Imagine if you will the location for the filming of MTV’s Spring Break at Daytona Beach. Erase that weekend and replace it with “Recovery Month” put on by Stewart Marchmam Act.  Now you have a picture of the “follow thru”. They should be put back to back perhaps.

SMA has been around for thirty years. The NehoSoul Band was invited to do a concert on the beach yards from the finish line of the very first Daytona 500 race.

The Daytona Beach Band Shell looks to be a relic from a lost civilization, only transplanted to the current “mardi Gras” looking surroundings of Daytona Beach.

Saturday night there were some 3000 people there to celebrate recovery. O.k. there were alot of onlookers from the bar too! and the balconies of the 16 floor hotel towering over the band shell.

The heat even at 7 p.m. when we started playin, was stifling. I found myself pouring cold water over my head during the performance. which included a spontaneous combustion, on my part, of off the charts dancin around during one of the blistering grooves the Neho Soul Band always lays down.

Dancing, for a 56 year old with bad knees,(while wearing motorcycle boots) is near suicide in normal weather. But Daytona has the humidity factor of an African Jungle.

The day after came with the kind of punishment that an old man deserves for tryin to live up to his past.

I was clearly finished physically after the three hour motorcycle run that was part of the event. Some 200 motorcycles rolled under escort from ten Motorcycle cops, stopping traffic at every intersection. I could get used to that.

The scenery was surprising in variation, I wasn’t aware some of it existed in Florida. That canopy of trees and Black Water swamp was like a New Orleans movie setting.

What was familiar was the flat land and the sandy roadsides, tall pines towering over lush tropical vegetation, and that humidity drawn from frequent rain showers serving up a deceiving momentary relief.

The recovery ride finished at the Band Shell. Bikers  lined the sidewalk with their motorcycles next to the beach to watch two bands, a dance team, and a motorcycle stunt show.

The whole event brought large numbers of curious bystanders and tourists. It was the kind of set up that I always hope for in presenting music. An event that captures the ears of the unsuspecting. When you can stop someone on the sidewalk because of the presentation and hold them there without all the hype and marketing you know you have something special.

k so there’s that. in a band shell… bryan d

Six hours north of me and straight up the old 99 is the town of Madera. Forty minutes above Fresno (which still might not help you find it), is an outpost of the central California farming community. The Cornfields and the Cotton were ready for harvest. It’s mostly a boring run on a motorcycle especially when the ride is solo. California farming is not what you visualize when you think of the state. But there are miles of almond groves and orchards. Its the other kind of fruits and nuts that are cultivated in California. Add to that Vineyards, and Cattle for milk and Cheese, Asparagus, Beets, and Garlic, and you have the makings of nothing to take a picture of.

Madera is an old original whistle stop with the remnants of the wild west still standing between 7-11′s. The wooden water tower next to the rails looks like Knott”s Berry Farm. Quaint deco style gas stations have been converted to grease monkey hang outs and the place to get those cool rims for your low rider.

Roger Leach has been a frontier pastor here for 22 years. “my church is mostly third generation hispanic families. The grandchildren of migrant farm workers” the pastor shares at dinner saturday night. “Roger never made me feel like an outsider” says ex gang member and cholo Sam Cortez. “I hated white people” he says but I always loved Sam Cooke music and somebody gave me one of your records back in the day” he told me after the service.”Jesus spoke to me through this soul music from a white guy” he smiles. “Got me through some hard prison time too” he added tearfully. “don’t ever stop what yer doin man”.

Valley West Christian Center was a fresh spring on sunday morning. I read Oswald Chambers before riding through the little town to the church on the other end. “God will give us communion with people we have no natural affinity for” I read. The timeliness of the insight in devotions has always made me realize there are no coincidences.

I took Hogwash books with me too. Though I thought “no farmers are gonna buy this book”. But there were at least thirty bikers who rolled up in the parking lot. Again, God plans ahead and doesn’t tell me about it. I rode to the Black Bear Diner with em after church, all members of “CMA” Christian Motorcycle association. It felt like family.

In the scope of “Great things to do for God”, from an earthly perspective, Madera would not stand out on the poster of impressive places to play music. But God taps me on the shoulder as I’m riding home over “the grapevine” and says, “have you considered my servant Roger Leach?, there is no finer example of faithfulness”.

His church looks like so many others you might pass along the roadside. The usual clam shell at first glance. But here I found an absolute pearl inside!.

As great as the Gathering gig was I was off the next morning with no time to revel. Rode my ride up the coast with my friend, James for an evening concert in Lompoc, Ca.. It was perfect weather for ridin. 70 degrees and overcast.

Riverview Church of God invited me up to share some music. Robert Key, gave a twenty minute history lesson on stuff I used to do and what it meant to him. I might have treated that unfairly in response. I was in a tired and giddy mood sunday night. Played some of the old stuff to a mostly new audience.

Played till my voice went out from fatigue. Yea it happens. I won’t see my voice again till maybe thursday. It felt relaxed and comfortable in Lompoc. I made remarks about Lompoc being the perfect location for the witness protection program! and asked the crowd to pretend like they knew my old songs if they didn’t . “think of the Beatles if you have too”.. “try to act like yer hearing yer favorite song live” I said. I finally got a great response!

My wife got home from New York City the day I left for Lompoc. I was singing “green acres is the place to be”.. She loves NYC! me? I love the countryside! But neither of us has been home for the last five days! and I just wanted to run to her. But safety on a motorcycle has to come first so I stayed the night to insure an attentiveness that would get me home.

Oh my!, I forget how gorgeous she is!. found myself staring at her in the kitchen. I gotta pinch myself to make sure this is all real sometimes! wow that’s my wife! (whats wrong with her eyesight) I thought. (i feel like she’s gonna come to her senses any day now and realize that she could have done alot better)

After five days apart there is a wall to work through in the way of connection in a relationship. Talking on the phone was more of a “To do” list on my part and Cassie was all distracted about the big city and so many things new to see! monday night I finally looked at her as we sat on the back porch, our favorite hang. “Hi Cassie” I say… “hi bryan” she returns “do I know you” I smiled… “yes, I would be your wife” she laughs.

There’s a distraction to our focus on each other that has a way of turning into a monster sometimes. it took the better part of a day to even recognize each other in our “real” souls. We both got home and started “cleaning” routines, and unpacking.  There’s just more to do than we have time for. Let’s see should I unpack or sit on the porch with my wife first. I think I made the right decision.

I was euphoric in an exhausted kind of way. Leaving “The Gathering”. What a sound system! and what an unbelievable line up of talent. I was caught off guard hearing One Nation, with a full horn section and percussion, keyboards and guitars. It truely was a “Santanna” sounding outfit.

And I’ve never seen a more prolific guitarist than Doug Smith. He played one of the pieces from his work in the movie August Rush, and  “Classical Gas”, “Peter Gun” and several absolutely wonderful humor songs including “would you like to play the guitar”. His wife joined him on vocals and flute. they covered “I got you babe” by Sonny and Cher” as well as a graceful version of “Somewhere over the rainbow”. I’ve never sat through an entire set of music before I went on. It was like getting a free concert myself.

I invited him on stage to play with me after his set. “when you see talent like Doug Smith” I told the crowd “you have to have him join the band”. He brought a rendition of “Love you with my life” that was closer to the quiet prayers project when I asked him to sit in with me.

The Sugar Caddies played with me on this one too. and the improvements were light years over our first gig. “Into Wishin” was a real highlight as well as “never lied to you” first time I’ve played the song with a band.  We closed with a little rendition of “release yo self” by Graham Central Station that took the place apart!

The stage was set up like a little beach shack restaurant complete with tables close to the stage. the amphitheater audience was looking in on a small club like atmosphere that really came alive shortly after dark. Mike Gross, Guitarist for the Sugar Caddies tells me we have real footage of tonights gig so maybe you’ll get to see what you should be slapped for missing!

I think I might have rehearsed so hard that my voice will be gone for the show tonight. I forgot that I agreed to do this “meet and greet” mini concert at Temecula Valley Winery an hour and a half away from  rehearsal yesterday. nearly drove by my house without stopping.

What I got for the effort though was a front row seat for Grammy Award Winning Guitarist Doug Smith. I’ve never seen anyone do what he could do with an accoustic guitar. I’ve been on tour with Phil Keaggy for cryin out loud. Doug has a unique approach and everything he did got standing ovations! between every song! btw.

No one was expecting him tonight least of all me. I sat Jaw dropped for his thirty minute montage of what you didn’t know you could do with a guitar.

He joined me on “I love you with my life”, which we will do together at “The Gathering” tomorrow. I played too much tonight, probably trying to recover the audience from what they got from Doug. worried about my voice now. But I’ve been really getting serious about presenting new and different songs in a guitar set mostly and I jumped at the opportunity to present a small set. of course there were die hard old fans who wanted to here Blue Skies and Maybe I’m Amazed.

I really didn’t wanna go to the piano but it still resonates as perhaps my high water mark in music.

These days I’d rather sing in lower keys… soft touch, warm vocal sound. I have two styles of song on guitar that leaves me feeling a little bi polar. half the songs are irritated smartalec presentations of dissasters. The other half are good feeling happy songs. from a marketing perspective I’m not sure where all that takes me.