Put- In-Bay, Ohio 2011

Cameron rocking Boat House

BLOG time people! Long over-due!

Gosh, where to start…

    Let’s see… Wednesday morning I packed up all
 the essential bags needed to be taken on a PYG trip: suitcase,

Eddins Rocking on

camera bag, laptop, pillow, blanket, etc. I was anticipating another rockin’ road trip, which I’ve taken a thousand times before. Little did I know, this road trip would hit the record books. I started off with a nice trip to Circle K for a 69 cent 44oz. Diet Dew, than made my trip north on I-65. Geesh, 9 am is too early to start a trip for a PYGMIE show, but given the distance, it was an obstacle unable to be passed. I gassed up north of Birmingham, got another Diet Dew, and pressed onward. Around 6:00 I get a call from Angel asking where I was, little did I know that call would change my arrival time. I was 10 miles out of Nashville and had to turn around, the PYGvan was broke down. I was summoned to hit up a McDonald’s for 2 cheeseburgers, 2 fries, and two hambrugers - hold the onions. As I made my way back to downtown Nashville I thought, man, this is going to probably take longer than I thought to get to Ohio… I had no idea! I pull up and notice the guys sitting on the curb, all on phones researching and calling to fix the problem. I hand Angel the bag of food and watch as the PYGS, well, PYG out. It’s getting darker, and there is still no life in the PYGvan. Cam finds a local mechanic, Jeff, to come help us out. Bred took my car to get some food. While there he noticed my tire was low, so he filled it up with air and headed back to the van. After hours of working on the van, and the darkness falling, we have no choice but to rearrange our schedule. Straight drive to Ohio, no hotel stops, two vehicles, and NO sleep! We all piled into the Tahoe and Caliber and headed north once again. It was about 11 pm by this time. We had noticed that the tire was starting to get low again as we drove off so I made a point to let Brad know to stop at a close gas station to double check everything was okay. Not more than 10 miles out of Nashville Cam turns off an exit, as I turn off in the caliber the tire goes completely flat. We coasted into the nearby Hardee’s. Eddins and Brad took the tire off and put the spare on while Cam bambusered the tragedy up on Facebook. It’s times like these you are thankful for good friends who change your tire, and have comedic commentary of the entire event. We set out to find an all night tire shop to fix my flat. A few exits up we pulled over but had no luck, we decided to plug the hole in the tire. We took off again towards Ohio in hopes the tire can hold out another 430 miles… we were wrong! Around 2 am we stopped for gas, wouldn’t you know, the tire is flat again! Brad gets a can of fix-a-flat to help, Cam bambusers the video up on Facebook once again. I was so tired, partly because of the stress, and partly because I was expecting to have been there by now, Eddins willingly took over driving. Around 4:30 am I was awaken to the sound of the rubber rolling around in my wheel well. Time for the spare tire to go BACK on the car. I fell back asleep and woke up just in time to see the nice morning traffic in the Port Clinton, Ohio area. We had made it, only moments away! We jumped parked the Tahoe, loaded up the caliber with suitcases, and jumped on the ferry! As we got off we Brad and Angel got in my car and we headed towards The Boat House, load-in time. The rest of the guys soon followed in a taxi, now for some real work. How those guys were able to put up full stage gear, lights and PA with NO sleep is beyond me! We sat for some solid food, not gas station chips, and the band laid down for some much needed rest. I was excited to see the faces of the doubtful audience members as the band entered the bar that night. As Cam always says, they were thinking “ I would if these guys are gonna suck” well guess what? They’re thinking the same thing about YOU! The Thursday night crowds in Put-In-Bay are more local people than tourists to the island. It was certainly a hit though! People danced and partied the night away. The Sausage, Amber, and Zim showed up, which made the bartenders have to work that much harder to shell out the alcohol J The band HAD to have been exhausted, but they showed no physical signs. After the show, the instant fans took pictures with the band, and I headed to the Sausage/President’s hidden cabin with the Green Bay crew. It may have been the very best bed I’ve ever slept in, or I was JUST that tired. Finally time for some rest, another exciting day tomorrow!

    Friday I woke up, grabbed Angel, and headed down to eat some lunch. It was about 2 pm and we were starving! We headed to find Charlie, Angel’s friend and grab a drink by the pool. We walked around, did some site seeing, then headed to get ready for another night of rock and roll. I got ready then headed to The Boat House. It was getting pretty busy with people already, lots of eager, soon-to-be fans! The guys entered and heads turned wondering who the silly guy with furry boots was. I thought, these people arent gonna know what hit them! Another room filled with fans dancing and singing along followed by a night at the Sausage’s secret hideout, what great fun this trip has been, wonder what tomorrow brings?

    I got up a little early Saturday, well, about noon. The last full day on the island.  I got ready and headed out to see what adventures I could get into. I met up with the guys at The Boat House and enjoyed some chicken fingers. We walked around and I decided to do some touristy shopping and maybe hit up the Beer Barrel Saloon for some midday live music. The band was good, but not too many people watching. The guys followed in watching the band, definitely no comparison to a Pygmie show. We headed to the Boat House once more, we had an opening act performing, Pat Dailey… Similar to a Willy Nelson/ Jimmy Buffett situation, no comment there. I headed back to the President’s bunker and planned on typing up this blog, another snag. I had somehow LOST the SD memory card that housed all the photos from the trip so far! I was truly disappointed, there were some GREAT pictures on there. I spent over an hour retracing my steps, but still have not found the card. In the event you find the card, it’d be best not to inform me you’ve viewed it given the incriminating evidence on that card. It’d be punishable by death! Haha. Angel and I hung out for a while, then got ready for the show. I met up with the Sausage, Zim and Amber and we walked the “strip” for a cocktail, then headed to the Boat House. Another packed night! Cam was a little below his normal tally of pictures taken with fans before the show, haha. I used a different SD memory card for the night, still a little upset about the loss of the other one. The show was a HIT! Complete with going through a case of beer and 2 bottles of jager right off the stage! The night went by too fast, and load out was in our future. I jumped on stage and helped Cam tear down the lights and rolled the cables. Then headed back to the secret cabin to sleep fast, the weekend was coming to an end. It’s weird because I was so ready to be home cuddling my fuzzies, but at the same time didn’t want to part ways with the guys.

    I woke up Sunday morning, packed my bags, said goodbye to the Sausage, Zim, and Amber and headed to the band bungalow with Angel. It was around noon and the guys weren’t ready to leave yet so Angel and I toured the island and waited for the rest of the guys to pack. Then me and buddy stopped and got some Dairy Queen ice cream and headed back to the band house. The ferry had a wait of an hour, so the suitcases were piled up in my car and we headed to lunch for our last meal on the island. Tony’s Garage was our destination, and it was very good! Angel and I drove to the ferry while the other guys took a taxi, there was no room for them AND their luggage in my car. We hopped the ferry heading for the Port Clinton Walmart. The spare wouldn’t last another 1,000 miles home. The local walmart did have my tire in stock, so we waited. As you can imagine I felt a little nervous with those guys in a walmart, there’s a lot of things those little guys could get into, haha. They were good for the most part, they bought some food, so they sat quietly. We gassed up and headed south. I believe Angel and I were so tired EVERYTHING was funny to us and we got the giggles on the drive. I guess I should apologize to Eddins for having to sit in the back seat and listen to the nonsense! Angel and I watched the movie Enchanted and sang along as Edds sat and read his nook, he’s such a dork. I was following Cam in the Tahoe when I started noticing that none of the surroundings looked familiar. Apparently, Cam got talking on the phone and missed our exit, we detoured through Lexington. Although it took us out of our way, we did get to see the Lexington castle all lit up at night which was cool. We stopped for gas in the pouring rain and switched drivers, Edds up front with Angel and me in the back. I had hours longer to drive than them so I tried to sleep the best I could. When I woke up we were back to the resting place of the PYGvan, Nashville. We switched up vehicles again. Cam and Brad in the Tahoe bound for Georgia, Chris and Jason in the PYGvan bound for Birmingham, and Angel and I going south towards his place. Angel and I sang our hearts out to goofy songs and made the short trip to his car go by WAY too fast. By 2 am we were in Huntsville, Angel and I parted ways and the last leg of my trip had started. I fueled up, got some snacks to keep me awake, and blared PYGMIE videos all the way home. Finally around 7:30 I made it! A coast to coast drive!
    Its always a hard thing to leave a weekend that was so full of adventure, so full of bonding, so full of fun! You get the best gift in the end, memories. I have said it once, and I’ll say it again, the Pygmies are best guys in the world. They always go beyond any expectation you will have, not just as a rockstar, but as a person as well. I am the luckiest girl I know to have the privilege to see this first hand. Such an extraordinary weekend with such extraordinary people!

Till next time!
KTPH

KTPH is still alive... promise!

Well, welcome back! It has been so long since I have typed out a blog, after countless hours with the Pygmies I am having trouble figuring out where on Earth to start! I am gonna tell you a little about the guys then blog about recent events that are still fresh in my mind... that way YOU get all the current juicy details of our Pygmies shows!

So... it's been over a month since the last blog... let me tell you my "interactions" with the guys...

For the last several moths I have learned so much about fans, the band and Kate The Pyghead, my observation of the band lifestyle has changed... and has made me grow to respect each member of the band even more. Over the last several years as a "hardcore" Pyghead, I have seen Dep change from a wild rockstar, to a wonderful loving boyfriend and father. Seeing him with Cash and Kristen is amazing, and they are incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful man that takes care of them with such love and devotion! He has grown in the last few years, it is so cool to see the smile on his face when he talks about either one of them. A man in love is not hard to find. They're the ones grinning from ear to ear knowing how lucky they are. That is Dep 100%.

Angel and I have been traveling together the last few months, so I have learned a lot about his past and his hopes for the future. Many people don't know this, but Angel used to be a Smoothie King employee. He also has many funny stories about living with his buddy Bert, from DOWN STROKE, in a one room house.He is quite entertaining on the road. I enjoy the time we've spent together and think it has definitely strengthened our friendship. He has learned to keep his gas station splurges to a minimum which is also nice. I have not recieved a NY Mets fleece blanket in a while, nor a hard carved pen chizzled into a snake. For those of you who don't know, Angel will pick up anything and everything at a truck stop gas station. Anything that will make the cashier say "let me check the price on this, it has been on our shelf for years, here's a towel to dust it off with". I guess there is just never a dull moment with Angel, and I lve him even more for it!

Chris has had a few awesome moments in the last few months. Everything from his first official introduction to my mother, where he later told me... and I quote "Your mom is so sweet, how the hell your mean ass came out of her I will never know" to him calling me up to chat about his family life. My guess is, he was bored. Never the less, I listened and gave him my opinion on the situation. Its funny, Eddins and I have a relationship of insults, and every now and then a moment of kindness thrown in. It works for us. He talks about his dogs like they were his babies, it's quite sweet. He talks about Emily like she is the only thing worth living for in his life, it is a little too sweet for my taste, but he is a good guy, and I respect him for having the balls to be that sensitive. He has been there for me when I need him, even if it is to ask some advice or to drive my NEW car around and tell me what he thinks might be wrong with it. Eddins is a tough guy with a sweet side, what a catch, Emily is a lucky lady.

Cameron has always been my favorite Pygmie. I don't mean that any other way, other than he KNOWS how to make you smile, even when you dont think you have the strength. After hundreds of Waffle House trips I have learned a lot about the man... he has the fastest metabolism I have ever seen. He gets the ALL-STAR at Waffle House which is: Eggs scrambled , grits in a bowl with sugar piled on top, bacon- crispy, toast with honey, and a waffle cooked for at least 12 minutes ( in other words- BLACK) to drink, an un-sweet tea with an extra glass of ice. I can't believe he wears a size 0 in womens. That's right a size ZERO! All women can now send him a nasty email describing their jealously to a man with size zero pants. He has had some crazy jobs, radio host, and even a singing telegram guy. Ask him to show you his "Super Stud" routine... you WON'T be sorry! Recently I brought some new Pygmie virgins to a show, I know, I know, KTPH has friends that HAVEN'T seen the band?! Haha, they had seen pictures and were wanting to stand in front of Dep during the show. A few days later I asked how they liked the performance, they said they thought Dep was hot, but Cameron stole their hearts. I hear this time and time again from fans. Cameron may be the sweetest guy I know, a loving husband to Karey, and a great friend.

Pete is always the quiet Pygmie. Many people see the show and don't realize how much work Pete does. If you think I'm wrong you need to come to a show and stand and watch Pete work his magic. He times every light and sound to perfection at every show. He is the 5th band member "playing" on the stage, he just "plays" from the back of the room. I am happy that Pete has found the love of his life, he deserves the best, and I am glad he found it in Brandy.

Brad has turned into an amazing addition to the Pygmies family. When adding a Pygmie member, I think Cameron's main requirement is sarcasm. Brad fits in perfect. He works so hard for the band. Brad used to be a cop and his intimidation works well on those crazy drunks that cause problems.He is always looking to see what to do for others. He must get that from his beautiful wife, Joany. I am so happy that I've got to get to know them the last few months. Both of them are really sweet.

Last but certainly NOT least, Christeen. He has always been my buddy at shows. We have shared some great times. Everything from riding around in my "Mario Kart" Ford Focus to Waffle Housing and talking about our families. He is the greatest friend. I think his "famous" line is "show me your boobs". He knows he won't get a peek, but I guess he feels better to say things out loud that he is thinking. He has taken care of me when I needed it.  In the last few months he has changed... physically! He cut off his beautiful hair. Many people opposed his new do, but I like it. I respect every decision he makes, and as a friend I stand behind him in whatever his choices are in life. He is truly a sweetheart, and is loved by the band and I so much.

Now that I've gone through the band and my "fun" situations and memories, let's move on to this last weekend and the blogging that is LONG over-due!

Unitil next time...
KTPH

Artist Spotlight: Brad Turck

The Velcro Pygmies have had roadies come and go, but by far the toughest, most bad ASS roadie the band has ever had is... TURCK. Don't let looks fool you, he is really a puppy dog, just ask his beautiful wife! His hard work shows, the Pygmies are lucky to have such a great guy. Let's learn more about the newest addition to the world famous Velcro Pygmies.




 Name: Brad James Turck
Birth Date: September 20, 1964
Birth place: Kingston, NY
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Yeah right
Height: 5'11"
Piercings: no
Tattoos: arms and legs
Instruments you play: iphone
Your most overused phrase: "You talkin to me!"

FAVORITES
Food: Chicken marsala
Color: Red
Candy: chocalate covered raisins
Animal: Dog
Drink: Killer buzz
Alcohol: Jager
Song: "Jamies cryin"
Band: Van Halen

THIS OR THAT
Pepsi or Coke? Coke
McDonald's or Burger King? McDonald's
Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla
Summer or Winter? Summer
Scary movies or funny movie? Funny
Love or Money? Love

YOUR...
Most missed childhood memory: Spendind time with my grandmother
First thought waking up: How to make my wife happier
Goal for this year: Find more ways to make the wife happier
Fears: pissing of the wife

HAVE YOU EVER...
Been beaten up? No
Beaten up someone? Yes
Shoplifted? Yes
Skinny Dipped? Yes
Been arrested? Yes
Went streaking? Yes

RANDOMS
What country do you want to visit? Austraila
Do you like thunderstorms? Yes
Are you a health freak? freak yes health no
Do you smoke? a good cigar once in awhile
Ever been in love? Only to the most amazing woman ever !!
Do you want children? Already have two great girls

LAST THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS:
" What goes around comes around "

Fun Pygmie Video From Texas 2005

Pygmies in Texas in 05

Velcro Pygmies | MySpace Music Videos

Velcro Pygmies NEW Merchandise STORE!

Christeen's birthday in Mobile becomes a memorable event... from what he can remember.

On Saturday, December 12th the band traveled from Auburn, AL to Soul Kitchen in Mobile, AL. I was excited, the band is finally playing back close to my home and it was Christeen's 22nd birthday! I started the day off by baking some cupcakes for the birthday boy. Then my cousin and I headed to Mobile with cupcakes, presents and cameras in hand. When I arrived at the bar the band was starting to set up the lights for the show. I snacked on some Arby's french fries and watched the "excitement". Some Christeen came down off the ladder and opened his gifts and ate a cupcake. I guess his way of thanking me was saying "what?! no sprinkles?!" cause that's about all he said about it. Haha. The guys went to the hotel to change for the show. I stayed in the bar and mingled with some fans. The show started around midnight, due to the DOWN POOR outside, fans were a little thin in the audience. But, like Cameron always says, it doesn't matter who didn't show up to the show, it mattered who DID show up to the show. I started buying Christeen whiskey shots by his request. With each trip to the bar his laughter grew. He is a funny drunk. He also booed the band more than usual, I'm guessing it was the alcohol talking as well. By the end of the show it was all he could do to stand up straight and not fall over. As the band was tearing things down I went into the bathroom to survey the damage. I don't know why, but Soul Kitchen's bathrooms are some of the WORST bathrooms I have ever seen in a bar. Even before the show they are dirty. This time was no different. There was pools of blood in one of the stalls. I found out later that a young lady, named Alex, had cut her foot on glass during the show. I hope she is okay, there was a ton of blood! The night ended with Christeen trying to put Cameron in a head lock and yelling I'm gonna choke you out and the rain flooding the roads, leaving very little room to drive anywhere. David, Kristi and attempted the drive to the Waffle House... I had to drive down the middle of the road to avoid getting stuck in the flood waters. Another wild night at a Pygmies show, haha.

Pygmies Play a Monday Gig... sure to ruin all plans for Tuesday morning!

On December 7th the Velcro Pygmies played a show a little out of the ordinary... a Monday night gig in Auburn, AL. Every year, it is the Pygmies job to throw the Auburn students a pre-final party. This year was no exception, Bourbon Street Bar was their next victim....

I drove straight from work to the show with my cousin. It was a 3 hour drive, lucky me. We arrived at the bar and parked around back where the Pygmie's Truck was parked. David, my cousin, and I then walked to the front of the bar. It was only around 10 pm and the band was not there yet. I showed the security guard my I.D. and he said "that'll be $10" I informed him I should be on the VIPygmie list and do not pay to get into shows. It was at this point I had to decide where this was going... was he gonna be the cool guy and say "Oh,cool well go right in." or was he gonna be the power trip security guard and cause me to write about him in the blog... let's just say, he WILL be talked about in this blog. He said he didn't have a list and I had to pay. I called Angel to see where he was so he could walk in with us. While on the phone Angel asked to speak with the guard, the guard refused, saying that even though it said "Angel-Zach Sanders" on my phone, it could be anyone. I wanna know what person would go to THAT much trouble to get into a bar without paying the 10 bucks! Did I mention I was wearing a custom Kate The Pyghead Velcro Pygmies T-shirt and hat?! Ridiculous! So, instead of staying in the bar before the show, I sat outside... where it was cold and raining. Angel finally arrived and walked in with us. I had several glaring eyes on me from the security as I entered the bar. Now I'm not conceited, nor do I think I am better than anyone else, but under most circumstances, my reputation and "fame" proceeds myself. They didn't know who they were dealing with. They must have been using the power trip to make up for some small appendage they have, just saying. The show was great. Jenna bought me a few drinks and in know time I was taking pictures like a crazy person. It surprises me how great they all come out when I do that. lol. It was a short Pygmies show, it only lasted a few hours but it was well worth the trip. I was even able to grab a quick snap shot or two of Christeen... smiling! After the show I hung around and watched the guys tear down the tiny stage. Since they were only playing one show, all the guys drove home right after the show. David and I then took the long drove home. He slept most of the way. About half way home I called up Christeen because I was feeling tired. While we were talking my car decided to slip from 5th gear to 3rd gear...... by itself. The last road trip ever for my beloved Ford Fuckus, lol.