Tag Archives: road stories

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I know you’ve heard it. Or maybe you’ve said it yourself. “Don’t go away mad. Just go away.”And, if you say it because you wanna get on someone’s nerves, it almost always works like a charm. But here’s why I bring it up…

Don't go away mad. Go away glad.

Back in the 90’s I heard a song called “Don’t Go Away Mad”

And it was a mild hit for a so-called “supergroup”known as Little Village. The band included Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner. If you don’t know those names, they’re famous songwriters. Well, at least famous in songwriter circles anyway. But they’re each highly respected and regarded by their peers.

So, as things sometimes happen, these guys decided to put their musical heads together, think up a band name, write some songs, and record an album.

Once I heard “Don’t Go Away Mad”I wanted to see what else this supergroup of songwriters had come up with. And I bought the CD and listened to it on my drives from between bookings. That was back in my full time road warrior days.

There are a few enjoyable songs in the Little Village collection. And there are a couple of duds, too. No big deal. It happens to the best of us. Even supergroups apparently. But I like the Americana feel to the album. And the instrumentation agrees with my musical taste buds.

Do I recommend spending money on it? Not really. Especially when you can check out some of their stuff on YouTube for free. And if you do, be sure to look for and listen to “Take Another Look”- “Do You Want My Job”- and “Don’t Bug Me When I’m Workin”

“So, you’re doin’ album reviews now, Tony?”

No. All this road warrior reminiscing actually came up in my head as I read a few verses in Acts (in the Bible) about Paul. Yeah, the inner workings of my mind are wonders to behold. But maybe it’ll make sense when you know which section I’m talking about.

Paul had been wrongly imprisoned. And he made a “miraculous”prison escape. But instead of trying to capture him and throw him back in chains, the magistrates in charge wanted to send him, quietly, on his way. And Paul wouldn’t go quietly.

It’s a cool and interesting story. You should read it. You can here.

OK, I’ll leave you with that. Until next time…

Don’t go away mad, go away glad.
Don’t silently sing. Let your voice ring.
And don’t listen to lies. Roll up your eyes,
Look to the skies, and let your soul rise.

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

One of the Stories From The Road I Used To Travel

The other day, somebody asked if I had any stories from the road…since I used to be a full-time pro musician. So today, I’m sharing one I shared a few years back…

After a long, almost 24 hour drive from Kansas to South Carolina, we pulled into the hotel where we’d be staying and playing. Luckily we had the rest of the day and night before we started. So, we caught up on sleep that evening. And the next day I needed to get a document notarized. We went to the town hall where a notary public had been recommended. I asked a guy if I could get my document notarized. He asked me what the document was. I asked him why he needed to know, and I promptly got the in-the-movies-southern-good-ol’-boy third degree…

“Boy!” he exclaimed, “we don’t appreciate smart aleck long hair types like you around here.”

I would have thought it was a joke, but he didn’t have a smile within a hundred miles of his face.

“Never mind,” I said.

And we went to a convenience store to ask where else a notary public might be. The clerk, who seemed to have the same high opinion of me I’d just experienced at the town hall, pointed to an office down the street. We ignored the lack of pleasantries and walked a a few blocks to the other office. I hope I’m not being politically incorrect when I say this… A very nice black lady came to the front of the office and said she was the notary public and that she’d be glad to notarize the document for me. It took about a minute, cost less than $5, and it was all done with smiles and kindness. Nice change…what a concept.

Later that night, after the evening’s worth of music had been played, we were out for a walk in front of the motel when the owner drove up to us. “What are ya’ll doin’ out here?” he asked.

“Just goin’ for a walk before we go to bed,” I answered.

“Well, I suggest you just go on to your room. You don’t need to be out here without something like this…” and he pointed to a gun he had in his car’s console. “People end up shot or missin’ if they’re out too late.”

So, we opted to go to bed.

The next day, sure enough, we heard a report of a killing in a field not far from our room and the motel. Yikes.

We played that establishment for 2 weeks before moving on to our next stop. It felt like 2 months. Pitch black walls, some guy in the back making wolf calls almost every night, and smoke so thick you could see pillars of it from the canister lighting. This story is true, so I’ll keep the name of the town and its people anonymous to protect the innocent…if there were any.

Thankfully, I’ve never gone back. Don’t expect to…

Stay tuned,

Tony Funderburk signature logo

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Singer Songwriter’s Road Stories

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

If You’re A Singer Songwriter With Road Experience…

Long Road

…then you’ve probably got Road Stories

Here’s one of mine…

Well, this is sort of like 3 in one.

After a long, almost 24 hour drive from Kansas to South Carolina, we pulled into the hotel where we’d be staying and playing. Luckily we had the rest of the day and night before we started. So, we caught up on sleep that evening. And the next day I needed to get a document notarized. We went to the town hall where a notary public had been recommended. I asked a guy if I could get my document notarized. He asked me what the document was. I asked him why he needed to know, and I promptly got the in-the-movies-southern-good-ol’-boy third degree…

“Boy!” he exclaimed, “we don’t appreciate smart aleck long hair types like you around here.”

I would have thought it was a joke, but he didn’t have a smile within a hundred miles of his face.

“Never mind,” I said.

And we went to a convenience store to ask where else a notary public might be. One was pointed out to me by the clerk who seemed to have the same high opinion of me I’d just experienced at the town hall. But we ignored the lack of pleasantries and walked a a few blocks to the other office. I hope I’m not being politically incorrect when I say this… A very nice black lady came to the front of the office and said she was the notary public and that she’d be glad to notarize the document for me. It took about a minute, cost less than $5, and it was all done with smiles and kindness. Nice change…what a concept.

Later that night, after the evening’s worth of music had been played, we were out for a walk in front of the motel when the owner drove up to us. “What are ya’ll doin’ out here?” he asked.

“Just goin’ for a walk before we go to bed.” I replied.

“Well, I suggest you just go on to your room. You don’t need to be out here without something like this…” and he pointed to a gun he had in his car’s console. “People end up shot or missin’ if they’re out too late.”

So, we opted to go to bed. The next day, sure enough, we heard a report of a killing in a field not far from our room and the motel. Yikes.

We played that establishment for 2 weeks before moving on to our next stop. It felt like 2 months. Pitch black walls, some guy in the back making wolf calls almost every night, and smoke so thick you could see pillars of it from the canister lighting. This story is true, so I’ll keep the name of the town and its people anonymous to protect the innocent…if there were any.

Thankfully, I’ve never gone back. Don’t expect to…

Stay tuned,

Singer Songwriter, Tony Funderburk

Ain’t Got Nothin’ Over Me