Nifty Noodles/ Sophpia's Benefit
1/31/08 The Villages, Florida
I spoke to the parents of Sophia Hubbard briefly before this sold out benefit concert with the NehoSoul Band at Village View Community Church. Maria and Greg Hubbard were holding their new son, who was born just a week before Sophia died. “she just fell down one day while we were with her in the back yard” Greg began… she was only a year and a half old at the time…”but we started to see other odd signs that something wasn’t quite right for our daughter”. Within months they had removed a tumor in her brain. But then discovered she had Neural Blastoma, a rare form of cancer that attacks the lining of the brain and eventually effects the nervous system to the point that in the final weeks of Sophia’s life her parents could not even hold her. Simply touching her skin would cause her enormous pain. She was just three when she died of a form of cancer that has only been diagnosed in one other child in the United States as I hear it.

My Friend, Fred Theroux is a rambunctious seventy year old, with a broad sarcastic sense of humor and a Boston accent, who decided to combine the Music of the NehoSoul Band with the cause of setting up a new fund to support families with children suffering from rare, often terminal, illness.(his own grandchild, Benjamin, has severe cerebral palsy ). Soul Music and terminal illness is an odd coupling I imagine. But Fred and I hooked up a few years ago through Celebrate Recovery and we’ve both discovered that focusing on giving to others is the best way to stay away from our own self destructive (terminal behavior). Keeps you out of yer own “self involvement”….. narcissism!… another not so rare form of “cancer” in this country.

Well the benefit raised 15,000 dollars. The show itself was not at all a sad event. I was in triumphant form and overcoming attitude and The NehoSoul band launched into a blistering groove from the first introduction. The average age was substantially above my own here I believe. And they loved “I’m startin over for the rest of my life”… and “I’m still dancin” …the themes carried a certain defiance against apathy in old age I think….(these were ‘active seniors’ in attendance. 8) “I saw quite a few folks pulling out their hearing aids though”… Fred laughed.

The Band converged on Florida from three separate states on Thursday. Phil Curry couldn’t make the gig and had to be replaced by our great ringer B-3 man, Roger Wood. We also included a new find in a local B-3 player, Mike Szabo who contributed needed keyboards to the events and a hefty talent of his own on keys. Thursday night around nine p.m. we played a preliminary set at Bourbon Street, a Restaurant in the down town district a few blocks from our hotel. Not a real big crowd for that one as the club owner billed it as a “Christian Band”…hey that’s perfect… lets just scare everybody off who drinks or smokes.

“You guys aren’t gonna start preachin are ya?” one patron complained after my first “Solo” set. I played a number of the new ,yet unheard, tunes from the unreleased project we’re working on. “Man I hate being type cast before I arrive” I told Ricky after hearing the comment. While the band was getting set up, I sung “if you wanna be lonely”, “Don’t leave me in the dark”, “You keep me coming back” and “Chains” from the new project using the infamous “Econo Band”. I wanted to get a non biased opinion on the quality of these songs. And people were really into it with that surprised look on their faces. Not expecting such a good “Sermon”! 8)

The Band was in good form on bad equipment this evening… “I woulda paid a hundred bucks to see music this good in England” that same patron said after the gig… “you still can! “ I suggested. I’ll try not to focus on the frustrating similarities between “Marketing” and “typecasting” here… but sometimes I’m just beside myself with the way a label will keep the very people away who would absolutely love the music. I’m regressing here… back into that addictive “Self involvement” again I suppose… do people ever really see “You” or is it just the label on the poster?

“Gotta do what ya love… and love what ya get”… I remind myself here. O.k. so there’s that!

Nifty Noodles/ Church at The Movies
Elk Grove, CA
After the band show in OK… I flew off to Sacramento for another “grand opening” of the most “moving” church I’ve ever been connected to. “Discovery Church”…they’re back to using a movie theater after a school room, a borrowed church, another movie theater. A big house, and a hotel conference room…. The real discovery I think is where they’re gonna be… kinda reminds me of the “Early church”… hidin out… meetin in secret… except this is no small production… runs about six hundred folks in two services.

The Sunday morning service this week was about having a party as a form of worship!.... they had cake and sparkling Martinelli’s in the lobby for after the service! I opened with “I’m still Dancin”… taught the “parishioners” my favorite easy to do dance moves…”they can be performed while remaining seated if you like”…

It’s “wash the little dog/ wash the big dog”…. It’s a big hit… I saw people practicing on the way out too.

My hats off to the volunteers who set this up every week… there is no rest in this type of fellowship. I sing maybe five songs when I’m here and I take advantage of the standin around time to shake hands with nearly every body who comes in… Northern California believers are not like the rest of the country frankly… and they don’t seem to be too concerned about “conforming” 8)

The Pastor, J.D. Pearing opened the service with the following list… and I’ll leave you with that… ten reasons we’re meeting at the Century Theaters:

10) we love the smell of popcorn in the morning

9) the seats are comfy, the lights are low.. we can sleep in church… no one will know

8) we’re hopin for two thumbs up

7) nothing takes your mind off of $4 gas like $7 Milk Duds

6) there was no room at the Inn (the Holiday Inn)

5) the sticky stuff on your shoes will remind you that God is with you wherever you go.

4) after church we can all hide in the bathroom and catch movies for free

3) the UA theaters wouldn’t have us

2) offering not necessary.. we charge $10.50 to get in.. soda is $5. and popcorn is $7.

1) we’re looking for Atonement… (the first showing is at 1:45)

Needless to say I fit right in here!
O.k. so there’s that! Bryan D

Nifty Noodles/ Soul Reunion
1/28/08 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
This time of year in Oklahoma makes you wonder if there’s a return to the ice age comin…it was only 20 degrees outside and raining… but maybe it feels colder, …. cause it’s Oklahoma!

It was the NehoSoul Band and Bob Carlisle and Heather Powers joining me for a return to the once Christian music “mecca” that is the Tulsa area.

But for us it has been years since we were here. I couldn’t even recall the last event. Nothing looked familiar either. “The Assembly” is another fortress of a church built in an Open field with Nothing around it… no suburbs, food chains, fuel pumps, or coffee houses. It was a beautiful version of the Alamo… aaaah before the massacre!

To my surprise there was a great turn out of long time fans.. one man even driving from New Orleans for the show. Bob and I opened the concert with our “Self Righteous Brothers” bit, singing “I’m a Soul Man”… and “I thank You” .. a couple of old Sam And Dave tunes. I’m not sure the crowd knew what to do with that. But my explanation of our shared passion for pure soul music seemed to stave off religious ridicule. The comic banter following the tunes was better received than the songs.

I introduced Heather Powers, as the only other signed artist on my label, Red Road Records, and I joined her for “little bit of Heaven”… which is reminiscent of the love song “always and forever”. Heather has taken to going on stage barefoot. Bob came on after that… he was in a great mood and his banter about parenthood was like a stand up routine. the highlight of his set of course was “Butterfly Kisses” complete with video images… “ I don’t even have a daughter and I tear up on that song” I told the band just before we came out.

Enter the NehoSoul Band directly behind Bobby’s set… coming out one at a time in Jam session style. I missed “Finchy”… Walter Finch.. our guitar player couldn’t make the gig.. he was replaced by a good guy though in Jakael Tristram… not sure I spelled it right… I kept thinking “travis tritt”…he does Seventies cover music in Seattle and showed up in a yellow double knit sport coat. but something about the look of the band without Walter “Pork Pie” Finch though… just doesn’t seem like the same thing. I think Walter is the real “look” of the Nehosoul Band…tonight there were just too many white guys for a soul band! 8)….

Even so…. I came out in a new blue suit with a white shirt… French cuffs!... except that I forgot cufflinks. With a little help I fashioned a pair out of coffee stir sticks!... still French cuff shirts just seem to hang to one’s finger tips… stickin out of the jacket sleeves to a fault… gave me trouble the whole night.

I felt a little over dressed… I could tell folks were wanting to hear “the old songs”…. We weren’t prepared to relive the old days, but we did throw in a little bit of “Holy Rollin” cause it’s standard “Black Gospel gone wild”. I danced like a lunatic in the song just for effect. But upon returning to my place behind the keyboard… I had a few moments of dizzy panic where I thought I might have to call an ambulance. I’m gonna be a “Senior Citizen” in two months and it was clear to me why I don’t do the “holy Rollin moment” anymore.

Bottom line… Great time!...and, like all great times..gone too quickly. Got more comments on the new songs than I’ve had in many moons. I’m asking for email addresses at the shows now as we plan to deliver the title track for free to everyone who leaves an email addy with us… it’s our new “Direct” marketing idea for the new project that I hope is finished this year. I anticipate a majority of sales on line this time around. And I’m clearly seeing the need to stay connected with those who remember the old days.

I read a card upon returning home… “if God had a refrigerator… your picture would be on it”! God does have a refrigerator, I thought… yea… it’s called Oklahoma In January!

O.K. so there’s that… Bryan D

Nifty Noodles/ Primary State
1/14/08 Vermont/New Hampshire?
“Barak Obama was just here” the stage man told me as I entered the green room back stage of the Lebanon, New Hampshire Opera House, like Obama was some kind of rock star.

“We’ve got Ronnie Milsap comin next week”. Lebanon looks like that little town in “Back to the future”. I felt like I was doin a little time travel myself getting here for the first concert of the new year.

I played almost everything I knew to around a hundred people. “Tonight, the Patriots are playin the promoter told me”… and I knew there would be no football fans in the audience. I was happy anyone showed up with the best team to come along in the NFL for some sixteen years, lookin to make it a perfect year.

Bryan at the Lebanon Opera House in New Hampshire