Safe Harbor - To The Sunny Side of the Storm

Hóla Peacemakers,
Though it’s always an exercise in compassion and in community, it’s with far too great a frequency that we all come together to help those in our fold who are in need. For whatever reason, whether we’re in search of prevention and cure for a disease, aiding an orphanage in covering basic expenses, coming to the rescue of abused or neglected animals, or simply helping someone we know with the pressing financial burdens associated with treatment, the Peacemakers’ community has always proved united and generous in supporting others during times of trouble and need.

It is this spirit of fellowship and charity I hope to call upon to help a dear friend of mine and of everyone in RCPM. He’s a sailor (a Captain, in fact), my senior in years, has been an RCPM/Refreshments fan and advocate since before I knew him, is a tireless benefactor and organizer for charity in Rocky Point, Mexico, and is, quite possibly, the most positive human being I know. He’d make me walk the plank if I mentioned his name or if he knew of my designs to help throw him a life-line in these high seas.

Here’s the short of it: he’s got cancer and will be having an operation(s) to treat it very soon. His wife will be by his side throughout the 2 months of treatment and recovery. The good news: he’s a veteran and his treatment will be mostly covered by the VA. The not so good news: their travel, lodging and basic living needs (outside the hospital) during his treatment will not be covered. There’s a secret little fundraising party going on at JJ’s Cantina this Saturday (10/22) at which many of his close friends will be passing the sombrero. Here’s a cyber-link to that sombrero.

I’m going to try to add some attention and hopefully a few more pesos to the good Captain’s sombrero by hosting a few fundraising auctions on e-Bay. I’m parting with some nostalgic little treasures that I have been keeping around; the boots that I wore on the Honky Tonk Union cover, a black leather jacket I sported at our first photo shoot with Jim Dalton, my “World Record Sombrero,” the pancho I wore in an Arizona Highways article/photo, and a few of my silver rings (most of which I bought in Mexico, usually on a pretty good buzz!).

Honky Tonk Union boots

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=rcpm+boots&_sacat=See-All-Categories

RCPM Pancho

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=rcpm+pancho&_sacat=0&_odkw=rcpm+boots&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Silver Saguaro Ring

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roger-Clynes-memorabilia-Silver-Saguaro-Ring-RCPM-/250915768880?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6bbeca30

Silver Concave Band Ring

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roger-Clyne-Memorabilia-Silver-Concave-Band-Ring-RCPM-/250915766827?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6bbec22b

Silver Apothacary Poison Moon Ring

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roger-Clynes-memorabilia-Silver-Apothacary-Poison-Moon-Ring-RCPM-/250915764279?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6bbeb837

Silver Scorpion Ring

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roger-Clynes-memorabilia-Silver-Scorpion-Ring-RCPM-/250915762099?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6bbeafb3

Silver Chief Ring

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roger-Clynes-memorabilia-Silver-Chief-Ring-RCPM-/250915759994?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6bbea77a

Many years ago, the Captain accompanied me on my first crossing of the Sea of Cortez that I made in my own little sailboat. On our return trip, we were overtaken by and enveloped in a freak storm with winds that gusted to over 40 knots. We got into what’s known out there as “the Shit.” The whole rig was groaning and creaking and making noises that seemed a promise to fall apart. At some point, in the washing-machine seas of 12 foot waves and troughs, with our jib down, our main triple-reefed, and (I KID YOU NOT, I HAVE WITNESSES) with a contingent of a dozen Pacific Hammerhead Sharks as our escort, the Captain read panic in my eyes and calmly said, “Just take it wave by wave, matey. There’s sunshine waiting on the other side.” He was right. And I hope we may, in some small way, be able to lend a hand in getting him through to the sunny side of his storm.

Gracias Peacemakers. Thanks for your help.
Fair winds and following seas to you,
Roger

Haunted Honky Tonk Halloween and YOU!

Peacemakers,

The Zombie apocalypse is coming, and we don't want you to miss it!

It's the Haunted Honky Tonk Halloween by Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers on Oct. 28 at Harold's Corral in Cave Creek where haunting a house from the outside will take on new meaning.

But what's really scary is the deal we're offering a limited number of fans for this show:

How would you like two complimentary tickets to the show, a burger, a brew and some RCPM merch to go with it?!

We need about 10 fans to help us post flyers around town, send ecards on the Internet (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) and get the word out that the biggest Halloween party this year will be in Cave Creek.

If you're interested in helping us with a little grassroots promotion and receive two complimentary standing tickets to the show, email Insightmg3@aol.com for more information. They will get back with you on how to help.

For the volunteers that are picked to help, we would love it if you'd take pictures of yourself posting flyers so we can share your fine work with other fans.

Gracias, all!

We look forward to seeing everyone at the show.

RCPM

"Blondie" is being retired

“Blondie”1976 Fender (US-Made) Telecaster

Here for sale to a good home is my beloved 1976 Fender Tele, affectionately nicknamed ‘Blondie.’ I purchased this guitar in 1996 just after The Refreshments began a US tour in support of “Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big and Buzzy.” Throughout much of that tour and many afterwards, she was my “go-to” guitar. It’s a really heavy piece, (a little over 10 lbs.), but also extremely durable. Like all my guitars, I bought her because she has a sturdy frame and can handle my very physical playing style. She’s set up with 13-56 gauge strings (wound .26). I had the factory machine heads replaced with original “West” German Schallers and now she rarely needs tuning, even during the most kinetic of shows. I had the neck pickup changed, but can’t recall if it’s a DiMarzio or a Seymour D. It sounds clear as a bell, whatever it is. And I personally switched her pick-guard from white to a much-more stylish tortoise-shell. She’s definitely got her fair share of war-wounds, but they’re all well-earned and make her voice none the worse for wear. She’s still a great guitar, but I’ve had to rely on lighter guitars for our long shows and long tours.

This is the guitar I played in the “Banditos” video, filmed in 1995 at Papago Park in Phoenix (directed by David Dobkin of “Clay Pigeons” and “Wedding Crashers” fame. The sheriff in that video is played my dad, Doc Clyne, by the way!)

This is probably the guitar I’ve been seen playing (in video and/or on-stage) more than any other. It’s a little sad we part, but she’s not ready to be out to pasture just yet and I’m sure she’ll go to someone who will let her out of the stable a little more than I do.

I’m going to give her one more ride in Las Vegas this Labor day (9/3/11) when PH and I (two original Refreshments playing now in RCPM) and the band play “Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy” from start to finish as our opening set. We’ll go for one last gallop in my red Converse and bad Hawaiian shirt. Then I can let her loose.

Happy Trails!

Roger Clyne

Magnificent Seven II

Peacemakers!

A few months ago, we asked you to pick 7 songs that best represented what RCPM was all about if you were going to introduce the band to new fans. The result was the Magnificent Seven, which can still be downloaded for free at Peacetime Goods.

Now, Roger, PH, Jim and Nick want to once again give away what they want to receive: great music for great fans! RCPM again would like your input on deciding what songs should go on the Magnificent Seven II. For one week, we will take your votes on our web pages for the 7 songs you think best represent the band if you were trying to introduce RCPM to a new fan.

A few guidelines to follow when voting: These should be 7 songs NOT on the first Mag 7. We are not allowed to give away songs from The Refreshments catalog for free, so no Freshies tunes por favor. We have new music to choose from this time, so don't forget Unida Cantina when considering your song selection.

As a reminder, the songs on the first Mag 7 were:

Maybe We Should Fall In Love
Americano!
Contraband
Mekong (Real to Reel version)
Green and Dumb
Beautiful Disaster
Counterclockwise

Voting closes on Aug. 19.

Gracias, Peacemakers!

RCPM

The Foundry, Vegas and Fizzy Fuzzy in its entirety!

Hóla Peacemakers,

OK. Uncle.
It’s hotter than Hades here in Houston. The sweltering combination of high humidity and 100+ degree heat makes my beloved Sonoran desert look like an ice box. I haven’t felt heat like this since I spent a summer in Taipei. Until this moment, I’d been proud to gloat that I was a desert-denizen, one who could endure the planet’s hottest summer with nothing other than a popsicle (or margarita) and a sombrero. No more. Gotta give it up. Those of you who reside here and in the Midwest and who have endured summers like this before get the blue ribbon for heat-hardiness. I’ll take AZ’s dry heat any day. This is madness. Y’all are tough! Or crazy. Probably both. At least that’s what we’re counting on. We’ll be taking the stage at the Firehouse Saloon in Houston around 10:30. The club owner tells me the A/C works and the beer will be ice-cold. Come, brave the heat and we hope to see you here and sweat it out together on a Texas Saturday night!

We have two more shows remaining on this tour. We’ll rock Houston tonight and San Antonio mañana. This, our third 2011 tour, almost ground to a halt before it really began, and I want to again extend our gratitude for your kind words of support and to all who threw a peso or two into our online tour-support kitty. RCPM operates without sponsorship subsidies or record label funding. We’re a proud, DIY, ma-and-pa, American independent rock and roll band. However, without your help, the weight of the past two tours’ succession of extra costs in parts and repairs and hotels and show cancellations would have sunk this tour. We came perilously close. In our time of need, you became our sponsors, our tour support, our “santos invisibles” (invisible saints). Thanks for keeping the rock rolling. Yes, and though we oft declare ourselves an “independent” rock and roll band, I’m humbly happy to declare that, with you, we are also an “inter-dependent” rock and roll band. Everywhere we play feels like a home coming and we can’t do it without you. Gracias, familia.

Our next show in the comparative coolness of Phoenix will be a week from today (Sat., July 30th) at a groovy new venue, The Foundry. It will be our second show in our hometown since we released Unida Cantina in April. I am looking very forward to the familiar, fiery feel of our legendary dry heat! It’s been a long time since we’ve been home, so we’re going to play a long time. We’re going to begin with an all-acoustic set. Here, on this site, is a way to tell us which 12 or so tunes you’d like to hear as acoustic versions. Let us know, (cast your votes) and we’ll work ‘em up acoustically. Post your song requests as a "reply" or "comment" to this letter. Send us your selections by this Friday so we’ll have a day to work on ‘em. For our second set, we’re gonna kick over the barstools and turn up the volume. Come to rock! (And pace yourself….)

Vegas!
Somehow the House of Blues already leaked that we’re going to play “Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy” in order and in it’s entirety. True. I was planning on announcing it at the Foundry show, but might as well fess up now; that rumor is true. The Labor Day show in Vegas will be another long show; another “evening with” Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. We’ve never played our seminal album top-to-bottom, even in The Refreshments. It’s going to be a fun trip. We hope you’ll come along. I’ll don a loud Hawaiian shirt and my red Converse on for the first set, and will pull on my trusty, dusty Mexican cowboy boots for the rest of the show.

Just a few days after the Vegas show, we’ll be back in the saddle again, back on the bus, back on tour, to complete our string of US dates. It’s our 4th US run, our longest-ranging tour of the year. We’ll be starting in Colorado, getting all the way to the East Coast, and then heading back to Arizona through the Midwest.

It’ll be about 8,000 miles round trip, but our trusty Stallion is chomping at the bit. I’ll keep my fingers crossed our steed doesn’t throw a shoe, y’all keep sending positive vibes, and RCPM will be hitchin’ up at a saloon near you soon. I hope you’ll be at the Homecoming.

Muchas gracias and peace be with you,
Roger

Online Tour Kitty

Dear Peacemakers,

Below is the email address to RCPM's online fan-supported Tour Kitty using PayPal.
Those who wish to donate need to go to www.paypal.com. Please send your tour support donations to:

rcpmtoursupport@peacetimegoods.com

Donations can be sent using your own PayPal account or a banking account for free. Or PayPal charges a small fee for debit/credit card donations.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped us with your words, your continued attendance at the the shows, your patronage at our merch booth and online store, and your online Tour Support donations that help make RCPM's national touring a sustainable prospect.

Every little bit helps keep us on the road.

Please check back soon, we'll be offering an RCPM Tour Support t-shirt, all proceeds from sales will go to keep the rock rolling!

Roger letter, 7/10

July 10, 2011

Hóla Peacemakers,
I’m writing you from a hotel room in Plano, TX.
The heat here is amazing, literally breathtaking.
We were supposed to be at sound check in Little Rock, AR by now, but, alas, for the second time in a week, we’ve had to cancel another show.
Our faithful, vintage tour bus (“The Stallion”) had her engine seize in Anaheim on I-5 on the first day of our May tour of the Western US. After a month in the shop, her engine repaired, we planned to meet her in Dallas yesterday and move our gear from our vintage 1994 tour van (“Honeybucket”) and trailer and get back on-board our trusty bus. No go.
Yesterday morning, we got the call that our beloved Stallion made it 1400 of the 1425 miles from Anaheim to Dallas, but fell short of the finish line because of another mechanical problem.
We’re staying a few days here in hopes we can get her repaired. (We’re on the hunt for a “miter box” to fit a Detroit Diesel 6V92. Drop us a line if you’ve got one laying around or if you know someone who can rebuild them!)

In the meantime, we found ourselves nearby one of our favorite Texas roadhouses, Love and War, here in Plano. They graciously invited us to come by, have some brisket and beer and play tonight after their Shiner Sunday show wraps up. We’ll go on at 8 and play for a couple of hours. There’s no cover, so if you’re in the neighborhood, come on by. It’ll be a hot one, but there’ll be plenty of cold drinks, rock music, and good company all night.

Since the Stallion’s breakdown in May, we have been consistently, persistently, very generously asked by many, “how can we help?”

Firstly, just showing up is the most important thing. Coming to the shows to support the band, turning your friends on to the music, buying a ticket and a t-shirt, and/or visiting our online merch store, are our bread and butter. Without you at the shows, and without your support on-line, we’d not be able to keep the rock rollin’.
We’ve also fielded a number of requests to set up an on-line repair kitty; a fund that anyone may donate to in order to help with unforeseen and costly bus repairs. For a number of reasons, mostly stemming from pride, I have been reluctant to accept or even address the issue. But with an exhausted repair fund and another big-ticket invoice looming to threaten our tour’s operational viability, I find myself inclined to humbly accept such resolute good-will and persistent generosity. We’ll have a tip-sombrero on stage tonight. Our web-team behind the scenes will set up an account which will gratefully accept on-line donations. If you feel inclined to drop a peso in, we humbly thank you. All tips will go into a fund reserved for repairs only.

It doesn’t matter if you do or don’t throw a peso in the tip-sombrero. Really, it’s the thought that counts. And I’d like to point out to you all that we’re grateful for you, the “World’s Finest Rock and Roll Audience.” Thanks for your kind words, cheers, tequila shots and beers, and for the groundswell of generosity to help keep us on the road. You’re the best.

Muchas gracias and peace be with you,
Roger Clyne