Diary (old)

November 5, 2002

Well I hope everyone is doing well, we sure have had a great time (as always) since the last entry. Ill start with September 13-14: We played the Finish Line and had a blast, the people there are great and Bill and Cindy as usual took good care of us. The Sunday Jams are going great. Also if anyone gets the chance they need to come out on Sunday evening from 8-12. September 21 we played the Clay County Golden Delicious Apple Festival. I know, long name, that's why we just call it the Applefest. Anyway, we got to see some old friends and make some new friends; we shared the eveing with one of our favorite fellow groups from WV, Faded Glory. These guys put on one heckuva show and if you get the chance you need to go hear them. Plus they are a bunch of great guys. Between them and us we rocked the crowd till 2 a.m. I'm sure Clay will never be the same (at least not until next year). We want to thank all the great people who stayed the whole time, and also say "great job" to Mike Chapin who did a wonderful Elvis impersonation and to Jerry Alan Fitzgerald, who did a great job on everything he sang. Being a longtime Earnhardt fan, I liked his original tune "Black #3". We'd also like to wish Terri Lively well and hope she will be back next year, and we hope her back gets to feeling better. She couldn't make it this year but her staff did a wonderful job, still we missed you Terri.

On September 24 we were back at Morgan's in the Beckley Holiday Inn, had a total blast and met some nice folks from Indiana. Pawpaw came and had a blast and the people as usual loved him. September 27-28 found us at UNO's again. We really do like it there. Dave, Diane and Steve and the gang take real good care of us and I can't tell you how good the food is, all I can say is IncrEDIBLE. Also the crowd was great, they make it a fun gig.

October 4-5 we were at the Charleston Moose. It has been a while since we played there but I hope it wont be that long till we are back. We would like to thank all the good people, friends, family and fans who showed up and would like to thank Patti and the gang for the good food. The Moose had killer food, (if you'll notice, one thing "the Mix" loves is food). We'd like to thank Sharon and the gang for having us back. October 11-12, we were back at the Finish Line. Once more, we had a blast and so did the people, and also we'd like to thank Beth and her gang for the---are you ready?---FOOD.

October 15 we were back at Morgan's. In case anyone wants to know, we are usually there the 3rd Tuesday of every month. This is a fun gig, because we get to meet so many new people who are staying at the hotel, plus we get to visit with some of our people from the Beckley area and also the ones who come to hear us at the Tractor Bar. October 18-19, we played Pete's Place. Bless her heart, Deonna is getting so big. I think I said this last entry but I'll say it again, pregnant women are precious, and if Deonna reads this, "I can tell you and Helfried what causes that if you don't know." We had a blast, plus we got to meet some gentlemen who just might help us in our quest to further ourselves, Dick Beacham from Nashville and Lynn Holsclaw from Virginia. These guys resumés read like a who's who of country and bluegrass, but that's all I'm gonna say about that because I dont want to JINX us. If things go right we want to thank Darel and Holly for helping us get together with these guys.

October 25-26: Tractor Bar, love C.C. and the gang, but still ain't the same without Steve there, at least Benjamin still loves us enough to come out and be with us...(inside joke), Steve, you can't stay on the boat year round, hopefully next time he'll be there.

October 28 - November 2...Wheeeewww, what a week. We were in Florence again, another place we LOVE to go, great people and we just generally have a great time, which brings us to Tuesday night after the gig and Wimpy saving my life. Mikey and I were rooming together and Tuesday night after the gig we decided it was time for us to relax and let our hair down (so to speak), so we started enjoying some legal beverages, me with my Bud Light and Mikey with his White Zinfandel (wheeeww I hate to even type that name...I probably misspelled it anyway, I'm not the big wine connoisseur. If it ain't Boones Farm I don't like it. I know, I'm a redneck). Anyway, so Mike said hey do you want a cup of wine and I thought hmmmmm, what the heck, so we were sitting there sipping, into deep discussion and thought and the next thing you know the "GUY THING" takes over: "Hey, I bet I can chug mine before you chug yours!" Well the next thing I know it's daytime and I'm sore all over, so I call Wimpy to find out what happened. Well...I called him sometime during the night to tell him to come save me and Mikey from the monsters (must've been a Halloween thing I had going...). Anyway once I found out Mike was okay, I passed out forward and hit my head on the dresser (no damage done, just a little bump and scar, oh and I got one on my head too). I think I might've come close to alcohol poisoning, so thank you Wimpy for saving us from the monsters, oh and not telling John.

We had great crowds and Paul and Regina came down from WV again, so we did have some homies, and got to meet some other fine people. We appreciate people like Gene Ray, Gene Jr., Erika..., Buffy, Davis, Andrea, Nancy, Beannie, Phobie, Mica, Tersa, Jim, Johnny, Rhonda, Cecil oh and we cant forget Mary Kaye Kim...if you ever need your keys out again, just let me know.

We CAN'T wait till we go back in December (2-7) in case anyone wants to know or come, Merry Christmas... Anyway we don't have a New Year's booking yet but keep watching our Dates page because our people and ourselves are working on it and will keep you updated. And thanks everyone for signing our guestbook, hopefully we will be able to give away a t-shirt pretty soon, so keep signing and thanks to all for supporting the Mix.

September 10, 2002

How is everyone? We (the MIX and I) spent the last week in Florence and like every other American, reflected on where we were last year on September 11th. Well, we were in Florence, SC. Kinda ironic. I pray everyone has a good day tomorrow and the idiots of the world try to curb their stupidity. Of course there is a lot of stupidity here in the U.S.; pretty soon OUR idiots will be wanting us to sing "hmmmm bless America" or singing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" like this: "mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the hmmmm". Sometimes you just have to feel sorry and pray for the idiots of the world.

Well, now on to what we've been up to since the last posting.

August 9-10 we were at UNOs and we had a ball (but we always do). It was good seeing friends come out that you don't usually see because they are gigging also, like Judy Henley, Rick Lloyd and Randy Crouser from the Santa Cruz Band, and Greg Nichols from Liz Nichols' band, plus all our regular buddies and some new ones like Tommie Brown, Paul and Regina, Rick and Kim, Teresa and conscience, David Saul and his lovely wife and too many more to name. (I always get in trouble when I try to remember names.) Anyway, we had fun and enjoyed getting Judy up to sing with us. PawPaw got up and crooned a few also, to the delight of his fans (everyone loves Pawpaw). Anyway, we look forward to going back to UNOs September 27-28 so y'all come see us.

The 16th-17th we were back at the Tractor Bar, where I'm starting to think that Steve has been replaced by C.C.....lol. Anyway, we had a blast with the whole gang. Sorry we missed Benjs' B'Day. The 20th we were back at the Holiday Inn in Beckley, and as usual had fun with everyone. On the 23rd-24th we were back at home, or my stompin' grounds anyways, at Pete's Place in Sutton. Dionna always treats us good, and this time she had a special radiance to her---she and Helfreid are expecting a little one sometime after the new year. Congratulations you two.

30th-31st: We ended the month at the Finish Line. Good crowd, good people. We played Friday night and then had to pack up some stuff we needed to go down and play the Annual Sternwheel Regatta on Saturday. We opened for Rachel Proctor, a good friend of ours from the old days; Kevin Denney, a killer newcomer; and Earl Thomas Conley, a man from the old school who still gets the crowd going with his songs and show. Also opening up with us was Liz Nichols and her band. I'd like to say for the record that us local pickers didn't take a back seat to nobody that night. I could hardly talk, much less sing, but between Liz and her band, the rest of the Mix, and Rachel Proctor, I think the locals kicked serious butt and showed the Big Boys some of the killer talent we have in this state.

When we were finished we had to bust ass to get back to the Finish Line to play. A bunch of our mixers showed up and we had a blast. And then on Sundays we have been jammin' with Steve Mullens and Robert Shafer at the Finish Line, which is starting to get killer crowds and pickers and singers...which is good, because I could still barely talk. When we got finished wtith the Jam Sunday night we had to pack up and head to Florence, SC. We had a blast last week, got some stuff done, got a couple more songs worked up, got plenty of rest and my voice got better every night. The crowds were killer. We ended up having an awesome week even though we were told it would be slow since it was the week after the big race.

We want to thank Nancy for all the stuff she did and bought for the band; we appreciate people like her. Of course we appreciate all of the mixers that come out and support us. We sold a batch of t-shirts while we were down there, and hope to sell a batch more. We have new t-shirts with a new logo and have just ordered newer t-shirts and hats. Soon we hope to have a CD to sell and all kinds of other stuff.

Anyway, I'd like to end this entry by saying Thanks to all our family, friends and fans for suporting us. We hope every one will stay safe till we meet again.

August 7, 2002

How is everyone doing out there since the last posting? We're doing great and having fun. The Sunday Jams at the Finish Line are great and getting better each week. We would like to invite everyone out on Sundays from 8 PM-12 AM for great music and great fun. All right let's recap what has been going on and where we have been:

June 21-22: We were at the Tractor Bar in Mt. Nebo. We had a great time as usual. Unfortunately Steve wasn't there AGAIN---we have more fun when Steve is there (I think everybody does), but we understand he likes to spend time with Joyce on their boat in Tennessee (anyway it's a good thing I'm dumb or I'd figure out why everytime we play there Steve stays away...lol). I told him we'd learn more Motown for him.....lol

June 25: We played the Mariott in Charleston for a bunch of sportswriters and distributors of outdoor gear and got to meet a lot of great people. I'm gonna get myself in trouble by mentioning names because I always leave someone out but if I do I'll apologize now for it. We would like to thank: Coleman, Gerber, Cabelos and MPI Outdoors Products for the discounts and cool stuff, super good people.

June 28-29: Played the Finish Line. The crowds are getting bigger and bigger. Bill, Cindy and Randy are doing a great job with the place. We would also like to thank Bill and the Finish Line for sponsoring us in the upcoming Sternwheel Regatta, and also for giving us a place to host a Sunday Jam with Steve Mullens and Robert Shafer from 8-12, where we can help spread the good word on our Musicians Union, Local 136, and promote live music.

July 4th: We played in Weston. Now I mean to tell you the Weston Fire Department and the people of Weston put on a great show every 3rd and 4th of July and it seems like every year it gets bigger and better. In this year's fireworks show, there were at least 4 grand finales. It was great and I understand our buddies Faded Glory put on one heckuva show the night before. Good job guys, can't wait till the Applefest in Clay on September 21. We will be with Faded Glory that night.

July 5-6: We played at the Elk Lunch in Gassaway and had a blast. We played in the basement, what they call the Vault, and the place was packed both nights, killer crowd. Great job Buster and Bill Gumm.

July 12-13: We played at UNOs Chicago Style Pizza---another killer crowd. We'd like to tell everyone if you want killer food, and I don't mean pizza only, you need to go to UNOs. Great food, great people and great place. Steve Nu is the manager and he does a great job, and great staff. We'd also like to thank David Saul and his wife Diane for their support and new friendship. If anyone needs a vehicle go see David Saul in South Charleston or Myrtle Beach (if any of the Florence gang happens to read this) and tell him Southern Mix sent you.

July 16: Beckley Holiday Inn. As always, good time, great crowd, super nice people. Pawpaw had a blast mackin' on all the chicks, they love him, he's a sweetheart. Anyway they have a new D.J., Brian Kelly. If you get the chance to hear him he does a great job.

July 19-20: The Filling Station in Parkersburg. Scary situation. We didn't think we were gonna be able to play for 2 reasons. One, Julie's coolers took a crap on her but she got them fixed just in time and we partied both nights and had a blast. Cindy Harrah-Cox came out both nights after playing in the area; she brought her husband along, a super nice guy. She sat in with us both nights and brought back old Longhorn memories. Sonia got us drunk, no actually we did that ourselves (with a little help from our friends). Anyway, Saturday night, Ted Anderson got up and sang with us on his birthday and did a real good job. Ted has been in bands around the area for about 25 years or better. Oh yeah, the #2 reason we didn't think we were gonna get to play is, Wimpy's car broke down in Point Pleasant and he barely made it to the gig. Alternator and whatnot took a BIG crap, but we got him up and runnin', and we'd like to thank Dave for offering to fix it and Rick and all the guys at Midas in Parkersburg for fixing it, so Wimpy didn't have to become a citizen of Parkersburg. (P.S. Parkersburg, you owes us....BIG.......lol)

July 26-28: Played the Finish Line on Friday and Saturday and then jammed on Sunday. Had a great time as usual; the Jam Session is growing every week. After we finished the Jam we packed our gear and left from there and headed down to Florence, SC to the Travellers Inn. As always we had a great time. Shandra, Beannie (Jean Marie), Teresa, Terza, Rhonda and Cecil took good care of us. We got to see some of our buddies---we have people come all the way from North Carolina to hear us when we play there and this time our new buddies Paul and Regina came all the way from WV to party with us. We appreciate that! Sometimes it's good to have some homies with you so you don't get homesick...lol. Great crowds every night, the weather was HOT, (one day heat index was 111 degrees), but we had a blast anyway (as usual). Got to see a couple of really cool storms while we were there, and we have got to get some T-shirts before we go back in September or we will get killed...lol. Anyway after we played Saturday night we packed our stuff and slept till about 8:30 then got up and left for home. We had to be back to play the Jam at the Finish Line by 8 PM. We made it, but barely. Traffic on the Turnpike was killer--- literally. We had to wait in traffic behind a BIG wreck, but still made it in time to play (give or take 30 minutes...lol, sorry Randy). Robert didn't make it but our old buddy Glen Coleman came out, as did Randy Keesey, and Darrel Carte. Also Glenda and Paul came out and sang and picked. I probably left someone out again. If I did, I'm sorry.

Anyway that catches us up on what has been happenin' lately. The Mix is getting ready to get new pictures, hats, T-shirts and anything else we can think of and we need to start recording our new CD, which I think we will be able to get started on soon, so y'all stay tuned and we'll let you know what's going on.

take care

June 21, 2002

How is everyone? We've been busier than ever and are booked up through November. You can check out where we are gonna be by clicking on "Click Here To Catch The Mix". Well since my last entry we have played the Rock in Spencer---we like playing there because the people are like our homies, they like us and we like them---kinda like playing a family reunion. Sue and the gang take good care of us. April 26 and 27 we played a new place in Parkersburg called "The Filling Station". Nice place. If anyone gets the chance, they need to check it out. Nice atmosphere and big dance floor, lots of lights, good people. May 3-4, we were supposed to open Bill Moore's new club at Riverside (Glasgow) called the Finish Line, but it wasn't quite right to Bill's liking so he had us play the Pit Stop in Cedar Grove. Well of course we had a blast, as always when we are around Bill and Cindy and their people. Bill always takes real good care of us.

The 10th and 11th found us back home in Sutton at Pete's Place, we rocked all night both nights. The crowd was great. We hadnt played there for a while and everyone showed up, even Brooks and Burr showed up so they got us drunk....lol and we partied on till the wee hours of the morning. Of course we got PawPaw up to sing, everyone likes PawPaw.

The 17th we opened the show for Andy Griggs down at Haddad Riverfront park. We got our show in and Andy got part of his show in until the thunderstorm broke things up. We left the show and moved it up to the Boulevard to pay a new place called Riverfront Live. Some of Andy's band showed up and his drummer sat in with us, super nice kid (looks about 14 but actually was 26). Anyway we had a blast even though the bar manager tried to screw us. Needless to say we will never play there again. We love Jenay (the bartender who used to be at the 5th Quarter) but I doubt we will ever play there again.

May 21 found us at the Holiday Inn in Beckley, where we always have fun. J.J. is back, so we had fun with J.J., Linda and all the new girls. The 24th and 25th we went back to High Country in Bluefield. We love the people there and always have a blast. We like Elson and Tammy too but we won't be back there either because Nelson is trying to cut back and get the less expensive bands in there, well like I always say, you get what you pay for. I wish them the best.

The 27th of May through the 1st of June we were back in Florence, SC. We didn't go to the beach this time. I just hate driving that far and then driving another hour. We've done that a lot and will probably do it again but just not on this trip. It was good to see the whole gang from SC. We love it down there and love the people. June 7-8 we played the Finish Line. Bill has really outdone himself on this place. He has put a lot of money into fixing it up and still has a lot more he wants to do. It looks great, great job Bill and Cindy and gang, we had a blast of course.

The 9th found us up in Wheeling where we played the WVTA annual banquet. These are some of the finest people in the world and they bust their rear ends to make WV safe for all of us---just a bunch of super guys and gals. They held it this year at Oglebay Park and the food was great and we had a ball, no pun intended. The 14th we played in Sutton at Holly Gray Park for the Relay for Life cancer walk-a-thon. It rained but we kept our stuff dry and had a good time for a worthy cause. The 15th we were back with Sue and the gang at the Rock in Spencer and as always had a great time. The 18th we played Morgan's again in the Holiday Inn at Beckley and had a super time; Pawpaw got up and sang and had the crowd going.

Well that's all for now. We play the Tractor Bar this weekend and I'll try to keep this Dairy updated more than I have in the past (I think I've said that before). Anyway don't forget to support live music and if you are a picker, join the Musicians Union, we are working hard to make it an organization pickers WANT to be in, not HAVE to be in. Anyway till next time y'all take care and we love our people that support us.

April 10, 2002

Well since the last time I posted we have been busier than all get out. Although April looks like it's gonna be the slow month this year, May is booming. In March, we started out at the Charleston Moose, which went pretty well; Friday night was slow but Saturday was happening and we had a ball. March 8-9 we were at the Pit Stop with Bill and Cindy and the gang and had a great time as always. 15-16 found us at the Tractor Bar again and once again brother Steve was down in Tennessee on the boat. I really miss Steve and Joyce but I don't blame them---if I could be back home in Tennessee on a boat on the river that's where I'd be. I'd just like to have a boat big enough to play on and invite everyone! That'd be great.

The 19th we were back in Beckley. It just isn't the same without all the girls there. Linda is the only one who stayed so at least we know one of the girls, and we still had a great time and a great crowd too. 22-23 at the Pit Stop, great fun, great people as always...well most of the time anyway... March 25 - 30, back in the Great State of South Carolina. Love the place, love Gene Ray, one helluva entertainer, and a super nice guy. The people in SC are some of the nicest. With their southern hospitality, we love it down there. April 5-6 we were back with Nelson and Tammy at High Country. We missed Pigtails and hope she gets to feeling better and back on her feet in no time. Love ya Pigtails, but Carla and the gang took care of us so we had a pretty good time, killer crowds both nights.

Well I'm gonna sign off for now, but I want to invite everyone down to the Fifth Quarter in Charleston on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 10 to hear Robert Shafer and me. We have a blast every Wednesday night and you never know who is gonna pop up. We've had Vince Lewis sit in with us, Tom Holcomb, Mo Truman, Stevie Fitzgerald, just to name a few; and we appreciate our regulars who are there just about every Wednesday.

We also want to send our best out to our brother in the Mix, Hook Moore. Hook has been down in the back for a couple of months now and we all hope and pray he hurries up and gets better. Hook we worry 'bout you man, take care (of course I'm sure, knowing Hook he's being taken care of)...we love ya brother.

Well ya'll come out and catch the Mix.

February 25, 2002

Welcome everyone to the New Year. Sorry I am so late getting the diary updated---will try and stay more on top of things but thankfully we have been busy so that's a good thing. The last entry I made was in October so a lot has happened since then: we have been kicking butt with the addition of Michael and Wimpy, and we have changed our format a little. For those of you who have caught our new show, we have stepped it up a little to include some new rock and alternative. We have to change with the times, or else we won't be playing some of the gigs we are now. We have some good things trying to happen for us but I won't mention them yet because I don't want to jinx us.....lol. Anyway I'll update everyone from the first of the year.

We had a great time New Year's Eve at the Holiday Inn in Terre Haute, Indiana---love the people out there and we always have a great time. Hopefully we will be back there soon. Also we have been playing a new place that our buddy Bill Moore opened up at Cedar Grove called the Pit Stop so if anyone gets the chance to check it out, it is a great place to party and Bill and the guys don't put up with no BS, so come on up and join us. We've also been back to Florence quite a few times; as always we have a great time and the people treat us so good there.

We have started back at High Country again. We usually slow down there during the winter months, but actually played last weekend there and had a ball with Nelson and Tammy, Carla, Pigtails and the gang. Don't forget to check out our dates page to find out where we will be playing!

"The Mix", as everyone has come to know us, is going to start using that moniker a little more. From now on we will still be the Southern Mix Band but will be listing ourselves as The Mix, because that is what most people call us so as soon as we come up with a cool-looking logo that's what we will be booking ourselves as. Also the Mix is getting back to practicing and we have a ton of new material we want to start doing. We also want to get new pictures if we can set up a time with our good friend G.L. Callihan (I think I spelled that right, G you'll just have to shoot me if its wrong)...lol, so if y'all need any photography or developing done G.L. is the guy to go to. He has his shop on the side of The Fountain Hobby Center in Charleston so y'all look him up if you need anything, he does an excellent job. Well that's about all I can say right now except if you are a musician and reading this please join the Musicians Union as they are totally regrouping and will be trying to help the pickers a little more. Take care 'til next time we see ya.

October 11, 2001

Well it's been three months since I last made an entry to the diary and a lot has happened since then, but first I want to mention that today marks one month since the tragic terrorist attack on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. As a band, we, The Southern Mix, try to be unbiased and try not to get involved in politics or anything controversial because we don't want to offend any of our fans or friends. We have tried to be bipartisan in the political gigs we have played and also in our political thinking, but I hope we don't offend anyone if we say how disappointed we are in a people of any race or religion who inflict pain or suffering on any other person. This covers many facets of this tragic event, and some of the events after. We would like to say that we support President Bush and the government of the United States of America. We The Southern Mix Band are PROUD to be Americans and are PROUD to be free, so for a while we will be starting our shows off with Lee Greenwood's "I'm Proud to be an American" to show our support for our friends, family and fellow countrymen and women who have lost someone in this tragedy, and also for the ones who are fighting to preserve our rights and freedoms.

We have had a busy three months since I last made an entry so I'll let you know: We have been to the Holiday Inn in Terre Haute, Indiana and had a great time with Lynn and Julie and the gang. Can't wait to go back but so far isn't on our schedule yet---maybe more dates in '02. We have played the Tractor Bar every month and plan on being there every month through the end of the year, just wish Steve would stay home more often and party with us (bless his heart).... (inside joke). We have also played Beckley Holiday Inn three times in the past three months and also plan to be there every 3rd tuesday of the month to party with Marie and the girls... and Guy...just kidding David.

Some of y'all have noticed (if you've seen us lately) that there are some changes in the band. First off, brother Hook got his job back at the mines, which we congratulate him on but at the same time miss him and hope he gets fired so he can come back home...lol, kidding Hook, wish you the best and you know where you can find us. Second, Robert has been touring with Johnny Staats the past year or so and we wish him the best. He will still be appearing with us in some shows when his and our schedule will allow. We have hired Michael Rutherford from the band Furyus to fill the gap, and he is doing an awesome job. Third, Travis had an opportunity to go to Alabama and work with his step-dad and he took it. We wish Travis the best. He has been replaced by J.R. "Wimpy" Crowder, also from the band Furyus. He is also doing a great job. He had some big shoes to fill and he is doing one heckuva job filling them. So if you get a chance introduce yourself to Michael and Wimpy and welcome them into the fold. Now back to the gigs: We played Flywheel's hogroast for about the fourth or fifth year in a row and had a blast as usual; everyone survived... We also played the Appalachian Autumn Festival in Gassaway and had a great time. We would like to thank Chuck and all the gang for making it a great weekend. That same weekend we opened up the Regatta show for Sara Evans. Man oh man, what a talent and pretty too and her sister on the fiddle was pretty also (plus she played one heckuva fiddle). Good band, good show, got a great write up in the paper and also would like to mention The Pat Clark Project kicked butt as well---great job guys.

September found us at High Country (wheeee!) and then a week in Florence, South Carolina at the Traveller's Inn. That would've been a great time but on Tuesday morning Wimpy came banging on my door to tell me to turn on CNN. I couldn't believe what I was seeing; I was in shock for about 45 minutes trying to figure out the madness of it all and wishing we were at home with our families. One of the worst times on the road we have experienced but the people in Florence made us feel at home and like family, so it wasn't as bad as it could've been.

We also played the Clay County Golden Delicious Apple Festival and had a great time with The Faded Glory Band. We will be adding them to our "Pardners" page so y'all visit their website if you get a chance. We won't even go into Mikey's run-in with the sidewalk at Gary's the night before the Applefest ...snicker. Anyway that brings us up to last weekend, when we had a ball playing the Pumpkinfest in Milton, West Virginia with our little buddy Hanna Michal and also a new friend, Jim Evans. We had a great time (besides the fact that Andy tried to kill us with 6 shows in about 8 hours). Southern Mix had the orchestra out that day---it was the four of us plus Robert, Hook, Billy Dingess on piano and brother Mo Truman sat in with us as did our old buddy Steve Mullins. Turned out to be a pretty good show. Mark my words, one of these days Hanna is gonna be a big star. That girl can wail and has one of the greatest personalities of anyone I know.

Anyway, we are gearing up for another busy weekend in Spencer playing the Outskirts Friday and Saturday night and playing the Black Walnut Festival Saturday (during the day), and Robert might be there with us if he can make it. Well until the next posting, hope to see y'all and if we don't, keep safe and God bless.

July 15, 2001

Well since the last entry we have been busy and it looks like we will be busy until September. We played the Outskirts in Spencer and had a blast. Of course we always have fun with our Spencer friends, and once again with Steve and the gang at the Tractor Bar. We got to play the WVTA at Pipestem and we had a blast, they're a super nice bunch of guys, and we'd like to thank Mark and Susan DeBord for recommending the Mix. We also got to play Riverfest this year with Perfect Stranger and Liz Nichols and Split Second. I thought it was a great show all the way around. Then we played the Weston VFD 4th of July celebration. We had a ball and got to see one of the finest fireworks displays I have ever seen---it rivaled the big city fireworks shows. We want to thank the WVFD and all the good people of Weston for having us and also David and Holly Jordan for setting us up with the gig. We went back to High Country and had a really good time and the crowd seemed to enjoy themselves. We also went back down to Florence and as usual had a blast. William got his pawn shop opened over in Hartsville and we went over and picked up some bargains. We'd like to thank the usual gang: Mary, Jean Marie, Rhonda, Stacy, Phoebe, Jim, William, Edie and Theresa for the heartburn, some of the best heartburn we've ever had, just ask the guys. And also Smurf, and we'd like to congratulate her on her wedding and wish her the best. We'd also like to thank some friends of ours for helping us out while Robert has been busy: Michael Rutherford, Sam Toney and Ray Barr for filling in and helping us with fine guitar playing, and also brother Hook Moore for getting to go to Florence with us. It was a real pressure...I mean pleasure having Allen back with us, we miss him and wish him the best on his job. Well that about wraps it up for now and we look forward to having Sam help us this week at Beckley and the Tractor Bar and also Michael out in Terre Haute.

May 18, 2001

It's been a while since I've made an entry so I'll try to catch everyone up on what's going on. First and foremost we have lost our steel player for a while, but for a good reason: Hook got his job back at the mines and we are very happy for him. We wish him the best and want him to know, (which I'm sure he does) if anything happens and they lay him off again he always has a place to come to, and he is very much missed. We also would like to thank Mike Rutherford from the band Furyus for sitting in with us and helping us on this last trip to Florence; the people really liked him (but still missed Hook). Michael did a great job playing and singing and he saved our rear ends. We would like to thank the rest of the guys in Furyus for letting us borrow him, so Mark, Wimpy and Marty, thank you very much. As always the people in Florence made us feel like family and really made us feel at home so to Teresa, Phoebe, Smurf, Jean Marie, Rhonda, Mary Lou, William, Brother Gene Ray and all the Gang, thanks very much and we can't wait till July---by then William should have his pawn shop up and running full tilt and we will be there haunting him everyday....lol.

Since the last posting we have been in Beckley 3 times and every time we have a ball. Thanks to Marie, Linda, Dave and the whole gang there, you also make us feel welcome. And we have been to the Tractor Bar (home) 2 times and we also have a blast there with Brother Steve and the whole gang, also Roger and Sue. We've also been to Terre Haute and are going back for 2 weeks in July. Nice place, nice people. We appreciate all the bartenders and waitresses where we work because they can make or break a gig and can make it enjoyable or deplorable and we have been blessed that we have good people everywhere we play. Thanks y'all.

We look forward to playing High Country with Nelson and Tammy and the gang this weekend and maybe next so from the Mix hope to see everyone out.

March 5, 2001

We would like to add a special thanks in the Diary to all the folks in Florence who made the poster and signed it for us. It really feels good when a band knows how much it is appreciated. We had a great time as usual, and we keep meeting some of the nicest people so we would like to thank the following for signing the poster: Mary Lou, William, Teresa, Smurf, Nancy, Jean Marie, Johnny, Robyn, Rhonda, Randy Lee, Jane, Chan, Phoebe, Judy, Annie, Jim, Rena, Dave, Mary, Angela, Jeff, Ryan, Edie, and (I hope I spell this right, or she's liable to beat me up...lol) Tirzah. These are just a few of the people who make our trip to Florence so great. Also would like to thank the good Lord for the safe trip back when our trailer tire exploded and shredded at 75 m.p.h., I just hope we can find a fender for the trailer before we have to go too far.

P.S.: Good save Trav.

P.P.S.: Can't wait to see everyone at Travellers the week of the 19th. Take care y'all

February 5, 2001

Whew! January was sure a busy month. We've been busier than the proverbial man at the contest...anyway we started out the month with a bang at the Travellers Inn in Florence, SC with all our new friends, and had a complete blast with Mica Saxton on Monday the 8th. She does karaoke (or as the Mix calls it, "Croakie") on Mondays at the Travellers and she and her husband Monte have a band that also travels around. She is a very talented singer and we do get to meet a lot of good singers from around the Florence area on Monday nights. Once again thanks to all the bartenders and waitresses that make our stay at the Travellers worth the trip.

From Florence, we had to beat feet to get back and do the Governor's Inaugural at the Civic Center on Monday the 15th. We had a blast---we got to back up Liz Nichols and Johnny Staats. Now that was a real treat, we love both them kids to death. A whole lot of great talent was there: the Carpenter Ants, the Mountain Stage Band, Robin Kessinger, Bob Thompson and his awesome band, and just too many of West Virginia's finest to mention. I know there were at least 10 acts or more representing our state and I didn't hear a bad one in the bunch. We'd also like to thank Paul Flaherty and Jimmy Raines for doin a great job as always at making us sound good. Also on the show, at different locations at the Civic Center, were the Spinners and Big Planet Soul, and Asleep at the Wheel and Brad Paisley (P.S. By the way, got to get my guitar signed by Brad, super nice guy). There were a lot of people there to celebrate Governor Bob Wise's Inauguration. Then the next night, Tuesday, we played at Morgan's in the Holiday Inn at Beckley. We love them people down there too. Marie and the gang are a hoot to be around, and Pawpaw even got out of Braxton County for a change and went with us. He stays so busy these days between the Waffle Hut and the Truckstop Restaurant, both off exit 67 on I-79 (both have great food too).

Then the 19th and and the 20th we were back with our (OLD) buddy Steve and the gang at the Tractor Bar in Mt. Nebo, and as usual had a blast. The 26th and the 27th we went to Bluefield, WV to play at High Country (formerly Wings), where we also had a great time. Nelson and Tammy have a nice place down there. And FINALLY, we travelled out to Terre Haute, Indiana to play at the Apple Club in the Holiday Inn. We played there about 3 or 4 years ago and it was good to get back and see some of our people out there. According to some of the fine people who came out, there aren't any clubs anywhere close out there where they can go listen and dance to country music. As a matter of fact the Apple Club usually has Top 40 and '50s-'60s bands there, so it was kind of a challenge, but by the time we left we had more compliments than the last time we were there. We'd like to thank Jim, Sandy, "Ashley" Jean, and all the other bartenders and waitresses for making our trip fun and for takin care of the band and all.

Well that's about all for this month except I'd like to thank everyone who visits our site and signs our guestbook, and also visits us anytime we are near them. I'd also like to say visit our "Catch the Mix Live" page and find out where we are gonna be and come on out and have fun with "The Mix".

Thanks

BB and The Southern Mix Band

January 2, 2001

Happy New Year everyone, time for another update. Things are already looking better for this year than they started last. We have a bunch of dates already so everyone make sure to go to the "Catch the Mix Live" page and update your calendars.

We have had a pretty good time since the last time I wrote (of course we always have a good time). We've been playing here there and yonder---started out the month of December playing at Pete's in Sutton on Saturday the 2nd (we had a blast), then the Tractor Bar where we always have a good time with Steve and the Gang. We played John Bowers Christmas party (and still didn't get a present...inside joke), but in all seriousness we still had fun, even though we barely made it home in the snowstorm. On the 16th, we played a Christmas party for Mattress Warehouse. Man them fine folks sure know how to throw a shindig. We are already scheduled back for next year. The people are great from the owner down. Great food, great time, great place and Roger and Sue were there to teach Country Line Dance...everyone took good care of us. We'd like to say a big THANKS to Kim and Stephanie and the whole Mattress Warehouse gang.

Then on the 19th we had our usual good time at Morgan's in the Beckley Holiday Inn. It snowed again real bad. We barely made it, but thanks to Pawpaw and his 4 wheel drive, we got the equipment there and the show went on. Not many other people showed up, but we still had fun as usual. On the 21st we went to Shrewsbury and played at Bill Moore's Christmas party. We think the world of Bill, his family and his employees---real good people, every one of 'em. We are also scheduled back there next year. Next, we went down to Hinton on the 22nd and 23rd and played at the Cameo Club, another good place to play. We love Rick to death and his family is always good to us, and I think all of them were in for the holidays, so we partied hard. Friday night, Rick's old band (the Sundown Express) got up and jammed with us, and once again as usual we had a blast. Ol' Rick can sure tear up the 5 string.

Finally we played the whole New Year's weekend at the Tractor Bar in Mt. Nebo. If anyone out there hasn't been there, you need to go, for a super nice place and super nice people. Steve and Joyce are great people and surround themselves with great people. John and I stayed the weekend at Steve's house. I think I might recuperate by the next time we play there. Friday and Saturday nights were slow but Roger and Sue and Steve and the gang were there so we had a blast, then New Year's Eve there were more people there than you can shake a stick at. Steve had some great food and PLENTY of it. We just love Steve to death, well the other guys like him, but I don't like him and think very little of those that do...he is a drunkard and a rogue... (another inside joke)... Seriously though Steve took good care of us as usual and even took me on a road trip to Paris, Munich, Austria, Chicago, Boston, Dallas and Mexico all in one night. Thanks for the ride, Steve.

Well that about sums up the month. For January, we have a week at the Travellers Inn in Florence, which is always a hoot. Then we come home just in time to get ready for the Governor's Inaugural Ball at the Civic Center, which will be a blast. Johnny Staats, The Carpenter Ants, Bob Thompson, Larry Groce, The Spinners, Brad Paisley and Asleep at the Wheel will be there just to name a few so if you get the chance come on down. Then on Tuesday the 16th we are back in Beckley at Morgan's. The 19th and 20th will find us back with Brother Steve at the Tractor Bar and the last weekend of the month we will be back at High Country in Bluefield.

We hope to see everyone out and also wish that you have a VERY happy New Year, may all good things you wish in life come to you this year.

Love Ya'll and Take Care

BB and SM

November 17

How's everyone doin' this month? The Mix is doin' great---we just came off of a one week vacation we dearly needed. Some of us needed time to get healthy, which is hard to do during this season when the weather is so wacky, but anyway we had a pretty good month. We played the Charleston Moose the 6th and 7th of October and had a blast as usual. We got to see all our people there, and my step-mom Roni (actually she is like my surrogate Mom since my Mom lives so far away) got to come out. Lynnette and I have been trying to get her out for months, and buddy she is lookin' good (under the circumstances I hope I would look that good). Bless her heart we need to keep her in our prayers. The following week we played High Country in Bluefield and we also had a blast (of course we have fun everywhere we go)---Nelson and Tammy really know how to have fun and treat the people nice. We always have fun there with Pigtails and the gang. Mark got up and sang with us and did a great job as usual. Then came the monthly gig at the Beckley Holiday Inn. Bobby was back for that one and it was fun having the whole gang together again. Then the 20th and 21st we were back at one of our favorite places: the Tractor Bar. We had a blast---the only downside of it was the fact that Steve and Joyce took them a little vacation, we love 'em to death and missed 'em that go round. The following week and a half was rough, we started out the 27th-28th at the Cameo Club with brother Rick Caudle (who always shows us a great time, and picks the heck out of a banjo too) and we had to judge the best costume for the Halloween party. We were gonna give first place to Rick but John pointed out he wasn't wearing a costume....just kidding Rick. After we tore down Saturday night we took a nap and got up and headed for Florence, SC for 6 nights. Didn't have laryngitis this time, but John had a little problem with his inner ear, so this past week off helped with that. We love it down in Florence but I dont know when we will be back. They had a couple of bands to bail on them the next 2 weeks after we were there and wanted us to come back but we couldn't do it on such short notice. For one thing Pawpaw got us a van. It isn't new but it's newer and it is in way better shape than the old one. The old one lasted a lot longer and was better to us than anyone would've thought. I think on this new van rather than letter it all up we might get us a front license plate with the SM logo on it and let the trailer do the talking on the rest.

We'd like to thank Pawpaw and The Truckstop Restaurant on I-79 (exit 67, Flatwoods, WV) for sponsoring us and getting us the new vehicle. I just hope this one is half as good as the old one was to us. Well I'm gonna end this now and tell ya'll we hope to see ya soon, keep checking the dates on our website to see where we will be appearing next. I know we are at the Tractor Bar the next couple of weekends and at Morgan's in Beckley at the Holiday Inn the 21st. Hopefully we can get some of these empty weekends filled up, and don't be suprised if at a couple of upcoming shows our little buddy from Indiana, Hannah Michal, shows up and performs, I cant say enough about the girl and her vocals! Well from the Mix, have a happy Thanksgiving and we'll see ya soon.

October 2

Just a note to say a few things to the Mix's fans and anyone who happens to pop in and check out our website. We had a blast this previous week (25th-30th) in South Carolina. We would like to thank the folks who came out to hear us from Florence and surrounding areas, for the "word of mouth" advertising they did to make each night bigger and better, and also for their requests which made our nights a lot easier to figure out. I'd also like to thank them for putting up with my laryngitis I had after about day 5, (not used to such beautiful weather and motel room air conditioning). While we're at it we'd also like to thank the waitresses and bartenders who took care of us while we were there and also made our job a lot easier by letting us know what to expect, and also a BIG thanks to Richard, Richard, Margaret and Doris who stopped by Saturday night on their way back from Myrtle Beach, anyone who knows us know they come to see us every chance they get, and while we are talking about fans who travel, we also would like to thank Roger Hanna and Sue Smith who have followed us everywhere in this state and if there was any way possible would have probably been in Florence, SC...lol. Getting back to SC, we took a lot of pictures while we were there and as soon as we can get them developed and to Denise we will post them on our Gallery Page.

We would like to also say a BIG thanks to Steve Brown and company at the Tractor Bar in Mt. Nebo--it's becoming one of our favorite places to play. If you haven't been there and there's any way possible you need to check our dates and try to get up there, because Steve is one of the coolest old dudes I know (he's not real old, just in case he reads this). Also we had a blast at the Clay County Golden Delicious Apple Festival. Hook and I get to see a lot of family we wouldn't otherwise get to see all the time. We followed a real good group of guys called Faded Glory who put on a really good show, and we would like to thank Marvin Rose and company for the sound job they did. We hope to see everyone out this coming month, just check our dates page and come on out! We are looking forward to the Charleston Moose, Holiday Inn, High Country, the Tractor Bar, the Cameo Club and a return stint to Florence, SC and also if ya'll get the chance don't forget Bufords Big outdoor shindig at Duck, WV on Sunday the 8th.

Also if anyone is looking for someone to work on a webpage or website we have lucked out and have one of the smartest young-uns working on ours, and she and her husband Kevin do a great job. so don't be afraid to contact Denise, we can't thank her (them) enough, except to maybe help send some business their way.

I would like to end this note by congratulating our guitar player, Robert Shafer, on the excellent job of winning the National Flatpicking Championship (again). You go Bobby, it couldn't happen to anyone more deserving than Robert.

Take Care Everyone

Hope to See Y'all soon

September 8

Just a note from the Mix to tell everyone we appreciate y'all waiting for us. It's been two years since we had anyone working on our website and we finally have someone who gives a damn, so if you like our page, we owe a great deal of gratitude to Denise Peters---and if you don't like our page, too bad, because we like it and we still owe a great deal of thanks to Denise. We are, (or I should say she is) constantly working on making it better, so if you have any ideas feel free to sign our guestbook and let us know what you think. The Mix and I will be posting new pictures and notes every month and letting y'all know what's going on, where we are gonna be, and where we have been. So come on out and support us so we can get some fan pictures on our gallery page! Before long we will be getting the e-mail set up so you can write to us personally at southernmix@southernmix.com. We have some interesting things in the works that we can't talk about now but hopefully by next month we can...once more from the Mix and Denise and myself, thanks for waiting so patiently.