I have awesome news.....

Everyone knows that when it comes to my music, I take it very seriously.  I want to deliver the best product that I can and musically I have done that.  I once threw away 300 CD's because the cases were cracked and the factory didn't wrap them with plastic and I didn't want my fans to have a less than perfect product.  When it comes to my albums, I take it ALL very seriously. The music is just the beginning. Artwork is also very important and I've always felt that the artwork on Locks & Keys was somewhat of an inacurrate representation of myself and the kind of person I am.  When people look at the photos inside their first response is usually something like "Wow! That doesn't even look like you" or "Are you feeling okay? You're not sick are you?". Now, I don't know about you, but when people say those kinds of things to me, I start taking a 2nd look at it and wondering what kind of a message I'm sending. It's no secret that the last album is very dark and though provoking, but I'm not suicidal or performing voodoo spells in my backyard.  I'm an upbeat, hard working, never let the world get you on your knees, fight till the bitter end girl.  I'm a fighter. So, I decided that the artwork needed to change for this album.  I can't order another copy of this thing in it's current form.  I'm doing it for myself, and I'm doing it for my fans who deserve and accurate, true to form, the best it can be product. As I said before...I'm very serious about my art.  After much discussion and finding a graphic artist that shared my ideas, I have finally completed the new product. The music is the same.....exactly how I wanted it.  The art is completely revised.....every single piece of it.  I will have the new art up on www.cdbaby.com very soon and I will have the new albums at my shows starting immediately.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

Well it's over...officially.  We have just finished the last of our 6 weeks on the road with Easyriders and even though everyone is in much need of some rest and a few Rolaids, you can't help but feel a little sad when you get up the next morning after the show and everyone is gone.  But before I saturate you with the ending....let me start at the beginning............
Since our blogs were getting more and more normal sounding and well, that's just not very rock & roll, I decided to bring Heather back out on the road with us for one more show.  That's a sure fire way to ensure that something crazy will happen and we can all be entertained for the weekend. Jeff and Heather pulled up to my house just before his truck turned back into a pumpkin at midnight Thursday night.  Since I was already climbing into bed, I showed Heather where the computer was so she could "Facebook" her life away and Jeff a power outlet so he could continue to talk on the phone for the rest of the evening to the "mystery person" on the other end. 
I love getting up the next morning and trying to solve the mysteries of "what happened" the night before based on the "clues" you find laying around.  So here's what I find: an empty bottle of wine, 2 cell phones....both dead, my computer which has overheated from being on all night and is melting before my very eyes, and 2 Arkansas rednecks passed out....one on the couch and one on the floor.  It took me a while to get them awake enough to get in the truck and pass out.  I mainly worry about them falling down the stairs, but once the truck is loaded and the doors are closed, I know we're good to go....all but one thing: no trailer lights! It took ole Jeffro a while to wire on a new plug he found under the seat in the truck, but once he did he plugged that sucker in only to find out it is the wrong one so I headed to the hardware store to get a replacement.  I offered to do this one, but he said NO! because he was clearly frustrated with the situation and come hell or high water....this shit is gonna work....dammit! So I made a sandwich and watched Judge Judy til he was finished and we all piled in the truck and set out for Columbus, OH. 
It was a short trip (for us). Only about 6 hours or so and I drove way too fast because I was trying to make it to a sushi place before it closed. I pulled in with 1 minute to spare, but I was too late. So I settled for a burger and a grape snowcone.....dropped the kids off early and I blazed ass home.  Sorry. I don't know where that came from.
I gave Heather (Mini-Merch) a little pep talk before we got there this time about trying not to drink so much so she can get up in time to make it to the show because if she misses the bus to this show, she can't exactly walk there because according to Jeff Jeff, it's more than 6 miles. She agreed and suprisingly went straight to the room.  Now I'm feeling a little confused and a little bad because she's never really listened to me before so I didn't really think the pep talk would work and we'd just brace ourselves for the drunken debauchery that was sure to follow, but when my plan backfired and actually worked I felt like I had really created a major party foul. 
After a long night of "Facebooking" she finally crashed out around 4am and we both raised up at about 10am red-eyed and jacked up....ready to start the day. Jeffro and I decided to go early and set up at around 1pm because the show was opening at 5pm and we wanted to get a line check to make sure everything worked...not to mention it's a pain in the ass to find a place to load in and move that trailer around.  We got mildly harrassed by the security which is normal and got everything unloaded in record time.  After I dropped the trailer and got back in the building, I looked to the side of the stage to see my ex from Full Throttle Saloon and his new/but slightly used girlfriend setting up their booth. Fabulous. I decided to pretend like that part of the convention center didn't exist. It worked most of the weekend. 
The rest of the crew got there maybe 30 minutes before our first set and I was wishing we would've just came with them because we didn't get a sound check anyway. We started our show about an hour after the show opened so when time came for us to set up the stage, we started plugging in everything and tuning guitars so we could get started.  Now I love these guys that run this downstairs stage. They're super cool people, but sometimes the gear doesn't always work like it should. We immediately had problems.  I heard a whole side of speakers cut out and then they start running around like ants after you light a firecracker and throw it on the ant pile.  I always wondered if the ants were just having a panic attack or if they were actually starting to rebuild and "defend their queen". Which brings me to the question: Do ants have feelings?  There's no telling really because to my knowledge no one really speaks "ant" language, so.......so......wow, I really got off the beaten path on that one didn't I? Sorry. Now, what I loved most about our first performance was the fact that whenever Bruce would say (in his best DJ voice) ".........the Jasmine Cain Band!, all of the speakers would completely short out and there would be this horrible noise and then nothing would work.  So we'd try again....this time with the World Famous Bike Builder Ron Finch who is like a Keith Richards of the bike community because if he stops doing the shit that he does now...he'll die for sure. Ron Finch has always reminded me of a Leprachaun because of his bald head with his long goatee beard and that raspy smoker voice that you can barely hear but judging by the look in those crazy eyes...you can understand what he's saying. He is a dimented genius who doesn't think like most normal people do.  I think that has something to do with the acid.  Anyway, he was unveiling a new bike he calls the "Captivator" which I was supposed to help with because I'm good at taking things off. But before we got to that, he was going to re-attempt to bring on the band.  The "ants" were settling down and it looked like we could try again. So Ron says to everyone, "....................the Jasmine Cain Band!.... Again, total collapse of the sound system.  Now I'm just dying laughing because when things are that bad, you have to just laugh. There's nothing anyone can do.  Except for the ants. They're running like crazy.  Eventually we did get everything to work and we played our acoustic show and everything was great.  Next it was time to unveil Ron's new bike...The Captivator.  

Now that you know what Ron looks like, you get a better idea of what we're dealing with.  In his other band behind the lady's back, he has a great big doobie.  I'd put money on it.
The Captivator is somewhat a dedication to Michael Phelps who won several gold Olympic Medals this past year and then lost all his endorsement deals due to a photo that surfaced of him and a bong, and to the 53 year old woman who was to have swam the Atlantic Ocean but really didn't.  Aaaah, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat if you will.  The bike has a special suprise inside the gas tank that explains everything.  If you ever get a chance to see it, you'll laugh your ass off.  I'm sure photos will be coming soon on his website: www.finchscustoms.com.  The man....the master....a living legend.
That wasn't the only coolness that happened opening day.  Teo who does sound for SOS and who is a very close friend of mine got a new tattoo that I had the honor of helping to select.  He got an indian headdress on his right forearm that comes all the way down to the inside of his wrist and it looks amazing.  Brian Adams (not that guy) did the work and it was amazing. 
The closing of the show on the first day was followed by a mad dash to that damn sushi place that is never open and finally we were able to get in.  The Arkansas rednecks were more into the hotel bar craziness than sushi extravaganza, so we dropped them off and Shawn, Teo, and I headed for the sushi place.  After we ate, we decided to drop in on the Skunkworkz party that was downtown.  It didn't take us as long to leave the party as it did to find it.  It was karaoke hell.  Everyone was there though and that made it pretty fun.  We split pretty fast and were back at the hotel by 1am.  Heather was nowhere to be seen at the bar and I asked Jeffro where she was.  He said she was in the hotel room in bed already.  I couldn't believe it!! This pep talk I had given her was really working!........or so I thought.  What REALLY happened was after a few shots of Jim Beam and a hit of some Kentucky bluegrass, the poor girl passed clean out at the bar with her head on the counter.  Somehow, the bar staff wasn't as worried about serving a 19 year old and getting fined as much as they were having a customer passed out at the bar and getting fined.  So Jeffro was trying to revive her and get her out of there. The cops were all around and were questioning the situation and just when Jeffro thought they were doomed...Heather perked up and found a bag of donuts.  She fed the cops donuts for the next several minutes and made them laugh enough to where they forgot about her being drunk or underage and so Jeff carried her to the room and she passed out.  So much for the pep talk.
The next day we had to bail kind of early because our first set was at 1pm.  The sound system worked alot better for that one and in the middle of the show I looked out into the crowd to see a top hat towering above the masses.  BEAN'RE!!! Bean're had driven all night from Daytona, Florida just to be there at the show and everyone was so happy to see him.   The Limpnickie Lot welcomed him with open arms and Bobby from Indian Larry Legacy had a room for him. Everybody loves Bean're and it truly feels like an event when he's there.  That guy has some serious mojo working for him.
Several different things were going on at the same time, Michael Lichter was snapping photographs of various bikes, Bean're was well...being Bean're, Lady Victoria (the famous westler) was flexing her muscles, the Limpnickie lot was skateboarding on their ramp, I was rollerskating and handing out cupcakes for Valentines Day, and Jimmy Van Zant was preparing for their show in the auditorium.  The place was packed out with people and the bike builders were signing autographs for fans while Ron Finch snuck out back for an occassional toke. It was a huge success and everyone was thoroughly entertained. 
Saturday night is always a big deal back at the hotel because (again) they have karaoke hell and a full bar.  That's the recipe for disasterous success.  It's amazing what a little liquid courage can do because big burly biker guys who swear up and down they'll never get up and sing karaoke somehow end up on the stage with a microphone and the back up music to love shack.  I don't know how that happens.  Most of the time they don't even know what they're doing up there. They don't even try to sing the song, they just hold the mic and occassionally say something like "Bang Bang Bang Me Baby" (REAL lyrics are: Bang, bang, bang, on the door baby)  Close enough. One guy didn't care about the background music. He just held the mic and waited til the music stopped and then sang his own song, Long-haired Country Boy.  He was the hit of the night. The other ironic hit was a considerably hefty woman who sang (VERY seriously) Dont cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Awesome.  Heather decided it was time to debut her singing abilities so with the flip of some blond hair and a dash to the stage she launched into Tush from ZZ Top......a little too early.  The music hadn't really started yet, but when it did...well, Heather was waiting for nothing.  It didn't exactly go together, but still entertaining.  Nobody knew Heather could clog dance until Cotton-eyed Joe blasted over the sound system (which made the speakers sound like they were about to explode).  Again, she had everyone's attention. 
Well, I can only stand so much karaoke hell and even though I wanted to attend an after party called (strangely enough) Hell's Cupcake, I got a text from Bean're who was already there and told me it was a swingers party, so I stayed away from the oversized girls in the chain mail and mesh clothing.  The only reason I really wanted to go was because I was hungry and thought a cupcake would be good.  I was wrong. I've never been so wrong.
Bean're joined us at the bar and we hung out for a little while. Teo laughed at the karoke stars in all their glory and I watched his arm hairs raise up on all the sour notes.  We shared some beef nachos that we all paid for later (not in a monitary way) and crashed out for the night.  Heather was nowhere to be seen.
Around 4:30am I got a phone call in the hotel from Earl (Heather's ex husband who wishes he was still her husband, but they are like poison for each other, so they can't even be around each other, but they still love each other and call each other and are jealous of each other's new boyfriends/girlfriends so they're gonna drink themselves into oblivion until neither one of them knows their own name guy) He asked where Heather was and I said she hadn't come in yet so he starts raging on me about how he bought her flowers for Valentines Day and now she's drunk with a bunch of dudes and won't answer his calls and...and...and... And that's when I had to draw the line. I don't get a lot of sleep anyway, but when I get woken up at 4:30am by a problem that doesn't even concern me, I get a little grouchy.  I think I simply stated that it wasn't my problem and I didn't care.  Almost immediately after I hung up the phone, there was a large crash into the door and Heather was there.....kinda.  She tried to knock but then decided to go somewhere else.  Jeff finally hoisted her back in the room at about 5am and she headed for the bathroom where I think it was another night (like the night before) of praising the porcelain god. I was out again by the time she actually made it to her bed.
The next morning I met Bean're for breakfast. He said he was probably heading out for Louisville and wanted to say goodbye.  He's such an adorable guy.  At the Bob Evan's restaurant the waitress patted him on the back and without looking at him asked, "Can I get you ladies anything else?"  Nobody said a word. The uncomfortable silence must've alarmed her because she looked down to see this bearded lady and immediately started apologizing. I was laughing and Bean're was just shaking his head. 
The Sunday show is always a little slower, but we decided it was going to be the best of all time. We played all our hard rockers acoustic style of course. People get a kick out of that.  I rollerskated around and got everyone to sign our poster board schedules from the year and I will hold them very close to my heart.  It was a great tour and a great year.  There is still very much a following for bikers and biker events. These are hardcore people.  They don't have excuses and they don't let things get them down. They enjoy life because they know that is what is most important. 
We tore out of there in record time and I got pictures with everybody.  Some were happy, some were crying, some were zoned out, and some were just drunk or stoned out of their minds, but we all made it and we're all still just as tight as we were when we started.  And so continues this crazy circus freak act that travels across the country with a few guitars and a whole lot of characters. I woke up this morning to a large plant that was blocking the front door of my room.  I have no idea where it came from. I put it on a chair next to Heather's bed where she's passed out and constantly swatting at the branches that tickle her face.  The rollerskates are packed and the trailer is loaded and we're heading back to Tennessee.

Just wanted to let everyone know that we have uploaded a ton of new photos from some of our shows and there is more to come.  Take a minute and check them out.  We also have a link to a slide show of the Charlotte show and a short video clip.  Follow the links below:
For Slideshow: Click on link and follow "red" link in bottom center to Easyrider Show to view.
http://www.internetmarketingservices.com/
For Short Video:
http://www.internetmarketingservices.com/Easyriders2009/jc/fireydrums.wmv
This weekend we head to Columbus, OH to finish out the last of 6 weeks on the Easyrider Bike Show Tour.  We've had a blast and there will be big crocodile tears when we all say goodbye to the crew, but we've had an awesome year with them so far and we love them all.  We want to say thanks to the fans that came out all around the country to see the band and support the shows. Be prepared for the monster blog to beat all blogs next week on the final show of the tour and the mayhem that is sure to follow.

Something about this weekend kinda came and went and I wasn't really sure what happened.  The days seem to be going faster and my memory is failing me.  I need to start drinking more so I can remember what the hell happened.
Jeff, Shawn, and I were trying to leave at 2pm so we could unload on Friday, but in true Jasmine Cain Band fashion, we left 2 hours late, so we missed load in altogether. Since I knew there was no way my race car driving skills could even get us there on time, I let Jeffro take the wheel and I took the backseat so I could sleep.  I was burnt after my all night listening party with Bob Marlette until 5am the night before, so I decided to crash. However, I didn't get much rest. We didn't make it too far down the road before the trailer lights went out and Jeffro hit the brakes and flew to the side of the road. I tried not to slide off the seat.  I get freaked out when I'm not driving.
I made a blanket fort in the back draping a large quilt over the seats to block out the sun.  It was pretty cozy and the boys made fun of me for pitching a tent.  Yeah.....I know.....whatever.
We got to Knoxville and checked into the hotel.  Immediately Dennis (truck driver for Easyriders) came in the front door and greeted me by mumbling something I couldn't understand and then falling on me.  He said he had a few drinks....I really couldn't tell. Jeff and Shawn fell in love with the front desk clerk and she didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell for the rest of the weekend.  They've come up with a new "alert" to let each other know when a hot chick is approaching. I'm not telling you what it is because all those hot chicks out there will be on to them when they hear it. Never mind the fact that they will be staring at you like hungry wolverines looking for fresh meat with drool running down their chins.  That's NOT the signal.
The next morning started super early.  Since we didn't get there early enough the night before to load in, we had to be there by 8:30am to load in before the other band got there. Unfortunately Shawn couldn't make it there in time, so Jeff and I were stuck unloading by ourselves.  Dave was supposed to be arriving in the middle of the night and driving from Jackson after his gig Friday night but he hadn't showed up yet either.  I was getting a little nervous....Jeff was getting a little angry.  After set up I headed back to the room to transform into rock goddessness (I'm sure that is not a word) and got back in just enough time to get the couch onstage and do our first acoustic set.  Dave arrived 15 minutes before we started and took a nap on the couch until I woke him up to play. Apparently he had started driving late the night before and got just past Nashville when he was too tired to drive, so he pulled over to sleep thinking he would just crash a couple hours and get there early Sat. morning. The problem was that he didn't wake up in a couple hours, so he barely made it in time. 
The show was great! I was wondering how Knoxville would do since they've always had it in Memphis the previous years, but it turned out to be the 2nd highest number of bike entries and attendence was really good.  Everyone was happily suprised. 
We love pickin' on 2 of the guys from the crew. Punkin (monitor sound guy) and Scrubby (Ezridr Crew) spend alot of time together and everyone loves giving them crap about being boyfriend/girlfriend. Scrubby showed up and showed me his battle scars from his flavor of the night before and as Punkin walked by I told him he really needed to cut his nails. Punkin is quite the character.  He calls himself  "Dirty Daddy" and claims he has "Punkin Power" and he talks with a one note voice in a very deep register than somehow Shawn has managed to imitate perfectly.  Even though Punkin has threatened to kill Shawn for "stealing his voice", Shawn still eggs it on and it's absolutely hilarious to hear 2 voices that are the same arguing back and forth in one note boringness and they just keep getting louder. Everyone was dying in laughter. 
After the show, we had to tear down and be out of there by midnight so everyone was rushing to get the shit out of there. I told the boys we would be out of there within an hour so Dave and Shawn took off again.  So Jeff and I loaded out alone again and we all headed back to the hotel.  We were all starving so I went upstairs to change clothes while the boys checked on anything that would be open.  The only thing I had left in my suitcase was a dress that was an office dress I have. It's a white top with a high waist pencil skirt and it's very "naughty secretary" looking, so I put it on and headed downstairs.  When I stepped off the elevator Shawn and Jeff were still perving on the front desk girl but Shawn saw me and I heard the "alert" but then he stopped and said "Jazz? Is that you?"  Talk about a buzz kill.  Yep, it's just me.  Bummer, huh?  Jeff couldn't stop talking about how white my legs were. I can always count on them to boost my confidence.  Ha ha ha. We couldn't find anything open except the industry standard Waffle House, so Jeff, Shawn, and my white legs headed across town.  Happily, Hooters was open and the boys really wanted to go there, so I dropped them off and met Teo at the Waffle House because their hotel was nearby. The boys tried their moves on the girls and yelled "alerts" at each other for a while and then I returned to pick them up.  I was falling asleep so we headed back to the hotel to crash. 
Oh man, I gotta go. My cat, Mr. Brownsone is choking on a bug. He just launched himself off the entertainment center and crashed into a pile with a bug lodged in his throat. Shit.
 

This past week has been a whirlwind of insanity...no doubt. 
We knew when we left Louisville that we were going to be showcasing for one of the biggest producers of all time, Bob Marlette, in two days and we had some work to do.  We spent all day Monday rehearsing our original songs and even though we had never played our new song "Beautiful Tragedy" as a full band, I felt very strongly about presenting it the next day for Bob. We spent a few minutes going through it and when we all came together as a band to run through it together it was completely magical.  Everyone was silent after the song was over. We all knew that this was a great song and we were very excited about it.  That night I started thinking about the arrangements of this showcase. I had rented a rehearsal room at Soundcheck which was completely amazing.  The rehearsal part alone was bigger than alot of clubs we play.  They had full PA and we had a stage area.....just like the real deal.  There were also 2 lounge areas and 2 private bathrooms.  It was very impressive.  But then I got to thinking.....what is everyone going to do for 4 hours while we're running through songs and speaking with Bob?  I'm gonna need to entertain in more ways than just singing and playing!  I jumped out of bed that next morning and ran to the grocery store grabbing all kinds of food to put out for everyone. I ambushed a couple of liquor stores and iced down a few coolers with various beers so everyone would be comfortable there.  Everyone in the band called their closest friends and anyone else they wanted to be there and we were all looking forward to the evening. 
We all got there early and I set up all the food and drinks for the guest while the boys were bringing in gear and let me tell you....it was fuckin' cold as shit!  I've never seen ole Jeffro move so fast trying to get in out of that cold weather.  We set up the gear and my dear friend and co-writer, Paige Logan came with her husband and our producer/engineer, Mills Logan.  Paige sang background vocals with me and Mills took over the sound board and made it rock!  All the pieces were in place. 
Two of the first guests to show up were Jeff's former bandmates from Every Mother's Nightmare, Jim (drummer) and Lou (tech).  These rednecks know how to party.  The beer was gone within an hour and Lou was all over the Jack Daniels immediately.  They were completely hilarious and the life of the party.  Jeff says that's where he learned how to drink all night and I'm pretty sure they gave him quite the education.  Lou was giving me a whole different kind of education.  I gave him the remaining half bottle of Jack and sent him out the door. That dude is one of a kind for sure. 
Bob came in about 8:30 that night and was freezing his ass off.  We spoke for a brief moment and he asked us to play something for him.  Our first song was Landshark followed by Fade.  He stopped us after the song was finished and told us that in order for us to make the most of our time, he should critique us as we go.  He made some suggestions for that song and asked to hear more.  Anytime someone asks to hear more, you know you're doing something right because they literally don't waste a single second on any band they don't see a future with.  He asked me to play something new and my eyes lit up because I knew Beautiful Tragedy was killer.  We all looked at each other and nodded knowing that this song was a hit.  After we finished the song everyone in the room was clapping and when everything was silent Bob, who had his back turned to the band at the end of the song, turned around and walking towards the band started clapping alone.  He loved the song!  We played one more song, Whiskey Kiss, and he made a few suggestions for that one before saying we should tear down and go sit somewhere and eat.  We started to unplug cables and then Dave pipes up from my right side and says, "I will never forgive myself if I don't play this one song for Bob".  I was thinking he was going to play Bob one of his amazing ballads or clever creations, but instead he tells us he wants to play "Good lookin' and drunk".  Everyone in the band turned pale white because we knew what Bob would say about a song such as this.  But Bob graciously agreed to listen and so while Dave was getting strapped in to the guitar I glanced over at Bob who was looking at me in a knowing kind of way and we started the song.  When we were finished we got the result we knew was coming.  Bob simply said, "If I could've found the power switch, I would've turned it off".  Now that might seem like a pretty hard blow below the belt, but he did commend Dave on having the balls to play that kind of song for him. 
We packed up pretty quickly and sent the drunk EMN rednecks home before heading to an Italian restaurant to eat with Bob.  During dinner he and I spoke about alot of things: some to do with music, some to do with life, and some to do with where we grew up.  It turns out Bob is from Omaha, NE and with me growing up in rural SD, we had alot in common.  Both of us had a dream and not much else and knew we had to go for what Bob calls "The Brass Ring".  His road took him to Los Angeles, and mine took me to Nashville.  The rest of the room just kind of disappeared as we spoke of former lost souls like me he transformed into superstars and who they were when he met them versus who they are now.  I was blown away by the list of names he has shared the studio and numerous moments with. 
We were both frozen to the bone because of the cold weather and it seemed strangely ironic that 2 midwestern children who grew up shoveling snow daily now living in the warm climates of Nashville and Los Angeles couldn't stand the weather.  We laughed at what wimps we had become. 
Everyone said goodnight and a new light was shown on Jasmine Cain Band.  Bob suggested that I fly to Nashville after he finishes the Skynyrd album and write some songs with him.  He wants to find what sets me apart from the other billions of white chick singers/songwriters/instrumentalists that are trying to make it in this impossible world of music.  I have complete faith in Bob and I'm sure if anyone can do it, he can.  There are no promises and no set schedules, but if nothing else, I've made a great friend in the business who cares about music and you as the listener and together we will create music that changes lives.  He is a master. I just hope I have the energy to hang with him.  Bob Marlette is an insomniac! 

I'm writing you a blog during the Superbowl.  How lame is that?  I couldn't find any friends (shut up) that were having a party, so it's just me and Jeffro here and a big bowl of Velveeta rotel which we will both regret eating later.
This weekend we continued the Easyrider tour in Louisville, KY.  We weren't sure how well the show was going to do considering the massive ice storm that had most of the city out of power for the past 4 days and our fears were confirmed and we saw that 65 bikes had cancelled out of the show due to weather conditions.  Everyone was worried about the turn out.  We left Friday afternoon and basically got there just as they were closing down the convention center. We dropped the trailer, tried to find the hotel and got lost a billion times before finally finding it. 
Everybody crashed out pretty early because we had to be at the venue and set up before the show opened at 11am.  We left the hotel at 9am and headed to the venue.  I headed straight to the concession stand to find a huge cup of coffee because I was dragging ass!! While buying a cup of coffee a bunch of Outlaws asked me if I needed help stirring it so I demonstrated my abilities to "shake well" to show them I had it under control.  They were laughing when I walked back to the stage. 
Our shows went really well for the most part. The acoustic show went right as planned but when we were doing our 1st rock set, the drum solo hit a little snag.  Apparently Shawn had talked to a girl about coming up to light his drum sticks during the fire solo, but she was too busy flirting with a bunch of other dudes and (get this) didn't even notice the drum solo was going on.  Okay...let's think about this...So, you're listening to a band and there's guitars and singing and keyboards and bass and then all of the sudden all you hear is nothing but drums for about 5 minutes straight.  How could you not notice it was a drum solo?  But not to worry...we had a back up plan (and when all else fails...I guess I could do it).  There was a girl who had invited herself into the band circle and watched from the side stage during the solo with her arms flying around like she was Tommy Lee or something.  I had seen her backstage earlier with Shawn who was trying to lure her away from the pack but he seemed to have given up pretty quickly.  You'll find out why later.  
Getting back to the solo.......So it's time for her to light the sticks and I notice from across the stage that she's decided to take this moment and make a call on her cell phone. I try to get her attention from across the stage, but she has her head down and is talking like a maniac. So, Shawn gets tired of waiting and just lights the sticks himself.  I don't know if it was the smell of lighter fluid or the fire leaping from the sticks, but she finally figured out that she was late so she slammed the phone closed and ran across the stage desperately wanting to be a part of the show, but she came off looking like an idiot. The sticks were lit. The show was over. Now she's just standing there with a lighter like an 80's rock groupie during a Poison concert looking lost and confused.  Oh man.
I was surprised at how many people came to support the band!  It had been 2 years since we did the Easyrider show there and the attendance just blew me away.  Some people hadn't had power for days and still got themselves together to come support the show and the band.  So many people remembered the show 2 years ago and couldn't wait to come back.  We sold so many CD's that set break that I was actually late getting back onstage for my last set!
I rushed onstage and got my gear set up and I should've known when I tried to sing in my mic and it wouldn't work that we were being set up for disaster. Everything was going fairly well (except for the mic screwing up) but then we got to the last song of the set which was Beautiful People and suddenly all hell broke loose.  The drums start and Dave is holding this note on his keyboard and I'm waiting for the guitar to come in and it's not.  I look over to see Jeffro on his knees by his footswitches yanking on cords to find out what was shorting out. He jiggles a few things around and the guitar magically reappears, but as soon as he stands up....it's gone again.  Back down to his knees he goes.  Well, I'm getting quite a laugh out of his gear malfunction when all of the sudden MY shit starts cutting out.  Oh shit! Now we're both on our knees trying to fix our shit and nothing is working. I look over at Dave and he looks pissed at the distractions and I can't help but start laughing because what could we do?  Jeff spent most of the song on his knees, but finally had enough so he got up and kicked the shit out of his foot switch board and then threw his guitar down and walked off the stage.  We finished the song and I was crying from laughing so hard. What a way to go out! When I asked Jeff later why he walked off the stage he looked at me very calmly and said, "Well, when you're done, you're done".  I guess that pretty much says it all. 
We didn't have to tear down that night so everyone was looking forward to having a night where they could throw down. We left the venue immediately and took my friend Jimmy back to his truck. Jimmy is a huge Jasmine Cain fan and has a tattoo of our album cover on his arm that he got in Daytona during Biketoberfest this past year.  He's a great guy that drives a truck for a living and occasionally he'll surprise the shit out of us and show up at some dive bar gig that we have on his way through driving truck to somewhere. 
After we dropped Jimmy off so he could drive all night to Virginia, we headed back to the hotel....just me, Jeff, Dave, Shawn.....oh, and that same chick that was hanging backstage.  Yep, the lonely girl with the lighter who was just a little too late.  I realized now why Shawn bailed on this chick so quickly.  She never stopped talking.  Never. She was full of typical ditzy comments.  When she said she was going to join the band, someone asked her what she could contribute and her answer was "I'll show my tits!" Great.  Every band needs a jug player. From dealing with these kinds of girls, we have been able to categorize them and this girl fell into a very familiar category that Shawn refers to as the "Dick Tease".  She is a master of leading guys along in thinking they're gonna get some but she's really just there for the free beer and cigarettes.  Shawn figured it out quickly and gave up immediately.  Dave, however didn't. So now this girl is heading back to the hotel with us and driving everyone crazy with her non-stop meaningless comments. 
I couldn't get that car parked fast enough and as soon as I turned the key off, everyone had bailed out of the car and was more or less running away from her...except for Dave who was positive that it was going to work out for him. We met in the lobby a few minutes later to make it to a Japanese Steakhouse and everyone was looking forward to a good quiet meal.....then here comes Dave....and the girl.  She drove everyone crazy all the way there and during the entire dinner.  The only time she quit drinking was when she was attempting to tie a cherry stem in a knot using her tongue.  She failed both times. That should've been Dave's first clue.  But the quest continued......
I tried to offer some assistance to Dave because he was clearly out-matched so I told her I was impressed with how fast she drank her first drink. She said she could down at least 5 before we left. I asked her to demonstrate. She only finished 2, but it was still in record time.  Mid-way through the meal I hear her yelling "Jamie! Jamie!"  I finally looked up to see her staring at me and I asked her who she was talking to?  She said "You".  So I had to remind her my name was Jasmine....you know.....like the name of the band she was hanging with....Jasmine Cain?  Ring a bell?  Apparently not. 
Again it was a sprint to the finish line when we got to the hotel.  Dave disappeared with the girl and although I motioned to him to run for it, he was still determined to beat the odds.  Jeff spent most of the time in bar hoping for the best for Dave and trying to stay awake.  After hours of waiting he returned to the room to find Dave alone.  The girl had won.  Just as we suspected. 
We returned home today after a very early morning load out, a traffic jam that caused our 2 hour drive to turn into 4 hours, one busted foot switch board, 2 messed up guitars, one bruised ego, and a partridge in a pear tree. 
 We have one day to fix our broken shit and rehearse our originals before we showcase for Bob Marlette on Tuesday.  Everyone is very excited and nervous. Next weekend is Knoxville.  Since it's so close to home for us...we'd love to see as many local fans as possible.  This is the closest show we have to home.  Come and see us!
 
 

We've had a couple of days off here in Nashville but that doesn't mean that nothing has been happening.  There is so much catching up to do when you're out of town that much.  It's so hard to keep up on statements that are mailed to your house that you don't see until you get home and then it's too late and they've shut off your electricity and your chicken in your freezer has little rice shaped maggots living on it and you have to clean it off with a bunch of chlorox bleach and rubber gloves. Oh God! Wake up! Wake up!  I better pay that electric bill. 
The ride home from Charlotte was pretty painless, but we were in a hurry for 2 reasons.  Dave had a gig in Jackson Monday night and he was going to be sliding in just under the gun.  And we were also in a hurry to beat a major storm that was coming in that evening.  The mountains are not where you want to be driving when that shit comes around the corner.  Everybody made it where they needed to go and after an imaginary shower (ever had one of those?) Jeff and I headed downtown to Broadway to listen to the Randy Nations Band at the Stage and meet up with Shawn.  It was good to be home.  We saw a lot of people we knew. I got up and jammed a few songs I didn't know.  It was great. That night a massive storm came through Arkansas and Kentucky and although we didn't get the massive ice storm that they did, I did get woken up by my next door neighbor at 8am the next morning to a nice bit of snow on the ground. 
I'm all cozy in my bed after a long night of rock n roll and it's all dark when I hear "WAKE UP NEIGHBOR!!"  Oh hell, now what?  I got out of bed and put on a sweatshirt and opened my door to find my neighbor Stephanie standing on my porch with a much older guy who apparently came to bring her a McDonalds breakfast burrito and give her a ride somewhere. I've seen this guy before. He works for a car rental place or something because every time I see him he's driving a new luxury vehicle.  A while ago it was a Hummer but this week he had a fancy BMW. This car is beautiful.  Power everything!  Black. Shiny.  New tires. And buried in mud in Stephanie's back yard.  I guess it hadn't occurred to him that after 2 days of rain, it probably wasn't the best idea to drive through the yard.  He had that car so dug down in the mud that you had to step DOWN to get in the car.  He asked if I had a tow rope and I did, but I was a little apprehensive to get myself in the middle of that crap because my 4 wheel drive isn't working and I didn't want to end up in the same boat (or mud hole in this case).  So after a weak attempt to push the car out and an even weaker attempt to pull it out, we gave up and he had to call a wrecker.  I was still amazed at how you could get this stuck. Apparently when he was trying to slip and slide around the back yard, the back end of the car slammed into the deck and cracked out the tail light and crunched the bumper a little bit.  I don't think BMW's were meant for off roading.  He won't make the same mistake again. I'm sure of it.  Stephanie said that $2 burrito turned into a $102 problem (after the tow). 
I spent the next 2 days trying to repair my computer.  I gave up and Jeffro had to take over.  I'd work on it until I passed out on the couch and then he would scoop me up and put me in my room and I'd wake up to a virus free computer and think I was a genius. 
The band has decided to do a "Mocumentary" where we talk about how we're so grass roots and how we do it all for the music while having the wind blow our hair a certain way and make up people tugging on our faces.  It will be totally "Spinal Tap".  We're working out the details now.  Should be quite entertaining. We definitely have the characters to pull this one off.  I really want to finish a DVD of Jasmine Cain Band from beginning to now and this would be the icing on the cake.  Now we just have to find out if anyone will buy that kind of crap. 
One last thing that happened that everyone should know about...
We FINALLY got in touch with Bob Marlette (Producer: Saliva, Skynyrd, AC/DC) who is flying into Nashville Monday to work on Skynyrd's new album and while in town will be coming to see a private show of Jasmine Cain at a rehearsal studio to determine whether he might want to work with us.  We are holding our breath and working really hard to put our songs together in a way that he will find interesting.  This could change everything.  Keep your fingers crossed for us. 
In the meantime, we are leaving tomorrow for Louisville for our 4th of 6 weeks on the road with Easyrider Events and we're happy to report that the Convention Center and hotel we are staying at both have power...unlike most of the rest of the state who will have to wait until Valentines Day.  So if you live in Kentucky, come and join us at the Convention Center for a fun packed day of watching half naked girls dance, killer rock n roll music, maybe a little heat (in case you don't have any at your house), a little bit of light (for those that don't have power and are running out of candles), and fresh air (so you don't have to breathe carbon monoxide coming from your kerosene heater that they reccommend you don't use indoors, but you don't want to freeze to death so you lit the damn thing anyway).  Sounds like fun......right?  Well......come on!
 
 
 

Friday morning was the first time ever that the band has actually been EARLY leaving Nashville. I just want everyone to make a note of that. Apparently we are caught up in the chaos and ready to get to the next show in Charlotte because like a hardcore smoker jonesin' for a cigarette to kill the nicotine craving, we need our dose of rock n roll or else we start twitchin'. 
I had been up a good part of the night before because apparently the driver of one of the Easyrider trucks was stranded in Nashville with an abcessed tooth and couldn't continue driving.  John called me to try and find another driver ASAP and I called my buddy Panhead Phil who was ready to roll immediately, but they got some good drugs in their driver and he made it down the road, so all was well. We busted ass to get to Charlotte because we were supposed to get set up and sound check the night before the show opened.  I was sending messages to the sound company to let them know where we were so they could be prepared when we pulled in.  We made it there by 6pm and there was no sound crew.  No messages. No nothing.  No sun. No moon. No chocolates. So we just dropped the trailer and headed to the hotel. 
We ate a Irish Sportsbar called Murphys or something like that where they specialized in Italian food.  I don't get it either. The boys got a kick out of ordering too much food and asking the waitress for a small "box" and laughing because she doesn't get it.  This is a regular occurrance and I fear for their lives the day a waitress actually DOES get it and slaps the shit out of them.  I got some good pictures of Dave sleeping while sitting at the booth with his new electronic cigarette in his hands. That cigarette never gets more than 2 feet away from his mouth so that when he wakes up....it's already almost in his mouth! It has helped him slow down smoking and he can smoke in any car, hotel, airport, restaurant....anywhere he wants to do.  This vapor cigarette has saved Dave's life so there's no need for freak out temper tantrums anymore.....well, almost.
We set a wake up call for 8am and everybody was aware that it was going to be an early morning...except for Dave who fell asleep with headphones on again watching his DVD player and missed the wake up call.  I went to check on the boys next door to make sure they were ready to go when I saw Dave still soundly asleep with his DVD player playing the trailer of whatever movie he was watching over and over again. We woke him up and told him we were leaving in like 10 minutes.  It took him 7 minutes to yell at everyone about how he needs a shower.  That left him 3 minutes to actually take a shower and get down to the lobby where we were waiting. 
We set up and kinda soundchecked and I gave the sound crew hell for not staying in touch with us yesterday about the early load in.  Apparently the cell phone got run over by the truck.....again. It's not the first time and it won't be the last.  Cell phones don't stand a chance with those boys.
The show was about to open and I knew there was a Starbucks coffee just up the escalator so Jeff and I went to scope it out.  I got myself a great big jolt of caffeine in a cup and turned to head down the escalator again when I saw the line of people that were waiting to get in to the show.  I knew there was no chance in hell of us making it in the hall in a few minutes to start playing with that many people in line...so I made an executive decision.  We would go down the escalator the wrong way.  BAD IDEA!  I bolted down the steps 2 and 3 stairs at a time in my red tu-tu only to be snatched up at the finish line by some big black dude who only liked rap and his eyes were watering from someone that most likely already poked him in the eye and pissed him off. He grabbed my arm and told me to NEVER do that again.  I grabbed his arm back and said "OKAY, I WONT".  Then he asked where my wristband was and I didn't have one yet. He wouldn't let me in the show until I got myself a ticket or a wristband. I told him I was the band and he was like "Yeah, right".  So I lead him over to the giant Easyrider poster they have there at the front door with the schedule on it and right at the lower right hand corner is a picture of me so he finally let me in. That's the best kind of picture ID. 
So already I've almost been thrown out of my own show.  This happens alot. I made it back to the stage and Warren stopped me. Warren works for Easyriders. He asked me if I saw what happened to the Easyrider truck out on the loading dock?  I hadn't come in that way so he led me out there and the whole front end of the truck is completely jacked up. Apparently somebody with a bus tried to get through the loading dock (LIKE AN IDIOT) and took out the truck.  It's completely hosed. They caught the guy, but it's gonna take a while to get it up and going and they're hoping they can get it to the next show.  Oh man.
We played our first set which was acoustic and I have to say that people from NC really love music.  They sit and listen to the band when they play.  You don't see people passing by and stopping to listen for a minute before roaming on....no...they sit down and listen for the whole show!  We had  a great crowd the whole day and sold a ton of CDs with the help of our new "Merch" who showed up that day to help us.  Her name is Kat and she's oddly enough a tattoo artist (no it's not the Kat tattoo artist you are thinking of). 
A couple actually got married during the show and asked if we would play a few songs for them.  I'm always cool with that and I'm thinking of a few sweet ballads I can belt out when the bride tells me she wants to walk up to "Keep your hands to yourself"! Only at a biker wedding. Then they asked if we could play something for them after they were wed and I suggested "Your cheatin' heart" but the bride looked horrified and I had to reassure her I was just kidding...really! She asked for a valium and a beer and then had me hold her beer when the preacher walked by.  She was shaking like a leaf. I have to admit it would take more than a pill and beer to get me to walk down that isle. Bruce and Sandy said they wanted us to play "Highway to Hell" as a send off song and since I didn't really know it, Jeff taught me the chords for the chorus and I thought I could get through that okay....and I probably could have.....if Jeff had started the right song!  But out of nowhere he starts playing Hell's Bells which isn't even on the same album (Dave informed me later)! It didnt' matter. People cheered and we just played right through like we knew what we were doing. 
So we get ready to leave the venue that night when everything is shut down and we're all walking out to the paid parking lot where pretty much everyone had to park.  Bruce had found me a parking permit to stay on the loading dock but I'm glad I didn't use it because he had one too and his car got towed.  So as I'm making my way to my truck with the band, I hear a familiar voice yell, "OH SHIT".  I looked over to find Teo laying on the ground looking at the front end of his car that somebody had backed into, gotten hooked up on the bumper, and just gassed it tearing most of the bumper off.  Another Easyrider car fatality.  Suddenly the faces of our precious vehicles are being ripped off! We are faceless boxes (ha ha, Shawn) on wheels flying down the highway.
We didin't have to be at the venue on Sunday morning because the winner of some battle of the bands was playing the first set so the boys took it upon themselves to party like rockstars on Saturday night. I couldn't keep my eyes open, so I crashed out. We got to the venue during the other band's set and were almost as surprised as the young groupie kids in our dressing room when we arrived and found them helping themselves to our rider.  Our food was gone, our drinks were gone, our room was filled with the smell of patchouli and little journals that they were drawing in. For the rest of the day, Dave was screaming about the Patchouli varmits that stole our sandwiches.
We got loaded out in record time last night and all went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant. Shawn stole a drink off a sample margarita when we walked in the door.  Hope he doesn't get sick off that one...although by now I think he may be immune to almost everything.  It was a great weekend here in Charlotte. We played great!  But it's time to head to Nashville and have a gear fixing day.  All our crap is starting to fall apart.  I'm gonna burn a few things. 
While at the Mexican restaurant a few serious things were decided by the band:
1. A shamrock calzone never smells good after the 2nd day in the truck.
2. Tanea's ass is just a force to be reckoned with and it's just not right.
3. Shawn is going to hell when he dies.
 
See you on the road..........

This blog is going to cover 2 days worth of events because the one I posted last night has magically disappeared from my computer screen.  I fell asleep in the middle of it and gremlins creeped into my keyboard and erased everything....although it could've been my forehead which was pressed up against the keys while I was passed out. Anyway.........
I got a phone call from Larry Bagby yesterday morning asking me if I wanted to audition for a part in a movie he was trying out for.  I've always wanted to be involved with acting, but quite honestly I was so freakin' tired from being out on Sunset Strip so late the night before that I didn't want to make an ass of myself, so I said no for now.  Hopefully I'll have my chance again with Larry's help.  I don't even know if I'm good at that kind of thing.
He had such a crazy schedule lined up that I decided it was best for us to just meet up later as I was working on this show at the Whisky. I'm still trying to find people to attend....so if you know of anyone in LA that wants to go....I'm your man, or woman, or whatever. So......we decided to meet up around 9pm and finish the vocal part to the song we tracked with the boys the night before called "Love's a Gamble".  It's a duet and I'm the lucky lady who gets to sing with the star of the movie!!  Ha ha ha.  I haven't used my country chops in quite some time but it's kind of like falling off a bike (as opposed to riding one). Anybody can do it. So I did it. I got 'er done.
We finished at the studio really late last night and cruised into the hotel at about 2am.  We are staying at the Sheraton Four Points in Culver City, CA about 7 miles from the Strip.  Apparently Larry has a hook-up with Sheraton hotels across the country where he gets the employee rate of $50 per night anywhere.  It's awesome! And as payment for our work on his song, he set up a reservation for us at this hotel.  Immediately we butted heads with hotel staff because when we checked in they asked me for some kind of employee form to get the employee rate.  I, of course, had no idea what they were talking about and explained that this was set up for us and we were just instructed to check in and pay for the rooms.  We had the reservation confirmation in hand.  This woman wouldn't budge. She was screaming at me and saying if we don't provide the form, I have to pay full price which is about $150 bucks a night!!  Holy shit!! I asked if we got that form by check out time if she would reimburse me and she said "yes" or "si" or whatever the fuck they say around this peice of shit fuckin' hotel.  So I called Larry and told him the deal and he said he would take care of it.  Well today I was in the middle of radio interview with 97.1FM in Nashville when there was a loud pounding on my door.  I opened it to find a very angry woman with a clipboard standing there screaming at me to go to the front desk immediately!  I told her I would be there in a minute and she said "NO! YOU WILL GO NOW!!"  I told her I was on a phone interview and I would be there in a minute!  She started screaming again so I kicked the door shut and apologized to the radio DJ that was speaking to me.  Well that bitch must have left my room and headed straight to the boys room because interrupting my phone interview not one, not two, but three more times was a call from each one of the boys who wondered what the hell was up with the crazy clipboard lady.  We ended the interview and I headed to the front desk to see what the fuck was so important that they had to come screaming at me.  She said I needed to pay more money because they only charged me for one night and I was staying 3 nights.  I told her there was a problem with what they were charging me and it was being solved. Actually Larry was holding on the line at the front desk trying to solve the problem at the same time I was there talking to them.  They didn't want to listen to me or my bullshit so I paid them and told them I'd be getting a refund when I check out in the morning.  That's when the head bitch says that unless this gets solved in the next 30 minutes, they were keeping my money and I could fuck off.  Well, it didn't get solved in 30 minutes so I am out $1300 for 2 hotel rooms for 3 nights. Can you say highway robbery?  I knew you could. 
Anyway, Larry was so bummed out by it that he just disappeared for the rest of the day and we were supposed to meet and go through his contacts to try and get some industry people at our show on Friday.  I understand having to check out sometimes, but I was really counting on that because I'd already had one important contact person fall off the charts somewhere and I was trying to make up for it.  So instead I spent the whole day trying to find industry people, friends, anybody that would come to the show.  It's been a real fuckin' drag.
I did touch base with a few close friends of mine who will be there like Danny Jones (filmed our music videos), Scotti Hill, Rachel Bolin, & Snake (Skid Row),  Richard Dalton (photographer), and a few others that I met the other night. My friend Mike Heald called to try and pick me up because I was bumming a little today and so he tried to order me room service to bring me a nice meal and a bottle of wine, but they can't allow that because they can't take his fuckin' credit card over the phone.  WTF is up with this fuckin' hotel?  Are they trying to make my expensive stay as miserable as possible? I guess this is the last time we will be staying at a Four Points Sheraton.  They can suck my dick.
I did listen to the rough mix track of Love's a Gamble today and it sounded really good so that did bring my spirits up a little bit.  Dave just came in and told me Heather is blasted drunk in his room and Jeff & Shawn left to go do laundry so he wants to take me to eat.....in this fuckin' Sheraton restaurant that won't even allow someone else to buy me room sevice!! They probably won't let Dave pay for my food and I'll get stuck buying everyone in the whole damn place dinner to make up for their inconveniences.  What a bunch of dicks. 
Have a nice night and enjoy your stay at the Four Points Sheraton Hotels.