Eleven

So we just had all those elevens pass by- November 11, 2011, 11-11-11!
Eleven has plastered itself all over me for the past few years.  I feel like every time I look up I see an 11 somewhere.. or a 1:11 or 11:11.  I'll give you a couple of examples.

Last time I went up to Jimmy John's Camp Jackpine in Wisconsin I was riding in the mini van that was shuttling me north.  I was listening to sweet, soothing music on my i-pod and just relaxing my body.  The number eleven popped into my mind- it had been coming to me for a year and a half at that point so it was nothing new.  For some odd reason I wrote it on the inside of my arm- small- in purple ink.  I went to switch tunes on my i-pod and low and behold it was 11:11 on the clock.  I smiled.  On we drove.  When we arrived at Jackpine Leslie, Jimmy's wife escorted us to our cabin.  Cabin 11 of course.  I smiled.

While I was in Florida this past winter I stayed at a house that had a lovely outdoor pool area (thanks cuz Marcie and Alan)- I glanced up at the clock on the wall that hadn't worked for months.  It was stuck permanently with it's hands frozen at…. 11:11 exactly.  I smiled.

When I shaved my head last year… it was time to get rid of the long hair.  I had noticed a thinning spot on the back of my head.  This can't be, said I.  But yes, it was true.  The hair on the back of my head was thinning not just in one place but two!!  Of course by now you know right???  The two thin spots are side by side… in the shape of… a dad …gum... ELEVEN.

It happens ALL the time and it makes me smile every time!

I looked it up.  You can do this thing called 'your life path number'.  Using your birthday- mine is February 4, 1967.  February is the second month= 2.  The fourth is, obviously, the 4th day= 4.  With the year you add all the numbers 1+9+6+7= 23.  Reduce that number by adding the digits [2+3=5].  So I get 2, 4 and 5.  Add them up.  How did I know it would add up to Eleven.  I smiled.

I shall listen to this message!!!!

I know it's a pretty good message for me- to keep things positive.  Put worries out of my mind and think of what I want to manifest in my life.  And to maintain integrity throughout.  POSITIVE.. think positive!  It does a body good!

I like 11.  I just might tatoo it to my arm someday!  Maybe if I display 11 on my arm I won't have to display it on my HEAD!!!  :)

And of course- let us not forget Nigel Tufnel!  "This one goes to 11!"

Rock On and take 'er easy!
HIMEBAUGH

HelloDave.com ???? www.no you di'int

Hi folks- hope you're day is perfect.  I like to be happy… "unreasonably happy".  I think it's a good way to go about life.  Just try your hardest to be happy, no matter what.  Sure there are times in our lives when 'things' happen and you feel you just can't be happy.  But, thankfully, they don't happen everyday.  For most of us, those 'things' don't happen often at all.  So, during the weeks, months or years between those 'things' I just work on being happy.  Even 'simulated' happy will tend to lead to real happy.  Have you ever been with someone and just try to start laughing.  After a few moments you can't help but really laugh a loud, outlandish laughter.  Ah laughter… that's the best!!

I've received a bunch of emails lately from friends and listeners about www.HelloDave.com.  It appears that the web site has disappeared.  Yes, it has.  It has been deliberately taken down.  Due to some unfortunate issues we've lost our domain.  The band has been going through management changes and it's been a long, challenging process.  We are uncertain if the band will ever get HelloDave.com back so I went out and got HelloDaveBand.com from the kind folks at GoDaddy!  Now I'm looking for some help… some webbies!!!  Is that what you call them?  Somebody who might be interested in helping me out with our NEW page!

Contact us at HelloDave2@gmail.com if you or anybody you know can help us out.
In the mean time come find us on www.FaceBook.com/HelloDave2 and like us.  I'll send out updates through there- or if you'd like- send your e mail address to HelloDave2@gmail.com and I'll add you to a new mailing list!

This whole deal is kind of a bummer but I'm still happy… unreasonably happy!!  :)

Rock On and a new web page!!!
HIMEBAUGH

HIMEBAUGH

HIMEBAUGH

I picked up my first guitar when I was 20 years old.  It was in my garage and belonged to my Step Dad.  It was an old Guild guitar with 2 strings on it.  I took it to the guitar store guy and asked him if he could fix it.  A day later I picked the guitar up and bought a laminated card with a whole bunch of ‘guitar chords’ on it.  I quickly went home and huddled in my bedroom for the next 16 hours.  I learned the G chord.  Heaven.  I was in Heaven.  I learned the D chord.  I almost learned the C chord and all of a sudden I could almost play a whole song, sort of.  

Really, that’s how it happened.  

The summer that followed that fateful, spring day was the summer of song.  I played along with some of my favorite songs.  I was in awe.  I couldn’t believe that songs were... for lack of a better word... EASY.  The basic framework of the songs I liked consisted of 3 or 4 chords most of the time.  Sometimes it was just 2 chords!  I already knew 8 chords.  Heaven.  

I started humming my own melodies to my chords.  HUH???  Could it be that maybe I could somehow WRITE a song?  Sure enough, one day in my Fathers house in Plymouth, MI I sat down and actually wrote a whole song.  I wrote it about a girl... of course.  But it was a song.  Nobody ever heard that song... EVER.  Writing songs became my favorite thing in the world to do.  

I met some guys at Eastern Illinois University, where I attended college.  Greg Scalia taught me how to play some more chords.  Frank Gerage taught me more about writing songs.  He could play guitar really good AND bass.  We started playing songs together at parties around campus.  Then one day this dude walked up and said ‘I can play drums’!!!  That was Pat Wagner.  And he could play drums!  We played songs by the BoDeans and REM.  We played songs by the Indigo Girls and John Cougar.  We met a guy who had a huge sound system, Ken Reynolds.  Kenny called me a singer/songwriter.  So I showed the guys some of my songs.... and...that was the day my life changed courses.  Pre-med had now become the school of rock (no copy write infringement intended)!  We played some of the local bars and frat houses.  Then we even branched out to another town not far away... yup... we were ‘on the road’!  

I promised my Mom I would stay in college until I graduated.  So I did.  Then the band started playing a little more.  By 1993 I headed to Chicago to live and go full time with the band.  Heaven.  We found a manager, John Wanzung, and we really hit the road.  We toured from San Francisco to Key West and Martha’s Vineyard to Havasu, AZ!  Through out the 90’s we played around 200 shows a year.  The band changed a few times... Mike Hall played guitar and Willis Petocki played bass.  Steve Merchant played the drums until Bryan Resendiz (REZ) joined us.  I made Chicago my home and the Unit, our touring RV, my home away from home.  With the 2000’s more folks came and went- Big Al Wetzel played bass and Magoo strummed the guitar.  Then Peter Bauschke started playing drums and Marty Williamson joined Magoo on lead guitar and Matt Longbons signed up to play bass!  Through out this time I was writing songs and learning some songs that the other guys wrote and we made cds.  We released, Hello Dave (self titled first cd), West, a Christmas CD, 16tons, Wicked Revelry, Perfect Day and finally Chicago Twang.  We played rock festivals we played country festivals.  We were played on triple A radio, college radio and mainstream country radio.  We had ups and we had downs but we always played music and put smiles on the faces of people who sometimes drove hundreds of miles to see us.  I play music for a living.... Heaven.  I’m so proud to have stood beside my band mates for so many years and create music that has become- as many have told me- ‘the sound track to their lives’.  First dances, first dates and first babies has been our legacy.   

For the past couple years I’ve been heading out of town on my own.  I play shows at clubs, festivals and at people’s houses.  I’ve been writing songs and recording them.  I’m releasing my first batch of solo music in 2011.  

I am HIMEBAUGH and I like to write and sing songs to make people smile.

HD to Effing-Ham it up!

Good day!  I'm writing from the Farm today- what a glorious fall it's been so far.  I took a trip to Grand Rapids, MI last week to play with a group called Home Again.  It was their cd release party and what a great time it was.  I opened the show with about a 45 minute set and then spent most of the rest of the night on stage with HG.

We got there early enough on Wednesday night for a little rehearsal at Mackinaw Harvest Studios - that's where HD recorded our last record… or rekad as the Colonel likes to call it.  The Colonel owns Mackinaw Harvest- he's the feller we made Chicago Twang with.  Some of you will remember we streamed almost the whole affair on the internets!  Good memories of "Magoo After Dark" and "count the olives"….

The show was great- we sang my favorites-  Holding on to Love and Lightning McQueen!  I was in Mackinaw Harvest doing some recording last fall when Home Again was recording so I got to sit in a bit.. hence I knew the tunes!!

Fairchild made the trip with me and we spent the night in the Holtgrieve driveway.. in the RV Madison of course- he invited us in like a good host but, really, we have everything we need in the MoHo so we'd rather just spend the night in it.  The next morning we got to hang out with the Andy and Emily and their three wee ones- Matthew, Mary and Molly!  What a bunch of cuties they are!  We had "Western Breakfast" in recognition of The Farm that Fairchild and I now live on.  Thanks Emily!

This week- tomorrow- we are headed to Effingham, IL for a Hello Dave show.  Thursday night at the EPC- it's a beautiful theater in Marty's hometown.  Big Al Wetzel is sitting in with us because Longbons can't be there!  We're gonna have us a good time.
Vicki, Marty's wife has been working hard hard hard on this show!  Thanks so much Vicki!

Alrighty- see you in E-ham.
Rock On and Take 'er easy!
HIMEBAUGH