On the Road with Fred

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More Vegoose
November 25th, 2006

Like the seasons of life, November has thus far been some what of an up and down month in the land of Fred. The month began with a bang, coming off a week long trip to Las Vegas (more below). I've since been faced with the death of a close friend, followed by the birth of one of the most exciting projects of my life. Our insurance business is booming - the end of the year always brings a flood of phone calls, from new clients facing rate increases, and others trying to convert to a new plan before the first of the year. In between it all, I continue to squeeze every bit I can from the time I am given.

VEGOOSE

While in Vegas, I got a kick out of being quoted each day in "The Golden Goose," the daily newspaper of the Vegoose festival. Being quoted in the paper is nothing new to me, but I did find it quite funny to be featured in a paper published by Relix Magazine, the primary competitor of Honest Tune Magazine, where I serve as a Senior Editor.

Below is my quote from Saturday's edition, when I was asked about my favorite Las Vegas moment…

"Leaving the '96 Phish show at the Aladdin, having just listed to the classic 45-minute 'Harpua' (complete with the four fake Elvis'), and listening to Trey (Anasatasio) tell everyone to go bet all their money at the Roulette wheel on 17 black. We walked straight to the roulette table, bet $10 on 17, and hit our first try - paying $350 each! We were so stunned that we forgot to pick up our original $10 bet, which was lost on the second spin, but no worries, the story had already been told by that point."

As a side note, the night before the newspaper was published, during his Vegoose at night performance, Trey had commented, ten years later, "Don't forget to bet on 17 black."

Besides the Trey show, I also had a great time the following evening at the House of Blues, where I was treated to a special meet and greet with Maceo Parker, the funkiest saxophone player in the world, and leader of the James Brown band. Maceo was joined during the encore by none other than Prince, whom he has also recorded with.

For a special advance peek at my review of the festival for Honest Tune, you may visit http://colohealth.com/fred-article24.htm

The highlight of my trip to Vegas was the Monday evening Halloween performance by my old friends Widespread Panic at the MGM Grand. Since the band added guitar player Jimmy Herring in September, they have been playing their best shows in years, sending me back to a see a band that, for the most part, I had little interest in the past few years.

Before the show, my wife Lisa and I had an experience that brought huge smiles to the band's faces, and big laughs to mine. Since I have known the guys in the band since the very beginning of their careers, I usually have full access to any events they perform, including backstage, dressing rooms, and often times, the band's personal bus. So, when the band came through the doors before the show for a meet and greet (something I know they've never been fond of), they were quite surprised to see me there, amongst a dozen fans they'd never met.

You see, I had bid on an auction to win tickets to the show and other memorabilia, hoping to win one of the two autographed guitars being given away that night. While I am sorry to report that I did not win the guitar, seeing the look on the guys' faces as they walked through the door and spotted me was well worth the money I'd spent on the auction. Plus, I always believe in doing what I can for charity, so donating $400 to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation was certainly a cause worthy of my support.

With a half a day to kill in Vegas before heading home on November 1, I felt like I had no choice but to head to the black jack tables. As a result, the month did not start off as well as I'd hoped, and I returned home from Vegas a bit lighter in wallet than would have been the case had I just came home one day earlier - isn't that always the way it works?

BACK IN ATHENS

Upon my return home, I was greeted with the wonderful news. Just before leaving on my trip, I had submitted a proposal to The Friends of the Georgia Theatre, an organization dedicated the preserving the history of the Theatre, my favorite musical venue here in my hometown, and a building that earlier this year was designated as a historical landmark.

When the Theatre first re-opened in 1989 it was, without rival, the finest musical venue in Athens. Over the years, the toll of playing host to hundreds of rowdy, drunken college kids every night left the Theatre run down, in serious need of a face lift. When Wilmot Greene took over the Theatre from the previous owners, he launched a campaign in late 2004 to renovate the glory of the venue's past. Wilmot was successful in having the venue designated as an official historic building earlier this year, leading to the formation of the Friends of the Georgia Theatre, an organization dedicated the preserving the history of the property

When I first learned of Greene's intent to "bring back the art deco glory of the magnificent Georgia Theatre," I knew I was in a unique position to help. Since the venue first re-opened in 1989, I have often taken my video camera to shows I attend, intent in preserving a little piece of the musical history of my great town, and the many local bands I know and love.

Greene and the local musical community have all been extremely receptive to my idea of a charity DVD, tentatively titled "Live from Athens ….. Friends of the Georgia Theatre," documenting the history of a venue that promises to soon regain its status amongst the nation's premiere live music halls. The script for the film, which we hope to have released by June 2007, is nearly complete, and I am now working with the University of Georgia to find the right cinema students to donate their time and talents to turn my script and my films in to a real live movie. Once complete, this will be a realization of a vision I first had in the mid 1980's, long before I even got my first video camera.

To read more about the Friends of the Georgia Theatre project, you can visit http://www.honesttune.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=2

IN THE END

While I have never been someone that is very outspoken about my religion, despite my very strong faith in God, I want to close by asking anyone who is so inclined to please say a prayer for the family of my friend, Josh Klug, who passed away just two weeks ago at the young age of 26. While Josh was a troubled young man, he was a very kind soul, as evidenced by the way the animals used to flock to this gentle man. We miss you, Josh.

On a more upbeat note, this week is Thanksgiving, a time when we are meant to give thanks for all the blessings we enjoy in life. My blessings are many, and I am grateful for them all. So, to my wife, my children, my family, and to all of Fred's friends, I wish you all the happiest of holiday seasons, for many years to come.

This year marks my family's first holiday season in our new home since moving back to Athens in May. Life is grand here in my City of Dreams, and so I wanted to share a picture of our home, which we've dubbed the Revival House (thought technically, the historic society insists we keep the official name the Bond House).

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