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In the winter of 1995 we played on a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship that was bound to various destinations in the Caribbean. It served as a kind of vacation for us, as well. We enjoyed it and would do another cruise in 1996. Here's a stage photo from the gig on board the ship. There was a staircase connected to the stage, and I've never been able to resist a good prop, so up I went during the guitar lead in "Liar." |
In 1996, being a bachelor once again, I was fortunate
to be able to spend a little more time with my nephews Mike
and Russ Allsup. I say "spend time," when actually I mean we
had full-blown jam sessions practically nonstop at Mike's
"casa de 11 palms" remotely located amid the farming
community of Central California. Musicians from all over
town would show up practically every night. Now and then
some even came from out of town. Once, when I returned from
a Caribbean cruise (pictured below) and had bought a wooden
drummer statue in Haiti, I immediately took it out to Mike's
place where they had a huge bonfire going with a major party
in progress. The Haitian drummer man fit right in as we all
chanted mumbo-jumbo gibberish and whooped it up around the
bonfire. The party culminated in the usual "never ending
jam" that was the staple of these gatherings that always
went way into the early morning hours. Not since my days
with the Family Scandal and the early days of Three Dog
Night had I been privy to such great jams. Jamming with my
nephews and friends has been a lasting memory for
me.
Mike is married now to "Lovely Jennifer," and has some
wonderful kids. We've all gotten a bit more domestic, but
there's always the chance our "jam Jones" can resurface at
any time. You're never really completely safe from that
temptation. Nyuk. Actually, they still have jams, but it's
just a little more structured now with Mike and Russ's early
working hours (construction), as well as the kids' bedtime
being a major consideration. Below:
In 1996 with family and a few hard-core fan club members who
cruised with us. Paul Kingery was now playing bass and
singing harmony in the band.
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