07/05/2026
For those of you who don’t want to wade through a long read.
1986-2026 40 years dj’ing this week! Almost 4600 appearances, over 1700 weddings!
And I’ve got bookings in to 2029 right now!
For those needing something to fall asleep to.
1st week of May 1986 I was checking ID’s at the door of New Braunfels Nephews when the DJ didn’t show up and the manager (John Bruton) took me to the dj booth, showed me how to cue up a record and left me. I knew nothing but country and that’s all I played that night. I was hooked. Couldn’t sleep that night, the music just kept running through my head. The next day I got the bartenders and waitresses to make me lists of non-country and combined the lists, marking the ones listed on more than one list and started learning the non-country and which songs to mix together and how to fade them in and out. That summer I took extra equipment from the store room and started playing on Saturday afternoons at Roy’s Rentals on River Road while the waitresses waded out in the river and handed free drink cards to tubers. 5 years I played for both Nephew locations and started playing for a few weddings.
Fast forward to the 90’s. Miller Beer is sponsoring me and getting me in the doors of every beer joint and dance hall in central Texas and I’m playing 350 gigs a year. Barry’s UPS, Old Icehouse, Watering Hole, Yellow Rock, the main stage at Luckenbach, Saengerhalle, Twin Sisters, Albert Dancehall, Coupland Dancehall, Schroeder Hall, Anhalt Dance Hall, Sisterdale Dance Hall, Freiheit Country Store, Clear Springs, Riley’s Tavern, Devil’s Backbone Tavern, Float Inn, Jack’s Roadhouse, The Grain Bin. Probably another 50 joints I can’t remember the names of.
The crew. Danny Ikels, from day one. Every booth and contraption I thought up to be able to use turntables where ever I went and not skip records, Danny built. Some so heavy it took 3 or 4 people to move. Danny isn’t as spry as he used to be but I know he’s always there if I need him. Mark Vineyard who had a huge old Ford convertible that we would load everything in the trunk and head to the river. Mike Dossey, helped me learn more non-country music than anyone and helped with gigs for several years. Robert Parrish, who made t-shirts and Koozies to hand out. Henry Foerster who kept us loaded up with beer and Howard Athas who handled promotions, both with Miller Distributing (and Joe and Joe Mark Miller for supporting us). Wade Franks who came up with the original RoadNoise name and logo. Robby Coldeway, Bo Allen, Ben Kiesling, Terry Zunker, Stacy Pfeil, Bradley Pfeil, Jeremy Rogers, Patrick “Chavez” Shining Elk, Ed Hammack, Donny Meurin, Darrell Jentsch, Keith Smith, Chris Haas, Todd Cunningham, Clint Montanio and probably a few more that I’m not remembering right now. Karl Ries who is still helping me even with both knees replaced. And all the wives and girlfriends who put up with me borrowing their guys to move all the equipment around.
Comal County Fair. In 1992 Kathy Krause asked me to play on a Sunday. This year will be the 34th year of playing at the Fair and Chrissy Schwarz lets me play 4 times for different events. Love the Fair!
All the people who have gone to so many of my gigs over the years. All the families who have trusted me to do their weddings, their kids weddings, all their family get-togethers. The crazy number of people that I played their weddings and then have me play for their kids weddings, once I even played for the parents weddings of both the bride and the groom!
All the wedding coordinators, wedding venues and vendors who recommend me to their brides and grooms, your trust in me is not taken lightly and I greatly appreciate your friendship.
My kids (Darian and Stanley) who helped when I needed it and didn’t mind sharing their Dad with so many others, it’s not easy having your father busy almost every weekend and working a full-time job during the week.
Especially all the fantastic singers, songwriters and musicians without whom there are no dj’s. Besides the big national names, we have so many unbelievably talented musicians in the Central Texas/New Braunfels area and I’m glad that I’ve been able to be friends with some of them. I got to play during the breaks of quite a few bands back then. Jay Eric, Matt Pfanstiel, Bruce Schwarz. I still play their music. Great guys.
I’m not going to say “here’s to another 40” but I’m pretty sure I’ve got a few good years left.
See ya somewhere down the road…
