A NEW ADVENTURE...

Like the song says (one of mine), “The future can change in the blink of an eye.” Got offered a job Monday night, as interim city administrator in Lafayette, Oregon, and I accepted. I start Wednesday (they needed someone right away, and I can do right away). It’ll restrict my movements a bit, and I expect to enjoy every moment of it.

I’ve received tons of well-wishes, from all sorts of folks, for which I am grateful. Thanks, everybody. Like another song says (not one of mine—it’s by John Denver), “My bags are packed, and I’m ready to go.”

I will get to find out whether all the maneuvering I did to enable music, et al., to accommodate a job if one happened is going to work. It should. All the Concert Season gigs except one are on Saturdays, so I can do both work and music—it will just be necessary for the band to practice on weekends, too (but three of them have jobs, too, so we’ve kinda had to do that anyway). The first performance of our Contra Band is on a Saturday night, too (July 31), and so is either the Arts Center Open Mike or “Rockshop” band concert (I still don’t know which one is happening, but it’ll be Aug. 7). And the new job is relatively close: if there were good roads between here and there (which there are not), I could commute. I expect to do that some of the time, anyway.

In the same vein, I should be able to compress typesetting the SOSA Newsletter into weekend work, if the folks will be efficient about getting me stuff; it’s mostly a set piece now, that doesn’t take much time. Designing posters, flyers, &c., is quick and easy stuff, too (I’ve finished off one I was doing for the 2nd Street Public Market tonight). Once I’m settled in during-the-week digs in Lafayette, I’ll have a computer there that will let me do graphic design in the off evenings (I’m expecting there will be a few)—but initially, I’ll be taking an old laptop that won’t be able to do much besides word processing and e-mail. I can still do the column for the paper; I won’t be able to do news articles, but those didn’t pay much of anything, anyway.

The only performance piece I need to worry about isn’t a music one—it’s the Great Intergalactic Puppet Show I’d arranged for the Arts Center staff to do at the Garibaldi Library Aug. 18 (which is a Wednesday). I have written the script—this time, it’s the legend of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, performed by the sock-puppet cast of “Pig Wars” (Luke, Leah, and Hansolo as the Gruffs, Yoda as their mother, again, and Darth Vader as the troll under the bridge)—and that’s getting peer review as this is written. I expect the crew can pull it off without me (and hope they’ll want to). It is a paying gig, after all.

(I do enjoy writing these plays. I’d like to do a musical. I could see the sock puppets doing “The Wizard of Oz,” with Leah as Dorothy, Luke as the Scarecrow, Darth Vader as the Tin Man (of course), Yoda as the Wicked Witch (since he/she is green), and Hansolo (who always acts like he knows everything) as the Wiz. We could have a Cowardly Wookie…)

Over There, I won’t have much free time for a while—there’s a lot of work to do—but there is an open mike I’ve been wanting to get to in Newberg, and Newberg is close to the new job. I don’t need to pursue the Music Work Plan I sketched out over a year ago in anticipation of relocating to other jobs: I will be relatively close to home, and it’s a relatively busy Concert Season on the Coast, and the new job is a temporary one, lasting maybe four months. (While I’m there, a couple of really attractive jobs will be opening up, and I will be applying for those, too.)

So the adventure starts. There’s probably a song in it…

Joe

GARIBALDI DAYS POST-MORTEM...

The Garibaldi Days performance went well. I found out late that morning that there would be no talent show participants (I had wondered if that might happen), so the two-hour show was back to consisting of just the “Rockshop” bands and Roland and Deathgrass. The “Rockshop” bands stuck to the two-song limit they’d originally been handed, and so did Roland, which left us as the flex point—but we’d originally planned on playing a half-hour set anyway. We actually did 25 minutes (the “Rockshop” kids started late), giving Mike a little extra time to get the PA system packed up for his paying gig that evening. The setlist:

Dead Things in the Shower
Tillamook Railroad Blues
Things Are Getting Better Now That Things Are Getting Worse (Gene Burnett)
Armadillo on the Interstate
Un-Easy Street (Stan Good)

Three two-steps (at different speeds), one blues, and one (“Armadillo”) that’s just plain sleazy. All are songs that the band can do really well at the drop of a hat (which is basically the amount of warning we did have). Mike had harmonies worked out for the last four of the songs that were real impressive. I don’t know if there’s a single song I could point to this time as being “best.” Everything was actually good, even though we hadn’t practiced at all since April.

A fair percentage of the audience that had come to hear their kids or their friends play (that’s why you book kid bands—the park was packed) stuck around to hear us perform (and a few people said they had actually come specifically to hear us), and I could see they laughed at the right points and their toes were tapping. Got a few compliments afterwards (one from a teenager—that was a real surprise), so I guess we did okay. I didn’t mention in the Rap where we were playing next, but one fellow did ask afterwards (he seemed to be under the impression we should be touring).

I suppose we do come across as professional (well, that was intentional). We started on the same note, without even drummer clicks (or appeared to—we do have that worked out), never had to look at each other when we played (we looked at each other plenty when we were practicing), never paused except for applause, and everybody knew what they were playing without being told (actually, the Rap does that, but it’s not obvious). All of the songs we performed have little quirks in them, but everybody’s familiar with them, and our “arrangements” were note-perfect. Is there a lesson in all that? Sure—but the lesson is simply, “Practice.”

I got band photos of all the “Rockshop” bands, and will go over those with Mike later to identify the kids. I can give ‘em all photos of their bands as a thank-you for doing the show—plus I want to use the photos in advertising the “Rockshop” band concert I still want to put on at the Bay City Arts Center.

The contra dance reportedly now has a caller (yay) and another guitarist (double yay). We practice tonight—the last time we’ll get together before the big dance July 31. The newspaper ran a big article on it, mentioning the musicians by name (I’d wondered where people had found out about it). I got sent a pile of new contra dance music, tunes which none of us know and which we will not have time to learn and master by dance time. We will stick, I believe, to what we know, and concentrate on making it sound good (and staying in time).

Elsewhere in Music World: The music publisher in Hawaii wanted happy songs about dogs, so I sent her “The Dog’s Song,” my Ramones-style country love song. And I sent “Angel in Chains” to a filmmaker doing something on Kurt Cobain (I figured a country death metal song about a suicide might be apropos). In both cases, I expect no miracles—it’s just something that had to be done, and doing it didn’t cost anything (an important consideration these days).

Joe

TWO WEDDINGS AND A GARIBALDI DAYS...

It’s busy—but as a former boss of mine used to say, “Never confuse motion with progress.” There’s lots of motion. I have no idea whether any of it will turn into progress.

Job interview last Thursday night, and one coming up Tuesday night; I’m not assuming either place will want me, but it is nice they thought I was worth interviewing. (In both cases, I was one of three people they were talking to.) I still have a couple more jobs to apply for—one in Alaska. Though Congress has passed the unemployment-extension bill, I’m told I may end up being one of the so-called “99-ers”—the people who have been out of work so long there’s presumed to be no point in caring about them any more. (There is probably a song in it—if I can figure out how to say it with dead animals.)

One nice “upper”: while I was taking snapshots of the Arts Center’s West Africa Day Camp, I got introduced to one of the helpers, who said, “You’re THE Joe Wrabek? I read your column!” Nice to know I’m making headway somewhere. The column is fun, and relatively easy, and apparently (and surprisingly) a lot of people do read it. And I get to report a lot of things that wouldn’t make it into the paper any other way.

Like the weddings. Carol (she of the lovely voice) Ackerman and Norm Myers were married tonight—during intermission at the Friday Night Group’s music at City Hall. That may be the first time we’ve been the venue for a wedding (and a few people did know “The Wedding March”—in that group, somebody’s bound to know almost everything). We tried to play mostly wedding-type songs, and I don’t have much in my repertoire that fits that bill: I threatened to play “I Want a Man for Christmas,” but instead gave ‘em “Armadillo on the Interstate” and “Duct Tape.”

Carol and Norm are the third Friday Night Group couple thus far to have fallen in love and gotten married; Bud (guitar) and Elsie (accordion) got hitched a few years ago, and Fred (guitar) and Barb (keyboard and spoons) were married just last Saturday. I guess one could say we’re good at producing duets.

Deathgrass is confirmed for the “Rocktoberfest” in September—SUNDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER, at NOON. We’re on for an hour. I need to work up an hour setlist. Tempting to put a bunch of rockers in the set (especially since the organizers are advertising Deathgrass as “country/Americana”)—but we really can do a little of everything. (And I’ve written a little of everything.)

I don’t know yet whether the Bay City Centennial folks want the band for the Saturday or Sunday of Labor Day weekend, but I think I get to find out Monday if I go to their meeting (I may not find out any other way). And then I’ll find out if the band can do it. That’s how it always works. Still to nail down: a date for a Food Pantry benefit concert.

At least, if I do get offered a job, I have made sure there aren’t many scheduling conflicts that would entail my having to get time off; with the exception of the SOSA concert in Central Point Aug. 27 (a Friday), everything else is on a Saturday or holiday Sunday.

Deathgrass performs tomorrow, at Garibaldi Days; I haven’t bothered to advertise it, since we’re on for only ten minutes. (That’s two songs. We’ll do “Tillamook Railroad Blues” and “Un-Easy Street,” both of which require no practice.) I expect there will be a good crowd anyway, since it’s the 50th anniversary of the festival. If people complain there wasn’t enough music, I’ll direct them to the folks in charge. I tried my best, but it’s not my show.

Joe

MORE UPDATES...

As I continue to collect rejection letters from employers, Congress is preparing to vote to re-extend unemployment benefits to the multitude of people who had their benefits cut off in May. I’m not sure it will apply to me—a lot of people who reportedly won’t get helped any more because they’ve been “unemployed too long” are the middle-aged men in professional positions (like me) who were the first to lose their jobs when the economy first collapsed.

The garden is way more satisfying than the job market, because things do happen there, albeit slowly. (And there will be food. Food is good.) One of the dying pea plants suddenly put forth a pod this morning, with one pea in it—that’s probably all it’s capable of in its death throes, but I appreciate the effort. Planting new, healthy pea plants next to the dying ones may actually have stimulated some activity. Maybe plants really can feel embarrassment. (I wonder if there’s a song in that.)

The Bay City Centennial folks did approach me (finally) asking Deathgrass to play at their celebration. I don’t know (because they didn’t know) whether we’ll be offered the Saturday or Sunday of Labor Day weekend—and when I know, I’ll have to ask the band. It is a freebie—but everybody’s been anxious to play again, too. Being limited at the last minute to a ten-minute “show” at Garibaldi Days was somewhere between frustrating and annoying—though we will do it.

The other freebie I’m still trying to organize is the benefit concert—our third—for the Food Pantry. Saturday, Aug. 21 is about the only date I’ve got available, though, and I don’t think I can get everybody together. Aug. 27 (Friday) I’m scheduled to be on stage in Central Point for SOSA, and in September the band is playing the “Rocktoberfest” Sept. 19 (Sunday) and the Arts Center concert Sept. 25 (Saturday). And the Bay City Centennial, too, if that happens.

It looks like we might be able to put on a concert of the “Rockshop” bands on Saturday, August 7. (They’re being limited to ten minutes apiece at Garibaldi Days, too—and that’s hard on (and not nice to) the kids.) Aug. 7 is the night normally reserved for the Bay City Arts Center’s open mike—but it’s my job to host the August open mike, and I’ve said if we can get the kids, we’ll cancel the open mike and have the kids do a show instead. The four “Rockshop” bands can collectively do 1-1/2 hours of music, I understand, and that’s an ideal length for a show. I can get band photos at Garibaldi Days, and do posters, and give ‘em a good shot of publicity in the two weeks before the show.

There’s the contra dance band, too (general consensus was to call ourselves “ContraBand”—has such a nice ring to it). Right now, we’re fiddle (Jane), piano (Fred) and guitar (me); there’s an effort to line up a bass player. Talked to guitarist Jim Nelson, who’s played a lot of contra dances, and contra dance music is mostly reels, I think. I have danced reels, though I’ve never played them—reels are what the square dance club occasionally defaults to when there isn’t a pool of dancers divisible by eight. (For reels, your pool only needs to be divisible by two.) As far as tempo goes, think drunken colonials in hoop skirts—that’s who was historically dancing those reels. (“Reel” may well have been a double entendre.) How fast can drunken colonials in hoop skirts move? That’s the speed one has to play.

I have a lot of material to learn—mostly old fiddle tunes, some of which are a lot of fun—but most of it isn’t too difficult. Once I’ve got the tunes down, I can do more interesting things on the guitar than just rhythm, but for right now, I’m able to play just rhythm. Our first gig may be as early as July 31, and we’re only able to all get together to practice on Sunday nights.

Music Wednesday afternoon at the Garibaldi Pub, Friday night at City Hall, Saturday afternoon at Garibaldi Days, and contra dance practice Sunday night. Job interview Thursday night in Lafayette, over in the Willamette Valley—first one in a long, long time. Wish me luck.

Joe

CONTRA DANCING, THE "ROCKSHOP" BANDS, &C...

I practice with our impromptu contra dance band (fiddle, piano, and guitar) Sunday night. “Contra dance music”—I looked it up on the Internet—is 32 measures, with an “A part” of 16 and a “B part” of 16. Sounds like fiddle tunes—but if one thinks of the “A part” as a verse and “B part” as a chorus, the range of possibilities gets a whole lot wider. The “A” and “B” parts (verse and chorus) are supposed to be different, or at least start different, as a signal to the contra dance caller to do something mysterious that I guess contra dance callers do.

“Red Wing” is a classic example—and it’s a fiddlers’ favorite, as well as being a bluegrass standard (not surprising—it’s over 100 years old). But “Your Cheatin’ Heart” by Hank Williams fits the standards just perfectly, too, and might be even easier to dance to. A few of mine would work also—one of the polkas, my medieval ballad, and (of all things) “I Want a Man for Christmas.”

The lyrics don’t matter, of course; only the melody gets played. Instead of a singer, there’s the caller, who will presumably be choreographing the dancers’ moves and telling them what to do, as in square and round dancing. I will learn the fiddle tunes, though, instead of promoting anything else; it’s an opportunity to learn new stuff, and play with new people, and I don’t want to be hidebound to my own material. I’d like to be versatile.

Still two more members of the band to convey the bad news to, about only getting to play ten minutes at Garibaldi Days. And I still don’t know what we’ll do. (As Yoda would say, “There is play. There is not play.” We will do one or the other.) I wanted to do something for Mike Simpson’s “Rockshop” bands, though—they’re just kids, and they’re being victimized by this ten-minutes-only rule, too, and they’ve been practicing for this show. They are good (one of the bands is fronted by a girl singer—she must be 12 now—with a knock-your-socks-off voice), and it would be nice to get them some exposure and attention. More than ten minutes, anyway. Is there somewhere else they can perform?

There are two local venues over which I might have a little bit of influence. One is the Bay City Arts Center, where I’m one of the staff, and where we have Saturday night, July 31—a week after Garibaldi Days—available because the Jews Harp Festival cancelled. I’ve sounded out Mike (and he’ll sound out the kids Monday), and the idea has been proposed to the BCAC Board. The Arts Center’s Dance Floor is a good performance space—and we can videotape the kids, too. And we can promote the heck out of it and see how big a crowd we can generate.

The other is the new 2nd Street Market in Tillamook, where I’m on the Board. It’s got a nice stage (though no PA system), and it’d be free (the Arts Center has to charge $15)—and the Market has been in need of events to draw in a crowd, but has no money since they blew their wad on the Portland bands for their July 4 grand opening. The “Rockshop” bands will bring in a crowd, and would be free.

Both events might open up a new dimension of entertainment which thus far has remained unexplored by anybody, I think—showcasing out in the community things the schoolkids do. (We’ve talked about this at the Arts Center. There are art and music things the kids are doing that only their parents and teachers know about. The public never gets to see or hear them.) It would be nice to develop a symbiotic relationship between the kids’ activities and the business community; right now, the schools don’t seem to communicate with the community at all—but as money dries up in the ongoing Depression, and budgets and programs get slashed as a result, the ability to call on the community for support is going to become extremely important. (Hmm. I wonder if there’s a grant application in that?)

I’ve been wrestling with the application to be city manager in Rockaway Beach, trying to make it as perfect as possible, because I’d really, really like that job—but I’ll have to give up on being perfect, and just be me—I’m really not good at being anything else. And I don’t have any control over what happens.

Last note. Fred and Barb got married today—that’s the second time in recent years that two Friday Night Group musicians have gotten hitched. (He plays guitar; she plays keyboard and spoons.) May they (shall we say) make beautiful music together.

Joe

10 MINUTES...

Potato plants are finally coming up in the garden. It would be a severe blow to my self-confidence if I killed potato plants; potatoes are supposed to be indestructible. (And I’m half-Irish. I should be genetically able to grow potatoes.) Elsewhere in the garden, the corn appears unhappy it got transplanted, the peas are slowly committing suicide, and the carrots and green beans have yet to show their faces (or whatever they call them) above ground. And that’s the good news.

Got the call telling me Deathgrass will only be allowed to play ten minutes at Garibaldi Days, instead of the half-hour we’d originally planned on. (The “Rockshop” kid bands will reportedly only have ten minutes each, too.) That, I am told, is because of the volume of people that have come out of the woodwork wanting to perform at a Talent Show. I don’t (and won’t) complain about that—I think it’s good. I just wish there were more time for what I guess I’d call more professional entertainment, too. Maybe next time.

I will have to ask the band what they want to do. It doesn’t bother me too much (though I don’t like late-breaking changes in rules); I’ll be down at the park anyway, helping to set up the stage and the PA system, and I’ll be at Garibaldi Days all day, and I’ll join Roland on stage when (if?) he plays if he still wants accompaniment. But I do worry about how this impacts the rest of the band. Two of ‘em are coming from out of town (though not far out of town, thankfully), and the drummer’s hauling down his kit, which is a truckload of stuff, and we’ll have spent time practicing, and at least the other four of ‘em are taking time out of rather busy lives to do this, and do it for free, for the Lions Club. But is it worth it to do it for just ten minutes? I have to ask. And I should probably ask before we get together to practice.

And it always could be less than ten minutes. The way we’d set up the schedule, Deathgrass was going to close out the show—but the PA system has to leave at 4:00, so if things run really over (and I guess they could, if Talent Show acts keep calling) it’s possible we might not get to play at all. (Alternatively, if the Talent Show acts are real short—and the ones with little kids will be—we could end up having more than ten minutes to play. I hate uncertainty.)

I am, as usual, prepared to accept whatever happens; it’s not my show, and I wasn’t asking for it to be my show. I only wanted to help. I am glad I didn’t get too much advertising out before the rules changed.

Now, the last time I vented in the blog about Garibaldi Days, people complained, and I ended up with people upset with me, and some of them are still upset with me. Accordingly, I’d advise those inclined to complain not to bother. What’s in place is not going to change. There isn’t enough time, even if somebody did want to change it—and the Talent Show will be good. Really. If Deathgrass doesn’t get to play (or play much), not to worry—we will be playing other places this summer, and they will be advertised. (And thank you for being interested.) I bet we could arrange a longer concert by the “Rockshop” bands at a later date, too, if they’re interested. (Remember, I work at an Arts Center that has a stage and a dance floor.)

Doc won’t be able to do an August 21 concert; he and his hunting dogs will be out of town at field trials. (I met the dogs today. Impressively smart critters. Both girls.) Would we want to do the Food Pantry benefit Labor Day weekend instead? Again, I’ll have to ask. I don’t want to schedule it earlier than August 21, because I want a solid month to advertise in. One needs to hit the public from a lot of different directions, in a lot of different media, to get their attention.

Music at City Hall Friday night, and the Library Saturday afternoon; Sunday night, three of us who’ve never played together before are getting together to see if we could be a contra dance band. We’ll have fiddle, piano, and me on guitar. I’ve done a little digging online (the Internet is a wonderful place sometimes) to see what exactly “contra dance music” is; two tunes I know that seem to fit the standards are the 1900-vintage Indian love song, “Red Wing,” and—surprise!—Stan Good’s “Real Good Coffee and a Real Good Wife.” I wonder what else I can find?

Joe

SETLISTS, &C...

Reviewed the videotape of the July open mike at the Arts Center. The parts with our impromptu band aren’t good enough quality to mess with, I’m afraid—percussion too loud, vocals too low, and lead guitarist Charlie was almost out of the picture most of the time (but he did sound good). I’d like to look at videos from open mikes where Charlie was behind the camera, and able to manipulate it more, rather than being a performer; I think those might be better for converting into YouTube-type videos. The sound problem does make me more interested in recording sound through the Arts Center’s mixing board rather than from the camera.

Poster’s designed, the Rap is done, and setlists mostly distributed for the Deathgrass Garibaldi Days concert (Sat., July 24). We practice Sunday. Some folks have been excited that Deathgrass will be playing again. (Fans? We have fans?) Well, I am, too.

I seem to have fallen into a defined role with the band, that I guess I’m mostly comfortable with: I decide what we’re going to play (taking into account what the guys like to play, and their various styles, and what I think the audience is going to be like), and organize the setlist, and give everybody copies and CDs with “draft” recordings of the songs the way we’re going to play them (which minimizes the need for practice), and design and distribute the posters. (The Garibaldi Days poster features the Deathgrass “logo”—the cute stuffed skull with dreadlocks, hanging from a mike stand—for the first time. There still are no good photos of the band; maybe I can get someone to take some while we’re playing at Garibaldi Days.) I don’t—and probably won’t—get much feedback on the setlists and posters, though I’d like it; I have to go with my gut feelings, and trust that I’m going to be right. I think the rest of them are trusting that, too, though.

For the other gigs: Doc can’t make it to the Arts Center concert Sept. 25, though Mike can. (That’s too bad—that is the concert I’d like to record, since the Arts Center has that lovely mixing board and I know somebody who could maybe run it. It would be nice to have everybody.) However, both Doc and Mike can be at the Rocktoberfest gig the Sunday before (Sept. 19).

I’m not sure about anybody’s availability for Sat., Aug. 21—all I know is it’s the only Saturday night in August I can get the Dance Floor at City Hall, and the Food Pantry could use another shot in the arm. August 21 would give us just about a month for promotion, which could generate a real good crowd (and a lot of food donations), like last time.

I do not yet have a date for the Garibaldi Museum concert—I just know it’ll be before Hallowe’en, since Hallowe’en is when the Museum shuts down for the winter. And I have heard nothing at all about the Bay City Centennial concert Labor Day Sunday—I suppose I’ll have to call the organizers, who are not good at publicity.

So… some more setlists to organize. The Food Pantry benefit will be a 2-hour show, focusing as usual on Failed Economy songs; the Arts Center is a 2-hour concert, too, without the same limitations. Our Rocktoberfest performance is 50 minutes (and I could pad the setlist with more “rockers”), and the Museum, like last time, will be an hour. I’d like to introduce some new material in a couple of those, but am not sure what. Is the public ready for “Angel in Chains”? Is anybody?

Joe

NO, YES, AND AN OPEN MIKE...

“No” from the Willamette Writers group—they’re hiring someone other than me to be the entertainment at their annual conference in Portland. (I hope whoever it is is more entertaining. Some writers I know in the organization have expressed doubts about that, and I hope they express them to the conference organizers.) Also on the minus side—not entirely bad, in other words—our band will get just half an hour at Garibaldi Days; I understand we have just two hours to work with, and we’ll be sharing the space with four of Mike Simpson’s “Rockshop” bands plus at least one soloist (Roland, and I think I’ll get to play with him, too) and maybe a couple of talent-show kids. We’ll be using the same PA system for everybody, so we can keep things fairly rapid-fire.

Putting together a half-hour set for Deathgrass is easy. Six of our best songs? We have more than two hours of stuff the band can do really well. For a mix of styles, speeds, and sentiments, how about:

When I Jump Off the Cliff I’ll Think of You—fast bluegrass
Tillamook Railroad Blues—deliberate blues (and a “local color” song)
Things Are Getting Better Now That Things Are Getting Worse (Gene Burnett)—fast two-step
Armadillo on the Interstate—slow & sleazy (and Shakespearean)
For Their Own Ends (Southern Pigfish)—folk-rock
Un-Easy Street (Stan Good)—mod. fast two-step

On the plus side, the Garibaldi Museum does want to have “Deathgrass” back, in October; the Rocktoberfest is going to come off, and we’re on the agenda for that, too (Sept. 19); and Mike is in for the Bay City Arts Center concert (Sept. 25). All those are paying gigs—and that’s three times as many as we had last summer. Progress, I guess. Our benefit concert for the Food Pantry needs to be Saturday, Aug. 21.

The open mike at the Arts Center Saturday night (with me hosting) was good; several times as many audience as performers, but both numbers were small. So after the soloists—Bob Lichner the saw player, a poetess, and Noah, a high-school kid performing for the first time something he’d written—were done, I announced we’d have a jam session, and we did my stuff, with electric guitar and saw for leads, and everybody in the audience with various percussion equipment: drums, spoons, tambourines, gourds, &c. So they got “Tillamook Railroad Blues,” “Angel in Chains,” “The Dead Sweethearts Polka,” “Armadillo on the Interstate,” “Test Tube Baby,” “Naked Space Hamsters in Love,” and “I’m Giving Mom a Dead Dog for Christmas.” Wide variety of stuff, but what came off best were the two-steps— “Armadillo” the best by far.

Once again, the open mike didn’t make any money, because nobody collected any (and the host—me, in this case—doesn’t have time to do that on top of everything else); technically, everybody was a “performer,” anyway, after we passed out the percussion stuff. Maybe the best way to go is to simply have a Red Llama (a la the Friday Night Group) positioned strategically by the door, and not ask for money—let the Llama do it, by being an ugly, unignorable reminder.

We did videotape the event (at least until the tape ran out), and I’ll see what I can do with the tape. I’m still stuck with iMovie at this point, with its minimal editing capability; I may be able to get free software that’d convert a Mac video file to a form readable by a PC, so I could do more. Alternatively, the camera can feed video (but no audio) to the PC, and I can get the audio via a USB connection to the soundboard, provided I feed it into the computer live. Synchronization could be a challenge, but one would get way better sound that way. I may try that next open mike.

Music Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this coming week—and meetings Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. It is good to be busy. Now, if I just had an income to go with it…

Joe

MID-YEAR REVIEW OF THE 2010 GOALS...

It being just after the first of July, it’s time to do the “mid-year assessment” on the 2010 Goals. How are we doing?

Well, I did WRITE IN SOME DIFFERENT GENRES—a medieval ballad, another polka, and country death metal. No doubt there will be more. I entered four SONG CONTESTS the first half of 2010, but didn’t win any (and the goal was to win them, not enter them). I do PLAY WITH MORE PEOPLE—everywhere and everywhen I can. BECOME A HOUSEHOLD WORD? I’m getting better known, but I have a long way to go. I am not yet as common a household word as (say) “toilet paper.”

EXPAND USE OF VIDEO? A little—I just figured out how to “French video” another of my songs. I haven’t videoed any of the Southern Pigfish songs, though I have scripted some out. I did get a video camera (eBay), but I haven’t used it. I have figured out how to dump some of the Arts Center’s open mike films from their big camera into iMovie, and produce simple gig-soliciting videos of me playing solo. GETTING OTHER PEOPLE TO PLAY MY SONGS? A little there, too. Polly Hager has recorded three, and a band up in Canada performed one live (and I saw the video on YouTube).

For the rest, I can’t point to any progress. I haven’t finished either the JOE ALBUM or the SOUTHERN PIGFISH ALBUM (though I do finally have the songs picked out for the latter). No WEEK IN NASHVILLE—not with no money at all. No WEBSITE, either. Obviously, I have yet to FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE A LIVING OFF THIS STUFF. I haven’t managed to TEACH A SONGWRITING CLASS, either, though I keep promoting the idea.

All the above sounds awfully unhopeful. I did find something on another front to get excited about. A little town of less than 600 people in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska is looking for a city manager, and I’m applying. I would really like that job. A bit isolated (I think the only way in or out is by ferry), and a lot of rain (might be the first place I’ve lived in years that didn’t feel too dry), and reportedly some of the best fishing on the planet. Could be a lot of fun.

I won’t have a Bay City Arts Center Band for the open mike Saturday; there’s some interest on the part of two Board members (piano and guitar), but no time to practice. I’ll plan on doing a 4-song set myself (about 15 minutes) if a few people show up (and might forego it if a lot of musicians show up), and will plan on having the jam session at the end (which will appeal to those who want informality—myself, if I’m hosting the show, I want structure). I have no idea at this writing how many people will come—and since I’ll be out of town for two days at the Oregon Country Fair, I’ll simply have to accept that I’ve done as much promotion as I could.

Before I leave on the 2-day trip, I have a graphic-design project to finish (for the 2nd Street Market), column to finish for the paper, an event to attend (and article to write) for the paper, the Alaska job application to send off, and a waiver form to put together for the Garibaldi Days musicians. The longer the to-do list grows, the more that 2-day trip is going to feel like a vacation. I’ll be immediately busy as soon as I get back.

Joe

TALKING INSPIRATION TO WRITERS...

So… let’s assume I’m playing for the Willamette Writers conference (I don’t know that for sure as this is written), and that I’m playing for an hour like I recommended, and solo. (A lot of assumptions, here.) I assume, too, that it’s not usual for them to have a writer as their entertainment.

Near as I can tell from their program, their “writers” umbrella covers not just books, but a wide range of formats from film to poetry—but I didn’t see music or songs mentioned anywhere. I nonetheless describe myself as a “writer,” because I do think what I’m doing isn’t any different from what they’re doing, whether that’s occurred to them or not. I just do it in (shall we say) soundbites. I probably do want to tell them that—along with thanking them for inviting me.

It appears the focus of their 2010 conference is inspiration, and I do have a couple of thoughts on that. (Brief ones, of course—I deal in soundbites.) When I compared myself to William Shakespeare in one of my “Joe Show” videos last year, I noted Bill and I didn’t have a lot in common, but we’d probably have the same advice with respect to inspiration: “Keep your eyes and ears open, and remember the world is a very strange place and people are really weird critters.”

So I suppose I could offer up a bunch of songs where the inspiration came from all sorts of different directions, and in the Rap, talk about the sources. Like:

OTHER PEOPLE are my biggest source of inspiration these days—once people find out you’re a writer, they’re constantly feeding you ideas, and eventually all those ideas turn into songs. The best example is probably “Hey, Little Chicken,” written for Gene Burnett’s album of chicken songs. “Dead Fishes,” incorporating John Voorpstiel’s ploughman-in-the-field imagery, is another.

I ASK QUESTIONS—usually of the “Has anybody ever written…?” variety. That’s how I got “Twenty-Four Seven,” the love song that was entirely cliches, and also “I’m Giving Mom a Dead Dog for Christmas” (from Steve Goodman’s description of country music) and “When I Jump Off the Cliff I’ll Think of You” (the bluegrass song that really is all about death).

I SEE STUFF. “Can I Have Your Car When the Rapture Comes?” was a phrase on a bumpersticker. “The Abomination Two-Step”—do I dare play that one?—was prompted by an “open letter to George Bush” that got me re-reading some of the stranger books of the Bible. Stan Good’s “Un-Easy Street” was triggered by a newspaper article, and “The Termite Song” by a U.N. scientific report.

I HEAR STUFF. “Meet Me at the Stairs” came from a comment by a performer at a bluegrass festival. “Hank’s Song” was prompted by a discussion of what’s wrong with country music today. And the question, “How come there’s no good songs about the war?” produced “No Good Songs About the War,” my attempt (prize-winning, in fact) to show by example how a protest song ought to be written.

NOT BEING ABLE TO DO SOMETHING is inspiration, too. I got “The World Enquirer” because I couldn’t remember the words to the bluegrass song about Jimmy Brown the newsboy. “The Writer’s Block Blues” is about not being able to write. And “The Taboo Song” was my response to the Times of London’s list of things you can’t write about.

That list there is an hour’s worth, easily—and I haven’t covered everything. I could probably do more than an hour if I needed to. And now, I’d like them to say “Yes, Joe, we want you to do it.” I wonder if they will?

Joe

HOSTING AN OPEN MIKE...

It appears I’ll be hosting the Open Mike at the Bay City Arts Center Saturday, July 10—eight days from now. Up to me, I presume, to both round up entertainment and publicize the event. The BCAC traditionally has a “featured performer” that’ll play for half an hour (everybody else gets 15 minutes), usually in between the kids and the adults. I wonder if that’ll have to be me?

The “featured performer” normally is, or has some connection to, the Artist of the Month; last month’s A.O.M. was potter Brian Johnstone, and the “featured performer was Brian and a cello-playing friend. July, the Artist of the Month was going to be the BCAC board and staff (since a lot of us are artists)—so the “featured performer” at the open mike (the same evening as the A.O.M. reception) ought to be board and staff, too. It would be fun to put together a completely impromptu band for the occasion. I know I’ve got some people out of town, but BCAC’s executive director is a classical pianist, and one of the board plays fiddle (or violin—I’m not sure which) and one plays guitar (jazz, I think). What could one do with a band like that?

I want to encourage people from the Friday Night Group to come, and folks who play or have played at the Tillamook Library and the Garibaldi Pub. Something I’d like to institutionalize—it happened almost accidentally after the last open mike—is a general jam session after the show, which all the musicians would be encouraged to stick around for and participate in.

The other “I’ve got a week to put this together” item is the Garibaldi Days music. Our entertainment meeting is also July 10. I’d like to count on having Deathgrass and the three middle-school rock bands that played last year; if each band could play for an hour, that’d be four hours of music. There are two other groups I’d like to rope in as well, if they’re willing—but one of them, I know, doesn’t have much of a PA system. Everybody else, I think, including Deathgrass, is coming with their own PA.

By (or at) the entertainment meeting, I want to know who’s playing, and for how long; once we’ve set times, I’ll make posters and do what other advertising I can—we’ll have only two weeks before Event Day. If Coast 105 radio has put DJ Tommy Boye back on the air by then, I ought to be able to snag a moment on his Morning Show to promote the event. I don’t know if the Lions have any money they can throw at advertising, but we would have the ability to run one ad (all we’d have time for) in each of the local papers before Event Day. I expect we’ll have to do promotion of the music separate from the Garibaldi Days program guide, which (if they follow the schedule I recommended last year) should be already printed and “on the stands” before our entertainment meeting ever takes place. Of course, I’m not the one doing the program guide this year, either.

I’ve spent this week helping teach beach art to kids (15 of them, aged 5 to 12), which has been fun; mostly, I’ve just followed directions, plus done the heavy lifting and run the power tools and washed dishes. I have managed to do the Tom Sawyer Thing with almost every activity; I’ll start doing something, whether it be ripping paper, cutting plastic, unbraiding yarn, or dishing out papermaking glop, and I’ll immediately have assistants wanting to help. I’ve characterized it as “team-building,” and presume it’s a holdover from city manager work.

I do have one job interview coming up (July 22, to be an interim city manager over in the Valley) and wonder if I’ll get called for an interview to be Phoenix city planner—the job I had, along with being city manager, three years ago. There is apparently another island in Alaska looking for a city manager, too, that I want to apply for. And I may get to do a little more work for the Census while I’m waiting.

The “Pig Wars” video has been watched by 133 people in two days, according to YouTube’s statistics. That’s not “gone viral” by any means—it’s more like “gone head cold”—but it’s nice that it’s gotten a little attention.

Joe