Posted by Mark David Manders
Fri, 08 Nov 2002 12:00:00 GMT
I left Victoria around 2:00 with one goal in mind: find some water that wasn’t in the form of rain. I haven’t seen the sunshine for over two weeks and finally today my luck changed. I made it to Port LaVaca and followed the road out of town until I saw a sign that read, “Alamo Beach”. It’s not the sandy, surf beaten beach that you think of when talking about the Gulf, but it is, for me, a little slice of Heaven. The weather’s beautiful- about seventy degrees with a light breeze blowing across the bay.
There’s only one other guy here, an Army reservist from New York fishing about fifty yards away to my right. He said he’ll probably get called up into active duty in the next few months and he’s worried because his wife is pregnant with twins. He hasn’t caught a thing all day but I don’t think fishing was his primary goal in coming to this beach. I told him I wouldn’t be here long, in fact I probably should get going if I want to make sound check in Houston by 6:00.
But right now I’m going to relax even if it’s for another ten minutes. It’s rare that I have time to myself and I plan on taking full advantage of it today. Sure, I’m alone a lot during the week but the phone’s always ringing or someone’s knocking at the door, or I’m driving around running errands or picking up the kids. So as I sit here digging my bare feet into the sand and staring out across the Gulf of Mexico I thank the Lord for this quite moment I have to myself and I’m thankful that I have relatively few worries compared to my acquaintance down the beach.
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Posted by Mark David Manders
Thu, 24 Oct 2002 12:00:00 GMT
Highway 7 scares me – especially pulling a trailor in the rain. I’m not sure how they can justify calling this a highway. It’s just a narrow, two-lane blacktop with a shoulder of barely three feet on either side. All along the way are trees – pines and blackjack oaks mostly. It kind of gives you a closter phobic feeling. This is compounded by the fact that Jeromy doesn’t believe in using his windshield wipers on a regular basis. So here I sit in the back seat staring nervously through the mostly blurry windshield, not exactly watching my life pass before my eyes, but knowing at any moment that I could.
...at last, Highway 69, a four-lane blacktop with a median. I feel a little safer now as we pull into Dairy Queen for lunch.
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Posted by Mark David Manders
Thu, 17 Oct 2002 20:45:00 GMT
Come along for a trip you will never forget. Buses will leave on Saturday headed for the Texas Hill Country for a weekend of music, cold beer and a river trip through frio country! Are you ready for the Road Trip From Hell?
We will head to historic Luckenbach on Saturday for Mark David Manders live performance. On Sunday we will float the Frio River and later that night Mark will perform at House Pasture Cattle Company on the Frio River. Pack your bags and your coolers. Yes, your coolers, we are riding on the party bus. Each bus has is equipped for a party complete with game table, televisions and bathrooms. Ticket price includes bus fare, hotel rooms, admission to both show, a river trip, a commemorative shirt and aspirin for the hangover.
Ticket Price: $199 per person
For reservations contact: Wendy Millsap 214.515.9805, wendy@windmillmanagement.com
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Posted by Administrator
Wed, 16 Oct 2002 12:00:00 GMT
Welcome to the first installment of “News from the Road”. I wanted a page where I could recap events from past road trips, talk about any interesting upcoming events, and sometimes just let off a little steam. Writing has a very calming effect on me and after a long run it helps to sit down and reflect on things. I’m not sure where I’ll be going with this web-journal, but then again, that’s the same way I feel when I sit down with my guitar to write.
It seems like we have been burning up the road ever since we wrapped up recording the new CD in early August. Now I’m not complaining, I’m one of those rare people who actually enjoys barreling down the road for hours at a time on three hours sleep. And looking ahead I don’t see much of a change in schedule. “Highs and Lows” just hit the stores yesterday so get ready. It’s time for the CD releases, in-store appearances, radio and newspaper interviews, and, of course, more driving.
Two weeks ago we played Oxford, Mississippi. We performed live on Thacker Mountain radio Thursday, played the Blue Marlin Thursday and Friday night, and then did a show Saturday at the Charles Walker Ranch just off of Highway 6 outside of town. For those of you who already have a copy of the new CD you’ll notice that I have a song called, “Oxford, Mississippi”, in which I talk about the town, the people, and the way I feel when I’m there.
It’s no joke- Oxford is one of the greatest places I’ve ever been. One of the main reasons is because of my friend, Charles Walker. (That’s right, he’s the one in the song, “Black Jack Road”.) Mr. Walker has been kind enough to put the band and I up at his beautiful ranch for probably the last six or seven years now. He not only houses us and feeds us, but he books the club dates in Oxford for us and sets up the radio and promotional stops.
Even though Mr. Walker keeps us busy, there is still enough time to relax and that, my friend, is what we did two weeks ago. There is nothing better than sitting on the front porch of a cabin surrounded by cotton fields and watching the remnants of a hurricane come blowing through Northwestern Mississippi. The storm hit Thursday night and was gone by Friday morning. The weather that followed was fantastic: warm, sunny days and cool nights.
Lance and I played a little football on Friday. Jeromy spent most of the afternoon fishing. I can’t remember what Steve did. Heather said she had never been so relaxed in her life.
Sunday came too soon, as it always seems to do in Oxford. As we loaded up for the long haul back to Texas we were already planning the next trip to Oxford. Mr. Walker called my cell phone twice after we left. The first time we were just outside of Jackson, the next while we were somewhere in Louisiana. I can’t remember exactly what he talked about, but I know exactly what he meant.
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Posted by Mark David Manders
Tue, 10 Sep 2002 20:39:00 GMT
Mark David Manders’ CD Release
Available in Stores – Oct. 9th
CD Releases Start – Sept. 20th
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