It’s hard to believe that 5 years have gone by since Katrina devastated New Orleans – and now we have the new disaster which seems to have magically “cured itself” overnight according to some. What happened to the millions and millions of barrels of oil which flowed into the gulf?  Well according to some reports it has disappeared – so microscopic that you would not even know it’s there – BUT now someone recently discovered a plume of oil 22 miles long……strange.

Well now we’ve all but forgotten that hundreds of thousands of people were displaced – sent to Houston and other parts of the country after Katrina.  Others are still living in trailers while people have been charged money to tear down their homes because they were underwater for weeks. 

We still play “5 Minutes From America” because we believe that now more people than ever are:

          “Just 5 minutes from America

           You can see it very clear.

           Just 5 minutes from America

            But you can’t get there from here”

We have a new song called “Gulf Of Mexico” which we will be releasing on its own soon.  The proceeds from sales will go to a charity (we’re not sure which one yet). So look for it soon.  We’re also planning to release our new CD “Turn It On” in the US by the end of the year.

From “Gulf Of Mexico”:

        “I’ll pray every night

        ‘Till darkness turns to light

         And a new wind blows

         I’m not saying goodbye to the Gulf of Mexico.”

Thanks for all the wonderful comments from our VANCOUVER SHOW.  I want to move there……………….someday

See You Around......................... Sometime

Modern Westerners

…….. and if you are ever in Niagara Falls on the Canada side, go to the Falls Greenhouse and you’ll see one of the most fabulous orchid collections in the world.

Thanks Linda for coming all the way from Europe to hear us!

Halifax lies in one of the most beautiful locations in the world – on the Atlantic coast in Nova Scotia. Famous for it’s lobster and scallops (which we partook of with great delight) it also hosts a country music festival attended by several thousand  loud and enthusiastic fans. We got to hear some great music including Lonestar and Alan Jackson.

We are still an unknown quantity in most parts of the world.  Halifax was no exception but they welcomed us and embraced our style of country/rock even though they really didn’t know our songs.

Sadly we have to tell you that we’re not coming to Europe this September as we had announced. Those shows have been moved into next year.

See You Around…….

Modern Westerners

Last Friday Kevin,  along with Daisy (his faithful white Lab),  flew into Edmonton with Jan Folk and friends for our concert at Big Valley Jamboree.  You probably don’t know Jan – but – she is the visionary, the philanthropist, and the founder of Orangedog. She’s from Edmonton, Canada and just recently happened to fly 140 homeless dogs from Orange County, California in a private jet to Edmonton and then found homes for all of them except one.  That one was adopted by the pilot of the plane before it got to Edmonton. And….that wasn’t the first time she flew little dogs in a private jet from O to E.  Kevin is a big time supporter of Jan and her cool idea…  Do your research online and see what an incredible story it is.  

www.orangedog.ca

Edmonton has a shortage of small dogs and Orange County has a surplus – so much of a surplus that they are killing dogs by the second down there because there are not enough homes for them. We all know the story….cute little puppy….. but too much to handle when the puppy becomes a living dog who needs walking and feeding and time to poop and a little love. Well, Jan convinced the sweet-hearted owner of a private jet company (the kind of company that flies rich people around the world)  to use his down time to help stray dogs from Southern Cal live a full and meaningful life with someone in Edmonton who is freezing his or her ass off in the long winters with no one to love and cuddle in the long cold nights  (as opposed to the Long Hot Nights down in Tucson where the only thing you want to cuddle is an ice cube or a wet sheet).  The airline company is Global Exec Aviation run by Ramon Manriquez. Try them out sometime when you are SICK AND TIRED OF AIRLINES WHO KEEP LOSING YOUR BAGGAGE AND YOUR GUITARS AND SOMETIME EVEN LOSING YOURSELF!  Global Exec might be a little pricey for a trip to see Grandma in Columbus, Ohio for the weekend….. but, Ramon’s got a heart of gold. That’s the way people should use their money!  Don’t you wish there were more people around like Jan, Ramon, and Kevin? 

Modern Westerners love dogs, cats, snakes, rodents, bugs, spiders, horses, cows, buffaloes, alligators etc……………

See You Around……Sometime

Moderns

Ludmilla - you came last year - had to break the bank to come - but I heard you can't make it this year.   I'll say hello to you from all of us.....Thanks for coming then - We'll see you and your husband soon.

Can't wait to see you all again................

We miss you

See You around..........Sometime--------------

Modern Westerners

There was the usual small bottle of Patron in our dressing room behind the stage at Camrose Big Valley Jamboree – nothing special - the usual for our ritual toast prior to each performance we do. However this bottle was the one we should have had last year when the stage collapsed.  They had saved it for us all year long until we returned.  It obviously had a great significance to us since on that day last year Donna Moore was killed and many people seriously injured including Park and our tour manager Mark Botting. We celebrated Donna that evening even though we did not know her. We each said a silent prayer for her and her family before the show. $100,000 dollars was raised in an auction for her kids earlier in the weekend.

 The great fans at Big Valley welcomed us back in style as well. To salute them, their country who has sent their own into harm’s way along side of ours, and to remember Donna, we played “The Angels Came Down” just before “Superman 14” to end the set.  Thank you all for welcoming us back.

 Prior to our set we all had the pleasure of listening to the great Ronnie Milsap who still sings and writes with a conviction rarely heard in county music today.

 We are headed up to Niagara Falls for two shows at Fallsview Casino on Thursday and Friday – the 5^th and 6^th – then to Nova Scotia on Sat.

See You Around…….

The Modern Westerners

This week we are headed up to the Big Valley Jamboree where the big tragedy occurred last summer when the stage collapsed in a violent storm.  We never got the chance to play so we are looking forward to coming back and spending a day and shaking off some bad old memories with some good rock and roll. 

First of all we want to thank everyone in the Ottawa area and everyone in the Regina area for coming to the festivals. Wow! You Canadians really know how to put on a festival. The Ottawa Blues Fest, right in beautiful downtown Ottawa, had an incredible lineup of musicians and music of all kinds - and that means everything from pure country to the amazing Martin Sexton to some great R&B to the incredible Jimmy Cliff. It went on for 12 days. We had a fantastic time and made a lot of new friends who now know that KCMW is not a FLUKE.

About 30 miles outside of Regina (some new friends here told us that Regina rhymes with fun - I didn't say it so don't get all over me about it) there is a beautiful green valley which is the location of the kick-ass festival called Craven Country Jamboree. Out in the middle of nowhere there were 32,000 fans ready to rock and roll. The weather was magnificent (so was our tequila before the show - you probably remember that we always have a toast before we go on) and the fans were too.  Most of them didn't know what to expect from us although I did see a few "Turn It On" CDs in the audience.  By the end of the show we were finishing "Superman14" and Kevin was out on the walkway running through the audience shaking hands and blowing kisses and the band just kept rocking out on that great riff, which Teddy came up with at the end of the song -- people were up on their feet  - we just didn't want it to end - man it just doesn't get any better than that.........unless........we just happen to be in Europe - which is looking more and more like it's going to happen. Two shows in Armenia - Two in Austria and one in London - maybe one in Ireland -all in late September.  We should have some dates for you by the end of the week.

You want to know something else?  Kenny Chesney ROCKS!  - got a knockout 4 piece horn section, an incredible percussion guy who played with The Wailers, and some amazing guitarists - and they are all great people. There were 32,000 fans on their feet as 4 jets roared overhead on a low flyby.................and the band rocked on into the summer night

Thanks for all your comments!

See You Around Sometime

Modern Westerners

For our fans in Europe, it looks like we will be coming back in September to do a couple of shows in Armenia ; a couple in Austria ; one in England and maybe a few more.  Keep checking our website.  WE CAN'T WAIT TO COME BACK..............

And........our latest CD "Turn It On" will be released in Canada on EMI on July 13th just before our show in Ottawa.

The Modern Westerners

The whole world knows it happened already..... but we just want to say congratulations to Kevin and Christine.  They have a little girl now and her name is Grace. 

We're starting to gear up for the summer - doing some festivals in Canada - also Country Thunder again - this time in Twin Lakes Wis. Also we're working on a return trip to Europe for Sept. 4 - 11.  Not sure where we'll be playing yet.  And.........we might be coming to Australia for some concerts.  That would be fun.

Park and Teddy survived the floods in Nashville but only after incurring pretty heavy damage. They've been playing some benefits to help out the community. KCMW might do one this summer but it depends on scheduling. John, Blair and Larry headlined the final night of the Tucson Folk Festival in May. That was a blast.  We played with our friend Peter McLaughlin - world champion flat picker. We also played a wonderful memorial celebration concert for my mom who passed away while we were touring in Europe last time. Had a whole bunch of people out under the stars while the nighthawks swooped into the light and the music carried for miles and miles across the desert. Most everyone knows about Kevin's desire to help clean up BP's mess with his wonderful machines which can separate oil and water. Bp's been dragging their feet.  I hope some indictments follow.

We'll write again soon

Goodbye to Europe

Our last three shows – Stuttgart, Bratislava, and Nurnberg sent us off back to America with fond memories of Europe. The crowds again were amazing and enthusiastic.  We saw old friends who came to say goodbye in Nurnberg. We saw an unexpectedly beautiful city in Bratislava (we all want to go back to Slovakia). There we walked along the Danube before the show - miles of walkway along that ancient river. In Stuttgart we played in a wonderful theatre and once again felt like we were playing to friends who welcomed us with a little hidden wildness which came out full force at the end of the show. 

We’re home for a couple weeks then we head to Florence, Arizona to play Country Thunder – then to Mississippi for one show – then back home.

 Word has it that we may be coming back in late June/early July to do an outdoor concert in Salzberg and maybe a few others probably in Italy.

Modern Westerners want to thank:

 Everyone who worked so hard for us

Everyone who cheered for us

Everyone who drove so far to see us

Everyone who believed in us

See you around sometime  

They never returned no they never returned

And their fate is still unlearned

They will ride forever on the roads of Europe

They’re the band that never returned

We were talking about our flights back on British Airways on the 26^th – will we really fly back home then or will the strike cancel our flights?

It will cost a bundle of money to rebook our tickets – so much so that we may never be able to fly home again.  We had a good laugh about that. We would all just get back on the bus and keep moving  -  call our agent Nick and have him book another 6 weeks of shows. It wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened.  Park even said he would be fine with having 10 days off, go home, feed the dogs, mow the lawn,  pay some bills then come back and start another tour. A silence fell over the dressing room when he said that….. just a momentary consideration about how we could each make that work.  We were all fantasizing about the call back home……”Honey, we’re going to be a little delayed……….”. We all miss home too much for that to ever happen but it just illustrates how much fun we’ve had over here.

Dresden was amazing. One of the most beautiful cities we have seen …..a wonderful concert. In Kempten, one day later, the day was so warm we all sat out in the parking lot basking in the sun….. great crowd that night.  We’ve got three shows left…… We’re  “gonna miss your town……” when we go.

 A lot of young men and women are leaving Graffenwohr Army Base for Afghanistan on April 5^th to do what they have to do and hopefully all will return soon. So it was a good time for us to be there giving what little support we could with our brand of American Rock and Roll. Families will again be separated, tears shed, and the waiting begins.  Kevin signed autographs in the afternoon for 250 people and the band played a few acoustic songs. It was a very nice time for us all.

That night we played in a gymnasium which we all loved because it reminded us of our beginnings as musicians when the place to play music was the local gym at Prom night or at the end of the school year or any other time we were allowed to. We were always too loud and the principal was always threatening to pull the plug if we didn’t turn down. Not this time.  The walls shook and nobody came to shut down the fun. Before the band went on stage, Bobby stood up alone with his violin and played “America The Beautiful”. The base commander came on stage after our show and thanked us for coming. Then Kevin got up to the microphone and, in his remarkable way, spoke what was in all our hearts and thanked our troops for their service to our country. We were all a little teary-eyed.

The USO (United Service Organization) was started during WW11 to help provide entertainment for soldiers overseas.

……….Modern Westerners are headed for Dresden, The Florence of Germany.

The next night after the Vienna show at the Wiener Stadthalle Halle, Casey ( you remember our front of house sound guy) told us what it was like out at the sound board in back of the hall when we were playing our second encore song – “Cleo At The Wheel”.  He said that the place was jumping so much that a glass of water on the console was shaking and almost vibrated off on to the floor. We only have a few shows left – maybe we’ll shake that glass off at one of those.

Next stop  - our USO show at Graffenwoehr.

But the sun shines on us every night we play. It’s a beautiful day every time we strike up the band and see our new and old friends out front singing along and rocking the place. Both the Offenbach show and the Zurich show were so packed with people we wondered how they got so many in there.  Thank you to everyone who came and heard us.  We played “Cleo At The Wheel” for the first time………….DRIVE ON!!!!...............to Berlin.

We had a day off yesterday in Frankfurt and went to Gerry and Julia’s house for dinner to celebrate Pete’s birthday (in case you don’t remember – Pete is our lighting director). Gerry and Julia Millman are the husband/wife team who spearhead all our shows for Wizard Productions in Germany. All the crew from Go Audio were there. They have made our lives so much easier because they are not only nice people but incredibly talented hard workers. We drank wine, great German beer, ate Thai food and watched the NBA on ESPN.

The other night while we were signing autographs after the show in Hamburg, a lady leaned over the table and said “ Did you know there is a wave of enthusiasm for Modern West sweeping across Germany?”  We said “No really?” – all in one voice. We were truly surprised. We have just wanted to play our music and sell our new CD and hopefully make some friends and fans. If there is truly a “wave of enthusiasm” we want to ride it all the way to the end – and the end is not in sight. Next stop Offenbach.

After every show now the band has started going out to the front and signing autographs because we want our fans to know how much we appreciate them. Some people have just heard about us. Some have been there from the beginning and have come to many shows. We know who you are and seeing you out there is like seeing old friends again.

All our shows have been memorable so far  - here are some highlights:

 Barcelona -The beautiful Palau de la Musica forever in our hearts

Madrid -The kids dancing with Kevin and the band

Paris – The sold out show at the beautiful historic La Cigale

Den Atelier in Luxembourg   -The great crowd and the wonderful food

Gothenburg – Warm Hearts – Cold nights – largest snowflakes ever seen

Helsinki – playing in the Ice Hall  - Everybody wore coats and warmed

                  up with beer and drinks – ready to party

Wetten Das – wild with Kiss and Pet Shop Boys and a taste of craziness.

Randers Denmark – The very first show on this tour that sold out.

                                -two weeks after tickets went on sale – Thanks! 

Juchen – We loved Red Hot last time but the 2500 people crammed into the           

                Polodrom tent was like coming back home again

Leipzig – Gewandhaus – the beautiful concert hall with three tiers of

                balconies. We still remember fans dancing “way up there” 

Cologne – Ewerk in the old power house - great club- loud band-

                 minds blown by the incredible cathedral

Halle  - Gerry Weber Event center – in the middle of nowhere but out of

             nowhere – a filled up hall with lots of old and new fans

Lutz Charity Event  - a stage in the most unlikely place – best tequila so far

                                on the tour ( Don’t tell anyone but we like to have a toast  

                                 before each show)