Caution wins the day

MONDAY'S POST ABOUT Kirk Gribler dealing with getting COVID-19 has more than 9,000 views. I'm glad he's helping get the word out.

First off, I commend two local establishments for deciding to cancel all of their August band shows. Both Red Light and The Dock have canceled for the month, citing the need to stay safe and keep social distancing in place. It's not an easy decision and potentially hits right in the pocketbook - bands draw big crowds in the summer, and big crowds drink lots of beer.

The Cheeseburgers haven't played since March. We have two outdoor shows coming up, and we'll wait to see how Kirk is doing and how the area is responding before making any decisions to cancel.

Cori, Lincoln and I (HartLyss) have played a few outdoor shows, but none have had more than 50 people and we've been comfortable and distanced enough from the stage. I've turned down a bunch of potentially good-paying indoor gigs - it's just not worth the risk.

We've been holding our own at Second String Music and we are confident we'll continue to do so the rest of the summer. We are keeping a close eye on the numbers (Adams County is one of the worst in the state) and if we have to, we'll go back to being open by appointment only. Our phone number will be clearly displayed on the door and we can be at the store within minutes if there is the need.

Sheryl is asking that people call (223-8008), email (second.stringmusic@yahoo.com), or send us Facebook messages if they have simple questions or are in need of random information. Minimizing contact is our main goal. We will still take your order/payment over the phone, and deliver it to your car.

We appreciate all of our customers and we are always glad to see them in person, with a mask, of course. Our compliance rate on masks in 100 percent right now and we haven't had any anti-mask or hoaxers come in lately.

I continue giving guitar lessons. We are 6 feet apart in the lesson room, though I'm considering moving back out into the bigger area for more distancing. This week we've had four students decide to stay home because of COVID-19 concerns - one had direct contact with an infected person at work, and three others recently got back from summer vacations and are self-quarantining for a week just to be safe.

We'll look back at all of this mess someday and be glad we took precautions. Sheryl is determined to not catch this virus. Let's help her and be safe out there!

Kirk's COVID story

THIS IS KIRK Gribler. He lives in Quincy and is a chiropractor. He plays drums in our band, The Cheeseburgers. Kirk is a good guy who is never at a loss for words when we are hanging out and driving to and from shows

Kirk got COVID-19 almost two weeks ago. Here is his story. Watch the video and decide for yourself what impact this awful virus has on us  - all of us.

He got it at work. Let's just be generic about the details, but Kirk had no idea he was encountering somebody with the COVID-19 virus. The next day he got a phone call from the Adams County Health Department saying he'd been exposed. Kirk immediately went to get tested, but they sent him right home and told him to come back if he started showing symptoms. He immediately canceled all further appointments at his office and waited it out.

Sure enough, a few days later, Kirk started feeling fatigued, and he lost his sense of taste and smell. He got tested. And it came back positive. It isn't life-threatening for him, but he likens it to having a bad case of the flu, only the symptoms are lasting a lot longer. It probably feels like the morning after a really good Cheeseburger show. Watch the video and you can see it for yourself.

He is going to miss about two weeks of work. He's self-employed. He downplays it. But losing your income is very difficult no matter who you are.

His awesome wife, Susan, is quarantined for 14 days. She is able to work from home, thank God.

Health is the most important thing. He's feeling better and hopes to be back at work soon, but only when he's completely symptom-free. There are many other things about getting the virus that pale in comparison. Kirk and Susan are social creatures and often have people over to the house to enjoy the pool and hang out. I think they had a vacation planned but that got canned, too.

The Cheeseburgers haven't played since March, but we do have some outdoor shows coming up. Maybe. The running joke was that you can mess with somebody's life and livelihood, but screw up band practice? F-2020, indeed.

Kirk was inspired by Kathleen Birsic's post last week about getting COVID-19. He wants people to know it's real and not a joke or something to dismiss. Stay socially-distant, wear a mask if you go out and go inside a store or public gathering place, and be kind to your fellow human beings.

Hopefully, he's back at work and behind the Cheeseburger drum kit soon, and kudos to him for sharing his message.

We're playing Saturday

THE CHEESEBURGERS HAVE a big show Saturday night at Red Light Bar & Restaurant in downtown Quincy. It's St. Patrick's weekend. We are guaranteed to have a crowd and a lot of fun. It's our first show of 2020 and features the return of legendary bass player Don Van Dyke to the Cheese. We are ready.

Meanwhile, the world seems to be shutting down because of the COVID-19 virus. Some think we are overreacting by canceling games and seasons. Read some of the unfiltered reports coming from outside the country, and from some of our own medical experts. It's true that the flu kills many people every year, but this particular strain is dangerous and puts people with immune system issues at severe risk. It is 10 times more deadly than the flu, so just be careful out there.

The other issue is that people are dumb. The best way to "flatten the curve" is to wash your hands and listen to your body. If you aren't feeling well, don't go out. Repeat ... DON'T GO OUT. It's pretty simple. Use common sense. If you self-quarantine because you are sick, we understand.

Then again, The Cheeseburgers once cured Adams County of scurvy by tossing out vitamin C pills to the crowd at an outdoor gig. We've been known to make normally chair-bound people get on their feet and start dancing uncontrollably. This might be because of our magic music powers, or beer. We'll let you decide.

If you want to have some fun Saturday and you are feeling good, come on out to Red Light and party with us. We will even give you free advice on how to feel better the next morning.

Tale of two Christmas parties

WHEN YOU GET hired to play at a Christmas party, you go into the gig with certain expectations. The most important thing is to remember who you are playing for and to get along with the organizers. Everything else takes care of itself.

On Friday night I was at the Dick Brothers Brewery in Quincy for the first time, playing for a local medical company. There were maybe 60 people there. The owner was very clear what he wanted - easy listening and background music. In that way, the gig was easy, because I wasn't worried about killing myself to please the crowd.

It was just me and my guitar, with a few Christmas songs, lots of my mom's favorite tunes from the 60s and 70s, and even some originals. I kept the stage banter to a bare minimum. There were people watching and even singing along on a few songs, but this was a very social occasion my job was to be barely heard and not get in the way.

So it was a fun show, because it was very laid back and nobody complained or asked if I could play Freebird. And the owner was thrilled. The venue was spectacular. Everybody was happy. Success!

Saturday night The Cheeseburgers were up in Hamilton for another private party. We were hired last year and couldn't play because of weather issues, so this year we were determined to play hard and give them a good show.

There were about 100 people there at the beginning. Half left before the first set was done. That doesn't bother me, and maybe our classic rock stuff isn't for everybody, and maybe people were tired and didn't want to be up late on a Saturday night. But if I worked for this company and decided not to be there, well, so be it. The company went to a lot of trouble and expense to put the party on, and we had a great time.

We did have the obligatory "You guys are too loud" comment. This guy had too much to drink already and sort of blabbed for a while, so I thanked him and eventually he wobbled away. We did adjust things and it got better as we went along. One of the women who hired us was standing there and didn't say a word - she was fine with the volume.

In fact, she was fine with the whole night and she tipped us generously. They were great folks and it another good Cheeseburger night. Those who stayed danced and hooted and hollered with us. So much fun! The ride back was classic, especially with a drummer who was unwinding after a long day.

It was also our final show with bass player Brad Fletcher, who is leaving due to family obligations. No worries - we have another bassist lined up and we are booking full steam ahead for 2020.

Cori and I have five more shows before January rolls around, so let's continue rocking December away and make Christmas merrier.

Red Light and fun places to play

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRIS, Kayla, Eddie and everybody at Red Light Bar & Grill, which celebrates its first-year anniversary this weekend. Hard to believe it's been a year since they transformed the massive old bank building into a boomy room perfect for hosting parties and having live music. HartLyss, Pepper Spray and The Cheeseburgers have all played there the past year and it's an awesome live venue.


The Griffins have had their share of challenges this first year, but I'm not sure there isn't a more determined family around here. They've stuck it out and I really hope they see all their hard work pay off. It can take awhile - we've been in business for eight and a half years and it isn't easy.

The Cheeseburgers are honored to be playing Saturday night to cap the weekend celebration. Our first gig in there last year was off the hook, and we can't wait to get the place jumping again!

We are grateful to the places supporting live music, like Revelry, the Tap Room, State Street Bar, On The Rail and many others. When people show up determined to have a good time and enjoy the music, it makes for a fun evening, and we aim to please.

So get out and enjoy live and local music, no matter where you live. Be safe and hopefully we will see you Saturday night downtown!

Pepper Sprayers in commercials

THE AMAZING VICTORIA and Chris Kelley are at it again, this time with Table 16 Productions commercials featuring three members of Pepper Spray, a handsome son and two fabulous Single Guy babes.

Above in the Harvey's Furniture Commercial featuring Pepper Spray's Adam Yates as the host of Single Guy. Adam is also 1/2 of 1/5 & Maine, and also plays in the trio Prospect Road. Adam Duesterhaus, Pepper Spray drummer, is the contestant who has to choose between the two beautiful girls. One of the girls is local singer and guitar player Aspen Gengenbacher. Sense the musical theme here?

This ad should win a Grammy or Emmy or Tony or whatever they give to the best ads ever made.

The only thing that would have made this commercial better was if they made Adam Duesterhaus sing "Last Kiss." It's the highlight of every Pepper Spray show, especially when it's the last song of the night and everybody has left. There's a reason we don't give him a microphone - he's a better actor than singer.

Then there's the ad below featuring Pepper Spray bass player (and former Cheeseburger bassist) Justin Sievert. The cute little boy is his son. Apple doesn't fall from the tree, does it?

This makes me want to buy a bed and a chair from Harvey Furniture, which of course is the point, which is why Chris and Victoria are brilliant. Kudos on two awesome commercials! Makes me dream of doing another Second String Music commercial with them .... hmmmmmm!

Sick is sick

SAD TO HEAR The Who had to cancel several dates and cut short a concert in Houston Wednesday. Seems Roger Daltrey has bronchitis. Pete Townshend took to social media to address the canceled shows here. There's also an excellent blow-by-blow account of what led up to The Who calling it quits in Houston here from Brian Kehew's Backstage Blog.

If I'm a Who fan in those cities, I'd be ticked off. There's a lot more than just going to the show - it's the enormous cost of tickets, getting to and from the venue, and even finding people to watch the kids as Townshend jokingly (not really) says. Then again, these are human beings and we fail to appreciate the grind of the road. And at least give The Who credit for coming right out and explaining the situation. There wasn't some vague press release or rumors flying around about somebody dying. At least that we know.

I don't play in a traveling and touring band. Yet being a Weekend Warrior can be challenging enough. I don't recall ever canceling a show because I was sick, but I remember losing my voice before a show in Keokuk about 10 years ago and croaking my way through it. "Nobody cared," Sheryl reminds me. She's right because it was all about the party, though we do want to sound good.

Last Friday after work I wanted to hole up and watch lousy college football after a long week in the store. Cori and I had a gig at Red Light and it turned out to be a great night with our friend Kyle Trudell. There was a small but enthusiastic crowd and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was a great example of an audience pulling us through and making it fun.

The next night The Cheeseburgers were back at the South Side Boat Club in Keokuk. Now we love Keokuk and the SSBC, and we've always had good shows there, and Saturday night was no exception. But it was just one of those nights, for a lot of reasons. I felt like crap all day Saturday, mostly from being up too late the night before. It's not an excuse and I should have behaved myself a little better, so that's on me.

When we showed up, we couldn't set up because there was a massive steak dinner taking place. Do you think The Who ever has to wait until people are done eating? The SSBC folks wanted us to play outside, but it was muggy and buggy and there was still a threat of rain, and last time we were up there we got hit with a violent storm an hour into the gig and had to tear down and set back up inside.

This made some of us crabby. Then somebody (I won't mention his name but his initials are Rodney) plugged a cord into a monitor the wrong way. Then something else didn't work. Then we got rushed to start on time. Then the monitor mix was way too loud and was screaming back at Kirk Gribler, our drummer. I had to turn down my guitar amp and never did hear it the rest of the night. Our energy was low and I thought we struggled.

The crowd at SSBC thought otherwise. They danced the night away and repeatedly told us how much fun they were having. When we were done the bartender was very complimentary, as were several others. We had an off night but we still sounded good and we still put on a show, and that has to say something about us.

When you are hired to play, you are hired to work, and we take it seriously and bust our collective asses to be the best band or duo we can be, no matter how we feel or the circumstances.

Saturday night HartLyss is back at Bricks in Hannibal, one of our favorite places to play. A week from Saturday HartLyss plays in the afternoon at State Street Bar, and the Cheeseburgers have a huge show that night at Red Light, the one-year anniversary party.

I'll make sure I behave and make the shows the best they can be.

Dead on Monday

THIS IS A picture of CoCo, our 10 month old kitten, on our back porch this morning. She loves to collapse like this and always looks very relaxed. CoCo and I are kinda doing the same thing today - finding a comfortable spot and taking it all in, especially after an incredible weekend.

Our Cheeseburger show in Washington Park was off the hook. Combine a nice weather night with free music and your own beverages, and you are guaranteed success. I don't know how many people were in the park, and it doesn't compare to Blues In The District, but it was still pretty huge.

Saturday night we were up at Whispering Oaks Campground near Mendon. Those people up there are insane and know how to have fun. It was four hours of high energy chaos and you know it's a good gig when you play Wipeout and Tennessee Whiskey even though you don't really know the songs. Well, some of the guys knew some of the parts of the songs. So we pulled it off.

I took it easy yesterday. Slide guitar player Johnny B. was in town over the weekend and we ended up going to The Club last night to jam with the Matt Roberts Blues Band, and it was righteous as usual. Hair of the dog to cure the dog, right? Just water for me and my blown out voice, thank you. Lounge like a cat on Monday morning. It cures everything.

Onward. More on Johnny B and additional rock and roll mayhem later this week. Don't forget Friday night is another Blues In The District, and HartLyss plays at Revelry that night as well.

We'll sleep when we're dead!

Outdoor shows

FOR WHATEVER REASON, and maybe it's because we are living right, The Cheeseburgers are playing in perfect weather tonight for the Quincy Park District's concert series in Washington Park.

It's our third straight year by the gazebo, and we love it, one of our favorite gigs of the year. We set up in front of the gazebo, not on it, so we aren't so distanced from everybody. This obviously isn't as big at Blues In The District, but it is free and you can bring a cooler and rock out with us.

Our friends Soul Shaker were rained out earlier this summer, and two weeks ago poor Raised On Radio played when it was 100 degrees in the shade, and they did a good job in almost unbearable heat.

Any outdoor show is dictated by weather - if it's nice, people will show up. Tonight it will be in the 70s by the time we hit our stride, and the humidity is way down too. We are supposed to play from 7 to 8 p.m., but it will be more like 6:30ish to at least 9. If we are going to lug all that stuff out, we're gonna stay out and make it worth our while.

The Cheesy burgers

I love outdoor shows in good weather. You'll get more kids and families, and you can sit as close or as far away as you like. Drummer Kirk Gribler owns our sound system and he dials it in every time so it's not too loud, but you can clearly hear everything.

You also gotta love a gig where I literally walk across the street from work to go play.

Tomorrow night we do it all over again for a private party up near Mendon, and it promises to be glorious again when it comes to the weather.

Bring some bug spray, a chair and/or blanket, and enjoy the dog days of summer while getting Cheesey. See you in Washington Park tonight!

Stay cool, Q-Town

IT'S THE DOG days of summer, when temps rise near 100 and we still have tons of outdoor events in Quincy and the area.

Tomorrow night is the Summer on 6th party, between Hampshire and Vermont. The street is closed off, the stores have sales and there's live entertainment and beer. Yup. Beer. That's the best way to have an event in Quincy, even when it's super hot.

Cori Lyssy and I (HartLyss) are playing inside at Dame & Hurdle Jewelers as part of Summer on 6th. There's another great art sale and deals galore inside the Maine Center business, and we are playing from 5 to 7 p.m. We did it last month and had a blast. Kind of glad we are inside, too.

Friday night The Cheeseburgers are playing  before and after the Quincy Gems game. By the time the game ends, around 9:30, it should be more comfortable and we are expecting a decent crowd. It's been a few years since we've played there and from what I vaguely remember, it was a lot of fun the last time.

Saturday night the Cheeseburgers venture up to Keokuk and the South Side Boat Club, where we've never had a bad gig. The people up there know how to have fun, and normally it's a bit cooler right on the Mississippi River. If the bugs aren't bad, we might set up outside, or rock away in the air conditioning. Either way it's going to be fun.

What do you do to stay cool if there are outdoor events? Water, of course, and finding shade if possible. I've survived many a hot gig and Gus Macker tournament in the sun, and the older I get the harder it is, but we soldier on and get through it. Summer in the Q-Town, baby!

Thank you magnesium pills

THE THING ABOUT rock and roll is that it makes you young again. For a short time. Until the next morning arrives.

The Cheeseburgers had a blast at the Camp Callahan Summer Jam in Camp Point Saturday. The crowd got into it and we got into a groove and cranked it out, and it was so much fun. It would be a good idea to wear a FitBit and see how many miles I walk/run/dance during a show, because it's a massive workout.

What people don't realize is how much work goes into setting up, then tearing down. So Sunday Morning Coming Down is a real thing. This past Sunday morning I could barely get out of bed, and I was hurting for two days.

I am not complaining here. It's part of life, getting older, realizing you aren't 22 years old again. I'm 54 and feeling every day of it. And it's OK.

Sheryl gave me a back and leg rub with CBD oil and it really helped. Last night I took 600 mg Magnesium Glycinate for my sore leg muscles and it worked wonders. We just walked the dogs with Sheryl's niece, Kristie, and it was nice to move without jolting pain in the calf muscles. I even walked extra after they took off.

We have two weekends coming up where The Cheeseburgers are playing on both Friday and Saturday nights. Geesh. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and we'll try our best to be careful. But playing music is so much fun and you get to moving and cranking it out, and before you know it you are doing cartwheels and back flips up there and it's just part of the show.

We're gonna keep rocking and we're gonna keep using the official fragrance of The Cheeseburgers, Ben Gay, and we aren't going to stop until the last muscle is pulled and the last pain pill is popped.

Just don't call me too early the morning after a show.

Rocking (again) this weekend

IT SOUNDS LIKE a stuck record, but again we have so much great stuff going on in the Q-Town this weekend. We will need at least a weekend to recover after the weekend!

It starts Friday at noon with our final Concerts In The Plaza of the season. The talented Kyle Trudell will be there and the Butcher Block will serve up tasty lunches. We've been lucky with the weather so far for the previous three shows and it should be nice and warm for our last one.

Friday night at Red Light Bar & Restaurant, our friends Prospect Road will be rocking the night away. Saturday morning is the Bridge The Gap race by the river, and the Farmer's Market in Washington Park.

And Saturday night is the long anticipated return of The Cheeseburgers to Red Light. We had so much fun there in January and can't wait to get back and rock the old Granite Bank building.

But wait! There's more! You also get a free set of Ginzu cutting knives! And Paul Bonn is playing Sunday afternoon at The Club Tavern in Quincy from 3 to 7. Then the Matt Roberts Blues Band take over for the regular jam session Sunday night.

Phew!

BTW, here's a summer schedule for both The Cheeseburgers and HartLyss. I'm partly doing this to remind myself ....

The Cheeseburgers
Saturday, May 18
Red Light Bar, Quincy, 9 p.m.
Saturday, June 8
Camp Callahan Benefit, Village Vineyard & Winery, Camp Point, 6 p.m.
Friday, July 19
Quincy Gems game, Quincy, time TBA
Saturday, July 20
South Side Boat Club, Keokuk, 8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 2
Quincy Park District Concert Series, Washington Park, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 3
Private party
Saturday, Sept. 14
South Side Boat Club, Keokuk
Saturday, Oct. 5
Red Light Bar, Quincy, 1 Year Anniversary Party! 9 p.m.

HartLyss
Saturday, June 1
Revelry, Quincy, 9 p.m.
Saturday, June 8
Camp Callahan Benefit, Village Vineyard & Winery, Camp Point, 3 p.m.
Thursday, June 13
Adams County Suicide Prevention Coalition fundraiser, Revelry, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 22
Tipsy Bricks grand opening, Hannibal, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 5
Tap Room, Quincy, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 6
Back The Blue party, Washington Park (with Pepper Spray), 7 pm ish
Saturday, July 13
Red Light Bar, 8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 23
Red Light, Quincy (with Pepper Spray), 9 p.m.

Waiting it out at the Red Light

THE CHEESEBURGERS HAD an epic gig Saturday night at Red Light. It was packed all night and the sound was good, and we had a couple of guest appearances that made it really fun.

It did not start out well. We were told to not set up until after 7 p.m. for our 9 p.m. show. Normally we like to get there in the afternoon to take our time and work out any sound kinks and setup issues.

But when we showed up Saturday night, the place was packed. You couldn't even move inside the restaurant/bar area. And there were three tables by the "stage," which is just a spot on the floor by the bar.

Waiting it out with roadie and light guy Issac.

I hate stages, so that part was good. But waiting until people finished eating on a super busy night was a challenge. Fortunately the patrons were super cool about it and we managed to move some tables back, but we couldn't finish setup until after 8:30. The owners and staff were apologetic, but what are you going to do? It's not a bad thing to be super swamped all night.

Some bands freak out when facing challenges. Not us. We've seen it all. We did what we could and waited it out.

We finally squeezed it all together and started a few minutes after 9. It. Was. AWESOME. One of our best gigs ever. People were into it and even by midnight there was still a great crowd.

We were nervous because it's a massive room with a high ceiling, but Kirk dialed in our sound and we didn't mic any of the guitar amps, and it worked. We lost our floor monitors in the second hour and never did get them back, but I personally can never hear much on stage anyway - you just learn to adapt and figure it out the best you can.

Skeeter Whitaker came up and jammed on a song with us and sounded phenomenal, and Cori Lyssy sang a few songs with us and did her usual great job. There was a gal from Australia in the crowd who loved it and sent back photos of us Down Under. So now we have Cheese in the Outback!

Thanks again to everybody who came out. Every gig has a story or stories, and all in all it was a great night.

New venue for the Burgers

You never know what will happen with The Cheeseburgers!

THIS SATURDAY THE Cheeseburgers are playing at the Red Light Bar & Grill. It's our first time in the historic Granite Bank Gallery building and it's going to be epic. I've done a few shows in there with Cori and as a solo act, but this is the first time for the band and we are really fired up.

I shudder to think of the number of places I've been in playing music. Most are awesome, some are not. From the big venues like the Oakley-Lindsay Center to the small watering holes and fields with stages, it's been an adventure.

With the Cheeseburgers, there's been some wild times ....

- My first show with the Burgers was in the summer of 2010 at Down On The Corner in Marceline. A party bus with a bachelorette party showed up. They started waving a giant inflated, well, private part in front of us and demanded we sign it. We went on break and I came up to a girl and said, "I'll sign your penis now." I mistook her for somebody else because she turned around and said, "Hi! I'm Mary, the bass player's wife!" Fortunately she still likes me.

- One night after a show at St. Anthony's, John Hodge and I were standing there and a cat came up to us with a chip bag on its head. It ran away, the bag still on its head. Hopefully it came off.

- At least 10 times people have drunkenly crashed into the band. Guitar player Tim Lawless has borne the brunt of it. At the South Side Boat Club in Keokuk (one of our favorites) a gal stumbled and landed on Hodge's pedal board and knocked my amp over. We didn't stop playing. We NEVER stop playing.

- Some stories I can't tell, like the Shroud of Urine in Warsaw. Ask about it sometime. Funny how many stories we have about Hodge, who now lives in Kansas.

- The worst gig was in Augusta, where the bar owner allowed everybody to smoke. I asked somebody why the no-smoking law wasn't enforced. He said, "Well, you can ask the mayor. He's sitting right there." Smoking, of course. Turns out the owners lived above the bar and it was considered a private dwelling. I couldn't get the smoke out of my hair and lungs for a week.

- In Carthage one night at the winery, we were playing for a maybe 10 people when a party bus from Quincy showed up with 40 happy citizens. Instantly the gig became electric. Those are the best!

- That same night, after we were done, a guy we know and good friend of the band came up and asked if he could sing a song. By then everything was shut off, so he grabbed my expensive acoustic guitar and started bellowing "Emergency" by George Strait. We just let him play. I did watch him closely so he didn't fall on my guitar. He has since become a great customer at the music store.

- At an outdoor gig, a private party, we were tearing down when a beer bottle whizzed by my head. I said, "Boys, we are out of here NOW." They were still brawling in the barn when we left.

- At another private gig, this one in a big shed just outside of Quincy, a big fight started in a room off the side. All I saw was people tumbling out the door and rolling around on the floor. Frank Haxel later told me about 20 people piled on top of each other while fighting over a girl. We didn't stop playing. We NEVER stop playing.

- In Plainville one night, they had a massive "Mud Bog" competition. Vehicles (mostly pickups) got a running start and tried to plow through a pond to the other side. I am not making it up .... everybody went nuts and mud was flying everywhere. This was at the end of a record summer drought. This gal next to us said, "We did fill this pond up special for this, you know." Yup. We know.

- Recently we revived the flaming drum sticks routine. At the Clark County Fair a few years back, Kirk threw his flaming drum stick at Frank Haxel, then our roadie. The stick landed by a big hay bale. We literally almost went up in flames. Another time we did it and set off the fire alarms at One Restaurant. The firemen hung around for a while and seemed to enjoy the music.

So if you want to have a great time, see you Saturday at Red Light Bar & Grill, 5th & Maine. Who knows what will happen! We do promise one thing, lotsa Cheesey classic rock fun.

The Gambler and the right band

I GOT A call last week from a Quincy woman. She's celebrating her 70th anniversary next summer and wanted to know about The Cheeseburgers. "I have some friends at the Elks and you come highly recommended," she said.

She's planning a party and wants live music. The party is from 4 to 7 p.m. at one of the nicer venues in town. She wanted to know what kind of music we play.

"Well, it's rock and roll," I said.

"Well that's great," she said. "We will have some people there in their 50s and 60s."

She asked if we played any country music. As a matter of fact, we do have a Johnny Cash medley, but that's about it. She suggested we might do more country. "We do love our Kenny Rogers," she said.

I had a brief flash of Cori Lyssy and I belting out "Islands In The Stream" while the rest of the band tried not to laugh. Saturday morning Pepper Spray played in a very cold Veteran's Day parade in Quincy, and I told Tim Smith the story. He started playing "The Gambler" and much to my horror, I actually followed along and played it. And knew it. GUH.

I'm going to call the woman back and tell her she might want to think about a different band. There are some country groups in Quincy who'd be perfect. So would Little Ronnie. We will do it, but I'm not sure it's the right fit, and there's nothing worse than going to a gig, setting up, then realizing you'll be playing to crickets and mild indifference.

Then again, it could be the greatest gig of our lives.

A few years back we were hired to play at a graduation party. One of the guys in the band said it was the Class of 89. Right up our alley! A week before the gig it became the Class of 79. Okay, fine, we'll still fit in. Then the night before it was the Class of 64.

Unfortunately when we showed up, it was the Class of 59. As in, 1959. I am not making it up. This was one of several times we were told to turn it down before we even played a note.

In the end, I'm honored the woman thought of us, but she'll likely go with another group, and everybody will be happy, even when the band launches into "The Gambler."

Store closed Saturday, but we're still rocking

SECOND STRING MUSIC will be closed this Saturday, Oct. 20. The Tin Dusters are downtown and take over the streets, so there's no way to get close to our store. We've found they don't really spend money in a business like ours, but they do support other retailers and we understand the event is good for Quincy, so we are fine with it.

So, we'll take a well-deserved break. That doesn't mean we won't rock and roll!

The Cheeseburgers are playing a really fun show Saturday starting at about 1 p.m. in the Quincy University Stadium parking lot. Our friends at Wine On Broadway are putting this on and will have all kinds of great craft beer, and the Butcher Block will be cooking up a storm. QU takes on Missouri S&T at 5 p.m. and we'll be rocking the tailgate party in the north lot. We did this a few years ago in the pouring rain and still had a blast, and it's supposed to be 60 and sunny Saturday, so no excuses - come out and get Cheesey before the Hawks play!

Saturday night, Cori Lyssy and I are playing at the Red Light Bar & Grill just across from Second String Music in the old Granite Bank building. We start at 8 and we can't wait to get in there and play in a beautiful acoustic setting. The restaurant owners are awesome people and have done a ton of work revamping the space - if you've been in there, please pay them a visit. I had the $1 tacos yesterday for lunch and they were really good.

Whatever you do this weekend, take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and be safe out there. October is a great time to rock and roll!


Enjoy this photo of Angus making sure Bobbe at State Street Bank knows where the treats are hidden. He is shameless.

Waiting out the rain, Cheeseburger style

THE CHEESEBURGERS HAD quite the time Saturday night at the Hoffman Mansion in Hamilton. In case you have never seen it, it's right on the Mississippi River and it's not, well, huge. You know it's going to epic when you roll in through a gate and there are two helicopters on the front lawn.

The owners had a party and hired us to play, hoping the weather would hold. It didn't. It started to rain about 6:30 and it didn't stop for more than three hours. So we waited it out.

Hoffman Mansion in Hannibal, sans helicopters.

We were hired to play, and we were going to be paid, and the food was unbelievable. Everybody was happy and we kept looking at the radar and hoping it would blow through, but the nasty green blob kept growing and hovering over us.

We had already set up and had to tarp everything to keep it dry. About 9 p.m. the owners wanted us to move under a sheltered porch area, but there was no way we were going to stand in the rain and unhook everything - it would have taken 15 to 20 minutes and we would have been soaked. So we waited, and waited some more.

Finally, about 9:45 or so, it quit. We quickly unplugged everything, hauled it over to the protected and dry area, set it up, and by 10:30 we were blasting away.

What fun! A lot of crowd stuck around and they were ready, if you know what we mean, to party. We played until almost 11:45 and everybody was happy.

My guess is that a lot of bands would have taken the check and gone home. Why? What else were we going to do? It was going to stop sometime. So we got home a little after 1 a.m. That's just bidness as usual for The Cheeseburgers.

Rain ain't gonna ruin this Cheesey parade.

BTW ... stay tuned, because we are close to announcing a really cool show in town later this month!

Postponed gigs

SOMETIMES YOUR GIG gets canceled. There isn't much you can do about it. We really need to get a contract signed by the band and the venue before the show, but for the most part your word and a handshake is how we do business.

The Cheeseburgers were supposed to play Saturday, but the wet weather and other factors led to it being called off Friday afternoon. On the one hand, we were looking forward to a paid gig. On the other, I had a rare Saturday off and the weather was lousy. So it was fine.

The local band Vertigo was supposed to play Saturday night for a parish picnic, but it was too wet. It was rescheduled for the next day, and a couple of the band members couldn't make it, so Vertigo members Adam Yates and Tim Smith did their acoustic act together. I went by and there was a big crowd and the weather was perfect. So it all worked out.

Always get a signed contract?

You can't do much about the weather. We've had a few District shows canceled this year because of rain and cold, but we've dealt with it. A few years ago The Cheeseburgers were supposed to play at a local county fair. It poured for a week before the date, and the promoter finally called and canceled - it was just too wet. He did send us half our fee as a gesture of goodwill, and we played at the fair a few years later.

HartLyss had a gig canceled a few months ago. While we'd love to play at the local venue again, let's just say Cori and I have good memories and we'll be more careful when dealing with the venue in the future, if the opportunity arises. And not a week goes by that I don't hear about a performer or a band getting to a gig, only to find it's been double booked. They are SOL and there are a lot of hard feelings.

People always say, "Man, you play in a band, what fun!" They are right, it is fun, especially when the show is well-received and the band is clicking. But there's the endless hours of practice, the huge amounts of money invested in equipment, the physical effort of setting up and tearing down, and getting home at 2 a.m. after show.

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll.

Midweek music

TONIGHT AT THE Tap Room in Quincy there's a very cool acoustic show in the Tree House, the back area. Matt Baird of Spoken and Theody are playing, with special guest Nate Charles. It starts at 6 p.m.

This show is organized by Isaac Smith, who moved here from Utah not long ago. He's originally from the Camp Point area and if you are a local musician, you might want to check this show out and introduce yourself to Isaac. We'll have more info later but let's just say he's got a very exciting project fired up in town, and we can't wait to hear more.

Thursday night at Joker's Lounge in Quincy (614 Maine), the skunk will leave the building. That's right - Jim Constantino, one of our more colorful local musicians and characters in town, is having his last performance before moving to Michigan to be with his daughter. It starts at 8:30 and also features Devonte Clarke, Danielle Grassmuck, Darian Wheller and Noah McNally.

Friday we have our final Blues In The District show in Washington Park. At noon Friday, Logan Kammerer will play at our last noon blues show, also in Washington Park.

The Cheeseburgers get going again after more than a month off with a show Friday night in Keokuk for the Big Dam Street Festival. This one is going to be a blast and we always have fun with our Iowa and area friends up there.

As always, support local music and keep rocking, and we'll see you at a venue soon!

Rock, no blues, tonight!

BET YA A dollar we have a few people show up at Washington Park tonight for Blues In The District. It's been two weeks since the last one and music-lovers think Blues is every other week.

Tonight in Washington Park!

Nope. Blues In The District is the second and fourth Fridays of June, July and August. That means we are in the midst of a three-week break. The Quincy Park District smartly stepped in and now we have three bands playing on the off weeks, starting with last Friday's Raised On Radio show in Washington Park.

The Cheeseburgers play tonight. And it won't be 100 degrees! And there will be shade! And we aren't on a rickety flat-bed trailer for a stage! Heaven! WIN! Remember, we all have to pitch in to Make America Grate Again.

It's going to be a tick over 80 degrees, the humidity is down and there is a ton of shade in the park. And ... you can bring a cooler. Please behave. Or don't, we are fine with not behaving.

Anyway, let's rock the park and have ourselves a beautiful Friday night in downtown Quincy, and we look forward to local band Soul Shaker playing next Friday for Blues In The District.