Dan gouges oil prices in the name of music

Oil prices are climbing as traders prepare for prolonged fighting in Libya and continue to worry about supply disruptions that might occur elsewhere in the region.

Dan Simonis’ West Texas crude for May delivery gained $US1.81, nearly 2 per cent, to $US103.68 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Dan stated that this was necessary to deliver this crude for processing to make vinyl for his newly released record.

Like all plastic materials, vinyl results from a series of processing steps that convert hydrocarbon-based raw materials (petroleum, natural gas or coal) into unique synthetic products called polymers. The vinyl polymer is in part on natural gas or petroleum.

New "virgin" or "heavy/heavyweight" (180–220 g) vinyl is commonly used for modern "audiophile" vinyl releases in all genres. Many collectors prefer to have heavyweight vinyl albums, and they have been reported to have a better sound than normal vinyl as they have a higher tolerance against deformation caused by normal play. 180 g vinyl is more expensive to produce only because it uses more vinyl. Manufacturing processes are identical regardless of weight. In fact, pressing lightweight records requires more care.

Since most vinyl records contain up to 30% recycled vinyl, impurities can accumulate in the record and cause even a brand-new record to have audio artifacts such as clicks and pops. Dan had considered melting down the thousands and thousands of old air supply, Christopher Cross and Debbie Gibson records that fans were donating to make WTM records, but could not soil his pressings with that inferior vinyl. Virgin vinyl means that the album is not from recycled plastic, and will theoretically be devoid of these impurities.

“It’s only the best for my fans, and if it means raising my price of oil to give them the best sound, so be it” Simonis replied. Get your personally packaged album from Dan Simonis at the following site:

http://thewesttexasmillionaires.mybigcommerce.com/products/Deluxe-Album-package.html

Upcoming show at Cafe Roka

WTM playing an acoustic set appearing with Joel Eckels this wednesday. Show starts at 8pm @ Cafe Roka, Bisbee AZ. If you want to hear Dan's songs in a more intimate setting don't miss this show.

Dan considered liable

Two former beauty therapists have won £300,430 in compensation from Virgin Atlantic after developing repetitive strain injuries while giving frequent massages to first class air passengers.

Jayne Evans and Michelle Hindmarch said they developed pain in their wrists, shoulders and backs after giving lengthy Shiatsu treatments to travellers in the Clubhouse Lounge at Heathrow's Terminal 3.

One of those traveler's was Dan Simonis, who was their most serviced client. "He has received well over 400 Shiatsu treatments in the last 5 years. He is the most difficult as well, no body fat to speak of, just bony and stiff." Ms. Hindmarch stated.

The pair said they had to give up their careers, which they had trained for since they left school, because of the strain, and take up other work.

The women told the court they now struggled to do simple domestic tasks, including "taking the Sunday roast out of the oven".

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd accepted liability but disputed the amount of compensation due and the severity of their injuries, and considering taking legal action against Mr. Simonis for being the main source of said injuries. Mr. Simonis' publicist stated that there is no substantial legal responsibility for his client to bear any liability for said services. But Mr. Simonis did send both ladies his latest CD release package along with a dozen roses stating his condolences.

Message for Dan Simonis' New Album from a European fan

Get the new release and goodies from our site:
http://thewesttexasmillionaires.mybigcommerce.com/

Talent Search!

We searched the streets of Bisbee to see if the rumor could be confirmed that talent is on every corner. We found that it was true

Thank Ya'll

Dan Simonis and the West Texas Millionaires would like to thank all who came out to celebrate his album release, everyone can safely say it will be remembered for a long time.

Get Your Cowboy Gear!!!

Get all your Cowboy Gear by clicking on the above Photo!!

“The story of the West Texas Millionaire Burger”

In the year of our Lord 1878, Texas cattle baron Sam Caliber was busy expanding his empire. Always looking for the next “big thing“ Sam shipped forty head of Hereford Cattle by train out to Langtry, TX. Prior to this time ranchers were running longhorns brought up from Mexico. Word soon spread
throughout the West about the new beef and its great taste. Barbecues at the Caliber Ranch became the hottest event around with folks traveling hundreds of miles just to sink their teeth into some.

Sam realized that if he could make a hamburger with this new meat and add some secret spices he could make another fortune. Things were getting out of hand at the ranch what with so many barbecues and so many hungry people hanging around, Sam decided to head for Tombstone for some rest and relaxation. Late in 1882 upon his arrival he fell in with new friends including the Earp Brothers and a Mister Doc Holiday. Most importantly he struck up a romance with a local restaurateur /social worker named Nellie Cashman. Nellie set eyes on the newly arrived Texas Millionaire when he walked into her restaurant and boarding establishment, the Russ House, for some of the fine eating Sam heard about as
far East as Jasper.

The Texas Millionaire and the pretty business lady were a handsome couple and soon became the talk of the town. Unfortunately life in Tombstone wasn’t as quiet as Sam had hoped and he was soon forced to leave town, some say at gun
point, others say of his own volition, but as a parting gift he gave Nellie the recipe for his famous West Texas Burger. Nellie made, sold, and gave away thousands of these delicious burgers to ravenous miners, gunfighters, and ordinary folks before packing up and heading to the Yukon. The secret recipe
was thought forever lost until last year when it was uncovered at the old Cochise County Court House among historical documents on the shooting at the OK Corral. The recipe was returned to the rightful heirs in Texas.

Sam Caliber IV, the Great-Great-Grandson of Sam Caliber, as a favor to Dan Simonis and the West Texas Millionaires has given the exclusive rights to The Bisbee Grill, and the Page family to resurrect the great ol’ taste from Texas, via Tombstone, and now a part of the Bisbee experience. We are proud to introduce to you for the first time in over a hundred years, the legendary West Texas Millionaires Burger.

"This is the West Sir. When the legend becomes fact. Print the legend."

As relayed by Dan Simonis, 31 January, 2011.

West Texas Millionaires Burger/Album Release

Join Us on February 12^th

For A Bisbee Grille Extravaganza!!!

To Premier Our Latest Sensation:

The West Texas Millionaire Burger

Claiming The Title As

"The Best Burger West Of Texas!"

Please come join us for an evening of hearty feasting and drink, and mark the Bisbee release of the new West Texas Millionares album; with performances by Andy Hersey and Dan Simonis with the West Texas Millionaires. Join the fun and be in the video we will be shooting... details to follow...

Dan to Play Rock for Rehab

It’s getting to be time again for Rock for Rehab, Bisbee’s mid-winter party to celebrate the best of our local music talent, good food, and a great auction of the best of Bisbee.

Sunday, January 30th, 2011, at the Turquoise Valley Golf Club, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM you’re invited to hear:

Keith Allen Dennis... Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl… Sean Trachtman of Train Wreck... Jim Harrelson and Becky Reyes… Dylan Charles… Dan Simonis and The West Texas Millionaires… and RockUs

Here's Dan and Sean playing in the KBRP studio with DJ Chuck Alton, giving a taste of what you can see and hear:

Halo of Light Concert

This was taken at the "Halo of Light" concert held Friday, December 17th at the St. Patricks Catholic Church. Very well done, beautiful ambient sound and stage. Also on the ticket was Benise, Robert Longley and Karina Nuvo. Dan enjoyed his time there and looks forward to the benefit for the Verlhelst House at the end of January.

Dan Simonis to be Special Guest of Halo of Light

click here on Halo of Light

Dan Simonis will be special guest at the Halo of Light concert this coming Friday, December 17 2010, at 7pm. Located at the St. Patrick's Church in Bisbee, Arizona. Get tickets at the visitors center for $22 or at the door for $25. For more information call 818-749-3702.

Terrible Toby: Rodeo Clown gone bad

We left Dan at the rodeo being carted off on a stretcher with multiple bruises and broken wrist. But what we did not tell you is what happened to happy go lucky Toby the rodeo clown. If you agreed with me on the last post about the crazy cowboys riding bulls, then you would naturally second the motion on voting rodeo clowns as certifiably insane!

They take the horn to protect the cowboys from being killed by these angry angus. When Dan went down, in came the clown. But Toby was not expecting the bull to zero down on him, and in all of his 23 years of service as a servant rescue worker, he never had a bull take him down and stomp his skull in with it's hooves. They rushed him to the hospital and found that a portion of his frontal bone structure above his eyebrow was crushed inward, giving him what amounted to being a frontal lobotomy.

But instead of causing him a sedated frame of mind, he has an unbalanced mood of rage intermittent with mad laughter. "Terrible Toby" was his new nickname among the bull riders and cowboys in town. They would not let him back into the ring to be a rodeo clown, and he blames Dan for his demise. And that is how it all started, causing chaos for Dan whenever possible. He found out where Dan lived and started a series of scary and dangerous antics.

Just this Friday after Thanksgiving, Terrible Toby went to Dan's house, entered by the side door and stole a leftover Turkey leg from Dan's refrigerator:


Dan's wife, Puspa, happened to walk in at the time and screamed, waking Dan up and rushing into the kitchen. "TOBY!! Take the turkey leg and get the hell out of my house! Next time it's gonna be a bullet in your backside." They lock all their doors now, have put in security cameras that are motion sensitive, and connected to their home computer. But when they check the cameras, there's Terrible Toby grimacing behind the bushes. So Dan sends the dogs out every few hours on attack mode to do a securing of the perimeters.

Terrible Toby has backed off for the moment, and in his more sane moments he gets on his computer and updates his website. It is a dating service for fellow clowns he met at clown counseling, which is mandatory for his completing a 2 year probation for stalking Dan. It has proven to be lucrative for him and has landed him a girlfriend that is serving 15 years for attempted murder. Here is his ad:

Dan Simonis: Rodeo Romeo

Before there were the boys of Jackass, there was the Texas Rodeo. Everybody from the surrounding ranches gather round, drinking lone star beer and try to coerce a poor sap through double dare or a lost bet to get on a bull, and is told, “all ya got to do is stay on for 8 seconds and you can get off”

Then again, there is the Rodeo Romeo, who is looking to impress the prettiest Cowgirl in the crowd, or was pressured by their girlfriend/wife. That was the case when Dan’s wife, Puspa, wanted him to show how much he loved her through bull riding.

Everybody watches, half snickering, others held in shock and awe as Dan TIES himself to the wildebeest and gets ready for the ride of his life. They spring open the gate and the bull goes into Mike Tyson mode, wanting blood from the unnatural object on his back. You shake your head when you see a relatively healthy body get hurled, kicked, stomped and any other horrors that can be inflicted by a bull. “Serves him right, the damn fool” you hear from the crowd; and as Dan is carried off on a stretcher, Puspa goes for another beer and the rest of the crowd gets closer to the rail for the next cowboy. This one makes it to the 8 and jumps off in time and all yell “Yeeeee Haaaww!!!” then they pack a fresh batch of dip in the lip.

There’s something morbid about the human condition, it is shown in the Roman arena all the way up to NASCAR, people want to see crazy crashes/clashes. And Texas is proud to carry the torch between them.

Dan Simonis in the Studio

Working in a recording studio can prove taxing, and no one knows this better than Dan Simonis. "I would say the worst scenario was recording with Phil Spector. He literally kept us under lock and key, and was going on 4 days without sleep. This rendered him totally paranoiac, and we had to keep hiding his pistol for fear of death."

Yes, it can be adventurous in such surroundings, but Dan can weather such storms. His best recording session was in the mountains of Tennessee in a log cabin studio. the sound was naturally absorbed in the old oak wood that was used to build this Earthy structure. He still thinks fondly of those days and brought out some of his best songs. These days it is all state of the art, and can leave a lot to be desired. It is a cold cavernous feeling, and can feel more like a mausoleum, so Dan counters this with throwing some Persian carpets on the floor and burns incense. It does help and Dan gets into the moment.

Dan Simonis and The West Texas Cowgirls Roadside Stop

click on image

From time to time Dan Simonis, while on the road, will stop and set up shop when he feels he has a hot spot for people to buy his album/coffee. He has done this on Highway 66, outside of Dallas, in Bakersfield and other places. So somewhere on our great American highways he set up his tent, put up his backdrop-- decorated Au Western frontier, and displayed his new Album and his Cowgirl coffee 1 pound packages. These were promoted by the famous Cowgirls themselves:

West Texas Jennifer

West Texas Ariel



West Texas Puspa



West Texas Jill

Sure enough, truckers by the dozen stopped to see just what was going on. Vacationers who had enough of bad motel coffee wanted the Cowgirl Coffee to revive and rejuvenate. And all were intrigued by Dan's new album, with all the bonus trinkets inside. Why, even Highway patrol stopped to have a free cup o' Joe and wished them well. Everything was selling like hotcakes from their tent:

click on image

When all was said and done, Dan made plenty of bank. He folded up the tent, put the remaining product in leather bags, rolled up the backdrop and put it all in the trunk of the caddy. We last saw him driving over the mountain with the girls as the last rays of sunlight died out. Another successful day on the road with Dan Simonis and the West Texas Cowgirls:

click on image

Humble Texas

There are many towns in America that have unique names. But Texas leads in the competition for the top 10. Theirs Fairview, followed in order by Midway, Oak Grove, Franklin and Riverside, Centerville, Mount Pleasant, Georgetown, Salem, and Greenwood. And Dan Simonis has played in every one of these town's bars. Being the struggling working artist, he has paid his dues on sometimes little to no patrons.
But being the working class hero, he stuck it out to become the artist he is today.

He talks about the war stories of being on the road, but one town stands out in his mind. That was Humble Texas. Its an all-American kind of town, and he took a liking to the small town flavor. He went as far as buying 40 acres and putting 30 heads of cattle on the grassy prairie. He finds Humble to be a lost heritage, a town that is the salt of the earth lost in the modern day. It was what inspired him to write "Back to Austin". He comments, "Humble is a place that is food for the soul, giving space for the heart to breathe."

And so we leave him in his restful state of mind, knowing that it is conducive for the artistic flow that musicians need. Humble Texas, a place you can kick up your boots and rest a spell.

West Texas Millionaires Steal the Stage...Literaly

Dan Simonis and the West Texas Millionaires have been on a highway robbery tour through Texas. They will slip into small clubs and tell the head bar tender that they are ready to set up and play, they got the go ahead of the owner and will split the door with the bartender. Well, what bartender could pass that up? So he lets them in, knowing the other band has their name already on the marquee, but an opening band that splits the money that the other would not sounds pretty good.

So Dan and the boys move like lightning getting set up, usually before happy hour begins. It is usually the busiest time 'cause there are drink specials, so a little for the door ain't so bad. The band goes through their set and they all start making toasts to get the crowd even more drunk.
They also have set up a donation jar in front of the stage for little Billy, a fictional character they dreamed up. You see, little Billy suffers from busy knees, a syndrome in which he can't help from bopping one or the other knee, up and down like an oil pumper, as fast as he can. It can get real annoying on a wood floor feeling it vibrate at 120 knee bops per minute.

When Dan knows the crowd is drunk enough, he tells this story and dedicates a song to little Billy, asking the people to just give what they can. Everybody in the house is skunk drunk and crying, pulling out wads of bills and filling the pickle jar plum full. The songs continue for just another 30 minutes and Dan plays the finale. The crowd roars, the band breaks down, happy hour is over at 6, everybody staggers home.

Then the real band arrives to an empty hall. "What the hell is goin' here!!" yells the band leader as the owner pulls in his Cadillac. "You know the terms, no crowd, no pay". When the band leader goes to the bar and asks why it's such a slow night, the bar tender replies, "Oh it ain't no slow night, these fellers called The West Texas Millionaires came through at happy hour and plum made bank for the night. Nice boys."

This scenario is starting to wear on his base fans, who can't figure out where he is playing next, since this formula pays twice as much and does not want to give his next destination away. Not only that, the other bands, of course, are sending out tracers to keep tabs on him, so Dan has to switch cars

Of course you know this means war.

Dan Simonis' biggest Fan

He was just going in to pay for gas (again) for the Caddy, he got a newspaper and went to the counter. Then it happened. He felt someone was watching him and when he looked over, sure enough, there she was. Their eyes locked, and she sheepishly smiled. "You don't know me, but I run the fan club for the West Texas Millionaires, I'm your biggest fan, have all your albums, been to every concert, and, well, you are the greatest.

"Why...thanks" he replied, trying not to be rude but had an appointment. "I saw you at those shows but was to shy to ask for an autograph. Would you please give me an autograph?" Dan started to sweat, but took the receipt from the cashier and gave her the autograph. "Oh thank you, thank you. Oh, can I take a picture of us together from my cell phone. It would really mean a lot." Dan started to squirm at the over 60 woman started to be clingy, but went ahead and asked the cashier to take the picture. "Now I really have to go" Dan told her. "Ok, I can't wait for your next show, I cry at some of your songs." she said starting to get misty. "I'll be looking for you!" Dan blurted on the way out the door. She held the receipt to her bosom and whispered, "What a cowboy, what a dear dear cowboy"...

Tall Texan Tales

Elmer didn't want to be tall, he was just born that way. In school the kids made fun of him, made him feel like some kind of freak. Girls avoided him like the plague, and few if any friends took the time to be kindly. So that left him with a lot of alone time which he spent writing poetry and reading the works of Edgar Allen Poe.

He was also an accomplished ballet dancer, and used his stature to perform the most amazing leaps and bounds. He gained the respect of Paul Taylor, who was a major contributor to the New York scene in the '50's and '60's.

But his real passion was for poking cattle on his Uvalde Texas ranch. He worked hard and loved every aspect of ranching. It was Elmer that gave Dan Simonis' dad a job back in the 1950's to support his wife and family. He made a short run in politics and had good report with Beauford H. Jester, governor of Texas, pictured with Elmer above. At the time, on Saturday nights, Dan's father would play guitar for dances that Elmer hosted. That is what got Dan interested in playing guitar himself, and by the age of 12 he was an accomplished six string strummer himself. In fact, it was Elmer that loaned him the money to get his first guitar, and he played it with all his heart.

Dan says he owes everything to Elmer for getting him started. "If it wasn't for Elmer, I don't think I would have bothered playing music" Dan states. And so it is, this tall Texan that helped our very own West Texas Millionaire, Dan Simonis, wax and wane the ballads that only a cowboy could master.