Ms Mac Has Left the Building

"You don't know how fast ten years can go, when you're busy."
-Ann Wilson, Radio interview, 1987

January 9, 2015, 8:07 p.m.

It's Friday night. Sometime after 8 p.m. And you know where I am?

AT HOME!!

I've been at home a lot on Friday nights lately, and I really do kinda like that. But there have been many a Friday in the last 10 years when I was not at home:

Cue "Wayne's World" Dream Sequence: "doodly doo, doodly do, doodly do..."

It's a Tuesday. Or a Thursday, June 2004. I'd been at UAC (then CCCUA) for a year. I was teaching summer school and driving over to Nashville's Electrolux Plant teaching Workplace Spanish to their employees once a week. One daughter was getting ready to start 10th grade, the other 8th grade. (I think...) We had two dogs, several cats, and a turtle. But Mom & Dad were starting a rock-n-roll band.

With a hodge-podge of musicians. Members of The Midnight Hurricanes and other bands in the area were involved, along with various other stray players. We started with a lot of Buffett tunes, well-known country, and Fleetwood Mac. We practiced all summer long. Then we got our first gig: The CCCUA Christmas Party at DeQueen Country Club.

But three days prior, our drummer's number came up: David Burris had orders for Afghanistan. ARGGGGGHHH!!!

I'd had a previous conversation with a really cool guy I worked with about him a being a drummer, so I emailed him with the subject line: Drummer needed ASAP. So with two days notice Tony Hargrove learned our set list, we played the show, and "Big Bang" was born.

We called ourselves Ms Mac and the Groovetones. "Ms Mac" because that was what my first students called me when I started my teaching career in McGehee, Arkansas back in 1996. Groovetones, well...that's what we came up with and it just kinda stuck.

From there we got the Country Club's New Year's Show. We played a lot at the Caliente Club (where I heard for the first time, "Who does she think she is? Stevie Nicks?" I was okay with that.) We played our first show at Abendigo's in Broken Bow...IN THE RAIN...un-plugged, under the patio. We played a lot of other shows in the rain. Both benefits for former Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe at Barbara Horn's home were rained out, especially the second one. We played two songs and were drenched. I also remember another incident at Abendigo's in the rain involving tequila and mike stands. 

For eight years, we went on to play every major summer holiday at Abendigo's: Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day. There were some Halloweens and A New Years show in there, too, I believe. And a couple of really ritzy parties out at River Bend Cabins. 

We've been to all kinds of places and all kinds of festivals. Little Rock for the Peabody Hotel Rooftop Concert Series. AlleyFest in Longview, Texas opening for The Little River Band. El Dorado Music Festival opening for Joan Jett. StarDaze in Star City, Arkansas. Pink Tomato Festival in Warren, Arkansas. Lum & Abner Days in my own hometown of Mena, Arkansas. 

The list continues: Monroe, Ruston, and Natchitoches, Louisiana. Shreveport's Festival Plaza. Sam's Town and Eldorado Casinos. Fort Smith, Hot Springs, and of course, right here in Texarkana. One of our first Texarkana gigs was at the old Branch Office, where I remember this quip:

Dale Qualls: "Marine versus Asshole. My money's on the Marine." 

Our first Fat Jack's gig was when the stage was still in the back corner and the size of a broom closet. It was the first time I ever saw anyone two-step to "Barracuda."

Surreal to say the list.

It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship with this legendary venue. Jack Mills was a big fan of the Groovetones, and upon his recent passing we will miss him greatly and his support of live music in Texarkana. I guess that is just another sign that it was time for us to move on. A lot of our other supporters are gone as well. Miss Vickie and Big Billy from Boogie's in Hot Springs. Boogie's itself is gone, in fact! It was Bogart's for a while, now it's...something else.

The club scene went through tremendous changes in ten years. Hangin' Judge closed down in Fort Smith. Even Neumeier's is for sale now. Caliente burned to the ground. Purple Rain opened, closed, became the Coliseum, then it caught fire. The Duck Horn Taverns in both Killeen and Temple, Texas closed. Player's: closed. Branch Office: closed. Nelly's/The Courtyard/La Fogata: Might soon be closed. Economy, management, who knows what else...were all factors. It's the nature of the beast.

But enough about venues. They all come and go for whatever reason. As do musicians, and luckily the majority of those who started with us also ended with us on December 12, 2014.

Tony Hargrove: Who has pretty much been laying down the Groove in Groovetone since that email. Tony is one of the finest musicians I have ever known. As a bassist, I'm terribly picky about drummers, and he is the best. Versatile, talented, and an all-around great person. He took a little time off there for a while, but came back to finish out these last 6 years. And not only can he drum, but he can sing and play guitar, too. He can play "Rosanna." (It never got added to the set list but he can still play it.) He can play "Barracuda." He can play anything. I'm honored to play music with him and work with him every day at UAC. And ladies...he's single!! ;)

Kirt Connor: Again, one of the most talented guys in the area. We finally brought "Drum" to the live crowd last December, complete with the Bono Moment. "Sausage Biscuit" can still rock it. It was glad to have him back for grand finale, as it was to have him along from the beginning. Don't forget, though, Kirt: YOU'RE A LIGHTBULB!!!

Ted Stone: Who has been our "fill-in" lead player for 7 years. Having Deacon Dark himself gave us a whole new Groove back in 2007. And he really was able to trim down "Voodoo Child" to four minutes versus the usual 1/2 hour. He introduced us to "LITTLE CHOCOLATE DONUTS!!!" and "Hoogie-Boogie Land," and helped us to play "our music, from our heart." (Inside jokes, folks...) Every band needs a guitar player who can play better with his tongue than his fingers. I'm sure Don will miss our post-gig, in-depth pop culture proselytizing on long road trips in the middle of the night. I suggested that after the show on December 12, we all needed to hop in to "Clifford the Big Red Truck" and drive around Miller County for two hours just so we could get in one last discussion of "Spinal Tap," "Wayne's World," and Strong Bad Email.

Don said no.

Glenn "SmittyG" Smith: To the man I told to shut up in a rather scathing email about 8 years ago (*BIG evil laughter here*). His first weekend as a Groovtone can best be described as trial by fire. When my arm decided to detach itself from my body via a bad shoulder while unplugging a laptop, I sent him a chartbook and a set list and said, "Learn these by Friday." (That was on a Thursday.) We had FIVE (?) shows that weekend. Friday night at Jack's; Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at Abendigo's for Labor Day Weekend. But we knew he was the only bass player in town who could handle it. And knowing I'd be out of playing commission for the following 6 months after surgery, we managed not to scare him away. And even after I was cleared to play again by a rather patient physical therapist, we decided to keep him. Now I'm not sure if he'll ever go away...LOL!!!...which is not a bad thing, of course. Glenn has been a great asset to the band, and it freed me up to do some other stuff. We didn't ever give him that opportunity to do a "full-out, jazz exploration in front of a festival crowd...", but that day is coming, I'm sure!

These four. Some of the best musicians. EVER. And I've played with some local legends (Earl Hesse, Don Colquitt, Big Al Wimberly, etc.) and the last remaining Groovetones rank right up there. Feel privileged to have heard them play. They are superb, not only as musicians, but as people. They are welcome on my stage and in my home any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I will miss our musical time together as well as our social time. They are my friends, they are my family. If I ever want to do this again, they will be the first people I call.

So many others have passed in and out of this group, so I can't forget to name our honorary Groovetones. I'll start with drummers:

Sam Cavitt. All THREE members of Deacon Dark were Groovetones. Sam was with us until he became a Daddy. I even remember Shelly's first visits to gigs. Good times!! It was so good to have you, Sam!

Kim Kirtley. NOTE: This was the first time we had another girl in the band, and she was one of the most bad-ass drummers ever. She played with a bad knee that had to be iced down between sets and still rocked it. And she wasn't even rattled with someone yelling, "BITCH!!!!!" at the top of their lungs at her. (That would be the Meredith Brooks song, by the way.)

Hampton Taliaferro. New Year's Gigs at the Duck Horn Taverns over an entire weekend. Not just a man but an experience. It's hard to imagine the Denny's Dynamic without him.

Paul (Baumgartner) Summers. Paul was with us for a couple of shows in Hot Springs and Pine Bluff. Thanks for helping us out then. And for the round rug. We still use it!

And...to the one guy who came to two rehearsals and brought beer, but not enough to share. And that's when we called Tony back.

On to Guitar Players:

Dale Qualls. Who shreds like a mutha and is a cool, cool, COOL guy. That first rainy Abendigo's gig was fun, wasn't it? He also coined the phrase: "I'm a Groovetone, Bitch!!"

The one, tall, dark-headed guy who played the New Year's Country Club with us. What was his name? What happened to him?? Excellent player.

Leger Brantley. The only other band member that I think was shorter than me. I recall chaperoning the porch parties...

Pete Jones. To have him play for the Veterans' Day show at Whiskey River was an honor. Thanks for keeping us in strings, picks, and guitars all this time!

Bobby Doherty of Alizé, who joined us at the Courtyard and the Concert Series at the Peabody. Another cool guy and awesome player. We wish you well out there on the farm!

There was also Brian Atlas (guitar) and Micah Nazario (keyboards) who helped us out there for a while. Thank you, gentleman, for being a part.

Also to Honorary Groovetone Chip Bricker: You are the man!! Nuf sed.

And last but not least, Allen McEneaney. Nothing like having a real Irishman in the band. I knew from the story he told us at that very first rehearsal he came to that it was definitely going to be interesting. We added Allen not only as another guitarist (sprinkles!!!) but as a second bass player so I could play keyboards. We had a fourth harmony and some new songs to learn. He introduced me to Rock Sugar. His parents visited the States and they are wonderful, wonderful people. We watched them become grandparents twice. While Don and I became grandparents 3 more times after that.

(Can you believe SEVEN of our ELEVEN grandchildren were born during the duration of this band??)

Grandma Rocks. Yeah, I guess that is so. That's why some of those eleven always ask: "Do we get to go to the band?" Four of them got to see the last show at the Sullivan Center and for those two little girls I commandeered my one and only Disney Princess moment. Every retiring diva needs one, I suppose.

Final thoughts before Ms Mac leaves the building:

None of this would have been possible if not for one person. He knows who he is. He had a vision: Let's play rock and roll when everybody else plays country. Dust off your bass, clear out your pipes, and put on your 4-inch heels. I'll make you a star!

And I suppose that's true. I became Ms Mac. A persona, like Cher. Sort of. Some people don't even know my real name. Some didn't even recognize me out of character. A really drunk guy once told me, "You should hear her sing! She's really good."

My response: "I'll be sure to check that out."

It was my biggest dream, and Don Riddle made it come true. I got to play bass and sing in front of people again, something I hadn't done since my early 20s. I got to wear leather and sing "Barracuda" a lot. But not without Don making it all happen. He took care of sound, he took care of bookings, he took care of rhythm guitar and vocals. He was Nancy (Wilson) to my Ann (Wilson) on top of everything else. He drove Clifford all over the Four States Region and Beyond, hauling gear, instruments, bandmates, and my wardrobe. He dealt with payments and promotion and club owners and....other people. He did all the managing and talking while I was just "so into the music."

Yeah, right.

My "mystique" is due to being painfully shy, and Don is not, so having him man the frontlines was a blessing. For all of us. No one else has his expertise and he always knows exactly what to do. He made us all look and sound great and never once brought any attention to himself. "I'm the guy with the trailer," he says.

WHATEVER!!!

No one else could do what he does and THAT'S why this band was great. I only played one show without him for the entire 10 years. And thankfully, I never had to do it again, but I just can't make it happen the same way. In the end, he always took care of ME.

Bands come and go, on every level, so not many go on for 10 years and eventually go out on top. Especially a regional group. That takes leadership and expertise and a bunch of stuff only Don Riddle knows. I was clueless. I memorized the words to over 100 songs but I always knew who the real star of the show was.

So, the biggest thanks of all goes to Don Riddle-for making me a "big" fish in a little pond. Letting me experience what I'd always dreamed of. It may not have been Madison Square Garden but if we added up the amount of people we've performed in front of in the last ten years that might equal the same seating capacity. I was in the newspaper, I was on TV, I was on the radio, I was on the Internet. I made "albums." I made a video. It's all good. I had these moments, thanks to Don. I can cross "Be a Rock Star" off my bucket list. You made us all rock stars.

Now we can start dating again! :) 

Did I mention he and I were married? Have been for 18 years, long before this band existed. Both of us had years of playing experience before that. I wasn't just a "chick" in the band who happened to be married to a guy in a band. We'd played in bands in every town we lived in before we came back to Arkansas in 2003. The Groovetones was the icing on that cake.

People are asking us, "Why?" Well, see previous sentence. It came to us over a weekend on Petit Jean Mountain. Don and I took a picture of the two of us together because there aren't a lot of pictures of the two of us together...and we noticed how "old" we looked. I wasn't wearing a lick of makeup, which didn't help. Then I realized that for the last ten years the only pictures of the two of us together were those people took of us onstage. Under cool lighting, wearing cool clothes, and doing cool stuff like playing music. I was usually wearing a wig and a lot of eyeliner. 

So we looked slightly different in natural light. But that moment, walking through the forest to see a beautiful waterfall on a Saturday afternoon is one reason why we "retired." Spending a day loading equipment and sound checking and performing does not allow for walks in the woods. Or time with grandchildren and family. Or time to do other things one enjoys that doesn't involve so much "work." People don't realize how much "work" music really is. They see the final product: the two to four hour show that goes on while everybody else drinks and parties and dances and has a good time. They don't see the long weekly rehearsals and the listening and charting and practice and promoting and phone calls and traveling and loading and unloading and repairing and maintaining and on and on and on...

As much as we love to play, we do have regular jobs and families and hobbies and other interests. And it's time to enjoy those things, too. In fact, the Groovetones will most likely even enjoy these things together, because we ARE family. We shared births, deaths, marriages, divorces, graduations, birthdays, etc. I will miss the social time, inside jokes, good meals, and general hanging out, but that probably won't go away. I've got a big house with a front porch and a courtyard. Everyone can still come over and we'll take guitars off the wall and play music for fun just like always.

CODA: Endings are always bittersweet, but there are still good times to come. Take care, my brothers: Tony, Glenn, Ted, Kirt...you're only a Facebook post away. When I finally decide to establish Cheez N Sleez, be ready. 

To Don, here's to more time for just you and me. And that's OUR business.

And to those who supported us: Thank you for coming out and being a part of our shows. We were always glad to be of service! :) And perhaps you'll see us again around Christmas when it's Toys for Tots time again.

I'll leave my last goodbye to Stevie:

Well I've been afraid of changing
Cause I built my life around you
But times make you bolder even children get older
And I'm getting older too

Took my love, took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well a Landslide'll bring it down
Well a Landslide'll bring it down