Maco Station

Don't forget to watch us on Feb. 12th @ 7:00 pm on FOX, performing live - as we accept our WAMMIE award for Best Copy Rock Band!!!!!!!!!!!

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January 17, 2005

From Bill,

Not a real busy start to 2005 so far. A Karen-less booking at Chuckie D’s (as related by Robbie in his very first update), and two bookings this past weekend at Lor-Re-Lei, up in Snead’s Ferry.

Friday night was, well, different. A good sized crowd but not a lot of people dancing . Everyone stayed around and seemed to have a good time though. I was very surprised to see Debbie, one of the famous ‘back of the bar’ ladies, working AT the bar. Seems she’s been helping out on Friday nights. Good to see Judy back behind the bar as well, haven’t seen her the last few times.

For something different I’ll give you an idea of Saturday night on a set by set basis: Up and on the stage at nine thirty. First song was Get Ready, a Temptation number that was re-done by a band called RARE EARTH. I hear a rather strange sound from Billy’s amp and look over---very unusual but he’s broken a string on the very first song! Lucky for us the rhythm guitar is not essential on this song so Billy was able to grab his spare set of strings and began changing it while we continued on. Still not ready at the end of the song so I looked at the set list and moved “Margaritaville” to second, since this song also can be performed without Billy. During this song there is a phrase ‘well I guess it’s all (insert name here)’s fault. I try to use the names of people in the club that I know---this particular night it was bartendress Cindy, boss lady Tracie, Pam, a lady who’s always there when we play, and Sonya, Robbie’s wife. Some nights I don’t have enough different names and some nights I can’t mention everyone! Billy was up and running so we continued down the list with “Boot Scoot Boogie”, which has Billy singing lead. Pretty much a standard setlist after that. Only one slow song during the set, though. I noticed that the dance floor was pretty full during the slower numbers and really wish that we did more of them. I don’t feel that one a set is enough when people are willing to dance. Hmmm….

A little more than fifteen minutes before the second set and a good sized crowd. At twenty minutes I was livid and looking for the rest of the band. I tend to get a little upset when I feel that we’re missing opportunities such as a large crowd, and this makes me hard to work with some times. This was turning out to be one of those times. I immediately found fault with much of the set list---wanting to get that dance floor packed!

Anyway, my bum attitude aside, it was a pretty good night--- lots of people, most of them staying around and having a good time. During the third set a lady walked up to Karen and wanetd to make an announcement. Seems like she was a representative from Budweiser and said that anyone drinking a Bud could go up to the bar and get a free second Bud. I was not drinking beer but she also gave everyone in the band one. (Thanks.)

Good food from the kitchen as usual---had the Shrimp sandwich on Friday and foraged off of everyone’s plate on Saturday night. Good to be many familiar faces: Pam, Steve, Debbie, Alison, Dan, but where in the world was Gretchen, the other ‘back of the bar lady’? Seemed very strange not to have her there--- whenever she walks in the door the place picks up a notch or two. Fourth set had pretty much a harder edge to it---Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rolling tones. By then everyone was full of liquid refreshment and ready to party.

Finished right at one-thirty and time to settle up the wages and began the load out procedures, made a little more difficult by the cold. Brrrr…. We’ll be back in two weeks on Saturday night only---have to work on the set list to keep things fresh and interesting for the people. Off this weekend with a chance to rest and practice.

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January 13, 2005

From Robbie:

Hello Maco Station friends, fans and family! This is my first update so please bear with me. As you all know, I got voted into the band in May of this past year and we worked very hard to get up to speed quickly and stay busy. It paid off as we were voted the #1 cover band in Wilmington, an award never achieved before by Maco Station. I hope I was part of the reason for that success! I was not familiar with the material we played because my former band had no female singer and I had to pick it up very quickly. Big Daddy, Bill, Billy and Karen really made that easy and we got tight in record time! We all get along and really struggle when the band has to play when someone is absent as Karen was this past weekend at Chuckie D,s due to sickness, but we struggled through it and the crowd loved it! This bar has one of the strangest clientels that I have ever seen! You can start playing to an empty bar and in minutes it can fill up and then they disappear just as quickly as they came only for another wave to follow. You would think that you were on the boardwalk with other bars close by, but that is definately not the case. We called it boys night out in Karen's absence and played a lot more driving southern rock than usual and our songs seemed to grow in legnth but we really enjoyed it! Our #1 fan club of Bobby and Patty showed up all the way from Carolina Beach to see us for the last time before they move to Florida this week. We hate to see loyal fans like that go but wish them only the best! I want to tell the rest of the band how proud that I am that they allow me to be part of Maco Station and that I have the upmost of respect for each and every one of them. Come check us out this Friday and Saturday at Lo-re-leis in Sneeds Ferry where there is always a huge and enthusiastic crowd and never a dull moment! I really hope Karen is well enough to join us this week, we really missed her! Hopefully Bill will add something else to this update as he always has an interesting quote to open and observations that most of us overlooked in the heat of the battle. Again, thanks to all of our loyal fans and a special thanks to all of the band members from me. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this and will continue to do all that I can to make us even more successful! Hope to see everyone at the party at Sneeds Ferry this weekend! Robbie.

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As another year winds down I’m going to be rather self- indulgent and reflect on the past twelve months. If anyone else in the band wants to add to this update it’d be great. When I played the New Year’s Eve job back in January I was at a point of considering ‘retiring’---again. Maco Station had a new bass player in place and I was ready for a break. Well, things often don’t work out as planned. Drummer/Vocalist Jamie O left the band and when all the dust settled I was back on board once again. All in all it’s been a good year. I’ve met lots of people, renewed old friendships, and basically have been able to enjoy myself (and make money too.)

I consider myself blessed to work with three different Drummers during the year. Chris Stone was only with us for one night, but his opening speech at Cody’s broke the ice and allowed us to play a fun evening. I wish it was recorded. Former Maco drummer Beth Bigford returned for a while- she had sat in with us in the past, never worked with the band the same time I had. A great person, as is her husband. Robbie Spivey had been a founding member of “Jam Sandwich,” I’ve found him to be totally dedicated to the band with an enthusiasm that I wish I still possessed. In addition to drumming, providing a place to practice, and just taking care of things, Robbie has been singing back-up. His personality makes him a great fit for the group. Musicians often can be moody and temperamental (yes, I fit this description), but Robbie has been a constant and steady force.

A few new places for us---most noticeably I’m excited about ‘Breakers’, at Carolina Beach---a good room, hope we can build a following there in the coming year. It would be a fine place to spend the summer months. Playing new places is both exciting and scary—we often become comfortable with working the ‘usual haunts.’

It was nice seeing former drummer Jamie O---he visited at Chuckie D’s a couple of months back along with his wife Kim and sister Lori---we all had shared so much in the past that it felt like a family reunion. I understand that after almost a year off Jamie is wanting to get back to work. I’ve been there — I know how he feels. I believe that when music is in your blood there’s no use ignoring the call….

New friends, so many I can’t remember them all…Debbie, Gretchen, Ron from Texas, Sharon, Alison, Robert, Dan, Diane- hopefully our music has entertained these and others. We really appreciate everyone…Thank you.

Our last booking is at the Moose Club in Wilmington on New Year’s Eve. The New Year’s Eve job is usually the highlight of the year, usually the best money, everyone ready to party, and a time to look back on the last year.

…it will be interesting to see what happens next year, both with Maco Station and the rest of the world. The secret is to look at the future as an opportunity- for it really is. Make those New Year’s resolutions because anytime you resolve to change something for the better in this world it’s a good thing. I’m tired — got four hours of troubled sleep last night but I wanted to get this written down: fatigue sometimes makes you less cautious about what you say. I believe that playing the music we do in bars and clubs is a young man’s job--- these late nights are getting harder to deal with-- but if you really love what you do you’ll suffer for your art—just means being evil and tired the next day. My long suffering family can attest to that! Happy New Year. Peace.

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Well, let’s see what’s been going on…Plan B, the acoustic side project of Big Daddy, Karen, & Billy played their first ever public appearance at the Sunspree at Wrightsville Beach two Fridays ago. A little chilly that night for me so I wimped out and stayed home. I rarely go out and hear other bands, anyway- I’d rather be up there playing! From what I understood the whole thing went rather well—maybe someone from Plan B will write an update!

Last Saturday (the 4^th) had us back at Carolina Beach for the first time in several months. A new place for us---it’s called The Breakers, on Harper Avenue, which is actually the north end of the actual Boardwalk across from the Watering Hole Bar. I’d never been in the Breakers before—I thought that it was much smaller than it actually was—what you see from the front is more or less a square room w/ a bar on the left and pool tables. Actually, though, the club sort of ‘doglegs’ at the left rear and opens to another area. There are several tables, a dance floor, and a stage. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the Breakers, and also by staying out in the main area in front you probably aren’t subjected to our full volume!

Load in wasn’t too bad—I found a place near the Boardwalk. The Breakers is owned by Diane, who was there during the night, unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to meet her. We’re scheduled to be back there on December 17^th for a Christmas Party that they’re having—should be fun.

Nice to see familiar faces: Vanessa & Mark, Toni, Tommy, and other familiar faces that I’ve not yet been able to put names with from around the beach.

Thanks to another Toni who served as our bartendress during the evening. We got underway about nine thirty, slightly nervous to be in a new club. First set was kind of slow but the second set was great— lot’s of people dancing and listening. A lady named Lisa was there celebrating her birthday (I’ll keep her age a secret!), and bought us a round of drinks. Thank you.

Lots to see at times on the dance floor---gives US something to watch! As the end of the night drew near Diane opened the door at the back of the stage, which led out to another Boardwalk street, so actually The Breakers goes all the way through the block. The nice thing was though, at the end of this block there is a vacant lot that you can pull your car into, making for an easy load-out. All in all I felt that it was a good start to a new club for us---it’d be a great place to be the house band at next summer.

Off the weekend (again), and then back at the Breakers on Friday Night followed by a trip up the road to Snead’s Ferry on Saturday. Someone asked me the other day what’s in my car stereo system.

Well, this week it was “Stealer of Years” by Wild Turkey, a band that put out two albums in the early seventies then broke up. They re-formed in 1996 and put out their third album. Also playing was Steeley Dan’s ‘Countdown to Ecstacy’, and Genesis’ ‘Invisible Touch.’ And what’s in YOUR player?

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A VERY long time between updates as not much has been going on. This weekend had us back in action at Chuckie D’s on Friday night & Lor-Re-Lei on Saturday.

Good to see Alex back behind the bar at Chuckie’s. Last time we played there it was her birthday and she had the night off. Pretty good crowd this evening and a very good response from everyone. Karen was nursing a sore throat so she limited her songs somewhat—no problem though, Billy and I had plenty of old things to drag out and sing! Chuck (the owner) himself was in attendance—been a while since we seen him. Especially glad that there was a crowd—hate to play a cave w/ the boss around!

Noticed an acoustic guitar set up on stage. Billy used it on and off during the night. Billy, Karen, and Big Daddy now have an acoustic side project called Plan B. Since Big Daddy has never seemed to care much for acoustic music this comes as a real surprise. Who knows, maybe they’ll get busy enough to have an area of this webpage.

I think that some of us may have enjoyed too much liquid refreshments this evening. Certain tunes sounded “strange”—and this time I don’t think it was my hearing. Hmm….

Anyway, rested, recovered and back on the road up to Snead’s Ferry Saturday night. Tonight the ‘back of the bar ladies’, Debbie and Gretchen were celebrating their birthdays. I remember talking w/ Debbie last year about this time and she was wondering if we were scheduled the night she was having her party. We weren’t booked last year , though, glad to be here for this one. Boss lady Traci had set out a great buffet out near the dance floor. The food was great as usual, though I had to keep looking at it from the stage until break. Finally! Great to see Gretchen’s friend Alison, who actually IS world famous, having a place in the Guiness Book of Records. Alison was there with many friends and family—we appreciate that. It was a very good crowd as usual, and they actually seemed more into the music and were dancing even more than usual.

Interesting note: some songs people at Lor-Re-Lei do NOT dance to certain songs. While the floor was crowded for many numbers it was absolutely EMPTY when we played the SRV song ‘Pride & Joy’. Felt strange to be playing to an empty floor after seeing everyone up and dancing—maybe they were tired? Anyway, the song seemed to go on forever—I kept wishing it would end. I never know what to do—look out at the crowd, at the rest of the band, back at the drummer, at the floor, the ceiling, close your eyes? Well, there was applause when we finished—maybe everyone was just tired. Once again Karen’s throat was bothering her—she sounded fine but backed away from doing songs that were hard on her. Not a real problem—we have lots of other material. I hope her voice is back to 100% this coming Friday when Plan B makes their first public appearance at the Holiday Inn Sunspree at Wrightsville Beach.

Once again there was plenty to watch and observe. Whenever you’re in a bar and people are drinking and having a great time, especially with a large crowd, you’re bound to see something unusual. A while back it was the ‘homemade bikini contest’, when one of the contestant’s costumes had a “Janet Jackson’ moment. This evening there were two ladies that decided to briefly ‘show off.’ You had to be there. Good to see Pam & Steve in attendance. They’re always there for us and bring in many friends. (Thanks). And Pam’s hair looked great (new style). But where were Ron & Sharon? They were missed—thanks for signing our guestbook!

Well I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Plan B will be at the Sunspree the Friday after from 7:30-10:30, and Maco Station’s next booking will be back at our old stomping grounds, Carolina Beach. This time, however, we won’t be at the Surfside which has gone just about completely Karaoke, but another place, the Breakers. This will be on December 4^th, so come on out!

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A weekend with two one-nite-stands. At least we're getting exercise moving all the equipment. Friday had us back at Cody's in Wilmington. I arrived at 8:15 and was the first there--very unusual as I manage to usually show up last. Charlene, our bartendress for the evening had already opened the back door so I wandered in. Since our last trip there the size of the stage had been increased--not new construction but it looked like they had some original parts that have been left out in the past---the aged carpeting was a perfect match. In addition the drum riser was in the corner now, making for a rather unusual shaped stage. As everyone else showed up for the gig I could tell that the odd stage was confusing--we all milled around like cattle in a pen.

Finally we got everything in and set up. The night looked like it was going to be VERY slow, and indeed it was. As I understood it Cody's had been briefly shut down and maybe not everyone knew it was open. I don't know, though, they had us advertised in the "Currents" section of the Thursday newspaper. The "Currents" generally gives you a good idea of who's playing where, and I make it a point to find a copy every Thursday as I no longer subscribe to the paper.

Up onto the stage and into the show. Because of my hearing problems I've been experimenting with using earplugs onstage, usually just one in my left ear (the closest to the drums). I've read that the high frequencies coming from the cymbals cause some of the worst ear damaging sounds on a stage. It seemed to help--the ringing sound in my ears at the end of the night was greatly reduced.

Pretty much our standard setlist---I was feeling good towards the end of the night and decided to sing "Tulsa Time"--- we've done the song once before at a private party this past summer. Thought it turned out pretty good, a little sloppy at the end, but hey, we've never really practiced it that much and the ending is rather abrupt.

The crowd (?) never did pick up during the evening so it seemed like a rather long night at times--had to play for the few there and you want to do your best even if there's only one person--as a musician you owe it to the listeners.

Anyway, we got to finish a little early and began the load out, a nice cool evening for the chore. Karen settled up with the management on the money and passed out the wages.

Saturday night we drove up to Snead's Ferry for a booking at Lor-Re-Lei, one of our favorite places to play. After a respectable weekend last month there Karen had asked boss lady Traci about bookings as we had nothing after that weekend and usually try to stay booked about three months in advance. No luck there, and it appeared that we were not going to be back until the first of next year, very disappointing. Happily we received a call shortly after that. Apparently Traci is using Karaoke on Fridays (arrrghhh!) and bands on Saturdays. Maybe I need to be more open-minded but I really grow weary of the Karaoke bars everywhere. It seems we're turning into a nation of people who like their entertainment from a CD player. I really shouldn't talk---our's is a cover band! There's lot's of good original music out there, you just have to look for it. I'm planning on heading up to Chapel Hill at the end of the month to see Mike Watt, a great bass player I've had the chance to see a couple years back.

Lot's of familiar faces in the crowd---a great lady named Pam who also happens to be a fantastic harmonica player, and her husband Steve. (I hope I got that name right--I was spacing on names that night and actually called Bartendress Bonnie 'Brenda". What's up with that? Bonnie has been there as long as I can remember and is one of my favorite people! Great to see other people from past jobs there--- Sharon, of "Uncle Phil" fame was back...I told her she was mentioned in an earlier update along with her friend Kelly...good to see her again. She mentioned that she was going to try again to find us on the 'web. Since the internet is truly 'world-wide' Sharon is now proclaimed to be 'world famous" A truly stunning lady, but sorry guys, I'm not sure if she's single!

I've really missed input about the sound from Tim, who was not with us this weekend. I did ask Cindy (the other bartendress) if we were too loud but she said no.

Some great food which Lor-Re-Lei is becoming famous for, and I was getting quite a few leftovers from Beth and Sonya. Then Karen decides she's not too hungry and I inherit this huge shrimp salad. Yum! The shrimp-burger is absolutely the best I've ever had anywhere--great crew in the kitchen.

Packed house this evening, and very much into partying and having a fun time. By the end of the evening the dance floor was staying pretty crowded-- a lot to watch, too! We have a couple of weeks off as Karen & Mike are going on vacation, back in action in Wilmington at Joel's near the end of the month.

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Well it was with no small amount of trepidation that I arrived at the Moose Club on Carolina Beach Road last Saturday evening. Maco Station is a rather LOUD band at times and we really have to work at controlling our volume. Noticed that there was already a good sized crowd in attendance. One nice thing about the Moose Club is that the bands run from 8:00 til 12:00---makes it nice for getting home at a halfway decent hour. We mixed up our set list with a good variety of slow & fast, country, some beach music, and actually brought back a couple of songs that we haven’t done in a while. One of the things were considering right now is adding more beach music to our set list hoping that bookings will pick up as winter is generally a slow time for musicians in the Wilmington area. Anyway, the crowd was great, and I was glad that two couples came in just as we prepared to get started and sat right near the front. They were there to party, and were up dancing from the start. Whenever someone gets up to dance that ‘breaks the ice’ and others soon follow. I had the volume on my amplifier lower than I’ve ever played it with Maco, and that plus the fact that I was wearing ear protection made for a very pleasant evening with no headaches or ringing ears afterwards! This coming weekend has us at Cody’sin Wilmington on Friday night, and back at Lor-Re-Lei in Snead’s Ferry for Saturday night.

Monday evening we got together at Robbie’s place where we practice, and soundman/ helperman Tim recorded about fourteen songs for a demo tape we’re putting together. We finished laying down the tracks at about nine o’clock, with Tim planning to mix the instruments the next day and then we could add backing vocals. Big Daddy was eager to get the tape done so we could start sending it out and hopefully getting some more work so he, Karen, Billy, Robbie, and Tim stayed until about ten-thirty to finish up. I however went home to watch Monday Night Football! Well, we COULD have finished next week! Anyway, I felt slightly bad about leaving but not so bad that I stayed!

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Hey it's me again - I've had some computer problems so that's why I didn't get to finish my update last week - I've also had to save all of the updates on a disc from Dec. 28, 2003 and prior - I do have them and maybe someday Maco Station will write a book with them!!!!

Getting back to my update about our gig at the Holiday Inn Sunspree - we had a great time!!! Loved playing outside, we had a nice audience - they danced just about every song - also thanks to Sandra for bringing her co-workers to see us! Dr. Plage, himself was there and several others from work - please come back to see us again!

Sat. the 25th, we played at the Brass Pelican in Surf City. We played to a completely different crowd than the night before - Friday night we played our variety, but Sat. we played all our good ol' rock & rolll stuff! There wasn't a big crowd but we still had fun. There was a beautiful couple who were standing at the end of the bar and kept to themselves all night, they looked very much in love! So we decided to dedicate "Wonderful Tonight" to them. When we had finished up for the night they made a point to come up to us and tell us how appreciative they were - apparently it had been their wedding song a year before and they didn't get a chance to dance to it and they said it meant so much to them that they finally got a chance to dance to it! Very romantic! I told them I would write about them and I'm not sure if I have their names right but I'm going to guess Richard and Kathy - I'm sorry if I'm wrong, with my computer having troubles it's been over a week and my short term memory gets worse with age! Hope you had a good rest of your vacation!

Bill was back with us this weekend and I'm hoping he writes something because he is so much better at it than me!

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Hey y'all - it's me Karen. Been awhile since I wrote an update but Bill was out of town this weekend so it's up to me to tell you about our weekend. It was busy! Friday night we played at the Holiday Inn Sunspree in Wrightsville Beach for the first time. Great gig - we played outside on the deck facing the ocean. It was a beautiful night, the wind was a little strong at times but it was a nice breeze.......more on this above...............

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Well, I continually say to myself I'm too old to being doing this, have too much to do to keep doing this, it doesn't pay well enough, people don't come out to see bands and party like they used to...and here I am once again writing an update for yet another show with MACO STATION.

The latest job was at Chuckie D's, just off Oleander Drive in Wilmington. This is one of those places I have a love-hate relationship with--- on the plus side the people are great, nice little bar, fairly easy to load in, good staff...on the other side they don't advertise who's there so unless you are a regular or read this website, well, when we're there not many people know about it. Good to see a good sized crowd of regulars though. It was Alex's birthday...for those of you who read these updates Alex is the bartendress at Chuckie D's. She always keeps things running smoothly and has the uncanny ability to remember what people's drink preferences are, even if you've only been there once or twice. Since it was her birthday she had the night off and was there to party. We got underway at nine-thirty with "Jumping Jack Flash", and I was “blowing clams" from the start (making mistakes.) Seems I just couldn't focus on what I was doing. Hopefully nobody noticed, but I realized during the second song, the Temptations "Get Ready", I had better get my act together. Strange, I've never had this problem until recently. (Getting old?).

Lots of MACO family in attendance. In addition to the band itself- Big Daddy, Karen, Billy Stratton, Robbie, helperman/recording person Tim (who had the distinction of getting "hit on" by three different women during the course of the evening), and myself, was manager (and Karen's husband) Mike, & Billy's father, Mr. Bill Stratton. Our crew is getting to be rather sizeable! Longtime family member Beth came in, great to see HEr again, and who should wander in but former drummer Jamie O, along with his wife Kim and sister Lori. Of course we had to get Jamie up to play drums and sing a few songs---his version of "Unchain My Heart", is a real treat to be heard, not to mention his drumming on the Allman Brothers "Whipping Post", where his part actually was played by the Allman Brothers with TWO drummers! A testament to Jamie's past contributions as a drummer/vocalist is the fact that Maco Station replaced him with two people! Nice to see people dancing--and singing along, particularly to "Hands to Yourself", the Georgia Satellites number (their one hit.)

Next week has us at The Holiday Inn Sunspree at Wrightsville Beach on Friday night, and back at The Brass Pelican at Surf City on Saturday night....Billy Stratton will be back on bass for the next two weeks as I'll be out of town, should be a treat for the long time fans to hear the band sound more like it did a few years back, I know I'll be wishing I was there!

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To all the readers who are making their first visit to our webpage: welcome, and to those returning: thanks for dropping in again. MACO STATION updates this website to let everyone know who we are, where and when we are appearing live, and what's going on in our sometimes insane world of a cover band. As I reflect back on many years of playing clubs and parties it occurs to me that the ideal progression of a musician is to pay your dues practicing your craft, usually in a multitude of "garagebands" that go nowhere, then advancing to local clubs where you play cover tunes in a smoky room full (hopefully full) of people drinking, dancing, and having a goodtime, and then doing original music, recording, and becoming 'a star.' Hmmm.... Having done some recording and small concerts where you play for about 45 minutes I can honestly say I prefer that, however, we're one of the many local bands that sweat it out in smoky bars for four hours a night and very little money. You obviously must love what you're doing... or be a little 'off', as the British say.

Anyway, this past weekend had us trekking back up to Lor-Re-Lei, a nice little bar located in Snead's Ferry, NC, about forty miles from our home base of Monkey Junction. (The town of Maco is about twenty miles to the west of Monkey Junction and no, no one in the band is actually from there.) The drive up isn't too bad, very familiar road to me from my travels in the late seventies w/ the Al Watkins Band (often six nights a week up in Jacksonville NC over a two-year period.) We all travel separately which considering gas prices can get rather expensive.

I arrived at about 8:20 on Friday to set up. My current bass rig fits easily into the little Nissan station wagon I've been driving-- 220 watts into 15" & 12" speakers, plenty for this place. Looked over to Big Daddy's side of the stage and I see we're back under "Marshall Law." Working in a music store means that Big Daddy rarely plays the same guitar or amp twice running. Good crowd tonight, especially for a Friday, and everyone's up and on the dance floor from the start. This always makes for a fun night. Many familiar faces, and Pam & her husband have brought a crowd as usual.

Seems that they're always there at least one night when we're at Lor-Re-Lei. And of course, the 'back of the bar ladies', Gretchen & Debbie were there both nights to liven things up. (More on this later.) Gretchen brought along Allison on Friday night, a friend of hers I don't remember seeing before.

Saturday rolled around and th advance crowd was even larger than the night before. Pam was back again (glad to see her and her husband and all their friends, once again they brought a crowd. Two new ladies sitting near them, Sharon & Kelly, who mentioned that they had left "Bob" & "Uncle Phil" either at home or in the car--- these were not actual people as it turned out-- you had to be there!

...there was an interesting contest held about midnight...a bikini contest where the contestants had to make their own bikinis, using anything but cloth. One lady made hers out of duct tape...thought that was very inventive on her part....nobody else came prepared but luckily boss lady Tracey had some 'interesting' ones in the back. There were categories for both men and women...sadly only two women took part, the aforementioned 'duct tape lady' and Debbie...all I can say is 'checkmate!" Three men in the contest including our own Mike Heath....good job, Mike, but the men's category was won by a recent transplant from Texas who is also a bass player.

Robbie's friend Tim was there both nights to lend a hand and a helping ear to our sound, and Saturday night he recorded the entire show. From what I heard during the breaks it was possibly the best live recording we've ever done--unfortunately there were NO originals done that night.

Great to see Ms. Beth, a longtime Maco family member & friend of Karens.... she came in right before the first set having caught a ride from Mike & Karen...I was sitting there eating a shrimp burger (great food from the Lor-Re-Lei kitchen, by the way) and looked up to see Karen & Beth walk up...quite a fun night, one of those nights that make you realize how much fun performing in public can be....lately it seems that those nights are getting fewer & further between---I must be getting old, don't really get the same enjoyment as I did just a few years back....and that Damn bass gets heavy after four hours---anybody doing one set shows that needs a bass player? Preferably one with a road crew....this coming week four shows at the Surfside in Carolina Beach, Thurs thru Saturday--unless Hurricane Frances spoils or fun....later.... _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"The dog ate my homework." (Statement made by a classmate of mine back in the fifth grade) "My dog ate my floppy disk." (This really happened to me!)

I thought that this week I'd give you an honest idea of what goes on w/ a band. We gathered together at Robbie's house on Tuesday night for a practice. We had been rehearsing at Karen's but it turns out that Robbie has an outbuilding that he and his friend Tim have turned into a combination studio and practice room. No A/C so we played with the front doors open which Big Daddy liked because he could smoke. I had no idea of what we were working on but there was a recording of the old hit "Slip Away" which was recorded by Clarence Carter as well as many others. Since this song was playing over and over I figured out that this was a possible new song for us so I began to learn the bass part. Luckily I was somewhat familiar with the tune and it's rather easy to learn. I thought that we had done a respectable job of learning it but it didn't appear on the song list.

I checked the 'Currents' section of the Wilmington Morning Mullet-Wrapper as I do every Thursday morning to see who's playing where. We were booked at Chuckie D's on Friday the 20th, and since he often doesn't advertise who is playing there I wasn't too surprised to not see us mentioned. I fail to see the logic here, I mean, if you're paying for an ad, a band, and wanting to make money I would assume that you'd let potential customers know who is appearing. To make matters worse, I showed up at 8:15 to find a Karaoke show set up on the stage. Big Daddy, Robbie, and Tim were waiting outside and had confirmed that indeed we were supposed to be there. The people doing the Karaoke show were then called by the management and informed of the fact that they were not there that evening. They were not real happy about this--- can't say I blame them. And of course they had been there the previous Friday & several people had been told that they would be back. All this confusion does nobody any good....

Anyway, we started just a bit late with the late load-in and everything. Crowd was respectable despite the lack of advertising and everyone was having a real large time. Opened up with "Jumping Jack Flash," a little worried that it might be a little loud for a first song. No worries, though, the people were great and no complaints about the volume at all that evening. Good to have Billy back with us, and his son and future daughter-in-law were there as well as his dad, Big Bill. Seems like Billy can fill up any club we play at with just family!

Back on the road next week- up to Snead's Ferry once again. ______________________________________________________________________________________________

“I talk to myself because I want to associate with a higher class of people.” (Jackie Mason)

Well, where WAS everyone on the 11 th of last month? Certainly not at Cody's (well, except for a few!) And that was too bad because despite playing without Billy Stratton we had one of our best nights--- even the song "Redneck Woman' came out sounding really good. The people that were there had a good time...something I've noticed, though....we've played bars where there was more men than women and there naturally was not as much dancing and everyone seemed more restrained....however, this particular evening there were more women than men and the results were pretty much the same...our friend Elizabeth (Dr. Elizabeth yet?) would have a lot of fun studying this phenomenom!

Last month also had us trekking up to Emerald Isle, NC to play at the Holiday Campground up there. They have live bands every Saturday night from 7:30 until 10:30. Most of the band & family drove up early with plans to stay overnight and enjoy the beach...Big Daddy had to work so I rode up with him as I knew the way from many family vacations at Emerald Isle. It's about a ninety minute ride and we had about two hours to get there. Somewhere outside Swansboro we noticed that the van was running a little hotter than normal....I suggested turning off the A/C to see if that helped but Big Daddy did not want to do without his A/C! With the temperature gauge hovering near hot we cruised into Emerald Isle. This job was outside under a covered gazebo-type open building, and lo & behold---they had plenty of electrical outlets! Very unusual. The only detraction to the whole set-up is that the restrooms were quite a trek away---but being so hot out my main worry was staying hydrated.

Holiday Campground is a family type event so we were asked to refrain from drinking and using any profanity. We actually changed the words to several songs "to keep it clean." It was also a pleasure to have former MACO STATION drummer and vocalist Dr. John & Vicki join us for the evening. Dr. John played drums & percussion as well as sang---it really added a lot to the night. As I've said before this year we're calling our series of bookings "The MACO Family Reunion," and having John & Vicki there made it even more special. The only thing I regret is not having Billy play bass while John played drums for that "1999" original sound!

I used my wireless system for my bass for most of the first set until I began to perspire so much that I actually shorted the transmitter out during "I Ain't Fat." By the way, we're now doing two originals from the MACO STATION CD, 'I Ain't Fat', and 'Separate Ways,' almost an old-time beach music slow dancing song. It's got a good groove and the response has been very positive despite the fact that were still learning it.

All ages at this gig--- a little different from what we're used to. I liked the fact that because we were outdoors cigarette smoke wasn't an issue. Also interesting was the fact that every time we went on break the audience left and went back to their campsites, but returned as soon as we started playing. One young gentleman (10 or 11) actually wanted to hear 'Drift Away,' and we were glad to play it for him. Finishing up at ten-thirty was very different & welcome. We loaded up and Big Daddy & I left in his van, the rest of the band opting to stay the night at the campground. As we started up the bridge leaving Emerald Isle we noticed the temperature gauge once again headed for the dreaded 'hot' area. I once again suggested turning off the A/C but we continued on bravely (well, after all, I DID have my cell phone!) A little rain further down the road seemed to help ('...rain water blowing under my hood, knew it was doing my Ford engine good...') ---anyway, we made it home all-right.

Several bookings at Lorettas and Lor-Re-Lei up in Sneads Ferry have occupied the rest of our time. Due to Karen's computer being down we have not had any updates, and unless I write those soon after they occur I tend to forget all the details. This past weekend had us back at Loretta's Surfside Bar at Carolina Beach. Only one night this weekend as Hurricane Charley was heading for us thankfully now at a category two.

Anyway, Friday night was sort of a "Hurricane Party" for the regulars and a few tourists who were braving the elements. Due to his job at a local TV station Billy Stratton was not able to be there so we once again carried on with Karen, Big Daddy, Robbie, and Myself. I missed Billy not being there but then again I had more room on my side of the stage! We started out to a rather sparse crowd due to the impending storm and the rain showers. Karen's husband Mike & Wesley were kind enough to run down to Britt's Donut Shop and bring back what are probably the best donuts you'll find anywhere. A customer at Lorettas, also named Karen was sitting at one of the front tables talking to us so we introduced her to Britts great donuts. Needless to say, she thought that they were great.

Thanks to Shorty and Barbara for tending bar. I received the sad news that bartendress Pam was no longer working there and was glad to see her wander in later to hang out and even take the time to pass around our tip jar. (Thanks!) Ms. Loretta was missed this evening--she could not be there and her absence was noticed by everyone.

The crowd picked up towards the end of the night as often happens at Caroliona Beach. We packed up at one AM reluctantly--- the storm was due to hit the next afternoon and we were all hoping for the best. Noticed Robbie trying a few background vocals during the night--- appreciate the help! And Big Daddy is also singing more.

Next week has us back at Chuckie D's---and we'll try to get these updates happening more often.

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I finally am able to update the web site after several weeks of my computer being down! We are now up and running - hope you haven't given up on us!!!! July was an extremely busy month for us with several gigs at Carolina Beach and a weekend at Lo-re-lei's in Sneads Ferry. Bill will have to write about July in greater detail - he's much better at that than me!

Next weekend we'll be back at Loretta's at Carolina Beach - please come out to see us!!!!! Rock On!!!!!!!!

P.S. Unfortunately - because I had to start from scratch when updating this website recently - we lost some of our Guest Book entries - any entry after Jan. 2003 is gone, so please keep signing our Guest Book - we love hearing from you!!!!!!!!

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As I sit here with a slight cold and a sore throat looking ahead to Friday night at Cody’s I realize just how busy I’ve been over the last two weeks. Along with the forementioned four wonderful nights in a row at the Surfside over the Memorial Day weekend was three bookings last weekend.

I was not able to be at the Surfside last Friday night due to a previous booking with SHAZAM, the keyboard-bass duo that I’ve worked with off and on since 1995. MACO STATION once again relied on the abilities of Billy Stratton, the original bass player who now plays rhythm guitar w/ the band (at least when I’m there!)

Saturday afternoon was the annual Carolina Beach music festival held on a stage right by the ocean, near the Surfside. Ms. Loretta had us play from 1until 5 last year and we had a good crowd, so she decided to try it again. I arrived at the beach around 12:15. Free parking areas are a thing of the past so I headed for one of the $5.00 public lots where at least you probably won’t get towed from. Well, with all the people at the beach these lots were full as well so I took my chances and parked in the bank parking lot despite that there was a sign saying “all unauthorized vehicles will be towed at owner’s expense” (like the bank was going to pay for the towing!). Since the bank was closed and the lot was full of refugees like myself I took a chance and slid my ’83 Nissan station wagon into a space. Luck was with me this day as the car was still there at 5PM. (Maybe the towing company felt sorry for me driving such a disreputable car, but hey, it hauls all my equipment and is great on gas!)

I wandered with bass in hand through the Boardwalk (actually it’s made out of concrete---a Concretewalk?) Lots of people milling around as I made my way past the cycle rentals, arcades, Britt’s famous donut shop, the Pizza place, and a new shop: ‘A Little Bit Hippy’ (Hippie?) Looked to be a shop that sold clothing and accessories from the sixties-might have to check it out sometime.

Loretta’s Surfside Bar sure looks different in the daylight---most musicians are Vampires anyway---takes some getting used to. We got started at one o'clock to a respectable crowd that included friends & family. Mike Raab of THE BEAT MAGAZINE (see our link to it at the bottom of the home page) came out and took several pictures. Good to see him again. In addition to publishing The BEAT MAGAZINE Mike is an ccomplished keyboard player who has worked with MACO STATION in the past--- always fun! The first three sets were great and things began to die down towards the end of the afternoon, both at the Surfside and on the Boardwalk itself. This was fine with me because we were all getting a little tired from our busy schedule and wanted to rest up for the evening show.

I arrived back at the Surfside around eight-fifteen for the evening show. Both Pam and Shorty were STILL tending bar---a long day for them. Lots of familiar faces mixed in with the regulars. As the dance floor got more and more crowded Billy had his microphone accidentally pushed into his mouth more than once as the dancers got wilder and wilder. One lady in particular was having a great time, and covering a lot of the dance floor in the process. During 'Margaritaville', a Jimmy Buffet song that I sing Karen walked out onto the dance floor and pulled up her shirt during the 'with nothing to show but a brand new tattoo' line in the song...revealing a temporary tattoo across her lower back., Bartendress Pam did this same thing on Monday night---wonder if it's getting to be a tradition? Great fun, but I do tend to forget the next verse. Robbie is doing great as the MACO drummer---the breaks, beginnings, and endings are becoming tighter and tighter. Nothing like a series of bookings at the Surfside to get a band sounding good!