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DOG TALES NEWS AND NOTES
Happy Holidays Everybody,
Had a wonderful trip to Vegas/Laughlin and the Florida Keys. While I was out there I caught Bette Midler at Ceasars' and George Wallace at the Flamingo. Both shows were great and to be recommended.
Thanks to my friends Nick and Teri for joining me in Oatman, AZ & Vegas for some big fun. And many thanks to my friends the Lance's (Stehman) and Cindy for making it such a good time in the Keys and loaning me one of their homes on Summerland Key.
Aside from performing at a few friendly get togethers I ended up doing a gig with my buddy C.W. Colt at Casa Marina in Key West for Lil' Lance's birthday. What a swanky joint this turned out to be.
My buddies, songwriters/musicians, C.W. Colt and Terry Cassidy stopped by the house where I was staying to say hi and there is talk of doing a songwriters night at Looe Key Marina on Mon. Feb. 15th after my appearance's at Sloppy Joe's in Key West for Put-in-Bay Days Feb.11, 12 & 13.
Back in Ohio...thanks to all who made it out to our Nov. shows. I'm proud to say that our annual show at Mr. Ed's in Port Clinton for the OSU/MI. game helped to raise over $5,000.00 for some very needy families in the Port Clinton area. Thank you all for helping make the holidays just a bit better for folks who need it. Special thanks to the B-Dock Trash gang and Larry the Bead Man for attending.
Then it was on to the Knights of Columbus Hall in Zanesville, Oh. (Joe Nash & Co.), Slam Jam's in N. Olmsted, Oh. (Mikey Mike & Co.), Noggins' Pub in Portsmouth, Oh. (Cheryl Meson & Co.) where I 'm very proud to say that we had hundreds of people at each show! I'm always very grateful for these of turnouts but especially pleased in this kind of economy. I'm also grateful for the many kind e mails of compliments I received on each of the shows. Very glad you enjoyed the new and older material. It's always a balancing act.
I was, also, flattered to be asked to perform a rare Monday night show in Cleveland, Oh. at the Lakeside Yacht Club where we celebrated (maybe, just a wee to much) the 70th birthday of Denny Reim. Jim Klements, Stan Roediger and the gang put on a swell party where I got to do a more intimate kind of show. Thanks gang!
My next appearance was....at my doctor's office where he reassured me that I was just a little run down. Nothing serious, but, I needed to slow down a bit and get some real rest. (I guess running off to Vegas and Key West for a few weeks isn't really a restfull break after all.)
But, the timing on his advice was good because that's what I had planned on doing anyway.
My Dec. and Jan. schedules are designed to give me some real time off.
In Dec. I am scheduled for three shows. Fri. Dec. 18th in Frederick, Md. & Sat Dec. 19th in Greenville, Pa., both private holiday parties.
Sat. Dec. 26th I will be making my first appearance in Mansfield, Oh. at The Den. (call club for showtime 419-756-2827).
Sat. Jan. 16th I will be making my first appearance at The Put-in-Bay Bar, Lakewood, Oh. for a 7pm show where we will be celebrating my 54th birthday (which is the 17th).
Hope you can make one of the shows!
We have most of the 2010 performance schedule together and will be posting it some time in Jan.
I wish you all peaceful, safe and Happy Holidays in the weeks to come.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Mike (Santa Dog)
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Hey Folks!
It's the end of the season
It's gonna' be freezin' again
It's the end of the summer
So we'll march to a new drummer, my friends
Seem's like the older we get
The quicker the time does pass
Oh, how the season go so fast
How the season goes so fast
And the time just marches on
In the blink of an eye it's over and then
All of your friends are gone
So board up the windows
And let the winds blow us away
Put your boat into storage
You won't take another voyage 'til May
Let's all meet right here
Same time next year
'Til then let these memories last
Oh how the season goes so fast
(We had a blast)
Oh how the season goes so fast
~ Excerpt from the song, "Seasons" by Mike Adams
Hey Folks!
As we get ready to wrap up the season I'd like to thank each and every one of you for making 2009 a very special year of memories and fun. We certainly had plenty of conch-blowin', chicken-choking,' ziggy zaggyin," good times.
In spite of a tough economy we had great turnouts for nearly all of our Midwest shows, particularly our shows at The Round House Bar, Put-in-Bay, on South Bass Island where I have just finished my 30th year performing there.
It was, also, a great pleasure to be the featured entertainer at the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association Trade Show at the Renaissance Center in Cleveland, Oh. in conjunction with our Bob Adamov book/cd project, "The Other Side of Hell".
It was hugely gratifying and fun for me to perform a set featuring strictly original songs from my cd as my fictional/nonfictional character in the book to a very receptive audience. Thanks. And, it was inspiring to meet the authors of so many new books and discuss their projects with them. (I also scored a nice bag of free books so I have my winter reading cut out for me.)
September was a very special month for my family and I as my daughter, Shauna, was married to a fine young man, John Wilson, in Avalon, N J. on the beautiful Jersey shore. John and Shauna met while attending Georgetown University in Washington D.C. They currently live in Philadelphia, Pa. where Shauna is the publicist for the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team and John is Head of Latin American Marketing for the Institute of Physics Publishing.
Some of you may remember guitar player/singer Rick Wright who traveled and performed with me for three years in the early 90's. He and his band The Sleepless Knights, featuring Bob Freed and Richard B, who produced my "Stuck on the Island" cd at their Four Star Studios in Media, Pa., all did a fantastic job along with their DJ providing the entertainment for our wedding guests. Also, my long-time friend and musical cohort Alex Uskuraitis (aka Arpeggio Verdalak) provided a festive atmosphere as a strolling minstrel and also joined the band on stage. Great job! Thank you, guys.
Of course, John and Shauna asked me to perform a few songs and tell a few stories with and without the band. It was the first time I ever performed in a tuxedo and for the life of me I don't know how the hell some guys do it all the time. Give me my shorts, sandals and a Hawaiian shirt any day.
Many thanks to everyone who traveled many miles to attend this joyous event!
Looking forward, after an extremely busy spring and summer, I am very fortunate to say that I will have the opportunity to be taking some time off here and there to travel, clean out, do some writing and adventuring. In between all this I plan on doing some scheduled and non-scheduled gigs.
I'll be taking a couple weeks in Nov. to return to, what I consider my second home, Las Vegas & Laughlin Nevada and Oatman, Arizona. I plan on spending a week in the mountains and the desert along the Colorado River to unwind. From there I'll be heading to Ft Lauderdale, Florida then down to Key West for the off-shore powerboat races where I will no doubt do a few unannounced last minute gigs.
Then, it's back to Ohio for a string of shows:
(Check schedule page for more details)
Nov. 21st Port Clinton. Oh. Mr. Ed's (OSU/MICH. Game) Call club for show time 419-734-2243
Nov. 25th Zanesville, Oh. Knights of Columbus Hall Show time 8:00 pm 740-452-6034
Nov. 27th Cleveland, Oh. Slam Jams Show time 9:30 pm 440-734-0370
Nov. 28th Portsmouth, Oh. Noggin's Pub Call club for Show time 740-355-1166
Nov. 30th Lakeside Yacht Club (sorry, private event)
Don't forget to consider our Jammin' in Jamaica all inclusive trip to Montego Bay in Feb.
I hope you can make it. Should be an awsome time! Call Carmen at Adventure travel 800-850-8131
As we all know, the winds of change are blowing everywhere. As for me, I plan on going whereever those winds take me. My good Caymanian friend and old sea captain, the General (pronounced Gen-er-alll) always says, "Stay flex-eee-ble mon, flexible". And, that is what I hope we all can do.
And, remember, in these tightening economic times, if you receive good service, please, please don't forget to take care of your bartenders and serving staff where ever you go. Many of these folks are working twice as hard and are really taking a hit. So do your part and keep your good karma flowing…it really works!
Check back to this site from time to time for info and schedule updates. We have most of our show dates already booked/scheduled for 2010 and will be posting them sometime in Dec.
Every Day Above Ground... Is A Goooood Day!
Mike "Mad Dog" Adams
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The summer is cruising along nicely and we're certainly grateful for that. As usual, I've been so busy that I haven't been able to keep up with my web site updates the way I should. Also, I haven't been able to keep up with the e mail at times but please be patient because I do answer every e mail that I receive.
If you haven't heard, we have a brand new winter trip planned for Feb 23rd-28th 2010 called Jammin' in Jamaica and it's gonna' be one great time mon'. This is an all-inclusive package at Sandals Resorts in Montego Bay. One low price includes hotels, meals, drinks (including top-shelf booze), water sports and activities, along with all the other amenities available at the Sandals resorts, all taxes and tips are included. Plus, we will have some surprises along with a Mad Dog show or two.
I'm not a travel agent so I may be leaving something out. What you want to do is call Carmen at Adventure Travel 1-800-850-8131 and she will be very happy to give you any and all information and help you make your plans.
We already have a great group of people signed up for this trip so don't miss out! We'd love to have you join us for what promises to be a memorable experience.
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We have just added a couple new shows to the schedule.
Friday August 28th, Sandusky, Ohio... Lyman Harbor Marina... Show time 8:00 pm
Friday Oct 2, Cleveland, Ohio... Cleveland Renaissance Hotel... Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (sorry, invitation only, private event)
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Also, Sat. & Sun. Aug 29th & 30th I will be at The West Bay Inn on Kelley's Island, Ohio. Show times will be at 2:00 pm. Sat. is the solo show and Sunday I will be performing with my band. These will be outdoor shows weather permitting. The band features some well-known players. Wes McCraw, Phil Talbot & Tim Tench.
BTW Wes and his wife we'll be joining us for our Jammin' in Jamaica trip in Feb 2010.
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Thanks to Sandi McKinnes for showing us a great time at the Caeser's Windsor Casino in Windsor, Ont. and for arranging for us to meet backstage with the Beach Boys' Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Great show!
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Our book/CD project, The Other Side of Hell, with author Bob Adamov, has done well and continues to pick up steam. The various joint book signings we had at Put-in-Bay, the Cayman Islands and at the IX Center Christmas Show in Cleveland, Oh. went very well.
My Cayman Island trip, however, had a couple of crazy days.
The second night in Cayman I was involved in a head on collision going back to my hotel from a party but thanks to seat belts I'm still here and very much alive. My driver apparently forgot to drive on the left-hand side of the road, as is the custom, and as we came around a dark bend on a narrow pothole-filled back road we smacked right into the headlights of an on-coming van!
As we were standing out in the warm night rain under some palm trees waiting for the police to arrive, some locals and a pack of dogs decided to hang out with us to see what was going to happen. One stranger handed us something and said, "Here mon, eat this!" I said, "uh yeah, sure, OK, thanks," and pocketed the tiny object unsure of what it might be.
To my surprise my driver, who was in a bit of a daze and muttering to himself, "Oh, I am so screwed, I am so screwed" absentmindedly just popped it right into his mouth!
After the officer arrived and filled out the report he decided that since no one was seriously hurt and the other driver refused to press charges that we could all be on our way. Now that is some hospitable island justice.
Surprisingly, with the amount of damage we had, our vehicle was marginally drivable and we noisily but cautiously putted several miles back to the hotel leaking fluids along the way.
On the ride back I asked my new friend what it was that the stranger gave us to eat? He looked at me and beamed, "breath mints, the Caymanian people sure are friendly."
The moral of the story is, when in Grand Cayman, "Drive on the left and you'll always be right."
The very next day I had to ride out a surprise late-season Cat 3 hurricane named Paloma. I missed the early morning evacuation flights which I was unaware of, so all afternoon I sat outside my room by the pool bar at Cobalt Coast Resort with my guitar and a bottle of wine and enjoyed apprehensively watching the gale force winds whip the normally blue Caribbean into a frothy grey frenzy.
Soon, a small group of folks gathered around the bar and we had us a hurricane party that couldn't be beat. But, by the early evening it was time to really take cover and hunker down in a room. The cable TV went out around 9:00pm and then the electricity went out around 11:00. I had a couple of bottles of wine for provisions so I cracked one more and read by the light of a flashlight as the winds and waves howled and screamed outside. My biggest fear was something flying through the plate-glass window of my room, like a coconut or a lawn chair or maybe an oxygen tank from the dive shop next door. As the night passed and the storm roared I was finally able to pass out, I mean, drift off to sleep. I awoke early the next morning to the litter-strewn grounds and took a walk along the beach with the hotel dog to see what we could discover. Meanwhile, I was relieved to see that our hosts at Cobalt Coast reassuringly had things well under control and breakfasts on the way.
A couple days later things were back to near-normal on the island and I was joined by author Bob Adamov and his new wife Kathy. We spent the rest of the trip promoting The Other Side Of Hell and visiting some of my old island friends like famous singer songwriter/author Barefoot Man. "Foot," who is pretty much an island institution, has written a whole lot of great island tunes over the years and suggested that I cover a few of them. He also mixes one mean-ass cocktail. Thanks "Foot!"
After a week in Cayman it was on to the International Songwriters Festival in Perdido Key, FL. for a week where I attended the Songwriters Guild of America seminars and workshops. It was a week of listening to and meeting other songwriters and exchanging ideas. In fact, it got my creative juices a-flowin' to write a few new songs which I will be playing in the show this year. The songwriters festival which is a two-week event is a veritable who's who of songwriters and music industry people. I happened to meet Willie Nelson's guitar player Jody Payne while there, among many others.
To any songwriters or serious country music fans reading this I would highly recommend attending this event. Perdido Key, is just outside of Pensicola, FL. and the surrounding area is a laid-back place to be in Nov. with lots of restaurants, clubs and hotels all winding down from the summer tourist season.
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The Round House Bar at Put-in-Bay, OH, has a brand new web site that you don't want to miss. I was flattered to have one of my songs and my character memorialized in animation, jib-jab style, on the front page. Check it out at http://www.theroundhousebar.com/
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Looking for a good fun summer read with music to go with it?
How about an autographed copy of The Other Side of Hell, hard cover book & 11-song CD by Bob Adamov and Mike "Mad Dog" Adams.
Send a check or money order for $29.95 to:
Mike "Mad Dog" Adams
P.O. Box 34359
Parma, Oh. 44134
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Ok, that about wraps it up for now. I sincerely hope that 2009 is not treating you too badly. And, I hope you can always find room for a song and a laugh.
Also, please don't forget to take good care of your bartenders, servers, waiters and waitresses. If you receive good service then please show your appreciation by leaving a little something extra for them.
Every Day Above Ground... Is A Gooooood Dayyyy!
Mike "Mad Dog" Adams
Read Archived Dog Tales from 2012...
Read Archived Dog Tales from 2011...
Read Archived Dog Tales from 2010...
Read Archived Dog Tales from 2008...
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