I awoke with a start. We’d been driving for hours and I had to use the restroom. Oh, good thing we’re at a gas station, I thought. Half asleep, I stumbled out of the car and into the station. I didn’t get farther than the front entrance when a familiar voice rang across the room, “And there’s my daughter who plays the banjo.”

Blinking back sleepiness, I looked up. A group of retired folks were at a table having their morning coffee, and there was my Dad bragging to them about Redhead Express. Through the fogginess of my tired mind, an intelligent thought actually came through; this does not seem like a normal gas station.  And indeed my conjecture seemed accurate. Immediately the banjo player of the group and I got to chatting, though we’d never met. Before I knew it, we’d been talking almost 20 minutes.

That’s when I heard it: the clink of metal from low to the ground. I spun my head around and spotted a pair of cowboy boots. Not just any boots – they had spurs on them! I scanned my eyes up and found that a pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, a handsome face and a cowboy hat followed those boots. Hmmm, a real cowboy, I thought. Seems we’ll have to come out this area more often.

If that didn’t beat all, when My Dad, Kendra and I finally made it back outside, we saw not one but a half dozen cowboys and a couple of girls hanging next to a horse trailer and an old pick-up. As what seemed natural in these parts, they said hi to us and we started talking.

“Who’s the bull rider of this group?” My Dad asked.

“That’d be me.” One of the men said.

With a twinkle in his eye, my Dad replied, “Either you’re crazy or just plain stupid.” That got them all laughing and my Dad continued, “I mean, I take one look at that bull and his mean eyes and start running. But you get on and ride him?”

The cowboy chuckled, “Yessir, I do.” There were several cattle ropers in the group as well and one of the girls was a barrel racer. They were headed to a rodeo.

“So what’re ya’ll doin’ ‘round here?” One of the cowboys asked us.

“We’re a band. Doin’ a show in Great Falls, here, in a couple days.” I told him.

“What’s the name?”

“Redhead Express.”

They took one look at Kendra’s red hair and mine and burst out laughing again. I giggled, “Yeah, I know. Go figure, right?”

We talked and joked for a few more minutes then said good-bye. I climbed back into the car and we drove away. Soon after that, Meghan woke up and I relayed the events of the morning to her. All she had to say to me was, “Why didn’t you wake me up?!”

~LaRae

“Answer up prompt now — don’t stop to study over it… If fifteen cows is browsing on a hillside, how many of them eats with their heads pointed the same direction?”

“The whole fifteen, mum,”

“Well, I reckon you HAVE lived in the country. I thought maybe you was trying to hocus me again.”

My eyes were riveted to the book as I sat reading Huckleberry Finn. I studied the latter dailogue over and over, trying to make sense of his answer. If I was from the country, how come I’d never known that when cows graze on a hillside, they all face the same direction? This, I concluded, needs some thorough investigation.

At our show a few days later, I realized something: We were in the Country. I met a Sheriff (a sheriff from the country!). A perfect opportunity, I thought, as I presented to him

Cows Grazing in My Neighborhood. (They looked up when I walked by)

my question. He scratched his head and said, “I think it has something to do with the wind.” Seemed logical, I thought, so I Google’d it and found this: “‘A cow with its tail to the west, makes weather the best; A cow with its tail to the east, makes weather the least’… This New England saying has much truth in it, for an animal grazes with its tail to the wind. This is a natural instinct, so the animal may face and see an invader; and invader from the opposite side would carry out its scent to the cow, in the wind.”

Some claimed it was the wind, others the sun, but a group of scientists did an experiment of thousands of photographs and resolved that, “they align their bodies along a north-south axis, suggesting the Earth’s magnetic field is the ‘polarizing factor’… The team found that ‘whether grazing or resting, these animals face either magnetic north or south’”.

My sisters are determined to prove me wrong in this, but I have remained religiously steadfast to Huck Finn’s wisdom. As we drive from show to show, I’ll spot a herd of cows and whenever they’re grazing on a hillside, they DO face the same direction!

I’m curious… all my Redhead fans, What’s your say on it?

~LaRae

I used to get a headache looking into my closet, trying to figure out what to wear. One day, I became brilliant. I hired myself an image consultant… okay, I begged my sister to pick my clothes out for me, and she agreed. The next few months were a time of luxury, being doted upon and hearing her now too familiar words, “LaRae! Don’t go out yet. You don’t look decent.”  My brilliant plan continued in brilliance until a tragic morning, one month ago. Meghan (my sisterly image consultant) threw her hands in the air and cried out in despair, “I don’t know what to wear!” I sighed, it was time to hire professional help.

Paul Worley (our producer) saved us from utter hopelessness. “You will love Renee Layher. She’ll have you looking like stars,” he said with a wink, “She’s worked with people like the Dixie Chicks, Brooks & Dunn and Wynonna Judd.” We called her up right away and met with her at her clothing store, THE LABEL. A chandelier made from SM58 microphones hung above a rack of high-end men’s clothing and instruments lined the walls. I felt immediately at home. We sat down and told her our story. The she told us, “First thing’s first. This is not about me. I’m here to help you find what you like and what you’re comfortable with, because if you’re comfortable with it, you’ll look good in it.” I liked her already.

She took our measurements one at a time and asked us questions about our personal style preferences. I told her, “Kendra and Meghan like roses and lace and I prefer silk and shine.”

She smiled and said, “That helps a lot.” She had us send her an email with photos of outfits we liked and in June we’re going to meet with her again. In the meantime, she’s working with the Band Perry for their next photo shoot and shopping for clothes for us. I can hardly wait to see what she finds for us!

The tantalizing aroma of Fresh Baked Pies wafted through the air as we sang at Pie Sensations in Downtown Columbia, TN, Saturday afternoon. The Pictures Speak for Themselves…

The Sign Welcomes Guests to their Family Owned, Pie Bakery

Alisas Million Dollar Smile

Us Jamming Out

Hand Dipped Truffles! (Mmm... mmm... good!)

LT-RT: Becky (Owner) and Jean

Coconut Cream Pie (It tastes even better than it looks!)

sd

This guy was a mega-pro so I had a feeling we’d be meeting a Simon Cowell personality-type. I assumed he was going to laugh at us and tell us we had no idea how to perform. We know how to perform. At least, we know what we know… but we also know that we don’t know what we know we don’t know. In other words, I knew we had a lot to learn, and I was ready to take on this challenge!

As we were setting up our sound equipment at SIR studios, Lang Bliss (Certified Live Music Producer for Tom Jackson Productions) walked into the studio. He was the man we’d been waiting for – and he had the warmest smile as he greeted each of us. He had us gather around him and told us, “It’s easy to go from a bad band to a good band. I’m going to teach you how to go from good… to great. Now, sing me a few songs as if there were 2,000 people in this room.”

We did – and he listened. He wore a studious expression, his hand cupping his chin and his eyes surveying us as we smiled and moved around in our choreographed positions. When we’d finished, he was silent for a moment, then said, “There’s no doubt you all are high caliber musicians, and you’re beautiful… The only thing we gotta change is this… I think you’re used to a different type of show. You’ve been doing Theatre Productions. Now you need to learn how to do a Country Music Concert. One that’ll have your audience screaming, waving their lighters or iPhones in the air, shouting, ‘We love you, Redhead Express!’”

It was like learning how to act. He taught us how to be unpredictable, believable, and how to create powerful moments… And the whole time, he never laughed at us. He left us feeling inspired. We’re looking forward to working with Lang again soon. Will keep you posted!

Cody and Mindy from Georgetown, TX

We’re still working on the back end of our website, so one couple emailed us and asked us if they could redeem their Backstage Passes. Cody and Mindy arrived at the theater at 5 o’clock. We had a blast showing them around behind the scenes. They got to meet and greet with each of the Redhead Express and we even signed their CD and took pictures with them. Thanks so much, Cody and Mindy, for joining Go Platinum and helping us Get on the Radio!

Me Drumming on My Banjo

I took my finger picks off as the applause died down, and began drumming on my banjo with my hands. A hushed awe came over the audience. Meghan jumped in and drummed on her bass. Then Kendra began to drum on her guitar, then Alisa chopped on her fiddle – then my thumb pick flew off. That part wasn’t supposed to happen.
Sean came up behind me, picked it up, fumbled with it and then reached around my arms to place it back on my banjo. What a sweetheart he was to do that for me, I thought. The song ended and I picked up my pick to put it on, but it wasn’t mine! It wasn’t my Blue Chip pick. My eyes frantically searched the floor but I couldn’t find it. Then I thought, “Wait a sec, this pick I’m holding is Sean’s…” I turned to him. He had a smug little grin on his face as he began playing his banjo for the next song, and there on his thumb was my pick…
I gave him a, “Hey, you little tease. I want it back.” look. He just turned his bright blue eyes up at me and whispered, “Just one song?” Who could refuse? The next song was hard for me. His pick wasn’t anywhere near as comfortable or as full sounding as mine, but it was worth one song to see the smile on his face. Back stage I asked Sean how he’d liked using mine. He sighed, “I need to get me a Blue Chip.”
After the show, a guy walked up to me, “How much will you trade your pick for?” Another one? I thought. Wow, my pick is popular… I told him, “Oh, I can’t trade this one, but I can tell you where you can get one just like it.” “Hmmm, it’s special then, isn’t it?” He asked.
I nodded my head emphatically, “Yes it is. It’s the best sounding pick I’ve ever had. Sounds as good as a tortoise shell pick, but it lasts way longer.”
“Really?” He said, “I know it sounds good because I heard your tone when you played. You sound really good.”
It’s the Blue Chip Pick. Now that I play one, I’m hooked…

When you’ve seen more than one show of your favorite band, you call yourselves their groupies, right? So get this… two of our groupies have now seen 100 of our shows!  On that 100th show, Will and Kathy took some pictures of this momentous occasion. Take a look at our adventures that night… (AND CLICK HERE to See More of these Pics on Will and Kathy’s Blog.)

Look at those nice T-Shirts! (LT-RT: Will, Me)

Girl Power, Meghan Lifting that Heavy Speaker

Kathy's our Best Saleswoman