UK... So far...

London Cancelled.

Manchester Rocked!

Birmingham- we had to stop the show half way through. DC tried but couldn't do it- vomiting all day- food poisoning. We ended Snake Dance right before Cryin in the rain (instead of going right into it), and David addressed the crowd. Once they realised it wasn't a part of the act, they applauded. It was a lil emotional, even for me. He's NEVER done this.

So now I woke up in my room 2 days later- figuring everything will be fine for the show tonight... My son and his friend are here- still sleepin. My Mom and Michelle in the other room. Losts of guests and fans anticipating the show. But the Day sheet schedule under my door has a big 'CANCELLED' accross it. I know David would never cancel if he didn't have to. It's a little dissapointing though. Shyte happens! I know we all wish David a full recovery soon.

Playing is the greatest payoff for me that makes all this worth while, you know? I'm not here to be on vacation. So instead I'm spending as much time with my family here as possible. I Can't wait to do the rescheduled shows for our great fans.

bummed.

-Uriah

ps. just got back from X-Men 3... It Rocked! (I'm a big Famke Janssen fan!)

On the Plane... Inbetween

FUCK THIS SHOW!!!
Let me explain...
Alright... Here's an in-between post, on the plane from Japan to the UK. I have to admit that over the course of the past 2-weeks, I've become a JUNKIE. I'll preface by letting you know that I don't watch much TV. But when you're in the business of touring, there's so much down time you'll go mad without finding SOMETHING to keep you occupied. Laptops have been our personal sidekicks and main company (for most of us, band and crew). Combine that with the fact that the iTunes music store has recently started selling various TV episodes... even full seasons of many popular shows- shows I would never watch otherwise. So now I'm a junkie.

This whole tour I've been hooked on the showtime series "Sleeper Cell', about an undercover FBI agent (a black Muslim) whom after being released from prison, penetrates a hidden terrorist cell in Los Angeles. Along side this show, I started downloading and watching episodes of "Lost". Now I'm hooked like a junkie. When I should be falling asleep at night, I put on an episode. But the show is chock-full of interesting character development, heavily thickening plots, and (especially) cliffhangers that keep me up WAY past my bedtime. At the end of every episode I can't help but yell "Fuck this show!", because it makes me fiend for another fix right away! Sleep has been compromised on many occasion, including right now on the plane! I just finished Sleeper Cell's two-hour finale, only to continue with Lost- 2 episodes in a row. I'm about to watch a third. I need help!

On a more serious note, I've also noticed that I am always looking for a fix... always occupying my free time with back to back activities, without tending to anything that's going on in my life. Not just with the TV downloads, but with everything. I must realize that life hasn't stopped because I'm not home. I shouldn't let whatever disease I have of letting important things in my life fall through the cracks, and then chalk it up to "Rock Stardom". I need to stay in better touch with loved ones. I need to do business with people- get back to them. I need music to be a part of my life (not just an hour every other day or so). I'm actively and at no one's fault other than my own, missing out on precious LIFE. These are some of the things that I'm going through right now. Who knows- maybe I'll call YOU next- if even to say 'Hi'.
It's not that I'm terrible- I just am not currently living to my potential and am beginning to see mega room for improvement. Perhaps as we get older, we are able to handle more things simultaneously, and should.
So I'll work more on rest, exercise and general participation in my life, others lives, and in music, etc... as soon as I get off the plane! (I've got another episode to watch right now!!! (Its the one where Boon and Lock look for the dog in the jungle, then find Clair returning instead!). F*&# this show!!!
-U

a few days later...
*** Update! I actually picked up my bass for fun and it felt so great! This is something I rarely ever do when I'm not workin. I don't really listen to music anymore either, but I purchased the Coheed and Cambria CD and have been playing it non-stop! I'm ready to participate in life again, I think! Hiatus over!

even a few days more later...
*** Update 2! Almost done with LOST, then I found out there's a Season 2! Sheeeet! So today I'm waking up before my first gig in the UK with Whitesnake by downloading samples of American Idol winnner Taylor Hicks. I've never seen the show, but was curious after hearing about this underdog winner. He has a great song selection and sings his ass off! But while I wait for the stuff to download, who am I playing in the background? KING DIAMOND- YEAH!!!! David and I share this dichotomy of a love and feeling for soulful music, but perform succesfully in a Rock band. Like when he joined Deep Purple. Like when I left the Family Stone for WS. (listening to Chimaira now).

Japan pt. 2 - KOBE. SUMO. ROCK!

This writing comes as we near the end of quite an awesome trip to Nippon! Just about every day we've had KILLER FOOD! Every city was known for something special, weather it be Unagi (eel), chicken wings, or ramen. Timothy and I even went out to a Robata restaurant in the Roppongi area on our first stay in Tokyo. I call it the most expensive date I've ever been on, but I gotta say- the food was fabulous. You point to any uncooked food you want, and 1 of 2 chefs grills it up for you. Live seafood and Kobe beef stood out to me. ESPECIALLY THE KOBE BEEF! I've never tasted anything like it... It really is ridiculously good. We've met many cool folks along the way. Our Japanese promotion team has really done well in taking care of us, which includes coordination of nocturnal activities (thanks Toshi)! Local bars and late night food.

The memorial museum in Hiroshima moved me to tears. Unfathomable that we (humans; americans) were capable of such atrocities so recently in our history. There's a pic of the park and Atomic dome in my previous post.

Yesterday's show in Sendai will go down in history for Whitesnake. Why? Dare I say it? We performed one of the new songs! Finally Whitesnake has debuted new material for the first time in how many years? 17? The crowd was paralyzed at first, but a few bars into it they lost control. It went over fabulously! I can't wait to do it tomorrow in Tokyo. The fans deserve this!

Today, on the eve of our final show here, I feel my Japanese experience was really topped off. I woke up and went to a touristy shopping area, but found cool side streets and little shops and food places (food REALLY is the running theme for me here!). It was 90 degrees and sunny! I even found some more blue hair dye (it's been fading to green after every wash- no more!) After a few hours of walking I made it back to the hotel at about 3:30. I met with our man-about-town Toshi, drummer Tommy Aldridge and 2 crew members to go to see LIVE SUMO! It's the finals right now and the place was packed! We've been watching the matches on TV, but this was something else. What an experience! I'll put up pics of all this stuff. Back at the hotel, I had a massage and accupuncture treatment (for my lower back disc-issue). What an amazing day. Someone told me there was even an earthquake around 2pm.

So now it's Saturday night and I think I'll keep it mellow. It's been such a full day!
But then again, maybe I'll get dressed and go for a quick solo Udon hunt- I AM getting hungry again!

Packin' on the pounds in Nippon!
-Uriah

Japan!

It's been such a great trip here! The fans are wonderful. Until I have time to write more, I'll upload some pics I took. Kampai!

Get Ready... Get Set!

Just finished a week of rehearsals in LA with the band. There will be some older Whitesnake songs in this years set- but I wont tell which ones! You'll have to come out to a show to see for yourself. Also lookout for a new release in the fall. Will it be live? Will it have new tracks? Will it have Uriah on bass? I know you want to hear "YES" to all of these questions! Stay tuned for more on this.

Gotta go pack. My basses and cabs are already on their way. Waking up for the early flight tomorrow will be a bitch. Last night I met with a bunch o' friends in San Rafael for some g'bye drinks & hangin out. David is very concious of the sadness of leaving loved ones in order to tour. In his own words to our family members, "I humbly thank you for once again allowing me to take these gentlemen from you". Touring has definately put a strain on my relationships with loved ones. But now is the time in my life to exert energy doing what (I think) I've always wanted to do. At least for a while.

As usual, I'll be bringin a studio on the road with me for doing work in the off time. If you know anyone that would like bass lines on their stuff, feel free to contact me. I can walk anyone through the technical details too.

Ciao for now. See you in Nippon!