10/15/2026
Chronicles of a Working Musician: Episode 625
On today’s episode, I would like to nominate myself for the 2026 Du***ss Musician of the Year Award. 😂
Let me explain.
Today I had about an hour’s drive to one of my favorite places to play, Ventosa Vineyards. I’ve been playing there for nearly 15 years, and I always look forward to it.
So I grab my backpack, my dinner, hop in my truck, and head out the door with a smile on my face.
Beautiful day. Looking forward to the gig. Life is good.
About 20 minutes from the venue, I stop to get gas.
As I’m standing there pumping gas, it suddenly hits me.
I DON’T HAVE ONE SINGLE PIECE OF MUSIC EQUIPMENT IN MY TRUCK.
Not a guitar. Not a speaker. Not a microphone. NOTHING.
My heart starts racing. My stomach drops. I literally feel like I’m going to throw up.
You have GOT to be kidding me.
I’ve been in the process of moving some things around, and I’d completely unloaded my truck to make room. In the midst of all the craziness going on lately, I somehow managed to forget to put EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT back in.
Now, in nearly 30 years of doing this, I’ve forgotten things before. A cable here, a microphone stand there. It happens.
But EVERYTHING?
That’s a new one.
So now I have no choice but to turn around and make the long drive back home, grab my gear, and head back to the gig.
Of course, I made that drive as quickly as possible, gingerly and within all applicable traffic laws, naturally. 😂
Meanwhile, I’m texting the owners at Ventosa to explain that I’m not going to be five or ten minutes late.
I’m going to be about 45 MINUTES LATE.
Thankfully, my good buddy John Lamanna also reached out to the venue and helped explain what was going on.
And you know what?
Every single person I heard back from said the same thing.
“Take your time. Get here when you can.”
Seriously, how lucky am I to work with people like this?
I eventually made it, got everything set up, and did what I was supposed to do in the first place.
PLAY MUSIC.
I’ve probably played well over 4,000 gigs in my lifetime, and apparently, there’s still a first time for everything.
Today was the first time I managed to leave for a gig without bringing the actual gig with me.
A HUGE thank you to everyone at Ventosa Vineyards for being so understanding, to John for helping out, and to all the wonderful people who came out and patiently waited for me to get my dumb ass there.
I appreciate you more than you know.
And now I’m genuinely curious…
Has any other working musician ever managed to forget their ENTIRE setup? Or am I officially the 2026 Du***ss Musician of the Year?
Because I feel like I deserve a trophy for this one. 🏆😂
