additions to lineup for bladen benefit

Added to the list of bands for the Rusty Bladen Benefit on November 14:
Kevin Franklin, Acoustic Crawdaddies, Smoke Ring, Phil Pierle, Ann McWilliams, and Paul Holdman.

Download a poster or flyer (word .doc) from the rustybladen.com homepage, or click here.

update: rusty on stage for first time since accident

Rusty climbed onstage for the first time since his October 9 accident, when he performed in Madison at a wedding for a friend.

Originally slated to play a private reception before suffering the injuries, Rusty and his wife Andra made an appearance and Bladen ended up singing onstage with friend Joe Hanna for about 40 minutes.

Bladen sang a mix of cover songs while Hanna played guitar. He wore two slings to support his broken arms.

As you will note on the website, Rusty is booked to play a Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 24) show at the new Broadway Livery Stable in Madison, with Hanna on guitar and Rusty's regular bass player, Vernay Reindollar joining.

More details announced for upcoming benefit

More details about the Rusty Bladen benefit show to be held at a Gallaghers II in Indianapolis.

date: November 14, 2004
hosted by: Q95's Jimmy "Mad Dog" Matis
artists: Ann McWilliams, more...
auction: signed guitar from John Mellencamp and various other signed and unsigned instruments.
ticket prices: TBA

Gallaghers is located at SR 37 and Southport Road on Indy's southwest side.

• map/directions

update: rusty home

A quick update for Rusty fans:
Rusty is home, and recovering. Rusty and his family were scheduled to move into a new home on the Monday following the accident, and thanks to the many, many friends and family who offered support, the Bladen's were able to stay with the plans, and are not only helping Rusty remain comfortable, but were able to take care of the move for him, and he is in their new house(still, of course, in Madison) being helped in his path to return to his career, and just as important at this point, everyday activities.

Rusty wants to give thanks all who have shown their love and have passed along good wishes via the website. He has been taking the first week slowly, but you'll be glad to know he has been able to dive into his extensive DVD music collection and watch a number of shows from some of his favorite performers, keeping his goal in mind: returning to the stage with more fire and conviction than ever.

bladen injured in tour van crash

Rusty Bladen was treated at Louisville's Jewish Hospital for two broken arms he received in a highway accident Saturday morning in Porter County near Valparaiso.

Bladen was on his way from Fort Wayne to Chicago for a show when the accident occurred.
Two crew members were unhurt in the crash. Bladen was sleeping in the middle section of the van when the crash happened.

Bladen’s right forearm and a bone just below his left shoulder were broken in the crash, said Jack Ulery, a friend of Bladen’s in Madison who has talked by phone with Bladen several times since the accident. Bladen was transported to Jewish Hospital by ambulance Saturday night for treatment and was to arrive back at his Madison home Monday afternoon, Ulery said.

Bladen had surgery on his right forearm Saturday night, with a metal plate placed over the bone. Doctors say Rusty should fully recover from the injuries, and be able to resume his career.
He will likely have an 8-12 week rehab period.

The accident happened at a time when oppportunities are coming Bladen's way. He inked a deal to have his original song "Ride That River" included in the film " Madison", starring Jim Caviezel. The movie is slated to air on HBO and will have a limited theatrical release in the spring of 2005.

three shows in a row; new songs as mp3's

After a couple weeks of larger shows in southern Indiana featuring the revamped band, this weekend's solo shows come back-to-back-to-back, with three first-time shows in three cities.

Rusty takes the tour bus on the road, heading to metro Indianapolis for a debut at Timothy's Pub in Plainfield, to Fort Wayne for a club debut at the Trolley Bar, and to Chicago for a night at the Bird's Nest. (maps/directions to all three shows available on the rustybladen.com homepage).

If you have friends in either Fort Wayne or Chicago, let them know Rusty is making appearances nearby. We'd appreciate you making even one call to someone who could come, drink a couple beverages and clap a bit. The Fort Wayne night is at a particulary cool, and nice, new club.

The Chicago gig is a neighborhood pub with a backroom. It will make an excellent, intimate show for about 50 people (longtime fans: think Ziggy's in Columbus, with a crowd of 25-35 year old's. I've been to their website; looks very appealing.) The Chicago show features a deal where it is all-you-can-drink from 8-11pm for $35 - really not bad considering a beer in Chicago is about nine bucks. After 11pm, it is back to a cash bar.
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We have been pulling audio from the two band shows - at the Bucher Farm Fest on Sept. 18th and the Lawrenceburg Fall Festival on Sept. 25th. On the website, we have already made available a band version of "All From Your Momma" recorded at the Farm Fest. It is a board recording, no overdubs; just a quick trip to the post-recording mixing board to take some of the dry sound associated with board tapes.

Also on the website is a cover of "If I had a Pony" from a July 26th solo show at Whit's Inn in New Whiteland, Indiana. Again, it is an excellent board recording made by George at Finch Branch Productions.

Reminder: Listen soon, since we will have two to four new songs to post in late October, and will remove these from the site.
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One last note: final negotiations are happening this week for "Ride That River"to appear in the "Maadison" movie, now slated for a Spring 2005 release..

There have been requests from California for more music to be submitted for movies and TV coming in the past week as well.

It's good stuff...

springsteen, rem, fogerty rock opening night of "vote for change" tour

Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe stayed on message from the time they took the stage Friday night: Vote John Kerry on Nov. 2. The rockers joined an assortment of performers across the country Friday night in kicking off the "Vote for Change" tour in Pennsylvania, a 10-day series of concerts in battleground states aimed at helping oust President Bush.

Springsteen, in Philadelphia, opened with a solo version of "The Star Spangled Banner," then a rousing rendition of his anti-war anthem "Born in the U.S.A." "America is not always right - that's a fairy tale you tell your children - but America is always true, and it's in seeking this truth that we find a deeper patriotism," Springsteen told cheering fans after endorsing Kerry, a Democrat.

Read complete story

SETLIST:
REM: The One I Love/Begin the Begin/Leaving New York/Animal/World Leader Pretend/Final Straw/She Just Wants to Be/Bad Day/Around the Sun/Losing My Religion/Walk Unafraid/Man on the Moon.) Bruce shared lead vocals with Stipe on the set-closing "Man on the Moon"
SPRINGSTEEN:
The Star-Spangled Banner/Born in the U.S.A./Badlands/No Surrender/Lonesome Day/Lost in the Flood/Johnny 99/Youngstown/Centerfield (with Fogerty)/Deja Vu All Over Again (with Fogerty)/Fortunate Son (with Fogerty)/The Promised Land (with Fogerty)/The Rising/Because the Night (with Stipe)/Mary's Place/Born to Run (with Mills and Buck)//Proud Mary (with Fogerty)/(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding (with all)/People Have the Power (with all)

set list posted

Set list from Lawrenceburg Fall Festival concert:
1. Real Gone Gal
2. Wannabe Your Wannabe
3. Ride That River
4. Uppacrik
5. Dooyamissme
6. All From Her Mama
7. Karaoke King
8. Just For Awhile
9. Red White Blue
10. Steal My Kisses
11. Smoke Like A Train
12. Are You Happy Now?
13. Blue Flannel Shirt
14. Down On The Corner
15. The Jeffersons' Theme