Hey y'all, we finally made it back from Park City, and wow what an amazing week we had! To be honest, as we headed out there, we weren't quite sure what to expect. I mean, what place could a few country bumpkins from Nashville have in a ski town full of New York and LA movie makers? But I must tell you, we were pleasantly surprised at the reception we received.
We ended up playing our first show of the week as an acoustic set in the check-in/lobby area of
Chefdance. Chefdance happens each night of the week throughout Sundance, and is an opportunity for professional chefs from around the world to show off their abilities during a 6 course meal at $500/plate. It is usually attended by the rich and famous, and is absolutely the place to be, to see and to be seen.
Well, it just so happened that after we were finished playing, and the dinner was about to start, Due West was invited in to dine. We were so honored to be there. As we sat looking around the room at rock legends and movie stars, it felt like another life.
Later that night, the wife of the Founder and President of Chefdance came up and complimented our music, and invited us to attend her birthday party the following night. She wanted us to bring our guitars, and 'jam' with her other music guests, John Popper and Ben Harper. Once again we were blown away and honored.
The next night our birthday party performance ended up being broadcast on the regional 'Sundance Channel', which was really cool, but nothing topped hanging with John Popper that night. Blues Traveler tunes were definitely infused in the soundtrack of our youth, and to be chillin' there with the harmonica man himself, wow.
Our full-band show of the week happened the next night, and what a blast that was! We packed out the basement of Harry O's in a venue called the Monkey Bar. Once again it was cool to be looking out into a crowd of people who had never seen us before, and watch their faces turn from looks of uncertainty, to smiles and head bobs.
Our 1st annual Sundance Film Festival VIP fan club party on Thursday night was definitely one of the highlights of the week. It was held in the beautiful Deere Valley mountains right outside of Park City at the Latta Estate. The intimate acoustic show was attended by a small select group of about 80 of our fans, and dinner was provided. We announced to the people in attendance that night how special they are to us and how much we appreciate that they've been there for us since the beginning. We let them know that this year, 2009, we are going to make them proud!
Friday morning we did a live radio show down in Salt Lake City on
101.5 The Eagle with Keith Stubbs and Lindsay. We debuted "Listening To The Sunset" live on the air and the phones lit up! We ended up staying on the air for over an hour and then were treated to breakfast provided by the famous Bella's Mexican Restaurant. These amazing folks brought a big spread of delicious food into the radio station for everyone to enjoy. Can you believe that?! Amazing.
Of course a trip to Park City in the winter time wouldn't be complete without at least some sort of snow activities. So throughout the week, in between sound checks, hot tubs, movie premiers and shuffle board, we hit the slopes at the Canyons Resort and were even treated to a 4-hour private snowmobile tour. Be sure to watch our 'qik' videos to see Tim and Matt conquer the giant hill on a saucer sled!
We must send a HUGE shout-out to the Osguthorpe family there in Park City, who treated us like rock star-celebrities. This week would have been nothing without their hospitality and generous ability to just take care of people. We can't thank them enough. If you're ever visiting the Park City area, be sure to look up the Osguthorpe family and
Red Pine Adventures. You're sure to be treated like royalty.
Thank you Sundance Film Festival, we will see you next year!
The first stop of the day was just a short jaunt east to Hartsville, Tennesse, where we had the pleasure of joining Gary Frank on the air at WTNK 93.5FM. Gary and his wife have been running this station for 6 years. Hartsville is a perfectly quaint little town, and we can't wait to go back and visit Gary often. Thanks, Gary!
