Hot Rod. The Man, The Myth, and The Rockstar

Hello everyone and welcome to another amazing edition of HAIR IN THE AIR.  I am so proud to be coming to you with almost 1500 page hits under our belts.  You people are unbelievable.  If you have been following us on facebook or been to our shows you know that this week we are celebrating our lead singer, Hot Rod's 50th birthday.  So I am going to dedicate this entire blog entry to him.  I have found some pictures and I have some stories that I hope you all enjoy.  We will be celebrating his birthday three times this week.  Thursday night at a surprise destination, Friday night at the 21st Saloon, and Saturday in Sioux City at The Fourth Street Bar.  Three parties you say?  This man deserves an entire week of parties, motorcycles, fireworks, and lasers.  This is going to be a big deal and I want all of you on board to help celebrate.  We need to throw the biggest bash we can for Omaha's King of Rock N Roll.  So here you have it, to Alan King, one of my best friends and band mate for almost 8 years.  HAPPY FUCKING BIRTHDAY.  Lets tear this place down.

Lets begin back in the 80s shall we.  I know I wasn't born early enough to remember the 80s but I have had the front row seat to all the wildest stories you can imagine.  Just last week Alan told me a story about one of his first bands "Rage".  The story goes that the band landed it's first few gigs at the Omaha high school prom dance.  The shows were killer but they had no PA and no money to buy a nice PA rig.  So Alan went out and built his own PA.  He built the cabinets and installed the speakers and slowly "Rage" started playing local clubs to happy bar owners.  The band wasn't yet old enough to drink so they didn't cause any trouble and this made the bar very happy.  Well things would soon change.  Now I am not for sure the order of all of these bands but I will throw out some names for you.  "Fury" "Break Out" "Justin Morgan" "Harder Faster" "Castle" and of course the band he has been leading for almost 13 years 3D In Your Face.  

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Alan was never one to go quietly into the night.  The first thing I remember about Alan wasn't the big hair or wild clothes it was the voice.  This dude can truly sing.  I found out that he studied music in college and was in the choir at UNO.  I have never met a singer who can do what he does night after night and never complain about his voice.  He is unstoppable.  Not only can he sing but he can write music, play the piano, slap the bass, and shred on the guitar.  Alan is the ultimate show stopper.  If anyone has seen a 3D In Your Face show they will tell you he does it all.  From the moment the trailer doors hit the ground to the moment they close, Alan is in the zone and doing what he does best.  Not to mention he drives the bus every night.  Which inevitably brings me to my next story.  I was always told about this old school bus that Justin Morgan used to travel in.  The story goes that Alan bought this school bus and fixed it up to be a band vehicle for him and his band mates.  Well no ordinary yellow school bus would be appropriate for this Rock N Roll outfit.  So he took black and white house paint and covered the entire bus in zebra stripes.  For years this bus was his home.  Back then bands didn't just play one or two nights at a club they played 6 nights a week at the same club and traveled on Sundays.  They would all stay in a band house or back room where the party would eventually wind up after the shows.  Remember this was the 80's so they reveled in every moment of this.  This was life as they knew it and they couldn't have been happier.  Chairs in the pool, wrecked hotel rooms, band break-ups and make-ups, to much booze, and lots of lonely nights.  Alan King lived the life that everyone dreams of living as a young musician on the road.

Fast forward a few years and a few bands to 3D In Your Face. Alan has been the lead singer, manager, accountant, booking agent, and all around brains behind 3D In Your Face.  I have had the amazing pleasure of being his guitar tech/stage manager and now comrade in hair, as the bass player for the wildest band I have ever been in.  I look up to Alan like a mentor.  He has been there and done things that I can only dream of.  Alan has taught me not only how to be a better musician and performer but also how to be a better band-mate and friend.  I not only respect him as a musician but I love him like a brother.  Through the good times and the bad times I have never seen Alan lose his composure.  He is a true rock star by every definition of the word.  The last year of my life has been the funnest and happiest year I can remember, and I own it all to 3D In Your Face and Alan King.  You lead buddy and I will follow.  Happy birthday Alan you deserve the best.

  As always I want tell you a little about what is going on for us this week.  Thursday we will be celebrating all damn night long at a special place in Omaha.  Sorry I can't tell you where but shit I have to keep some element of surprise.  Friday we will be back at the 21st Saloon on 96th and L st.  Our residency is going strong and more people are coming out every week.  Spread the word.  This weeks sponsor is Cupcake Kati.  She will be providing homemade cupcakes to the first 100 people in the door.  That's right it's going to be a party and we are supplying the cake.  Saturday we are making the drive to Sioux City, IA to The Fourth Street Bar downtown.  If you haven't been there you are missing out.  For this show we are proud to announce the Sioux City Roller Dames will be selling merchandise and preaching the good word of Derby to all you wild people.  Three amazing parties all crammed into one week.  Also if you are a morning person I will be making a special guest appearance on The Siouxland News at Sunrise this week.  Set your DVR's and invest in Red Bull because you are going to need some energy this week.

I want to leave this as an open ended invitation to you the readers.  I want to encourage you to share your stories about Alan King.  Wish him happy birthday.  But always remember be proud of who you are.

 "Music is an emotion that everyone experiences differently. Let the music release those emotions."  Alan King.

Until next time.
HAIR IN THE AIR
SPADE