Are you happy now?!!!!
It's January 14 and it's the New Year! Has anything changed? Have you broken your resolutions yet? Me too!!!
I tried not to cuss... then I hit my head on the cabinet trying to get a remote control for the Wii! done.
I tried not to eat fried food... then I got in the car heading to a gig with 4 hours to drive and I was starving and in a hurry AND a KFC was right there in the truck stop where I was getting gasoline! done.
2 for 2! That sounds good! I'll go with that...
When somebody asks me, "Hey Jack, how's your New Year going?" I'll just reply... great, I'm 2 for 2!!!!!!!!
Happy New Year Everybody! I'm batting 1000%! How bout you?!
Keep on keepin' on...
Jack
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Hey... Are you Jack Ingram?...
So...
I told you about traveling without my ID or $$$$... which is a complete drag but doable.
So I finally got back to Austin after a long day of work that sent me through long security lines and shakedowns but after waiting on the runway 4 hours in Houston, Tx, of all places, for a de-icing of the wings I finally landed in Austin at 4:30 in the morning! Now the only thing to do was to get my truck out of parking and limp home. PARKING... you pay for that! I got to the desk to have the valet pull my car up and began to tell her my long tale of woe... she did not care! She looked at me and told me that she did not care if I knew my AMEX number by heart... she could not give me my car without a method of payment. I was at the end of my rope here... as I began to argue about how often I park there, etc... I heard a voice from behind me... "Hey man, are you Jack Ingram..." I turned around and said wearily, "Yes". This guy had a big smile on his face, the biggest smile at 4:30 AM I've ever seen outside of an after hours bar, and he stuck out his hand and said "My name is Rodney Dutton and I've been listening to your music for a long time... I really like what you do!... he then went on to say that he was sorry but that he had been eavesdropping on my conversation and couldn't help but hear that I didn't have a way to pay for my truck... he said "dude, let me pay for your parking!"!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it... still can't really! He shoved $25 bucks down on the desk and told me not to worry about it. He shook my hand and walked away as I was telling him how grateful I was and what could I do and on and on and on...
Rodney Dutton is a good guy. If you see him on the street tell him I said thanks again. If you ever see somebody who needs a little something, something... give him a break. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! See you out on the road. You can bet I'll have my ID and credit cards... don't rob me just know I got em!
Keep on keepin' on...
Jack
I told you about traveling without my ID or $$$$... which is a complete drag but doable.
So I finally got back to Austin after a long day of work that sent me through long security lines and shakedowns but after waiting on the runway 4 hours in Houston, Tx, of all places, for a de-icing of the wings I finally landed in Austin at 4:30 in the morning! Now the only thing to do was to get my truck out of parking and limp home. PARKING... you pay for that! I got to the desk to have the valet pull my car up and began to tell her my long tale of woe... she did not care! She looked at me and told me that she did not care if I knew my AMEX number by heart... she could not give me my car without a method of payment. I was at the end of my rope here... as I began to argue about how often I park there, etc... I heard a voice from behind me... "Hey man, are you Jack Ingram..." I turned around and said wearily, "Yes". This guy had a big smile on his face, the biggest smile at 4:30 AM I've ever seen outside of an after hours bar, and he stuck out his hand and said "My name is Rodney Dutton and I've been listening to your music for a long time... I really like what you do!... he then went on to say that he was sorry but that he had been eavesdropping on my conversation and couldn't help but hear that I didn't have a way to pay for my truck... he said "dude, let me pay for your parking!"!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it... still can't really! He shoved $25 bucks down on the desk and told me not to worry about it. He shook my hand and walked away as I was telling him how grateful I was and what could I do and on and on and on...
Rodney Dutton is a good guy. If you see him on the street tell him I said thanks again. If you ever see somebody who needs a little something, something... give him a break. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! See you out on the road. You can bet I'll have my ID and credit cards... don't rob me just know I got em!
Keep on keepin' on...
Jack
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
You Can Do It!
I had a show in Kansas City last week. It was a great event sponsored by a radio station (KFKF) where I was playing for a group of bus drivers just outside of the city who had won a contest. They collected the most amount of toys in one of the school buses and won a performance at their bus barn by me (what a prize! :)) It was a ton of fun... but I am getting ahead of myself...
My flight was supposed to leave Austin that morning at 5:45 AM so I could make the show on time. That means that I had to get to the airport by 4:45 AM which means that my alarm was set for 4 AM! That's early (used to be anyway).
I got up on time, had a 5 hour energy shot and made it out the door on time, made it to the airport with time to spare... forgot my wallet! Uh-Oh!!!!!! I immediately checked every place that I usually put my wallet- cup holder, side of door, back pocket, jacket pocket... No Luck! I checked my phone to check the time... no way I can go home and get back in time! I decided to forge ahead and see what happens (kind of like a career!!!)
I got to the Continental ticket counter and started my usual routine when I've done something really stupid... I eased up to the counter and when she asked how I was I replied by saying that I was fine but how was she?!!!! She said fine and I said good. She said may I help you and I said OH Yes! You can help me like you wouldn't believe!
Just then a young kid who looked like he just rolled out of high school and bed and was working in luggage approached me and started telling me what a huge fan he is of mine... I told him that I was a huge fan of his and he looked confused but smiled... the ticket agent said "should I know you?" and I said well, no but you would if you listened to Country music OR IF I HAD MY ID!!!!!!
She smiled and said that she intended to take care of both of those problems this morning... she would look me up on the internet and she would she what she could do to get me through security!!!! I said... YES!!!!!
To make a long story short... she had to mark up my boarding pass with enough red ink it made my failing English papers from High School look passable and sent me with the head of security off to the metal detectors. When I got there they searched me up and down and in between, asked me such probing questions as "who else lives in your house?" and "what kind of car do you drive?"!!!!! I passed! They let me through! I made it to Kansas City! I played some songs for the bus drivers (God Bless Bus Drivers! Especially ones that still love kids enough after driving them around all year while they yell, scream and make their lives crazy to fill a bus full of toys for them!!!!!). And made it to the toy drive on top of the Wal-Mart!
If you ever forget your ID and wallet and need to fly remember this story. It's going to take you a long time in Security and you have to be really nice to the ticket agent and everyone else. You don't need to be a recording artist or anything else... just keep your cool and remember who you live with. You can do it! You can fly! You just can't buy a $5 coke or $6 magazine!
Oh, by the way... I made it back home to Austin too... but that's a whole 'nother story... to be continued...
K-O-K-O...
Jack
My flight was supposed to leave Austin that morning at 5:45 AM so I could make the show on time. That means that I had to get to the airport by 4:45 AM which means that my alarm was set for 4 AM! That's early (used to be anyway).
I got up on time, had a 5 hour energy shot and made it out the door on time, made it to the airport with time to spare... forgot my wallet! Uh-Oh!!!!!! I immediately checked every place that I usually put my wallet- cup holder, side of door, back pocket, jacket pocket... No Luck! I checked my phone to check the time... no way I can go home and get back in time! I decided to forge ahead and see what happens (kind of like a career!!!)
I got to the Continental ticket counter and started my usual routine when I've done something really stupid... I eased up to the counter and when she asked how I was I replied by saying that I was fine but how was she?!!!! She said fine and I said good. She said may I help you and I said OH Yes! You can help me like you wouldn't believe!
Just then a young kid who looked like he just rolled out of high school and bed and was working in luggage approached me and started telling me what a huge fan he is of mine... I told him that I was a huge fan of his and he looked confused but smiled... the ticket agent said "should I know you?" and I said well, no but you would if you listened to Country music OR IF I HAD MY ID!!!!!!
She smiled and said that she intended to take care of both of those problems this morning... she would look me up on the internet and she would she what she could do to get me through security!!!! I said... YES!!!!!
To make a long story short... she had to mark up my boarding pass with enough red ink it made my failing English papers from High School look passable and sent me with the head of security off to the metal detectors. When I got there they searched me up and down and in between, asked me such probing questions as "who else lives in your house?" and "what kind of car do you drive?"!!!!! I passed! They let me through! I made it to Kansas City! I played some songs for the bus drivers (God Bless Bus Drivers! Especially ones that still love kids enough after driving them around all year while they yell, scream and make their lives crazy to fill a bus full of toys for them!!!!!). And made it to the toy drive on top of the Wal-Mart!
If you ever forget your ID and wallet and need to fly remember this story. It's going to take you a long time in Security and you have to be really nice to the ticket agent and everyone else. You don't need to be a recording artist or anything else... just keep your cool and remember who you live with. You can do it! You can fly! You just can't buy a $5 coke or $6 magazine!
Oh, by the way... I made it back home to Austin too... but that's a whole 'nother story... to be continued...
K-O-K-O...
Jack
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Do you remember that commercial?...
When I was growing up there was this commercial that stuck in my head. It was about a shampoo called Faberge... the name is not important but the concept is. It seemed so obvious at the time (and I recall that I was very young at that time!)... The idea of the commercial was that this stuff was so good that the person using it was going to "Tell Two Friends then they'll "Tell Two Friends" then they'll "Tell Two Friends" and so on and so on...!
When I first got my music up and running that is exactly how it happened... I played a bar and a few people dug it and they told a couple of people and then the next week more people came to the bar to see me play and then the next week those people told a couple people and then the gig got bigger and so on and so on...
Then I made a cd and sold a couple copies... and those people dug it and told a couple of people and so on and so on...
You get the idea right!?
Well that concept never stops working. If you dig what I'm doing now then do me a favor... tell a couple of friends.
If you like the new song, "That's A Man" then tell a couple people about it.
If you dig seeing me play shows then tell a few folks about what you've seen.
Just keep it old school... "tell two friends and they'll tell two friends and so on and so on..."! Give it a shot.
Jack
When I first got my music up and running that is exactly how it happened... I played a bar and a few people dug it and they told a couple of people and then the next week more people came to the bar to see me play and then the next week those people told a couple people and then the gig got bigger and so on and so on...
Then I made a cd and sold a couple copies... and those people dug it and told a couple of people and so on and so on...
You get the idea right!?
Well that concept never stops working. If you dig what I'm doing now then do me a favor... tell a couple of friends.
If you like the new song, "That's A Man" then tell a couple people about it.
If you dig seeing me play shows then tell a few folks about what you've seen.
Just keep it old school... "tell two friends and they'll tell two friends and so on and so on..."! Give it a shot.
Jack
Friday, November 7, 2008
A Lot Can Happen
Wow! I just realized that I haven't visited with you here since October 4, 2008! Being that it is November 7, 2008... that's over a month (I'm pertty god at maht!!)!
A lot can happen in a month. It's fairly staggering if you think about the changes that can go on in your life in just over 30 days. Since the last time we spoke I released a single to Radio called "That's A Man". It is off to a fantastic start and people seem to like it as much as I do. If you haven't heard it then go to my website (jackingram.net) or go to itunes or, better yet, just call up your favorite country radio station and act appalled that you haven't heard it yet when everyone you know has! What else has happened? The University Of Texas Longhorns football team went from #5 to #1, stayed there a week and then lost a game and went back to the outside looking in on the BCS Championship game! That's been a rollercoaster since I live in Austin now and read about it in the papers constantly! The first freeze has come to Texas! Halloween came rolling by with ghosts and goblins and such! Scare me...! the economic crisis has come into our lives and i don't think anybody knows when it will even make eye contact with the door (notice my attempt to overplay the economic crisis by pretending to understate it with lower case letters :)). Saturday Night Live came screaming to the forefront for the first time in a few years with Tina Fey's (who doesn't even work there anymore) impression of Sarah Palin. Oh yeah... I guess we won't be seeing much of that impression anymore.
Kenny Chesney told us last year in that song not to blink (never thought I'd quote Kenny in this thing) and I must admit that the boy is right!! Don't do it. If you do this whole world will just get up and move on. It is fairly amazing to me all of the changes that can go on in just barely a month. Hadn't really thought of that before. Have you?
A lot can happen...
K-O-K-O
Jack
A lot can happen in a month. It's fairly staggering if you think about the changes that can go on in your life in just over 30 days. Since the last time we spoke I released a single to Radio called "That's A Man". It is off to a fantastic start and people seem to like it as much as I do. If you haven't heard it then go to my website (jackingram.net) or go to itunes or, better yet, just call up your favorite country radio station and act appalled that you haven't heard it yet when everyone you know has! What else has happened? The University Of Texas Longhorns football team went from #5 to #1, stayed there a week and then lost a game and went back to the outside looking in on the BCS Championship game! That's been a rollercoaster since I live in Austin now and read about it in the papers constantly! The first freeze has come to Texas! Halloween came rolling by with ghosts and goblins and such! Scare me...! the economic crisis has come into our lives and i don't think anybody knows when it will even make eye contact with the door (notice my attempt to overplay the economic crisis by pretending to understate it with lower case letters :)). Saturday Night Live came screaming to the forefront for the first time in a few years with Tina Fey's (who doesn't even work there anymore) impression of Sarah Palin. Oh yeah... I guess we won't be seeing much of that impression anymore.
Kenny Chesney told us last year in that song not to blink (never thought I'd quote Kenny in this thing) and I must admit that the boy is right!! Don't do it. If you do this whole world will just get up and move on. It is fairly amazing to me all of the changes that can go on in just barely a month. Hadn't really thought of that before. Have you?
A lot can happen...
K-O-K-O
Jack
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Yeah, I played that stage...
Been traveling this country for a while now and have played many, many stages. Played the puppet stage at the Minnesota State Fair. Played the side stage in the food court at the Oregon State Fair. Played the stage outside of the parking lot in front of the arena where Garth Brooks played in Fresno, California. Played the same stage as the Rolling Stones at a club in Toronto, Canada. Played in the corner of the bar under the television set beside the jukebox at Adair's Saloon in Dallas, Texas. Played on a stage of dust (no actual stage) in the woods of Oklahoma for a frat party in the winter. Played a stage on the roof top of a camp in Texas (Camp Longhorn) for a bunch of kids at snack time. Played a stage on the roof of the BMI building in Nashville, Tennessee for the #1 party for "Wherever You Are". Played a makeshift stage in the ladies lingerie section of a Wal-Mart in Lubbock, Texas. Played on the stage of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Played the big stage of Austin City Limits both the television show and the festival. Played the Nick in Birmingham, Alabama and jumped off the stage to two step with a fan in a bar that hadn't seen country music and didn't really want to! Played the stage inside the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Played a flatbed trailer outside of a club 30 miles outside of Nacanowhere, Texas in the rain. Played a stage at 12 noon in Moorehead, North Carolina for the seafood festival called the Clam Jam Stage... that was today! From sea to shining sea... you might ask if I've played that stage before... odds are that... yeah, I've played that stage!
I'll see you out there on one of them soon.
Keep On Keepin' On...
Jack
I'll see you out there on one of them soon.
Keep On Keepin' On...
Jack
Monday, September 29, 2008
Keep Austin Wierd... ACL Festival Collateral Damage!
Awesome! I got to the airport this morning at 6am and was amazed... As you may or may not know, The Austin City Limits Festival was this past weekend and ended yesterday. I didn't play the festival this year but I got home yesterday from the road just in time to play private show at The Salt Lick BBQ and then turn around and head out this morning. The festival was a bit off of my radar until I got to the airport! I didn't think that I would see any festival leavers this early... I was wrong! I guess I did not take into account that a lot of the festival attendees would need to get home early on Monday to get back to work (while still a fair price, it is fairly expensive to travel and buy tickets and everything else that goes into it). I am on Southwest Airlines today and my first flight was to Phoenix. I think they might be the airline of choice for the festival!! For every everyday business, straight job traveler this morning there was a flip flop wearing, mail delivery bag toting, 3 days of no sleep hangover having, still high on the foo fighters festival leaver! It was a nice combination of folks to see hanging out in the gate area!!!!
I got on the very full flight with my carry on but had to check my guitar at the gate because there was no room in the overhead bins stuffed with back packs smelling of stale beer and what was left of whatever was there before it was smoked at the festival. I sat in the window seat of the exit row... that's why I love group A! I knew that someone would need to sit in the middle seat because the flight was completely full so I spent my time playing the game in my head called "please sit next to me/please don't sit next to me". It's a fun game. I practice it a lot but don't ever seem to get better. The reason for me to choose "please sit next to me" is really just practical... the smaller the person is- the more I want them to be in the middle seat... it just makes sense, right? Opposite sex and small body comp beats same sex and large body comp... you get it right?
Well I lost the game in that a dude sat down next to me. He had sunglasses on which is a sign for either being very tired and needing some sleep, blind or a jerk! This guy was definitely the first one. I noticed very early on that this guy was in serious need of a lot more than sleep... namely about 30 beers less than what he consumed in the past 12 hours!!!! His legs were twitching, his arms were around his head, his face was so white he looked like a ghost. He was desperately trying to pass out but he couldn't. He kept making sounds like a dying puppy would make. At one point he tried to take a sip of water... that was the end. He jumped out of his seat and scurried off to the lavatory like a ... well, like a hungover dude about to puke runs to a toilet! I felt bad for the guy but had to laugh. He repeated this process no less than 4 times during the flight. He even defied the flight attendant and got up to go puke as the plane was landing! Seriously, I felt bad for the guy but had to laugh! It reminded me of a time I was flying back to Dallas from Oklahoma City on a Sunday morning and... but that's another story.
It was quite a flight! Made me proud to be from Austin where Bob Weird is still the King!
I hear that ACL fest was one of the best yet! It sure as hell looked that way traveling out of the city.
Jack
I got on the very full flight with my carry on but had to check my guitar at the gate because there was no room in the overhead bins stuffed with back packs smelling of stale beer and what was left of whatever was there before it was smoked at the festival. I sat in the window seat of the exit row... that's why I love group A! I knew that someone would need to sit in the middle seat because the flight was completely full so I spent my time playing the game in my head called "please sit next to me/please don't sit next to me". It's a fun game. I practice it a lot but don't ever seem to get better. The reason for me to choose "please sit next to me" is really just practical... the smaller the person is- the more I want them to be in the middle seat... it just makes sense, right? Opposite sex and small body comp beats same sex and large body comp... you get it right?
Well I lost the game in that a dude sat down next to me. He had sunglasses on which is a sign for either being very tired and needing some sleep, blind or a jerk! This guy was definitely the first one. I noticed very early on that this guy was in serious need of a lot more than sleep... namely about 30 beers less than what he consumed in the past 12 hours!!!! His legs were twitching, his arms were around his head, his face was so white he looked like a ghost. He was desperately trying to pass out but he couldn't. He kept making sounds like a dying puppy would make. At one point he tried to take a sip of water... that was the end. He jumped out of his seat and scurried off to the lavatory like a ... well, like a hungover dude about to puke runs to a toilet! I felt bad for the guy but had to laugh. He repeated this process no less than 4 times during the flight. He even defied the flight attendant and got up to go puke as the plane was landing! Seriously, I felt bad for the guy but had to laugh! It reminded me of a time I was flying back to Dallas from Oklahoma City on a Sunday morning and... but that's another story.
It was quite a flight! Made me proud to be from Austin where Bob Weird is still the King!
I hear that ACL fest was one of the best yet! It sure as hell looked that way traveling out of the city.
Jack
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