The Paul Thorn Community

[bhinds]

Get PT news delivered to your inbox!

2009: January

It's the first newsletter of '09...Happy New Year!

The Paul Thorn Band spent a groovy New Year's Eve in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Neighborhood Theatre. The joint rocks hard when it's not New Year's Eve, so this night was a blast, indeed, and we rang it in and wrung it out with friends new and old. I can't think of a better way to put an exclamation point on a great year...thanks to you all. And seeing bass-player-Doug in platform shoes during a dicey, post-midnight version of Hot Chocolate's I Believe In Miracles was worth my price of admission.

We have talked to many of you at our shows over the last year who asked why we weren't doing the Delbert McClinton Sandy Beaches Cruise in '09. Well...SURPRISE!...we just booked 2009's SBC 15 embarking January 17th from San Diego. A couple of previously scheduled acts had to drop out and we got the call. So if you've been sitting on the fence trying to decide whether or not you wanted to take a fabulous Pacific Ocean cruise with great music and ports-of-call along the Mexican Riviera, here's your opportunity...there are still a few cabins left. Have a look here for all the information you need, or call 1.800.335.2378. I hope we see you onboard!

If you live anywhere near where the great states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee converge, clear this Friday night and make your way to PJ's in Muscle Shoals, AL. We will be playing there as part of the great Sam Phillips Celebration. If it is anything like last year it will be a memorable evening. The Shoals is a music mecca, we have many friends there, and there's no telling who might wind up onstage. Check our schedule for links and details.

In case you missed our last newsletter in the hustle/bustle of the holiday season, take a look at a year-end roundup of the Paul Thorn Band in 2008, plus live concert footage from Jamboree In The Hills in West Virginia. Check 'em out on our media page.

So here we go, barreling into 2009; we have studio time for the next CD penciled in and we are eager to get back on the road to hang out with the PT family again. Here's to health, happiness, and a better-than-expected new year.

Cheers!

Bill Hinds
paulthorn.com

View Paul's current show schedule

[bhinds]

Get PT news delivered to your inbox!

2009: February

Hello to all,

January, by design, was going to be slow month for the Paul Thorn Band. After the New Year's Eve show in Charlotte we did the Sam Phillips Celebration on January 9th in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, for our good friend Jerry Phillips. That would have been it for the month, but I got a text message on the 11th asking if we would be available to jump on Delbert McClinton's Sandy Beaches Cruise the following Saturday. Months ago Paul and I were scheduled to go to England during the first quarter of '09 so we declined an early offer to do the cruise. When the UK tour was canceled it only added insult to injury to realize we weren't going to Mexico on the boat with all our buds either. So 24 hours after getting that text we had plane tickets to San Diego and were packing our bags.

WORK |werk| noun
1. activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result : he was tired after a day's work in the fields. See LABOR.

Boarding a cruise ship and going someplace warm in the middle of the winter with a bunch of your musical contemporaries, heroes, & friends is about as far removed from "work" as I can imagine. Rather than blog the entire trip here, I'll give you a loose rundown of any given day on the boat...

Wake up whenever you choose. Eat breakfast in your room - or not. Have coffee on your veranda while watching the dolphins play beside the boat. Enjoy that book you've been wanting to read for ages. Around lunch time wander up to the Lido deck where the buffet puts Mr. Gene's in Sulligent to shame. Grab a bite and sit down with someone you know or just met. After lunch, meet Jeffrey and make your way to the interior pool area for ping pong. (He is really good, but so am I, and there's a recurring problem with the score.) It's now mid-afternoon and the music that began around 1:00 on the rear deck is in full swing. Hang out there for a while and soak in the fun and sun. Then it's back to the room late in the day for your book or a quick nap before dinner. Around 7:30 meet the guys for an evening meal in one of the dining rooms. At this point of the day there's music flowing from every venue on the boat. So after dinner on any given night you can see (take your pick - in no particular order):

Al Anderson, Marcia Ball, Geoff Achison, Tab Benoit, Bruce Channel, Nick Connoly, Bob DiPiero, Doyle & Debbie, Fred Eaglesmith, Mike Farris, Jimmy Hall, Colin Linden, Tom Hambridge & The Rattlesnakes, Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps, Raul Malo, Clay McClinton, Mingo Fishtrap, Cyril Neville & Tribe 13, Gary Nicholson, Paul Thorn, Seth Walker, Heather Waters and, of course, Delbert McClinton.

The music doesn't stop until the informal late night jam in the Crow's Nest shuts down sometime after 2 AM. You never know who will show up and sit in every night.

We picked out some photos suitable for viewing. You can check them out here.

Everyone on the boat this year received a flyer announcing the cruise for next year and the headline said it all: The Grand Finale. All good things must come to an end, and after 16 years there will be one last voyage sailing into musical history. If you ever had any intention to make this trip, this will be the last call and you need to make reservations now. For more info and reservations, here's a link to Delbert's site...
www.delbert.com/reservation-15.htm

Paul has been invited to Starkville, Mississippi to headline a evening of talent from around the state on February 10th called Mississippi's Best. This is a free event in Lee Hall Auditorium on the Mississippi State University campus. Paul will do a short acoustic set and then join the other performers for a closing number. There will also be an art show featuring various visual artists from around the state. Paul will not have art work at this event.

Last year Paul and the guys opened the Long Way From Tupelo tour in his hometown at The Lyric Theatre. That show sold out, so we decided to move to a larger venue this year - on Valentine's Day you will find us at Benjamin's On Main in downtown Tupelo. Tickets are moving fast and we expect a full house, so get your seats while they last.

And finally, we've added a new item to the PT merch line. This one needs no explanation, but Bill Hinds' description is priceless so I'm including it here:

The official It's A Great Day To Whup Somebody's Ass bumper sticker!
Buy two for your car - one for the back and one for the front. Slap one on the dashboard to remind yourself who's boss. Looks great on the fridge, or set up your day by sticking one on your shaving mirror. Spruce up your Segway. Put 'em on your mother-in-law's truck, your preacher's mini van, the soccer coach's mountain bike. They will thank you for it. Rock Uncle Morty's power chair with one. Decorate your kids' bookbags before you send them off to school. The bullies will think twice. Hang 'em from the Christmas tree, paper your rumpus room, line the cat box. And don't forget your golf cart, bass boat, ATV, Chris-Craft, rottweiler's doghouse, unicycle, airplane, catamaran, Soap Box Derby car, cattle trailer, motorcycle, dump truck, funny car, front end loader, go kart, sailboat, deer stand, blimp, oil derrick, Massey Ferguson High Output Rotary Combine, jet pack, mini bike, hang glider, locomotive, bobsled, submarine, etc, etc...

Only $5.00 including shipping; here's the purchase link...
www.paulthorn.com/store/sticker.html

All the best,

Billy
paulthorn.com

View Paul's current show schedule