ROCKTOBERFEST, CDS AND THE BLOG (OH, MY)...

Looked up the blog statistics again (have to check the market occasionally). Of the 3,000 or so people who have read the thing, well over half are from the United States (of course)—but 239 are from Russia? And 61 are from Latvia? (That’s up from 29 Latvians last time, I think.)

Google will tell you where people found the blog. The bulk of my readers followed the link from Vikki Flawith’s “Shy Singer-Songwriter Blog.” She has a link to my blog on her site. (Thank you, Vikki.) Most of the Russians found me via a Russian search engine (they were apparently looking for “naked space hamsters”—and no, I have no idea why). I have not a clue about the Latvians. I hope they weren’t expecting to learn English by reading my stuff (but this is called “The Writer’s Blog,” after all).

Time confirmed for Deathgrass’ performance at the Rocktoberfest in Rockaway Beach; we’re on at 11 a.m. SATURDAY, SEPT. 17—opening act of the festival, in other words. We like being first—we can set up and check sound at our leisure, and any people that come will probably be there because we invited them, anyway. We’ve done it that way at the two previous Rocktoberfests—the first time inadvertently, the second time deliberately.

We will need to play our “rockier” stuff for the Rocktoberfest. (That’s fine—the band likes rock ‘n’ roll, and they do a real good job with it.) Not in order::

For Their Own Ends (Southern Pigfish)—folk-rock
Dance a Little Longer (Woody Guthrie)—country rock
The Dog’s Song—rock ‘n’ roll
She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself—fast blues
Tillamook Railroad Blues—deliberate blues
Steamboat Bill (Shields & Leighton, 1910)—rock ‘n’ roll
Angel in Chains—country death metal
Our Own Little Stimulus Plan (Betty Holt)—Buddy Holly-style rockabilly
Simple Questions (O.N. Vindstad)—rockabilly
50 Ways to Cure the Depression—folk-rock
Test Tube Baby—rock ‘n’ roll

--plus, of course, we’ll want to do some of the “standards”:

Dead Things in the Shower (with Bobbie Gallup)—fast two-step
Un-Easy Street (Stan Good)—deliberate two-step
Things Are Getting Better Now That Things Are Getting Worse (Gene Burnett)—fast two-step
Bluebird on My Windshield—fast bluegrass
When I Jump Off the Cliff I’ll Think of You—fast bluegrass
Crosses by the Roadside—slow two-step
Bungee Jumpin’ Jesus—mod. fast Gospel

So, 11 that are definitely “rockers” (out of 18). All are songs we’ve done before; I could add new material for this show, though—we will have time to practice. A couple of the “rockers” are really hard for me to sing (and I’ll need to practice). Next: setlist. Rap. Practice.

I know how the Rocktoberfest Powers That Be picked the bands—they had everybody send them CDs. (I wasn’t one of the Powers That Be, but I did get to listen to some of the CDs.) Some of the bands playing aren’t really rockers at all, and I know of at least two bands that aren’t playing the Rocktoberfest that are “rockier” (though still not classifiable as “rock”)—but they didn’t send the Rocktoberfest folks CDs because they don’t have one. The lesson: Have a CD if you can—at least a 4-or-so-song EP. No, it’s not necessary in all cases—nobody asked for CDs for the Wheeler Summerfest, but that’s because all the performers were local, and personally known to the organizers. A CD allows you to communicate, as it were, with venues who don’t know you, but might hire you if they knew what you sounded like.

So could 45 Degrees North put out a CD? Are we ready for that yet?

Joe