Oneida Casino in Green Bay, Wisconsin invited us to play at their top notch music festival featuring many founders of rock-n-roll (such as Bill Haley's Original Comets, Sonny Burgess, Ike Turner, Dale Hawkins, Glen Glenn, Joe Bennett and the Sparkltones eg.) and many R&B and country and western artists who's musical style influenced the developement of early rock-n-roll (such as Bob Will's Texas Playboys, Hank Thompson, Charlie Louvin, Ace Cannon eg.) as well as younger musicians who were influenced by these musical styles of Rockabilly, Rhythm and Blues, Honkytonk, Hillbilly Bop, Country Harmony and so forth. We can be counted among this last group and we were dang glad to be there! Our heartfelt thanks to Phil Doran of Oneida Casino for having us and a "hey-howdy-hey" to all our new and old friends met during a very memorable week of music.

The man of the hour was "poppa" Rick Murawski who's wife Patti had just given birth to a new baby girl. We thank Patti for allowing Rick to come out do some Gin Palace Jestering. Congratulations to you both.

There were 4 stages going in this Casino and we were very appropriately in the lounge/tavern portion of the building. It suited us just fine singing our songs of drinking and heartache.

We had just watched the Texas Playboys do a swinging set in the other room and they ever so politely came by and sat through our entire set. Hopefully they enjoyed the moment as much as we did.

"The Mayor" Ken Mottet was pulling double duty emceeing for the week long event and then putting on his cowboy suit to play some music as a Jester. Good going, two paychecks! What a hustler huh?

Introducing the Honkytonk Legend Go Round. Directions: 1)Spin the dial 2)Hear the Gin Palace Jesters perform a legendary song from a legendary artist 3)Win a fabulous prize...if you're lucky. 4)Laugh yer arse off.

Well...they're kind of laughing...ok...so no one is laughing. Hey..is that??? Yep. Shaun Young

Here the Gin Palace Jesters meet with Ralph Braband, mastermind of the Hamburg, Germany based Rhythm Bomb Records label. Hi Ralph!

Midwest Hillbilly meets West Coast Hillbilly. "Pennsylvania" Dave and Johnny Dilks.

Ken and Dave flanking Johnny.

These next few photos were sent to us by Bill Hunt of the Boston based Western Swing outfit the Twilight Ranchers. Thanks Bill. In this photo you can see "Pennsylvania" Dave and "Cousin" Buddy showing the Honkytonk Legend Go Round to Hank Thompson who it just so happens resides in the 7 o'clock spot of the wheel. At some point the decision was made to procure Hank Thompson's autograph since it just so happened both he (being a living Honkytonk Legend) and the Honkytonk Legend Go Round (being an ever growing all knowing force of the universe containing the image and name of Hank Thompson) were in the same building. It seemed a very obvious and entirely natural occurance to get his ol' "John Hancock" on the wheel.

Hank checked out all the Legends on the wheel and seemed pleased with the choices. Unfortunately due to the size of the wheel we could only divide 360 degrees into 12 equal parts thus not every legend could make the wheel.

Dave asked if Hank could "Please sign below his name there." Hank said, "Oh...I gotta sign on my white hat." Dave replied,"You can sign anywhere you like Mister Thompson sir."

Later Cousin Buddy got to hang out with Hank Thompson and ask him about that trademark steel lick.

The legendary Hank Thompson has been writing, singing, recording, touring and playing solid music since 1946 kiddos! That is mighty impressive!

http://www.hankthompson.net/