www.vintageinnovations.net

http://austin.culturemap.com

A new dinner series from Apis Restaurant and Apiary introduces an entirely immersive experience for fans of the Red Headed Stranger.

The restaurant, known for its bee and honey motif, is launching Willie Wednesdays, a Hill Country excursion in the former Willie Nelson’s Family Band tour bus followed by a succulent supper at Apis.

Apis has partnered with vehicle rental company Vintage Innovations, which not only owns and operates the bus but also employs Nelson’s granddaughter, Rebecca Thomas.

“When we heard about Willie’s Family Band bus and what Rebecca, Willie’s granddaughter, was offering through Vintage Innovations, we saw an opportunity to welcome people in Austin to what Spicewood has to offer,” said Apis Co-owner Casie Hall in a statement.

The journey begins at the Willie Nelson statue in front of ACL Live in downtown Austin. Guests are picked up by the tour bus — the same one that madeheadlines when it popped up on Craigslist — and escorted to Spicewood for a guided tour of the Apis property. Once at the restaurant, guests are greeted with a drink and treated to a three-course dinner designed by Chef Taylor Hall.

“Guests are able to experience a little taste of Willie Nelson’s life,” notes a release, by riding on the bus, interacting with his granddaughter, and visiting the city where his ranch is located.

The price per guest for this unique experience is $150, which includes transportation, dinner, one drink, tax, and gratuity. There are only 20 spaces available each week, so reservations are required.

The Willie Wednesdays series begins Wednesday, September 30, and runs through November 18.

www.vintageinnovations.net

“ME & PAUL”

One of the original Willie Nelson & The Family Band tour buses is “On The Road Again!” and available to rent for your event! The 1983 Silver Eagle named “Me & Paul” (after Willie’s well-renowned song and album) is an iconic piece of music history. This 40-foot bus was built for the Willie Nelson Family Band, and was owned by his drummer, Paul English. It is the most well-preserved out of the four Florida Coaches designed and built for them in 1982/1983. The band toured on this bus for 4 years during the ‘80s. Almost entirely original on the interior, “Me & Paul” offers any of its passengers the opportunity to enjoy a moment back in time, and chance to experience what it was like to tour with Willie, Paul, and the band.

SPECS:

Seats up to 20 people
Comfortable air-conditioned lounge seating
Original Americana murals and craftsmanship
Vintage “Stagecoach” aesthetic throughout entire bus
Crushed red velvet upholstery and curtains
Incredible mahogany woodwork
Surround-sound stereo system
WiFi on board
Auxiliary cord for customized playlists
Phone and computer charging stations
PRICING:

Hourly Rate: $250 (4 hour minimum, includes 100 miles)
Daily Rate: $2,500 (12 hour rental, includes 250 miles)
$2.50 per mile over the allotted mileage
$95 cleaning fee
NOTE:

Rates vary for special event weekends, including SXSW, ACL and F1 events. For more info, please call or email us here.
For monthly rental rates, please call or email us here.

Honeysuckle Rose, Fenway Park, Boston

“You never know who you will run into on Willie Nelson’s bus.” — Buddy Cannon

http://www.rollingstone.com
by:  Jon Blistein

In the Eighties,  Willie Nelson and his Family Band toured the states in a caravan of four decked-out buses. One of those custom rides, a 1983 Silver Eagle dubbed “Me and Paul,” will be featured on the first episode of Great American Country’s new show, Celebrity Motor Homes (think Cribs on a bus), but a special preview of Nelson’s chariot is available to watch now.

The main area, where the band would’ve hung out, boasts stained-glass windows and seats, sofas and curtains all made out of red-crushed velvet. A marquee that can display the name of the bus, or a number of other phrases or names (including “John Denver”), sits up front above the driver’s seat. The bus also features a kick-back area that comes complete with a bar stocked with the band’s house bourbon, “Ole Whiskey River,” and rolling tray for, as Perkins puts it, “the various musicians who roll their own cigarettes.” Nelson even had a private lounge added, where passengers could relax and play a couple hands of poker.

Celebrity Motor Homes premieres Wednesday, November 26th at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Great American Country. Along with Nelson’s bus, the debut episode will include a look inside the motor home of Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson and the Plain White T’s tour bus.

www.BillyBobsTexas.com

Thanks, Ashley Morales, for sharing a photo from NYC and Radio City Music Hall.

http://dallas.culturemap.com
by:  Ryan Lakich

A piece of Texas music history will soon be on the road again, thanks to some entrepreneurial Texans. Taylor Perkins, founder of Austin Restaurant Week and Vintage Innovations, and Michael “Stix” Tashnick have purchased Willie Nelson and the Family Band’s former tour bus, which they will turn into a mobile museum of sorts for superfans.

It all started with a Craigslist ad posted last month auctioning off the 1983 Eagle tour bus, which was previously owned by Willie Nelson Family Band drummer Paul English. Christened “Me and Paul,” after the popular album and song, the bus was sold by Tom O’Leary of Whitehouse, Texas, for more than $80,000.

Perkins operates Vintage Innovations, a company that restores and rents vintage trailers and buses. Through that outlet, fans can charter the bus for festivals and concerts, as a living tribute to his legacy (and a pretty sweet ride in general).

Although the bus currently features iconic exterior murals, interior velvet curtains and stained-glass windows from Nelson’s era of travel, Vintage Innovations plans to hire local artisans to completely restore the bus to its original glory.

“We are nostalgia geeks, and when I found the opportunity to own something this cool, I had to move quickly,” Perkins said. “This was something we couldn’t pass up. We are excited to give fans a chance to experience a taste of life as Willie lives it.”

Perkins and Tashnick plan to give a little something back to Nelson in the process Vintage Innovations will donate portions of the bus rental fees to Farm Aid, the charity organization co-founded by Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp to assist American family farms.

“We felt this was a great way we could give something back to Willie, who has done so much for our state and the people in it.”