Friday, November 26, 2010

Micky & The Motorcars

Tonight I had the opportunity to sit down with Micky Braun, front man of Micky & the Motorcars. The five member group was in the middle of sound check but Micky took a few minutes to chat with me on the tour bus (it was a little quieter in there)

He talked about the changes from driving across the country in a van, playing for beer and crashing on couches in city after city to touring in a bus and actually getting paid for gigs. It's been a long ten years of good times, tough times and great music.

The Braun brothers, Micky and Gary are also related to the Braun duo, Willy and Cody of Reckless Kelly. RK is also playing tonight at Gruene Hall. Micky tells me the four siblings are still close and support each other despite hectic touring schedules.

Check out the full interview where he talks life on the road, the early years, an upcoming record and the one thing most people don't know about him...it's good stuff.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Reflecting

It's been a long time since I've written anything for my personal blog. And for that I apologize. My life has dramatically shifted the last four months or so. I now get up at 2:30am and go to be at 7pm. My social life mid week is pretty much non existent and I live for naps lol.

But as I sit in my house at 11:20pm on the first mid-week late night up that I've had in months, knowing I have the day off tomorrow, I felt inspired to write.

What I've learned the last four months of being a traffic reporter/anchor is that we all, myself included, drive like jerks sometimes. That accidents happen when we least expect them and when we inevitably least need them. Most usually when we're running late or frustrated or stressed and always when we're caught off guard.

Its just like life...we all make mistakes. We all make bad judgement calls whether on the road or in our personal lives. Everyone of us, whether we admit it or not will glance at that text message or email, promising our selves it's just this one time.

Everyone of us will go a few miles over the speed limit, roll through a stop, run a light, cut someone off and often times it is by accident. Unfortunately sometimes those accidents catch up to us and it's just our turn to face the consequences.

I think about these things every morning at 6:55 when my traffic computer goes from practically void of accidents to stacked full of minor and major crashes. That's the point when everyone goes from merrily trucking along to "holy cow I'm running late."

Sometimes I'm able to see the carnage from the view of a Transguide camera, other times its just an anonymous map location. But I'm sure no one was thinking when they left the house that morning "I'm going to slam my car into something today." Yet it happens every morning without fail.

Does that make me a better driver because of this knowledge? Yes and no. I am only human. I too get stressed and frustrated when I have to sit in traffic at 4:55pm at Huebner and 10 when I'm headed to the gym. I too don't want to let "cheaters" in the lane ahead of me sometimes and I'm just as guilty of talking smack in my car about the person driving in front of me.

But what I have gained is some compassion and patience for the fact that I have to share the roads and this world with everyone around me and to always be on the lookout because you never know when fate may catch up with you and try to pass you in the fast lane.