Holey Miss Moley OTR: Vocalist Starchild Log 03-09-17
(In which Danny Clemmons, a.k.a. Vocalist Starchild, sends us updates from their first national tour. Holey Miss Moley are a nine-member funk band from Allover, Florida.)
As I awoke this morning and saw that I slept through six episodes of Person Of Interest on Netflix, it hit me… I’m going on my first band tour today. I look over at my packed bags and then to my Sleeping Beauty Bam Forza (Somatic and Juanjamon Band) and conclude that my rising excitement would be best served on the front porch, so I don’t wake her.
I check missed messages and what’s happening on Facecrack, and I’m proud of myself for my decision to remove myself from my lady’s slumber domain. Posts from my band family about our upcoming endeavor and messages from friends and family eagerly waiting our arrival to their neck of these U.S. woods is a feeling that I’ve never experienced. The anticipation of hitting the highway and getting to display to different parts of this nation what a group of awesome and talented people in FL have cultivated and honed over the last few years is simply mind-blowing.
Getting to travel to states I’ve never been to or haven’t set foot in for decades, seeing friends and family that time and life-path distances have kept us apart, and the opportunity to travel to my hometown of Muncie, Indiana, and show the community that molded me into the basis of the man I am today just what the gift I have that they celebrated so many years ago is a welcomed overwhelming fit of emotions. Dreams that I set aside as a new adult are taking shape and coming true. This adventure is something that I could not have scripted. And knowing that even after three years of grinding, this is just the beginning??? Pinch me. Because I don’t feel like I’m awake.
We all (minus Robyn Alleman, who works too damn hard at that normal-people job and joined us for our last two sets) arrived for our debut at The Gator Club in Sarasota just about the same time. When loading in, it really hit me that we were actually on tour. Mostly because I was carrying and wheeling in most of the gear while the fellas were very earnestly trying to come up with a feasible solution for our space issues with all of our gear and ourselves to fit comfortably for this amazing excursion. We ran our own PA and totally geeked out when new chords and sound board equipment was unloaded. Bonesaw (bassist Kenny Harvey) downloaded an app to my phone, so we all have control of the sound levels, from mains to monitors! And with our new system, we can record at any time! Technology doesn’t always suck!
We were well received at the Gator Club and had a lot of fun. Everyone was on their A-Game. Tony “Two Hands” Morales was on the congas as well as timbales and bongos and cowbell and woodblock and cymbal. He had Vernon’s hands doin’ the damn thang. And his transitions back to his regular kit from a seated position, swiping his sticks as he stood, were seamless. Mikey “Keyboard Guy” Guzman was filthy all night on the keys. He will be missed until we rejoin him when we circle back to FL and take him to New Orleans with us. We’ll especially miss him when we perform in his home state of NY.
Robyn brought the pizazz and vocal excellence to make the last two of our three sets the best of the evening. She will be sorely missed during this tour. We want to be at our best as we display our sound to other parts of America. I wish she were able to come with us, because I am without a doubt a better vocalist when I get to sing with Robyn Alleman by my side. From the first times we sang together, there was this automatic mesh of our tones and our unspoken ability to harmonize with the other’s pitches that made singing with her fun and exciting. Knowing that your female counterpart has your back on that stage and you know it’s gonna sound good, and knowing that she has the ability and capability to take lead and wow the crowd gives me as a lead vocalist a sense of comfort and confidence. I sure wish she was coming with us. You win THIS time, normal-people job. At least she gets to fly out to New Orleans and perform with us on Frenchman St. We gotta be on High Octane in The Big Easy. She’ll make sure her boys bring the Fire On The Bayou.
Christian Ryan (saxophones, flute, percussion, vocals) woke up Christian Ryan, so there’s that. Awesome Sauce and the lovely Ms. Jen Peacock will be meeting us in The Big Apple next week. Jen will be adding her trumpet and vocal expertise for our three NYC shows, as will Vernon Suber on percussion. Our sound is gonna thump. I can’t wait.
We broke our gear down, made some adjustment to the gear packing in the Funk Tank, kissed the girlfriend goodbye, and headed North to drop some unneeded gear off. The sun was close to coming up as we pulled away from the Harvey Estate. A quick pit stop in Jax at Jamal’s (Jamal ‘Music City’ Wright, drums), and we were finally on our way to a state we have yet to perform in as Holey Miss Moley. I saw the GA state line, then I took a nap. I’ve seen this part of GA before, so I wasn’t missing anything. Shortly after I awoke, we were stopping to refuel Tha Funk Tank and refuel ourselves. Had breakfast at Denny’s in Nowhereville, SC.
Tony took the wheel and I rode shotgun. Scenery ain’t too shabby on 95. I grinned a little as we crossed the border into NC. Never been here before. Eager to see the city my Stepmommy’s brother and sister-in-law call home. Even more eager to see the mountains tomorrow! 70 more miles on 74 East aka Andrew Jackson Highway, and Wilmington will be the ground under my feet.
The photos highlight our view in Beech Mountain NC at our buddy Brandon’s house. Gonna be posted up here for a couple days. Life is good!! Mountain Hike on our day off in Beech Mountain, NC.
