeling to their extremeties. But I'm too busy enjoying this tasty little drink with the umbrella in it! Yay!

But this trip hasn't been all fun and games, and it's only going to get more interesting in the next couple of weeks. We departed Minneapolis on Saturday the 3rd headed for Georgia in our van. In case you don't have quick access to an atlas or a rudamentary knowledge of the geography of the United States let me just say that these two places are VERY far apart. Roughly 1600 miles I think. Kevin drove the entire first day; beginning at 8 a.m. and stopping around midnight. What an animal! And to be honest, he still had more in him when we stopped that night at the hotel. I think he stayed up for several more hours and worked on some music.

We gave Kevin the majority of the day off the next day and arrived in Brunswick, GA, the location of our first concert at Coastal Georgia Community College, arriving some twelve hours later. For those of you keeping track that's a total of roughly 28 hours driving. Dave, the presenter at CGCC, took great care of us and the crowd was amazing. I also want to give a shout out to the folks that helped us load in and out at that gig. We set new land speed records for tear down thanks to them.

Then it was on to Waycross, GA to do a gig at Waycross College. The people here have been great: on top of being a great audience they fed us some kick-A** chinese take-out for lunch. (three cheers for the general's chicken!) Now we're gearing up to drive to North Carolina for an APCA showcase there tomorrow. (yay...more time in the van) It's been such a busy week with so much travel that I actually had to ask a really nice lady in the office here at Waycross what day it is.

So that brings you up to date with Four Shadow. So what's on the horizon you ask? Well, that's where it really gets fun. You know all the complaining I've been doing about being in the van? That's nothing. After our show in NC we have to drive all the way back to Minneapolis (only a slightly shorter trip than the one to GA),and in the course of roughly 16 hours, do some laundry (my socks actually spoke to me this morning and asked for a bath), re-pack, and get some sleep before driving to the airport and hopping a plane to Germany!(and I thought Georgia was far!) We'll then spend 9 or 10 days there singing (I think) 11 concerts before flying home to do a show somewhere near Minneapolis the day after we return. What's that they say about there being no rest for the weary?

But in all honesty we're having a blast. This is what we love to do, and there are so many exciting things happening for us right now. We'll write again soon and let you know how we're getting along overseas. We're doing quite well with the German lessons Kevin's been giving us. Stacy has a special flare for the language that you can only appreciate by hearing him speak it. Hopefully it won't get us thrown in prison. Anyway, thanks again to all the people that have been helping us on this whirlwind trip, and to all of you who continue to support us and think of us as we travel. Check back soon to hear all about our INTERNATIONAL TOUR!

Drew

Howdy howdy howdy, faithful Four Shadow-ites! What a month! After ringing in the new millenium with the entire town of Colombia, MO (and our new friends from up north, the Canadian a cappella group Malaika -- bon jour, ladies!), and after bidding a fond farewell to Nate Altimari, vocal percussionist and tenor II extraordinaire who sat in with us for the last three months of the old millenium, Four Shadow headed out east.

Our week-long jaunt towards the Atlantic coast included a showcase in Indianaplis, a stop at Mazzola's in Fleetwood, PA (home of the garlic knot), another showcase in the Big Apple, two school shows for the students of Rippowam Cisqua in Bedford, NY (thanks for making us feel so welcome... again!), and an evening concert at the Rippowam campus (HUGE thanks to all those who braved the snow and slick roads; we hope we made it worth the risk!). But that's not all! We also had the enormous pleasure of meeting Alan Menken, composer for Disney; and Christopher and Dana Reeve (yes, THE Christopher Reeve), who are the third and fourth nicest people we have ever met.

Who are the first and second nicest, you might ask? That would be Melanie and Randy Kraft, Kevin's aunt and uncle, who opened their home to us during our stay out east, who fed us, who helped arrange our shows at Rippowam Cisqua, and who are just all-around incredible people. We love you guys.

So finally, after an over-night drive of twenty-two hours, we arrived back in the good ol' Minne-Apple. These last few weeks of January we'll be rehearsing, learning some new songs, rehearsing, recording a bit, and of course, rehearsing, but we're also looking forward to the next couple months, which will take us to Missouri, Georgia, North Carolina, Montana, Arizona, Kansas, Ohio, West Virginia, and (drum roll, please) Germany! That's right, we goin global!

So thanks to all the fans, old and new, and keep checking in for even MORE exciting Road Notes in the future! No, really!