Thursday morning, I stopped by the Froggy 98 studio to check in with Gary Greenwood and Brian Eckleberry, who were feverishly preparing for the third annual Bachelor Auction taking place that night. Brian was busy warming up his auctioneer voice and Gary was prepping his huge pectoral muscles for what would be a certain workout later on; it was like walking in on a training montage from one of the "Rocky" movies except far cheesier! So I spent that morning speaking with Gary and Brian about the details of the auction, about how all the proceeds are going to benefit the St. Jude Children's Hospital, and about how Cactus Hill was donating our time to do what we do best: rock the house and make people fall in love! And in the hours that followed, everything proved to be an absolute success. We definitely had a record-breaking attendance of single women, and it was worth the cover just to see Brian Eckleberry do some fine auctioneering in a red jacket and red-striped vest; Reuben commented that the only thing he was missing was one of those long Bob Barker mics. Gary Greenwood cleaned house with his Chippendales tribute which far exceeded $900; among the other bachelors included firemen with tree-trunk arms, male nurses with excellent bedside manners (zing!), and fitness gurus. Nothing out of the ordinary here! Everyone appeared to have had a blast and the best part about the whole thing? Some kids are going to really benefit from all of this! Who says that drunkenness and impulse buying are bad things? I contend that they are actually good things when used for the right purpose!

This Friday we're at Cappy's for a summer kick-off party that's got more rock than a museum of natural history, so make sure you make every effort to be there! Bobby and Jim have been breaking in their best pairs of jean shorts and sandals all week in anticipation for this off-the-hook event, so you're definitely going to want to bring a camera! See you there!

Friday night was the Jason Aldean concert at Pershing, followed by the after-party at the Red 9, which for most people meant non-stop partying from early in the day to very late at night! We came in early, ran through a couple of the new songs, and braced ourselves for what we knew would be another successful show. Jim had some leftover Jason Aldean tickets that he gave away at the start of the show, knowing full well that the concert would only last until about 10:30. When that time rolled around, the big green tractor pull full of post-Jason Aldean show partiers showed up and started wreaking havoc, keeping the dance floor full all night long, which was one of the better advantages to having the closest after-party to Pershing. We ended our cha-cha set just in time for Brian Eckleberry to join us for his regular rowdy round-up of crowd favorites. For some reason, Jim really wanted to play mandolin on "Hey Ya" and "Brown Eyed Girl", so I was forced to do it on violin, which I may do from now on. Actually, I'm working on integrating Jim to full-time mandolin duty so I can just do what I do best; it'll be an interesting sight, but he's a quick learner. Local nightlife celebrity and Phoenix-native Eric Kiple from PartyDogz kept the dance floor rolling with an eccentric yet effective mix of songs during our breaks. We did another 20 minutes of "Margaritaville" and watched this guy chug half of a pitcher of beer in well under ten seconds, which means B-Eck has to give up his crown now. Overall, it was another successful effort on our part; I'm thinking about taking a page out of Reuben's book and playing these shows sober from now on. We'll see how long that lasts!

Bobby is in North Carolina for a while, meaning we have the following weekend off, but we come back in full-force for the Fremont Bullriding Classic on April 9th and 10th, so come on out, watch my second all-time favorite sport with your all-time favorite fiddle player, and party afterwards! You know you love that mutton bustin' as much as I do. The weekend after that is, you guessed it, the Red 9! Until then, don't do anything I wouldn't do, and if you do, post pictures on Facebook. Later ya'll!

Everyone who's in the know will tell you that when we only have one date on a weekend, we pack twice as much excitement and energy into that one show. The Dawghouse on Saturday was only slightly different; we decided on Monday that we'd rather be doing this five nights a week, so we took five nights of care-free fun and awesomeness and crammed that into a last-minute fill-in show. We we're supposed to have the weekend off, but when you're high profile on your weekend job, well, what else are you really supposed to do with your weekends? We all jumped at the opportunity to have a free keg from 8-9 and sip suds while rubbing shoulders with the Cactus Hill faithful before going on around 9:30. While the crowd was not as big as it normally is, it started getting busier as the night progressed. You see, Cactus Hill is like a mecca for party people; they journey from down the road, across the street and from cities away to where they KNOW the real party is in town. Shane from Partydawgz kept the party rolling on our breaks, which is always a pleasure. Jim played mandolin on a few songs again; he's coming along pretty well for having never done it before, which indicates that he is some sort of prodigy. I was so intimidated by his mandolin prowess, however, that it resulted in my sudden inability to play when I need to use it; after a minor technical difficulty we pressed on, playing "Margaritaville" several times ("where's the god-damn salt"?) and finishing strong. It was an educational experience as well; I learned the difference between a 9 volt battery and a AA battery, which has been a long time coming! It was about as fun as a show could be with only short-notice preparation; with less than a week of notice we still managed to promote heavily and pack the place pretty tight. We've got the best fans on Earth! Why not come meet them? I mean, it's one thing to read about the show, but you know alcohol works; you wake up the next morning, trying to recall details from the night before, and you come up short. But unforgettable experiences happen every weekend with Cactus Hill!

Wednesday is our St. Patrick's Day blowout at the Grove, and we have the weekend there as well. We're going to show up early and taste test a few kegs of the green beer. Nothing but the best for our fans! And speaking of, we've added "Toes" by the Zac Brown Band (as far as I know, we're one of the only bands in the region who is even attempting this over "Chicken Fried" and we're nailing it in rehearsal, which speaks volumes for us), as well as "Love Your Love The Most" by Eric Church, which means you'll get to hear Jim sing about a bunch of stuff that he loves, like getting manicures, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream and watching chick flicks. You all know he's a real softy inside! See you Wednesday as well as the weekend; it's three days of out-of-control, red-hot, heat-seeking action, courtesy of one of the top acts in the region, Cactus Hill! Miss it and you'll wish you hadn't!

After a few weeks of Reuben wrapping up business and tying up loose ends with his old band, we celebrated the first week of having him all to ourselves by having a Friday night bright-light extravaganza at the Red 9, aka "The Home Base". After moving in his couch, his big screen TV and all of his Husker memorabilia (some of which is hand-crafted!), we set up for an unforgettable show assisted by our good friends in Red Hott, who played our breaks and put on a great performance as usual. Brian Eckleberry was in the house with his normal blend of hilarious antics and brilliant musicianship; with Bobby and Brian both competing for the morning co-host spot with Froggy 98's Gary Greenwood, their equal support for one another was channeled into an energy that could not be replicated by other acts. Jim called out "Fishin' In The Dark" again, which is a rare treat. Brian graced us with a few slow songs, even a Hootie & The Blowfish song I hadn't heard in years, and at the end of the night Bobby joined him for one of my favorite songs, "Wish You Were Here", that had the whole crowd slow-dancing. Eric Kiple (and his manhood) made his usual appearance, and he reserved several tables for himself and some of his friends from Phoenix. I'm telling you what; you really can't miss any of these Red 9 shows. They're really too awesome to tell about in a short paragraph, so the next time we play there you are going to have to come see for yourself what kind of musical potluck we're stirring up on Stage 9! By then Bobby will have warmed up his recorder and triangle skills to near-virtuoso level, making it an event of a lifetime!

We had Saturday off this week, and we'll have Friday off as well, but we'll re-awaken the beast after two days of rest and relaxation at the Dawghouse on Saturday night for your normal routine of rocking, rowdiness and something else clever that begins with the letter "r". If you think you can top it, come bring it and let us be the judge! Also, don't forget about our three day stint at the Grove next week for St. Patty's day and the following weekend; it's gonna fill up fast so come early, stay late, don't procrastinate! See you Saturday!

At the time I'm writing this, it is now Tuesday, March 2nd, at about 6:30 in the morning, and I am STILL recovering from one of the craziest weekends in Cactus Hill history! I shouldn't even be awake right now; a weekend like that makes a guy want to curl up and hibernate for a few months. If you saw even half of the insanity that I saw, you'd understand why! We began our crazy country excursions on Friday at Cappy's with third generation Cactus Hill guitarist Brad, and of course the almighty Brian Eckleberry. Eric Kiple's manhood made a rare and completely unexpected appearance and gave one of it's famous tiny, brief monologues. Jim challenged an audience member to a "Beer in a minute" game versus Brian, who is an undisputed champion, with the twist that the beer had to be one of the 32 oz frosty mugs (one of many reasons why we love playing at Cappy's). Let's just say that we're awfully glad that the stage has a backdoor leading to the outside, where it's safe to purge anything that your body might otherwise reject! The party got so off-the-hook that even the front of the stage fell apart while we were rocking on top of it!

Needless to say, we left quite an aftermath at Cappy's for D-Funk, who played there on Saturday while we played a private event for the World Farmer's Co-op at the Embassy Suites downtown. We gave several standing ovations through a brief award ceremony and got our drink on before starting, and our country hit classics were pulled to a screeching halt about three songs into the set so we could all watch the U.S. bobsled team earn their first gold medal in several years. It was a really educational experience for all of us; up until now we had thought that a bobsled is what happens when Bwill walks into a bar and walks out a few hours later with four women clinging to him, but today we stand corrected. Jim Campbell shredded on the mandolin all night long, which is a rare treat; as a matter of fact, his monster licks were so slick that when I plugged in for a few songs, my sound couldn't even compare to Jim's...mostly because it was out of tune after three hours of Jim's playing. It's all good; if I were a mandolin, I wouldn't know what to do if I had two mandolin virtuosos touching me all night long either. We jammed out to the extensively-rehearsed and definitely not-improvised "Fishin' In The Dark" and "Sweet Caroline" per the request of the crowd. I'll wrap this up by proclaiming my victory over the "beer in a minute" game; I was able to beat it for the first time on Saturday, but it came at a price, and I'll go ahead and plead the fifth on that one.

This Friday we'll be at the Red 9 (not only the band's home base but now also the location of my lesson studio!) with some of the most delicious guacamole burgers and steak fries you've ever had on the same plate. I'm not kidding around; this stuff's delicious. Cactus Hill, the Red 9, excellent food, a chance to win drinks and other goodies? Wrap all of that together and what you've got is a line out the door and down the block! Be sure to stop by froggy981.comand put in your votes for BOBBY WILLIAMS to be the next morning show co-host with Gary Greenwood, and I say that out of the most profound respect for the legendary B-Eck who is also setting his sights on that chair behind the co-host mic! What a match-up, right? If it comes down to a tie between those two, I propose a freestyle rap battle. See ya'll this weekend; bring us something rightside-up and we'll turn it upside-down for you! Later!

I speculate that there were Mardi Gras parties all over town on Tuesday, but none so lively as at the Dawghouse with PartyDogz and your boys, Cactus Hill; we had a party so big that we had to grease down the door in order to fit it through (and getting it out was another story)! In true Cactus Hill event fashion, of course the dance floor was packed ass-to-ass with the regular Tuesday night beer pong relocated to the back to accommodate for all of the extra patronage. And in true Fat Tuesday tradition, my virgin eyes saw all sorts of things that could not be unseen! Let's just say that a lot of bead necklaces were earned under the radar that night, but it made for great entertainment for everyone involved. We're happy that so many made the sacrifice of committing Tuesday night to a drunken celebration before beginning your first day of Lent with a hangover; that might not go over too well at the fish fry, but Cactus Hill and all of the faithful sure appreciate it! Not bad for our second Tuesday show this year (the first two I've had all-together since joining the band in September). We're definitely going to have to do these more often.

And speaking of firsts this year, our weekend was spent at Mary's Place, our first weekend there in 2010. Friday, Johnny sat in for Reuben who was away on a previous engagement, and as a bonus, that meant that his band Red Hott got to play our breaks. Being in our band means having to sacrifice extra time that would normally be spent going to other shows to see other bands, so it was refreshing to have sets of rock in between sets of country hit classics. Poor Tommy, bassist for Red Hott, sustained a pretty bad injury prior to the show and had his hand wrapped with a tourniquet most of the night; naturally this meant that Henry was willing to sub in for a few songs, and I even joined them for a tune as well. We were also joined by Brian Eckleberry whose unique stage energy is always a treat to employ; I always look forward to shows with him. Saturday we were rejoined by Reuben and had Derek from Hayseed Cowboys jamming with us all night long as well; made me proud to be a stage-lefter. With musicians of our caliber we were able to toss licks back and forth like strawberry lollipops; lots of straight up jamming and improvisation makes the band experience really come alive, I think. Not bad for our first weekend back at Mary's this year! If you missed it, you surely missed out, but no worries. We're almost positive they'll have us back!

Now, a couple of quick plugs:
1) Be sure to check out our friends in Red Hott at www.facebook.com/redhottband; add them as a friend and get info on how to see what we saw on Friday!
2) Congrats to Bobby for making the top 12 on Froggy 98's morning show co-host search! Be sure to go to www.froggy981.com and continue to vote him to the top; he's applicant #12.

We've got private stuff going on Saturday, which means we have ONE OPPORTUNITY this weekend to rock you twice as hard, and that's at Cappy's on Friday. Some swig on a huge frosty mug of beer with your boys in the Hill! See you then!

Ladies and gentlemen, the votes are in and the overall consensus is that we can't remember the last time we had so much fun in a weekend! Despite having much of our crowd absorbed by the Cross Canadian Ragweed show in Omaha, lots of Cactus Hill faithful and a few new faces still came out to help us blow the lid off of the Grove on Friday. We were honored to share the stage with Earl Wear & Haywire, who are just the nicest bunch of guys in a country band that you may ever come across, and we even had the luxury of having their pedal steel player "JR" join us on stage all night long. I've always had a fascination with the instrument that borders on the slightly erotic, so it was a real treat to hear such rarities like a pedal steel solo during "Summer of '69" (take our word for it, it sounded awesome). Earl himself even joined us for most of our last set, taking the lead on "Cadillac Cowboy" and other such tunes. Earl, his band and his staff didn't hesitate at an opportunity to party with The Hill, and we gave them a backstage party that they will remember for a long time after that rather eccentric whiskey that we all pulled off of has faded! Reuben pulled out his classic "using a beer bottle as a slide" trick which always elicits crowd excitement. Overall, I'd say he's integrated himself into this group of hooligans pretty well; no one plays licks quicker or sicker than this $%#@-kicker and he doesn't even drink liquor! Thanks again to those of you who made it out to the Grove on Friday. We've got a four-dater there in March that's going to make all of our previous shows look like elementary school recorder concerts (eat that, Bobby!) so keep your eyes peeled for more info on that.

Saturday was spent in the hustling, bustling metropolis of Springfield, NE playing a sweet sixteen party, which is a first for some of us. We love private events because it usually gives us free reign to do stuff we wouldn't normally do, like practice stunts and let our sound guys play our instruments! Generations both young and old came together for an overall spectacular evening of singing, dancing, and cake. The Country Kickers made an appearance and demonstrated a couple of different line dances which kept everyone busy until it was time to pack up. Regrettably, I didn't retain very many of the moves, so when Bobby, Henry and I showed up for after-partying at the Grove to see Earl Wear & Haywire play again, I got frustrated with not remembering anything and started a mosh pit instead. Just kidding; can you imagine? I still have yet to corrupt country music with my devious "dance moves", but in many ways, I'm becoming more and more like you guys every day!

Now, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing that this is going to go up on the site just as we're taking the stage for our Mardi Gras extravaganza at the Dawghouse, which means I probably should have mentioned it in last week's edition, but if you're in the know, you already knew! And if you're not in the know, there's no reason why you shouldn't be, you know? Which reminds me, I need to make a few quick plugs before I wrap this up:

1) Be sure to add Earl Wear & Haywire on Facebook for more information on how you can hear and purchase their music, so you can support them while they chase the neon rainbow all across America.
2) Head on over to Froggy981.com and vote for Bobby Williams (Applicant #91) to be the next co-host of the morning show with Gary Greenwood. Afterwards, send him an email and tell him to wash the horse smell off of his body!
3) If you haven't already, be sure to become a fan of Cactus Hill on Facebook for awesome videos, insightful commentary and updates on where and when we'll be rocking an event near you!

We'll see you Friday and Saturday for our first weekend at Mary's Place in 2010. New music! New members! New antics! No BS! Stay tuned!

Don't get me wrong; I love every venue we have the opportunity to rock on any given weekend, but nothing quite says "home" like an entire weekend at the Red 9. The sound is always top notch, the drinks are strong, and the crowd energy is always bouncing off the walls like ping pong balls; only a FEW reasons why we're there so often. As a matter of fact, we've often considered just moving in, but the nightmare of seven guys sharing one bathroom and fighting over what color the patio furniture should be has been a huge deterrent. Plus, Bobby's mostly-purple wardrobe would clash with the red walls. Nonetheless, we're always excited when that time of the month comes. No, get your mind out of the gutter; I'm not referring to THAT; but it's worth noting that if you missed us this time around, we're usually at the Red 9 once a month. Maybe if we ever spend an entire week playing shows there, I could crack a really dirty joke. Think about it; a week at the Red 9. Okay, I've made too far of a digression; on with the recap!

Anyway, Stage 9 was blowing up like dynamite on both nights. On top of the regular Cactus Hill entourage (which includes local celebrity across-state-border escape artist Eric Kiple, most of the Froggy 98 staff, and a multitude of women who would make our mothers blush), we had an unusually high amount of new faces in the crowd. Since we never like to be unacquainted with anyone who comes to see us, Jim started a new tradition: live interviews with concert goers. Usually we'll take a song like "Cadillac Cowboy" by Chris LeDoux and stop the song cold to do something outrageous; "beer in a minute", handing out boner meds, tossing Mardi Gras beads, etc.. I guess Jim decided that the most outrageous thing to do would be to introduce our insane fans to the rest of the crowd, a decision that the rest of us fully support. Nothing else could really sum up the insanity that we are sometimes responsible for! Hey, did I mention that Dougy "Fresh" Parker is one talented $#@%-kicker? He got way wasted on Friday night, so technically he was playing four keyboards at once; yet ANOTHER death-defying feat brought to you by the Hill. I'm reaching farther and farther away from my DI box with my violin; Initially we were concerned that the length of my cord would drastically limit my crowd interaction during some of the more fiddle-intense songs, but now it's looking like I'll be able to hogtie audience members during "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" by the time we start gearing up for our rodeo gigs. We introduced two new songs to our repertoire: "Margaritaville", which definitely reached it's anticipated crowd-participation potential, and "Getting You Home" by Chris Young; they both came together quickly and accurately, and were very well-received. Mark Kelley did some MCing on Saturday night, giving us our much-deserved signature booming introductions and enjoying the fruits of his labor. Of course, we gave away more shots than a weekend hunting trip, and it wouldn't be a Red 9 show if we didn't have lots of women on stage dancing while we had guest musicians rock "Sweet Home Alabama". What else is there to know? Any combination of Red 9 and Cactus Hill leads to one inevitable result: Kick-ass!

We want to thank each and every one of you for helping us kick-start our new year; you've been packing crowds, spreading the word and getting rowdy, and going above and beyond the call of duty. The Cactus Hill faithful are some of the best fans on Earth, and we salute you with drinks in hand! I personally had, like, six requests for Zac Brown Band songs this weekend, and who knows how many else the other guys got, so we've started working on "Highway 20 Ride" and it's coming out to you very soon! On top of that, we've got our new full-time fully-badass guitarist Reuben Adkins (still pending a ridiculous nickname, stay tuned), ready to toss some spicy riffs on top of the Cactus Hill dish; be sure to show him some love! We have a private event Saturday, so this means we'll have to rock you twice as hard this Friday when we blast the roof off of The Grove and throw a party that may quite possibly be visible from space; I know we've got plans to do something so off-the-wall, so out-of-our-minds, and so out-of-control that we don't even know what it is yet. It may be so hysterical that I may not have the words to blog about it; with that being said, you may really regret missing this show, so DON'T! Ciao, friends!

What a way to end the first month of 2010! Culture met agriculture at a private corporate event held Tuesday in Omaha. We played a fantastic show, ate sugar cookies and drank for two hours before heading back to Lincoln and setting our sights on a rodeo weekend blowout at two separate locations, beginning with Cappy's on Friday. We had to make sure that Eric Kiple got a going away party that we would never forget but that he would probably not remember the next morning. When he got up to sing, Bobby and Jim made him do a Chippendales show that will forever live on through photography and video. I know the audience was way too eager to watch Bobby remove Kiple's suspenders. His departure resulted in a really touchy-feely type of atmosphere; the rare type of show where women caress my legs and ankles while I attempt complex fiddle solos. One got all the way up my shirt before Ruben came in with a guitar solo to relieve me. Don't let the pale complexion and the long, black hair fool you; it doesn't happen as NEARLY as often as you think. Brian played Dougy's keyboard and sang a heartfelt rendition of "Candle In The Wind" per request by Jim, which is a rare treat. Henry was the only member of the band wearing a pink shirt, and proud of it. Makes you wonder...kidding! There were quite a few people who were "tough enough to wear pink" at the post-rodeo party in celebration of breast cancer awareness. All in all, it was one of our better, crazier, and more unruly crowds, and we're certainly not complaining! 

The highlight of the weekend was our debut at The Grove on Saturday night; everyone in the Cactus Hill camp had been looking forward to it for a long time and it was most definitely worth the wait. The sound was amazing, the crowd was crazy, and to top it all off, We got our own dressing room with a big screen TV, a rotating heart-shaped bed for Brian Eckleberry, and we each got our own couch with an ice bucket and two bottles of Cristal. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating that a bit, but there WAS a sink and two mirrors! James Pond graced us with a virtuoso cowbell piece, and Bobby just couldn't resist breaking out his recorder again while Brian wailed on a harmonica. We celebrated Eric Kiple's welcome back party by giving away Jason Aldean tickets courtesy of Froggy 98, and packing the place solid, despite all of the other post-rodeo parties happening in town. Good job, Cactus Hill faithful! We definitely made a great impression and we're positive that there'll be a line to the Dawghouse next time we're at the Grove.

Now, be sure to join us at the Red 9 on Friday and Saturday. There's no going away party, or welcome back party, or any special occasion that should prevent you from coming out (we took care of those last weekend), and we look forward to seeing you there. We've prepared a couple of new songs and we're ready to flip the script on our entirely unscripted live show. Also, be sure to check out our YouTube channel to see what kind of wacky outfit Bobby's going to wear while telling you about future show dates. Just between you and me, he LOVES it when you send him a thousand emails telling him how wonderful he looks in his tighty-whities. Do it!

Leave it to Cactus Hill, Froggy 98 and the Red 9 to conjure up a "welcome home" party of galactic proportions! Friday night's tribute to the return of Gary Greenwood was an astounding success, beginning at 8 o'clock with a special VIP party up on Cloud 9. Besides the winners from this week's Froggy 98 giveaway that granted them access to the VIP blowout (on top of a lot of "plus ones"), several big names were in attendance: James Pond, local nightlife superstar Eric Kiple, the Hill (of course), and a cardboard cut-out of Tim McGraw that was so life-like, I had to double-take as I was feasting upon some boneless wings and chips/salsa. Either way, it was nice of his cardboard doppelganger to make an appearance for such a special occasion. Gary Greenwood was in excellent spirits, working the room and making conversation before the party started at Stage 9. The crowd was packed together like drunk sardines, except much better smelling and ten times more energetic. Third-generation Cactus Hill guitarist Brad made an appearance again for another round of fun since his last performance on New Year's, and we were joined by a newcomer by the name of Ruben who did an excellent job overall. With Ruben there, it felt great not being the only one on stage wearing a silly hat, for once. Brian Eckleberry decided to stop by after weeks of working on his new project EckoPhonic to play some guitar for us as well; it was nice to have that signature Eckleberry energy working in conjunction with the rest of us again after several weeks. Fresh from his North Carolina sabbatical, Bwill accidentally forgot to tie his shoes before we started "Folsom Prison Blues" and unplugged my fiddle during my solo; I got to do it twice. During our last set we gave away Tim McGraw tickets between songs and invited a lot of people into the stage, which was probably already over capacity with just the band playing on it. Jim asked me to yell the f-word into the mic, so I did, probably as a result of claustrophobia. In any event, we're glad you had fun, Gary! We should consider throwing a welcome back party for you every week.

Saturday we had a brief private event, and we used it to test out some death-defying feats; Bobby hoisted me up on his shoulders and ran through rings of fire while I played fiddle, and Dougy "Fresh" Parker downed almost a whole bottle of beer in about ten seconds. It was definitely one of those rare "up-close-and-personal" shows where everybody wins no matter what side of the stage you're on. Very brief but a lot of fun! Cappy's on Friday, The Grove on Saturday...it would be great if you guys could just pack both of these places rock solid for us this weekend! See you then!

Our first show of 2010 fired off without a hitch at the Dawghouse on Friday night. You have no idea how good it feels to be back on the stage after a couple weeks of much-needed reprieve; most of us don't even know how to spend our weekends anymore if it doesn't involve bright lights, a huge crowd and two or three spins of the "Cupid Shuffle". Bwill's absence was felt heavily by every female in the room; as for the rest of them, Jim was able to help out a few of our guy friends stay confident and focused on the task at hand with the help of a pharmaceutical hookup that is sure to proliferate happiness, provided that this particular happiness doesn't last more than four hours (we've all seen the commercials, do the math!). Our good friend Johnny came out to spot us on guitar again while the rest of us lifted some heavy weight without Bobby. Our new keyboardist Doug Parker made his maiden voyage as a full-time member of Cactus Hill; he battled harsh terrains, thick fog, and seven-headed beasts on his trip over from Omaha and still made it in the nick of time. In true Cactus Hill fashion, our sets ran smoothly with lots of creative liberties and plenty of crowd participation. One crowd-goer upped the ante on Jim's legendary "beer in a minute" game by downing an entire pitcher of beer in about forty-five seconds; I'll admit I'm pretty terrible at drinking games and can't chug like I used to, but I have never seen anything like it before. It's officially a proven fact that a Guinness world record is broken at every one of our shows. If I were you, I wouldn't miss any for the rest of the year.

Based on what we saw tonight, it's safe to say that the New Year is shaping up to be a good one, and all of us individually are feeling exceptionally optimistic about it. We've just added "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum to our set list and we're eager to see you dancing to it. On top of that, Jim and I are both up for Academy Awards. We put on a class-act performance at Friday's after party, co-starring Henry, Johnny, and a member of Lincoln's finest. The rest of the boys will vouch that this is true, by the way; everyone else thinks I've just been mindf%$@ing them all night. We'll be at the Red 9 on Friday, welcoming Gary Greenwood back to the Froggy 98 morning show with a kick-ass party and a grand prize ticket giveaway for the upcoming Tim McGraw concert. Private stuff on Saturday and Tuesday, followed by Cappy's at the end of the month. Be sure to shut your car doors behind you, and stay tuned for some righteous happenings coming to you soon courtesy of the Hill! Stay safe!

I don't know where you were on December 31st, but if you weren't at the Cornhusker Marriott for the Cactus Hill/Froggy 98 New Year's celebration, you may as well have been at home! No other party in town had as much fun as the huge crowd in the grand ballroom, where the dance floor was totally packed from beginning until end, and champagne was flowing like a damn river! Brad, a third-generation Cactus Hill guitarist, came out to show the rest of us how it's done, and special guest ivory tickler Doug hauled his diesel-powered eight-cylinder Korg Triton onto the stage for some piano overdrive. Some of us were there as early as four o'clock setting up sound, rigging the balloon avalanche, and testing each of the noisemakers on every table to ensure their audibility. After sound check, we all sat down for a delectable pre-show dinner; the dish of choice among the band was the prime rib. Brad's steak was actually so rare that I thought I heard it "moo" a little bit as I was enjoying a champagne pasta with grilled chicken across the table. Austin pulled out all the stops and ordered the finest thing on the menu: a cheeseburger and fries. After dinner, we adjourned for two-hours of Cactus Hill style meditation (which usually involves some combination of alcohol, magazines full of beautiful women, and Monopoly) before we took the stage at 9 o'clock.

I've never seen so many well-dressed ladies and gentlemen packed ass-to-ass from wall-to-wall! I decided to wear dress shoes for the first time ever at a show, as well as a fedora and a white tie to break the "goth" signature ensemble. I thought I did pretty well until I saw Henry's brand spankin' new Ed Hardy shirt, so it's safe to say that he was the best dressed of the bunch. In accordance with the holiday season, we opened with an original funky-fresh country hit classic "Jim Campbell Got Run Over By A Reindeer" (we think it's top 40 material, but only time will tell). Nate Campbell and his wife were present and accounted for, and he even came on stage to play drums on a couple of songs with us. It's safe to say that the blend of newer and older members on stage made for an excellent line-up, as well as an appropriate New Year's atmosphere and energy that kept us going until 1 o'clock! James Pond of Froggy 98 fame was in the house to introduce us at the beginning of each set, and to give away various goodies such as CDs and Martina McBride/Trace Adkins tickets. After the climactic New Year's countdown, we said a fond goodbye to 2009 by shooting down the champagne and inviting Eric Kiple to the stage to sing with us. Regrettably, the show had to end at some point, but for most of us the party didn't end until 5 o'clock the next morning! We got an email this morning from the people who publish Webster's Dictionary, and they MIGHT be putting a picture from the show right next to their definition of "huge success". We'll have to see what happens!

Speaking of seeing what happens, it's plain to see exactly what's going to happen for Cactus Hill in 2010 based on what we saw on New Year's, and it's clear that we're going to continue to flip the script on this scene. We've made a serious track record of turning local music and live performance upside down, and in 2010, this record will remain untarnished, and with your continued support, you can be a part of it!

In the mean time, be sure to make reasonable New Year's Resolutions. For example, BWill has vowed to give his heart to one woman for the rest of his life. Austin has elected to take up knitting and learn French. Me? I've elected to keep smoking. Yes, you heard right; KEEP smoking. If this resolution turns out anything like my last five years' resolutions, then I will have stopped by February! Pretty ingenious, eh?

As always, we love you all and we wish you a very safe (but not too safe!), prosperous, and WILD 2010! Stay tuned!

Happy holidays from the Hill! It was giveaway central at Red 9 on Thursday night, where the masses flocked to support a good cause and get their hands on some CDs, gift certificates, and a shot at winning Henry's phone number. The real entertainment came from watching a good portion of the Cactus Hill faithful rush outside like the Running of the Bulls to compete in an epic snow angel competition. After a few cups of cheer, we decided we'd play a whole slew of songs we haven't played in a long time, and on top of that, we had a plethora of guest musicians rocking the stage; Eric Kiple made his usual vocal contributions, Elyse came up to rock "I Love Rock & Roll" and "What's Going On", Josh rocked a mic on "Keep Your Hands To Yourself", and of course Brittany closed the night with her beautiful rendition of "Johnny and June". We even had the pleasure of having our good friend Johnny shredding some rock guitar to compliment the down-home bluesy flatpickin' stylings of our guest guitarist Jason Shaw. BWill started sobbing a little bit when he found out that none of the unwrapped toys were actually for him, but we consoled him and he ended up putting on a great show as usual. By the way, congratulations to Valerie, who won a trip to KC for sporting the festive antlers and Christmas sweater that her grandma had just finished knitting that very day.

The rest of the weekend was spent decking the halls at Mary's Place. Jim had two cases of beer brought to the stage and challenged the crowd to a round of his world-famous game of "beer in a minute". As it stands, he's still the champion, but it's definitely one of those games where everybody wins. Eric Kiple made an appearance for "Bless The Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts, rounds two and three; I have it on good authority that he had been practicing it in the shower all week. Guest guitarist Jason Shaw and I have finally smoothed out our chainsaw juggling act during "Devil Went Down To Georgia" and are thinking about adding pyrotechnics. We brought in a teleprompter for "County Fair" and it was a rousing success. There were lots of new faces in the crowd this weekend, and several that came all three nights in a row! Regrettably, Saturday was our last show until New Year's, but everyone at the Cactus Hill camp is looking forward to going home and drinking spiked egg nog while acting a fool with our relatives.

Speaking of New Year's, if you haven't yet acquired a ticket to the biggest party in town down at the Cornhusker (starring your CH boys, of course), don't waste any more time, because they are selling like hot cakes and going fast! We can't think of a better way to celebrate yet another successful orbit around the sun than putting on a must-see event that you'll remember for years to come. 

Merry Christmas to all, and remember that Santa's watching, so save some pie (and some of that delicious spiked egg nog) for your favorite fiddle player!

The weekend started on thursday at UNL’s East Campus Cornstock Festival. We played for the young college wreckers who came out and line danced to every song we did, even Kenney Chesney’s “Me and You”. Jim’s freakish neighbors made an appearance. During our last set we had a few special guests come and sit in on drums. Frank and Tim both did an ok job. It was about as fun as a no alcohol show could be.

Friday and Saturday night was a double header at Mary’s. Both nights we were able to cram Johnny Gomez and his huge pipe organ onto the stage. Friday we had renowned Lincoln nightlife and karaoke celebrity Eric Kiple join us on stage for a few. He brought with him a handful of women he’s been associated with. BWill hit the Keno Jackpot twice in a row and walked away with $530. Saturday it was a packed house. I dressed up thinking at least a few other people in the band would. Instead I was the only one looking ridiculous onstage. I couldn’t tell if gothic rookie fiddler Josh Rector dressed up or not. He usually comes to all shows dressed as either Ozzy Ozbourne or Marylin Manson, except even paler.

The Costume contest was a hit. I forget who won. My favorite was the chicken from Family Guy. And then there was that guy who dressed up as Michael Jackson. Is it too soon? Some people thought so. Check out the pics. And be sure to vote Eric Church on who should come to Sandfly next year. We’re doing private things this weekend. After that, its the Dawghouse with Partydawgz.

The stop was Cappy’s Hotspot for a one and a half nighter. Friday we set the stage for country music sensation LoCash Cowboys. Wives Brittany and Stacey came out to show their support. Brittany ordered Austin some cheese fries that he ate right before we started. BWill had a double meat sandwich with sauce that he couldn’t even finish. Jim ‘scraps’ Campbell had a garden salad in accordance with his recent conditioning fad.

Saturday Brian Eckleberry joined us on stage and did his own rendition of “Zac Lee sucks”. Believe it or not his pants actually fell down during a song, and he didn’t even realize it till the end of the set! Bobby put on Eric’s guitar for a solo during Folsom Prison, but it was a tough crowd. In other news, we recently added “Getting you home” by Chris Young to our hit list, and we’ll be playin it this weekend at Mary’s Place for the 17th Annual Halloween Party/Costume Contest on Friday-Saturday night. Come out and see all the scantily dressed women, but look out for Eric Richards in his birthday suit. Unless your into that.

Friday night we made our first ever appearance at the Dawghouse. Gothic rookie fiddler Josh Rector showed up late after he crashed his 1979 diesel 10-passenger Ford van into a telephone pole on his drive down from Omaha. Not only was he late but he showed up without a direct box. I insisted we start without him. Instead he waited for him to drive home to Omaha and back. When we finally got started around 10:15, the crowd was more than rowdy. We started off with a song I’ve grown to hate, “some girls do.” In my experience, most girls DON’T! Speaking of a tight spot, we crammed into the tiny stage space they had for us without any major problems, although Eric wandered outdoors for many a guitar solo. Eckleberry did his version of “Free Bird”. As usual Eric and Stacey had broken up and gotten back together before the night was over.

Saturday night we returned home to the Red 9. Around 9 it was already packed wall to wall. All the pressure had Austin missing a few cymbal crashes and a few snare hits here and there. Johnny Ray Gomez came down with his huge organ once again. Gothic rookie fiddler Josh Rector came equipped this time. He must’ve pawned some of his sterling silver chains. Even after the horrible home husker loss we had a great turnout. I’m sure alcohol sales were a record that night. Thanks to the enormous security guy on my right who did his best to keep all them frisky freaks off the stage. Be sure to check out the pics and all things CH. Tonight we’re in our rehearsal studio with a new jim-jam jingle, and we’re also workin on bring some old hits back. Stay tuned.

We love the clean, partyhouse environment of the RED 9.  Next year I actually think we play there 4 times a week. And we do love Mary's....Oh and Cappy's... The Ozone...and Partydogz.... Henry's hair..etc, all clubs big and small who let us jump around and play loud.  Our strong love is for Staci and Eric when they fight every show!  We gonna have to upgrade security when Staci's in the house or get her some boxing gloves. her and EEEE have split more times than Fat Alberts trousers.  Our new gothic Fiddler, JWRECK played his first CH show.  He drank some, missed a few endings.  We'll give him a free 5 error per show pass for another month. We got a plethora of new songs, attitudes and we toss it at you this week when we take the DAWHOUSE's virginity on Friday night.  8-9 FREE keg for all the Cactus Hill Faithful.  Cheap GOOSE and CROWN. Then Saturday back at the RED 9.  And yes... to all single females, Johnny Ray IIIIIIVVVCCM will have his organ and he's staying in town that night.  Turn it up some!  

The gig was the Red 9 Husker home game after party. Once again we shared the stage with Jeff from partydongs.com, this time under the Red 9’s new covered stage and fern-covered dance floor. What a splendid night indeed, even though I was no-showed by almost all of my regulars. Everyone was in great spirits after the game. Bobby and JC on the goose like no tomorrow. Eckleberry’s stage monitor cranked so high you could hear it inside. Don’t miss out on the upcoming Red 9 plant sale in the beer garden/nursery. And don’t forget our recently updated schedule, pics, and everything CH, including our new documentary movie hosted by Fuse, “Weekends with the Hill.” Featuring live footage of our antics, interviews, commentaries and more. More on that later. Love y’all.

The stops were the 3 year anniversary party at Cappy’s and the 1st annual Sandfly festival in Ashland. Friday night the Hill went down to the deep south to light up the Hotspot with DJ Jazzy Jeff. Thanks to all who came out and made it happen. I think everyone in the club went home with someone that night—even Bobby.

Saturday we made the trip up to Ashland to open for superstar Sammy Kershaw. What a show that was. The Schlangs kicked it off first. Around 9 we came up for a solid power hour of our finest tunes. Eckleberry was the entertainer of the night as he danced and pranced shirtless around the stage. Towards the end of our set the crowd had gone wild. I thought we were the main act there for a minute. Eventually we had to turn it over to Sammy Kershaw himself. Thanks to land-owner Mike who hosted the whole thing and invited us. We’re already looking forward to next year. Folks we’ve been in the rehearsal studio for the past week working on some killer new jingle jizzles. Listen up for em this Saturday at the Red Nizzle! (after the first Husker win!) We’ll see you then.

What an incredible show The Ozone was on Friday. The huge wild crowd was definitely worth the trip up to Omaha. Among the familiar faces was Brian’s wife Annette who came up to rock a few. Kiple also came up to sing a few and ended up getting lucky that night. The party stopped at a Flying J on the drive home for some early morning breakfast, where Jim got hassled by the waitress. Bobby and I enjoyed our stack of pancakes and french toast while Jimmy got ONE biscuit. What a good laugh that was.

Saturday we made the drive up to Norfolk to play a wedding at the Divots Center. This wedding topped the charts for the best weddings we’ve played. With more than 500 people there, it was more of a party then a wedding. Right from the start a pack of party goers came up onstage to get down and get silly. Later security came up and had to keep people off because of the broken glass. Soundman Mike did a great free job. The drive back was almost as exciting. After my favorite after show snack, we dialed up an entire list of lucky people. JC was the emcee, I laid down the beats, and BWill spit the rhymes. If you were lucky enough to have gotten a call, you know what Im talkin about. All things considered one of the best weddings in CH history, just check out the pics. Until next time.

The stops were Adams street dance and the Red 9 beer garden. Friday night the Hill made the trip down south to return to Adams for a second year. The streets were packed with all ages. The crown and beer filled cooler was emptied way too soon. I remember Eric hiding in the truck between sets, and Sam’s hairy gum. That’s about it. Thanks to the Adam Fire Dept for letting us do our thing.

Red 9 was of course another jam packed show. Keyboardist Craig from R Style came down to sit it on keys. As always Kiple came up to knock out a few. Also, Gilbert the princess came up onstage with the crazy stage-dancing women to fake the guitar. Each time we return to this joint it just gets bigger and better. Keep an eye for when we return, on Sept. 5 after the first husker home game! As promised, I will be shirtless. Watch out.

The weekend was off the hook and out of control. I feel like we all took about 5 years off our lives. Our first gig Friday at the Red Fox got rained out after our first set. Go figure. It didn’t kill our spirits though. The better looking half of The Hill went up the street to invade Mary’s Place where we dominated the dance floor for a short while. Elena followed and perched up on the corner and hawked Bobby the whole time like usual.

Everyone else was gettin down. Even Eric let loose and got tangled up in a freaky four or five-some that eventually moved outside to the parking lot. Anyways. Friday morning we loaded up the van and began the long haul to Gordon, NE. Everyone was in good spirits, minus Eric, whose fatass took up the entire back row and refused to take part in any activities the whole ride up. Not even when we stopped to take a group picture. Not even when we stopped to get 40s. Thanks god he was in a better mood for the drive home.We just had to make sure he called Stacey every hour to keep him smiling. Jesus.

We pulled into Gordon with plenty of time to spare. We forgot that this joint was so far away that we changed time zones. The wedding reception was at a ranch complex that rivaled the size of Lincoln itself. Oh and I gotta give the weekends MVP award to Austin. Not only did the gayest member play with more confidence than I’d ever seen before on Saturday, he saved us all from inevitable death on the drive home. I hate to say it, but what a great hire. “Most sexually aggressive” award goes to Bobby, who made love to the van for a good part of the drive, and was on the prowl like I’ve never seen before. I gotta give it to Bobby for taking out a few birds too. One of which is still plastered to the front of the van. Now I would love to tell you all about everything that happened on the drive home, but I only remember the first half hour. I know I took a record setting 18 second pull off of our drink of choice. I know I still can’t turn my head to look over my right shoulder.

We got home at 4:30pm, I woke up at midnight in the dark on Jim’s couch covered with silver sharpie from face to my waist. I later heard that Sam practiced his tagging skills on me during the last three hours of our trip. I do remember Bobby pinning 36 time state champ Eric in the four foot grass along I-80. Bobby jumped to number 2 seed on the wrestling depth chart, me following at 3, with Eric dropping to 4. So to end this diary as my head is still hurting, here’s a recap of the top four seeds of our athletic events (Cactus Hill Games) we’ve held over the last year.

Arm Wrestling in North Platte: JC/BWILL/ECKLEBERRY/MYSELF

440 Yard Dash in David City: MYSELF/BWILL

70 Yard Dash: JC/BWILL/NATE/JEFF FROM PARTYDOGZ

Wresting all over: JC/BWILL/MYSELF/ERIC

Broad Jump in Omaha: JC/SAM/BWILL/MYSELF

Cigarette Box catch: SAM/ERIC/JC/AUSTIN

Longest Keg Stand: ERIC-28 secs/BOBBY/JC

Fastest can of beer drinker: ECKLEBERRY/ERIC/SAM/

The gigs were the Red 9 and the Raymond street dance. Friday night at Red 9 was the second of three outdoor beer garden parties we’re scheduled for this summer. They just keep getting bigger. We entertained the massive capacity crowd for a solid three hours with the help of special guests Brian Eckleberry on keys and Keith Wilson on guitar. On the other hand, not so stunning was Austin’s performance on drums. Either he needs to actually start practicing, or he simply can’t handle the extra stiff drinks slung up by the Red 9 staff. Like usual, I learned yet another one of Brian’s crazy jams on the fly. He also sang over half of the band’s songs that night. Make sure you got our next stop there on your calendar: August 15!

Our first street dance in Raymond was an incredible success, with a crowd that rivaled the size of Brainard’s. First off thanks to the Raymond Fire Dept. It was one of the wildest street dances yet this summer. Thanks also to Keith for taking the time to give Eric a lesson on how to play the intro to Wave on wave. Its greatly appreciated. Even though he always brings his 12 amps and 4 guitars to clutter the stage, it truly is a pleasure playing with Keith aka Jimmy Crowder. Eric brought his new family out, and had little David Reimnitz on the side of stage for most of the night. And how could I forget the pack of crazy dancers that came onstage during our last set to get down! Check out the pics and all the good CH stuff online. Until next time.

The stops were across the board and off the hook. Mary’s Place, Brainard, and Syracuse. Even with Keith Urban in Omaha our last College Night Thursday at Mary’s was straight up madness with a capacity crowd of 500. Although I’m glad we’re catchin a break, I must say I owe a lot to our Thursday night tradition. I’ve met a lot of … people, I’ll leave it at that. We’ll keep you posted on when we start it up again later in August. On to Brainard street dance. The street was jam packed with some of the wildest women I have ever seen. We tried to keep it a family show but it was a struggle. Between the band and a handful of backstage partiers we downed two 1.75s of crown, which made for a very energetic stage performance. Thanks to the Brainard Fire Dept. for letting us having such a crazy night.

Syracuse street dance was just as crazy. They even had a 45 minute fireworks display, during which B Eck played his patriotic medley. It was good to see a few Lincoln and Sidney regulars out in the street. Eric was a lot better about petting Stacey in public. Tom on sound held it down and did a phenomenal job both nights on his virgin weekend tour with the hill. Look out for this weekend folks. Its back to the Red 9 on Friday. If you’ve checked out our youtube page you know the madness I speak of. Then we set our sights on Raymond on Saturday for their annual street dance. It’s that time again for me to thank the fans who make these crazy shindigs possible. Thanks for tuning in.

This weekend’s stop was a wedding up in Bellevue at the Fontenelle Hills country club. After a few complimentary rounds of golf on their beautiful golf course, we got set up and headed outside for a fierce jumping contest. Bets were made. Ankles were sprained. Shins were shattered. In the end Jim prevailed, like I called it. People underestimate his athletic ability. Even though he’s 6’7 and 310 pounds, I see his size as an advantage. What a beautiful day for a wedding too. And an equally beautiful bride. You couldn’t ask for a better wedding. Sam learned the difference between being circumcised and uncircumcised. Bobby tried to please the rough crowd with his recorder solo.  Check out the pics and see for yourself. If you haven’t already heard, the stop is Red 9 this Saturday. Don’t miss THE HILL OUTDOORS at Lincoln’s hottest nightclub. And of course Mary’s place again this Thursday. Until next time, peace!

Oh, and can't wait to see my pookie wookie on the 28th in Norfolk!

The stop was Mary’s Place for yet another three nighter. And what a pleasant surprise it was to have Manuel, our keyboard player from ages ago, up with us on Friday and Saturday night for a reunion show. Even more arousing was the fact that he brought out his lovely wife Nissa to hold the crowd in focus.  Nissa once played fiddle with the Hill.  My man Bigggg rocked the soundboard hard, and gave us a touch of R&B flavor.  We had him swaying to the funk Country joints blowing from the stage. I had to remind him to get our sound dialed in before all the ladies in the club crowd the sound booth.  We may have sounded like Mili Vanili in the beginning but by song two we were dialed like a 1960 telephone.  I guarantee if he’d have spent as much time fine tuning our sound as he did buying those shaken ice cold double rounds of crown we’d have been more on point.  Larry Holmes got it done son!

Austin sported his size 6 birkenstocks once again along with his dark brown girl shorts and a royal blue dress shirt with long sleeves.  GAY!!!!  Thank goodness it wasn’t fashion police night.  He’d have been in the block.  Never wear brown with royal blue, especially a size two.  I’m gonna have to talk with Jim bout Austin’s fashion sense.  Austin has now surpassed Sam and Eric as the worst dressed band mate.  Speaking of Sam, he got hammered Saturday night. We didn’t know it was his birthday till about midnight, so we floored him with about every drink at the bar in less than an hour. No ones heard from him since.  I know he’s got coffee breath after gulping triples of the new Coffee flavored Patron.  We know tequila makes your clothes fall off but this night it made his hairy gum fall out! Bobby had all 6 of his girls out on Friday drawing raffle tickets for who got to take him home.  The winner was a transvestite.  Eric did his best to stare down every guy Stacey danced with.  Talk about security issues.  If Easy E was a bouncer in a club, the back of his blue t-shirt would read…SECURITY and the front would say… ISSUES.  Down the  sleeves would say…WITH WOMEN!  I recommend 

www.getabackboneandtellherto-
takeoutthegarbageherdamnself.com  

Other highlights include a very ..lively.. crew that rolled out to shoemakers for some late-night breakfast after Friday’s show. On Saturday, Mr. Burkett Powell blessed us with his presence where we let him on stage to do one of my favorite songs entitled “My Love”. It was incredible. We’re off to some private shows this weekend, but its back to the Red 9 after that. Look out now son!  A reminder to get on our street dance bus all summer long.  You will find out what SAM’S HAIRY GUM means.  Till then amigos!

The gigs were the Geneva Alumni Party and the Red 9. After toughing it through a crazy rainstorm we made it out to the Geneva fairgrounds for their annual alumni party and rocked a crowd with people all the way from the class of 1928 to 2009! Even some rowdy Lincoln regulars came down to add to the madness and sell some merch, which the boys of CH (myself included) proudly modeled on stage. All things considered, it was your typical out of town show: No soundcheck. No 9v batteries for miles. Deaf soundmen. Rowdy women. Beer-filled coolers. Thank God we have more coming up this summer.

Our second appearance at Red 9 was scheduled to be an outdoors show, but with a 30% chance of rain it was called off. It turned out to be a beautiful night, 70 degrees, no wind. I’m tellin you people just aren’t willing to take a chance these days. So we brought the crowd inside, where Mark did a phenomenal job on sound, and had that bass CRANKED! I’ll try to keep this from becoming a review, but each time the place amazes me. Between the friendly, professional service and the beer garden with a fire on top of the pool and the lighting and sound, it really does’t get any better. Keep an eye out for when we return with Groove Puppet!

Last weekend’s stops were Mary’s, Cappy’s, and a wedding, a lineup I’ve grown to love. Thursday was yet again another College Night at Mary’s, and all I can say is WOW the women were great! I’m even bummed I won’t be able to make it out this thursday—I’ll be attending to some business in California. However Al will be holding down the low end, and keeping the thursday night tradition going strong. Friday at the Hotspot was a blast. Cappy’s + Friday Night + Eckleberry on keys = a great damn show. By the end of the night we were playing songs I never even knew we played. Eric was for once in a pleasant mood. No doubt because of his love interest, and the fact that Bobby had his guitar EQd just right on the board. Bobby even had my bass dialed in just right, with the treble slightly boosted, mids cut, and low end growling. We owe it to him for our killer sound friday night. Saturday we played a wedding.

One thing about weddings is they are slowly familiarizing me with the state. This wedding took me out to Weston, Nebraska for the marriage of people whose names escape me. We played just about every song on our list. After a solid 4 hours of playing, the crowd still wanted more! Those country folks can be so demanding. Great food and cigars though—all free. What more can you ask for? Stick around folks, we’ll see you next time.

We kicked off summer with a three nighter at Uncle Ron’s. Thursday’s bikini bullriding brought in quite a crowd. Indeed there were some smokin ladies that got up. Friday cinderblock finally showed up and got on the tramboline for a song or two. No doubt Kenny Chesney stole some of our fans Friday night in Omaha, but most of our faithful regulars came back out again on saturday and made for a great show. The bachelor party crew that stopped by added to the madness. All in all another rowdy weekend at the wild west saloon. This week we’re back at our college night thursday at Mary’s, then off to Cappy’s with Partydogz for another crazy Friday night at the hotspot. Bring you’re A game and get your drink on. Its summertime baby!

This past weekend had us running all over the place. Four shows in three days made for a lengthy weekend. We kicked it off Thursday at Mary’s Place like usual. It was a special night as we celebrated Kiple’s NOT going away party. Even amongst all the disheartened faces we still had a good time with the thursday night regulars.

Friday we played my favorite venue: the grass at Wesleyan university. No doubt it was the biggest crowd I have ever played for. It was the first show I actually felt a little nervous. Right after we finished we loaded up into the Ford Lincoln and headed to Omaha. Indeed 6 of us in the same car made for some interesting conversation. We kicked off the Berkshire Hathaway corporation party and rocked the tent all the way til 10! They’re must’ve been thousands of people, the crowd was nearly as big as Wesleyan’s! Saturday we played a wedding. Other than a few great pictures of Sam, the night came and went. Next stop: Uncle Ron’s! Catch you next time folks.

The weekend's stop was Mary's Place for a three niter. Everyone seemed to wait until Saturday night to come out, but those who came out Thursday and Friday got the chance to see a special guest end the night with his own original song "My love", and boy what a performance! Anyways. My favorite part about the weekend was that awesome barbeque that they had cookin up outside. It is without a doubt the best I've ever and will ever have. As long as the slangs aren't playing I think I might hit up Mary's again this weekend just to get some.

We brought in a guy named Brian to jam on the keys, who rocked it old school with his 1970's keyboard, but still rocked it nonetheless. Bobby's recorder solo got a little better, no doubt because of his private lessons. Eric actually sounded pretty good. It's so easy to tell when he's in love. That little sparkle in his eye and smirk on his face give it all away. Other highlights include Brian's breath, my new bass, and possibly the best sound guy in the country running the board Saturday night. That's all for this update.

We're in Omaha and around town this weekend playing some private shenanigans but be damn sure to catch us next week at my favorite club, Uncle Ron's May 7-9, the last time we play there until fall.

The stops were Mary’s, Cappy’s, and a wedding last weekend and each venue was a great time. Thursday at Mary’s brought one of the biggest crowds we’ve seen yet. You could tell they all came for Bob’s recorder solo, which I might add I was less than impressed with that night. His mind must’ve been elsewhere, most likely on that damn keno. Get on down this week and the next cause we’re rockin it again.

Friday night we rolled down south to Cappy’s where we were blessed with the presence of just about all of the CH regulars. What a crowd! It must have reached capacity as the temperatures were in excess of 100 degrees at the hotspot. And what a performance! Indeed our best in a while, minus Eric, our new guitar player. He’s been making us really wish we had Keith back lately.

Luckily Eric brought both amps to the small wedding we played on Saturday, and this time he faced them towards the band! He’s always been so thoughtful in making sure we can all hear him. The wedding was a landmark in my CH experience. It was the first wedding where no one got too hammered (minus the sound crew), and it was the first ever show I couldn’t hear Sam’s fiddle. Not one bit! Needless to say I was ecstatic, until I remembered that Kiple was there. Overall a great wedding though, and an unbeatable weekend. Until next time, Peace up, A town down!!

Last weekend’s stops were yet another College Night Thursday at Mary’s and a wedding on Saturday. Though we were without Partydogz, thursday night we held it down with a good crowd as we managed to make the night a fun one for all the party goers. We were left to wonder where the hell Cinderblock has been. We’re at it again this week and the next, so bring your crew cause between the drink specials and the women, there really ain’t no better place to be on a Thursday night in Lincoln.

On to Saturday. Boy do I love weddings, for a very good reason. Jim brought extra goodies this time. Bobby showed us just how comfortable he can get with guys. Eric shocked us all by deciding not to drink. We think he might be doing something else instead. His playing suffered a tad as a result of being completely sober, but all in all it was a great show. It was a boy’s night, as no guests from Lincoln accompanied us. It was just the guys of CH running a muck at the Livestock Exchange building. Indeed, a strange place for a wedding. That’s all for this week folks. Stay cool

Folks we’re back with the tour diary, and this time its my turn. Our last two stops have been Red 9 and the Fremont bull riding classic. Both shows we were blessed to have Brian Eckleberry on the keys, and there simply ain’t no one on earth who I enjoy playing with more than Mr. Eckleberry.

Red 9’s success cannot be measured by conventional methods. We brought close to 600 people into this tiny club for a wild evening, complete with scantily dressed roller derby women. At first, I was skeptical about playing at this new venue, but indeed it is no doubt THE hippest club (in the downtown area). And what a crowd! If we’re gonna be coming back to this joint they will have to break down some walls and add a few hundred square feet of dance floor! And that’s what they’re planning. They’ve already started construction, so keep an eye out for when we’re coming back!

Now on to Fremont. Aside from the 3 hr drive up there, it was a good time had by all. On Friday, Eric brought up what looked to be a pack of wolves to the show. An ALL AGES show too! I was simply stunned. Saturday we struggled through our first set until Eric finally showed up, but Brian held it down on the guitar and even threw in some new chord changes! Even Bobby spiced things up with his own rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” that he sang before the main event! No worries though, we looked up the lyrics online afterwards—and the locals in this hicktown didn’t take even note. Both nights brought in quite a crowd as people wandered over from the bull riding arena to dance and drink and dabble with CH.

That’s all for this update. Thanks to the fans who make CH possible! We’re continuing to add new material to our hit list, so don’t miss a beat!

The last few weeks have ran together as the band has played every day of the week but Monday. Check out the picture section for Fat Tuesday and Locash Cowboy shows. Greg "No Follow Through" Coffey has grown fonder by the minute of E. Kiple as he still does the occasional set in on stage. The new Thursday night college night has been a blast. Thanks to Mary for allowing us to have this crazy shindig each week. To get on the Thursday night bandwagon, go to facebook and search Partydogz for each week's new and exciting event. You know how the cheap drinks flow but now we're adding some new fun things to the Thursday line-up.

Now the recent shows...West Point was a great time for all as the band lit up the newly constructed Nielson Performing arts center. We had a crown and spicy dorito filled dressing room fully equipped with hand delivered party goers per Hank IIII's request. Summer is just around the corner and we're excited about some new shows on the calendar. Check that out as they drop into our website schedule.

Hank 4 has been a blessing since we added him to the lowdown dirty bass machine in December. He's mature beyond his years which is nice to have in a 7 piece unit. He's doing a phenomenal job. What a great hire. We've been sharing the stage with Partydogz quite a bit with more to come this year but someone please tell him to change his Stetson cologne. We might get him a new bottle of Brute or Old Spice. Will Ferrell likes it! We're in the rehearsal adding new flavor to our current hit list so listen up for new diggy's. Check out the pics and all stuff CH. Good day!!!!!

What’s up Tour Diary readers? Its Starbuks here with all of your Cactus Hill Tour Diary fun. This past weekend we played three nights out at Mary’s Place. Thursday featured our very first Mary’s Place College Night, where Jim managed to spend all of our pay on free drinks for everyone there. All kidding aside it was a really fun night. Being a college wrecker myself, it was really nice to see some familiar faces from good old Nebraska U. Eric, our old guitar player, has once again joined the band. I would like to take this opportunity not to welcome him in the band, but to write a very sad goodbye to my friend and mentor, Keith Wilson.

Dear Keith,
Thanks for the memories and the wonderful times we had on stage. I will never forget that one time I needed soldering iron and you came through in the clutch like a champion. You are a champion, Keith. I can only hope that someday I get to play with you again. It was an honor and a privilege to call you a band mate for the very short time you were with us. I know I speak for the entire band when I say, “come back anytime.”

Sincerely,

Greg Coffey
Cactus Hill Keyboardist, Vocalist, Drummer, Bass Sub, Rhythm Guitar, Debby Downer, Negative Nancy and spokesperson for all that needs to be done.

Henry sounded a lot better this weekend and the band is continuing to grow and make progress toward our inevitable stardom. I am sure you are all used to Eric’s wise cracks and put-downs of other band members. But for just this last segment, I would like to end on a more serious note.

It is easy to hate, criticize and be negative about a lot of things when you are in a band like Cactus Hill. However, recent events have opened my eyes to a truth. This truth is that I love and will always be there for any member of the group. These guys are and will always be my second family. Families fight and have issues, but when you get down to the core of what we are as a band, we are one cohesive unit that is pretty much unstoppable. Bobby, Jim, Eric, Austin, Henry and Sam are some of the most talented guys you will ever see on one stage. I am honored to say that I am part of this group and would give up the world for my brothers. OUT

Starbuks

Hey everybody! Its Starbuks here with all of your Cactus Hill Tour Diary fun.  Let me start by saying how much I love the people that get out to our shows. For the most part, everyone is really nice and drunk. This past weekend we played a one night gig at my favorite bar, The Ozone. I will spare you the professional review and just simply say that this place is just high class. That night we had a local band open up for us called Finest Hour.  They were really great. My favorite part was the saxophone. Is there any way we can get Bobby on a saxophone? Anyways, Austin and I got in trouble for having Jimmy Johns in the bar.  Besides that, set up and our first set went smooth.  Once again we had Keith on guitar. This guy is awesome. Now, he’s no Eric Reimnizzle or Jim Campbell, but he is good.  He sings this stupid country song called glitter or glitter sprinkle or something like that. Let me just say all the other guys in the group loved it. Don’t get me wrong, he sounded great, but that country stuff just isn’t for me.  In fact, I have written a top ten worst songs we play:
10. Momma Tried
At first, you are thinkin, “Ok, this song isn’t that bad. But then it keeps going for a good 10 minutes of the same three chord garbage.
The rest of the top ten are forthcoming. I guess you will just have to read next weekend’s tour diary. (Which by the way is way better than Eric’s just like my guitar skills and overall musicianship) Anyways, the night went really well. We had a huge crowd. (mostly because my family was there) I really wish my brother would get on stage and sing something. He has got to be better then Jim, or Bob, or both of them combined. How about our new lineup? Austin is flawless on drums. He is no Nate Campbell, but they both have a lot in common. (like their height) We added Henry on bass. His real name isn’t Henry, its Francis. Frank does a pretty good job, but what’s with the Athletics jacket? When is the last time that team won anything? Anyways, thanks for reading. If I know Jim and the time he spends on this website, im sure this will go up on the website quicky. (is that logo on the site from the 80’s?) OUT

The stop was Mary's last weekend for a twin bill.  Bobby upheld his unbeaten Wii bowling record by downing underdog Mary, 220 to 188.  The weather outside on Friday reminded us of the Alaska ice fishing trip we took last February.  It was bitterly cold but the drinks flowing inside kept the patrons body temperatures above freezing.  Cinderblock made it out both nights and danced that crazy cha-cha he's known for.  He didn't get his um-em-poy-munt before the weekend so most of the band was happy to give up a drink ticket or two to tide him over.  EKIPE brought out a few of his new broads he's been linked to. They danced song after song, switching partners every six or seven songs so they each had time to dry off their sweat soaked clothing. 

We were no-showed by two of our favs.  Bob and Jamie must have had more important things to do last weekend as we seen hide nor hair of them.  The registers were a little light in their absence.  Normally Bob goes through about one and a third kegs a night.  Greg finally had something positive to say.  Bobby's voice left him early Friday night.  Elena is still trying to cover up her cans.   Jake didn't have his coat stolen or get his old one back from last week.  Austin wore yet another Garanimals pin-stripped shirt we all think he got from the Hannah Montana online store.  Sam couldn't wait to get home to spend time with his new wife Denise and his auto-drip coffee maker.  This week we break the doors down at the OZONE in Omaha on Friday night.  Saturday we have a UFC party.  Thanks for listening!