We went on and did our shows and we moved but that summer we were playing in Duluth which is the next city over from Superior at Grandma's Marathon. We were playing outside, things were going pretty good, it was a beautiful sunny day like this, and we were on stage jamming away and there was this guy standing in front of me that looks vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place the face or whatever, he's not the Danny I knew. The Danny I knew was kind of heavy set and quite drunk and worn down. This was a skinny guy that was really digging the music, and I got done and he came up to me, immediately running to where I'm signing the autographs and he goes "Rockie!" and that's when it hit me who it was, it was Danny. He said since that night in Superior, I've not had a drink, I've been cured, I haven't had a drink, my family is together, I got my job back. He said is there anyway I can play for you, because he couldn't play at all that night up there. I went and gave him that Les Paul you see up there. I was horrified, but I handed him the guitar and he played this really nice version of Greensleeves with his hands, and he played it well and he played the finger pick thing and he did a really good job, and he told me that I somehow changed his life and I told him that I didn't do anything. I didn't, I didn't even believe the words I was saying, but somehow I was used to help that person, do you know what I mean?
Laurie: Oh yah.
Rockie: Sometimes in those 10 years magic really did happen. I think we've been given an opportunity here to just play songs and just let whatever happens happen and to be kind to people and that's what we are doing.
Laurie: That's cool
Laurie: You are an avid supporter of the veterans and the troops, and you've just completed your 110 mile bike ride honoring them. How did that impact you?
Rockie: Other than my rear end, well let me tell you!
Laurie: What did you take away from that experience; it had to have been very moving?
Rockie: There were people in that ride that didn't have legs. Soldiers that had no legs so they were peddling with their hands. There was a 9 year old boy named Bradley whose brother was killed in Iraq. He was 9 years old and he rode the whole thing and he finished ahead of me. Unbelievable young man. I think that taught me a little bit of something about myself. First off, I'm not complaining about it. I didn't complain at all. But I found fortitude inside that I used to have. The reason the go from Gettysburg to Bethesda, I thought, if you look at map it north to south I assumed we were going that way is because it was all downhill. But it's not. It's actually uphill and quite a hard ride and there's one part called 5-mile hill but the last part of it is at an 8 degree incline. Seven is the highest degree you can make on a road legally. It was a back road at 8 degrees and really a difficult hill. This was the only part of the ride where I said I can't peddle another peddle. So I got off and I was pushing the bike up hill. I was pushing and I wasn't complaining and there was a 67 year old man who's name was Art, 67 who has two perfectly good legs, but because there were soldiers riding with their hands he was peddling with his hands for them. He came barreling by me as I pushed up the last part of 5 mile hill. He said to me "Son, this is a ride, not a push!" I climbed my ass back on that bike and I peddled to the top of that hill, praying I would see a big 5 mile long downhill but there was no such downhill waiting. I learned that if those men, if they can deal with, can you imagine, if you remember when we were 21 we were immortal. When I was in the Army, it never occurred to me that I could get killed. It never crossed my mind. It never occurred to me that this was real and it's sad to look back on that but I never though that of course I'll make it through it. That is what each one of those men and women felt when they lost their leg, or lost their arm or got hit in the head with shrapnel or their buddies got killed. They didn't think "Oh, my God, here's reality crashing in on you." Then at 18 and 22 and 25 they have to realize I'm going to live 50 more years. What am I going to do? They choose to get up and fight and have a life. So that's what I choose to do in respect and honor of them.
Laurie: That's awesome
Laurie: What does the remainder of 2007 look like for you?
Rockie: Ok, I have a new record deal, I haven't signed it yet but I sign it next Friday so I can't tell you officially about it but I can tell you that the rest of this year is recording our new album, touring for the summer, releasing our new single which is called "I Can't Believe It's Me," which is one of the greatest songs I've ever been involved in writing and I don't really feel like I wrote it. I feel like I came out one morning and sat down and waited and God said "here take this, you've struggled long enough." It's an unbelievable song, I wrote it with Tim Johnson. I'm not saying "oh, I'm a good song writer," I'm just saying this thing just came pouring out of us, you know what I mean? I haven't sung it where the people just don't go OH... MY.... GOD! Do you know what I mean? I'm looking forward to sharing that song with the world.
