“Christopher Dale Trio treats audiences to pop and Americana inspired songs, all with tight CSN style harmonies.” - Paul Hormick, SD Troubadour

East Coast Tour begins THIS Friday! I can’t help reminiscing about past tours and some of the memorable moments we’ve had.

There was my first tour ever, in and around Columbus, OH, where I played 11 shows in 12 days! One club I played at had a huge tree growing up through the roof, right in the middle of the room! I guess that’s why it’s called Andyman’s Treehouse. It was there that I met the girl that would come to visit me in San Diego and ride her unicycle 2 miles in rush hour traffic to the radio station of SD’s #1 morning show, thus hijacking over an hour of airtime to promote me and my music. AMAZING!

One trip to NJ, I failed to apply sunscreen during an outdoor day gig. FRIED C. Dale!! In an attempt to beat any hecklers to the punch at the next show some 2 hours away, later that night, I hit the stage and proclaimed, “Never fear, Lobster Boy is here!” The crowd erupted with laughter and the ice was broken! “Bartender, lot’s of ice please.”

While playing a show in Destin, FL, a dog came through the door, jumped up on stage and started howling. I think that was a good thing? One night around 1am, after a show in Chicago, I went to a place called “The Wieners Circle” where everyone gets insulted by the ladies behind the counter as they try and order. I had a friend order for me, then laughed hysterically as she was pelted with profanity. Does that make me a bad person? I’m sorry.

Just a few of the fond memories with more to come……….

Just wrapped up recording on the NEW CD “Songs I Know The Words To”.
We’ll have the CD, in hand, when we hit the east coast next week!
8 shows in 10 days! Since we start the tour in NJ, I’m posting the song “New Jersey” to get everyone fired up!

Written in the Spillane’s basement the night before returning home to San Diego. I was overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude and good fortune as I scribbled down these lyrics until the wee hours of the morning and left them on my pillow. Dedicated to The Spillanes, Dillmores & Murph! Thanks for always making us feel at home! This one’s for YOU!

When New Jersey comes to mind, most people think of The Sporanos, Bada Bing, Springsteen, Bon Jovi & Jersey Boys The Musical!
Did you know that NJ has been rated as “the least annoying state”?
It is also the birthplace of such modern inventions as the FM radio, the motion picture camera, the light bulb, the drive-in movie, the postcard, the boardwalk, the zipper, the phonograph, salt water taffy and the ice cream cone!
They also have more diners than any other state!
No wonder I love this place!

I never thought it couldn’t be done without a blockbuster video budget and stay true to my vision. But, Mike Farkas of PM Productions and my buddy Charlie Imes approached me and said, “We can do this!” And we did!

They assembled a cast, crew and secured the location for 2 days of shooting at Perry’s Cafe on the tip of Old Town. I can’t believe how lucky I am! Everything came together and we hit it out of the park. Perry, the owner of the cafe, who we didn’t even know at the time, agreed to let us come in after closing and shoot for 2 consecutive 6 hour days. She stayed to supervise as we dirtied the dishes, used her electricity and added all this extra time to her day cleaning up after us. And in the end, she wouldn’t even take my modest check.
Who does this? For strangers nonetheless! She doesn’t need the publicity or money, the place is always busy. She never even listened to the song before the video shoot! She must be my guardian angel.

I will continue to eat at Perry’s, as I have for many years, because the food is great! The only difference is, I can give Perry a big hug everytime, for she NOW knows me as Christopher Dale, the guy who’s in love with a gay waitress, wrote a song about it and made a video of it in the most perfect diner setting, thanks to her!
Thanks to Charlie, Mike and the entire cast & crew for making my dream come true!
You worked your arses off!

Eat at Perry’s, 4620 Pacific Hwy in San Diego!

What a week! My cousin Damien, wife Mandy and 5 month-old daughter Georgie came for a visit from Australia last week. If you know my cousin Damien and his zest for life, then you wouldn’t be surprised by the fact that his presence most surely guarantees moments & memories not soon forgotten!
How ’bout Rick Springfield hanging with us at my mom’s house?!

Here’s just a few of the things that made me smile this week:
Tim Flack stripping down to his underwear after finishing a song with JD Boucharde, early in the show – I might add, and then jumping into the pool at Handlery on Wed. I think that’s the first time his legs have ever seen sunlight! Watching the Padres beat the Dodgers in the bottom of the 9th at Petco Park on Thursday was the perfect compliment to my 1/2 pound hot dog & $8.50 beer. GO BACK TO LA, YOU BUMS! Friday night at the Boat Club had us watching/listening to our Grandpa Art (88 years-old) sing karaoke, he stayed ’til midnight. Oh, by the way, he played in his softball league the day before and THEN went with us to the Padre game afterwards! The Energizer Bunnie’s name is ART! My sister Jenny & I did a duet to Kenny Loggin’s “Whenever I Call You Friend” only to realize as the song went on, that the lyrics implied that we we’re more than just friends. AWKWARD! Let’s stick to the Donnie & Marie,
sis! And quit saying you can’t sing, you’re my sister, of course you can sing!

Saturday night, after a family get together at my Mom & Earl’s house, we went to Pala Casino as VIP guests of Rick Springfield for his concert with Bret Michaels. We met him and his lovely wife Barbie in the green room before the show and were escorted to the stage where we watched the show from the back corner. Sweet! He rocked it! I’ll never forget all the times I played air guitar and sang Jessie’s Girl to the video on MTV! The topper was the invite to have dinner with the two of them after the show. Let me just say, they are two very cool people!

What’s the Springfield connection you ask? We’ll Mandy’s dad John and Rick met when they were 14 years-old and became good friends once they realized they were both big fans of the UK band The Shadows. So, since baby Georgie is a bit young for a rock concert, Rick & Barbie Springfield drove down in their fully restored 1963 corvette and hung out for several hours at my mom’s house. He created quite a stir in the neighborhood as he took each family member for a lap around the block. With 500 horse power under the hood, it sounded like a jet engine! Most of the neighbors didn’t seem to mind, especially once they realized who was behind the wheel. But the lady he passed 4 times, as she strolled the normally quiet streets of Bay Park on her afternoon walk? Probably not his biggest fan. Can’t win them all……over. Punch it, Rick!

Sunday night we went to the Turf Club to listen to JD, had some martinis, sang some songs and the next thing you know, it’s 4am! The Aussies left this morning, now I’m going back to bed! G-day!

I’ve heard of concerts being cancelled because of illness, injury or weather, but bird poop?! Grammy winning rockers Kings Of Leon (“Sex On Fire”, “Use Somebody”) had to pull the plug on their Friday night concert in St. Louis after being dive bombed by pooping pigeons.

Apparently, the pigeons were resting in the rafters of the outdoor venue after a huge Thanksgiving style meal and when the band began to play, they fled as they fired off round after round of dirty missiles at the bandmates. Bassist Jared Followill was hit during each of the first 3 songs, the latter one striking him right in the face. Staring down the barrel of a 20 song set, the band ran for their lives for fear of being covered from head to toe by the end of the show.

There was no mention of any “s*#t hitting the fans” so I’m guessing that the birds were sending a messege specifically targeted at the band, simply stating, “We don’t like you’re crappy music! We want blues with our BBQ!”

Kings Of Leon have promised to re-schedule the concert. None of the pigeons could be reached for comment but sources have reported seeing a flock of pidgeons following a tour bus all the way to the Arkansas state line. Probably just a coincidence and they were just flying south for…wait a minute… it’s not winter yet! Hey Kings, maybe next time you could try and win them over with a cover of the Birds “Turn Turn Turn”.

Note: The author of this blog’s taste in music probably differs greatly from that of the pigeons and he would also like it to be known that he doesn’t endorse pooping on musicians.

Even though our show in NV got postponed last weekend, probably was a good idea not to play outdoors in 115 degree heat, Kendra and I still went out to Henderson to visit her dad. You know the saying, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”? Well this was Henderson, not Vegas, so here it goes.

Not sure who was more entertaining, the guy running the karaoke at the Fiesta Casino or the lady at the school of massage who accused us of cutting in line? Let’s start with Johnny Karaoke. After introducing myself and requesting the song ‘Bad Company’, he turns to me and says, “I love that song, don’t screw it up!” I thought this was karaoke?! A leisure activity where singers of all abilities are encouraged by host and audience alike, to come on up to the stage and live the dream for a few minutes, then swagger back to the bar for another shot of liquid courage and a chorus of “Nice job!” from his/her group of friends. I said I’d try to do my best, but really wanted to say, “Like the way you butchered that Pearl Jam song you sang earlier?!”. But hey, that’s not how I roll. I understand the dymanics of karaoke and applaud each and every person who grabs the mic. Well, halfway through the first verse of my performance he got a big smile on his face and started playing air guitar from behind his laptop. I finished the song, handed him the mic and we respectfully pounded fists. I guess I showed him!

Ok, now on to the lady. We scored a coupon for a 50-min massage from the Nevada School of Massage Therapy for just $16 each. Ater filling out our forms we walked over and stood between some people who had come in just before us and an older couple who had come in after us, who were still filling out their forms at the counter. As the line moved, the lady kept inching forward trying to squeeze us out, as she continued to fill out her form. I kindly explained to the couple that we had arrived before them and already had our forms filled out. Just as the people in front of us and the receptionist verbally confirmed that this was true, the lady got this look on her face as if I had just told her that her outfit didn’t match. She then shouted, “That’s B.S!” The husband didn’t say a word and avoided all eye contact. As the steam came pouring out of her ears, rather than repeating myself, I told them to just go ahead. Kendra then quietly whispered to me, “Somebody really needs a massage!” Once it was our turn, Kendra asked if she could request a female masseuse and was informed that it was against policy. It was then that I realized, I might be getting rubbed down by a MAN! In the waiting room we watched as each customer was matched with a therapist in training. We’re saying to ourselves, “Hope we each get a female.” Then 2 male MTs walk in and who do they call? That’s right, our arch enemies Mrs. Stink Eye & Mr. Tongue Tied. Kendra & I softly giggled to each other then the thrill of our minor victory quickly wore off and the tension started to mount. We are surely next. Will we get a female or male? Drum roll please……in walks 2 female students. A series of fireworks go off inside us! Whew, that was close! Who says there’s no such thing as karma?

Thought I’d post this pic of my White Water Rafting trip from a few weeks ago. That’s me with my paddle in the air a split second before I took out Joey in front of me. Good thing she was wearing a helmet! Just kidding, Joey’s fine, I’m actually fending off the boulder to my right. YEAH RIGHT! It was then that I realized why our tour guides offered us Depends brand under garments before we hit the water. HOLY CRAP! With such Class 4 rapid names as “Preparation H” & “Royal Flush” I was rapidly regreting passing on the Depends offer.

Want to strengthen you relationship with God, just go WWR! I was praying that I’d live to pray again! Water crashing over you, catching air, I no longer cared how unfashionable I looked in my blue Roller Derby helmet. I’m used to dodging drunks in a bar, and they’re moving, but giant boulders in a spinning rubber boat guided by no less than 5 other untrained city folk, the least they could do was give you a helmet! Now who looks like a stumbling drunk! It’s a miracle no one fell out of the boat. I’ll tell you it was the most exhilarating experience of my life! Now that the color has come back to my face and I’m no longer clinching my fists as if I were still holding a paddle, I can’t wait to do it again.

I asked my boatmates if they liked getting the crap scared out of them as much as I did? They all replied, “On that you can Depends!”

OK, you might be thinking, it was 4th of July and he’s playing with a firecracker.
Or maybe it’s another failed attempt to develope a contraption to shut down the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Is that a flaming churro in his ear? Has he created a new genre of music called “WTF!”?

No! It’s Wally’s “100% Beeswax Ear Candles”
Ear Candling! Comfortable tip. Easy to light.
A long hollow funnel made out of wax covered cotton tape. Place it in your ear, light it and enjoy the authentic sound of a raging brush fire right in your very own ear canal. You too can smell just like a San Diego fire fighter in October.

Now why would you want to do this? Because it magically sucks the ear wax out of your ears and it really works! Let it burn down to 4 inches and extinguish. If you smell burning hair, you probably left it in too long. Then you can unravel the un-burned portion and see how much wax was in your hive. Unbelivable! Now I can hear the trash truck coming from 2 blocks away and rush the cans to the curb.
Although, the dog whistles are kinda annoying and I liked it better when I thought my car radio was broken.

I love summer! It’s the best weather of the year! Living and performing in San Diego, it’s especially great because I get to have a pool party on Weds at the Handlery Hotel. Did my first CANNONBALL (with my clothes on) of the year last Wed. The crowd ROARED! As I was making my victory lap around the pool, a security guard, who I’d never seen before, yelled, “GET OUT OF THE POOL, NOW!”

I kindly explained that it was part of the show and I did it all last summer to rave reviews. He said he didn’t care and was gonna call management. I smiled and said, “Go right ahead” as I got out. The crowd BOOED.! He was just doing his job, but as many security guards have been known to do, he over-reacted with a bunch of attitude! Did he not see me onstage? Did he not hear me announce to the crowd that I was gonna do a cannonball? Did he not hear me say to him, “You look MARVELOUS!”?

Apparently I’m a cult leader and he was worried the crowd would follow suit and jump in with their clothes on as well. I told him not to worry, they were all patiently waiting for the Hale-Bopp comet to come pick them up, so they needed to stay dry.

I always thought life as a dog was pretty sweet. You get fed, petted and your master picks up your poop for ya (at least he/she’s supposed to). You play a little, lie around and lick yourself. Pretty cake if you ask me. Then there’s Conchita the Chihuahua, who just inherited 3 million dollars, along with the run of the $8.3 million Miami Beach mansion she inhabited.

Hey Conchita, did I tell you how fabulous you look today? Touted as “The World’s Most Pampered Dog”, Conchita has her own bedroom, bathroom, $15,000 Cartier necklace and weekly spa treatments. Now that’s some kinda life! The recently deceased airess’ son only got 1 million.

Hey Conchita, I’m available for long walks on the beach, heavy petting and I’ll pick up your poop with a great big smile on my face. Call me!