Saturday August 3rd

.....Saturday morning was an adventure and not one that you would want to remember. Right around 9 a.m. a storm came through with winds about 80 mph hail and tons of rain. This woke Pam up as Jammin Joe and DJ still slept from the night before. All of a sudden there was a crack and Pam looked out the top of her window and saw a tree break off from about 50 feet up literally snapped it in half. She waited in anticipation and then her worst fears came true as the top of the tree smashed into her roof coming through her bedroom ceiling and livingroom. After a quick head count all were safe but scrambling for what to do next. The next hour was assessing the damage after the rain stopped and then a quick trip down to the Croton campground where DJ's sister Lori and Brian were camping in their pop up camper. When we drove in people were telling us about pop ups being smashed by falling trees, our hearts sunk even more when we found Lori and Brian outside of their smashed pop up. Minutes before a tree fell on the bed they had been sleeping on they had bailed out to run for cover. They were shaken up but ok. After we helped pack up a few things Lori and Brian followed us back to Pam's to look at the damage done to her house. DJ walked over to the Driftwood and came back telling us that the staff fired up a grill and was making all of us breakfast. Shaky Sean and Rockin Rusty received text messages from Jammin Joe telling them about the damage let them know that every one was ok. As the day went on and still no power in Croton the decision was made to cancel the show at the Driftwood.

Hughston's Cow Camp Rodeo in McBain

The band rolled in to the front gate at 7 p.m. to the relief of the security/planners. They thought we had forgotten but...a horse never forgets. At first glance the stage looked rickety, especially with the deer head hanging on the back post...it was intimidating. We set up our gear with the sound of the rodeo in the back ground. The announcer was doing a great job keeping the crowd entertained. Sound check went well as the end of the rodeo was near. As soon as the last rider was finished and the crowd headed to the gates Stolen Horses KICKED up their heels and the show was on. It didn't take long to realize that this place ROCKED! Thanks to the organizers for having us...we hope to return next year! The ride home was full of surprises as well...after a half an hour ride north to Lake City and the nearest open gas station...the Horses were tired and DJ gladly relinquished the wheel to Pam. On the way home as the band was relaxing we encountered a suspected drunk driver who decided that the left side of the road was his as well as ours and a very near miss occurred thanks to some savvy maneuvering of the truck and trailer by our driver Pam. It didn't take long for us to get comfortable and fall asleep knowing that any problem could be handled. With the truck and trailer stored at Pam's house in Croton, Shaky Sean was off to his house. Jammin Joe and DJ opted to stay at Pam's because in a few hours Stolen Horses was scheduled to do an afternoon show at the Driftwood.

Lake Odessa Rock the Port Summer Concert Series

  With the horses still missing Shaky Sean drove the trailer and band members minus DJ to Lake Odessa. If it wasn't for Rockin Rusty's fast talking Shaky Sean COULD have gotten a ticket for parking on the wrong side of the street while in the store for...well you know. Once at the park the layout from previous years had changed and so did the parking arrangement! Now the equipment had to be hauled (seemed like 2 miles) through rough terrain. DJ arrived exactly as the band hit the first note and the horses were off and running. The weather was fantastic and Cindy and Rachel were gracious hosts, and the line dancers from Grand Rapids were a great touch (even with a broken toe) as the band ROCKED the 2 hour show. Rockin Rusty was a big hit with all of the kids when he gave out complimentary horses while the band played "Save a Horse". Jammin Joe gained a new young fan as this 18 month old stood by the stage mesmerized by Jammin Joe's chicken pickin style...Stolen Horses enjoys seeing the young fans enjoying their music. The night ended with a full park search for Pam's sun glasses (she swears she left them on a speaker) Jammin Joe tried to ease her pain and bought her a new custom pair at the local truck stop...WAY TO SUCK UP JOE! This story to be continued in the next post so be sure to stay tuned.

August 7, 2011 The Driftwood

  "Breakfast at Pam's" DJ showed us one of his hidden talents by cooking an awesome breakfast including bacon, eggs and toast...(can't screw that up) for Jammin Joe, Pam and Brandy. Rockin Rusty just watched us eat...it killed him lol. Shaky Sean was no doubt either at home sleeping or more likely working on the new house. After recharging our batteries with a great night's sleep and a great breakfast the band was busy setting up on the deck for the Sunday show...BUT where was Shaky Sean....hmmmm. Half way through set up Shaky Sean waltzed through the gate and immediately pulled the band together on stage for a touching group hug (See Picture on Facebook) the guys were very happy that Shaky Sean had time for a shower so he no longer smelled like a goat! As the show started many of our biggest fans were in attendance...thanks Jodi, Jamie, Jan, Dave, Gail and everyone else. Jammin Joe serenaded Sally on the picnic table. DJ danced barefoot all over the stage again, Rockin Rusty was all smiles and Shaky Sean was just happy to feel clean again. The weather was perfect and the crowd was appreciative. All in all fitting end to the mini tour.

August 5, Rogers City Nautical Fest

 The second leg of the Stolen Horses minus one, add two mini tour is today.  We got a later start than planned because DJ and Brandy got stuck behind an accident in Grand Rapids. We met at the park and ride and all piled in the 5th wheel for the long ride to Rogers City. Shaky Sean quickly drank a beer and fell a sleep on the couch (in his defense he did get up and went to work this morning) We all got a chuckle when DJ hit a bump and Shaky Sean went air born. Every one grabbed a spot where they could and made themselves comfy until we reached Lake City where we stopped for gas. About an hour before we reached Rogers City every one was hungry, we ravaged the fridge and made sandwiches which were quickly hoovered....thanks Brandy. The band arrived in Rogers City and pulled in next to the lake...awesome sight. Set up was pretty quick, production was provided and the sound was amazing...little time to relax. Show started at 9 and we were off and running. DJ tripped over a monitor but recovered well...and THEN he...broke another string he's an animal. There's a huge crowd, lot's of dancers and the cold drinks are flowing. The sets flowed well with Jammin Joe and Randy trading off some smokin leads. In true Nautical Festival style by the time the band broke into the song Arizona at 1 a.m. every one was headed to the local pub for last call. Tear down was pretty quick and we all went to crash in the 5th wheel. Lot's of laughter when talking about "Jack Ass". Finally every one fell a sleep where they could find a spot whether it was the couch, chair or the floor. We were on the road again at 6:30 a.m.. 15 minutes out of Rogers City something didn't seem quite right. There was a vibration and a smell of burning rubber. We blew a tire on the 5th wheel. Can you say how many band mates does it take to change one tire? 5 would be the magical number 2 (Jammin Joe and DJ) changing the tire, 1 (Laura) spectator and 2 (Shaky Sean and Randy) to take pictures and video. At one point the trailer was released off the jack, it was a scarey moment when the trailer came down hard on the wood blocks that we used as an emergency stabilizer, the trailer jolted and rocked and then all was quiet (except when Jammin Joe opened the bathroom door wanting to know what had happened while he was peeing. For a second we thought the trailer was going to tip over on the entire band standing in the ditch.
  To make matters worse 45 minutes after getting back on the road...more bad news, someone stole the horses out from under the hood of DJ's truck litterally, so we limped into the parking lot of a truck stop, after further investigation DJ figured it was his lifters that had gone bad making it impossible to make it back on our own. Thank god there was a restaurant...air conditioning and vittles (Pam loved the bacon strips that were the size of a pig...just ask Randy) We all enjoyed Randy's description of food processing. The mood changed when Jammin Joe thought of calling Dave and Gail, 2 true Stolen Horses fans. Joe remembered that they also have a 5th wheel with a truck to pull it with. After a quick phone call Dave and Gail agreed to drive from Cedar Springs up to Grayling to come to the rescue. In the mean time some of the band found humor texting while using the restrooms, they just aren;t right. Then there was a GPS training...enough said. Kudos to all involved for keeping a level head and great sense of humor despite of lack of quality sleep, showers and laundry service.
  Dave and Gail arrived to an arousing round of applause to haul the band wagon to Croton so we could do the show at The Driftwood. Thanks Dave for breaking the land speed record and getting us there in record time. DJ needs seatbelts in the 5th wheel when Dave is driving.

Cass County Fair

 Our mini tour begins minus Rockin Rusty but adding Laura and Randy Springer. We left DJ 's house and had to make our weekly stop at the local Speedway along the way. After buying cheeto's, coffee and energy drinks (no hot dogs cuz Rockin Rusty wasn't with us) we hit the road again. Jammin Joe and Shaky Sean hoovered the cheetos having to lick all the orange coating off their fingers for another snack. The trip down was uneventful. All the tires and engine were in tact. When we arrived at the fair grounds no one knew where to send us, after anplanned tour of the fairgrounds and campground for about 30 minutes we finally arrived at the stage and unloaded. We had to wait to do our sound check because of the wild animal show that featured a tiger. Once the sound check was done we were ready to ROCK the stage. Just as the show started, in true SH fashion DJ broke a string and of course we couldn't find any spares....so this might be one of the few habits he picked up from Mike. During Hick Town Shaky Sean was an animal and broke his kick drum pedal...but HE came prepared with a spare and the show went on. Tina, James and their kids came out to see us, at one point we invited them and a lot of other fans up on the stage to sing Friends In Low Places. Tear down went well until DJ realized he had locked his keys in the trailer. Thankfully he had a spare trailer KEY but had to crawl over the equsipment to get to his truck keys. On the way home The Stolen Horses truck automatically pulled into the Schoolcraft Speedway (the band has frequent flyer points at this place) but Jammin Joe and Pam stepped out of the box and went to McDonalds just down the road. All in all it was a great night, and the addition of Laura on bass and Randy on guitar blended well.

Party on the Deck at The Driftwood

Sunday July 31, 2011 Beautiful day for a PARTY on the deck. Setting up went really good we even had time to visit with some of our fans before we started. Jammin Joe's parents came to watch him play. DJ was the virgin of the group for playing on the deck, we had so much fun being able to kick off our shoes and ROCK the deck! DJ, Jammin Joe and Rusty had a ball getting up on the bench to show off their feet.
DJ did everything but cartwheels on the deck. Shaky Sean made some young boys very happy when he handed out some drum sticks.

We had the 2011 Karaoke Queen of Michigan, Jan come up and sing with us. Not quite sure if it was a sunburn or the embarrassment that made her face so red.

Rockin Rusty's girlfriend Sally decided that the wood chips would be more comfortable than her chair. She gave us a good laugh and was a great sport about it. It was great to see Sally's family all out with her. Her nephew was one of the lucky boys to get a drum stick.

There was a very rowdy out of control table, let's just say these women have no hand control. It was great having Big Spoon, Tea Cup and Twisted Sister come out and PARTY with us.

There were a lot of boats out in front of the deck listening to us and many came up because they couldn't resist joining in the fun. Met some more new fans.

Come out and join us next Saturday and Sunday as we ROCK the deck again!!