Travis LeRoy Journal

We've had some really fun shows lately. Below are a few live and behind-the scenes shots.

I don't talk about music gear very much, but I wanted to share something. I've probably played 4,000 concerts in my career so far. Up until very recently, the way I have heard myself is by having a speaker blasting sound in my face. This is a common way performers have done it for years. Some of the downsides of this method is that it is usually very loud, and if you move from in front of the speaker, you don't hear yourself very well.

There is an alternative way for performers to hear themselves. You may have noticed a lot of musicians wearing earbuds. These are called "In Ear Monitors" (IEM's). I tried them several years ago but didn't love them. Plus I was stubborn and resistant to change.

A few months ago, I met Jimmie Dean. In addition to being a great drummer, he is a rep for Ultimate Ears. Long story short, he really educated me on the advantages of modern IEM's. He even let me demo several models. When I decided to buy them, they did a custom mold of my ears so they fit perfectly. This has been an absolute game changer. I can hear myself so clear and at a reasonable volume. It may be the best gear decision I have ever made.

Jimmie provided the best experience I've ever had when buying music equipment. He went way beyond what I could have possibly expected. He became a friend in the process. If you are thinking about IEM's, he is THE person to talk to. His web site is www.deanmusicgroup.com. Thank you Jimmie for making such a big impact on my performing career.

Backstage at Nissi's

At Wide Open Saloon

Buffalo Rose on 12/8

Backstage at Nissi's

That Eighties Band officially turns 20 years old this month! When I started this project, I never imagined it would become the most significant work of my musical and professional life. It has been rewarding beyond my dreams.

I'm grateful to all the musicians who ever lent their talent to this project. Most importantly, my friend Mick Drybread who has been there since day one. Amy LeRoy, Martha Forester Suarez, and Kevin Keena have also played pivotal roles through their years of dedication and awesome work.

None of this would be possible without the nice people who come to our shows, and the people who hire us. Words cannot express how much we truly appreciate you.

I'm not sure how much longer we will continue, but chances are it won't be another 20 years. However, we're having more fun than ever, and we have never had better gigs. As long as people want to see us, God willing, we plan to keep performing.

We have some exciting things planned throughout the next year to celebrate this special milestone. Stay tuned :)

Sometimes random cool things happen. Brad Gillis from Night Ranger and Ozzy Osbourne came to our show last week. The first "heavy metal" album I ever bought was "Speak of the Devil" by Ozzy Osbourne. I must have listened to it 1,000 times. Brad Gillis was the guitar player. Anyway, he came up and played a few songs with us. It's not every day you get to play "Crazy Train" with the actual guy who played guitar for Ozzy!

In other news, I did a fun interview for CanvasRebel Magazine. You can read the article here.

Crazy Train with Brad Gillis

Interview with CanvasRebel Magazine

This Summer has been amazing. We have played 30+ shows (so far) all over the place. We met lots of nice people and saw many friends along the way. We are so fortunate to be able to do this.

Below is just a small sample of a few shows. The last pic features our good friend Jeff Gates. He has been to HUNDREDS of our shows and taken literally thousands of photos. Amy took this pic of him…taking a pic of us. I love it :)

In Centennial

Group shot in Loveland

Saratoga, WY

With Jeff in Wheat Ridge

One thing I really enjoy besides music is video production. I just bought a new camera, studio lights, and some software. I also built a little home video studio. My first project is a retro MTV style video covering The Cars "Just What I Needed". You can check it out here.

Everything is going great with the band. We have a lot of cool shows scheduled for 2023. I recently recorded a vocal version of "Eyes of a Stranger" by Queensryche. They are one of my favorite bands and I think Geoff Tate is one of the best singers of all-time. I posted the video on Facebook and it kind of went viral. Since not everyone is on Facebook, I wanted to post it here for anyone who wants to check it out.

Wow! What an awesome Summer. We were so happy to play so many cool places. Below is a stage pic from our final Summer concert for 2022. Also, you can watch a fan shot compilation video from some of shows.

Thank you Shoutout Colorado for your interview with me. That was fun to do.

Final 2022 Summer Concert

Fan Video Compilation

Interview with Shoutout Colorado

It's been a while since I posted here. Things are going well on this end. It seems like people are really ready to be out after being locked in for so long. We've had some awesome concerts lately. Our 2022 is at max capacity and we really cannot add anything new, except for maybe a few shows in December. We have 30 shows scheduled for this Summer and will be playing several new places. Looking forward to it.

We never had a TV show, but if we did, I created the intro we would have used below. I also made a potential album cover for the band :)

Our TV Show Intro

Possible album cover?

Recent concert videos

We had a very busy Summer. We played all over the place. It was nice to see friends and familiar faces, and to meet so many new people. We took a lot of video and I am working on that now. This is a small clip that shows what it looks like to me from the stage. At this particular concert, the crowd was even bigger than the video shows. We have the coolest job in the world, in my opinion. I am conscious of how fortunate we are, and I will never take it for granted.

Our dog Blanket passed away this weekend. I called him "the world’s nicest dog". We are crushed.

He was our first rescue. He was found wondering the streets of New Mexico and missing an eye. Amy and I adopted him 11 years ago. In that time we've had 8 other rescue dogs. They were usually very scared when they arrived, but Blanket showed them the ropes and always made them feel welcomed. He became every dogs best friend.

What I might remember most is his relationship with Amy. It was the most beautiful example I’ve ever seen of how a pet and a person can bond. He actually seemed to smile when he was with her.

If dogs go to Heaven (I think they do), then we will see you again. Until then, we will miss you so much Blanket.

At Petco

Smiling with Amy

After a haircut

We will never forget you

I just redesigned this website. One of the fun things about this redesign is I got to look through some of our old pics. You can see all our archive photos, but here are a few random ones I found.

An Early Photo Shoot

Early show at Fado

Amy on Corona Light Poster

Backstage in Chicago

Things are pretty slow in the concert world. We are hoping things get closer to normal in 2021. We have been doing some stuff behind the scenes, but there is not a lot of music news to report at the moment. I’ll share a quick personal story in the meantime. After having a kidney stone attack in 2019, I quietly started a 16 month experiment with my diet. I increased my water intake, significantly reduced sugar, salt and meat, and eliminated alcohol 100%. I’ve had pretty good results. No new kidney stones so far, and I’m getting close to where I was in 2010, which was part of my goal.

Slowly we are starting to get back to playing some shows. People have been very creative in how they put them on. For example, we are doing a drive in show on Sunday. It is good to be getting back. Hopefully it will continue.

I have always enjoyed video work. Recently I did my first scripted video. I sang, shot and edited it all myself. It is a cover of "Cuts You Up" by Peter Murphy. He is one of my favs. Nobody can touch what he did originally, but I tried to recreate his video. It was a fun project.

I like to practice singing. Just for fun here is a small peice of "Take Hold of the Flame" by Queensryche.

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. I've been playing lots of bass during this downtime. Steve Harris from Iron Maiden is one of my biggest musical influences. Here's me playing some of his signature bass lines.

The House Hunters episode featuring the band was chosen as a "Fan Favorite"! HGTV reaired it last night. You can watch it here. We are very thankful to HGTV for exposing the band to literally millions of their viewers! If you want to read more about how all this happened, scroll down to some of my previous journal entries

This can't be real. My friend Billy Bunting died. He was the lead singer for the U2 tribute band "Under a Blood Red Sky". The minute I met him years ago, we became instant friends. Truly, I have never met anyone so genuinely kind and supportive. He made me feel like he was my biggest supporter in the world. He made a lot of people feel that way. He can never be replaced, but I swear to God, I will do my best to continue his legacy of kindness until we meet again.

It's has been a while since I updated. 2019 has been a really amazing year for the band. Tons of great concerts. We have met so many new people, and enjoyed seeing our existing friends who have come to our shows. I hope 2020 is a great and safe year for you.

In this band, I wear a lot of hats (singer, manager, truck driver, web developer and more ha ha). At my core, I am a bassist. I bought a 6-string bass for Christmas. I have not had one since I was in my early 20's. I love it. Here is a video I made.

I was interviewed in The Pueblo Chieftain and for Grapevine Magazine. We will be heading to Pueblo to play "Festival Fridays".

Here are some photos from our wedding on 5/31/19. We were married at The Heceta Head Lighthouse on the Oregon coast. Our immediate family members were in attendance. Amy looked beautiful.

Here's a video from our first show ever in Fort Collins (5/11). Thank you SO MUCH to the 750 people who bought tickets and made it a great night!

Our dog Charlie died Monday. We are heartbroken. He was a rescue dog who had a rough start in life. The instant I met him, I told Amy "He's our puppy". I don't think I've ever made a faster decision about anything. He quickly became a part of our family. He even got a little famous by starring in H0USE HUNTERS with us. Most importantly, he was my friend. Pretty much every Sunday night, he and I would drive the back country roads to pick up a Domino's pizza, listen to Tom Petty, and enjoy some quality time. Thanks for coming into my life buddy. Gonna miss you.

On Monday 5/6 at 8:45AM MST, I will be doing an interview on Good Day Colorado (KDVR-TV Fox 31). They asked to speak about my skin cancer journey and its impact on my life as a professional musician. It is part of the American Academy of Dermatology's national skin cancer prevention campaign. I caught mine early, and I am OK, but I'm very happy to help raise awareness about this issue. For more information, you can visit www.aad.org/public/spot-skin-cancer

I would like to introduce you to Panda, our newest family member. He is part of a group of 6 dogs brought here from Washington, courtesy of the Japanese Chin Rescue. Tina and her volunteers at CJCR help so many dogs. They are truly angels on earth. Panda is 4 months old and 4 pounds of unstoppable energy.

Amy (our keyboard player) and I have been dating for 10 YEARS! I am so lucky to have her in my life. On New Year's Eve, I asked her to marry me, and she said "yes". We are very excited to start this next chapter together.

It has been a while since I updated here. When I first started this journal, Facebook, Instagram, etc were not around. These days, most people seem to post updates on social media...me included. Still, I like to post here when I can, and hope to continue doing so.

2018 was truly a great year for the band. I am so blessed to work with such great players and people. I am very thankful for the nice people who book us, and come to our shows. 2019 is looking very strong.

On a personal note, Our dog Boops passed away yesterday. She was almost 16. To me, she is the best dog that God ever made. I got her when she was 8 weeks old. She was my first Pekingese. She inspired us to foster or adopt 5 homeless Pekingese's over that last several years. This is something we will continue to do in her memory. Thank you Amy for being a great dog mom for the last 10 years. Thank you God for giving me the privilege to take care of her. I think dogs go to heaven, and I will see her again. Until then, I'm really going to miss her. I love you Boops.

As a puppy

After her bath

Nap time

On the farm

If you have ever been to one of our summer concerts, you may have seen a little girl that comes and dances with us for a song. We met her 4 summers ago...We were having a pre-show band meeting. I heard a tiny voice politely interrupt and say “Excuse me. Do you remember me?” She had been to our concert a few weeks earlier and wanted to make sure we knew she was back. That was the beginning of what has become a very special friendship. Payton and her extremely supportive parents have come to so many shows over the years. As you can see from these pics, we are literally watching her grow up on stage. Additionally, she is really thoughtful. She has made me many special gifts, sent me sympathy cards when I have lost pets, and been an all-around awesome kid.

2015

2016

2017

2018

As some of you know, Amy and I were featured on H0USE HUNTERS on HGTV. The episode followed us on our search for our dream house. There was an appearance by That Eighties Band as well. The episode premiered live on Jan 5 and has been seen by 3 MILLION people so far. It was a really cool experience. You can catch it on-demand or when HGTV re-airs it. You can also watch the episode.

BIG NEWS! Amy and I bought our dream house about 6 months ago. We had to keep it a secret until now. Why? Because we auditioned for a show called H0USE HUNTERS on HGTV, and they selected us for our very own episode! They filmed us over 5 days last Fall. It is premiering world-wide on Friday Jan 5 at 8PM MST, and on reruns and on-demand after that. The episode is called Colorado Farmhouse Rock. There might even be an appearance by That Eighties Band. H0USE HUNTERS attracts 25 million viewers per month, so this is huge exposure. Hopefully the editing makes us look like nice people (we have not seen it yet). More details soon.

Happy Thanksgiving. We have been playing a ton. We only have a few more public shows this year. Would love to see you if you can make it. We are working on lot's of things behind the scenes. Will be excited to share everything with you soon! Here is a cool video from last week. It is us playing the same song, at the same club, on two different nights. Awesome crowds. I appreciate it so much and will never take it for granted.

I have not done very well keeping up on this journal. I am going to do better. We are in the middle of our Summer schedule. The shows are going awesome. I cannot believe the size of some of the crowds! We are so fortunate. Here are some recent pics and vids.

4th of July

Parker, CO

Parker, CO

Erie Video

Happy New Year to you. We are looking forward to 2017. Please check our schedule for the latest shows.

Lot's of news for me. In September, unfortunately, I was diagnosed with skin cancer. The great news...it is NOT life-threatening. Two weeks ago, I had a surprisingly invasive but completely successful surgery. I did not tell anyone about this because there were some unknowns, and I didn't want anyone to worry. I am going to be OK!

My grandma passed away on Dec 16. She was 95. Although this is very sad, she lived a remarkable life. She lived in her own house and drove a car well into her 90's. She was a sweet lady who never drank, smoked or said a curse word her entire life. I never heard her say a bad thing about anyone. She gets credit for introducing me to music. Some of my earliest memories are being so excited to play her piano when I was a kid. More importantly, she was my Christian role model. I will miss her like crazy, but I don't have even the slightest doubt that she is in Heaven.

There is still lots of good news happening. For example, we meet a really talented video producer who did a new impromptu video for the band a few months ago. It turned out really great. We also captured a video from our performance at The Oriental Theater in Dec. You can check out both videos below.

My Grandma

Promo Video

Oriental Theater

This Summer has really flown by. Thank you to everyone who came to see us. We played for over 30,000 people from June-Aug. We really appreciate that we still get to do this. It would be hard to summarize everything, but here are some cool highlights for now.

With Mark Schlereth

Westminster, CO

Live At Elway's

Littleton & Boulder

My dog Pebbles unexpectedly died Saturday. It is hard to write those words. 13 years ago was an exciting new beginning for me. A new job, a new city, a new home, and I started this band. A new dog was not supposed to be a part of this plan, but when I saw this cute 8 week puppy in the window looking at me, it was all over. I remember the ride home from the pet store like it was yesterday. She sat on my lap, staring at me the entire ride as we started our new adventure. Truly, she was the nicest dog I have ever known. She was always happy to see me, and never gave me the slightest trouble. Amy was a great mom to her for almost 8 years. I don't know what it is like to come to this house without Pebbles. I don't want to know. As this chapter of my life comes to a close, it causes me to reflect on many things. I will lean on God to help me through this, trusting that she is in a better place, and I will see her again. I'm going to always miss you baby.

Pebbles LeRoy

Getting a checkup

Enjoying the snow

Hospital visit

High five!

As a puppy

A million kisses

With her mom

That Eighties Band performed several songs clips on Fox TV in April. We were helping promote the Paramount Pictures movie "Everybody Wants Some". We got to hang with the actors for a bit.

We had a big show in Las Vegas recently. Very cool. I got to catch up with one of my very best friends Scott Haskin. I had not seen him in a looooog time. He is a very accomplished composer and author based out of Vegas that you should check out.

Finally, as everyone knows, Prince died. Such a tragic loss. Truly, he was one of the best. This was our tribute to him the night after we found out.

It has been way too long since I posted here. With Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc., there are so many places to keep up with. I've been doing my journal here for over a decade. I plan on posting here more frequently in 2016. Lot's of really cool things have happened. Some of the highlights:

We have played some really cool venues, including Sports Authority at Mile High. We also flew to Indiana for a NYE show.

A few months ago, the guitarist from Quiet Riot played a few songs with us. As an 80's band, that was really cool for us. Here is a video of one of the songs.

We are right in the middle of Summer. We are playing some really fun shows. By the time we are done this Summer, we will have played for tens of thousands people, all over Colorado. I wanted to show you what it is like to be on stage from our perspective. Here is a little video from our concert in Erie on 5/30/2015. Also a couple of random Summer pics.

It has been way too long since I have updated this! We have been playing some really cool concerts lately. Our 2015 schedule looks good. We would love to see you at a show.

It is hard for me to believe it has been almost a year since my accident. I am still working hard every single day to get stronger. It is tough, but I do my best not to dwell on it. I have many things in my life to be grateful for. Here are some pics from some of our recent shows!

City Hall concert

Before show

City Hall concert

With Brian Griese

Happy Thanksgiving. Last week we played an awards event honoring Anthony Rizzo from the Chicago Cubs. We met a lot of cool people.

On Sunday, The Denver Broncos invited us to play their pre-game concert. It was before The Miami Dolphins game at Sports Authority Field! That was awesome. Now we have done shows for every major pro sports team in Colorado (Broncos, Avalanche, Rockies, Nuggets, Rapids). That is a huge honor for us.

UPDATE: After two surgeries and almost six months of physical therapy, I was recently able to pedal a full rotation on a bike for the first time since my injury. This is pretty cool for me. I still have a long road ahead, but with hard work, and God's guidance, I am looking forward to continued progress.

Before Broncos concert

With Ryan Spilborghs

I'm making progress

Thank you to everyone who came to our recent shows. It was so great to be back! Unfortunately, I need to have a 2nd surgery next week. During my recovery, my awesome band members will be covering our private events. Sadly, we have to cancel all public shows for about the next month. The best place to see our current schedule is here on our web site. My surgeon is one of the best in the world for my type of injury, so I am in good hands. I cannot wait to get back on the stage again.

I wanted to give an update. Recovery from my accident has been slow, painful, and with setbacks. I still cannot walk without assistance, and cannot drive, but hopefully I am moving in the right direction. I am working hard in physical therapy to improve. We had to cancel the bulk of our Summer concerts, but we have been able to perform at select shows lately. I have to sit on a chair when we play. It will be that way for a while, but it is nice to be out there. I want to thank my band members for really stepping up. I also want to thank our friends and fans. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the kind words and support I have received through all of this.

In my previous post, I mentioned that our dog Blanket was not doing well. We almost lost him, but he pulled through surgery. He is good as new, thanks in large part to the good people at Community Pet Hospital. I really appreciate them!

I was recently in a serious accident at the conclusion of one of our shows. I suffered a rare knee injury that will require major reconstructive surgery this week. We have had to cancel all shows since this the accident. Unfortunately, all shows for the next month have also been cancelled. After surgery, I will undergo a lengthy rehab period, during which I hope to be able to perform in some capacity. On top of all of this, our dog Blanket went into emergency surgery this week and has been in critical condition. God never gives us more than we can handle, but Amy, Blanket and I would appreciate your prayers. I'll miss everyone, but I look forward to getting back to performing ASAP.

Me and Blanket during better times

Our dog Sammy died Monday night. He was homeless when we adopted him 4 years ago. He became a big part of our family. He had a gentle soul. He was so happy to live with us. He LOVED Amy. I have never seen anything like it. All he wanted to do was be with her. When she was gone, he would spend most of his time looking at the door, waiting for her to come home.

He had a bad heart the whole time we had him. We did absolutely everything possible to manage his condition. He was so strong, and only wanted to please. He never gave us a bit of trouble. I thank God he did not suffer long. I am glad we were there for him all the way to his last breath, but it is something I wish I would never have had to witness.

Sammy, you left a big paw print on my heart. I know I will see you again. Until then, God bless you little man. Here is my tribute to you

Our 2014 schedule is awesome! It still blows me away that we receive so many great booking requests. I wish we could play every show we are offered. This is a very fortunate place for us to be, and we are truly thankful.

If you have not seen them yet, below are a few pics our friend Marguerite took of us. She did a great job.

We have played some pretty cool venues the last few weeks. We played at Sports Authority Stadium (home of the Denver Broncos). They gave us a tour of the stadium before the show. Then we played a private party at The Pepsi Center. Our dressing room was the locker room that visiting NHL teams use when they play at The Pepsi Center. Finally, we did a huge 80's party at The Exdo Center. Very fun. Here are a few pics from the shows.

Sports Authority Stadium

Exdo Center

Exdo Center

Happy New Year! 2013 was a great year for the band. We did almost 100 shows, and played for thousands of people across the country. If you came to any of those shows, thank you! I met so many nice people this year. I have said this many times...I feel like the most fortunate person in the world to get to play so many fun concerts. I am hoping 2014 will be even bigger and better. We have some pretty cool things in the works. More on that in a future post. For now, here are a few pics from our New Years Eve show.

Fun gigs lately. We played at Trickeration XI at The Ginn Mill for the 6th or 7th time. They put on the best Halloween party. We also performed at The Wynkoop 25th Anniversary party. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper was there and was nice enough to talk to us for a minute. We also just got back from a show in Kansas City. It was a wedding for our good friend Chris (organizer of Crawl For Cancer). Chris is a true friend and I am so happy for him.

With John Hickenlooper

Halloween 2013

We get to do so many cool things in this band. Last week, we performed at Disney World in Orlando, FL. It was the 30th Anniversary for The Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH). The CMNH was started in 1983 by Marie Osmond and John Schneider (star of The Dukes of Hazzard and Smallville). They have raised 4.7 BILLION dollars so far! We had the pleasure of meeting both of them. They could not have been nicer. In fact, they were truly inspiring. The event we played was hosted by Nick Cannon (host of America's Got Talent). It honored kids from every state who had overcome very serious illnesses. We had the opportunity to perform for all of these kids, and a lot of celebrities. We were treated first class the entire time (thank you Kelli and your wonderful staff/volunteers). This was one of the highlights of my music career. As a Christian, it was probably the most rewarding music event I have ever been a part of. Here are a few pics.

With John Schneider

John Schneider & Marie Osmond

With Nick Cannon

Karen from Alaska
Leukemia survivor!

Drew Foster
drew-foundation.org

Anthony from Michigan
Leukemia survivor!

Westword just interviewed me for an article on That Eighties Band. So awesome!

This has been one of the busiest Summers ever! I really should have posted more updates. Here are a couple of cool things that happened. We recently went to New Mexico for a really cool show. The Mayor of Bloomfield gave me a key to the city. What an honor. Thank you Mr. Eckstein! Also, I did a TV interview for our Colorado Springs show. You can see a rough clip of it here below.

With Mayor Eckstein

KRDO Interview

Sometimes this business is crazy. Last week, our guitar player Mick broke his arm. He is out for a few weeks. I have never cancelled a show in this band, and did not want to start now. The show must go on. Our friend Brian has stepped in and done a brilliant job covering guitars and bass. I am playng guitar as well.

Last week we did a show for Mountain Dew and Breckenridge. It was a super cool venue called The Riverwalk Center. We took a couple pics. It is nice being on such a big stage.

Things have been so busy lately, but in a good way. Lot's of cool shows and I have been integrating a new sound system for the band. Amy and I managed to get away to Florida for a few days. Here are a few pics.

We just posted our 2013 schedule. 75 shows so far. More to come. We are very fortunate to be booked so much. If you have seen us in the past, we truly appreciate YOU! Hope to see you in 2013.

I also wanted to mention...Almost 18 years ago, I adopted a kitten. I named him Calvin. He has been with me every single day since then. In October, he was diagnosed with severe kidney failure. We gave him the best medical care around, and a lot of love. As a result, he had a great few months. He recently took a turn for the worse. On Christmas Eve, he died peacefully in my arms. I am heartbroken. I want to thank Amy for helping me take care of him. We had to give him fluid injections 3 times a week, and I could not have done it alone. I also want to thank God for being with me during this difficult time. I made a little tribute video for Calvin to honor a life well lived. He will be missed very much.

It has been a while since I updated. Last month, we flew to Tampa to play at the RNC. We are not a political band, but we were excited to bring our show to Florida and witness such a huge event. We played the 2008 RNC in Minneapolis, so it was cool to be back.

A few weeks ago, we played a wedding for Warren Buffett's family. Sometimes I cannot believe the things we get to do in this band.

Tampa, FL

Limo from Airport

Denver Zoo

Warrior Dash

In the last month, we have been fortunate to play for over 30,000 people! We were even on the jumbotron at The Colorado Rapids game on July 4. It was so cool! If you came to Loveland, Erie, Boulder, Commerce City, Westminster, or any other show this month, thank you VERY much. You have made this our best Summer ever! Here are a few pics from the recent shows.

Westminster

Before our show

On the Jumbotron

Erie

Things have been very busy, but very good. Amy and I went to Maui for a week. Now the band is in full Summer schedule mode. We recently played a big event at The Denver Zoo that was awesome. We also just played at Sports Authority Stadium (home of The Denver Broncos). Amazing settings. We have SO MANY cool shows this Summer. Most of them are free, and all of the outdoor shows are all-ages. We would love to see you :-)

Sports Authority Stadium

Governor Bill Owens

Denver Zoo

Things are about to get really busy for That Eighties Band. We have a ton of shows coming up this Summer that will bring us to a lot of cool places. Tomorrow we are playing a new venue called The Rex. Tickets sold out for it a month in advance! So cool.

Congratulations to my friend Kyrylo Fesenko for signing with The Indiana Pacers! He is an awesome guy and a great supporter of That Eighties Band. He took Amy and I out the night before he left. We will miss him, but are SO excited for his future. Good luck Fes!!!

Amy and I with Fes on his last night in Denver

Happy New Year! We have been so busy playing, and doing a LOT of behind the scenes stuff as well. It's all good, but I sometimes run out of time. Here are some highlights since I last wrote…we played a corporate party for Google. We did an awesome NYE show in Denver for 3,000 people. I doubled the size of our sound system. Now we can be REALLY LOUD if we need to. On NYE we met Kyrylo Fesenko, who is an NBA player. He has come to a few shows, came to a party at my house, and even took me and Amy to a Denver Nuggets game. All this reminds me that we truly have the best job in the world.

2012 is looking like it will be an amazing year. I just posted about 75 shows for 2012! There will be more to come. Hope to see you out there!

Amy and I with Fes. We're not short. He's 7'1"

Last week, we were hired to play a private party in Aspen for OWNER of The Kansas City Chiefs, Clark Hunt. It was a birthday party for his wife (former Miss USA). They were so nice. What a cool experience! It is not every day we get to meet and perform for someone who owns an NFL team.

Jani Lane, the singer from the band Warrant died today. I never met him, but I thought he was a very talented and underrated musician. He pretty much wrote all the Warrant stuff when he was in the band. He had a really good voice as well. It was tough watching his downward spiral as he seemed to struggle with alcohol the last several years. Very sad. He will be missed.

Before the Kansas City Chiefs party

Adam Foote from The Avalanche retired Sunday. We played a private party at his house just hours after his last game. This is the 2nd time he had us play at his house. The whole team was there, along with many other sports legends. On top of that, they made it an 80's themed party. Here are the main things I can tell you: 1) Adam is the most awesome dude on the planet. 2) Adam and Joe Sakic used my mic, so I should probably retire it now. Adam - You are the best. Thanks for letting us be a part of your huge day!

Amy and Travis with Adam

Final game

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. It was nice to take a mini-vacation from the band and be with family. We will be all over the place in December. I am working on the schedule for 2011 and will post all that ASAP. Every now and then, some people ask me what I look like off stage, without makeup, etc....Here it is :)

Me and my mom

Halloween weekend was very cool. Trickeration sold out all 1,500 tickets. When there are that many people, sometimes it gets a little scary. People start hanging on the speakers and trying to jump on stage. People get pushed and start falling down. It is pretty crazy, but a lot of fun.

Me as The Crow

Shyla died tonight. She was my cat for the last 16 years straight. I know it might not mean much to others, but it means a lot to me. I don't have kids, so my pets are like my kids…and she was special. She was the first pet I ever had. I bought her as a kitten so long ago. I remember when I first saw her. She was 8 weeks old. She stood out from the whole pack. She was so sweet.

She was my friend. She was with me longer than anyone else in this world. Every job, every move, every everything, she was there. She was sick lately. I get so busy with work and the band and life. Wednesday, God told me to go spend time with her. She was so frail. Vets could do nothing. I told her how much I loved her. She knew. And we both knew time was short :( I prayed that God would let me have just one more weekend with her. To take her outside, to see, to breath, to live. Tonight I learned that God had other plans, and it breaks my heart. But I know God is good. And if that is true, Shyla is in Heaven right now. And I will see her again. Until then, I say, "Thank you Shlya. You taught me more than you could ever know. I will miss you so much. I love you baby."

Shyla LeRoy

I have only written in this journal once this Summer. It has been so busy. We did 27 shows from June-August! We literally played in front of thousands of people at some very cool events. If you made it to any of our shows, THANK YOU.

There is a lot on my mind when we play...remembering words, guitar parts, directing the band, etc. Sometimes it is easy to get so focused that you forget to appreciate what is right in front of you. I have been trying to live in the moment. More than once, I would go over to someone in the band while we were on stage and say "Wow. Look at all this." If ever there was a time in my life that I can pinpoint that demonstrates how fortunate I am, and that God has a plan, it is right now. I am very grateful. I don't know how long this band will last. Not forever. I have been able to do so much that if it ended today, it would be OK. However, it is not over yet! Hopefully there are many good times ahead. I hope to see you at a show down the road.

Pre-show in Erie

Me and my parents

Blanket goes from foster dog to permanent dog

I just finished up booking most of our shows for 2010. We are playing all over the place this Summer. Lot's of cool outdoor concerts. As always, you can see our schedule on our home page.

We are fostering a 5 year old Pekingese dog. I named him Blanket. An animal rescue found him wondering the streets of New Mexico with one of his eyes hanging out :( He is super sweet and very well mannered. He is great with kids and other animals. He weights 13lbs and does shed! If you are a totally awesome person looking for a dog, or know someone who is, let me know and I can put you in touch with the adoption agency. Until then, he is very happy being a part of our pack.

"Blanket", our foster dog.

The last few weeks have been amazing. I don't even know where to start...Last week I got a call about appearing on The Everyday Show on KWGN Channel 2 in Denver. It was part of the promotion for the new 80’s movie "Take Me Home Tonight". It was very last minute but we were super excited to do it. Everyone at KWGN was awesome. The hosts, Chris Parente and Natalie Tysdal were so nice. We got to watch Tom Martino film his show since it is in the same studio. Playing on live TV is not easy! We had to make up new beginnings and endings to songs literally on-the-spot so that we did not play too long (or too short) over commercials, etc. This was difficult to do and there are no retakes! All in all, I think we did OK under the circumstances. It was a great experience for us. Thanks KWGN!

Now, this next part is unbelievable! After seeing us a few weeks ago, Adam Foote hired us to play a private party for The Colorado Avalanche. Almost all of the guys were there. Adam Foote is the most awesome dude on the planet. EVERY single player on that team was so nice and down to earth. It is no wonder this team has so many fans. They deserve it. We were very honored to play for some of the best athletes in the world, and it was awesome having some of them jam with us. We are even bigger Avs fans now, if that is even possible.

On the set of KWGN

Travis and Amy with Adam Foote

Travis with Matt Duchene

TJ Galiardi and Matt Duchene helping with vocals

Our St. Patricks weekend was amazing. We did 3 shows in less than 24 hours. Some bands would say that is crazy, but I say if the opportunity is there, go for it. On Saturday afternoon, we played in front of a ton of people at Jacksons Lodo. Saturday night, we headlined the Jagemeister stage at Fado. OMG. It was unbelievable. 2,000 people, plus a line to get in. Full concert production. A lot of groups never get to play something like that in their life. We are very fortunate.

At Fado

This Saturday, we are doing a huge 80's Party downtown at Jackson's in Lodo. $15 to get in. 80's attire is a must! It is going to be huge. If you are on Facebok, check it out here. Last week, we did a a show for The Loveland Police Dept. They were a really fun group. If you are ever up there, drive the speed limit, then say "hi" to my friend, Officer Rob Pride. He is a big 80's rock fan, and one of the coolest dudes I have met in a while.

That Eighties Band with Rob Pride

Lot's of animal stuff lately. We did a show at The Denver Zoo. Right in front of the elephants. It was one of the most unique settings we have played in front of. A few weeks ago, we played an event for Colorado State University. I got a pic of me and the CSU mascot "Cam the Ram".

Me and "Cam the Ram"

We have played some great shows lately. We played a huge festival in Chicago, IL and it was soooo cool. Everything from the stage, the sound, the lights, and the crowd was just the best. Then we went to Salt Lake City for a couple of shows. Then we played a party for MY high school reunion. I got to see so many friends I have not seen in a long time. Last week, we played a fun show in Erie, CO. There were between 1,500-2,000 people there having a great time. The kids there were going crazy! On Saturday, we are playing the Crawl For Cancer for the 3rd year in a row. With over 2,200 participants this year, it is their biggest event in Denver. What a great cause. I have to tell you, I really feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be able to do all of this. Seriously. I am enjoying every second of it.

Chicago

Chicago

Erie

The Alice 105.9 show was great.  Slacker & Steve and the absolute best.  We were so happy to be a part of that.  Also, listen to what Slacker & Steve said about us on air.  Thanks dudes!

Me with Slacker and Steve

When I was in high school, I was in a heavy metal band called Spade Spade. Our influences were bands like Iron Maiden, Queensryche and Fates Warning. We made a pretty good impact on the underground metal scene, especially in Europe and Asia. Several months ago, I was contacted by some fans of the band. They are based in Athens, Greece and have a record label called Steel Legacy Records. They expressed interest in signing Salem Spade and releasing our back catalogue. I have been working with them to get this released. Well, this week it came out! They are releasing it in two stages. Stage 1 is a very limited pressing of 330 albums. Yes, albums. The vinyl kind you spin on a record player. This release is for collectors. After just a few days of being available, it is almost sold out. In Stage 2, they will be releasing CD copies with bonus live video footage. I am so honored that after all these years, a band I was in back in high school is getting this much exposure. I want to thank Kostas Kounadini and Panos Tsioubris for their excellent work in making this a reality.

Salem Spade. I'm on the far right.

What a great weekend. Country legend Martina McBride hired us to play her birthday party after her Colorado concert! We arrived at noon in Colorado Springs to set up. This was a huge production. There were 6 tour busses and 4 semi trucks. With band, sound, lights, video, staff and security, there were probably over 200 people involved in setting this up. The tour manager took great care of us. We had full back stage access, including catering and a dressing room. We also got great tickets to the show. There were about 7,000 people there. A band called Little Big Town opened the show and were very good. I did not know what to expect with Martina McBride, but I can honestly say it was the best vocal performance I have ever seen. Her voice is amazing.

After the show we went back to the VIP room to play. It was as big as most of the clubs we play at. The crowd consisted of all the bands we had just seen on stage. Let me tell you, singing in front of one of the best singers in the world is intimidating, but she was so nice. She took the time to tell us we were great and asked for us to play longer than we were scheduled. We got a chance to talk to all the band guys and there was not a bit of ego from any of them. Experiencing that level of kindness from people at that level was really something.

That Eighties Band with Martina McBride.

Here is my 2005 in review. That Eighties Band really started to take off. We keep getting more and better offers to play. More offers than we can accept. The current lineup has been in place for 1 year and everyone really adds something to the band. We flew out to Reno, NV on Dec 12th, where That Eighties Band did 6-nights at the Eldorado.

I joined the original heavy metal band "Moore". Even though I am a bassist, I am the lead guitarist for them. It has been an adventure. In the few months I have been in the band, we have already did a mini-tour, got to hang out with Corey Taylor from Slipknot. We won "Outstanding American Band of the Year" from Rock City News out of Hollywood, CA. We got to open for Faster Pussycat, WASP, and Stephen Pearcy from Ratt. 2006 looks to be an amazing ride.

Live with Moore

Moore promo shot

That Eighties Band in Reno, NV

Just got back from my mini-tour with Moore. Let me tell you a story. Our bassist Chadwik has been friends with Corey Taylor from Slipknot for a long time. I have been at band practice when Corey has actually called him. In case you do not know, Slipknot is like one of the biggest metal bands on the planet. Multi-platinum act. One of my favorite bands by far.

We played in Des Moines, IA on Friday (Slipknots home town) and holy cow, Corey showed up. Not only that, he stood in the crowd and watched the whole set. I do not get nervous performing anymore, but this was only the 3rd time I have played guitar in a crowd. Having someone of his stature was there was crazy.

After the show, I went downstairs to the dressing room. Chadwik came down and told me Corey was looking for me! Long story short, he said was curious about how I get my heavy sound. I was STUNNED to get these compliments, even though I fully realize he may have just been being nice. Next thing I know, he invited the whole band back to his house! So we are all riding in the Moore van cranking up Skid Row and end up at his house. He had a ton of great stories and could go into comedy if he wanted to.

One thing he said blew my mind. They just got off a world tour. He said they played in front of a total of 3.1 million people on that tour. Referring to a lyric in the Bon Jovi song "Dead or Alive", he said "I've literally seen a million faces, and I've rocked them all". That is success, my friends.

With Corey Taylor from Slipknot

I just got back from a US tour playing bass with Vox Demonna on the Orgy, Godhead, Society 1 tour. It was incredible. I got to play in front of thousands of people. The highlights were Chicago and Minneapolis. In Minneapolis, we played the club where Prince filmed Purple Rain. The crowd was huge and enthusiastic. The House of Blues lived up to its reputation as one of the best places to play in the world. The venue was beautiful and the staff really takes care of the bands. I heard that Chicago has the craziest fans in the world. They do!

I became a fan of all the bands we played with. Orgy is brilliant. Great songs and a great look. Godhead writes really, really good stuff and are real cool guys. We hung out with Society 1 more than any of the other bands. The temp drummer for Society 1 is Adrian from Powerman 5000, the band I tried to audition with last year. Small world. I got his contact info and told him I am the man if Powerman 5000 loose their bassist!

Big changes with That Eighties Band, but what else is new. I have been inspired to try something very unique and will be revealing more on that soon.

Me and Paige from Orgy

Welcome to my new section of the website. I am sure you are all familiar with the online journal format. I'll try to update it with my thoughts and all the latest happenings with That Eighties Band.

My first journal entry :)