6 Hands Down

Can't believe it's been 20 years

2010-08-27T05:34:00.001-07:00

Having a real hard time believing it's been 20 years since we all lost Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Here are a few notes plucked from memory lane...

SRV 1985 Lifetime Show Canada TV SRV Interview

SRV performs House Is Rockin' on Arsenio

SRV's take on Little Wing

Cool SRV Interview

Rude Mood

Dear Blues Fans -- New Clapton Release Coming!

2010-08-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

New "Clapton" album coming Sept. 28! http://bit.ly/cCVeIl

6 Hands Down at the Barn Tavern this weekend!

2010-04-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to playing this weekend at the Barn Tavern in Grand Ledge. Yeah, this weekend. Friday (4/16) and Saturday (4/17). I suppose technically we'll be playing there on Sunday (4/18) as well, but that's only 'cause we'll be starting the Saturday gig at 9:30pm and finishing it at 1:30 am on Sunday. Confusing, crazy, wacky stuff this music thang, eh??? Not really, I suppose. Just feeling kind of nutty today. Nutty, and beyond ready to make a bunch of music this weekend!

You're probably thinkin' to yourself, "what are they gonna play this weekend at the Barn Tavern in Grand Ledge?" That's a fantastic question. Thanks for asking yourself that! 'Specially 'cause I've been asking myself the same question and will continue doing so right up until we actually play a song, then the next one, then another one, then a random one after that. Truth is, folks, we tend to fly without much of a game plan or set list. We just kind of like to be on the lookout for the next song that seems right for the given moment and then play it. We have a bunch more fun that way and we really hope that you do too!

So please plan on coming out this weekend for a couple nights of music, magic and mystery. Live music all weekend long at the Barn Tavern with 6 Hands Down. Sure hope to see you there! Thanks for your time and your support!

Kev

6 Hands Down

On to the Roadhouse!

2010-02-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

Man-Oh-man did we ever have a blast playing at the Eagles in Jackson last weekend! What a great, great time. Thanks to all of you who came out to share in the festivities with us.

I know it's only Tuesday, but it's never too early to start planning for some fun times next weekend and we'd sure like to be a part of your entertainment agenda. We'll be playing at the Roadhouse in Jackson this coming Friday (2/26) and Saturday (2/27) nights. Please join us out there if you get a chance. Tell all your friends to show up as well, that would be awesome. In fact, tell people that you don't know at all that they should be there too. People standing in line next to you at Meijer, people on the next lane over from you at the bowling alley, people in the waiting room of your doctor's office. Tell 'em all! What's it gonna hurt? Some might say, "no thanks". But what about the ones that say, "sure thing, I'll be there!" Think of the good you'll have done for humanity, or, at the very least, the good you'll have done Dan, Rex, Jimmy and I in 6 Hands Down.

Anyhow, sure hope you can join us for one or both nights this weekend. We promise, promise, promise you that it's gonna be one howling hoot of a good time! See you there!

Until then, I'll leave you with this thought...

Time to push away your troubles.
Time to rest your worried mind.
Put it all off 'til tomorrow.
Tonight is all about good times!

Kev -- 6 Hands Down

Memories, memories, memories!

2010-02-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah! Woke up this morning with some great Memphis memories on my mind. Thought I'd relive a bit of 'em right about now...

6 Hands Down at the 2009 IBC

And while we're on the subject of videos, here's an interview done with Rex and I right after we came off the stage at last year's Kalamazoo Blues Festival...

Wow -- I talk alot!

Note to Rex -- Sorry for not letting you get much of a word in edge-wise, bro! You know how chatty I can get.

Am realizing that video of the band is kind of lacking on the web. Hope to be remedying that issue in the not-so-distant future with the purchase of a new video cam. Please stay tuned!

Sing along with a song at top volume in your car today -- you'll feel great about it!

See you soon!

Kev -- 6 Hands Down

Last weekend / next weekend

2010-02-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

Hey, all! Typing at you here to say BIG THANKS to all that came out to hang with us at the Bone Island Grill last Saturday night (2/6). It was great to be back at the B.I.G. after not playing there for a number of months. Having so many of you show up there to join in on all the fun was a huge treat for us, so, THANKS again!

This week will be taking us to a club that we've never played before and we're very excited to check it out. Friday (2/12) we'll be playing at the Mason-Holt Eagles Club. It's always cool for us to play a new venue because it usually offers up the opportunity for us to play in front of a whole new batch of people who may have never seen or heard us before. We're looking forward to the chance to make a bunch of new friends there!

This coming Sunday (2/14) plan on bringing your sweetheart out for some Valentine's Day blues at the 411 Club in Kalamazoo. We'll be playing there as part of a special fundraising series for the Kalamazoo Valley Blues Society to raise money for this year's Kalamazoo Blues Festival. We played in this event last year and had a monster time rockin' the heck outta the good folks of Kalamazoo, and we are very much looking forward to doing it all over again this coming Sunday! Please join us there if you can for some good times for a great cause!

I'll be listening to Buddy Guy and B.B. King songs in my head until I see you all soon!

All the best!

Kev -- 6 Hands Down -- http://www.6handsdown.com --

The state of things and, you know, whatever...

2010-02-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

OK, so, I've said it before here and I'm gonna say it again (and perhaps mean it this time), I will begin really trying to update this blog on a much more regular basis. Yeah, I know, you're snickering and saying that you've heard (read) this before, but I kind of sort of really mean it this time.

That being said, here's what's on my mind lately. I've been back to writing, scribbling, sketching, formulating and piecing together ideas, thoughts, and concepts in my various personal notebooks and journals. What I've found in doing so, is what I know is going to the be the framework and brunt of a brand new 6 Hands Down CD! Along with with sitting down and putting pen or pencil to paper, I've also been working up bits and pieces of music in a very raw, demo format on my 16 track. This is a very, very exciting time for me creatively. I felt as though, for whatever reason, I was a bit stalled on the music front with new ideas. I was actually a bit worried about that concept. But I found that, like any of life's other struggles and barriers, I simply needed to power on through, and I tell you folks, I really, really like what's been starting to happen.

As I said, much of what's been happening is still in the outline, raw scraps and idea stage, but I'm really liking where it's heading. This new material and CD is going to be, as a whole, far deeper into the blues vain. After typing that, I immediately had to ask myself, "what the hell does that mean?". Well, to put it in as simple of terms as I can come up with, I'm hoping that when you finally get a chance to hear the end result, that you'll really "feel" this music in a very, very deep sense. That's my goal.

This is an awesome time in the process. Anything could happen as this all takes shape and that's really ignited a fire under me. It's consuming me and that's a good thing!

I'll keep you posted along the ride!

Please keep checking the website and try and catch some shows if you get a chance. We sure would love to see you there!

Try and smile at somebody today that you never would have thought of smiling at before. That would be a step towards all of us helping to make this world a better place!

All the best to you! Up, up and away!

Kev

-- http://www.6handsdown.com --

Festivals, festivals, festivals!

2009-07-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Wow! Just got done playin' one heck of a fun festival up in Mt. Pleasant last weekend, taking a mid-week deep breath, and getting ready to do it all over again next weekend at the St. Louis Blues Festival (7/4) and again the following weekend at the Kalamazoo Blues Festival (7/1). Busy times, but good times, man, good times indeed!

For more details (times, dates, etc.) please check our website -- we'd sure love to bump into you at one or all of the great festival appearances we have lined up this summer!

See you real soon!

Kev & 6 Hands Down -- 6 Hands Down

We done been YouTubed -- Sweet!

2009-06-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

A friend found and sent me this link from YouTube. It's a video of us performing our first song on the first night of the 2009 International Blues Challenge on Beale Street in Memphis, TN. What a cool, cool trip down memory lane this is. I hope it looks like we're having a blast playing in this video -- 'cause we TOTALLY were! After 2 great nights at the Rum Boogie Cafe (where this video was shot), we were fortunate enough to make it to the top 10 and perform in the finals on Saturday at the Orpheum Theater. Alas, we did not win, but we sure had one heck of a GREAT experience! I have NO idea who shot this video, but I'm very glad that that person was there to document this wonderful moment in time for the band -- HUGE THANKS!

Kev & 6 Hands Down -- 6 Hands Down

Blues in the hot summer!

2009-06-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

It’s that grand time of year when we get to move our musical activities to the out-of-doors in the form of festival appearances. We have a bunch of those types of shows going on all summer long, so, please make sure to check our calendar at the 6 Hands Down website for details as they continue to develop.

We love, love, and I mean LOVE playin’ festival gigs. They give us a chance to play nothing but our own music in front of a lot of people who may never have had the chance to see us before. Festivals also give us the chance to catch up with other musicians and friends who, due to all of our crazy schedules, we don’t get to see perform as often enough as we’d like – so that’s way, way cool!

Lookin’ forward to seein’ you all at some festivals this summer! Stop by and say “hi”!

Kev

3 Week Eagles Tour

2009-03-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

After a great Saturday (3/21) night last week at the Eagles Club in Jackson, we continue our 3 week Eagles Tour this weekend by playing this Friday (3/27) and Saturday (3/28) at the Coldwater Eagles Club. Don't ask me how we've managed to line up nothing but Eagles Clubs for almost a month straight -- I guess that's just how the calendar bounces sometimes -- just a funny, weird twist. The cool thing is that, thus far on this '09 Eagles tour, it's been a total blast. Last weekend at the Jackson Club was a huge success -- at least that's what the happy crowd and staff told us. It was reported to us by the powers-that-be there that it was the best weekend financially and crowd-wise in quite some time -- very cool! Now, as I said, this weekend we're on to what promises to be another fun weekend down in Coldwater. Carl and the rest of the great staff there always show us a good time, so we're really looking forward to it! Come on out and see us if you get a chance -- we'll show you a good time -- promise! Of course, the following Saturday night (4/4) we'll be returning to the Jackson Eagles Club for the final night (for this leg anyway) of the '09 Eagles Tour -- please, please come out for that one too if you can. Sure looking forward to seeing you all soon! As always, thanks for your support.
Kev & 6 Hands Down -- www.6handsdown.com

Recap of IBC trip for CABS

2009-03-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hi, all -- I know it's been waaaaaay too long since I've posted here and I'm very, very sorry for that. I promise that one on my new goals for this year is to be much better about updating this blog (I really am gonna try)!

As a start back into things here, I thought I'd post the write-up that I did for the Capital Area Blues Society covering 6 Hands Down adventure at this year's International Blues Challenge down in Memphis, TN.

Below is said write-up in it's entirety. Hope you enjoy!

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It’s always tough to try and summarize an incredible experience after the fact, because no amount of words can ever seem to sum up the memories properly. That was the problem I was faced with after I promised CABS president Toni Alexander that I would send her a write-up on our adventures when 6 Hands Down returned from the 2009 International Blues Challenge. I should have realized that that promise would have been easier said than done. Here’s why -- I should have known it would be impossible to put into words…

…how thankful we are to CABS for sending us to Ground Zero of the biggest blues party anywhere on earth!

,,,how happy we’d be when all members of the band and entourage safely arrived and re-united for celebratory beverages at the Best Western Inn in West Memphis, Arkansas (10 minutes from Beale Street), after having traveled by car and plane from points north, south, east and west of Memphis!

…how great we felt when we checked in on the first day of competition and found out that we’d be competing in the first 2 days of the event (semi-final round) at the very same venue we were fortunate to draw last year (The Rum Boogie Café), assuring us some familiarity with the layout, staging, sound system and personel of the club -- always helpful info at these types of events!

…how great that first plate of ribs and bowl of gumbo would taste!

…how good it makes you feel to run into Gordon Wilson around the corner from Beale Street on his way to watch you “make CABS proud”!

…how dreamlike it feels to be finally hitting those first notes on stage and how fast a 25 minute set can blaze by when you’re having so much fun!

…how great that ice cold Bass Ale tastes after you’ve finished your set on the first night!

…how darned great it was to watch and get to meet the other performers at our venue and all over the rest of Beale Street and realizing how cool it is that, for the most part, this whole thing doesn’t feel like a competition at all, but rather, one huge, non-stop blues concert with 16 stages!

…how you go to bed that first night, thankful that everything went so well and thinking you would be more than happy to just be able to have tomorrow’s performance go the exact same way!

…how you wake up the next day and superstitiously eat a big bowl of grits (since you did so the day before)!

…how you hit the stage for round two and, even though the whole thing is once again kind of a blur, you finish happily realizing that somehow it went even better than the night before!

…how even though you’re a bit anxious to hear who will advance to the Saturday finals, it’s pretty cool to be doing so while listening to Muddy Waters’ old guitar player (Bob Margolin) playing and singing on stage at the Rum Boogie from just a few feet away!

…how hard it is to believe that they just said the name 6 Hands Down as the winner of the Rum Boogie venue and knowing what tears of joy really feel like!

…how difficult it is to get to sleep when you’re going over and over in your head how hard it is to turn a 24 minute 38 second set into a 19 minute 59 second set!

…how awesome the grits taste on the third morning!

…how lucky you feel to draw the opening slot of the finals because you get a sound check!

…how you wish the spotlights weren’t so bright when you take the stage at the finals of the 2009 International Blues Challenge so you could actually see the couple thousand people that are out there in the audience of the Orpheum Theater!

…how it feels to get a standing ovation in front of that kind of crowd!

…how when the 3rd, 2nd and 1st place bands have been announced you honestly don’t feel bad in any way that your name wasn’t mentioned – that you truly feel honored, blessed, fortunate and thankful to have been able to have this experience!

…and finally, how you can’t wait to get the opportunity to once again really, really thank the wonderful people of the Capital Area Blues Society for the incredible support over the last 2 years!

THANK YOU CABS!!! It’s been a pleasure to represent you at the 2008 and 2009 International Blues Challenges!

Kev Nichols – www.6handsdown.com

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Randomized thoughts of a Tuesday

2008-10-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

Dangit! There I went again! Letting way too much time go by without posting on our blog. Really sorry!

We'll be playin' at The Barn Tavern this weekend up in Grand Ledge. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10th & 11th. Lookin' forward to seeing all our friends, family and fans up in the at neck of the woods for 2 fun nights of music. Hope to see you there!

Continuing to notch out time to get the new CD finished. It is a struggle due to there not being nearly enough hours in the day. But it is indeed coming. We beg your continued patience.

Starting to realize that our Memphis trip is just around the corner time-wise. Can't wait!

Hope all is well with you and yours, and we hope to see you soon!

Kev (and Dan and Rex and Jimmy) -- 6 Hands Down

Oh, these here random thoughts...

2008-08-20T08:29:00.001-07:00

Summer's coming to a close and, though there's been some much needed relaxation time, 6 Hands Down is gearing up to finish out 2008 with a busy schedule and we're already looking forward to whatever 2009 plans on throwing our way.

As I sit here and reflect, the thing foremost on my mind at the moment is to simply say "THANKS" to all of you out there who continue to support our musical endeavors. Many of you have been there from the very beginning and that means an awful lot to us. Others have joined the ride along the way, and we're really, really glad to have you on board. The bottom line is that, if you're one of our supporters, you certainly know who you are and we just want you to know how very important you are to us. I could be cliche and say, "this song goes out to you", but, truth be told, they ALL go out to you! If you're not out there showing up and listening, well, the experience wouldn't get anywhere near as close to being as enriching as it is for us, so ... HUGE THANKS again! You're ALL the BEST!!!

As times get crazy and busy again around here, please know that we'll continue to give you everything we've got at all of our shows, that new music is coming very soon, and that even though we sometimes don't get enough time to hang out and talk with you as much as we'd like at our shows, you are beyond near and dear to us -- each and every one of you!

I'll finish with our promise to you -- THE MUSIC WILL NEVER STOP!

See you soon!

Kev (and Dan and Jimmy and Rex) -- 6 Hands Down

Rested and ready!

2008-07-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hey, kids!

Just wanna tell you that we're (that's us -- 6 Hands Down), bouncing right on back into the live music scene this weekend at The Time Out Bar & Grill (Friday and Saturday, 7/25 and 7/26). We gots to say that we're more than ready to be playin' out live again after a couple of weekends off (due to rest, relaxation, vacations, Iron Man Triathalon training, bail jumping, etc). Come out and join us for the parties this weekend at the T.O.B. and G., won't you please???

And for the Lansing folks/fans/family/friends out there not willing to pay those high gas prices to come down to J-town this weekend, never ever snever fear -- we'll go on ahead and just come to you!!! That's right, 6HD will be doin' our little old thing up in L-town next week at The Green Door on Thursday, July 31st -- please be there, be there, be there so we can look at you and say..."Hi, ya! You're looking great! That's a sweet T-Shirt! You're the best, you, you and you!".

So, like, hopefully you get the idea that we really wanna see you sometime this week, right??? OK then...'nuff said!

See you soon!

Kev, Dan, Jimmy and Rex -- 6 Hands Down

REMINDER - ST. LOUIS BLUES FESTIVAL THIS FRIDAY - JULY 4th & 5th

2008-06-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Looking to start your 4th of July weekend off right? Look no further than the 2nd Annual St. Louis Blues Festival. This 2 day blues festival on July 4th and 5th is gonna be one heckuva hootin' hollerin' hellraisin' blues bash!!! Don't miss it!!! We'll be taking the stage there on Friday from 4:30 to 5:30 -- but we think you should get there early and make a weekend of it! We have a lot of friends who will be playing up there with their bands as well and we can't wait to see 'em while we're kicking back right next to you with a frosty cold beverage and some extra tastey barbecue! CLICK HERE for the entire festival schedule. We'll be on the lookout for you when we get there!

See you soon!

Kev, Dan, Jimmy and Rex -- 6 Hands Down

Blues On The Square This Thursday (6/26)

2008-06-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

First -- thanks to everybody that came out last weekend to our first gigs at the Time Out Bar & Grill in Jackson. We had a great time -- the patrons, staff and everything were fantastic and we're already looking forward to getting back there soon!

And now, here's a reminder not to forget about this Thursday! We'll be playing up in Lansing as part of the Blues on the Square free concert series. I'm telling you here and now folks that we're darned charged up for this concert. We're fortunate to be opening for international touring artist Ana Popovic and we sure think that if you plan on attending, you're gonna see and hear one heck of a night of entertainment. Please, please, please plan on being there. Like I said, it's FREE and you certainly can't beat that! Our set starts at 6pm and Ana and her band will be hitting the stage at around 7pm. Don't miss this!

See you all very soon!

Kev, Dan, Jimmy and Rex -- 6 Hands Down

Still cachin' up, but...

2008-06-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hey, all-

Still catching up (or, at the very least, tryin' to keep up) with the world seeming to be flyin' by at a dizzying pace of late, but wanted to make sure you were aware of a few cool things that have happened, are happening or are gonna happen. WARNING -- all items are for sure gonna be listed in a random, off the top of my head order (like I've been sayin'...things are downright crazy these daze)!

THANKS TO CABS! -- We participated in the recent Blues Brawl thrown by the Capital Area Blues Society and we want to thank them from the bottom of our blues lovin' and playin' hearts for choosing us as this year's winners! This means another trip to the International Blues Challenge down in Memphis, Tennessee next February. I know that seems like a looooong way away, but believe me, it'll get here before you know it. If your a blues music lover, make your plans now to be down on Beale Street for the 2009 IBC (Feb. 4-7) -- I guarantee that you'll have the time of your life! In my humble estimation, it's the GREATEST annual live music event anywhere!

LARRY MCCRAY AND THE GEM THEATER ROCK! -- We were so excited when we were asked by the Gem Theater up in St. Louis, MI to fill the opening slot for their recent Larry McCray concert that we each had to pinch ourselves 37 times (bringing the band total of pinches to 148). What a great time and fantastic experience! The Gem Theater is an awesome venue that is worth the trip from anywhere to visit on the night of one of their shows. And Larry McCray and his band tore the roof off the joint making the night totally complete! Larry is an absolute monster on guitar and vocals -- get out there and see him soon and often -- you won't be let down!

AND ANOTHER KICKIN' OPENING SLOT -- We've been asked to perform in this year's Blues on the Square music series up in Lansing, MI. We'll be holding down the opening slot for touring artist Ana Popovic on Thursday, June 26. We play at 6pm and Ana and her band take the stage at around 7pm. Please come out and join us, the night promises to be a special one!

GREAT BLUES FESTIVAL IN THE "MIDDLE OF THE MITTEN" -- Not only do our new friends at the Gem Theater up in St. Louis, MI throw a good party inside (see item 2 paragraphs above), but we've heard they throw one heck of a shindig outside too. Well, we're gonna get a chance to find out for ourselves when we play the 2nd Annual St. Louis Blues Festival on Friday, July 4th. Check the schedule to find out the performance times for all the awesome acts that will be there doing their musical thing that weekend (the event is on Friday AND Saturday, July 4th AND 5th). We'll be taking the stage from 4:30 to 5:30 on Friday -- we can't wait to see you there partying with us!

THE NEW CD -- Continuing to chip away at tracks for the new CD. I know many of you are getting more and more anxious and tired of us saying "it's coming...really...we mean it...no kidding", but it's been harder than ever to notch out the time to make it all happen. Please, please continue to be patient -- we love you for that quality...oh yeah, that and that nice smile you give us while we're playing our music for you...THANKS for that toooooooo!!!

We hope to see you soon! In fact, how about this weekend at a new venue (at least playing-wise for us) The Time Out Bar & Grill in Jackson -- hope you can make it!

Kev, Rex, Dan & Jimmy -- 6 Hands Downn

Race Weekend Party

2008-06-13T07:39:00.001-07:00

Hey, gang!

It's Race Weekend in good 'ol Jackson and that means parties are happening everywhere!

We'll be bringin' our special brand of rockin' blues and party music to the Bone Island Grill in Vandercook Lake this Saturday night (6/14). Please come out and help us rev up our musical engines for a fun, fun night! The big race isn't 'til Sunday, but there's no reason why we can't boogity, boogity, boogity our butts off the night before! Come early to get a seat and some of the B.I.G's awesome food!

Can't wait to see you all there!

Kev (& Jimmy & Rex & Dan) -- 6 Hands Down

Um...really sorry

2008-06-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

First off, gang -- REALLY SORRY for going sooooo long in this blog space with nothing but silence. No specific excuse other than that I've been busy, busy, busy as heck! Having said it though, I know more than anybody that that's really no excuse at all. So, I'll simply say again...SORRY!

However, even though it's been quiet around here blog-wise, you can rest assured that things have remained very, very good in our 6 Hands Down world. So much so that I PROMISE to catch you all up and keep you all up on news and events in this very spot going forward. So, please do stay tuned!

Hope to see you all soon!

Kev (& Jimmy & Rex & Dan) -- 6 Hands Down

See you there!

2008-03-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hey, all -- 6 Hands Down (that's US) wanna see you (that's YOU) hangin' out and listening to us this weekend at the Bone Island Grill in Vandercook Lake. Music starts at 9pm, but there's no reason why you shouldn't get there early to get a good seat and have something tasty and wonderful from their huge menu of food, snack and drink selections.

The party just won't be complete unless you're right there with us. Please join us, won't you?

Hope to see you very, very soon!

Peace, love and music!

Kev, Jimmy, Dan & Rex -- 6 Hands Down

Feelin' Mighty Dizzy

2008-02-29T06:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's exactly where my headspace is at, just like our song "No Sleep" says -- feelin' mighty dizzy!

It just seems like everything has been a completely crazy swirl since our return from the IBC down in Memphis a month ago. Day jobs are frantic, trying to notch out time to finish the new CD, last minute preparations for a certain guitar players wedding to the most awesome fiance a guy could ask for! Where does it possibly all end?!?!?!?

Thought I'd have time to do an official recap of the Memphis trip, but that just hasn't seemed to happen, so I will just go ahead and sum up the main thoughts...

THANK YOU Capital Area Blues Society for continuing to give us such incredible support and for making our trip to Memphis a reality! You're the best!

THANK YOU all our family, friends and fans who made the trip to Memphis (and there sure as heck were a lot of you down there). You continue to be the reason we do what we do and your love is the thing that drives it all!

The Memphis trip was a blur -- but it was extremely awesome blur -- we didn't make the finals, but we sure left 'em knowing who we were and what we were about when our 2 performances at the Rum Boogie Cafe were done! We had the best time ever and are already looking forward to the chance to do it all over again in the future! All of the bands that we saw competing on Beale Street were incredible -- to get to hear all the styles, flavors and ideas about the blues from all over the world was an experiance that you can't put any kind of monitary value on! We are humbled and honored to have been able to take part in it all!

OK, so enough of my typing already, time to make some music. I'm certain that we're playing somewhere right near you very soon, so please check the gig calendar at our website and GET THERE!

See ya!

Peace, love and music!

Kev, Jimmy, Dan & Rex -- 6 Hands Down

THANKS!

2008-02-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hey, all!

Back from our Memphis trip to the IBC and just wanted to send out a HUGE SHOUT OF THANKS to EVERYONE that was involved in sending us there, to everyone who actually made the trip to support our efforts, and to everyone who was sending us possitive vibes from afar -- TO ALL OF YOU -- THANKS!!!

Kind of still digging out from the whirlwind of excitement that was the whole Memphis adventure. I promise that when I have a second to catch my breath, I will do a proper trip recap in this here blog space! So, stay tuned for that.

Anyhow, on behalf of my musical brothers Dan, Rex and Jimmy, I will again yell THANK YOU! We had an incredible time, we feel we made you proud down there on Beale Street, and we've returned max-inspired to continue to make the best music possible for you!

We're looking forward to exciting times ahead, folks -- exciting times indeed!!!

See you all very soon -- hopefully at Veach's Office Bar in downtown Jackson this coming Saturday night (2/9).

Peace, love and music!

Kev, Jimmy, Dan & Rex -- 6 Hands Down

Thank you, and you, and you, and...

2008-01-24T07:19:00.000-08:00

Hey, all -- Kev here typin' attcha...

Need to start this note to you with an ENORMOUS SHOUT OUT OF THANKS to all of our good friends at the Capital Area Blues Society who threw us one heck of an awesome Beale Street Sendoff shindig at the Green Door in Lansing last Sunday night!

CABS -- your kindness, generosity and support have meant so much to us over the last bunch of months as we've been getting ready to head to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge.

Thanks to the Green Door and their wonderful staff for helping out with Sunday's event and showing everybody in attendance such a GREAT TIME!

Thanks to the awesome bands who volunteered their time and incredible talent as part of the event!

The Old Town Blues Band -- Bill Malone and company rocked the house right out of the gate sounding like they always do -- GREAT!

Marble Garden -- Holy cats and kittens, folks! These youngins are the future of the blues...and the future looks very, very good! I'm now a fan and will be watching the horizon for what's next from these guys!

Blues Ambush -- Minard Shattuck has become a friend of mine over the last bunch of months...shame on him for letting all that time go by without letting me know he's a talented guitarist that plays in a kickin' blues band :) Thanks for springin' that surprise on me last Sunday night, Minard -- you guys rocked! (Wow -- I guess you could say that Minard pulled a Blues Ambush on me!)

Frog & The Beeftones -- Frog and his band did what they ALWAYS do -- rocked, rocked and rocked some more! I've been a huge fan of Frog and his incredible guitar playing for over 20 years now and every time I see my good buddy layin' down the licks, I'm sent home inspired to practice, play and love the guitar more than I already do -- thanks Frog!

SPECIAL NOTE -- And I'm not just saying all of that about Frog's playing because he was the one that handed me our IBC check at the end of the night :) Frog is THE MAN!

SPECIAL NOTE No. 2 -- Frog getting one of the guitar players from Marble Garden up for a few songs at the end of their set was one of the many highlights of the wonderful night ! That kind of magic only happens with live music, and everyone in attendance got an extra helping of Sweet Blues Mojo because of it!

Finally -- thanks to all of our family, friends and fans who were there in support of us! Heck, you folks ALWAYS seem to be "there" no matter where "there" happens to be, and that is why we truly LOVE YOU SO MUCH! THANKS!

Now it's finally time to head South to Beale -- or at least it will be in about another 122 hrs., 17 mins., and 37 secs. (but who's counting?) -- I have no idea what the Blues Gods have in store for us on our trip South, but I will promise you this, that we will do our best to make you proud and to carry the spirit of you all with us every step of the way. Life and music are always about the journey, and this one is gonna be a blast!

See you all soon!

Kev (Rex, Jimmy & Dan) -- 6 Hands Down

Don't miss the great party at the Green Door!

2008-01-17T07:20:00.000-08:00

Hey, all!

Man, the Memphis International Blues Challenge trip is gettin' so close we can already smell the BBQ - yummy!

I must make you aware that we have one last, big, whopping IBC send-off party that will be happening this coming Sunday (1/20) at the Green Door in Lansing. This sure-to-be awesome bash is being hosted by our good friends from the Capital Area Blues Society who are good enough to be making our Memphis trip and Beale Street dreams a reality - THANKS, CABS!

Doors will open at 3:30pm -- $5 cover charge -- a full day of GREAT music will begin at 4pm. In fact, here's the schedule...

4pm-4:45pm - Old Town Blues Band
5pm - 5:45pm - Marble Garden
6pm - 6:45pm - Blues Ambush
7pm - 7:45pm - Frog & The Beeftones
8pm - 8:45pm - 6 Hands Down

Come early and plan on staying all day for this send-off celebration! This will be our last show 'til we hit our first notes down on Beale Street on January 31st.

Please don't miss this event -- the party really won't be the same without you!

See you there!

Kev, Dan, Jimmy and Rex - 6 Hands Down

Our Local IBC Send-Off

2008-01-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

Kev says...

You all should really make every effort you can to join us this Friday (1/11) night at the BLUEStage Club in Napoleon!

We'll be the first band participating in the Club's "Next Stop Beale Street" series that will be featuring 6 regional bands who will be making the trip down to Memphis at the end of this month for the International Blues Challenge.

Throughout this month, each band will have a chance to strut their stuff at the Club, and we're very, very pleased to be kicking the whole thing of this Friday night. Check the BLUEStage Club's calendar to find out more about the other acts participating and what nights they'll be there.

Doors open at 7pm and we'll be kicking off our show at around 8:30pm. Cover is only $3. We'll be doing 2 full (long) sets of music, which means we'll be partying right up 'til around midnight (if not beyond). The Club features a great menu of food, a full bar and a great selection of teas, soft drinks and coffee.

That all said, please make every effort you can to come join us for our local (Jackson area) send-off to Memphis! It promises to be a very special night!

SPECIAL NOTE -- if you plan on attending this show and you've never been to the BLUEStage before, I suggest using the directions found on their website here -- you'll find great directions to get you there from wherever you're at. The Club claims that people who have Googled or Mapquested directions in the past have ended up lost...go figure.

Of course, if Friday night doesn't work with your schedule, there's always Saturday (1/12) when we'll be at Veach's Office Bar in downtown Jackson.

Hope to see you all real soon!

Kev, Dan, Jimmy and Rex -- 6 Hands Down

www.6handsdown.com

Last chance for 2007

2007-12-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

Kev typing at you...

Hey, all -- this weekend will be your last chance to catch us LIVE anywhere until NEXT YEAR (yeah, yeah...I know that's only like a couple of weeks away, but I couldn't help tossing out that lame, jokey line).

We'll be dishin' out the tunes for your enjoyment on Friday (12/21) at The Roadhouse on Lansing Ave. in Jackson. Come early for the awesome fish fry! Wash it down with a frothy, cold Heiferweisen (sp???) beer! Alex and his great staff are the best! We'll be looking for you!

Saturday (12/22) lands us in downtown Jackson at Veach's Office Bar where the good times are always flowing a-plenty! The wonderful staff there wants nothing more than for you to have the best of time, and heck, the band wants that very same thing! So please, please, please come out and party with us, will ya?!?!?!?!?!!!!!

Address info for these great venues can be found at our 6 Hands Down website. Go there! Google it! Set your GPS, hit the auto pilot button and we'll see you this weekend!!!

Kev, Jimmy Rex and Dan

Quiet Weekend

2007-12-14T07:20:00.000-08:00

Kev types...

WE'RE NOT ANYWHERE: Yep. Looks like we've got ourselves one of those odd, quiet weekends in 6 Hands Down Land where our schedule finds us gig-less on a Friday and Saturday night. Oh well, that's how the musical PB&J sandwich lands sometimes -- face down. But just because we're not playin' live anywhere this weekend, that doesn't mean we won't be keeping ourselves busy.

HAMBONE TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS: Rex is hittin' the streets hard this weekend with band promo in hand trying to spread the 6HD word to venues out there that we haven't had the opportunity to play at as of yet. Go get 'em, Rex!

LATEST ON THE NEW CD: I'll be burried in the deep recesses of Burning Pine studios laying down track after track of what will soon be our 2nd full length CD. It's coming together very, very nicely and we certainly can't wait to get it into your hands so that you can hear it.

When exactly is it gonna be done, you ask? SOON! And I really mean that this time! Drum and bass tracks are completely done. Guitar and keyboard tracks are about 3/4 of the way done. Lead vocal tracks should get done this weekend. After that it'll be backing vocals and track touch ups followed by final mixing and mastering. The light is indeed at the end of the tunnel and I can see it more clearly with each passing hour in the studio.

1,500 SEATS FOR YOU TO CHOOSE FROM: Here's something very cool on the horizon. Last night we had a chance to meet with a representative of Jackson's Michigan Theater about playing a concert there in early 2008. The Michigan is a huge and historic venue that offers incredible possibilities live music-wise. The concept is still in the "sketch" phase, but from the looks of how our meeting went, this thing is gonna definitely happen and it's gonna promise to be an awesome experience for all of us! Stay tuned for more on this as it develops.

See you all soon!

Kev, Rex, Jimmy and Dan

Where were you?

2007-11-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

This is Kev typing at you all asking, "Where the heck were ya?"

As much as me and the guys LOVE playin' our music wherever and whenever we can -- we sure prefer doing it in front of a crowd. But, alas, last weekend's gigs at The Onondaga Tavern were a bit slim in the "fun, rowdy crowd staring back at us" department.

But that's OK -- our love for you all remains beyond unconditional!

So we can forgive you for losing track of time at the mall on your post-Thanksgiving shopping sprees or proping yourself on your couch eating leftover turkey while you watched some quadruple overtime college football excitement -- it's all good. We totally understand that the holiday season can be chock-full of events and commitments that always seem to consume 26 hours of a 24 hour day, we simply wanna make sure that you all know how much WE MISS YOU when you don't show up at our shows! We can't wait to see you all again real soon!

That said, please have a wonderful and safe holiday season and remember to get out and see us when you can!

Peace...Love...Music!

Kev

Saturday night at the Green Door

2007-11-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

Hey, all -- Kev checking in here to let you all know that the guys and I are counting the minutes (in 4/4 time) until we hit the stage at Lansing's one and only Green Door tomorrow night!

You'll be there, right? You're gonna bring a pile of friends, right? What? You wanna buy Rex a shot of something tastey? Well, heck...be my guest!

Bottom line, dear friends -- we can't even come close to having a good time unless you plan on being there. So, hire a sitter, hail a cab, parachute in...we'll see you there!

Kev & the guys

Come hang with us at the Roadhouse

2007-11-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hey, all -- just a quick note that we'll be playing out at the Roadhouse tonight on Lansing Ave. in Jackson.

Hope to see all our fans, friends and family there. The owner Alex and his staff always show everyone a great time!

Hope to see you there!

Kev, Dan, Rex and Jimmy

Welcome!

2007-11-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hi, everybody -- Kev here checking in with you from the all new 6 Hands Down Blog. This is just one more place for you to be able to keep up with us, and help us keep up with you.

Unlike our other 2 web sites -- www.6handsdown.com and www.sonicbids.com/6handsdown -- which, hopefully, you all find useful in keeping up with our performance calendar, I'm hoping that this site becomes one that allows for a greater degree of interaction between US and YOU!

Looking forward to good times, as always!

Cheers!

Kev, Dan, Rex and Jimmy -- 6 Hands Down