OK all, so our last gig of an amazing 2009 is New Year’s Eve in Tempe, on the main stage at the Fiesta Bowl Block Party!!

From finishing our debut CD to a mini tour through Louisiana to opening for Dash Rip Rock (thanks for the kind words guys), this has been a great, great year. This is the topper: We will be on the main stage from 7-8:30 p.m. There will be one band after us, then fireworks, and then The Doobie Brothers.

Come out and join us to celebrate 2009 and launch 2010. Here’s five reasons to join us:

You’re a TCU fan!

You’re a Boise State fan!

You just love college football.

You know that USA Today calls this one of the best ways to spend New Year’s Eve in the Southwest.

Number 5? Kyle and his family have moved back to Louisiana. It’s a great move for them, and yes, the band will continue. We already are making plans to enter the recording studio for disc number two in late spring or summer. We will fly to Louisiana for festivals and big gigs, and Kyle will fly back to Arizona for the same. But obviously we won’t be playing five or six shows a month locally anymore. So come out and get your Preserve fix!

Thanks for a truly memorable 2009. Let’s raise a glass together and then bring on 2010!

The boys

Info on tickets, parking and other acts: www.fiestabowl.org

A big thanks to Alice Cooper’s Proof is in the Pudding contest. Tough competition for coveted spots for the Christmas Pudding concert Dec 18 at The Dodge Theater, opening up for Alice Cooper, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Lita Ford and more…

We made it to the finals tonight at the Hard Rock Cafe and we brought it — we all felt good about how it went. Alas, we did not win. There were some really good bands of all different sounds and genres, so we rolled the dice and feel good about it. Great event for a great cause.

Thanks everyone for the kind words and the support, leading up to the first round and also leading up to tonight.

The boys

Just a headsup for those thinking of hitting the Great Cajun Cookoff downtown on Sunday. Will have to wait for next year if you don’t have your tickets already. The event is sold out and even the waiting list tickets are gone — so only those with tickets already bought/reserved can get in.

Mark it on the calendar for next year if you miss out this year. Sunday will be huge with as many as 700 or so people expected!! We’ll know tonight for sure but think we play around 2 p.m., with Dash Rip Rock after us for those who have asked. Will update tonight.

Should be a great, great time.

What a trip!

We’re back from a Wednesday-Sunday trip through Louisiana that took us through New Orleans, nearby Houma, and Lafayette. The sights and the sounds, the culture and the food and the people were simply amazing. It was a week for both familiar faces and new friends. And it centered around three very different gigs with a common thread: high energy shows, great crowds and music fans that like to boogie. We returned excited, humbled and more than a little sad that it all had to come to an end…for now.

New Orleans

The French Quarter

We enjoyed a day and night in New Orleans with a chance to see the sites and taste the food, hear some live music and basically soak up as much of New Orleans as we could. From the French Quarter and top restaurants to hurricane damage and beautiful countryside, we greatly enjoyed NOLA – including a chance to hear XXXX in a local club.

Houma

One night, two gigs. We had a 5 p.m. show on the courthouse steps downtown as part of the monthly ‘Live after Five’ music showcase. Thanks to a killer sound system, the courthouse became an ideal outdoor stage on a pleasant Louisiana night. What a great way to kick off our mini-tour.

A large crowd gathers downtown to get into The Preserve, joined by Cajun fiddle ace Waylon Thibodeaux.

Houma, Part 2

At 10 p.m., it was time for our Louisiana CD Release Party at The City Club. Waylon Thibodeaux and his band opened the show, followed by The Preserve with a powerful two-hour set. Like earlier in the night, the crowd was great, the dance floor was hopping and weloved having the chance to share our music, rooted in South Louisiana, with family and friends there.

The crowd enjoys The Preserve at the two-story City Club in Houma, near New Orleans, Louisiana.

Lafayette, Louisiana

What a way to end the trip! Our third gig in South Louisiana was at the Blue Moon Saloon, a GREAT honky tonk in Lafayette with enormous vibe and a great place to wrap up our trip. Our set included an encore and then two more encores (thanks to The Canes for the extra time) and plenty of fond memories that have us licking our chops to get back there in 2010.

A great Honky Tonk in Lafayette that was an amazing way to end our Louisiana swing.

Chris represented The Preserve for five days down in Rocky Point, Mexico, making music and drinking just a bit of really good tequila with Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Dead Rock West (Los Angeles/San Diego), The Railbenders (Denver) as well as Random Karma, The Wiley One and Jason Boots.

The three-day music festival/celebration of life called Circus Mexicus is a must do event – with two days of activities at JJ’s Cantina by Cholla Bay and the main event Saturday right by the ocean and a golf shot from the ocean-view condos.

It was a fantastic experience, and an inspiring one musically, being around some truly gifted musicians (and great people). Next year, more members of the band will probably be down there as well — and if you like great music, the ocean, drinking, sun and fun, join us!

picture by www.azpeacemakers.com