Rock and Roll Fantasy!

This week I wanted to give you a little something about my time in the entertainment industry. It's a tough nut to crack, that's for sure and I know that many of you harbor aspirations to be the next big thing. Everyone wants to rock. That much we know...

Life as a rocker wasn't easy. There's the practice, the rejection, the late hours. But it's worth it for the sake of rock, cool clothes and adrenaline rush from being on stage. And don't forget the babes. Hot Babes.

A few people already know about by rock and roll prowess. To some it has reached mythical proportions. (I should say that they think it's a myth that I even play guitar).

I started playing in my room in 8th grade. I followed the likes of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Dead Milkmen. From there, I joined a few bands in high school. Epitaph, Jubilee Baha Brothers and Glucose Toad to name just a few. But I felt that there was more...

It all started my freshman year of college where I met Eric Hauck and Shad Smith. Who knew that three years later we would start one of the most amazing bands of 1997 and 1998.

THRIFTY SPACKLE

The summer of 1997 Eric contacted me and convinced me to bring my electric guitar to school with me that year. He knew I'd be ready to rock. That summer he penned such classics as All Ears, It's the Truth and Francis. All Ears later became a staple of our live shows. At our first full practice with Dan the drummer we knew it was something. We rocked so hard you could see the walls crying tears of joy. We were all drenched.

Our first show was in a pretty popular local hangout in Provo, the Roman Gardens' patio. You don't have to read that again. You read it right the first time. Pretty exclusive place. We rocked it with a Rentals cover band and Tim Boisvert. Impressive company, I know... Unfortunately, no footage remains from that show. The Rock Gods still weep because of it.

But then there was Mama's Cafe. THE place in Provo for hot bands to rock. I remember it was a week night. A well sought after date to be sure. It started with this:

All Ears:

Jim (Guitar), Shad (Vocals), Eric (Bass), Dan (Drums)

Have you sat back down? I know that got you to your feet. We played for about an hour that night. But my personal favorite was this gem...

Wonderful Spatula:

Who would have thought that a song about a kitchen device could be so moving and so rockin' at the same time. Sadly, only one other show exists. The BYU Halloween Bash

Now, along with my lead guitar duties, I sang a couple of my own songs. They were generally acoustic based and only sometimes turned from love songs to songs about Jews.
Here is one of them from the BYU show.

Don't Know:

I'm sure you noticed the raw emotion spewing out of me. As well as the pleas to the crowd not to leave because of the touching feelings that I'm sure were their reason for leaving early. Not to mention the impressive display of plaids that only a true rocker can get away with.

Finally, I will share one of the little known tracks. I guess we only played it one time, since until recently I didn't remember ever playing it, but it was a rocker and was about everyone's dream to be a Jellyfish.

If I was a Jellyfish:

The Rock Gods smiled on us that day in October. I probably even made out with a hot babe that night.

After the BYU show, Dan left the band on study abroad and we got a new drummer from the music department, but we had only one show left and it was panned by the critics and club management as being too loud. We never played live again. But there are these moments...and that's important. Now I dabble here and there and Eric does an annual Cul-De-Sac of Fire on the 4th of July, but nothing will compare to those days. The hits, the misses and the rock. Maybe we will have a Thrifty Spackle reunion sometime. But until then, it's just the memories.

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Thanks for checking out my post this week. Check back soon for new posts. One thing about the polls... They need more votes. A tie between three great topics doesn't work. That's why I keep encouraging you to vote for your neighbors, friends and dead relatives. Maybe now that ACORN will be getting a few billion of the stimulus money we'll get more votes.

If you want to see and hear more Thrifty Spackle including .mp3s that you can download to your Ipods check out http://www.thehaucks.com/ThriftySpackle/

Man's Best Friend?

In researching for this post I learned quite a bit. Everyone knows that most dogs are pleasers. They just want their human masters to be happy. But what about those dogs that think they have a higher calling? They don't want to be trapped in a life of fulfilling their master's every need. For those dogs simply can't live under what they see as the totalitarian hand of man. We as humans need to tolerate them and embrace our differences. They deserve that much.

With that said, in an attempt to celebrate dogs and their diversions and accomplishments, I dedicate this post...

Dogs are natural athletes. They love to run and jump and play. Anything. They want to compete and show their chops. They also like to lick their chops, but that is another story. They do have large tongues... Back to the topic at hand. Take this dogs for instance:

Can you feel that intensity? What a winner! I can tell he's all about pushing the limits of competition. Feeling the adrenaline rush that comes with the struggle between mind and body.

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I think you know what I mean... Take a look at these studs:

They're going all out baby! You can't deny them... No way!!!

Alright... Time to catch your breath... I mean it. I know you see what I see...

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Focus:

Dedication:

Precision:

Hubris:

But don't get me wrong, dogs do enjoy human pastimes as well:

They Surf:

They swim:

They Hunt:

They play Poker:

And when the win, they know how to party:

But, just like humans, some can't hold their liqueur:

I think you understand where I'm coming from now. So lets embrace them. If you have a dog, let it run free, pull a sled, do an obstacle course once in a while. They deserve it.

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Thanks for checking out this week's post. And for voting on the poll. As you can see, a new poll has been posted. So if you would, please rock the vote. It's all you can do.

I know some of you might say, what happened to Hamburger Joints, wasn't there a tie for first in the poll? The answer is yes. But, I felt that it was the right time in to do this important post. Hamburger Joints may emerge gloriously one day, but for now, just take a minute and think..."Has my appreciation for the canine increased?" Enough said.

Hello...

Hello my friends. I have missed you. With the free time over the holidays you would think I could have posted something profound for you...I had several ideas that seemed to fade.

I was going to do a year in review, but I think it's too late for that now...

I was going to do a post on December holidays, but that fizzled...

Is it still Kwanzaa? Be right back... Nope. That ended January 1...

I think I will ease into the new year. Nobody get stressed. Okay?

I will be back with more posts soon enough. I promise.

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I have decided to revert to my previous polling method. Check out the new poll that's up... I don't think I need to tell you what to do with that. Rock It?