4 Nights With the Pygmies... yeah, a lot to be said!

The Pygmies played four shows this Labor Day weekend. And there are a lot of stories to be told!

The first show was on Thursday night in Hattiesburg, MS. As I was driving to the show I imagined what this bar, called Side Street, might look like...my imagination was being too kind. The bar was set off from the street, hence the name SIDE STREET. I am glad I saw the PENSKE truck, or I would've missed it, and I have GPS! It reminded me of an old tavern. I walked in, said hi to the guys (who were still setting up and enjoying some lukewarm pizza) and looked around at the NEW bar the Pygmies had decided to rock out. Nothing really exciting about this bar. lol. The guys went to change and I waited patiently at the bar, anticipating the night's over-the-top rock n' roll, we like to call the Velcro Pygmies. As throngs of Pygmie fans flooded Side Street (not really... only maybe about 20 people) the Pygmies made their way to the stage to start rocking the 20 people's faces off. I decided to "push" my way through the large crowd (not really) and stand in front of DEP... I stood alone. The show was great, as usual. Cameron knows how to sell the show whether there are 10 people or 10,000. Cam even got a lucky birthday boy, named Bob, to have a lap dance from some of the ladies in the crowd, though I don't know if you can call 20 people a CROWD. Cam bought him shots all night long, till they finally had his friends carry him out of the bar, we were now down to about 12 people. Regrettably, the ABC board came through and stopped the alcohol sales due to an under age drinker. this left us with about 8 fans. They ended around 1:30 and proceeded to tear down the AWESOME light show they used for the intimate "crowd" of fans. I noticed throughout the night the people in the bar talking to each other and walking about, as if the Pygmies were a jukebox or something. Apparently, Hattiesburg, MS doesn't understand this type of rock n' roll. The night ended with a trip to the Waffle House. Where Teen, Brad and I listened to bad Waffle House tunes, sung by Cam himself. As if the night couldn't get any worse, the hotel had bugs... everywhere! On a good note ( I'd hate to say everything went bad that night) Cameron told me the US Army has extended an invitation to The Pygmies to travel to bases in the Middle East bringing their brand of raunchy rock to the service men and women. Details are being worked out and the shows will be scheduled in 2010!

I woke up Friday, refreshed and ready for a GOOD night of rock n' roll at Captn Fun Beach Club in Pensacola, FL. This place is never a let down! I got there about 6:30 or so, and the guys were just pulling the equipment off the truck. I sat and enjoyed a bushwhacker and talked with Emily, Eddins girlfriend. After they set up the show, they went back to their hotel to change and relax while I ate with some fellow PYGHEADS at the local Hooters. Surprisingly, I got a call from Angel during dinner asking me to pick him up from the hotel so we can hang out before the show. He gave me the address and I headed towards the hotel. I thought my GPS wasn't working because it said the hotel was 18 minutes away! YIKES! Some would say, I was too nice to drive and pick up Angel, lol. The show was amazing, like always. Normally the Pygmies play only one set, straight through the night, but that night they stopped the show for a "Naughty School Girl Contest" it was here we met Principal Wayne... what a character! Cam picked him out of the audience to help with a task. He asked the young ladies " If you were sent to the Principals office for doing something wrong, what would you do to try to get out of the punishment?" One of the young ladies replied with " I'd let him spank me with his belt" and so, Principal Wayne, who wasn't a principal at all, took off him belt and "punished" her. A definitely MEMORABLE Pygmie experience. They finished the show with a bang and began the "fun" project of tearing down another night of rock n' roll. We then traveled to the local Whataburger for a reflection on the night's festivities. Thank God they do not have a Waffle House jukebox there! The hotel had a very comfortable bed and I enjoyed the couple hours of sleep I did have!

Saturday morning I got up, checked my 23 text messages and 2 voice mails and headed home to shower for the Starkville, MS show. The entire ride home, which is only 45 minutes away, I contemplated not coming to the show that night. Not because of the Pygmies, Starkville, or that it was at a fraternity, but because I more-or-less slept the drive to my house. After getting home I decided, what the heck, it's only sleep, and you only live once! So I headed out of the house bound for Mississippi State territory. As my drive got longer, my foot got heavier and I found myself driving 76 mph in a 55 mph zone, or should I say, the cops found me. I pulled over and talked to the cops about the undercarriage of my car having a loose plate, so I drove faster to avoid it hitting the ground... which was NOT a lie! He had me get out of the car, took my license, and went forward with his questioning. As we looked at the plate that was hanging from my car, he asked me about the Pygmies ( I was wearing a Pygmie shirt). He had seen them years ago and wanted to know there tour dates. I was happy to tell him, especially if it'd get me out of a ticket. He asked where I was off to so quickly and I let him know I was going to see the band. He then looked down at his clip board and started to write. I stood there thinking, well, here it is, my speeding ticket over $200. It was then he asked, "It's www.velcropygmies.com, right?" He let me off with a warning! haha. It just goes to show it pays off to have friends in LOW places too ;) The show went well that night, which was a surprise considering we were in Mississippi! It was fun to attend a show where 90% of the audience had never seen the band. It made everything raunchy Cam said even better! Unfortunately, the band couldn't find a hotel in the area because MSU had a home game. We drove 2 hours from Starkville, to Quittman, MS. Angel road with me to keep me awake, that strip of highway is the worst drive ever if you are tired! Western Motel was our home for the night, and it had uncomfortable beds, hard pillows and tiny showers, though lack of sleep made it feel like a 5 star hotel.

I woke up bright and early the next afternoon to a knock on my hotel room door. It was Teen. He was standing outside smoking a cigarette in his boxers. It was raining really hard but I made it home in one piece so I could get ready for another night of unchaperoned rock n' roll at Live Bait II in Orange Beach, AL. The guys were set up and back at the band house by 9 o'clock and I waited at the bar and talked with Pygheads who were waiting anxiously for the band to start. by 10:30 the band had begun their rock n' roll show that brought a record setting attendance of fans for the year at Live Bait II! Complete with boob flashing t-shirt sales, and free beer and shots right off the stage! After the show many Pygheads, Cam, Teen, Brad and I headed to Waffle House to socialize. We were all really pumped about how well the night went! Later I found myself back at the band house sleeping off the headache I had accumulated throughout the weekend. Mostly caused by lack of sleep!

There you have it, another amazing, story-filled, weekend of rock! I hope you enjoyed the shows as much as the Pygmies and I did, and we hope to see you this week!