Mormon dot org

If you are reading this through an RSS feed, and not on the actual blog, you are missing out on seeing the awesome ad to the right! It's my dear friend, Tim Gates of Due West, in a Mormon.org spot. I've seen the video featuring Tim and it's just wonderful. I highly encourage you to watch it. Learn more about what makes Tim (and his family, and his Due West family) so incredibly awesome. Makes me humbled and happy to call him my friend. 

Tim Gates is Awesome

You know how for almost 10 years now I've been telling you how great the band Due West is?
Well, here's a quick video about Tim Gates, the lead vocalist for Due West. Just kinda proves how amazing he is!

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Due West, "I Just Wanna Go There"

Sure, maybe I am a little biased when it comes to the awesomeness of Due West.
But you know what? This may be their best song yet. I just want to snuggle in bed, turn off the lights, and listen to this song on repeat over and over and over again!





LOVE.IT.



Hey You! Check out my new novels, "You Heard It Here First" and the sequel "This Just In!"

Doin' Things You Can't Do in a Car!

I believe the first time I ever started talking about Due West here on this blog was back in 2007! (Here's the post: Dilemma.) Back then I was excited to go see them perform at a small venue in Sandy, Utah where they were opening for a little known act- a teenage girl named Taylor Swift, that I was not impressed with.  I mentioned in that post how I was pretty sure I was one of their very few fans- nobody had ever heard of them. They didn't have an album or a single out either.
Now, just five years later, and at least 39 mentions of them on this blog later, they are on the front page for country music on iTunes today!!! Their latest single, "Things You Can't Do In A Car," hit radio yesterday, and is available to buy today.
Without any doubts or reservations, I can say that I know every single last one of their published songs inside and out. And like I said, I've been a fan since the very beginning. I even know some of their songs that never did get released. And I can also honestly say, this is probably my favorite song they have published and released yet. (In the unpublished category, I am a huge fan of Paparazzi and End of the Road (or as Matt puts it, a song about getting it on in the broad daylight).)
If you want to hear a fun, catchy, clever, country tune, go download "Things You Can't Do in a Car." I think you'll like it!

Due West Encore!

You know what we haven't seen on this blog in a very long time??

Due West!!

And that, my friends, is a crying shame!

Sadly, it has all been a case of logistics. They perform all over the US these days, but I still manage to live in a "small, small town" that just doesn't attract a lot of awesome bands!

So this weekend I packed up the dogs and my little sister and we drove down to Asheville, North Carolina to see my favorite country trio! After years of taking my "Little Sister" (known to all you blog readers as "Little") to see Due West, it was time to take my actual little sister to see the band. Just for nostalgia, let's bring out an old photo-

This picture was taken at Little's elementary school. Due West came over and serenaded her at lunch- making her pretty much the happiest kid ever. Also, completely ensuring that both she and I would be loyal fans for life! (Also, Matt- love the beard and long hair! I had forgotten that look!) (I cannot believe what a little girl is Little is here! Suddenly I'm realizing just how much she has grown up over the past few years!!)

Did you know I've been friends with DW for about 5 years now?? Crazy. I have loved watching them grow and change both as men and as a band. It has been a fun ride!

As usual, the show was fantastic. They played at a bar in downtown Asheville (a town I fell in love with just by driving through). My sister, Steph, loved the band and told me multiple times how nice and fun the guys were. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the new music (seriously guys- release "Leaving" as your next single!! PLEASE!!) (also, please put it on MySpace!)  If you have not yet been introduced to the awesomeness of DW music check them out on MySpace! http://www.myspace.com/duewestmusic/music/songs?filter=popular

(my favorite songs on the current place list are "County Fair," "Wake Up the Neighbors," - the perfect song to give you a kick in the pants and get you out of bed in the morning! and "Bible and the Belt.")

I had a great time on my first official road trip with my baby sister. We had lots of sister-girl-bonding time! 

Erin and Steph

(Yes, my baby sister is 4 inches taller than me. And I was even wearing tall heels!)

Thanks Due West for another great night!! It was a blast seeing you again. Let's do it again soon! In Roanoke!

Hanging out with Due West

Do What? Due West!

Little and Due West lead singer, Tim Gates

Thank you, Due West, for yet another amazing concert!  Both "Little" and I are loving our new (autographed!) CDs!

My upcoming move has me getting emotional about all sorts of things. This includes anything related to not getting to see "Little" every week, or getting to do all of our favorite traditions together. So when Due West kicked off the show with 'her' song tonight, yes, I cried! I can't tell you how much it means to me, and her, every time they dedicate "22 Hours" to her.

Have you ever wondered if their goodness and kindness to their fans really benefits them? The answer is yes! Many times over yes!  Remember how a long time ago Due West went to Little's elementary school to serenade her with her favorite song? Well, tonight as we walked into the show, Little said, "hey there's a friend from my old elementary school!" and ran over to talk to her. (She's a mighty middle schooler now.) A minute later she told me that her friend had been following Due West ever since that day, (I'm assuming via MySpace) but had never been to a concert, and didn't own a CD. But the kindness of Due West that day so long ago sold 3 tickets to tonight's show (the friend, her mother, and a sister), and at least 1 CD.

I am excited that my new town in Arkansas is only 8 hours from Nashville. I'm looking forward to someday soon getting to go see my favorite band play in Music City, and hanging out with my "Due West Family."

It has been a long time coming but the Due West official debut CD is almost out! You can buy them now at shows, or wait till they "hit the streets" in late April. I LOVE their new and improved sound- very rocking country!! I've been hearing 8 of their songs for about 4 years now, and many of them have been restylized and remastered for this CD. And I'll tell you this- I love the songs more today than ever before! And the new songs?? LOVE THEM ALL!!

If you go to the Due West MySpace page you can hear all of my favorite songs right now! How convenient is that? All my songs in one place right now! Wake Up the Neighbors (I call this the "turn it up some" song), Bible and the Belt (their just announced new single), Tip Jar (brand new and rapidly becoming one of my favorites), Good to be Loved By You (my favorite song for nearly 4 years!), and So Long My Friend (the song that 3 years ago I heard and just hooked me on their style).

Boys, thanks for everything! You can rely on me to always get up and dance at every show!

I Heart Due West

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love Due West. They are in Utah often enough that you may think they are from here, but actually, they're from Nashville. But they are (thankfully) in Utah performing pretty frequently these days. This week I'll be getting my DW (pronounced dee-dub) fix while they do several shows all over the state.
If you're not from Utah, you may not know what "Days" are around here. This was one of those things I had to learn about once I moved here. Every town, no matter how big or small, has "Days." Lehi Pioneer Days, Bluffdale Days, Ogden Cherry Days, Pleasant Grove Strawberry Festival Days, etc. Well, this past weekend was Draper Days, and DW played the main stage on Saturday night. And it was just plain awesome!
Here's some of the evidence-

 

This picture (below) is one of my favorites. What you may not know yet about DW is that they are so much more than just another band trying to make it big. All 3 guys are talented, professional songwriters- as in they were (are?) all employed as songwriters by publishing houses. And all three guys are amazing guitarists. One thing I love about their music is that their songs feature incredible guitar riffs. The reason I love this pic below is that it shows the energy Matt and Brad put into rocking out their guitars during a show. Sadly, I cut off Doug in the side there. Doug is not an official member of the band, but frequently plays in the band. He's a professional guitarist who records and tours with big name bands regularly.Trust me, these guys are not a wannabe band. They are the real deal and truly talented musicians.

 

Tradition! We had to get our traditional self-portrait style picture with the guys. One day when they are big and famous I will publish a book of all self-portraits of me and the boys. (I've taken so many of these self-portraits with them now that we've learned I almost always cut off Brad's head (I only come up to his shoulder when I'm wearing heels). So it may one of the most trivial things I will ever say, but I'm rather proud that we got this picture in only 2 takes (as compared to the 5+ takes it has taken in the past) to get us all in.)

Just for fun- links to some of the other self-portraits with me and the boys-
last July in Heber
September in Park City (not a self portrait, but a fun picture anyway)

Of course Little was with me. Like she would ever miss a DW show! Matt made her whole day/week/month when he said "Hi Little!" from the stage. And yes, he really did call her "Little." She didn't stop smiling for the rest of the night. She was twittering (yes, I really have created a monster) during the show, and said, "Matt said hi to Erin and I on stage!" and then later on said, "We got hugs and autographed popcorn! My sisters will be jealous! Haha!" Her Twitters throughout the show were pretty funny, including the part where she made fun of me for getting up and dancing. 
Here is Little posing with her autographs. Oops, you can see her real name on the picture, but you can also see that they wrote "Little" on it too! We were in the autograph line in order of Matt, Tim, then Brad. While we were talking to Brad, Tim took Little's popcorn. I thought he was going to eat it (which he would have been welcome to do, since we had so much left over), but instead, he jokingly signed the popcorn bag. Which come to think of it, may still be sitting in my car...

It was a GREAT show! We had a blast! And I can't wait to see them several more times this week! They will be up at the Ogden Days Rodeo tonight (still not sure if I'm going up for that. I might. we shall see.) And then performing in St George with Lady Antebellum (not going to that one). And then back up here in regular Utah, at Bella's in Farr West (wouldn't miss that for the world!), and in American Fork on Pioneer Day (a UT state holiday) with the Nashville Tribute band. Can't wait!

We're Live On-Air With DUE WEST!

For the past week or so my favorite Due West boys were here in Utah playing gigs up at the Sundance Film Festival. Thanks to my crazy life I wasn't able to make it up there to see them. This was disappointing both for me and "Little." But we found out there would be one last chance to see them on Friday morning- but only if Little could miss the first hour or so of school. Conveniently, her mother and I both agreed that our little straight-A student could handle missing school for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

What was the opportunity?

Hanging with Due West at the radio station while they did a few live numbers on the air!

It must also be said we had the complete enjoyment and pleasure of partaking of the breakfast burritos provided by Bella's Mexican Restaurant! Whenever Due West shows up on the Eagle, Bella's makes the trip down from Ogden to feed our boys! We love Bella's!

It was fun to see the boys. They greeted Little just like she's one of the regular entourage and totally normal to be hanging out with them. She loved it. LOVED.IT.

She started out a little shy, hanging out on the outside of the studio glass. The show was loudly piped into the main lobby where we could hear everything just fine. The on-air talent/DJ's came out and talked quite a bit with us. Little was her darling usual self, perfectly mannered, and well-behaved. It's so great to be able to take her out and know she'll never embarrass me. It makes it that much more fun to share big things like this with her.

Due West talked a bunch, and sang a couple numbers on the air. As usual, they sounded fantastic. During a commercial break either Tim or Matt told the show host, Keith Stubbs, about how Due West had serenaded Little at her school. Keith loved the story and told them to tell it on the air.

So what happened next?

(This is possibly the least flattering picture of Little ever. Don't hold it against her. My camera(s) suck.)

Happiest. Girl. Ever.

That's what happened.

Due West told the story of serenading her in her school, on-air, and then said, "Little, this is for you!" And sang her FAVORITE song on the show! (Even though several callers had just called in asking for other songs.)

I think my favorite part of the whole experience was just how chill Little was about the whole thing. She just hung out, watched everything, and got comfortable just like she hangs out with bands at radio stations all the time.

(And then in the car on the way to school she "practiced" what she was going to say to her classmates when they asked where she had been all morning. After all, she is still 11 years old.)

Go Due West!!

GO VOTE FOR DUE WEST! 

TODAY, TOMORROW, AND SATURDAY!! 

They are within striking distance of winning this thing! So help us all out and GO VOTE!!!

Why do I care so much? Well, who do you think entered them in the contest??

Due West Meets Little

If you have been paying much attention to this blog for the past 6 months you will probably recognize that the 4 people in the picture below are 4 of my absolute most favorite people on the planet. The picture is of Due West (l-r, Brad, Tim, Matt) and "Little." And they (we) are standing in Little's elementary school.

On Friday, the DW boys were in town for a private gig. They did the radio thing on Friday morning over at 101.5 the Eagle. I managed to get myself out of bed, go buy a Diet Coke, and get back into bed in time to listen to them live on-air. Eventually I did get mostly out of bed to start working. It was shortly after that that they called me and said they wanted to hang out. Um... Sure... Let me just get dressed... So I went out for a late breakfast with the boys and had a good time talking shop and catching up with them. I rarely get them all to myself like that, so it was a fun treat.
Several weeks ago I had introduced Due West's music to Little. She loves it. She has a favorite song by them, and she plays it in my car all the time. I had promised her a while back that I would try to find a way to introduce her to the boys and get her a "jam session" with them. Did I mention Little is an aspiring songwriter? She even sang one of her own songs for my mom last week when they met.
I had been hoping she'd get the chance to meet them this week, but the scheduling just wasn't working out unfortunately. But while we were hanging out at breakfast, Tim asked me when Little goes to lunch at school. I didn't know. So I contacted her mom and we got some info. And next thing you know, we're driving over to the school for the boys to serenade her at lunch.
I walked into the school, and just happen to catch her walking into the cafeteria. She didn't even act like it was unusual for me to be showing up at her school like that. She gave me a hug, and I pointed out the "boys with guitars" walking into the school. She lit up!! I told her to go find some friends and we'd join her in the cafeteria in a minute.

The DW boys were great. They walked in, introduced themselves to her, and played her favorite song, "22 Hours a Day." And they even changed the words from "red bull" to "xango" for her. (Little and I sing "xango" because Xango supports Real Salt Lake, and RSL's archenemy is the NY Red Bulls.) Little sang along and seemed to really enjoy herself. If it had been me at her age, I would have turned red, hid behind a friend,and died of embarrassment (while eating up the attention) to have 3 boys singing to me like that. But not Little. She acted like this sort of thing happens to her all the time, and just lived it up.
The rest of the kids in the cafeteria clapped along, and even chanted "encore" when they were done. Several of the kids lined up for high fives and fist bumps as the band walked out. The principal stopped to get pictures with the band. (and apparently called a local newspaper afterwards to tell them what had happened)
I'm sure half the kids in the room thought Billy Ray Cyrus had just serenaded Little. (Because Tim is a dead ringer for Billy Ray.) I've heard feedback that Little was quite popular in school that day!

Again a big thank you to my Due West boys for being so good to me and Little. I'm sure she'll never forget it. And can you imagine in the future when DW is headlining the CMA's and AMA's the story she'll get to tell her friends about the day when Due West came to her school just to sing to her?? Thanks again, boys!

Jackson Hole, Park City, and Lake Tahoe

In the past week I have been in Jackson Hole, Park City, and Lake Tahoe. I sound so much more chic than I really am. I also sound like a person with a much bigger pocketbook than I really have. (As you know if you read the post that I had up here for a few hours before coming to my senses and removing.)
I was up in Park City for the big Due West show on Friday night. And I have to say, the show rocked!!! The guys never disappoint! It's true I am a little biased about their greatness, but judging by the energy of the crowd and the excitement in the club, I'd say the boys made quite an impression on this mostly new-to-Due West crowd. Besides plugging it on my blog over the past few weeks, I also have been fulfilling my role as their online publicist, and did a lot of plugging all over the place for the Harry O's show, and the upcoming Bella's show (best Mexican restaurant in Utah!). I was so nervous about what kind of crowd we would get out here. I haven't heard a final number still, but I can tell you that I am very happy with the door numbers so far.
Here's a few fun pictures from the night (that I am sure will also work their way over to the DW blog sooner or later).

We had a "most creative application of the DW tattoo" contest during the show. This would be my neck tattoo.

 The boys on stage.

Brad's mad guitar skills

Tim and his adorable amazing wife (name being withheld since I don't know if she is okay with it being public) at the after party.

Kendra taking a shocking picture of something!

Sara (former co-worker and now friend) joined me for the night. I'm so glad she came. We had a blast singing and dancing along all night. 

Due West is coming! Due West is coming!

Friends- ones I know, and ones who lurk and read my blog- you are invited to join me at Harry O's in Park City, Friday, Sept 5, to see my favorite band DUE WEST perform! You've heard/read me talk about this band for ages now, and now you can come see what the fuss is all about. I promise my boys don't disappoint! There will be live original country music by Due West all in the amazing Harry O's setting. What is Harry O's? Just the most exclusive night club in Park City, let alone Utah. It's going to be one of those nights where you can feel like a super star just for coming and ordering a shirley temple.
So come out and play with me! We want to pack the house! This is a big deal night for them, and a big deal night for me! We can't have too many friends show up! So spread the word, put on your favorite blue jeans, and come out and dance! (And if you don't dance, come out and have a Diet Coke on me!)
You can check out Due West on their regular site here.
Or hear more of their music on MySpace here (be sure to listen to "Wake Up the Neighbors," is it my favorite!)
Or read their blog, and link to their blog, right here!

Everything is Beautiful- Tyson's Song

I don't usually share very emotional or deep videos. I tend to shy away from anything that requires me "feeling" more than necessary. But if you have been following my blog for more than 2 years, you know I have had a soft spot in my heart for children suffering from cancer.
Recently, I became aware of Tyson and his story, through Due West and the Nashville Tribute to Joseph. This song was written by the guys involved with DW and NT for Tyson, as a tribute from Tyson to his mother. It's beautiful and moving. I hope you will take the time to watch it, and maybe even help pass along the song, story and video. Thanks!

Sunday Morning Shout Outs

Okay, this will be a quick Sunday Morning Shout Out. As usual, it's not Morning anymore, and I'm anxious to get to my Sunday Nap. But time is of the essence regarding one of the shout outs today.

Dirtius Maximus (Brent) and Dirtius Wifius (Heather- who just announced she's pregnant) have a shirt up in the Woot Derby again this week. And this time Dirt is this close to making it into the coveted top 3 position! So, if you have a Woot account (and really, have I not talked this site up enough for you yet?), go vote for this shirt NOW!


And while there are other friends and family I could shout out to today, I'm tired, and I'm just going to shout out for my parents and their Taser business. $349 for your own personal security Taser. Legal and easy to buy. You can even host a "taser party" at your own house, and earn your own free Taser. Check it out at www.personalsecuritysales.com.

My other beloved blog, OverheardintheWard.blogspot.com has a new submission up today. (And could always use more.)

And I will remind the free world that my Due West boys are still giving away a free mp3 download of "Sweet Gravity" for a few more days. I REALLY want to break the 1,000 download mark before the end of this campaign! SO DOWNLOAD AWAY!!!