The Sail Inn Grand ReOpening!!

The Sail Inn, which had been a live music staple in Tempe for many years, closed in 2005. On January 30, 2009, the Sail Inn reopened. I ventured up to the bar for both Friday and Saturday of Opening weekend, and on Saturday, the Mojo Farmers played, featuring their new drummer.



Thanks to Gina for bringing back the best live music venue in Tempe!!

Mogollon Music Fest 2008

I attended the First Annual (hopefully!) Mogollon Music Fest the last weekend of May with the Mojo Farmers. The King family & I arrived Saturday afternoon, and it had been quite a while since I had driven north of Payson. My family used to have a cabin in Pine, AZ when I was growing up, so it was a great experience to drive through the main street and see all the places we used to visit while we were at our cabin for the weekend. But we couldn't linger, the Mojos were playing at 5, so we continued up the mountain.






The weather was absolutely beautiful. I hadn't been camping in years, and forgot how wonderful it was to be where you can't hear traffic and there is the clean scent of pine in the air. We arrived in time to watch Brewed to Perfection, one of my favorite local bands. After they played, Joy World Entertainment Co, a new addition to the local music scene jammed out on stage. Kansas and Red from Joy World were the hosts of Mogollon Music Fest, and they did an outstanding job for their first festival. There were plenty of awesome vans, cool vendors, a bar that served drinks for donations to troops, and of course, Zeke, the most awesome food vendor ever. He made a mean french bread pizza, which tasted even better when the weather cooled down.




At night there were several bonfires and the music lasted until well after 2am. I met quite a few new friends, hung out with some old friends, and had one of the best weekends of my life.

I hope to attend Mogollon Music Fest every year! Thanks to Kansas & Red.

Mojo Farmers-Desert Sun Charity Event

The Mojo Farmers, in their quest to provide a musical education and inspire a new generation, volunteered their time and talent at the Desert Sun Child Development Center's Casino Night Fundraiser. Throughout the evening, the Mojo's provided the crowd with plenty of great tunes to enhance the atmosphere. Darin is really fitting in well with the band, even though he was thrown into the song "Still" which I don't think he had heard before, but still played beautifully.




The evening was built around a silent auction and live auction, with plenty of donations from local businesses and talent to help raise funds for the school. There were also blackjack tables, roulette, and craps.


Plenty of fun was had by all, and the school enjoyed a successful fundraising night!

A Surprise Party!!!

As noted in a previous post, I completed the work towards my Master's Degree at the end of February. On Saturday, my friend Allen and I went golfing at Papago Public Golf Course. It was a gorgeous day for golf, 70 degrees, and I played well, considering I haven't played for 10 months or so. But back to the point. Allen hasn't been over for a while, so we were going to have a few friends over for dinner, but Becky texted me to say that the Alvars had plans, and it would just be us, and she had to run out to the store, so she wanted to make sure I had my key. So Allen and I get back to our house, I open the door, and there are about 15 people in the living room yelling "Surprise" I most certainly was!!!


It took a few minutes to even register what the surprise was for, take in the fact that there were people at my house, and the fact that I was standing there after walking 9 holes of golf so all sweaty, with my hair a mess while there was a party going on for me!!! It was a great party, a great surprise, and just goes to show how great my friends are!!

We capped off the evening by going to the Big Bang piano bar, as my sister Danielle just turned 21, then watching the Mojo Farmers play at the Loft in Tempe. It was a good show, and the second show with the new drummer Darin Lugar, who has so far been an awesome addition to the band.

A Mojo Sendoff

On Friday the Mojo Farmers played at the Last Exit, which was fitting as it was the drummer, Tim Olson's, last show. Tim has been playing with the band since its inception, but has decided to pursue other interests. The show included previous members of the band as a reunion to celebrate Tim's contribution, and to wish him luck on his way.



Tim has been a big part of the band for many years, and I wish him luck on his future endeavors. Thanks for the memories and the music Tim!!

Mojo Farmers at the PF Changs Rock N Roll Marathon!!!

The Mojo Farmers played at the PF Changs Rock N Roll Marathon this morning. Congratulations to all those who ran in the race, both the half marathon, and the full marathon. For those who ran the full marathon, they were treated to the awesome sounds of the Mojo Farmers at mile 17.5. For those who are unfamiliar with the RNR marathon, bands line the course. This year there were over 70 bands on the course. The Mojo's sounded excellent, and the people running by were definitely pumped up when they heard them. Or maybe it was because there were less than 10 miles left at that point. . .



The weather was much nicer than 2007, which was the coldest marathon start yet. It was in the mid 60s, which was plenty warm for the runners judging by the amount of sweat pouring down their faces.



Elvis even joined the band for a bit

A Mojo New Year to You!!

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Originally uploaded by Amber Wildermuth

Happy New Year!! As always, the new year is a chance to reflect on what has gone by, what you would like to happen, and how you are going to accomplish that. Good luck, and Best Wishes in achieving all the goal's you set. . . .

Halloween Mojo Style!!

My friend's band, the Mojo Farmers, played at Hollywood Alley last night. They unveiled a new song, Day by Day, written and performed by my friend Jim King. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my camera into movie mode (still working on reading the instruction manual), so I don't have a video, but it was an awesome song. Hopefully I will be able to steal a portion of the clip from Becky's video camera.



The bar is an awesome dive bar half in Mesa, half in Tempe. There is actually a line down the bar that shows the city division. Bar hopping and band watching in Arizona is much nicer now that it is smoke free indoors!!



Happy Halloween!!

Mojo Farmers!!

As promised in my initial entry, I have included some photos of the Mojo Farmers. My good friend Jim King is the bass player, Chris Losey plays guitar and steel guitar, Bill Baker also plays guitar and mandolin, Tim Olsen on Drums, and Norm Herd on keys. Please visit their website or their myspace page and become a friend! Their music is an awesome rock/jam mix. Their next show is actually a weekend festival in Jerome, featuring several other bands, including Gelatinous Groove and What Laura Says.