PRE-CHRISTMAS & ALBUM THOUGHTS...

The Christmas-present CDs are done and wrapped for the folks at work; this weekend, I baked more cookies and stuffed stockings. And made some more Christmas CDs. Six songs on those, but only five are actually Christmas songs. (Thought about including “In the Shadows, I’ll Be Watching You,” since I’ve been telling folks this season that it’s really a Christmas song because Santa is a stalker—sees you when you’re sleeping, and all that—but I’ve resisted the temptation.)

Might get to go to the Southern Oregon Songwriters’ Christmas party (it’s next weekend); it appears the weather will be decent for traveling—40-degree temperatures and nothing more dangerous than rain. It would be nice to see everybody—and staying in touch has been hard since I got employed. Yes, there’s e-mail, but I’m a country boy—I like and need “face time.” I haven’t been down there since the concert in August, and that was a real whirlwind visit.

I discovered I had almost forgotten the Album List (and here I was attempting to get the thing recorded in January). Here’s the last iteration. Hight “Dead Things in the Shower” (after the opening cut):

Dead Things in the Shower (with Bobbie Gallup)—fast two-step
Armadillo on the Interstate—slow & sleazy
Tillamook Railroad Blues—deliberate blues
For Their Own Ends (Southern Pigfish)—folk-rock
No Good Songs About the War—slow marching two-step
Free-Range Person—fast bluegrass
The Dog’s Song—rock ‘n’ roll
Crosses by the Roadside—slow two-step
She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself—fast blues
Rotten Candy—fast Gospel
Un-Easy Street (Stan Good)—deliberate two-step

Two co-writes (our standard opening and closing songs for concerts, and they’ll be the opener and closer on the album, too); two that Mike harmonizes on; and half (at least) that’ll show off Doc’s harmonica playing. And a good mix of styles, too: some blues, some bluegrass, some rock ‘n’ roll. Including “Rotten Candy” lets us put the little sticker on the cover that says “Includes the Song Rejected by American Idol!” And of course, “No Good Songs About the War” won first prize in that contest over in England. We’ll dedicate the album to blues harp player Dick Ackerman, who died last year. (“Crosses by the Roadside” on there for him.)

While I’m thinking about it—and have time—I should design the album cover. I know what it (and the record label) should look like. I just need to stage the photo. I have photos of the band, too—and a good black-and-white one of Dick as well.

Music Wednesday at the coffeehouse in McMinnville; unless something changes at the last minute (and I’m not expecting it to), this will be my last performance there. Since it’s before Christmas (Dec. 15), I should do them the one Christmas song I haven’t performed yet—“Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire.” I’ll have to figure out the tablature again—it appears I never wrote it down when I recorded it. For the serious song, “Hank’s Song,” I think—I haven’t done that there yet. Not sure about the rest.

Never did hear back from the church soup kitchen I’d contacted (on the advice of a lady in Lafayette) about doing a Christmas show. I won’t press; I get enough rejections from potential employers—I don’t need to deliberately solicit them. It’s quite possible the soup kitchen operators listened to the music and decided it was too dark or too funny for their venue. It’s okay. Out in the remains of the garden, I have the tomatoes that never did ripen rotting on their trees to remind me things don’t always work out the way you want.

Joe