Winter 1998 Edition
Welcome to the Winter edition of the AMERICA Newsletter, THE HORSE'S
MOUTH ! ! This new, appropriate and clever title for the newsletter was
selected by Gerry and Dewey, and we are extremely pleased by their active
interest in this newsletter. THE HORSE'S MOUTH is published by Barbara
Bickmore and Rick Wahlgren to keep readers updated about America. If you
have any comments or submissions, send them to Barb
or Rick.
HEADLINES
*Remembering Carl
*America Trivia
*1998 Concert Schedule (so far)
*America Article in Upcoming
TV Guide
*Pferd with No Namen
*New CD Set for Spring Release
*America Anthology Songbook
Info
*Dewey's Inside Scoop: Australia
and China
*Who Is This Former Member of
America???
*Alibi, Your Move, and Perspective
Now On CD
*Bill Mumy
*Mag's Thoughts on Homecoming
and Hourglass
*Lonely Guy, Middle Age Crazy,
and the Simpsons
*Music To Fly By
*America Song Tournament
*Home Page Updates
*Concert Reviews......First
of 1998
*Horse's Mouth Newsletter Submissions
*Horse's Mouth Communications
*Answers to America Trivia
REMEMBERING
CARL
America fans everywhere were
deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Carl Wilson, one of the founding
and most talented members of the Beach Boys. America fans grew to love
Carl through BB hits such as "God Only Knows," "Darlin,"
and "I Can Hear Music," along with his backing vocals to America
songs such as "All Around," and "Garden of Peace" which
added Carl's perfect touch.
Also, many of us were fortunate
to see America and the Beach Boys in concert together, and will always
remember seeing Carl, Gerry, and Dewey on stage together performing "Fun
Fun Fun" and "Surfin' USA" as encores......and loving every
minute of it!!
Through these experiences, Gerry,
Dewey, and Carl developed a close friendship and mutual respect, and enriched
each others lives. Gerry and Dewey were fans of Carl Wilson and the Beach
Boys.......and Carl Wilson was a fan of Gerry and Dewey and America.
A.P. Wire Services carried this
tribute by Gerry to Carl at his recent service:
"Gerry Beckley, a long
time friend, recalled that the first album he bought was Surfin' Safari,
which he used to play over and over as he tried to accompany the music
on a guitar."
"Long before I met Carl
Wilson, he taught me how to play guitar."
We would like to offer our prayers
to one of America's best friends, Carl Wilson......and to his family........and
dedicate this edition of the newsletter in his memory. We will truly miss
him.
AMERICA
TRIVIA......TRY YOUR HORSE SENSE!!!
Ahhhhh......winter......and
6 more weeks of it thanks to Punxsutawney Phil ! ! Try warming up your
brain with these winter-themed trivia questions ! ! (The answers are at
the end of the newsletter.) 1. "The purple ghost of England in winter
time, and who I used to know...."
2. "I went for a walk....On
a winter's day...."
3. "Harvest the corn, watch
for the storm....Soon we will hear winter call...."
4. "....like the winter
needs the spring...."
5. "Winter's here, bring
the blankets out....To cover up the cold...."
6. "The winter's come and
gone....And I've been left all alone...."
7. "When the first breath
of winter through the flowers is icing...."
8. "Early spring when winter's
forgiven...."
9. "All around the city....Before
the winter snow...."
10. "El Nino.......you
betcha.......we're not glad we met ya"
1998
CONCERT SCHEDULE.......HAPPY TRAILS
It's happy trails again as AMERICA
hits the road in 1998! Here is what has been confirmed so far regarding
the 1998 concert schedule. More dates will be added as the information
becomes available. ******Remember, this schedule is subject to change******
Saturday, February 14 Las Vegas,
Nevada: Harrah's (Spellbound Showroom)
Sunday, February 15 Las Vegas,
Nevada: Harrah's (Spellbound Showroom)
Thursday, February 26 San Juan,
Puerto Rico: 8pm and 10pm
Saturday, February 28 Hallendale,
Florida: Gulfstream Park 12:30 and 3:30 pm
Friday, March 13 Uncasville,
Connecticut: two shows
Saturday, March 14 Sandusky,
Ohio: Sandusky State Theatre 7pm
Thursday, March 26 Santa Barbara,
California: Coach House 7pm and 9pm
Friday, March 27 Cerritos, California:
Cerritos Center
Saturday, March 28 Cerritos,
California: Cerritos Center
Monday, April 20 Portland, Oregon:
Memorial Coliseum 8:30pm
Tuesday, April 21 Tacoma, Washington:
Tacoma Dome 8:30pm
Wednesday, April 22 Spokane,
Washington: Spokane Arena 8:30pm
Thursday, April 23 Boise, Idaho:
BSU Pavilion 8:30 pm
Friday, April 24 Salt Lake City,
Utah: Jon Huntsman Center 9pm
Saturday, May 2 Boulder, Colorado:
Coors Events Center 9pm
Sunday, May 3 Colorado Springs,
Colorado: New World Arena 8:30 pm
Tuesday, May 5 Albuquerque,
New Mexico: Tingley Coliseum 9pm
Wednesday, May 6 Tucson, Arizona:
Convention Center Theatre 9pm
Thursday, May 7 Pasadena, California:
Twin Palms 7pm and 9:45pm
Friday, May 8 Newport Beach,
California: Twin Palms 7pm and 9:45
Thursday, May 28-Wednesday June
10 Sparks, Nevada: Nugget Casino (16 shows total)
Saturday, June 13 San Juan Capistrano,
California: The Coach House 7pm and 9:30pm
Sunday, June 14 San Diego, California:
Humphrey's
Friday, June 26 Bossier City,
Louisiana (Shreveport): Casino Magic (two shows)
Saturday, June 27 Bloomingdale,
Illinois: (Chicago) FamilyFest 8:30
Thursday, July 2 Arlington Heights,
Illinois: Frontier Days 8pm
Friday, July 3 O'Fallon, Missouri:
O'Fallon City Park 9pm
Saturday, July 4 Moreno Valley,
California: (Riverside area) Family Fun Festival at Morrison park 7pm
Thursday, July 16 Cadott, Wisconsin:
Rock Fest
Thursday, July 30 Rock Springs,
Wyoming: Sweetwater County Fair 8pm
Saturday, August 8 Uncasville,
Conneticut: WolfDen, Mohegan Sun Casino (two shows)
Sunday, August 16 St. Joseph,
Missouri: Trails West Fest 7pm
AMERICA
ARTICLE IN UPCOMING TV GUIDE
Kelly <YngMoon@aol.com>
reports there will be an interview with America in the February 21st edition
of TV Guide. Kelly advises, "Make sure you get a copy or two........
to share with family, friends, co-workers...ect, ect, ect....." (thanks
Kelly!!)
PFERD
WITH NO NAMEN
OK.......this is supposed to
be sorta/kinda "Horse With No Name" in German......... (hope
it doesn't say something else!!) Keep reading and it will all make sense.......
Kelly <YngMoon@aol.com>
also reports: "There's a radio station out here in South Orange County
and most likely in some of the other surrounding areas.....L.A., San Diego
ect...called 103.1. It has been playing a more up to date version of "Horse
With No Name", by a band from Germany. ( Of course the okay from "America"
was granted)
Not sure if you mid-westerners
or you east coasters had picked up on this yet ?
I myself have not heard it,
but I have been told it sounds good. How about any of you, have you heard
this 90's version of "Horse" yet? (thanks again Kelly!!)
Soooooo......get used to your
teens singing "I've been through the desert on a pferd with no namen!!"
NEW
CD SET FOR SPRING RELEASE
Yes!!!!!! Gerry and Dewey are
currently working very hard in the recording studio on the upcoming new
CD, which is set for a Spring 98 release. You can be assured that any info
regarding this release will be featured on the America Home Page as soon
as it becomes available.....so keep watching for details.
AMERICA
ANTHOLOGY SONGBOOK INFO
Many people have written in
asking about ordering America songbooks. Here's a good answer thanks to
Kevin: <KAlton1012@aol.com>
Subject: Strumming along singing
a song
Hey Folks,
I have a great find for you
I was web surfing the other day and came upon this sight: Guitar Gallery
of Houston - Order Form Just for kixs I checked it out. Much to my suprise
they carry the songbook America Deluxe Anthology which contains thefollowing:
AMERICA DELUXE ANTHOLOGY: Amber
Cascades, Bell Tree, Clarice, Daisy Jane, Don't Cross the River, Don't
Cry Baby, Glad To See You, Green Monkey, Hat Trick, Head and Heart, Hollywood,
A Horse With No Name, Hurricane, I Need You, Lonely People, Mad Dog, Monster,
Muskrat Love, Old Virginia, Only In Your Heart, Political Poachers, Rainbow
Song, Riverside, Sandman, Sister Golden Hair, The Story of a Teenager,
These Brown Eyes, Till the Sun Comes Up Again, Tin Man, Today's the Day,
Ventura Highway, Who Loves You, Willow Tree Lullaby, Wind Wave, Woman Tonight
I called them today to confirm
that they had it in stock and was told they do!!! Also it is a normally
stocked item.
Good News :) IT'S NOT OUT OF
PRINT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bad News :( I BOUGHT THE ONLY
COPY THEY HAD IN STOCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I spoke with the owner of the
shop (name eludes me now). He said that it only takes him about a week
to get to him from the distributor. So I would think turn around time would
be relatively fast.
Cost is $17.95 + 3.00 Shipping
and Handling
Fret No More Order Today!
Kevin
DEWEY'S
INSIDE SCOOP: AUSTRALIA AND CHINA
Esteemed Horse's Mouth roving
reporter Dewey Bunnell sent this inside scoop about America's recent tours
to Australia and China.
I spent a lot of free time cycling
around parts of Australia bird-watching!... Cockatoos, Lorikeets, Parrots
etc...always amazed by the wildlife of Australia. The death of Michael
Hutchence, while we were in Sydney, was sad. Gerry and I saw an interesting
Art Show, "The Body", at the Sydney Museum worth noting. An odd
assortment of paintings, sculpture and installation from turn of the century
to present. Shanghai was an eye-opener... massive advertising and consumerism!
Seeing the early morning Tai Chi and yoga exercising on the streets in
China was new! Watch out for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the coming years...massive
development in progress...monorails and some of the tallest buildings in
the world contributing to it's probably becoming one of the most important
cities in the region. All in all, the boys in the band had another memorable
year...and a lot of fun, too!!!
WHO
IS THIS FORMER MEMBER OF AMERICA?????
Many people have written to
the America Home Page and to the America Fans Page asking whatever happened
to this former member of America.........but can you guess who he is??????
1. Originally from Oklahoma
2. Lived in Houston 3 or 4 years ago after his breakup with Libby Hurly
(her brother was world champion steer roper a couple of years in a row)
3. Got married and is now living in Sweetwater, Texas 4. Taught a year
of school in Sweetwater 5. Has a dance studio (actually, it's his wife's
studio) 6. Is now teaching guitar/music
ANSWER: David Dickey (bass guitarist)
ALIBI,
PERSPECTIVE, YOUR MOVE NOW ON CD
These CDs are now available
as French imports from Thoughtscape Sounds at 800-435-6185 for $18.95.
Check "Where to Purchase America CDs" on the America Home Page
for more information.
BILL
MUMY
Thanks to Joe <WGNJoeShow@aol.com>
for sending in this report about Bill Mumy, and to Steve Lowry for the
list of America songs co-written with Bill.
I had a chance to interview
Billy Mumy for the Joe Show the other day. Great guy!!! He had nothing
but great things to say about working with and being pals with Gerry &
Dewey. They met back in 1972 at America's first Whiskey A Go-Go appearance.
Billy was there checking it out with Brian Wilson!! Cool!! And, as they
say, the rest is history. He mentioned that it looked pretty good for the
guys to be going into the studio in January, with a good shot for a new
record deal in 1998. I know we've been through this before, so keep thinkin'
those positive thoughts. He said there are a few tunes that they were workin'
on. New material! Yippee!! Off the air, he was very complimentary and had
some great insight on the guys. Gerry - very prolific, has a couple of
hundred great songs already written....Dewey - pure, great voice. Here's
the number for Bill's new album "Dying To Be Heard". 800/851-2503.
Also, here's a list of songs
that Bill Mumy has collaborated on with America......along with Robert
Haimer.
You Girl (Bunnell, Mumy, Haimer)
Love On The Vine (Bunnell, Mumy, Haimer) Someday Woman (Beckley, Mumy,
Haimer) Can't Fall Asleep To A Lullaby (Bunnell, Perry, Mumy, Haimer) Lady
With A Bluebird (Bunnell, Mumy, Haimer) Nothing's So Far Away As Yesterday
(Bunnell, Mumy, Haimer) Hell's On Fire (Bunnell, Mumy, Haimer) Sleeper
Train (Bunnell, Mumy, Haimer) Greenhouse (Bunnell, Mumy, Haimer)
If you want to read more about
Bill Mumy, he has a web page at http://laura.simplenet.com/BMTEB/ which
is very interesting.
MAG'S
THOUGHTS ON HOMECOMING AND HOURGLASS
Mags <Bgrotte@aol.com>
did an excellent job sharing her thoughts on two great America albums.........Homecoming
and Hourglass. Enjoy..................
HOMECOMING - continues in the
tradition of their first album; incredibly well-written and composed songs
that are lyrically strong, and of course, incorporate those fabulous clean
harmonies. Even without the re-emergence of acoustical sound, any one of
these songs could have easily been written and released for today's times.
Who knew then how way ahead of the game they were?
To Each His Own: gotta be my
favorite early Ger tune. A simple, honest ballad that says so much lyrically.
The sweet chorus of Ger/Dan harmonies. Just an incredibly beautiful and
moving song. Makes you want to stop whatever you're doing and just THINK.
Head And Heart: if for no other
reason ya gotta love this song for its arrangement. Dan's voice opening
the song, then melding into Dewey's, then Gerry taking over and finishing
the lead vocals. Composed in a great key, with strong lyrics, silky vocals,
bare use of instrumental accompaniment as to not muddy the sound. Would
sound just as fine a cappella. This song has been WAY overlooked in the
business.
Ventura Highway: another feel-good
song (like Three Roses) that takes the listener on a journey. Its sweet
guitar chords, and of course, those joyous 3-part harmonies (were these
three lads destined to sing together, or what!). Pure joy.
Moon Song: hauntingly beautiful
sound, fantastic composition. Starts off gentle and builds and grows within
the chorus on out. An explosion of guitar sound, with a great mid riff
that just takes off. I love the way this song "fleshes out,"
taking you from beginning to middle to end. It feels so perfectly complete.
WOW!!! Someone please tell me, though, what those last few lyrics at fade
out are.
Cornwall Blank: strong "message"
song. Crescendos in energy. Like so many other America songs, would have
made an excellent movie score. Suggests feeling like you're walking down
a lonely road into life's unknowns, without much help or guidance. Whenever
I listen to it, I always feel that there is something much more important
I should be doing in life. Makes you gain yet another layer of appreciation
for Dewey's work as an artist. Anyone know the last time it was performed
in concert?
Till The Sun Comes Up Again:
wonderful arrangement. Love the change of direction in the chorus. A short,
sweet, Beckley masterpiece. Hey industry people...we 'd much rather listen
to barely 2 minutes of pure bliss, than say, 5 minutes of forced-down-our
throats, music-to clean-your refrigerator by, slop. They just don't get
it, do they?
Only In Your Heart: a great
sing-along song. Amazing how many great songs begin with just a few piano
bars and guitar strums, huh?. Especially love the fade/return at the end...bonus
sounds.
Don't Cross The River: great
country/folk flavor (gotta love that banjo!). Liked it way before I ever
imagined I could listen to any realm of country music. Seems like I am
forever silently thanking the guys for helping expand my musical awareness.
I like the way it follows its beat, but expands during each verse.
Saturn Nights: another thoughtful,
haunting song. Strong harmonies. Slow, quiet, reflective, just like that
other song that begins with, "one more song about moving along the
highway," rich in its "tapestry" of sound (tee hee...sorry)
California Revisited (Everyone
I Meet Is From California): country/rock n' roll feel. A toe-tapper. This
is my favorite version.
"HOURGLASS"
I remember wondering how the
90s stuff would fare (hey...the 80s stuff blended in nicely) before I first
gave the new release a listen, but was delighted with how well the "classic
sounds of America," melded with the boys' ability to evolve and expand
musically. The return of some " familiar old faces" (like Carl
and Hal) and the addition of more recent ones (Mumy) made this a beautifully
mixed, fresh-sounding release.
Young Moon: this is just a great
listen (I can understand why Kelly chose it as her screen name!). Great
collaboration of Dew and Ger. Dewey's vocals sound so smooth, rich and
sure. Love Gerry's high-range backing vocals. After Dan's departure Ger
had the opportunity to sing more mid and high-end vocals, which have been
a delight to hear.
Hope: has a nice funky kinda
feel. Forceful lyrics and vocals. A very "together" feeling...enhanced
by the handclaps. Much deserved of that nomination, Ger.
Sleeper Train: Dew's work with
Bill Mumy has not failed to please. Their styles compliment one another
so well, and it seems the relationship has allowed Dewey to return to his
solid song-writing and arrangement roots.
Mirror To Mirror: a rock n'
roll/almost hip-hop feel, with a bit of an edge. A bunch of us danced to
this the other night at a party, and many were surprised to realize it
was America. Especially like the drum and keyboard programs.
Garden Of Peace: another "great
minds at work" track. Rich guitar sounds and harmonies (you go, Carl!).
Call Of The Wild: an updated
country/folk feel. Acoustical guitar work and harmonies that remind us
of why they have endured 27 years of musical evolution. When I first heard
the lap steel (or is it just programs?), I thought it was a sax.
Whole Wide World: another great
listen. Nice, gentle feel. The mandolin and keyboard really opens it up.
Close To The Wind: this feels
like a bit of foreshadowing to Ger's solo work on VGG. Beautifully arranged/mixed.
Bare use of instruments give it a clean sound. I know it's Ger's and Steve's
work, but it reminds me of early Beach Boys (did Carl sneak in on this
when no one was looking? Maybe just via osmosis in the studio).
Greenhouse: a big ole' boogie-down
feel. You can really hear Mumy's influence. Killer bass line. Gotta watch
out for those, "blood-red roses hypnotizing..."
Ports-Of-Call: when no one was
looking, we go ya mon to Jamaica! Excellent Caribbean feel. This is such
a totally new sound from the guys that it was a pleasant surprise.
Everyone I Meet is From California:
like a completely different song with Dew singing lead instead of Dan.
Although I'm a bit partial to the original release, I like this slower,
more electrified feel that lets it mix in so well with the other tracks.
You Can Do Magic: ditto to the
above...still partial to original mix, but new arrangement instrumentally
and vocally add new flavor.
LONELY
GUY, MIDDLE AGE CRAZY, AND THE SIMPSONS
Jim <JIMNAK@aol.com>,
who is always most knowledgeable regarding America music, offered the following
info about America's involvement in two movies, Lonely Guy and Middle Age
Crazy. There's also a short note about Gerry's involvement with the Simpsons!
Around 1984 Steve Martin starred
in a movie "Lonely Guy", AMERICA sang one of the feature songs.
GERRY's handles lead vocals & DEWEY does a great job on the chorus'.
The song really sounds like a GERRY song & the lyrics are in line with
his thinking - I was thinking. It has fast parts & slow interludes,
all very well done by AMERICA. LOVE COMES WITHOUT WARNING by John Bettis
& Jerry Goldsmith On Backstreet Music ASCAP/Music Corp. of America
(MCA) BMI produced by Matthew McCauley Performed by AMERICA When life was
just empty rooms, for company I talked to the moon I dreamed alone to my
own song that no one could hear When nights were silent & dark, I lay
in shadows, stare at the stars The quiet voice that lifted my heart was
always so clear It told me that the chance for love comes without warning
So don't stop looking for it
Yeah, love comes without warning
so be ready for love I dreamed it thousands of times I even felt your skin
touching me mine I knew you were here, it kept me believing love comes
without warning so don't stop looking for it Love comes without warning
so don't stop looking for love
Those are the eyes I have spent
my life looking for, If they're not telling lies You were looking for me,
I wanna tell everyone who's waiting in the dark for the sun Before your
chance in life is gone, you'ill be in the light Remember the chance for
love comes without warning, so don't stop looking for it Yeah, love comes
without warning so be ready for love Your chance for love comes without
warning so don't stop looking for it Repeat & fade.
Middle Age Crazy was a movie
from around 1980 that featured Ann-Margaret & Bruce Dern. The highlight
of the picture was a song by GERRY BECKLEY & Lisa Del Bello titled
"Now that I Know", written by none other than Matthew McCauley,
AMERICA's sometimes producer. GERRY's voice is very much alive in this
song & he does a splendid job. You can bet that Matthew M. upon writing
the song for Capitol could only only think of one guy to do the song -
our own GERRY BECKLEY. GERRY pulls it off in exceptional style & he
is on to the next project. ------------ And now.........a tidbit about
Gerry and the Simpson's..........
Gerry (along with Bart and Homer??)
worked on a modern classic......Simpsons Sings the Blues. I'll have to
ask my kids if they've heard it. Maybe our readers have and can send in
a report.
MUSIC
TO FLY BY
From: Gary B. <TheotherGB@aol.com>
So .......... we were winging
our way home on New Years Day in the friendly skies of Delta Airlines when
we noticed something in the on-board magazine. On page 125 of "Sky"
they listed their music programs. And there on channel nine was "Showcase:
America". The entire channel was just America. It was basically the
Greatest Hits CD plus "Riverside", "Right Before Your Eyes",
"Three Roses", and "Here".
The only drawback was that our
plane ride was so short that they were not offering that channel on our
flight. Bummer man!!!! But then we had just heard most of those selections
"LIVE" so it was ok.
It might be worth flying somewhere
just for the music......
AMERICA
SONG TOURNAMENT......NOW IN PROGRESS
This great idea was submitted
by Mark McVey <MarkEMcVey@aol.com>.......
They have done this on the Eagles
(AOL) board and one is currently going on in the Fogelberg board. I want
to see if there is an interest to do this here. If so I will be happy to
run it and keep track of the votes and the rounds, etc...
We can have a song tournament
where we start out with 128 or however America songs there are & pit
them against one another like in the NCAA basketball tournament. It's a
lot of fun, so I'd like to try doing it here. For Round 1, I would randomly
set up ?? pairs of songs & post them. We'd all choose our favorite
from each pair & I'll tally up the votes. The ?? winners would advance
to Round 2. Again, we'd vote, & the winners would advance to the next
round, & so on... Until we're down to the 1 winning song.
Each screen name can choose
your favorites once per round. You can always make new screen names to
vote more per round.
One of the things that makes
this kind of tourney fun is the element of randomness. It's possible for
a popular song to get knocked out early by another popular song, while
a lesser-known song continues to advance because it happens to be paired
with songs that not many people are wild about.
Editor's Note: There has been
an enthusiastic reponse to Mark's idea. Participation in the tournament
will be open to both AOL and non-AOL users. Mark and Steve Lowry have put
this together and it's now up and running on the America Fans Page
AMERICA
HOME PAGE UPDATES
The America Home Page has several
new additions, including a full review of the Jackpot, Nevada New Year's
Concert with pictures, info regarding the new CD, and a page called Where
to Purchase America CDs.......and more. Check it out!!
Rick and Steve have worked together
to create an archive area that contains a search engine for all of the
past issues of the AMERICA newsletters, which have been exclusively on
the America Home Page. Additionally, it contains the past entries from
the <AHREF="http://missionimprobable.com/cgi/amchat.exe">America
Fans Chat Folder.
The archives are now searchable
by the America Search Engine so that you can quickly and easily find information
from any of the back issues.
The newsletters began in the
summer of 1995 and the chat folder archives begin with the May 1997 entries.
There is a lot of valuable information in both of them which is now easily
accessible for all AMERICA fans.
CONCERT
REVIEWS: FIRST OF 1998
Jackpot, NV December 31, 1997
Submitted by Rick Wahlgren wahlgren@pacificrim.net (this review complete
with pictures is featured on the America Home Page)
NOW WE KNOW JACK (POT)
Even though we're now a couple
days into 1998, the coyotes, jackalopes, and three legged deer in the desert
around Jackpot, Nevada must still be shaking their collective heads about
all the commotion on New Years eve at Cactus Pete's Casino, where America
performed a spectacular New Year's Eve concert.
And they must also wonder how
any of these noisy human celebrators even found Jackpot, for it took an
all out geography lesson to discover that Jackpot is: #1. In the USA #2.
in northern Nevada and #3. right on the Nevada/Idaho border......just a
mile or two from Nowheresville and next to the Matterhorn.
One could easily identify with
a Lewis and Clark pioneer type adventurist in trying to reach Jackpot.
First it was an easy one hour flight from Seattle to Boise, but then it
was on the actual Oregon Trail to Twin Falls dodging Idaho spuds falling
from flatbeds, and then an Evil Keneivel jump across the Snake River Canyon,
with a final grueling haul to legendary gunslinger Diamond Jack's hole
in the wall hangout now called Cactus Petes. Jackpot also was alleged to
be the place that inspired that now famous song about a nameless horse
in a desert (who ran with the local three legged deer???).........well
maybe at least.
Cactus Pete's was a happening
place at New Years with 300 HIGH ROLLERS invited to lose big money with
generous donations to the Cactus Pete's general golden fund. Plus, the
population of Jackpot soared from about one hundred (including all Jackalopes)
to several thousand with a flood of PARTY HARDY Idahoans and Nevadians
that came to town to "kick it."
America actually performed four
concerts, two on Dec. 30th, and two on New Year's Eve. The last two concerts
included the final performance of nearly a couple hundred in 1997, and
the very first one of 1998.
Here are the highlights..............
The Gala Showroom is a cozy
miniature version of a Vegas or Reno showroom, and every seat in the house
is fairly close to a front row seat.
The management of the showroom
was extremely excited to "finally get America here," and had
their "History" CDs ready for autographs. A former manager of
the showroom, who we had the pleasure to sit by in the last performance,
said she used to try to stuff the ballot box for America when they voted
on which groups to invite! YOU GO GIRL!!
Gerry noted watching all the
high rollers landing behind Cactus Petes in their Leer jets........and
later informed the crowd that the movie "California Dreamin"
(which America did the title soundtrack) immediately became a major blockbuster
hit..................that is...............went *directly* to Blockbuster
video!
Gerry also mentioned that just
before the concert, the guys had finally agreed to another "H"
name for the new CD, called (with tongue in cheek) "Hanson."
:)
Dewey mentioned to the crowd
that "Another Try" was one of the first songs that America worked
on with the famous "5th Beatle" producer George Martin, and then
said that now it's officially Sir George Martin. Gerry responded, "I
always called him Sir!"
Dewey and Gerry had difficulty
choosing the "Lonely People" award, finally concluding that nobody
in cozy Jackpot could possibly be lonely due to its size!
America gracefully overcame
a disaster of near Titanic proportions as one of Brad's bass guitar strings
broke, and Brad had to play with only three strings. According to Gerry,
"thank heavens Jackpot isn't in the boondocks and our sound people
were able to go to the local Guitars R Us".............as another
bass guitar was brought to the stage several songs later.
Actually, it was a borrowed
guitar from Paul Revere and the Raiders, or as Gerry put it, "Paul
McCartney Revere and the Raiders." Even the most fanatic Beatle fans
haven't heard yet that Paul M. joined the Raiders! :) :) :)
After the first night, Kelly
and her husband Steve, Barb and her husband Gary, and I were eating "breakfast"
at 3am, and heard the first few chords of "Sister Golden Hair."
No...........it wasn't America
performing for the 3rd time that night.......it was a group called the
Redstones playing the graveyard shift at the casino. They ably followed
"Sister" with "Ventura Highway" to our delight.
On the afternoon of New Years
Eve, we went for a walk through Jackpot and the Jackpot National Forest
with Dewey. The forest consists of about thirty scrubby pines and a few
birch trees, one tumbleweed..................and a deer leg. (proves the
three legged deer rumors/theories we heard from the locals). And we also
admired a nearby mountain called the Matterhorn. (no kidding). Maybe Jackpot
is in Europe after all as we first suspected????? We also visited Jackpot's
local mall, called the General Store, which featured all the beef jerky
and pepporoni sticks a person could eat.
On the town limits of Jackpot
is a Mountain Time Zone sign as one enters, and a Pacific Time Zone sign
as one leaves. This prompted Dewey to comment that we could celebrate New
Years TWICE in Jackpot by just moving up the road!!! That's why Jackpot
is sooooo special.........twice the fun.
In fact, that's why the movie
"Groundhog Day" was likely filmed right in Jackpot if my sources
are correct. :)
Later, Kelly discovered a lucky
slot machine called "Three Roses" and Gary found one called "Hat
Trick," but both machines were reluctant to share the wealth! We also
looked in vain for a "Horse W/No Name" slot..........with but
without any luck!
But............the biggest highlight
was the New Year's Eve performance , and the crowd was ready to have fun
with party hats, horns, kazoos, noisemakers, leis, and several hundred
balloons.
Dewey and Gerry looked frequently
at their watches, and at midnight, Gerry began playing a piano intro to
Auld Lang Syne and Dewey led the crowd in singing........while Woodz added
a real America flair to this traditional song on lead guitar.
Did anyone know the lyrics?????
I think not!!! (especially since Dewey and Gerry left the lyrics on our
table) And of course, nobody noticed!!
Meanwhile, hundreds of balloons
were brought into the Gala Palace, and were bounced around repeatedly,
popped, and even sat on. Gerry used his guitar to whack several balloons
floating in the air WHILE playing "Sister," and Dewey accompanied
with a horn covered with stars and confetti. It was a wild scene.......that
surely made the coyotes outside Jackpot howl a much longer than usual!!
Simultaneously, outside of Cactus
Petes at the Jackpot Times Square, a lighted tumbleweed rolled down an
extra tall cactus in the local version of the New York's Times Square celebration.
It was over all too soon and
time to hit the dusty trail home, but New Years in Jackpot, Nevada with
America will never be forgotten..............and the all the fond memories
of that special western town. ----------------------------------------------------------
As always, thanks to everyone in America............and to Gary, Barb,
Steve and Kelly for being so gracious and fun.
-------- January 10, 1998 Walnut
Creek, CA Submitted by Jim N. (JIMNAK@aol.com)
The show at Walnut Creek for
the ARF (Animal Rescue Fund) was truly an experience. The benefit is headed
up by St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa who gained the support of
Mark McGuire (52 homers in '97) & many well-heeled, be-jeweled, tuxedo'd
folks. With the best seats running at $250, the parking lot looked like
a luxury car dealership. I think someone anonymously donated $500,000,
that's how serious this annual event is. Some of the artists who donated
their services were AMERCA, Huey Lewis & Paul Williams. We have a few
fotos from the show & perhaps a few more later. GERRY & DEWEY worked
very closely w/Tony to coordinate their parts. AMERICA opened the show
w/a few songs & came back for a few more & finally closed the show
w/Huey Lewis & the news. The entertainment was very carefully interwoven
w/various ARF related events. DEWEY opened the show w/a thundering version
of VENTURA HIGHWAY. These performing arts centres usually have impressive
sound/acoustic systems & DEWEY'S voice thunders thru like blue lightening.
Even Jerry Reinsdorf (white sox & bulls owner) was said to say wooh
!, AMERICA is damn good ! As one of the organizers said, these benefits
are always tough on the performers since the entertainment needs to weave
around all the perfunctory aspects of the cause. He said that one reason
that AMERICA was asked is because they have a reputation for being cooperative
& easy to do business with & therein remains one of the hallmarks
of GERRY & DEWEY & the crew & one of the reasons for their
longevity. The program contained an extensive bio on GERRY & DEWEY
& mentioned the great work on their latest CD, HOURGLASS. So we salute
GERRY & DEWEY for their great work for a great cause. Also, just to
mention that Paul Williams is quite a gentleman too & we will include
a foto of him & his piano player. It was heart warming to see AMERICA
in this classy setting. All amid the work that is going on to create a
new CD, perhaps we may see a single, first. You know they work so hard
to produce new material & the work is stressful, but you all know the
final product. Please continue to give them big applause & support
at the next show. And now onward & upward for AMERICA in 1998, all
the best is yet to come.
The Walnut Creek Photos are
now online at http://missionimprobable.com/america/walnut98.htm.
-------- January 23, 1998 Prescott,
AZ Submitted by Cynthia P. (acom1@primenet.com)
America Tour in Prescott Truly
Rocked!!!!!!!!
We experienced the splender
of American last night in Prescott. It was an unbelievable treat. They
were so fine. Their voices were in magic harmony. It shook the pleasant
memories of growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the seventy's up.
The quality of their song writing, I appreciated more today than as a teen.
I'd love to see them on a VH1 musical history moment. They are the fathers
of the foundation of rock music today. I know that the crowd was fully
impressed with their ability. The evening was more enjoyable than was anticipated.
Thanks for musical night of good feelings. Come back to Yavapai College
again.
The town is talking about the
concerteverywhere I go. At the beauty salon everyone was so excited by
theexperience. At the market the news is seriously buzzing. We are a small
town and America made a big hit here.
-------- January 24, 1998 Sun
City, AZ Submitted by Gary and Barbara B. (VTAHWY@aol.com) America: Sun
Sational!!
The beautiful Sundome Center
for the Performing Arts seemed an unlikely setting for AMERICA's Saturday
night (1/24/98) performance. Operated by the Arizona State University but
nowhere near the campus, the facility was donated to the university by
Del Webb, the renown developer. The Sundome is located in the heart of
Sun City, AZ, an immaculate retirement community. Naturally, we were curious
and somewhat apprehensive about the type of audience AMERICA would draw.
When upcoming shows included Steve and Eydie, Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain,
and Branson on the Road with Mickey Gilley, we wondered where AMERICA fit
in. Would we be the only "youngsters" in a silver-haired dentures
and wheelchair crowd?
Well......not to worry. The
roughly 2,500 person crowd proved to be a healthy blend of all ages. Yes,
the elderly were amply represented, but there were many baby boomer attendees
as well.
AMERICA was "sun"sational
in Sun City!! The set began with the lesser known but popular "Riverside"
and proceeded to "Ventura Highway" (we must admit that this one
tugs at our "VTA HWY" hearts just a little). "You Can Do
Magic" and "Don't Cross the River" followed in all too quick
succession.
Gerry commented that AMERICA
was going to perform the long show so they would be having an intermission
but would come back and play some more. This announcement brought cheers
from the audience (as well as sighs of relief from the oldsters who no
doubt welcomed a "facilities" break).
Gerry ventured over to the piano
for an emotion-packed series of songs which included "Daisy Jane",
"Mirror to Mirror", "Another Try", and "The Last
Unicorn". A real gem of this grouping was "To Each His Own"
which sounded so wonderful. We were delighted with this addition to the
playlist. "Three Roses", "I Need You" and a couple
of other favs concluded the first half of the show.
After the intermission, Gerry
and Dewey welcomed everyone back for the "loud" part of the show
(at this point, several hearing aids were probably either turned off or
removed). True to their word, the second half featured blistering versions
of "Green Monkey", "Never Be Lonely" and "Sandman".
Gerry's acoustic solo lead-in to "Sandman" was magnificent.
Dewey offered some humorous
political commentary about the recent events in Washington, D.C. when he
posed the big question, "If Bill and Hilary divorce, who will get
custody of Buddy (the Clintons' new chocolate lab)?"
The two-song encore brought
the appreciative baby boomers to the front of the stage where they sang
and danced to "California Revisited" and "A Horse With No
Name". Gerry's friend, Tom, joined the guys onstage for the encore.
Tom was a former bandmate of Gerry's back in high school (HOW many years
ago?), and he certainly must be proud of his high school buddy's astounding
success.
Gerry, Dewey, Brad, Will and
Woodz were all in fine form. They looked and sounded terrific! They have
obviously been putting their down time to good use pursuing their other
interests and getting plenty of R & R. However, they played with great
enthusiasm and energy and seemed ready to return to the stage.
If this performance (only the
2nd show of the season) was any indication, 1998 is going to be a "sun"sational
year!!
HORSE'S
MOUTH NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS
Send in your trivia, concert
reviews, America memories, opinions, commentaries, etc. for the Spring
edition of The Horse's Mouth!!!!!!
HORSE'S
MOUTH COMMUNICATIONS
Email: wahlgren@pacificrim.net
(Rick Wahlgren) or kydaka@aol.com (Rick's AOL "handle") or vtahwy@aol.com
(Barbara Bickmore)
Rick Wahlgren 1717 Matz Road
Ferndale, Washington 98248 phone: 360-380-6271
Home Page Sites.................
America Home Page (by Rick Wahlgren)
http://www.pacificrim.net/~wahlgren
Classic Rock Band in Pictures
(by Ike Gauley) http://www.harvestcomm.net/america/
Fans Across America ... and
the World (by Steve Lowry) http://missionimprobable.com/america/
Dan Peek....Peace Home Page:
http://www.pacificrim.net/~wahlgren/dan.html by Rick Wahlgren
--------
AOL America Message Board (this
is a *permanent* message board). Gerry and Dewey are AOL members, and read
the America message board often.............
1. Keyword mmc (for Musicspace
Message Board) 2. Rock/Pop 3. Classic Rock 4. America: Beckley and Bunnell
(and youÕre there!!!!!)
ANSWERS
TO AMERICA TRIVIA
1. "The purple ghost of
England in winter time, and who I used to know...." Answer: RAINBOW
SONG (D. Bunnell)
2. "I went for a walk....On
a winter's day...." Answer: CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' (J. Phillips)
3. "Harvest the corn, watch
for the storm....Soon we will hear winter call...." Answer: SEASONS
(D. Bunnell)
4. "....like the winter
needs the spring...." Answer: I NEED YOU (G. Beckley)
5. "Winter's here, bring
the blankets out....To cover up the cold...." Answer: LOVE'S WORN
OUT AGAIN (G. Beckley & B. Mumy)
6. "The winter's come and
gone....And I've been left all alone...." Answer: THESE BROWN EYES
(D. Peek)
7. "When the first breath
of winter through the flowers is icing...." Answer: THE LAST UNICORN
(J. Webb)
8. "Early spring when winter's
forgiven...." Answer: TALL TREASURES (G. Beckley & D. Bunnell)
9. "All around the city....Before
the winter snow...." Answer: WHOLE WIDE WORLD (D. Bunnell)
10. "El Nino.......you
betcha.......we're not glad we met ya"
Answer: HELLOOOOOOOO!!! Gerry
and Dewey don't write corny lyrics like this, but the Horse's Mouth editors
certainly would!!!! And there's unfortunately more........."Designer
rain hats and coats, El Nino and boats........in the warm California winter
rains........