- Black Bear Inn
Black Bear Inn Blog
Let me start with a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. “Nothing is so common-place as to wish to be remarkable.” We all want to live well, make a difference and be remembered. As we look back across time, setting aside the politicians, leaders and conquerors, the people we remember, the people who truly inspire us, are our writers, poets and musicians.
Its a very personal thing. What is it that moves you? Whose words inspire you? Who seems to just know what it's like to be you? I wasn't raised on rock and roll. I was raised on a steady diet of what is now classic country music. I came to rock much later in life. One of the people who captured my imagination, who seemed to tell the stories that I could relate to, was Tom Petty.
Tom Petty truly captured the spirit of what it was like to grow up in the United States in the 70s and 80s. To that end he became an important historian for our generation. Rock and Roll, Heartland Rock, over 80 million records sold (some of us actually know what records are), one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Tom passed away last night after having just finished his final tour (40th anniversary tour). He talked about wanting to get off of the road and spend time with his granddaughter. I feel sad that he left us at such a young age. 66 is young these days. More than that, I feel sad for the grandchildren who won't have the years ahead to know him.
Overdrive is a regional cover band. We play venues around the Pacific Northwest. We don't do national tours. We aren't on the road for weeks at a time. Each of us made a choice many years ago to make something other than the national spotlight a priority. We are a group of truly talented musicians who chose simpler, quieter lives. We love the joy of playing music and performing. We also love the joy of being home with our families each night. Tom Petty has inspired a generation and will forever be remembered by all of us. I'm glad he was on this journey with us. For most of us, we will live well, care for our families, pass on our wisdom to our children and be remembered for that. For me, that is enough. I will also remember and miss Tom Petty. Overdrive shows for the remainder of 2017 will include a tribute to Tom Petty and his music.
Tom, thank you for all the ways you have added to each of our lives over the years.
So a couple of weeks ago we're playing a wedding and reception over on the hood canal. Really fantastic venue. Alderbrook resort. Very cool. On the water. Beautiful lawns. Great banquet room. We play until midnight. Pretty typical to wrap at 11PM or 12AM. Since we do all of the sound system, lightings, etc. it takes a while to pack and load. Finally on the road headed for home about 1AM Sunday morning.
It's quite a distance out there on a dark and winding highway. As some point I drift a little. The rear wheel of the band trailer drops into a ditch and lands very hard! Big bang and jerk. "Did we lose the trailer?" "No, but I see sparks back there."
OK, we pull off to the side of the road. The tire is destoyed. The steel wheel looks like a smashed pop can. Can't take the trailer any further. Quick recap of the status. 1:30 AM. Hours from home. Getting ready to drive away from a trailer full of band equipment abandoned on the side of the road. Gotta wonder how long before someone decides all of the gear in that trailer would be happier in their garage.
So as we're driving home, I find a tow company who will pick up the trailer and put it in their impound yard. At least the contents are secure. On Monday morning I track down a place in Tukwilla that sells me a new tire and wheel for the trailer. On Monday night I load tools into the truck. Jack, stands, sockets, etc. Tuesday I take a vacation day and head back over to the tow yard in Belfair, where the trailer was stored. I get busy replacing the tire and wheel. Looking good. Wait, the tire won't roll. Why not? Axle is bent. It's bent so much that the tire is mounted at a steep angle. So steep that it is tight against the side of the trailer. Can't get the trailer home like that.
OK, new plan. I drop the axle completely from the trailer. Roll it over. Mount it upside down. Now the trailer wheel leans out at a steep angle. But it rolls! A pretty crazy solution since all of the mounting hardware is designed for the axle to be the other way. I figure all I have to do is get it home and I can put a new axle in at home. It works! I stop at a trailer repair parts place on the way home and buy a new axle. I get home and immediately do the work to swap out the axle. In the process I nick my forehead on one of the trailer fenders. It bleeds a lot. I think, cool, makes me look like I have been out doing tough things. Feeling especially macho.
Broken trailer abandoned in Union, WA on Sunday morning. Back home and fully restored by Tuesday night. Another rock and roll adventure! Woo hoo! Rock on my brothers and sisters!
OK, does someone want to explain why Oktoberfest is in September? Ours is not to reason why... At any rate, there is this brewery down in Olympia, Fish Brewing Company, that is the home of Fish Tale Ales, Spire Mountan and Leavenworth Biers. They are hosting their 19th Annual Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, September 23rd. And Overdrive will be there the whole time, rocking Oktoberfest!
I've been told this a party to not be missed, for the 21 and over crowd. Here is Fish Brewing's description...
Join us for our 19th Annual Oktoberfest, a celebration of autumn, beer, cider, food and fun!. We'll have special releases of limited edition beers throughout the evening, and fantastic live music (uh, that would be Overdrive)! Entry includes a commemorative mug and three 14oz pours from your choice of beer or cider (wine will also be available).
Here is a link to the Facebook event
Here is a link to buy tickets online
Wow, what a weekend! We played two shows this weekend. One in Chewelah Washington, which is about 45 miles north of Spokane, and another in North Bend, which is quite a bit closer to home. The Chewelah show was for the 44th annual Chewelah Chataqua. A well established and well attended small town festival. It is one of those festivals that has everything, fair food vendors, carnival rides, beer garden and a center stage with music acts for three straight days. Overdrive was the center stage act Friday night from 8PM unitl 11PM. Great fun and a great crowd. We haven't really seen any posts or feedback from the town, festival, chamber of commerce or community, so we really don't know if they liked the band or will invite us back. It is a great festival and a great venue. It would be great to be invited back. I guess we'll see.
I want to give a shout out to Bob Levan. He owns the company that provided sound and lights for the festival. His gear isn't all of the latest digital stacks, but it is still doing its job and he has a first rate crew. They were helpful, knowledgeable and put on a great show. The lighting and smoke machines were great. The front of house and stage mixes were terrific. Thank you Bob!
You know, CCR did a song about a traveling band. Life on the road. The snags. The lost luggage. You really have to be that band to get it. We definitely had our share of adventure on this trip. Wendy couldn't get out of town until late on Friday so we booked her a flight from Seattle to Spokane and arranged for Katie to meet her at the Spokane airport and drive her up to Chewelah for the show. A little tight, but completely workable. Except that Delta cancelled the flight. A later flight means she doesn't make the show, which would totally suck. So we're texting, scrambling, trying to work it out. Katie has to get to the show. Wendy is bribing people at the counter who manage standby for the next available flight. We're busy reworking setlists on the fly so Wendy's stuff is pushed later into the night. She manages to get onto a later flight and then has to catch a cab from Spokane to Chewelah, but she only misses the first set and rocks the house the rest of the night!
On another front, the limo (our long, black diesel truck that we pull the band trailer with) starts blowing way too much black soot from the exhaust. It is running a little gutless and is definitely having some sort of problem. Since heavy black exhaust means too much unburned fuel, we stop and change the air cleaner, which seems to help some. Got home OK and got to the North Bend show OK. Gonna have to get it into the shop and see about the fuel injectors or whatever else might be up sometime this week. All in the course of being a traveling band! All in all, another successful weekend of shows for the band, and some good content for the blog!
A great gallery of high resolution photos
free to download here!
Overdrive Band is a group of incredibly talented musicians and vocalists who love spending time together. We don't perform for the money. What we get paid to play helps cover the costs of being on the road doing shows, but it will never be a meaningful source of income. We do it for the love of music and entertaining. More important than that, we do it for the community that it creates.
We all have busy lives and families. We refer to each other as our band family. Our husbands, wives and kids go to shows with us. They know each other. It's a great way spend time.
I mention this because our craft frequently brings us together with other communities and extended families. Weddings, 50th birthday parties, special club events or fundraisers. For a moment in time, we get to join someone else's community. It really is getting to experience people at their best, doing what they love, with the people they love, all of the time. We are so blessed to be able to do this.
This past weekend we were honored to participate in the Dream Builders Car Show fundraiser for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Snohomish County. This is another amazing community of folks who come together for a great cause, sharing in their passion for custom cars. Like us, they bring their families. Lots of fantastic young people there to share in the event and share in the music.
Overdrive had the stage for about three and half hours. For most of that time we had enthusiastic kids up and stage with us dancing and singing with the band. It is so cool to see kids in a place that is safe and fun, getting to rock out with the band. We get so energized and so much enjoyment whenever we get to do an event like this one.
Thanks to all for a great event! Rock on!!!
A great gallery of high resolution photos
free to download here!
If you were with us in Olympia this past Saturday, then you already know what a fantastic event this was. A great group of people raising money for a great cause. More article below the picture...
The Olympia Lowlife Riders started an annual fundraiser to benefit Haven House in Olympia. Haven House is a residential facility for at risk youth ages 12 to 17. These programs are always labors of love and are never adequately funded. The money raised by this event (in the vicinity of ten thousand dollars this year) does so much to sustain the efforts of the people who run Haven House
Overdrive was invited to play for the event this year and we had a great time being part of it. Its so great to see people come together to do something good for the community and especially the kids. I won't deny that we also love the party part. Great music, food, dancing, beer garden. We are thinking this could be an annual event for us. If you were there and you liked the band, please like us on facebook! You can find a place to do that on this page. You can also add your email address to our mailing list. That way you always know when and where Overdrive will be playing next.
A great big thank you to the Olympia Lowlkfe Riders for including us in their event. Rock on!!!
A great gallery of high resolution photos
free to download here!
As we understand it, this was the first time the Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce has put on this festival. So there weren't a lot of folks from beyond Soap Lake in attendance. Center stage included many local music acts. Overdrive was the headliner on Saturday night. The weather was amazing. The venue was East Beach Park which is right on the lake. Beautiful park with lush, green grass. Great stage and sound crew provided by VIP Prodution Northwest from Spokane, WA. These guys are a first rate outfit. Total pros. Highly recommended.
You never really know what to expect when you show up to play a small town festival. I have to tell you this is going to be a great annual festival
in the years ahead. The crowd turned out to sit on the grass and enjoy the music. Lots going on all day in the beer garden and with the food vendors. These
are fun-loving, nice folks. We recieved a warm welcome and had a great crowd there to enjoy the show. I guarantee you that as more folks learn about this
festival, it will become of those "not to be missed" annual summer events. If you didn't make it this year, be sure to keep an eye out for it next year!
A great gallery of high resolution photos free to download here!
Memorial Day Weekend, Overdrive will be in Soap Lake (Central Washington). Saturday night we will be headlining for the annual Soap Lake Festival for Music Wine and Art. Get out on the road and into the sun! Come out to a fantastic event and join us! Event Details Here!
Overdrive has been invited back a second year to open the Seattle Cascades season. Pre-game show, national anthem and half-time. We will be rocking with the coolest pro sport on the planet. Join us for a great show and a great sporting event! Saturday, April 1st at Memorial Stadium in Seattle Center. Tickets Here!
5 Stars! In a previous review, we said that we would bring Overdrive back without hesitation and we did just that! Our tiny staff is always overwhelmed by the complexity of setup for our events, but Overdrive came through with the mind-blowing efficiency and quality of customer service which we have come to expect from them. The band brings phenomenal energy to the stage and their management is genuinely dedicated to providing a fantastic product, catered to their customer's needs. If you're looking for a band that will make all of your musical dreams come true with the ease of a morning cup of coffee, wake up and smell the rock n' roll! Your search ends with Overdrive.
I grew up in a simpler time. The county fair, local carnivals and summer festivals were great family outings we always looked forward to. We went on Sunday drives with nowhere in mind. Just get in the wind and discover something new. No one had internet, wifi or mobile phones. You didn’t need to be constantly plugged in. Can’t you remember a time when you just laid on your back in the grass, with the sun forcing your eyes closed and the warmth and smells just taking over all of your senses? Do you ever want to set aside the race for a day and relive those moments?
Those times still exist in rural America, and you don’t have to travel to the mid-west to find them. Festivals for the arts in rural communities, called Chautauqua started in 1874 at Lake Chautauqua in New York. To this day you can still find vibrant, fun and exciting Chautauqua festivals in small communities across rural America. As a matter of fact, every July, the small town of Chewelah, Washington holds the annual Chewelah Chautauqua.
This festival is voted to be the number one small town festival in Washington State. The venue is fantastic. The city park in the center of town full of mature shade trees with a creek wandering all through the park. A center stage with stadium seating for 800. Camping, arts and crafts vendors, carnival rides and all of the fair foods you can imagine.
And then there is the music! Every night there are three hours of live music to entertain the crowds! This year Overdrive is pleased to be the band providing the entertainment from 8PM until 11PM on the opening night of the festival. Hot summer nights! Beer garden. Live music in the park. Lifetime memories! Make it a weekend! Get back to those small town memories. Join us for a great event! July 14th – 16th!
We get asked this question all of the time by our prospective clients. Well the truth is we play a pretty broad range of music. Our goal is always to play music our audience will love, and different groups love different things. We all have that music we grew up with and fell in love with and sing along with. We just can’t help smiling and feeling good when we hear that song on the radio, or on the PA at the hardware store, or its the soundtrack on the movie we’re watching. Our music is ours and will be with us our entire lives.
It may not really cross your mind, but for most of us, we each love hundreds of songs. And for most of the people in our lives, it’s not the same songs. One notable exception are those high school reunions. That’s the one place where there is a group of folks who all grew up together listening to, and falling in love with, the same music. For the wedding receptions, block parties, corporate events, birthday parties, etc. there are people from different parts of the country (or world). They have varied backgrounds, ages and cultural influences. What pleases these crowds can be all over the map. So how do you decide what to play so everyone has a great time?
This is where the time a great band has spent out gigging is so valuable. When we form as a band, we start off playing the music we love. It’s really interesting to see how varied what we love is even within the members of the band. We get hired to play for a dance. We start noticing which songs get people on their feet dancing and singing along, and what songs cause people to exit the dance floor. After having played many gigs, we get pretty dialed in on which songs are loved by which audiences.
Here are some of the key things that influence our song choices. Are we there to provide background music during dinner? Are we there to get people up and dancing? Are we playing a fair or festival where people are expecting to hear rockabilly and country? Is the age of the audience pretty consistent or quite varied? The class of 67 wants to hear the great rocking dance tunes from the 60s and 70s. A wedding reception needs music that all ages identify with and want to dance to. Over the years we develop a base of music that can be drawn upon for any situation.
Something people often don’t realize is that three or four hours of live music comes and goes in the blink of an eye. 12 to 15 songs will be played in an hour. 40 to 60 songs total will be played at a show. While we are always happy to adjust what we play to suit your requests, you can rest assured that we will be able to select music for your event that your guests will love.
Hey Overdrive fans! We have ordered our new band t-shirts for 2017 and will be giving them away at our shows to anyone who has joined our mailing list (while supplies last). We have a big order so you should be fine for any show you catch at least through June.
We have a great selection of sizes for men and women. If you haven't done it yet, "Like" our Facebook page. Just click on the like button on the Facebook ad on this page. Add your name to our mailing list. When we see you, the shirt is yours. Pretty cool, huh?
