The Redding Challenge

Next Saturday is it!

It's the Uhavegonaway to Oregonaway Show on September 1, Labor Day weekend, at the Mississippi Pizza Pub in Portland, Oregon from 6 to 8 PM. If you don’t know about this show, you must find out now before it’s too late! Hope to see you there.

I thought of another Refreshments-Portland-related trivia question. Know the answer and you could win some Refreshments booty at the show. Here’s the question:

What singer/songwriter, and Portland resident, played his most famous song with the Refreshments at the aforementioned Portland La Luna Gig in 1996?

(Ed. note: there's been some debate whether this show happened in 1996 or 1997. Frankly, I don't know for sure, but I know we played with this guy at a sold out show at La Luna in either 1996 or 1997.)

If you know the answer, tell me at the show on Saturday and you’ll win a Refreshments sticker. These are the genuine articles, the oval, purple and gold stickers that were used as promotional items back when “Banditos” conquered the Portland airwaves. For those of you unlucky souls who won’t be at the show, I’ll post the answer to the trivia question here next week.

Also, anyone who buys a copy of Stuck Outside of Phoenix at the show will get a free Refreshments sticker, and you don’t even have to know the answer to the trivia question!

On a more serious note, I have to tell you about a game I play every time I drive from Oregon to Arizona, or from Arizona to Oregon. The game is called “The Redding Challenge.”

The purpose of the game is to see how long you can scan radio stations while driving through Redding, California without hearing a song by Led Zeppelin or AC/DC.

Here’s how to play: while driving on Interstate Five, when you see the “Redding, City Limits” sign, hit the scan button on your car stereo and count how many stations you scan through before hearing a song by either AC/DC or Led Zeppelin. In my experience, the average is about four stations. See how long it takes for you and compare with your friends.

In the unlikely event that you make it all the way through Redding without hitting an AC/DC or Led Zeppelin song, something spectacular, thought I’m not sure what, should happen. I believe it’s rarer than a UFO sighting.

I just played “The Redding Challenge” yesterday and made it through seven stations until “You Shook me All Night Long” came up. I laughed, shrugged my shoulders, and rocked the rest of the way through Redding.

See you all Saturday!

Art