UPDATES...

Second time, now, that “the Pigfish song” has been requested in our acoustic jam session at the tavern. This time, “the band” was just Doc on blues harp, Terry on fiddle, and me as the only guitar, but the song still came out okay—and I noticed people listened. I have a feeling the song’s going to get requested more—and people may end up knowing the name Southern Pigfish without having any idea the band doesn’t exist. I’d like that.

I may not get picked for the play I auditioned for—I’m told the folks in charge really want somebody younger, Irish accent notwithstanding, because the character is a guy who’s in his 40s, not his 60s. It does sound like the same problem I’ve had in applying for jobs, but I shan’t complain: if I did (or do) get picked for the play, one of the performances is September 25—the day we’d arbitrarily set for the Joe Concert at the Arts Center (simply because it was my birthday). Obviously, I can’t do both, but it’s easy to re-schedule the concert, because there’s been no advertising yet. On the other hand, if I’m not in the play, the issue is moot.

The Tillamook Farmer’s Market appears to have music booked every weekend through Labor Day, so that’s out for a paying venue; the 2nd Street Public Market doesn’t—they don’t have anything at all booked through the summer—but I’m not sure they have the money to pay for entertainment, either. (They may not even hire a replacement for their director once she leaves.) That’s too bad; a miniature mall like theirs needs traffic to survive, and one of the easiest ways to bring traffic in is entertainment. Conventional wisdom, when I was in real estate, was a new business—and that’s what the 2nd Street Market is—should be expected to eat money for the first three years, before it turns a profit. These guys may not have given themselves enough of a cushion.

The iMovie video of “Pig Wars” is mostly done (though it’s a HUGE file); next step is a soundtrack, for the time where the opening credits are running. I found the music for Darth Vader’s theme music from Star Wars, and think I can do it on the banjo (which would have a certain shock value); it has a tendency when I play it to morph into a standard 12-bar blues, which would be ideal for this video. “Pig Wars” is a constant journey into the unexpected.

I might have time for seven songs at the Thirsty Lion, instead of six; most of my selections this time are pretty short, and I’m performing them solo (and therefore without lead breaks). Maybe the setlist should be:

Eatin’ Cornflakes from a Hubcap Blues—slow & sleazy two-step
The Termite Song—fast bluegrass
Can I Have Your Car When the Rapture Comes?—slow & sleazy
The Dead Sweethearts Polka—fast bluegrass
Take-Out Food (by Stan Good)—slow & sleazy
Song for Charity (and Faith, and Hope)—fast bluegrass
In the Shadows, I’ll Be Watching You—slow & sleazy

Music Friday night at City Hall, then nothing till the Thirsty Lion gig Tuesday night in Portland. (I do get to march in the Dairy Parade, though, with my “Beauty Queen of Leenane” sash. They may draw the line at having me wear a tiara.) Rumor has it Jason Jones—whom I have yet to meet, despite corresponding for over a year—is hosting a Sunday jam session at O’Downey’s Pub in Depoe Bay, a littler over an hour from here; if it’s on, I’d really like to go—I haven’t played out of town in a long time. And with the gig coming up, I need to keep playing.

Joe