Hey guys,
remember Ian, the lucky winner of our awesome Planet Rock flyaway competition? Well, real Rock ’n’ Rollers keep their promises! So we did indeed fly Ian out to Nashville this past weekend and he came visit us in the studio. And we really have to say: We had the best time hanging out with you, man!
Ian truly is the nicest guy – he even brought us a set of authentic Scotland soccer tricots customized with our names on them! How cool is that! Thank you so much for the killer presents and for one hell of a great weekend, Ian! And thanks so much to our amazing friends over at Planet Rock for hosting this rad competition!
But before we keep rambling on and start giving away everything ourselves, just listen to what Ian has to say about his trip:
“After the feelings of disbelief subsided a tad, the big day came as I boarded a plane with Jon and headed to Nashville via Detroit. on arrival in Nashville, we were met by a lovely lady in a Cadillac Escalade. Plush motor indeed!
Pitched up at the Nashville Hutton Hotel to check in then went out for some Mexican food with Jon. Saturday morning came and we headed up to Marti’s studio. We were welcomed by David Edwards and were given a tour of the studio. I spent some time with Doug at the desk as he explained how it all works and discussed how the whole recording process works. Marco came and introduced himself and we chatted for a while. Deen then demo’d the drum set up and then we all sat while Doug went through the process of altering a section of a song he wasn’t 100% sure about. David Lowy was unfortunately absent but the guys really picked up the slack. John came in and chatted for a while but he was busy working on lyrics and changes.
Marti arrived later, then there was a bit of a band meeting to discuss possible changes on the record. Lee and the other guys were great and gave us free reign to mooch about and take in the whole studio experience. We then did a bit of a photo shoot for the social media and the guys wore the old style Scotland soccer (football) shirts I brought over for them. Deen and I then recorded a message for my pal Steve who is also a huge DD fan.
Slight panic early evening when the tornado sirens went off in Nashville but the guys kept going and stayed at their posts throughout. David ordered in BBQ for dinner which was excellent. As the guys drifted off back to the hotel, we headed off back also. Tired but happy.
High points?
Basically the whole experience from touchdown to take off. The guys were definitely not prima donnas. Friendly, chatty and good company. Especially Deen. Everyone should have a Deen Castronovo in their life!
Regrets?
I wish I had asked more questions but I understood that the guys were working.
I wish I had taken up Deen’s offer to have a stint on the drums.
I wish I had taken one of my guitars for the guys to sign.
AGGGHHH! Too many!!! Can I go back and do it again please?
The Dead Daisies, David Edwards and the management, Marti Frederiksen, The Crew, Planet Rock, especially Jon Norman.
My humblest thanks to you all. Best time ever!!
Ian”
httpv://youtu.be/K4cNQaOyYKw