DAY 8

SEPTEMBER 6, 2006

Knoxville, Tennessee to Cocoa Beach, Florida

Distance Traveled: 712 Miles

Total Tour Distance Traveled: 4318 Miles

            We left The Long Branch Saloon in Knoxville around 3 a.m. and set out for Florida. We stopped for gas and snacks around 4 a.m. and the Quissel then took us through the foggy mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina somewhat steadily through the night. (Mikey couldn't sleep because he feared for his life with the swerving  Quissler guiding the vessel) As the sun came up, Quiz handed over the reins in South Carolina to Mark who then took us through Georgia and down to Daytona Beach Florida. We decided to stay in Daytona because it was centrally located on the east coast of Florida. Our shows in Florida were on the beach up and down the east coast. Jacksonville Beach, Cocoa Beach and Melbourne Beach, the three towns we are playing in, are all about the same distance from Daytona. We scored a sweet buy one night, get the next night free, deal at a beachfront hotel that was under construction. We figured the spot would be just like the Hotel "Coral Essex" in the movie Revenge of The Nerds 2. Aside from the jack hammering that went on from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. everyday and the 2 day power outage that happened in one of our rooms it was a fine place to lay our heads and it was right on the beach and beggars can't be choosers. We went for a quick swim in the Atlantic, cleaned up and then headed down the 95 about 80 miles to Cocoa Beach, Florida. On the way we passed the Daytona International Speedway, the mecca for Neckcar, we mean NASCAR fans as well as the launch site for the space shuttle, Cape Canaveral. Both were impressive indeed.

            Cocoa Beach, Florida is a lazy beach town about 55 miles from Orlando. It is home to the world's largest and most famous surf shop, Ron Jon. We played at a really nice neighborhood bar called The Surfer's Sports Pub. Amber, the bartender, and her boyfriend Adam, the owner, took great care of us and have become fast friends of ours. We met a lot of friendly people who seemed to be regulars at the bar. They all enjoyed the Shakedown performance and most of them left with new Shakedown CD's. After the show we went to a house down the street and partied the night away until the early morning. The Quissel went as far as to boot in the bathroom and then pass out. We loved the people and pub in Cocoa Beach. We are sure to become regulars at The Surfers Sports Pub.    

DAILY FOOD REVIEW

The Chicken Quesadilla and Crab Cakes @ Surfer's Sports Pub, Cocoa Beach, Florida

            The Surfers Sports pub has a small short order kitchen where they make appetizers out of. We have to say they do well for themselves with such little to work with and plus we ate for free and that always make the food taste a little better. The Chicken quesadilla came in the shape of a taquito and could have been one if they had thrown it in the deep fryer. We thought that these were actually quite good, although we did tell the cook that a quesadilla should come flat like a pancake, cut like a pizza. The Crab Cakes were fried to a dark brown and served with a spicy sauce that was a lot like the orange sauce you get with your bloomin onion at The Outback. The sauce was really good and made the average frozen crab cakes taste a lot better then they should have. We want to thank Surfer's Sports Pub for the free grub and commend them for making very tolerable food in such a limited area.  

3 Stars out of 5

GAS STATION SNACK REVIEW OF THE DAY

Blue Diamond's Wasabi Soy Almonds

            Hands down the best almonds ever invented from our friends Blue Diamond in Sacramento. We take in many a nut (the food) on our tours. When we stumbled across the Wasabi Soy we knew we had hit pay dirt. These are our favorite nuts out there. Each one tastes like a mini sushi roll, which by the way, we are missing tremendously from California. (We are afraid to eat sushi anywhere else) So being that The Wasabi Soy Almonds are our new favorite snack and Blue Diamond, their maker, operates out of our hometown, we are expecting a full sponsorship from the good people over at Blue Diamond. We are expecting your call.

QUIZDOM OF THE DAY

The Quiz Says:

            "When you get lost, trust the locals."

Translation:

            Make allies whenever possible. The more friends you have the better.

DISCLAIMER: The Views and Opinions expressed in the Quizdom of The Day feature of this blog in no way reflect the views and opinions of Shakedown or Root One Music.

SONGS OF THE DAY

Eazy E

            We Want Eazy

FAN OF THE DAY

Amber, Adam (dave) and Bradley B