JudiGras and Ardy

Thursday night was JudiGras at Chillkoots- basically a sort of costume party/Mardi Gras party with lots of general debauchery. There was a dancing pole set up right in front of Matt which the band enjoyed. It was all great while the hot slinky dancers were sliding up and down on it, but eventually they disappeared and the general population starting swinging around on it. At one point, a big boned local gal came flying around at about 150 mph (with about 200 ft pounds of moment) and knocked Matt's mic stand into his face and nearly took out his front teeth. He was OK, but looked especially handsome with a big fat lip for the next set. After that, they had the 'tattoo closest to your crack' contest, and all these drunk girls were stumbling around the stage showing off their lower back tattoos. Honestly, whenever I see these butt-crack tattos on girls, I always do a double take, 'cause at first it looks like a bunch of hair. Maybe I need new glasses. Well, anyway, the girls stepped all over Matt's guitar effects pedal board and ripped out cords and messed it up, leading to delays in starting the next set. Then my Bass amplifier started to crackle and die, along with weird feedback problems. The rig that I'm using here belongs to 'Koots, and dates to about 1985- not the best stuff I've ever played. Good thing was it was just a switch and all is ok now.

Next came the show your boobs contest- Ryan's favorite. Tell you what, since joining EastonAshe, I've been able to save alot of money by canceling my porn subscriptions! Yikes. Well, seems like half the girls at JudiGras suddenly became all shy- not much showing, unless I missed it, which is VERY possible. Seems like at our regular gigs at Harolds and other local places, it's all skin all the time, but when it's time to win a contest, our ladies get all modest.

Additionally, the band dressed up in these nutty costumes and looked pretty out there too. I'll add pics later on.

PART TWO: Ardy Hendrickson is my Mom's best friend nearly her whole life, and they've shared many colorful times over many years. Of course, because of this, Ardy has been a fixture throughout my life as well. She's a great and beautiful person and is so easy to have around. She also has the best sense of humor of anyone one I know. She and my mom used to come out to my gigs (at Big Jim's in Arnott) back when I was playing in the BUCKSHOT Band in the late '80s

Like anyone, Ardy has seen her share of ups and downs over the years, but can always tell the stories with a hilarious spin. She's also very active in church and takes her involvement in it seriously.

It just so happened that Ardy was going to be in Alaska visting family at this same time that I'm up here! We discussed them coming to a show at 'Koots to see the band, but they were going to be traveling alot so it was kinda up in the air. Ardy said they would try to make it out though between road trips. Of course JudiGras wouldn't probably be the best night to come, but I had forgotten about all that at the time.....

So there I am, in this ridiculous black coat/skull cap/sunglasses surrounded by slutty dancing girls, butt crack tattoos, pierced nipples, about 500 drunk twenty-somethings, and a generally foul mouthed master of ceremonies in a skin tight silver glitter outfit- and I look out into the crowd and faintly make out a familiar face. OH GOD NO! NOT TONIGHT!!

Yep, there was Ardy with her sister and brother in law. Just in time for the butt crack contest. I was mortified. But of course happy to see her just the same. Like everyone, they must have paid the $12 cover charge and wound through the drunken maze of Chilkoot Charlies to find EastonAshe in all of our JudiGras glory. I introduced them to Geoff, our drummer who was wearing his giant yellow tele-tubbie costume (with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth). I shared with Ardy my tip of stuffing a piece of cocktail napkin in one's ears as earplugs which she did.

It's not that Ardy was born yesterday, but I was a little embarrassed (or is that em-bare-assed) that this was her first and likely last impression of our quaint little band! However, in the end, I think all had a good time (especially the brother-in-law!) and I can already hear her telling the story in her famously funny renditions! Forget Denali, sweetheart, this is the REAL Alaskan experience!!