rickyleepotts… an opinionated realist

After spending almost a week down in Florida for the 2010 Spring Golf Inc. Magazine Conferences, I had an itch to play some golf. Being down there surrounded by beautiful golf courses everywhere you look made it seem impossible to not have packed my clubs. So on the last day of the conferences we packed our things and headed to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida to see the TPC Sawgrass. This is where they hold the year’s fifth major, the Players Championship. Guys like Phil and Tiger play here every year and the course has all sorts of history. Thanks to a phone call and some great conversations, we were able to tour the clubhouse and a handful of holes out on the course. I also had the chance to secure an interview with their head professional, Mr. Matt Borocz. He was gracious enough to answer all of my questions leading up to this year’s event and I am extremely please to introduce you to Matt here today.

How long have you been playing golf?

I started playing golf when I was six years old.  I would practice in our yard with my brother and dad.

What is your first memory of the game?

I would always practice around the house.  My first significant memory was attending the 1987 Ryder Cup at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio with my dad, my mom and my brother.  That was the first time I received an autograph from the “Golden Bear” Jack Nicklaus. I also remember the European team celebrating their victory on the 18th green.

Did you, or do you currently, play any sports other than golf?

As a kid, I played soccer for six+ years, karate for six+ years and then I just wanted to focus on golf full-time.  I also snow skied throughout middle school and high school.  In High School I played four years of varsity golf.

Ever had a hole in one?

Still waiting on one.

What is your lowest round you have ever shot?

My lowest 18-hole round in competition is a 72 when I was junior in high school.   I consider myself an average player.  Since I was about thirteen years old, I knew that I wanted to become a PGA Club Professional.  I love/enjoy being around the golf course.

What about the highest?

Not sure, only focus on the positive rounds.  I’ve learned a lot since my junior golf years.  Now that I do not play as much, I enjoy the game much more.  It is a privilege to play, no reason to get frustrated.

How many rounds a week do you play?

Very good question. It fluctuates based upon business levels at the club.

So, you might be working for one of the nicest and most talked about courses in the game. What is like working for the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course?

I am honored and privileged to have the opportunity to be employed at TPC Sawgrass.  It is a very special place being the home of the PGA Tour and The Players.

I am sure you have had the chance to meet many of the games great players. Anyone stick out more than another?

I had the opportunity to meet Phil Mickleson in the Champions Locker Room after his 2007 Players victory.  I also had the privilege to meet Tiger Woods at the 2008 “Tee It Up with Tiger” presented by Nike Golf.

I told myself a few years back I am not allowed to die before I have a meal with Tiger Woods. Have you ever had the chance to sit and chat with Tiger? (Note that I am his biggest fan. I will argue that with anyone!)

As I mentioned above, I had the opportunity to meet him on the 10th tee of the Trump National Golf Club LA.  I was impressed with how he took time to say hello to each participant in a sincere manner.  A very cool experience!

Where are you originally from?

I am from Strongsville, Ohio. It is a suburb of Cleveland.

You seem to work with a bunch of really nice individuals including your general manager Mr. Bill Hughes. Tell me what it’s like working with a team of well-oiled machines like Mr. Hughes.

That is a very good question.  It is a privilege to work around such a passionate/dedicated group of people.  Everyone on our team is focused on creating a magical expereince for our members and guests.  Everyday Bill comes with a “Can Do” positive attitude.  He is always trying to bring the best out of individuals, department and club as a whole.  There is never a day that Bill does not bring a 100% passion for TPC Sawgrass and PGA Tour.  I’ve been extremely blessed to have a great group of PGA Professionals that have been mentors to me.  They taken an interest in my career and have been a tremendous help along the way.  I hope I can have the same impact in my career.

How many balls have you hit in the water on hole 17?

Only positive thoughts…do not count.

What are you doing during the week of the Player’s?

Our #1 goal is to offer a memorable expereince to our PGA Tour players and their families.  My goal is to support the golf operations and the Players Championship Team.

So I want to come back to the club and play a round with you and Mr. Hughes. Any chance we can make that happen before the year is out?

Please let me know when you are visiting the Jacksonville area.

What is in your bag? (I am talking everything from the driver to the putter and everything in between.)

907D2 driver, 906 F2 3-Wood – 15 degree, Titleist Hybrid 585-H – 19 & 24 degree, Titleist AP2 Irons, Vokey Wedges 54 and 60 degree, Scotty Cameron, Studio Select Newport 2, Titleist Pro VIx (Initials – MEB), Titleist Players Glove, Foot-Joy Shoes – Dry Joys and Icons. That’s everything!

How much TPC Sawgrass merchandise do you own?

The majority of my clothes have the TPC Sawgrass logo.  There is no reason to shop at another store.  Our golf shop has just about everything available to the customer.  Recognized as Best 100 Golf Shop by Golf World in 2009.

You look to be pretty young. When did you first become a pro?

When I was eleven years old I started at Columbia Hills Country Club as a caddie.  That same year I was practicing at a local public course. (Pine Hills Golf Club)  The PGA Head Golf Professional saw me on the practice range.  He asked if I wanted to work for free golf and a sleeve of practice balls per week.  I took the job right away, shagging golf balls on the range every Saturday and Sunday.  After two years, I was promoted to work the golf carts as a starter.  I worked at Pine Hills for seven years and completed my first college internship at the club.  I started at Coastal Carolina Univeristy, Conway, South Carolina, in the fall of 1998.  In 1999 I had a very lucky break and had the opportunity to work at TPC Myrtle Beach.  I started on the practice facility and moved up to the outside operations department. My senior year of college I was offered a full-time position as Assistant Golf Professional.  In 2004 I had the opportunity to interview at TPC Sawgrass for the Assistant Golf Professional position.  In December 2005 the Head Golf Professional left for a new opportunity.  At that time, I had the opportunity to improve my knowledge and develop my experience as a golf professional.  My goal was to increase my value in the TPC Network and hopefully prepare myself for a Head Professional position in the TPC Network.  I was very lucky to have people that believed in my abilities.  I have been very fortunate to have a team that supports the core values and club mission.  In May 2007 I was promoted to Head Golf Professional.

I graduated from Coastal Carolina Univeristy, BSBA in Marketing speciliazing in Professional Golf Managment.  Elected to PGA of America membership in May 2004.

Who is your favorite PGA Tour player?

When I was a kid, Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couples.  Now, I have an interest in the local players that call TPC Sawgrass home.  Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Fred Funk, Frank Lickliter and the other thirty some players that live locally.

How many days a year can you actually play golf in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida? (They say you can play 360+ days a year in Scottsdale. I just want to compare!)

The TPC Sawgrass (The Players Stadium and Dye’s Valley Course) is open 365 days per year.

I can’t afford it, but what sort of benefits do members get?

TPC Sawgrass Social Club Membership

The TPC Sawgrass Social Club Membership provides you with access to bring guests to TPC Sawgrass for breakfast, lunch and casual dinner service in Nineteen and access to Champions, the formal, members-only dining room, for dinner. Benefits include exclusive, member-only pricing, a 20% discount on a la carte and wine by the bottle menus for parties up to eight. You’ll also receive a $300 credit towards food and beverage purchases to be used during the annual term of your membership. Social Club members will also be able to enjoy occassions by invitation, such as wine dinners hosted by renowned wine makers, themed dinners, events and holiday functions.

When it’s time to play the game, Social Club members will have access up to forty-eight in advance to The Players Stadium Course or Dye’s Valley Course with a 10% High Season discount and a 25% Summer Season discount. Other Social member discounts include 20% savings on merchandise in the full-service golf shop and a 20% discount at the Tour Academy. In addition, both you and your spouse will enjoy charge privileges at the TPC Sawgrass.

You may upgrade to a Social Associate Membership for an additional $450, which allows you to book golf fourteen days in advance for members appreciation rates. The member’s first round of golf on The Players Stadium Course is included with this upgrade.

TPC Sawgrass Social Club Membership

Annual dues are $500 for a one-year membership.

Dye’s Valley Annual Pass

As a Dye’s Valley Course Member, privileges will be extended to your spouse and dependent children up to the age of 25, and is non-transferable. Annual dues are $2,400*. Renewal dues are billed annually.

Members play for cart fees only when playing Dye’s Valley and receive member appreciation rates when playing The Players Stadium.

* Member pays cart fee only on Dye’s Valley Course

* May make starting times up to 10 days in advance on Dye’s Valley Course and

*7 days in advance on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course

* Accompanied guests pay 25% less than current seasonal guest fee

* Engraved bag tag for new members

* Dining room and banquet facilities available for daily use or private and group functions

* Use of practice facilities; Practice balls are supplied when playing a round of golf

* Use of daily lockers during your visit

* Forecaddies, Double bag and single carry caddies available upon request

* Members receive a 20% discount on dining, Golf Shop merchandise, and TOUR Academy Lessons, club fitting, and repair

Member Appreciation Rates when playing The Players Stadium Course:

* Bring one to three paying guests, Member pays $50 golf fee.

I just can’t get over the fact that you are the head pro at the TPC Sawgrass. I want your job!

Thank you – It’s an honor and privilege to carry the tradition of TPC Sawgrass.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I would be very happy with being the Head Professional at TPC Sawgrass.  I think it’s a position that should have stability and consistency.  My next career goal is to be a General Manager with the TPC Network.  I would like to accomplish this in five to eight years from now.

What do you, as a professional, want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?

Another very good question. Give back to the game that has been very good to me.  Recruit, hire, and train PGA Professionals for their next career step.  Hopefully they will filled prepared and ready for their next opportunity.

I always let the bands that I interview get the last word. Why not you? Go.

What do you enjoy most about your blog writing? And why?  What are your career goals and aspirations? Thank you for including me on your blog and enjoy the Players!

Anyone that has ever read my blog knows that I am a huge fan of dance music. Whether it is non-vocal trance music that just repeats beats for hours on end or high intensity dance music that forces me out of my chair dancing all over the room, I am addicted to this genre. When I first started listening to this style of music, I thought it would be a phase. But over the last five years, this has gone from being a temporary fix to a lifestyle change.

I have seen shows in small venues with my closest friends and shows with fifty thousand people watching one DJ spin records until the sun comes up. I have traveled to all corners of the globe to see artists like David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Paul Oakenfold, and many more. Each show is unique, offering the fans something to remember and a chance to dance the night away.

Labor Day weekend is usually spent with friends and families gathering around the grill sharing a meal and a few drinks. Most of us have that following Monday off so it is time for a long weekend and chance to relax. Well, this year Labor Day weekend is going to be filled with nothing more than timeless beats and some of the world’s best DJs. If you are anywhere near New York City, then prepare to dance your butt off at Electric Zoo.

Electric Zoo, brought to you by Made Event, has only released a handful of acts that will be spinning that weekend, and it includes names like The Chemical Brothers, Paul van Dyk, Benny Benassi, ATB, and John Digweed. They are expecting over 50 more artists to appear on numerous stages. This is a two-day festival, New York’s Electronic Music Festival, that you cannot afford to miss.

This is not the first time for a festival like this. This year, the event returns to Randall’s Island Park and will take place on Saturday, September 4^th, and Sunday, September 5^th, 2010. This event will once again bring the finest in techno, trance, house, and indie dance music.  To give you an idea of how insane this weekend is, last year they hosted over 26,000 crazed fans to their inaugural festival. Not bad for their first attempt.

The music kicks off on Saturday with the Chemical Brothers dishing out their own style of dance music. This will be nothing but a rare performance from a well-known and respected act. You can view these guys on the main stage a well as guys like Paul van Dyk and ATB. But on Sunday, things kick off with the world’s number one DJ, the one and only Armin van Buuren. I had the chance to see him perform last year, and even had the chance to share in conversation with him, and I cannot wait to see him perform again.

By the time the second day of dancing is over, you are not going to want to do anything but rest your feet. But you better hurry as early bird tickets are already on sale and are offered in limited quantities. You can purchase your tickets online and secure your spot for this epic event. Celebrate Labor Day in style, people—spend it dancing. The only thing I want to know is will you come dance with me this year at New York’s Electronic Music Festival?

Although they are nowhere to be found on my current diet, I absolutely love the smell and the taste of doughnuts. It doesn’t matter to me if they are the boring glazed doughnuts most people turn to or if you go a little crazy with a bear claw or a jelly filled. I won’t turn my nose to too many of these tasty little guys. (I have to admit; I also like the ones with sprinkles.)

Doughnuts are also extremely easy to get your hands on. You can grab a dozen of these at your local grocery store, almost any gas station, or even at more obvious places like Krispy Kreme or Dunkin’ Donuts. And speaking of Dunkin’ Donuts, have you ever had their coffee? Their French vanilla blend is to die for.

If you so happen to find an actual Krispy Kreme store you can watch them produce the doughnut and order one right off the line. There are a couple of these here in the Circle City. There is not much that beats a tall glass of milk and a fresh warm glazed doughnut.

The folks at Dunkin’ Donuts actually took this one step further and have recently run a contest for all of their fans to create the next Dunkin’ Donut. They are down to the final twelve and they were selected based on the ingredients, the doughnut name, and the story behind the doughnut. Out of these twelve finalists only one will win the bragging rights to the next featured item on the DD menu. For their hard work and efforts, each of the twelve finalists were awarded $1,200, a year’s supply of doughnuts, and given the opportunity to participate in a bake-off at the Dunkin’ Donuts headquarters in Massachusetts.

From this point on, it is up to us to choose the winner. Working exclusively with Mashable, Dunkin’ Donuts is asking you to cast your vote. I was so hungry after reading through all of these finalists I just wanted to take the time to share them with you here. Try to consider this a reason to vote for your favorite pastry.

Cop Cake

The Cop Cake is a fluffy cake doughnut with chocolate icing, topped with white sprinkles and chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. This masterpiece was created by Chris Schinnerer of Clackamas, Oregon. It makes pretty good sense that the first one on this is titled the cop cake! Speaking of cops, who ever came up with that stereotype anyway? I hardly ever see a police officer sitting around eating doughnuts!

Full Moon

The Full Moon is a cheesecake crème-filled doughnut with white icing, topped with shredded coconut and Hershey’s Vanilla shavings. It was created by Pat Coope of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. I was actually just in Ponte Vedra Beah, Florida visiting the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course. I wish I had known about her doughnut making skills. I would have stopped in and tried one!

I Like You a Latte

This tasty treat is a chocolate cake doughnut with maple icing, topped with white and chocolate sprinkles. It was created by Rosemary Burian of Joliet, Illinois. The inspiration came from her addiction to coffee. Just. Imagine how good that would be with a tall cup of Joe. You never can have too much coffee.

Let Freedom “Ring”

This patriotic treat is a blueberry cake doughnut with white icing, topped with red and blue sprinkles. It was created by Jack Turchetta of Cranston, Rhode Island. Talk about a way to celebrate being free. I just want to see a picture of this doughnut to see how patriotic it really is. Let freedom ring is an understatement!

Mango Fandango

This bad boy is a berry mango-filled glazed doughnut, topped with pink and orange sprinkles. It was created by Rachel Llanes of Miami, Florida. Talk about a doughnut fit the for beaches of Miami, Florida. On a recent trip to the islands of Hawaii I had many tastes of the mango and orange flavors. This doughnut has to be enjoyed on a beach somewhere near you!

Monkey-See Monkey-Donut

This doughnut is a bananas foster-filled ring with chocolate icing, topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shavings. This is compliments of Rachel Davis of Sharon, Massachusetts. I wonder if she had Elvis in her mind when she created this tasty morsel. We all know how the King loves his bananas and peanut butter.

Mornin’ Paper

Something simple but yet equally delicious, this bad boy is a chocolate butter crème-filled doughnut with white icing, topped with chocolate sprinkles. Created by Catherine Kunkle of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Much A Do About Nut Things

This sucker is a chocolate cake doughnut with peanut butter icing, topped with shredded coconut and chopped roasted almonds. Created by Stefanie Schwalb of New York, New York. I am not a huge fan of coconut but man do I like almonds. If she made me one I would eat it. Just saying!

Nut N’ Fancy

Try a peanut butter-filled doughnut with chocolate icing, topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shavings and whole Reese’s Pieces candies. Created by Lisa Burns of Medford, New Jersey. I wonder if she likes peanut butter?

Pumpkin to Pie-n For

This is a doughnut meant for the fall season. This is a pumpkin cake doughnut with maple icing, topped with Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips shavings and graham cracker crunch. Created by Kelly Rice of Orlando, Florida. Just thinking of this doughnut makes me want to grab the closest costume and head out the door grabbing candy from my neighbors.

S’morgasbord

I was just talking about campfires with a few of my friends just the other day. How fitting? This puppy is a marshmallow-filled doughnut with chocolate icing, topped with graham cracker crunch. Created by Chris Wiley of Medford, Massachusetts. If that doesn’t make you picture being in the woods sharing ghost stories while the sun goes down, I don’t what would!

Snack-o-Lantern

Keeping with the holiday spirit, this is a pumpkin cake doughnut with maple icing, topped with Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips shavings. Created by Jennifer Hayes, Hardwick, Massachusetts. Nothing beats thinking about the scariest holiday of them all.

There you have it. These are your twelve finalists. Which one are you going to vote for? The more I go back and read these I have no idea who I am going to vote for! Each one of them sounds so good. I would love to be able to try one of each of these to get the real experience. Perhaps since there are twelve of them once the content is over they will make a variety pack so we can in fact try each one of them. The only thing I know is that I am stopping by Dunkin Donuts on my way home from work. Thanks for making me hungry!

Note that if you visit the Dunkin’ Donuts website and find your way into the actual contest itself, you can learn more about each doughnut according to it’s maker. I just wanted to give you a little taste of what they are doing over there. Eat up!)

It is getting to the point where I am running out of bands to interview. Better yet, it is getting to the point that I am running out of bands that I have heard of to work with. Not too long ago I posted a message on Twitter and Facebook asking my readers and friends if they knew anyone in a band that would like some added exposure. I got plenty of leads and have actually been interviewing all of those bands since. But the band that I have with me today is one that comes from a true supporter of good music. I worked with Stacey Kuzda on some press passes for a show last year at BoMA and had not really heard from her since. But when I posted this message about needing a band to interview she was right there. She introduced me to the guys that I am sitting with today. It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to a true rock band. These guys are as nice as they are talented. Sit back and hag out with the guys from ofHuman.

Where did you come up with that name?

ofHuman was a name we conjured up after deciding that we wanted something different, capitalizing the “H” and making the name one word. We prefer to let the listener decide what it means to them (sort of like what Hoobastank does?), but while out at shows, we are walking around in the crowd before and after we play, mingling new and old friends. We like to keep relationships with our fans on a personal level as much as possible by always being available at our merch table so we can stay real people that fans can chat with and learn more about us as people, too. It feels that sometimes bands/artists tend to reach a level where they become out of reach – they show up in a bus, play the show and are immediately back on their bus to the next show. It makes them seem intangible to the fans.

How long have you guys all known each other?

As friends, we have known each other for anywhere from four to eleven years but as ofHuman, we will have been a band for two years in May.

Where did you all meet?

Josh and I have played music together since I first got my drum set back in 1999 (about eleven years). Stephen (his real name is Cletus, although he would argue with me on that), Dave and I attended Hilliard Darby High School and Cletus and Dave met Josh through me in high school.

That album cover is incredible. Who designed that?

Thanks! (We like it, too!) Josh collaborated with our good friend Brian Kozicki on the idea for the artwork, who has also designed two of our MySpace layouts and is our photographer.

Any reason why she has no mouth?

The concept behind “…all the plastic arts” is an idea we came up with after years of playing around many venues and learning about the different levels of talent and success through many people in the music business and our attempt to keep music on a more real level. We have found out, through the grape vine and first hand experiences, that there are many ways to “make” a band in the studio. Not always, but in a lot of cases, a band can be made out to sound exceptional on their album yet their live performance is mediocre and not really one to remember.

Since ofHuman prides itself on creating music in the studio that we can recreate live, we never want to be known as “that band”. While it is important to have a great stage performance that people want to come see over and over again and will remember forever, we would rather work our butts off every day at rehearsal to improve parts that need work and focus on every single element of our music in order to be successful than to use studio guitar and vocal tracks for our live show due to the fact that we are unable to perform the music to our best capabilities. Josh, Cletus and Dave sing all vocal harmonies live and we play every note on guitar, bass and drums ourselves which puts the pressure on us to always be on top of our game and at our best – and we thrive under pressure! This might sound crazy to someone who doesn’t have a lot of knowledge about music behind the scenes and in the studio, but, some producers actually play instrumental and/or vocal parts on albums due to lack of ability and drive of some members of “that band”.

She has no mouth which represents the fact that if a band can’t even play their own instruments, they probably don’t have a lot of say in how the music will sound and pretty much become puppets controlled by record labels. We write our own music, play our music and promote it all ourselves, therefore dictating how our music will evolve, come across live and control every aspect. I know that I personally could not feel confident about the fact that I am trying to make music for a living and know that I can’t even play my own drum parts. This is one reason why we, ofHuman, like to jam everyday together as well as remain best friends – brothers from other mothers, if you will. We like to be as musically tight as we possibly can and, by being best friends, this helps keep our dream of playing music forever real because we are all on the same page.

The actual disc was printed to look and feel like an old vinyl record. The concept of the vinyl look was to represent music when it was real like Zeppelin or the Beatles. Those bands had pretty much one take to get the part right or they had to start over. Their albums are very live sounding (if you listen close, there are even flaws present, too.) The landscape on the cover represents an abandoned, overgrown ghost town representing a lot of popular music now-a-days that strays from the “realness” of how music used to be back in the days of Zepp and Beatles. Even though at that time there were advances in technology like multi-track recording, the technology was not even close to that of today’s technology where a producer could literally program an entire drum part on a song without the drummer even setting foot inside a studio and make the music perfect. Of course, it is beneficial to take advantage of the technology of today, but never are these programs used to make ofHuman out to be something we are not. There will be parts that are flawless and there will be mistakes that are made…but after all, we are still human.

Where are you originally from?

Josh and I are from Columbus and Hilliard, Ohio. Cletus was born in Ohio and moved to Florida then back to Ohio, and Dave was born in Lancaster, Ohio.

If you could live anywhere else in the world where would you go?

That would probably be a different answer from each of us, but we could probably all agree to move somewhere else where music is in more demand than the Columbus local scene. But, this does not deter us from keeping up our drive to get to the next level. We work with what we have and always try our best!

I notice you play a lot in Ohio. Ever venture out much and play other cities?

We try. But venturing farther than Cleveland or Dayton becomes a matter of risk for the venues who tend to not want to pay anything until you have played there five or six times or if it is cover music. It is also important to build a large fan base here locally and start selling out venues like Newport Music Hall. Then, we could think more seriously about trying to tour and have the tour be most beneficial for us and be marketed correctly. We are confident that this will one day come true for us.

Do you have a job outside of music?

Josh does landscaping, Cletus serves at Applebee’s, Dave is a security guard and I work at the Ohio State University.

I love that MySpace design. Who did that again?

His name is Brian Kozicki of Kozicki Photography, LLC. He has become one of our best friends and is a very talented guy.

Speaking of MySpace, what are your thoughts on the service?

MySpace is a great networking tool, as is the Internet in general. But, now-a-days, there is a lot of spam. It is also hard to gauge actual success because people have created programs to add fake spam friends and falsify plays. For example, a few months ago, the Top Artist in Columbus was some young kid who had twenty friends on MySpace and had one rap song on his site that had some twelve million plays in two months…has Lady Gaga even accomplished these numbers?

Are you on Twitter?

Of course. Follow us!

Who are some of your influences?

Musical inspirations come from bands like Foo Fighters, The Mars Volta, Between The Buried and Me, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Smashing Pumpkins and Deftones to name a few. These inspirations are not used to imitate their sounds, but rather we use them to try and think how they may have thought when writing songs. Most of the bands above have been around for a long time and their music is still hanging around…lasting. We try to create lasting music. We always avoid being sucked into a genre that is already at its peak and will dry up in a few years and forgotten.

If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, whom would you meet and why?

We would love to meet Dave Grohl, currently of Foo Fighters and Them Crooked Vultures, formerly of Nirvana. He writes, sings, plays guitar, plays drums, loves fresh pots of coffee and he is from Ohio. As you can see, ofHuman and Mr. Grohl have a lot in common and would be a great pair to go on a huge universal tour, to other planets even!

(Dave…hey…if you read this…we love and worship you, but were not crazy – we swear! Just remember we would be more than willing to open for you at no cost…and I make a mean fresh pot of coffee. Call us! 614-580-8665!)

Where can I get some ofHuman merchandise?

For now, merchandise is available through us by mail or at any one of our shows. Our website will be up and running in a few weeks and we will have merch available via the site. Our music is available on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody – you name it, it is probably on there.

If you could only play one song for the rest of your career what song would you pick?

We no doubt would play the best song in the world! We have yet to write it though…it is in the works!

How did you react to the passing of the King of Pop?

We were actually recording in the studio and read the news around two o’clock. We didn’t believe it at first, but turned on CNN and it was all over the TV. It seemed pretty surreal and very sudden. We were of course saddened by his passing but at the same time thankful that he has done all he has for the music industry! Rest in peace Michael.

Who has the most tattoos in the band?

Josh has a full right arm sleeve (3/4 finished thanks to music sucking our bank accounts clean with constant new purchases!), two on his left arm and a tat on his calf, planning on getting a tramp stamp on his lower back – so hot! I am in a close second place with one on my left inner bicep. Cletus and Dave haven’t had the balls enough to get one yet.

Describe your genre in one word.

Straightforwardrockmusicthatfeelsgoodandthateveryonecanrelateto.…does that count?

Who is the ringleader of the group?

It depends on what area you mean. When it comes to establishing connections, I take care of most of that – booking, merchandise, business, etc. When it comes to writing, it is usually either Josh or Dave coming up with a riff or just all of us jamming on random ideas. If a song feels right and sounds good, we work on it until it is perfect. If it doesn’t feel right at that time, we keep it in a safe place in our mind to be used at a later date when the time is right for that song. This is a team effort though and definitely would not be possible without all four of us.

What is the biggest crowd that you have ever played for?

1,200 people at a local fundraiser.

The smallest?

Twenty. Only bands and parents showed up to a show about four years ago in a previous band. (That venue is no longer.) Regardless, 1 person or 1,000,000 – we always put on the best show possible because who knows, that one person could be the CEO of Sony Records. By the way, do you have his name and number? We’re looking for a strong label to take us on.

If someone offered you a record deal, let’s say for $500,000, but it was someone else’s lyrics and it was a country album, do you do it?

We have wrestled with questions like this in the past. The reason we would agree to this would be that many bands give up some of their creative freedoms to establish a name and eventually move on to indie labels where they then have freedom to write whatever they please because they have proven that they can sell albums. Therefore, the band is no longer a risk to labels. (Take Darius Rucker and Hootie and the Blowfish, for example.) It often means they get to travel and play music – traveling is one goal we want to accomplish. So, while we may have to suffer through music we may not choose as a primary interest (and the condition above that we eventually would have freedom to move on as we pleased was agreed upon), we may consider it in order to establish ourselves as talented musicians.

The reason we would not agree to this would be that we do not want to be known as fakes who are sell outs and only want to get rich quick – because in the end, bands still have to sell albums, and sell a lot in order to start breaking even, and that could take years. And, we are not in this business to be a get rich quick scheme! We would be happy to continue working hard on our own music to someday make it big with what we create. Then again, I have heard big names like Rhianna and Beyonce (first two I could think of) who thanked their producers on the MTV Music Awards. Even though they are probably performing music that they want to perform, if they were lucky enough, they might, at the point they are in their careers, just now have received partial credit to writing their lyrics. But that is for their bank accounts to know and for us to keep writing!

Fortunately for us, ofHuman is a band about playing what feels good, not always what is popular. We are not stuck in one genre of sound and are able to play anything and everything, helping our fan base to consist of fans who love heavy metal to those who love country. And, while royalties go to whoever wrote the words, we know that there is way more that goes into music. Lyrics are only 25%. Guitars, bass and drums are also a very important part of the music for us, which is why we feel it is pretty bogus that “lyrics” are the only part recognized and paid on. Oh well. If you listen to our tunes (which we recommend everyone does after the interview is over!), you will hear a song that is bluesy, dirty rock called Bullshark, one that is a ballad called Inseparable, and one that is straight forward rock called Shoot From the Hip – all three are very different but distinct to ofHuman’s sound. The way we write music is just to create sounds and rhythms that feel good. Country music is not an area we have explored yet*, but if it feels right and represents ofHuman well, there is no limit on what type of music we may play. We find that if we write music that doesn’t bore us personally on stage and doesn’t sound like everything else that is popular, people tend to stay more interested in what is going on, therefore bringing fans out time and time again while earning new fans in the process!

Who writes all of the lyrics?

Lyrics are usually written by Josh since he is the one who has to remember them all. It is easiest for him to write and remember as he goes. But, in the future, we will be on expanding our ideas and incorporating more of each member’s ideas for songs lyrically and musically.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?

Knock on wood, nothing too embarrassing has happened. There is the occasional forgetting of words or dropping of a pick or stick, but other than that, not much. I wish I could tell something more entertaining!

What are you drinking on stage?

Water! We stay sober to give the crowd the best bang for their buck and we will not be seen as anything but at our best. The party doesn’t start until after the show, and that’s if we’re not too tired to party…some kind of rock stars eh?

Do you guys have a favorite venue?

We do not have a favorite venue, but the Newport Music Hall has a great location and the Alrosa Villa is where we first started playing.

Where do you see yourselves in five years?

Hopefully sitting on a tour bus getting ready to go on stage for a tour promoting our new album of that time!

What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?

Keeping true to what we believe in and for writing good, lasting music. We are dedicated to what we do and passionate about music. Our dream is to be successful and happy playing music while making other people want to listen to what we write about, too.

I always let the artist get the last word. Go.

Interviews like these are fun and thank you for giving us the opportunity to express our thoughts and beliefs! Actions do speak just as loud as words. If you have not yet been to an ofHuman show, come out and see what we are about. Hopefully, you will see that we live up to what we speak of. Listen to our music and please give us your honest feedback! Share our name your friends; we want their feedback, too! If we don’t know what we are doing well or where we are sucking, how can we continue making good music or improve on our weak points? Music is all about the fans because, no matter how happy we are behind our instruments and on stage, without fans to motivate us, there would be no reason to always work as hard as we do and play shows.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us from the beginning and to those future fans who do not know of us…yet (if we are lucky enough to win you over!) We may be in a rock band and can & will rock your face off! But, don’t be shy – come say hello, come party with us, come be a friend! They say nice guys finish last. We respectfully disagree and say nice guys play in ofHuman. See you at the next show. Keep it real and rockin’!

The concept for this new blog series came while I was traveling for work down at the PGA Merchandise Show. I have been playing golf for as long as I can remember and I wanted to figure out a way to write about something I loved as much as golf. So while walking around the showroom floor down in Orlando I had this concept to writing about the rounds of golf that I was already playing. I play golf as much as I can and the rounds produce nothing more than a scorecard and some mediocre memories based on how well I played. But that is where I decided to start writing about the golf that I was playing.

So I sat down and figured out a template of how I wanted to write these golf blogs. I decided that I would write a quick overview of the golf course, and then break down each hole on the course as I played it. I will talk about the distance of the hole from each set of tees, the hazards to be aware of when teeing off and hitting your second shot, the greens and their size and speed, and anything else that I can think of that is important for your round if you choose to play these desired locations.

The first golf course that made the list was Arbor Trace Golf Club in Marion, Indiana. The course is located about an hour from where I live in Fishers, Indiana and was not a bad drive at all. You can get to the golf course a couple of different ways, but since I live right off of Interstate 69 I took that straight north. Thanks so my iPhone’s global positioning system I was able to go turn for turn right into the club’s parking lot. Be careful when traveling to the course as you might miss it if you are coming from the east. There is no prominent sign telling you where you are.

When I first pulled in to the small parking lot I was pumped to finally be back on the golf course this year. I had not hit a single ball since the end of last season and I was excited to just get a club in my hands. I got out, stretched, and headed into the clubhouse to get a bucket of balls and warm up a little bit before my round.

When you first walk into the clubhouse you will see two different areas to visit. One area is the actual pro shop where you can check in and pay for your round or range balls. The other area is the dining area and while it is not an actual restaurant, the staff was friendly and they had a wide range of things to choose from. At the turn I had a chili dog, and after loading it up with onions and relish it was a meal fit for a champion. I highly recommend one of these when you are there. They are only $1.75 each, so you wont break your wallet either.

In the pro shop you will likely meet Jack Hart, the man behind the incredible golf course you are about to play. When I walked in he was the one that greeted me and even took the time to share a few pieces of information about the golf course. You can also shop for new shoes, a new driver, a new set of irons, or any other club that you might want to throw in your bag. They also have a wide variety of golf balls including the Titleist Pro V-1. That is my ball of choice, and they are competitively priced coming in at just under $50 a dozen.

They also have a handful of items that have the Arbor Trace Golf Club logo on the side. You can grab a bag of tees, a divot tool, or even a copy of the latest USGA rules book. There is really nothing missing from this golf shop. And if you are the kind of person that likes to hit a club before you buy it, the folks at Arbor Trace are always holding demo days with the industries’ leading manufactures. For instance, they have one coming up in a couple of weeks with Callaway. They are even giving you a free video camera if you buy a driver to help you tape and learn more about your swing.

Like I said, I had not hit a ball all year long so I wanted to warm up a little bit. I grabbed a small bag of balls and headed down to the driving range to warm up. The range is pretty wide open, but sits right next to the golf course. So if you have a big hook or slice, I might be cautious of where you aim. The range is also only about 250 yards deep, so if you are a long ball hitter then you need to make sure to not pull the big dog out of the bag.

After I was done hitting some balls I headed back to the clubhouse, jumped in my cart, and headed over to the first tee. Jack had warned me that the front nine was the easier of the two nines and that I needed to take advantage of the shorter holes and the par 5s. If you are playing from the back tees, the blues, you only get two par 5s all day. On the back, only the white tees and up will have a par 5. Jack later told me that folks used to complain the course was too much of a chip and put curse. So, they made the back longer, harder, and took away both par 5s for the long hitters. Trust me, when we get to the backside I quickly learned what it was like to make a bogey or two.

Hole 1 – Par 4 – Handicap 9

Blue – 360 Yards | White – 350 Yards | Gold – 300 Yards |Green – 260 Yards

Hole one is a pretty open first hole. It is a short par four leaving most players with a short iron or a wedge into the green. There is minimal tree coverage on both sides of the green and a small bunker guarding the front right of the green. Most of the bunkers on the course were small, some not even worth having in my opinion, but they do make it interested when hitting your approach shots.

The green on hole number one is very small and pretty much flat for the most part. For this early in the season the course was in great shape. The fairways were cut short, the greens were running smooth, and the grass couldn’t have been any greener. But hitting your approach shot into hole number one make sure you don’t miss long or you will end up in some thicker tree coverage.

Hole 2 – Par 4 – Handicap 1

Blue – 430 Yards | White – 400 Yards | Gold – 325 Yards | Green – 280 Yards

Hole two is a gorgeous golf hole. Standing on the tee box you see the green, even though it is some 400 plus yards away, a huge body of water guarding the front of the green. On the left hand side there is a fountain for aesthetics and a bridge to get you over the water if you are walking. I was in a cart for my round, but I thought the bridge was a nice touch. My drive ended up left behind some trees so I was unable to even go for this green in two shots. I hit a punch six iron out under the trees and left myself a wedge into the green.

The green was a little big bigger on hole two and it guarded in front by the water and long by out of bounds. There is actually a road behind the green and this forces you to be fairly accurate. Hit the ball short and you’re wet and go long and you are facing a two shot penalty. I ended up missing my ten-foot par putt and took my first bogey of the day on hole number 2.

Hole 3 – Par 4 – Handicap 3

Blue – 435 Yards | White – 335 Yards | Gold – 310 Yards | Green – 270 Yards

Nothing like getting your round started off with two of the hardest holes on the course. This hole comes in as the third hardest hole on the course, and it looks that way from the tee box. The hole is long, first off, with trees lining both sides of the fairway. The only thing good about this hole is the green. It is yet another circular green and is a little bit larger than the first two holes that you just played. But, the length plays a bear on this hole.

My tee shot ended up right, again outside of the fairway and behind some trees. I hit a punch Tight Lies (yes, I still carry a Tight Lies) and ended up hole high just left of the green. After a nice up and down I walked away from this hole with a par. If you get a par on this hole you will feel like you gained one on the field. Outside of the water being on the previous hole, I would consider this hole just as hard as number 2.

Hole 4 – Par 4 – Handicap 11

Blue – 310 Yards | White – 290 Yards | Gold – 280 Yards | Green – 270 Yards

When walking off of 3 green you will notice a small rest area just behind the tee box on hole 4. It is nothing to get too excited about, but there is a golf ball washer, a water fountain, and a Pepsi machine in here. It makes it a nice place to take a quick break if you have a group playing a little bit slow in front of you.

This hole is quite short, considering the first few holes you just played. But this hole, although seems like you might be able to reach it if you have a good swing at it, tosses some trees on the right hand side toward the green. There is also out of bounds long and right so you are basically forced to hit a three wood off the tee. There is also a bunker short and left of the hole to catch any miss hits. However, as tough as this looked from the tee, I pulled a driver and smoked one in the trees on the left. I had a shot at the green, tossed a 56 degree sand wedge onto the green, and drained the fifteen footer for birdie.

Hole 5 – Par 5 – Handicap 15

Blue – 540 Yards | White – 485 Yards | Gold – 410 Yards | Green – 400 Yards

This hole runs right alongside the same cornfield that you have been seeing in the distance all day long. It is the first par 5 on the golf course and is not an overly long golf hole. The green sits a little bit up hill from the tee box, and the fairway is lined on either side with light tree coverage. Of course, the way I was hitting the ball that day, I turned one over and tossed it into the trees on the right. Take note that from the tee maybe 260 yards out or so there is a little bunker that can cause some damage if you are not careful.

When I got to my ball I had only a few inches of room to work with. I decided to grab the trusty Tight Lies and take another swing at it. The ball came off the club face perfectly and the ball landed just short of the green. I had a nice little pitch and run for another chance at birdie. I hit the wedge a little fat and the ball checked on the green, but I hit the putt too hard, took the break out, and walked away with a par. Then again, you can never be too upset with a par.

Hole 6 – Par 3 – Handicap 5

Blue – 175 Yards | White – 165 Yards | Gold – 140 Yards | Green – 125 Yards

I have never been a big fan of par 3s, simply because there is so little room for error. This is the first par 3 on the golf course, and is not an easy one. I pulled a 5 iron here, as there was a little bit of wind in my face. You want to make sure not to miss left due to the heavy tree coverage. But there is plenty of room right, so swing away.

Once you get on the green make sure to miss it low. The green slopes back to the front and can make for some quick putts. My shot was dead at the flag, but after a bad bounce it ended up being long and sitting in the fringe. My putt ended up short and left, but it was good distance and left for an easy tap in.

Hole 7 – Par 4 – Handicap 4

Blue – 305 Yards | White – 280 Yards | Gold – 275 Yards | Green – 260 Yards

Hole 7 is quite the intimidating tee shot. The green is a little bit of a dogleg to the left, with more heavy trees short and left and water all down the left hand side. You don’t think this water will come into play, but standing there, especially from the blue tees, it is quite the nerve-racking tee ball. If you are going to miss off the tee, miss right.

I hit a driver trying to actually fly the trees on the left and land somewhere near or on the green. I had a touch of wine behind me and swung for the fences. Guess where I ended up? In the trees! I had another shot to the green, but no look at the glad from the trees. However, I tossed it up there and landed about fifteen foot from the hole. I two putted for a safe par.

Hole 8 – Par 3 – Handicap 7

Blue – 155 Yards | White – 140 yards | Gold – 130 Yards | Green – 120 Yards

I have never seen a par three like this before. The same water that you hit over on the last hole comes into play on this hole. But, there is a net hanging above directly behind the green. The reason for the net is to stop balls from the tee box affecting the players putting on the next hole, but it is funny to think that if you hit it long you might stay dry.

I hit an 8 iron up there and the ball rolled off the backside of the green. Again, getting a close up look of that net was interesting. I two putted for par, leaving it some good speed on the under side of the hole. I remember Justin Leonard once saying that if you miss a putt above the hole there is always the chance that it will drop. He stated that amateurs miss putts below the hole. I guess I know where I stand.

Hole 9 – Par 5 – Handicap 13

Blue – 555 Yards | White – 505 Yards | Gold – 410 yards | Green – 400 Yards

The final hole on the front nine is yet another par 5. This hole is straight away with a wide open fairway. There are light trees on the left and right, but if you are going to miss do so on the left hand side. This will give you the better shot into the green. The second shot goes down hill and back up hill right by the green and I was unable to get there in two. I hit a Tight Lies and was a good thirty yards short. I did manage to get up and down though.

On this hole make sure you do not hit the ball long. The clubhouse sits directly behind the green and the tenth tee is just to the left of the green. Also, right of the green and short there are some thicker heavy trees protecting the second shot. Either way, I suggest playing this hole as a three shot par five and hoping you can knock one in for birdie once you make the putting surface.

After the front nine I stopped in the clubhouse and grabbed a soft drink and one of those killer chili dogs. I chatted with Jack Hart a little bit about the back nine as well. He made a point to mention the two now par 4 holes on the backside. Originally they were par 5s from all sets of tees, but now they have rearranged the course and made them par 5s from the white tees and par 4 from the blue tees. I had been playing the blues for the front nine and had started to think I might change my mind for the backside.

Hole 10 – Par 4 – Handicap 18

Blue – 300 Yards | White – 260 Yards | Gold – 250 Yards | Green – 230 Yards

When I stepped up to hole ten, I had a tough decision on whether to hit a driver off the tee or take a Tight Lies and just get it close to the green. Being only a 300-yard hole I chose to take a driver out and smoke it to try and get close. Trees line the fairway on both sides and a bunker on the front left side of the green. The tree coverage is lighter on the left hand side so it makes sense to throw a bunker over there.

Take note when teeing off the water that is on the short hand side of the tee box. It will not come into play on this hole, but later it will be noticed. When you make it to the green you have little room to work with and the green slopes from the back to the front. I started the backside off the same as I did the front with a par.

Hole 11 – Par 4 – Handicap 8

Blue – 470 Yards | White – 415 Yards | Gold – 360 Yards | Green – 290 Yards

The 11th hole is a beast. Sitting at 470 yards from the back tees, you have to hit two great golf shots to make it home in two. Try to play this hole as a par 5 if you are not long off the tee and if you can walk away from this hole with a par consider yourself one up on the field.

The fairway is lined with trees both sides, but it is a pretty wide open fairway. You have to be able to swing away here for the sheer distance to the green. Once you are in the fairway, however, you have a small green that sits uphill to content with. If you are going to try to take a shot at the pin, which being it’s a par 4 you more than likely will, miss left. Right is covered with thick trees and leaves for a tough up and in.

Hole 12 – Par 3 – Handicap 6

Blue – 165 Yards | White – 155 Yards | Gold – 135 Yards | Green – 95 Yards

This hole is sitting right up against the cornfield and is protected pretty much all the way around by water. You have a nice sized pond on the front and right side of the green. When I stepped up the pin was in the front right, making me want to just miss left and long to stay dry. I didn’t as I hit it in the drink on my first shot. I hit an 8 iron, with wind at my back thinking that was enough, but the hole plays longer than the distance.

As if the water was not enough to throw you off, there is a bunker on the back right side of the green as well. This just shows that you need to aim left, miss left, and stay clear of the water. The pond is a red stake hazard, so you could potentially get a decent second shot depending on where your ball enters the pond, but that means you drop two and are hitting three form the field. I did in fact get up and down to save bogey.

Hole 13 – Par 4/5 – Handicap 14

Blue – 470 Yards | White – 475 Yards | Gold – 400 Yards | Green – 390 Yards

This is the first of two holes on the back that will confuse the average golfer. If you are playing the tips and are teeing off from the blues, this hole plays a little bit shorter than the whites. However, this hole for you would be a par 4. If you are playing from the white tees, like most golfers do, you will have a bit longer to get to the green, but this will be playing as a part 5 for you. Apparently folks here used to complain about the distance of the course so they decided to make some adjustments.

I hit my drive a little thin here, which left me a good fifty yards short of the dogleg. You need to be at least 275 from the whites to get around the corner. If you are not around the turn you have no shot at the green, as there is heavy tall tree coverage over to the left. I ended up hitting a smoking Tight Lies just around the bend; hit a seven-iron close, and two putted for a crowd-pleasing par. If you are playing from the blue tees, I wish you the best of luck on this hole.

Hole 14 – Par 3 – Handicap 2

Blue – 245 Yards | White – 215 Yards | Gold – 180 Yards | Green – 150 Yards

Talk about a long par 3. Standing from the blue tees you feel like you need to pull a driver to get close to the green. From the whites I took a Tight Lies to get there. The green is pretty big, considering the rest of the greens on the golf course, and the green is surrounded with trees on either side.

I hit the ball left about pin high but had a low hanging limb to contend with. I hit a wedge up and under, snapped a piece of the limb, and the ball came out hot and ran through the green. I did not get up and down and took a bogey. But, at the same time a hole this long I am just glad it was over.

Hole 15 -  Par 4/5 – Handicap 16

Blue – 460 Yards | White – 480 Yards | Gold – 430 yards | Green – 385

Let’s go deep into the woods on this one. The tee box on hole 15 is buried in the woods you have been appreciating all day. You arrive at the tee and again the blue tees are in front of the white tees. This is because this is the second hole that was turned into a par 4 for the folks hitting from the blues. This hole is also another dog leg, almost 90 degrees to be exact. It is almost impossible to hit driver off the tee as you only need to go some 240-250 yards to get around the bend. From there the hole is not that long.

I took a driver, of course, and smoked it into the woods on the left. This left me with almost no shot to the green and a tough thick nearly buried in the rough lie. While walking to my third shot, which landed just short of the green, I noticed a bell just off the cart path near the bend. This is intended for folks to let the group behind them know it is OK to hit their drives and that the group in front is out of their way. I thought this was a cool feature and something I have never seen before.

Hole 16 – Par 4 – Handicap 12

Blue – 440 yards | White – 400 Yards | Gold – 340 Yards | Green – 385 Yards

Take out your driver and let it rip. This hole is pretty much wide open. You won’t see another more open fairway on this golf course. However, the hole is long and the green is uphill. The hole plays a lot longer than it actually is. The green is also pretty wide open and you can miss on any side without too much trouble.

The green is pretty small, but after this many holes you are used to it by now. I took a driver, smoked it up the left hand side, and actually hit about the best shot I had hit all day. I ended up, of course, right behind a tree and had no shot at the green. After a 6 iron knock down I chipped it up and in for a par.

Hole 17 – Par 4 – Handicap 10

Blue – 425 Yards | White – 400 Yards | Gold – 355 Yards | Green – 285 Yards

This is another pretty wide open hole. There is a bunker short and left, but the hole plays pretty easy from the tee box. There is, when coming into the hole, out of bounds behind the green so make sure to watch out for that when hitting your approach shot. You also have to contend with scattered trees all down either side of the fairway. When you do finish on the green, however, you have a relatively flat putting surface and can take dead aim at the hole.

Hole 18 – Par 4 – Handicap 4

Blue – 450 Yards | White – 395 Yards | Gold – 355 Yards | Green – 290 Yards

Most golf courses like to finish with a par 5.If not, they like to finish with a strong and difficult par 4. That is what Arbor Trace Golf Club has done. This hole is not easy by any means. Remember that water I told you to pay attention to on hole 10? This pond comes into play on hole 18. It is reachable from the tee box so make sure you play it out to the left.

The blue tees on this hole are some 30-40 yards behind the whites and take you back into the woods almost. The hole is not easy from the whites either, but makes for an interesting finish. If you are coming down the stretch and need a birdie, this might not be the hole for you.

My round at Arbor Trace Golf Club was just what I wanted it to be. It was my first round of the season and was actually the first time I had hit balls since last fall. But after a bucket on the range and 18 holes on the golf course I was ready to get out there and play some more. This game is an addiction and the folks at Arbor Trace helped me feed my need.

The golf course comes in at a par 72 from the white tees or a par 70 from the blues, and is a blast to play. From the small sloping greens to the pick your spot drives that you are forced to hit on nearly every hole, this is not a typical municipal course.

When you make your way up to Marion to play the golf course, make sure you introduce yourself to Jack Hart, grab a chili dog at the turn, and just have a blast playing a difficult and extremely affordable golf course. I cant wait for my next round. Until then, hit it straight!

Ever since I can remember I have loved the game of golf. On top of that love I have formed a deep and seeded affection for Tiger Woods. I remember this like it was yesterday. I was in Cincinnati, Ohio at a Hallmark ornaments convention with my mother and late grandmother. We were finished with the convention for the day and headed out for dinner at Chili’s. (Don’t ask me how I remember all of these details, but I do.) We walk in, sit down, and order some drinks. Just then, in the far corner, I saw the television playing some random golf tournament.

I was not a fan of golf at the time, as baseball had consumed my life. Not having been watching the golf tournament for a few minutes, I saw a long and winding putt fall into the hole. The camera panned to a tall, slim black man giving some sort of a fist pump, as he was excited that he had made the putt. He was wearing khaki shorts and a straw hat. The man that made that putt was Tiger Woods and he was playing the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

That day I went from being a baseball fanatic to being addicted to the game of golf. I began playing, hitting balls every chance I got, and eventually ended up playing in college for Marian University. Every time I think about Tiger Woods, I am taken back to that day where I saw him drain that putt. Later, in 1999 when Tiger Woods began what has proven to be one of the most successful video games of all time, they have featured the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course as one of the courses.

Recently I was given the opportunity to travel with my company down to Amelia Island, Florida for a golf conference. The conference, the annual Golf Inc. Magazine Conference, was business as usual and a long, educational few days of seminars and meetings. We were there as an exhibitor and also as a thought leader in the golf industry for the services and solutions that we offer. Where this conference was being held landed us only a thirty-minute drive from TPC Sawgrass.

We arrived on in Jacksonville on a Sunday afternoon and thought about heading over to the course. But we got in late and thought we might travel that way on Monday morning before we set up for the show. But come Monday morning, by the time we had finished setting up it was too late to go. But I wasn’t giving up hope of seeing one of the most famous golf courses in the world. So what did I do? I simply picked up the phone and called the golf course to see if we could schedule a tour of the facility for that Wednesday.

You see, the meetings were over in the early afternoon on Wednesday and we wanted to make sure to see the golf course. And we didn’t leave until Thursday morning so we had all the time in the world on Wednesday to see that golf course. I wanted to make sure I made every minute of this trip, and seeing Sawgrass would be a somewhat dream come true. Especially including the history that Tiger has there.

When I first called the golf course the Director of First Impressions picked up the phone. I explained to her that I was a blogger from Indiana and that I wanted to come see the facility. By happenstance, my company’s CEO is also a budding photographer, and he wanted to shoot some photos. She seemed interested and I was transferred to the general manager of the golf course for further clearance. I spoke with Mr. Bill Hughes and he stated that we were more than welcome to come in and see the facility. He invited us in on Wednesday at 4:00 PM to see the clubhouse, the driving range, and a few holes out on the golf course.

The rest of the week went by with us making conversation surrounding TPC Sawgrass. I, as well as the others guys in our party, were excited to see the facility. It was a long wait getting from Monday afternoon until Wednesday evening.

Come Wednesday, when the meetings had all ended, we were headed to the golf course. An hour or so later we entered Ponte Vedra Beach and found the entrance to what is known as Sawgrass. It had a guarded gate and we needed further clearance to even get in the front gate. However, my name was on a roster from the golf course and we were allowed access.

See, in Sawgrass there is more than just the TPC Stadium Course. This is also where the PGA headquarters located. Also, I would later learn, it is where five or so PGA Tour players make their home. Vijay Singh, for example, lives right behind the driving range while Jim Fuyrk also lives on one of the holes on the golf course. Being as they have year round playing conditions, it makes sense for these guys to reside on here. There were actually a handful of PGA players there when we were at the golf course. Of course, we never did get to see them, but it was the mysterious factor that made it even more exciting.

When we finally found the golf course, we traveled through a long and winding main entrance to the parking lot. We got out, stretched our legs, and make our way to the clubhouse. The first thing you notice is the sheer size of the facility. It was almost like looking at a mansion or something standing right in front of us. We snapped a few images and walked in to get started on our tour. That is when our tour guide, Mike, greeted us. (I do not recall Mike’s last name.)

Mike walked us over to the Director of First Impressions and she gave him clearance to begin the tour. We started with the clubhouse since that is where we met Mike. First he discussed the huge paintings that were all over the walls. These paintings were huge, all from the same artist, and were all donated to the clubhouse as well as to the TPC Sawgrass. They are of repeat winners of the Player’s Championship and one of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson from Tiger’s only Player’s Championship victory.

The Player’s is what most call the fifth major of the season and holds the deepest field of the year. Only a handful of people have won this event twice. That list includes Steve Elkington, Fred Couples, Jack Nicklaus, Hal Sutton, and Fred Couples. Like I said, there is also a huge painting of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson from when Tiger won his only, to date, Player’s in 2001. During that event you might remember the announcer saying, in regards to the putt he made in 17, that it was, “Better than most.”

We then made our way to the President’s Room. Here you will find a table, some chairs, and the President’s Cup. The cup sits there when the United States owns it, and last year the US won it back from Europe. It was neat to see, not as big as I thought, and was sitting among a room filled with history. Mike had said this room was filled with memories and each year the greats of the game meet here for conversation and recollection each year before the Player’s.

Then we made our way to the player’s locker room. We were told that it was private, that we were not allowed to go in there, but since it was slow and we were huge golf fans, Mike walked us back. Granted, he could have been able to take us back there the entire time, but never the less it was awesome to see. In this room there were lockers for all of the greats of the game. I found myself standing in a room that I could hope to be nothing less than a fly on the wall. I stood only inches from Tiger Woods’s locker. Yes, I touched the handle on that locker to be that one more step closer to the living the life that Tiger leads.

Then we walked down past the 19th Hole, the in house restaurant where they serve food and drinks to the general public. Here Mike said players gather after their rounds for a drink, some food, and a priceless conversation. It was neat to see a room where you know guys like Tom Watson and Fred Couples have talked about their rounds.

Then we saw the line of clubs that were all down one wall of the 19th Hole. Mike said that each year the winner is asked to donate a club to the course. The club that is donated is said to be the club that the player felt helped him win the event. In this row of sticks you see drivers, three woods, irons, wedges and even putters lined up side by side. Tiger left his 56-degree Scotty Cameron sand wedge. It was when he was still with Titleist and is actually the exact same wedge that I play. I touched the grip just to be safe. (Players are also asked to sign the club somewhere for keepsake.)

Now it was time to see the Hall of Champions. This is an underground tunnel from the clubhouse to the first there allowing players to escape the craze of fans and autographs. Also down here was the caddy area where all of the club’s caddies hang out and spend their free time between rounds. It was neat to walk down this hallway as on either side you could also see high-resolution professional photos from all of the winners of the Player’s. The club at the TPC Sawgrass puts a ton of attention into their winners and treats them with the up most respect.

Then we walked back upstairs and got the chance to see what the original Player’s Championship trophy looked like. The old trophy is huge! However, the new trophy, which I would later see on display in the pro shop, is much smaller and is made of solid crystal. A major improvement from the old black beast they used to give away.

Also in the clubhouse, right across the way from the crystal trophy is the FedEx Cup. Tiger has won this two of the three FedEx Cup events. It is nice, the folks at Tiffany and Co. created it. It weights thirty-five pounds and it is nice to think that Tiger has won, held, and kissed this trophy now twice. Note that Tiger was out with an injury the second year of the event and did not participate in any o the tournaments. (The FedEx Cup is a season long playoffs for the players and was introduced three years ago as a way to draw more eyes to the game of golf.)

Now it was time to see the golf course. We headed outside, snapped a few more pictures of the clubhouse, and then jumped on a six-man golf cart. Mike pulled away and took us to the roundabout just before the driving range. Here there is a large oval monument showcasing all of the previous winners and the flag of their respective country of origin. Also there are high flying flags of the previous winners country. There is so much history here at the TPC as well as so much homage to the players who win here.

We drove past the driving range and I asked about where the PGA players actually hit balls. This, sadly, was on the opposite side the range and out of our direct sight. The tour players spend so much time here that they wanted a place for them to have no worries about where to hit balls and to work on their games. So, as we drove by I saw a few guys on the far side of the range and it made my mind run wild with which it could be. Mike did say that Tiger likes to just show up at the golf course unannounced. I will never know if Tiger was on the range that day, but it fun to imagine one of those players was he.

Then we saw a smaller secondary clubhouse, which was originally built as a place to hold the caddies in between rounds and as a snack bar in between nines. This small building was just past the 18th green and had a story all of it’s own. Mike said that the building is now used as the scorer’s tent where the official scores are tallied. After each round the players will go in, sign their scorecards, and then sign a few autographs where fans can gather outside. The second story, however, is a part of what you see on TV. NBC wanted a place to hold their interviews to the TPC build a sound proof booth on the second floor of this little building for this very reason.

Hole 18, from the green going the opposite direction, does not look like hard of a golf hole. Well, that changes when you make your way to the tee box. Standing on the tee, all you see is water. The entire left hand side is water and there are woods to the left. It is a very tough decision what club to hit, especially on Sunday.

Mike said that a ton of balls actually end up on the right hand side somewhere in the woods due to the guys not wanting to hit it in the water. The hole also plays over 450 yards and to me, that is pushing a par five. But for the players on the tour it is a typical par 4. (I guess when you hit the ball as far as these guys do; a hole of this length plays fairly short.)

We then moved on to the famed 17th hole. This is known as one of the single most famous hole in golf. This is also called the island green by most and serves as a way for the TPC to collect a range of golf balls on a daily basis. The TPC Stadium Course gets over 40,000 rounds a year and according to Mike, the average golfer will hit three balls into the water before getting one to stick on the green. Imagine that. Three balls, six strokes, and you are not even putting yet. The hole is only 137 yards too!

The course was designed by one of the most famous course designers of all time, Mr. Pete Dye.  When he got to hole 17 he did not intend for it to be an island green. But, after his wife talked him into it, the hole ended up being short and intimidating finishing hole. Even guys on the tour hit balls into the water here. Mike said the main reason for this is that the wind blows in from the right to the left but you cannot feel it on the tee. He was right. You cannot feel anything on that tee box. But after a handful of photos we moved on to the 16th hole.

On 16, a long par five, you can see nothing but trees on either side. The trees on the left, on Tiger Woods EA Sports video games, I can hit over and have a wedge into the green. But with water on the right and trees left PGA players tend to hit a three wood just to make sure they have a shot into the green. Mike actually took us over to a spot in the trees on the left where Davis Love III had hit a three wood one year when he was two shots up heading into 16. This shot was about 180 yards from the green, in the trees, and behind the water for a shot to the pin. But, Davis hit a 6 iron, through the trees, over the water, and ended up about ten foot from the cup. He made the putt for eagle and would later win the event.

Mike then proceeded to drive us around the course on our way back to the clubhouse. He thanked us for coming in and even said it was nice that we came so late as his mother in law was in town. We all laughed and he wished us a good day at the clubhouse as we said our goodbyes.

After Mike had left, we all walked around snapping even more images of the clubhouse. A couple of the guys went on a shopping spree in the pro shop while I headed back to the Director of First Impressions to ask for Mr. Hughes to come downs so that I could meet him. He did, we shook hands, and formed a relationship that I hope lasts a lifetime. I am actually looking to go play the golf course sometime later this year and have scheduled an interview with the head professional.

Regardless of the time spent at the Golf Inc. Conference and the experience of meeting some of the industries top thought leaders, seeing TPC Sawgrass made the trip worthwhile. Walking on the same fairways and opening the same doors as guys like Tiger and Phil gives me a desire to play more golf. Golf is all about tradition and playing a game that holds a set of rules a mile long. Seeing golf and how it is treated at a level like this, the absolute top level of the sport, makes being and working in this industry that much more special. Thanks to Mike for the tour, to Bill for setting this all up, and to the PGA for building and establishing a course with such magnitude as this one. This was a trip that has created memories that will last a lifetime.

The band that I am sitting with today deserves some attention. These guys know how to melt your face. I have not seen them live yet but the energy that they produce in their tracks online and on disc are incredible. I am not a big dancer, never have been. This is mainly due to the fact that I am not very good at it. But when I first heard these guys I felt obligated to get up and move my body. They do not look like they sound, and I am not sure that is a bad thing. It is a nice little surprise to hear something you don’t expect. These dudes are also nice which helps make their music that much more like able. Sit back with me today as I am pleased to introduce you to the Clutter.

Where did you come up with that name?

We were originally Rick DeSutter and The Clutter back when we started in early 2008. Rick had some albums he had recorded and wanted to add a band to his Rick DeSutter solo project. Clutter rhymed and it sounded cool. In October 2009, we decided to rename the band just The Clutter in order to be more marketable.

How long have you guys all known each other?

Rick, Brad, and Bobby have known each other for a long time. Ethan came into the picture in early 2009 when we needed a replacement for our first bass player, Craig Meinhart.

Where did you all meet?

We all met in Lafayette, Indiana in various ways for various reasons.

You guys play a lot around the Midwest. Do you have thoughts of a nationwide tour anytime this year?

Our main focus right now is to work on playing shows in the surrounding area and the surrounding states in order to build up a strong fan base. Nationwide touring sounds cool, but would not be wise without the help of a label/booking agent or a well seasoned, experienced band. Better to build a strong foundation than to stretch ourselves thin and burn out.

Who writes all the lyrics?

Rick does. He’s written music and lyrics for several bands now and continues to write his own solo work on the side. For The Clutter, Rick’s lyrics mostly focus on his personal challenges in life, like struggling to be successful and always feeling as if there is not enough time to get everything done. The Clutter is an honest expression of how we all deal with the clutter in our lives.

You guys are playing Cornerstone? How did you land that gig?

We’ve made up our minds to go this year and make the best of it. We’re still technically in the process of landing the gig. (Laughs) The hope is to perform at least three times while we’re there whether it be on the New Band Showcase, The Label Showcase, or generator stages. We’re currently entered in the New Band Showcase and are in the top twenty-five out of over one hundred bands. We need people to continue to vote for us everyday until May 16th in order to get a slot. So yeah, everyone please go to and start voting for us!

Have you been to Cornerstone before?

Brad and Rick both went  several years back to play with their first band called Dead2Self. Rick has been back several more times since.

Describe your genre in one word.

Clutter.

How did you react to the passing of Michael Jackson?

Bobby is a huge fan of Michael. We didn’t think we would ever hear the end of it when he passed. We still hear if every once in a while. He was very talented and a great entertainer and many people will miss him.

You guys have shared the stage with a ton of bands. Who was the most fun to play with?

Red Morning Voyage. Those guys know how to rock out and have a good time while playing some of the sweetest riffs you’ve ever heard!

What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?

We were getting ready to play the finale of a band competition at The Lafayette Theater. Rick jumps up on stage to heft an amp and rips the crotch out of his pants. The set went well, but Rick had to stand a little more still than usual. (Does anyone feel a draft in here?)

Do you have a favorite venue to play?

In our hometown, Lafayette, our favorite place to play is Sacred Grounds Coffee Shop. The people are extremely nice, the turnout is always great, and they make this sweet little drink called a fragalappé! When we go out of town our favorite venue is The Underground in Cincinnati. Great people, awesome stage and venue setup, and the local crowd is very friendly. We’ll be playing there again in May!

What is the biggest crowd you have played for?

200-300.

The smallest?

3.

Who are some of your biggest influences?

Blindside, Muse, the Juliana Theory.

I dig that photo on the top of your MySpace page. Where was that taken?

That photo was taken in the back of McCord Candies in Lafayette. That have a sweet room with a really old stair case in it. The photo was taken by Al Davis Creative.

Speaking of MySpace. What are your thoughts on the service?

Great for booking shows and keeping in touch with other bands.

Are you on Twitter?

Nope.

Any tattoos in the band?

Ethan, the bass player, has a few. A flower, a star, and SP00 (his old band) which somehow looks like coffee beans.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you?

The Midwest baby! Living the dream, living the dream.

You guys have some sick show posters. Who designs all of those?

Rick does. He has designed posters for all of his past bands, too. Rick, Brad and Bobby are all graphic designers.

Living in the neighborhood of the Boilermakers, I will assume you all went to Purdue?

Nope. Rick is the only true Boilermaker.

Do you guys have jobs outside of music?

Indeed.

Where do you get inspiration for a new track?

The inspiration comes from living life and dealing with it’s many challenges combined with just loving to make music that’s different and refreshing.

Where can I get some of your merchandise?

Come to a show! Or message us on MySpace and we’ll arrange for payment and shipping.

Are you guys using a PC or a Mac?

Both.

If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, whom would you pick?

The three MJ’s. Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, and Michael J. Fox (You gotta love Back to the Future!)

Where do you guys practice?

Brad’s mom’s house.

Where do you see yourselves in five years?

Livin’ in a van down by the river! (Laughs) No, not really. In five years we hope to be performing bigger and better shows and making enough money to keep writing and playing music.

What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?

We want to be remembered for not only being a group of guys who play good music, but mainly for our ministry in God.

I always let the artist get the last word.

We have some really big shows coming up this year. Taste of Tippecanoe, Cornerstone Festival, and the Indiana State Fair!

When I first moved out of the house and into the dorms of Marian College, I was no longer relying on my mother to make my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was on my own. But, lucky for me Marian had a full service kitchen that served all three meals a day. It was included in my tuition and I was able to eat whenever and whatever I wanted. But, after two years at a school I knew I would never graduate from, I decided to move on to Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis. Or better known as IUPUI. This decision forced me to get my own place off campus removing the option of eating in the cafeteria every day.

Living on my own was a big change of pace. I was paying all of my own bills, working part time while still going to school, and struggling to save as much as I could. I also had to prepare my own meals if I did not go out and eat every night. Alas, that meant that rather than taking the time to cook, places like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell usually fed me. This led to a habit of eating only once a day. Open my fridge and you would find nothing more than a few Bud Lights and some leftovers from last night’s meal.

I eventually grew out of this and started shopping for my meals. Sure, it meant that I had to spend time cooking and cleaning after each meal, but the food quality was better, it was healthier, and provided for more control of what I wanted to eat. To this day I am still spending a lot of time shopping at my local grocery store and preparing meals. I have actually gotten it down to a routine where I shop every Sunday night for that next week.

When you go to the grocery store, whether you shop at Kroger, Walmart, Target, or Meijer you are going to be hit with so many options you need to almost have a plan when going in. Even around every corner you are hit with what are known as end cap displays that feature on sale items. But are these sale items really on sale? Do the ads that you get in the paper each week and the mailers that are filling our mailbox really saving us that much money? Or is it a way for these grocery stores to get you in the door to get you to spend more money? Below are a handful of ways that grocery stores are tricking us, myself included, into spending more money while shopping for our weekly meals.

Grabbing Your Attention at the Entrance

The last time you walked into a grocery store, did you know what you wanted before you went in? Well, most people might have a list in mind but are easily distracted by the flashy items that are found at the entrance of the grocery store. For instance, at the Kroger where I shop, as soon as you walk in on the left you are hit with a selection of the latest new release novels from all of today’s hottest authors. You also see this walking out of the store. Then there is the flower department but once past that you are hit with signature frozen pizzas, a variety of milk products, and then an array of drinks ranging from soda to Red Bull and everything in between.

However, this is not just something that happens when you enter the store. What do you think is on all of those end caps? Every aisle you turn you are hit with items that are said to be on sale and that are deals too good to pass up. This is a marketing ploy from the folks behind the scenes and while it seems like you are saving money, you are truly just paying last week’s price. I have worked in the grocery industry before and they will raise the price of goods, like soda pop cases, the week before they go on sale. This makes you think you are getting a deal when in reality you are paying what you should be paying based on everyday retail pricing.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in the Produce Department

I go on spurts where I like to eat healthy food. But rarely do I spend a lot of either time nor money in the produce department. However, places like my local Kroger utilize bright lighting, free samples, a wide variety of choices, and organic options to get you interested to buy all of these healthy items. Be smart when shopping in the produce section. I tried to buy an avocado the other day and it was 4/$1.00. Good deal, right? Well, the first avocados that you come across are the organic ones and they were over $2 each. Unless you are paying attention you will spend a ton of money on food that in my opinion doesn’t taste that much different.

Buying Name Brand

When you walk down any number of aisles, you are being forced to make all kinds of decisions. Do I get white bread or wheat bread? Do I pick up a gallon of white milk or chocolate? Perhaps I should get Tide rather than the store brand of laundry detergent. No matter what you are buying, there are always options. So, when buying your groceries pay attention to the items you are picking up. If you can buy a gallon milk for $1.99, but the name brand is only $3.49, which makes more sense? Are you really getting the extra value from that milk? You have to be aware of things like that, specially in an economy like this. You need to pinch pennies. You do have options, and you can afford to buy the store brand every now and then.

Free Samples Are Not Your Friend

How often do you walk around a grocery store and see any number of employees handing out free samples? Whether he or she is handing you a new item from the frozen foods section or they are passing out free samples of their latest hand sanitizer, the idea behind free samples are not that you try these different products but that you buy these products. In the mind of the retail store, if you try this product, like it when you do, then you will be more apt to purchase it. It is no coincidence that on Saturday and Sunday is when you can see more samples at the grocery store.

All I am saying is that you need to be a smart shopper. We are all being effected by this recession, whether for the good or the bad, and we need to consider that buying store brand goods might not be a bad thing. Use coupons as well. You can cut those out of any newspaper and use those to save you on your shopping endeavors. Just be smart. You know how much money you can and should spend on these things, don’t play victim to the retail store and their traps to get you spending more of our hard earned money. Now get out there and save!

When we were in Hawaii, Sheryl and I decided to go whale watching. We had never seen an actual whale outside of a zoo, and thought what better place to do it than Hawaii. So, while out one night at the Yard House, we started talking to our server about where we can get the best deal and the best tour. He talked a few minutes about some different ones and then said there was actually a place where you could get some free tickets. So, we thought we would give it a shot.

He said that we needed to head over to the corner of (insert street name here) and the street that our hotel was actually on. He said that on that corner we would find a booth set up, and there would be any number of people handing out free tourist attractions tickets. That next day we went walking only to find no booth. But, we saw what looked like what our server had explained. We thought we would give it a shot the next day.

So, after waking up early for whatever beach we were headed to that next day, we thought we would start by walking past the booth yet again. This time there was someone there. He asked us if we were tourists and if we were newlyweds. Of course we said yes to both because we wanted some free whale watching tickets. We were, as you know, tourists, but we are not in fact newlyweds. He asked us a few questions about our marriage and while I felt bad lying, I knew seeing a huge fifty foot whale for free would make up for it.

Just when I thought all we had to do was shake hands and take our tickets, he began discussing a timeshare presentation that we had to sit through before we could claim our tickets. He said it was no longer than an hour or so and that we had zero obligations to buy. Well, I had never been through a timeshare presentation before, but thought why not, we were saving about $75 a piece and getting a free whale watching lunch cruise the next day. (Yeah, the whale watching was not on a small boat or anything, it was on a full blown five deck cruise ship. And the buffet was incredible.)

So, to save you from having to hear all about the timeshare presentation, just know that the guy setting everything up handed us this booklet before we left. He said this booklet, known as the Metro Moneybook, would have all kinds of deals and discounts in it and it was free of charge. Well, free of charge the booklet might have been, but the subscription to the program was not free. To be able to even use these coupons you had to join a club that required a yearly agreement. Being as we only had a couple of days left in Hawaii, it was neither worth our time nor our money to drop on this booklet. But, I did read through it and found some of it quite interesting. For example, the club rules are as follows:

(The book starts off by saying, “Read these rules carefully before using this passbook. Not sure about you but that seems like a pretty sketchy way to start off a coupon book that is simply supposed to save me money.)

• A membership card is included on the back cover of this Passbook. Sign and carry it with you. Present this membership card to the restaurant to receive your Society of Gourmet Discounts. The card may be used by member and his or her family. You do not have to carry your Passbook with you to obtain your discounts.
• When two (2) persons dine together the restaurant will deduct the least expensive order in accordance with the stated discount in the Metro Passbook.
• When more than two (2) persons dine together, the following rules apply:
  • One bill for the table – no individual bills
  • No more than four (4) Metro coupons/membership cards per party.
• When dining alone, the restaurant will deduct a 50% off your order in accordance with the stated discount in the Metro Passbook.
• When adults and children dine together, the restaurant will deduct the least expensive adult order in accordance with the stated discount in the Metro Passbook.
• Your discounts are not valid on any major holidays including Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Sweetest Day, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Easter, Labor Day, and July 4^th unless otherwise specified.
• Coupons cannot be used for discount priced daily specials, senior citizen’s and/or early bird specials, banquets, and buffets unless otherwise stated.
• Tipping for acceptable service should be equal to 15-20% of the TOTAL BILL before the discount is subtracted.

Then it goes on to say Metro Passbook Publishing Inc. &/or subsidiaries will not be responsible is any establishment breaches it’s contract or refuses to accept cards/coupons. However, we will attempt to secure compliance. Metro Passbook Publishing Inc. &/or it’s subsidiaries will not be responsible in the event of acts of God, fire, causalities, strike(s), or other events beyond it’s control. I am not sure but that sounds like they really couldn’t care less about their members.

In this book there are two for one-discount coupons, single person discounts, and all other types of food and dining deals. For example, you can save up to $40 at the Chart House. You can receive a 50% discount at Senor Frogs, Bonsai, Gyu-Kaku, Hukilau, and many many more establishments.

But, like I said earlier, not only are you saving money on high end food, but also entertainment and dining in more low key and relaxed restaurants. For example, with this discount book you can take advantage of deals from Hooters, The Shack, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KCL BBQ, and many more establishments. My personal favorite in this book is the 50% off at Dairy Queen coupon.

But, remember when I said that this program was not free? Well, what does something like this cost? To be honest, I would think that these restaurants would want it to be free to the end user, especially if you are going to be choosing their restaurant over another. But this offer will run you $25 per person. So, if you want to drop $25 before you even save a dime, be my guest, but I will pay full price and not have to worry about these offers. Also note that they cover themselves by saying these offers are not guaranteed. So you could literally waste $25 for this and never see a single benefit from it.

So the next time you are handed this “great discount book” from a guy trying to sell you into a timeshare, take it, smile, and find the nearest trashcan. There is no way that a company like this is getting my credit card number. But, I will tell you that writing this made me hungry. Too bad I am not a member or I could take advantage of one of their one-person discount!

Good music is hard to come by. We are flooded with junk on the radio and those terrible songs lead to the summer’s best concerts. It is brainwashing and makes me have little hope for quality music in our future. But, that was before I met this man. He brings heartfelt and honest lyrics with toes in the sand kind of grooves that make you want to grab your woman and hold her tight. His voice is unique and polished and he plays the guitar as if he was born to do so. Not to mention he is one of the nicest guys I have meet in a long time. I am excited that I got the chance to sit with him today and it my absolute pleasure to introduce you to Jackson Rohm.

Is Jackson Rohm your real name?

Robert Jackson Rohm is my full name, but I’ve been called Jackson since the first week I was born by my parents.  Robert is my Dad.

How do you pronounce your last name? What does it sound like?

My family pronounces is it, “rom” like CD-Rom.  I answer to the, “roam” pronunciation though.  Either way is cool with me.

How long have you been performing?

I started playing guitar in middle school and sang in a metal band with some friends when we were fourteen.  We played our first paid gig 1984, performing for our middle school dance. I never considered myself a professional musician until I bagged law school and started playing out full time in 1995.

What is your first memory of the guitar?

I remember getting my first electric guitar when I was thirteen or so.  I had the riff to Smoke On The Water down before I ever took a lesson.

What is the biggest crowd you have ever played for?

It’s hard to tell.  I’ve played some outdoor festivals in the summertime where 10,000 plus people were in attendance supposedly.  But, I would guess that there might have been 1,000 as most during my set.

The smallest?

I’ve played shows where there was nobody but the bartenders and servers in the audience.  Those can be tough!  I also played a sweet 16 birthday party for a girl in her parents’ basement once.  I’ll play for whoever is paying me.  Gotta make a living!

So then do you have a job outside of music?

Nope. I’ve not had a job since I waited tables summers when I was in college.  That was seventeen or eighteen years ago.  Yikes!

How did you get hooked up with Quad Studios?

We chose Quad because it’s fairly reasonably priced, has many isolation booths which is key when you are recording acoustic instruments live.  We also wanted to cut to two inch tape and Quad had the tape machine that we needed.  And we had to be in Nashville, of course!

Do you write all of your own lyrics?

I wrote all of the music and lyrics for the fourteen songs that I recorded for the Acoustic Sessions album.

It seems that you understand the business side of the music industry. What is your process when going on tour to increase CD sales?

That’s always a tough one because I play a number of shows where I also play cover songs.  It all depends on the venue and what they are looking for.  Playing originals increases sales of records, but if the venue wants some covers, I need to be careful to play a good mix of material so that I don’t lose the people are not familiar with my stuff.  I try not to be overly pushy when it comes to selling my music.  Word of mouth is the best way to sell music, so I always hope that if I put out a quality product, the sales will come naturally.

What sorts of merchandise do you have other than your discs?

I also sell t-shirts.  But, it’s a pain to keep them sorted and folded.  I only hire people to help with merch at the shows that I expect a ton of sales.  So, since I often handle my own sales on breaks and after the show, I try not to bother with too much stuff.  It’s just more crap to load in and out of the van and keep track of!

Where can I get some of that merchandise?

The store page on my website is where people can order stuff aside from purchasing at my live shows.  If you order through PayPal at my website, I personally ship everything out, so I’m happy to autograph items, etc.

You travel a ton. Do you like being on the road that much?

I love being on the road 95% of the time.  Sometimes you just want to chill at home, but usually I love getting the chance to play to a different audience.  Many musicians are not afforded that opportunity.  Plus, I’ve made lots of friends in some of the cities that I frequently hit.  So, it’s always great to catch up with them as I pass through from place to place.

What is your favorite thing about touring?

I rarely get bored.  Even when I’m not touring, I enjoy travel around the US and abroad just for fun.  Life is too short and there’s just so much to do and see.  I don’t enjoy sitting still for too long!

Now this is something I can relate to! How fun was it being on the Rock Boat?

The Rock Boat is a total blast if you enjoy music and a great party atmosphere.  I like both and have been on six or seven trips now.  I performed the first three years, but really wanted to go as a guest so that I could kick back, enjoy the shows and throw back some beers without having to worry about performing.  Whether you’re performing on The Rock Boat or just relaxing as a music lover, it’s an incredible experience.

You have appeared on ABC and NBC. Is CBS next?

Well, I’ve been on those network’s local stations in Cleveland, Buffalo, etc.  God knows, I’d love to have the chance to perform on Leno or Letterman.  I still have a long way to go before I’m able to get a foot in those doors.

I am hooked on this new Zac Brown Band album. What was it like playing with them?

I actually met Zac when he was just a guest on The Rock Boat.  This was long before he was known beyond the bar scene in Atlanta. He loved to come up and sit in, playing cover songs and of course, Chicken Fried and a few of his songs.  He never wanted to stop playing.  He’d stay on the stage by the casino on the cruise ship until after the sun came up some nights.  One night, I just left my guitar with him at about 6:00 AM and said to leave it on the stage.  I had to get to bed!

You seem to have shared the stage with some Rock Boat legends. What is the most memorable show you have ever played?

I always like getting on stage with a Rock Boat favorite called Cowboy Mouth for their encore.   They were always over the top when it came to their live show. They would have the crowd worked up into a frenzy by then and it was a rush to be up there playing their crowd favorite, Jenny Says with them when the audience was so into it.  I got to play a handful of shows with them in Wisconsin when they played there the week before Mardi Gras for a couple consecutive years.

What are you drinking on stage?

I know that I should be drinking water to stay hydrated, but I usually end up drinking beer (any beer will do) and an occasional shot of tequila.

What was the inspiration to do an all-acoustic disc?

I’ve had a lot of interest from my fans for an acoustic record.  That’s because I play the bulk of my shows as a solo acoustic act.  My fans wanted to hear something that resembled my live show and I’ve always wanted to release a recording of some of my older songs like Gasoline And Matches and One More Fourth Of July with the unplugged thing happening as opposed to the bigger production versions that I previously released.  It was fun to do something different in the studio.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?

Well, as I mentioned, I’m currently playing out as a solo act because it’s just easier logistically these days.  It’s tough to make ends meet touring with a band.  I applaud all those that do it, because it’s honestly more fun to play with other guys on stage backing you up.  I had a band a few years ago, but when my drummer and long time friend, Rod Welling died in a car accident in 2004, I just decided that I’d go it alone for a while.  I miss Rod and I miss the other guys in the band on stage, but they have kids and day jobs, so it was just too tough to make things work with the way I like to travel.  As for the most embarrassing time, that would be on this past Rock Boat in January when I was invited up on stage at about 2:30 AM.  I’m afraid that I’d had a bit too much to drink that night and I’d have been better served to stay in the audience where I belonged. It was a bit of a train wreck when I could not remember lyrics, etc.  Luckily, most everyone in the crowd was worse off than I was.  I still feel bad for the other players that were on stage with me that night.  It was definitely humiliating, but a learning experience.  I’ll smile and pass next time I’m invited up that late into a night off!

Who is Aaron Thompson and how did you meet him?

Aaron is a very talented producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist that I met in the late 90s when I lived in Atlanta.  He’s produced five of my six records and he’s mixed all of them.  He and I work very well together and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with him.  I’m sure we’ll probably be back in his studio talking about the seventh project before too long.

Where are you originally from?

I’m originally from Jamestown, New York which is a fairly small town an hour or so south of Buffalo in the southwest corner of New York State.  I grew up on a lake there and still keep my boat there.  I’m based out of Cleveland, but Lake Chautauqua is where you’ll find me much of the summertime.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would you go?

That’s a tough one.  I love Brazil, but I’m not sure if I’d want to live there year round.  Because I travel so much, it probably would not matter where I lived.  I’m just on the go so much of the time.  Chicago is another city that I love.  I would not be surprised if I ended up there sometime down the road.

You are playing all around Indiana but nothing in the Hoosier state. How can I get you to play a show here in Indianapolis?

I actually do occasionally play in Indiana.  I just played a little bar in Decatur in February.  I also played in Indy last October and I’ve played a dozen or so times at Kilroy’s Sports in Bloomington in the past few years.  I have a ton of friends in Indy that are constantly pestering me to come back and I’d love to swing through this fall if I find the right venue.

Do you ever forget the lyrics to your own songs?

Unfortunately that has happened.  It’s hard to believe how that could happen, but I think that it occasionally does for most artists.  For me, it usually has something to do with a cute girl that distracts me…and I’m pretty easily distracted these days!

What are your thoughts on the dying social networking service that is MySpace?

We had a good run.  But, it seems so sluggish and full of spammers that I’m just fine with Facebook, especially now that you can put a music player on your fan page.  MySpace was a great thing for me for years though.  I still use it, but not many people visit my page anymore.

Are you on Twitter?

I’m just starting to get the hang of Twitter.  It seems like a cool way to connect with fans, but I’m still trying to determine how to best utilize it.

How does being on a major record label effect your freedom in touring and in songwriting?

I’ve actually never been signed to a label at all.  I enjoy being in total control of my career and what I can do creatively.  That’s not to say that I’m anti-label.  I’m just happy with how things are going as is.

Who are some of your biggest influences?

Influences are hard to pinpoint because I’ve been playing cover songs since I was a kid.  I went through the metal phase, then listened and played mostly classic rock and folkier stuff in college.  Then, I got into grunge and alternative for a bit and I always dig singer/songwriter stuff.  I’ve also gotten more into country lately too.  I’ll say that I love bands like Counting Crows, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Keith Urban or Ryan Adams, etc., but I don’t really think that my music sounds like theirs.  So who knows who really influenced me?

It might be impossible since you travel so much, but what is your favorite venue?

I love playing The Village Casino on Chautauqua Lake (where I grew up).  It’s not really a casino, but it’s a cool, laid back wing and beer joint right on the water that I grew up hanging out at since I was a kid.  I usually pack the place and lots of old friends always seem to be there.  It’s my kind of place!

What is your relationship with Amp Energy Drink?

I was sponsored by Amp in 2009 and they were great to me.  I passed out lots of their swag at shows and did some promotional stuff with them with radio giveaways, etc.  My deal has expired with them, but I’m grateful to have worked with them.  A few years ago I was also sponsored by Leinenkugel’s beer and that was also a great experience.  I think that I drank far more of their beer than I did the Amp drink though!

What was it like when you first heard one of your songs on the radio?

That was an incredible feeling.  I still could not believe it.  When I recorded my first record, I had no idea if people would like my original music at all.  When it went over so well, I was like, “You liked that?  I can do much better!”.  So I became more focused on writing music.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I’d be happy if I’m doing the exact same thing that I’m doing now.  I love my life.  But, if bigger and better opportunities came my way, I’d be thrilled as well.  If my music career somehow fizzles out within five years, I might be in trouble.  Playing music is what I do and I can’t really see myself doing much else.  The day job thing just won’t fly at this point in my life!

What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?

I hope to be remembered as a guy that was a hell of a lot of fun to see play live.  And I’d like to be remembered for writing some songs that told some great stories that moved people.  If my stuff moves them to dance, cry, sing along, etc., that’s all fine with me.  I just hope that they are not moved to hit the eject button!

I always let the artist get the last word. Go!

I’m just really proud of this latest Acoustic Sessions CD because it represents a cross section of some of the previously released songs that I’m most proud of and I’m also really pleased with how the five new songs came together in the studio.  I feel that the instrumentation worked so well with the arrangements that we came up with and my vocal tone seems to suit the whole vibe.  This was a fun album to make.  I just hope that people dig it!