My Travels Part 3

Well, I have been away for a while, I know, but I have been performing all over the place and between entertaining, writing, recording, family life and the holidays, life has been a little hectic, to say the least. I have been to the great states of Texas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Iowa, New York & Pennsylvania lately and have had a great times in all. I went to San Antonio Texas this past July to perform at The River Walk Comedy Club, which was one block from The Alamo. What was so strange for me, if you have never been there, was how small The Alamo actually looked. I expected the place to be a huge fort but instead it was quite small in stature. I guess people were a lot shorter back then or something. The property was of good size though. It almost looked like a scale model of the actual place. Worth the trip just to go to a place of such history. They also have a place called the River Walk, which is miles of a river that goes alongside restaurants and stores and is below street level. It is almost like a city below the city. Very pretty and different. A one of a kind place indeed. The people of Texas and the club were very nice too. Also an unusual fact was that the people of San Antonio didn't have southern accents. No southern drawl at all, as the rest of Texas has. Hard to believe. The big plus for me on that trip was that I finally got to have Jack In The Box tacos that I have been jonesing for ever since they left the east coast. They were everywhere down there. That is the only junk food I like in this world and I finally got to taste them once again before I die...lol.
I also was in Baltimore, MD a few months back to perform at one of my favorite comedy clubs, Tracy's. It has since been changed to Magooby's. I have so many friends in the Baltimore area and it is always such an extreme pleasure for me to return there. I have played baseball for a few years with The Baltimore Oriole's Fantasy Camp, a very special thanks to my friends Alex & Mike Flanagan and Steve Freeman. They have helped me to realize a dream of mine. I played baseball right up through college and have always missed it so much ever since and when they asked me if I wanted to do some shows for them in exchange for a week of baseball, how could I possibly resist. That has been one of the best presents I have ever recieved. I got to play baseball again with umpires, hang out with pros and hall of famers like Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver, Jim Gentile, Rick Dempsey, Boog Powell and so many more and meet so many great people that I now call friends. Life doesn't get much better than that for a baseball lover like me. Just to sit around and hear the stories these people have to tell is so worth the price of admission. Plus, in the summer I get to play a game in Camden Yards. What a feeling to pitch on that mound, to play on that field and to hit at the plate with the big jumbotron in center field on with your picture on it.......AMAZING! I have been and still am a big Yankee fan but the Orioles are a class organization and now my second favorite team. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.
I recently just got back from Iowa to do a corporate show for The Terex-Cranes Company. As anyone who knows me knows, I hate flying as it is and I had to take a little prop plane from Minnesota to Waterloo, Iowa for about 45 minutes. I absolutely hate little planes and this one was bumpy and loud. When we were over Iowa a man across the aisle stated how we were close to the area where Buddy Holly's plane went down. (Thanks, I needed to hear that!) Any other good news? Anyway, the people that hired me, Mike & Jolene Trujillo were two great, fun people and took me out to dinner the night before. Meeting people such as them makes trips like that so worth all of the stress I have to endure just thinking about flights. We later hung out after the show and played songs on the guitar and told jokes. What a blast.
This past Friday night I did a show at The Brookdale College Performing Arts Center in Lincroft, NJ with Dennis Malloy of NJ101.5 Radio, Steve Trevelise from WIP sports Radio of Philadelphia and fellow comedian Joseph Anthony. We had a great time, the audience was superb and the venue is beautiful. It is a theater with great acoustics and that holds around 300 people, which is nice and intimate. You know how I love intimate settings. The last time I played there, I was in the rock band, Salty Dog in 1977. (I'm showing my age now). It was nice to return there and have so much fun. There actually might a DVD video released of that show. I will keep everyone posted on that fact if it comes to light.
Saturday, I was in Bethlehem, PA to do my 4th annual show for The Northampton Community College Girls Softball team. That may not sound special to you but let me tell you something about this team, last year they broke the all-time undefeated record for any sports college team in college history. They were at 94 consecutive wins before they lost any games, a record that was held by UCLA since 1973. That is so amazing. It has to be contributed to the couching staff, led by my good friend Sam Carrodo. Not only is he a very gifted coach, obviously, but he is a tremendous human being that gives so much of his time, energy and friendhip to everyone he meets. I consider it such a priviledge to know him and to be in his presence every year. He also makes a mean Baked Ziti!
I don't know where my travels will take me in the future but I hope they are as much fun and rewarding as the last few months have been for me. I am currently working on my next CD of my serious music and all I can say is if you liked my last one, you are going to love this one even more. I really love the new songs and the way they are coming out thus far. It should be out sometime in the next 6 months.
Please, take care of yourselves and as always, thanks for reading from, THE COMEDY TORNADO!!