INFLUENCE MUSIC HALL POST-MORTEM...

The Influence Music Hall is a nice place. (It could use a better heating system.) Decent stage and very professional sound system, and at least two people who know what they’re doing with it. I am interested in seeing how the recordings turn out.

They had a decent crowd, too—a little over two dozen people, which filled most of the seats in the place. The other performers? Open mikes tend to run the gamut, and this was no exception; some performers were better than others, some were more professional than others, some did originals and some didn’t. Big mix of styles, too. Nearly all of the performers appeared seriously interested in learning from each other (a big plus) and the Influence was providing an extremely professional environment.

From me, they got “Pole Dancing for Jesus” (sound engineer Skip requested it—he and wife Sandy had heard it at the Thirsty Lion), “Talkin’ Overpriced Coffee and Gasoline Blues” (because I am upset about those fuel prices and assume everyone else is, too) and “Selling Off My Body Parts” (introduced as a “May it rest in peace” song about the economy). One slow, one half-fast, and one fast. The liked “Body Parts” best, I think. I was the only performer who did anything humorous, and for the most part the audience wasn’t expecting it. (There were only three or four of them who’d heard me before.) Maybe it’ll be a lesson for some of ‘em: music does not have to be sad, or serious, and sometimes it’s better if it’s not.

As this is written, I haven’t heard the recording of the performance. “Pole Dancing for Jesus” I don’t really care about; I want to record that with accompaniment—maybe a full band—later. (I wasn’t happy with my guitar playing on that song, either. I got better later.) The other two songs are okay for me-and-solo-guitar recordings—I didn’t flub anything—and if the recordings come out okay, I’d like to get them to market quickly because the subject matter is topical.

I was asked when I was going to bring “that fiddle player” (Jane) to the Influence Music Hall. Well, I do want to hear how the recordings came out first, of course, because that provides the justification for galivanting off to the Big City when one could as easily be playing music right here in Garibaldi. But I could do it any Friday she wanted to go. (Same applies to other musicians, too.) I know from experience now that (1) one can get there in an hour and a half, (2) they start sign-up at 7:00 and if you get there a little early, you can sign up to perform early because most of the performers don’t get there early, (3) there is a decent-sized and attentive crowd, (4) there’s refreshments—coffee, pretzels and wine.

Talked to Skip about what I had in mind for recording Diane Ewing’s “Alabama Blues.” He said there are a couple of bass players who could be enlisted to come on a night I was going to be there, maybe a drummer (we don’t have to have a drummer, though), Gene (whom I know from the Jews Harp Festivals) plays a good lead guitar—and if I could have Jane play fiddle, that would be ideal. Me on rhythm guitar and vocals, of course. Sent Skip my arrangement, and a link to the draft Tascam recording on Soundclick. Now, if we’re going to do this, could we do three songs with this band? What should the other two be?

Elsewhere, good news and bad news. The good news: I found at a yard sale an effects pedal for the Electric Banjo. For a dollar. Runs off a 9-volt battery. The bad news? My cheap, off-brand iron-on transfers are not going to work. Too faded, and too cheap-looking. (The instructions were in Italian, not Spanish, by the way.) I don’t want to pay the $3-apiece price for the Avery transfer stock but it is the quality I want. The trick is to find the stuff (or equivalent) somewhere for cheaper. At $3 a label, I can’t make a profit.

Joe