WELCOME...

This blog is the outgrowth of a songwriting workshop I conducted at the 2006 "Moograss" Bluegrass Festival in Tillamook, Oregon. It presumes that after 30-odd years of writing and playing music, I might have something to contribute that others might take advantage of. If not, it may be at least a record of an entertaining journey, and a list of mistakes others may be able to avoid repeating. This blog is intended to be updated weekly. In addition to discussions about WRITING, it will discuss PROMOTION--perhaps the biggest challenge for a writer today--as well as provide UPDATES on continuing PROJECTS, dates and venues for CONCERTS as they happen, how and where to get THE LATEST CD, the LINKS to sites where LATEST SONGS are posted, and a way to E-MAIL ME if you've a mind to. Not all these features will show up right away. Like songwriting itself, this is a work in progress. What isn't here now will be here eventually. Thank you for your interest and your support.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

MERCANTILE POST-MORTEM (&C.)...

I like the job. Of course, I haven’t exactly done it yet—I’ve just shadowed people who are doing it and when they tell me to do things, like the song says, I go where they send me. The people who work there—including the owner—have a lot of fun doing what they do, and I expect I will, too. One of the inevitable casualties of the Schedule Triage will be the frequency of the blog. Instead of three or four times a week, I’ll probably be back to once weekly, like the last time I was employed. I expect there will still be lots to say—I just won’t have as much time to say it in. Show at The Mercantile in Beaver came off good. Jane, Clint and I (Ken is still recovering from the flu); we were introduced as “Coaster” so I think that’s going to be the band name. We did “Pole Dancing for Jesus,” Odd Vindstad’s “Simple Questions,” a medley of two Irish fiddle tunes, “Arran Boat Song” and “Swallowtail Jig,” and “Spend the End of the World with Me.” (Last was a last-minute addition—they wanted us to do four songs instead of three.) I think “Pole Dancing” and “Swallowtail” came off best—they’re consistent crowd-pleasers. Headliner Slater Smith (the reason for the show—we and a couple of others were his opening act) was awesome—good guitarist and writer. And young. I’d like to see more of him. Next Saturday night, May 5, is the big Performer Showcase at the Bay City Arts Center, and the band is also on the agenda. Ken should be back in order by then, so we’ll do “Pole Dancing,” “Simple Questions,” “Rusty Old American Dream” (which Ken sings), and the Irish thing. ”Rusty” is faster than “Simple Questions” and not as fast as “Swallowtail,” so it should fit in fine. And all of those have been practiced enough so they should be set pieces for the band. The marimba band has a gig next week, too, Wednesday May 2 at the Nehalem Methodist Church. We’ll do three songs (which is all we’ve practiced): “On Top of Old Smokey” (on which I play a fairly simple soprano part), “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (where I play bass, which is tons of fun), and an original by Larry Goss, “Marimba Romance,” where I’ve a tenor part I’ve just learned. Only one more chance to practice before the gig. And Friday, May 11, is the big show at the 2nd Street Market. Two hours worth of Jane, Ken, Clint and me. A few things yet to do before I consider us ready for this one: need more practice of some of the Celtic tunes (though I am getting better at them), need to make sure of the order on the setlist, write the Rap (I assume I’ll be having to do the Rap), and get a good photo of the band. And get the posters out. We now have just 13 days before Big Gig Day. May 2 with the marimba band and May 11 at 2nd Street are the last two non-Saturday commitments that’d get in the way of the job. After that, I can turn into a working person without any problems. I’ll adjust as necessary my caller practice with the guinea pigs and belay as necessary my Portland caller classes to fit the work schedule. There’s a couple of shows at The Mercantile I’d like to participate in; they’re having one May 12 for Mother’s Day (and I could play ‘em “I’m Giving Mom a Dead Dog for Christmas”) and one around the end of May for Dylan’s birthday (and I do know a couple of Dylan songs). Depends on the work schedule. Recorded vocal and guitar for “The Resurrection Blues” at Jim’s music store; we’ll see what he’s able to do with it. It could use “full band treatment” and he does know a bunch of musicians. Told him it was his call whom and what to add. Talked to Wayne Moore, too, about doing a video of one of my songs, and I think he might be interested. (He videoed our performance at The Mercantile.) Have to be up for work in seven hours. To bed. Joe

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

IN WHICH JOE IS OFFERED A JOB...

Well, I got offered a job Monday. Night auditor/front desk clerk at a local hotel. Low pay, part-time (though I got the impression they’d like to make me full-time quickly)—and only three blocks from home. I think I’m going to love it. I asked for a week to get my afairs in order, but don’t think they’re going to give me that much time. They really do need somebody right away.

I also warned them that I have three city-manager applications in the pipeline, and two of those jobs I would take if offered. (I am not expecting them to be offered. I also won’t know until some time this summer if they’re even interested in interviewing me. Even little Wheeler, 13 miles north of here, wasn’t interested in interviewing me. Instead they picked somebody almost fresh out of school. And I sent them the usual thank-you note wishing them well on the path they’d chosen.)

So now I get to juggle all the stuff I’d managed to crowd into my Unemployed Person schedule. Since part of the work (and initially all the work) will be in the middle of the night, I actually still have weekends free—I just have to spend part of them sleeping (because I’ll be working while I’d normally be sleeping).

Down the road, I will have to bail out of the caller classes, because they’re on one of the nights I’ll have to be working. (That won’t happen for a while, though.) I should still be able to practice calling with my guinea pigs, practice with the marimba band (probably on a reduced schedule), and practice with The New Band, too (also on a reduced schedule). I’ll still get to go to Planning Commission and Urban Renewal Board meetings, and maybe even cover City Council meetings for the paper. I won’t be able to travel—but I haven’t been able to travel for a while anyway because I couldn’t afford it

Some other pluses: I can walk to work, which lets me object to the obscene price of fuel the only way I can—by not driving. (The truck will last a lot longer, too, if it’s not being driven.) I’ll pick up a lot of new recipes while I’m fixing breakfast for the guests (another part of the night front desk clerk’s duties).

And thus do we embark on a Neat New Adventure.

For the Arts Center Showcase May 5, I have confirmations from Roger MacDonald, Eric Sappington, Wayne Turpin, Sedona Marie and Michael Dinan, Ken Hardy and Jane Dunkin. And I’ll be there, of course—playing either with Jane or with the whole band. With the Tillamook Community Chorus as headliners (on for half an hour) and everybody else on for four songs, we probably have a roughly 2-hour show. Next step: the posters and press releases—for which I need photos.

I got a mug shot from Eric, and one of Michael and Sedona; I have ones I took of Roger and of Denise, and I think I’ve got one of Ken and Jane, too, from our NCRD performance. I snapped a group photo of the Tillamook Community Chorus (our headliners) at one of their practices. I want to acquire or take photos of everybody if I can, and use them in the promotion. (I think Wayne is the only one I’m actually missing—assuming I can have one of Jane’s kids take a photo of the band at practice Wednesday night.) Did a poster for the square dance club’s upcoming June 9 dance and it came out looking nice. Guess I haven’t lost my touch.

It’s Tuesday, so I have caller class in Portland. One of the habits I’ve gotten into is “programming” the Soundtrack from God so that on Tuesdays it’s playing square dance music, and I can rehearse my “moves” along with it as I go about regular business. Wednesday, after my shift at the Arts Center, I go to Tillamook to record “The Resurrection Blues” in Jim’s shop studio—and in the evening, I have to do Schedule Triage because I can’t be in two places at once. I’ll bail on the square dance and go practice with the band. We’ve got performances April 28 (at The Mercantile) and May 5 (at the Arts Center)—both short—and the Big Gig (2 hours) at the 2nd Street Market May 11. Not much time to prepare.

Joe

Saturday, April 21, 2012

THE ARTS CENTER SHOWCASE (&C.)...

Looks like the Arts Center Showcase thing might just work. Got confirmations back from one soloist (and a “maybe” from another), two duos (and a “next month” from another), plus our band will play. Got another soloist to talk to tomorrow at his birthday party and one Sunday at the Rapture Room. Yes, might work. I do think we should be doing something different with these open mike things, and this might be it.

Next step, if we’ve got enough performers, is for me to take mug shots of all of them if I can and turn that into a poster. I already have a photo of our “headliners,” the Tillamook Community Chorus. The rest? Not a single photo that I know of. And I’ll need to do that all in a day or two, too—I have only two weeks for marketing, here.

I am managing slowly but surely to fit more stuff into available times. I got in practice with bass player Clint this afternoon and marimba practice tonight; tomorrow, I cover the Red Hat Ladies’ “Beach Party” conference in the morning for the paper, go meet and review three bands in the afternoon in my role as entertainment coordinator for the summer concert series, and then go to a musician’s birthday party tomorrow night (where I’ll finally get to play music). Sunday is marimba practice in the afternoon (and I have a complicated tenor part to learn before then) and the Rapture Room that night. I don’t know what I’d do if I had a job, too (but I have nonetheless put my name in for a couple of jobs I would really like).

Jim’s recordings from the Tsunami a week ago came out pretty good (as noted before, I would not have wanted to try recording in that environment). Best of the four musically was “The Resurrection Blues,” but I tripped up on some of the words, and wouldn’t want to keep that recording. However, Jim would like to record the song in his shop studio (so he can overlay a drum track—the song does lend itself well to a full rock ‘n’ roll band treatment) and I’m definitely game. We’ve tentatively set that for Wednesday afternoon.

If I had my druthers—and I do not know if I do in this case—I’d make the layers (‘cause Jim will do it in layers) the standard pieces I’d have in a live band: drums (since Jim is a drummer), bass, me on rhythm guitar, a “whiny” lead (ideally Jane’s fiddle) and a “non-whiny” lead (electric guitar, probably). With that instrumentation, my guitar could be way in the background, just loud enough so you know it’s there. It’s not doing anything particularly special except keeping time (I do think that’s one of the main functions of the rhythm guitarist so I try to do that well). I don’t actually know who the other “pieces” on the recording will be—Jim’ll pick ‘em, and he may want to use members of his own band for all I know.

Music at the Tsunami was fun. Ken (who’s the really good guitarist who comes to these things) was sick, and while there were a couple of guitarists there who are significantly better’n me, people seemed to be looking at me to play lead, so I did. I do not think I’m particularly good; I can make a decent stab at it if the music is simple and predictable (like my own songs, in other words)—and even then what I’m really doing is coming up with licks that seem to fit in in strategic places.

There’s another showcase at The Mercantile in Beaver next Saturday night (April 28), and I and the band have been invited. Are we ready for prime time? We have to do it sometime—our 2-hour gig at the 2nd Street Market is May 11.

Joe

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

UPDATES...

Ah, it is hard to not feel hopeful when the sun is shining. On the other hand, it doesn’t shine that much…

Three news stories to do for the paper: one is a non-news story (but probably important because everybody expected it to be news), one a news story that turned out to not be very newsworthy (but I got a photo, and had to sit through a meeting, and I’d like to get paid for that), and the third hasn’t happened yet—it’ll be this weekend—and I have to be in two other places at the same time. Time to dredge up everything I know about cloning. I’ll need it.

Square dance calling is definitely getting better. With only three callers in class last night, we had more time to strut our stuff, and I got to unveil the singing call I’d worked hardest on (the Hee-Haw theme, “Gloom, Despair and Agony on Me”) and it came off pretty well. Instructor Daryl maintains singing calls are way easier than “patter,” and he’s right. Got my caller’s microphone holder, and I’ll try that out with the guinea pigs. Did some checking around for iPod clones (which is what most other square dance callers use for their music instead of a computer), and it’s possible to get a Microsoft one for around $50—way less than what Apple charges. Others, made by Sony, Creative Labs (makers of my computer’s sound card) and a few others may be even cheaper. No, I’m not buying one myself. Still can’t afford it.

And the to-do list keeps growing. I want to re-do “The Resurrection Blues,” maybe at the Rainbow Lotus with the Rapture Room musicians again, but I’d like to control the volume better (so there’s no “peaking”) and also try to schedule, as it were, the various lead players so they’re not playing on top of each other so much. If the recording comes out good, I can add lead guitar (Ken) and bass (Clint) later. Alternatively, I can record it with the band, using my mixer (and ears) instead of Michael’s, and plugging everybody in direct (because I can do that with my equipment). There, I’d add the vocal later—so I could control its prominence—and maybe another lead, too. I need to try that anyway, because I haven’t done it before, and I need to find out if it really works.

In the same vein, I’d like to record “Pole Dancing for Jesus.” If I try to record two songs the same night, though, I need “Lazarus” the laptop, so I can mix the first song (on the Tascam), dump it to the laptop, and clear the Tascam’s little camera-chip brain to record the second song. Ought to practice that to see how little time I can make that take. (Now, if I had that iPod clone, I might be able to record direct to that, and save all that time. Jim Nelson’s done that with his iPod at the Arts Center.)

A revelation! “Georgia, Slightly Revised” has precisely the number of beats needed for a square dance singing call. Got to record this—but again, I’d like to do it with the band, because I really need a prominent bass on singing calls so I can follow it. My “emulation bass” on the guitar is not good enough. (And with a few square dance caller recordings of my stuff under my belt, there’s a potential market—albeit probably a small one—for some of my stuff, to square dance callers. I keep hearing complaints that there’s been very little new caller music in a long, long time.) Next step, of course, is to figure out the “figure”—the moves the square dancers will make while I’m singing. I did that for “Valvoline”; I can do it here (with a different “figure,” of course).

Got a couple of sweatshirts to make, too—one with a slogan from a bumpersticker I saw yesterday (“I Work and Pay Taxes So Wealthy People Don’t Have To”), and one with a slogan from a pro-library poster somewhere else (“Closing Libraries in a Depression is Like Shutting Down Hospitals in a Plague”). Need to find white or almost-white sweatshirts for these, though—my Italian T-shirt transfers won’t work on anything else. (I won’t buy those transfers any more—but I have a sizable stock of them on hand, and gots to use ‘em for something. On the plus side, figuring out the instructions—which were in Italian—was a great language lesson.)

I got word (by e-mail) that my submission to the Nashville Earth Day song contest didn’t win. (I hadn’t figured it would. And if it had, I wouldn’t have had a clue how to get to Nashville by Saturday to perform the song on stage, anyway.) There will be more contests—I try to enter a few every year. This time around, though, I am concentrating on the ones that don’t have any entry fee. It’s about what I can afford.

Joe

Monday, April 16, 2012

"GEORGIA, SLIGHTLY REVISED" (&C.)...

Did it again… I was trying to learn “Georgia on My Mind” (the band wants to do it), and I couldn’t remember the words. So it grew new ones. (Sleazy ones, in this case.) This has happened before—“The World Enquirer” happened because I was trying to learn that old bluegrass turkey about Jimmy Brown the newsboy and couldn’t remember the words. (“The World Enquirer” isn’t performable in a lot of places, either.)

On the assumption it’d need new music (that happened with “The World Enquirer”), it got some of that, too. The original “Georgia” was chock full of fruity jazz chords which I assumed were probably unnecessary; I simplified it a lot, using standard country-music chords, and think it still sounds close enough so the original music is reconizable. Mine has more of a beat, though.

Without new music, “Georgia, Slightly Revised” would be just a parody, and that’s got its own limitations: according to “Weird Al” Yankovic (who’s rather a parody expert), you can’t record or perform a parody without the permission of the original author (and there’s at least one instance in recent years where an author refused to give Yankovic permission to parody his song). New music for the new lyrics avoids that problem. The song becomes a thoroughgoing original.

I wonder periodically if I know too much—or rather, if what I know is getting in the way of my being effective. The above trivia tidbit about parodies is a case in point—I never used to worry about that but now that I know, I do. In the same vein, I won’t perform any covers at a show where I’m getting paid. I know everybody else does, and that neither performers nor venues care, but I know what the law says and I won’t do it. I won’t record covers without permission, either. There was a Civil War general, William Tecumseh Sherman (the guy who burned Atlanta), who said, “I’d rather be right than be President.” And he never did get to be President. Am I in the same boat?

Recorded “The Resurrection Blues” at the Rainbow Lotus Sunday night, with two flutes, fiddle, trumpet, and harmonica all playing lead, plus three guitars (including me) and cello. Used Michael’s mixer and omnidirectional mike, fed into the “line in” port on the Tascam. It turned out not bad, but I’d like to re-do it. The first couple of verses had the sound levels too loud (Michael reduced them later), and both the vocal and instruments “peaked” in static, and I wasn’t able to entirely eliminate the static in Audacity. It’s an okay recording, but it’s not professional quality. I think I can do better. I posted it anyway, primarily as evidence that I did write the thing—when it’s archived in Soundclick (or another OMD), it’s “date-stamped” and can’t be easily claimed by somebody else later. (Another instance of knowing too much.)

Now, if this were a studio recording situation I would limit—or at least focus—the number of lead players. The trumpet, fiddle, harmonica and flute players were all good but it’s hard to hear what they’re doing individually when they’re all together. If one could have the trumpet up front on one lead break, the fiddle on another and so forth, it’d sound better. Those are also all “whiny” leads, and it’d be good to have a “non-whiny” lead in the mix, too—guitar, perhaps, or mandolin. They’d need to be either plugged in direct to the mixer or recorded separately. And it’d be good to have a bass, too.

Tillamook County Arts Network (TCAN) got sent their Deathgrass CD. I applied for a new job I’m sure I won’t get (a city of 10,000 people is unlikely to hire me as their city manager, no matter how dysfunctional they are, but I threw ‘em my name anyway) and have four more to apply for. Meeting to cover for the paper, column to write early, caller class tomorrow and caller practice with my guinea pigs Wednesday. Yes, busy. I should record “Georgia, Slightly Revised” while I’m at it.

Joe

Friday, April 13, 2012

RECORDING AT THE TSUNAMI...

Jim brought his recording equipment to the Tsunami last night, and recorded basically everybody who played. Of mine, he got “The Resurrection Blues” (the new one), and (because people requested them) “Pole Dancing for Jesus” and (after Jane arrived with her fiddle) “Can I Have Your Car When the Rapture Comes?” and “The Abomination Two-Step.”

The recording setup was simply one of those fancy omnidirectional mikes in the center of the room, wired into Jim’s mixer and computer, so the sound is whatever the sound was. I am curious to see how it turned out. Jim’s recordings in his shop tend to be a little heavy on the guitar and light on the vocals (the opposite of what I’ve learned to do), but in this case he didn’t have any control over that. Everybody was amplified, but the bass, harmonica and my guitar were being played through their own amps; fiddle, vocals and everything else were through the main PA system, but the big overhead speakers were projecting out into the bar, not at the omnidirectional mike. We’ll see.

Jim would like to produce a “Live at the Tsunami” CD, and that may be possible (got to watch out for those cover songs, though—most of the musicians there, like most musicians everywhere, are doing covers, and if you’re going to put those on a CD that’s for sale, the authors are supposed to be paid their 9.1 cents per song per record manufactured, and it’s a bit of a pain if you don’t know the authors). That probably means I don’t get to have the recordings of my songs for me to sell as part of the Song-a-Month Experiment, which is too bad—assuming the recordings came out decent, of course.

Could I do something like that myself? Not easily; the musical talent at the Tsunami is mostly great, but I doubt I could have recorded in a situation like that. (I did try it once: the original recording of “Me and Rufus, and Burning Down the House” was done live, at the library, with maybe half a dozen musicians playing—all in a line—and I recorded it all with my singing mike on the Tascam. And the quality was pretty poor. I ended up re-recording the song solo for the video.)

Might could try it at the Rapture Room, using Michael and Sedona’s mikes in lieu of an omnidirectional to pick up sound from the room (their mikes are better at that), and my singing mike for the vocals, and run all that through the 5-channel mixer. I don’t know if the mixer can simultaneously feed both an amp and the Tascam, and there may be no way to tell without trying it.

Video thought: if “The Resurrection Blues” is a “keeper” (and it seems to be), then one should on principle try to make a video of it, as well as recording it. Envision: bearded youngish fellow standing alternately inside and just outside a primitive tomb, that’s empty inside except for the stone platform he was obviously sleeping on. He’s wearing a robe and lip-synchs the song with and without a guitar. And in the breaks? Doesn’t the Bible talk about a “band of angels”? That would be cool…

Of course, not having any money for that kind of videography, the question becomes what can I do that would be appropriate (using the term “appropriate” loosely, of course) and affordably possible. I do know some actors, and I bet some of them would have access to some choir-type robes. Need to get a good recording of the song first. I don’t know if last night’s is it.

Joe

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

"THE RESURRECTED BLUES"?

“The Resurrected Blues” (sounded more down home than “Resurrection Blues”) has six pretty good verses now. It needs a seventh, for closure—to wrap everything up, and make the song feel “finished.” Seven verses also allows for three lead breaks, which would be nice. Since this is a pretty standard blues, musicians pick up on it really easily and can have a lot of fun with it.

It’s short, too (so there’s room for a lot of breaks, which musicians like, too). No choruses: instead, the last two lines are the same in every verse, providing the framework for the (hopefully memorable) hook. Same thing I did with “She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself.” The “no [insert Easter image], no [insert Easter image]” every other verse is an Elvis reference, from an old Mavericks song. Don’t know if anyone will notice.

I’ll plan on playing “The Resurrected Blues” at the Tsunami Thursday night (at least one person who’ll be there has heard about it, and two more have heard the song, and somebody will probably request it). Would be nice to record it. At practice tonight, I could try the trick of running everything—my guitar, Ken’s guitar, Jane’s fiddle, and the vocal—through the 5-channel mixer, and thence to the Tascam (I’ve been carrying all that stuff around in the truck), and see how it comes out. Won’t have bass player Clint there (he’s out of town), but might could add him later.

I don’t know if it’d be better to record the vocal live with the band; I could just turn the volume off to that track (so the Tascam would pick up just the instruments), and add the vocal later. I will have two extra tracks I can work with—the Tascam will record to a maximum of two tracks at a time, and I have four available—so I could put the bass on one, and my vocal on t’other.

If I can get it recorded decently, “The Resurrected Blues” might be a good kickoff for the Song-a-Month Experiment. It’s new, it can rock, and people seem to like it. And of course it’s irreverent. It could go on the “12 Reasons Why Joe’s Going to Hell” album (but I’d have to change the title to “13”).

The Tillamook County Arts Network is looking for music submissions for a “Biennial Prospectus”—they wanted CDs done in the last five years—and I’ll give them a copy of the Deathgrass album. Also gave them the names of some other local musicians I know who have put albums out recently, and passed on their invitation to one group that has been trying to record an album. TCAN’s deadline isn’t until August, so they may have a chance. This “Biennial Prospectus” might as well include everybody possible who’s any good. There’s a lot of good talent in this area.

Caught Denise Drake’s set at the Thirsty Lion Tuesday night, after caller class (drug Sandee and Carolyn along, too); not only was the show good (I knew it would be), between us and the other folks who came to hear her play, she got enough of those “votes” to win. She’ll be back on stage there May 1, with a shot at getting the day-in-the-recording-studio grand prize. Glad this voting thing finally worked. Denise has raised the idea of her and me doing sets there on the same night, and carpooling in together. That’d be good. I wonder if we could back each other up? A “Denise and Joe Show” followed by a “Joe and Denise Show” could be kinda epic.

Bunch of upcoming stuff: meeting at the Arts Center tonight, followed by practice; music tomorrow at the Tsunami, and maybe Friday at City Hall; “The Resurrected Blues” to record.

Joe

Friday, April 6, 2012

UPDATES...

Well, I did it all: the interview (still need to write the story) with photos, the Relay for Life meeting, the photo shoot with the Community Chorus and the GOP Central Committee meeting. Wasn’t really late for any of it. Today: a moving sale (at which I’ll be looking for furnishings for the Cascade Locks house), looking over the Garibaldi Pub with Denise as an a-la-Thirsty-Lion “showcase” venue, a meeting on the library tax levy (and a news story if it gets nasty), and music.

Last night, I watched the candidates make their presentations to the Central Committee with an eye toward critiquing technique; something daughter had mentioned is most new candidates don’t have public speaking experience, and she’s right—and it shows. Makes it difficult for a newbie candidate, because the incumbent they’re running against usually does have some public speaking experience. So the newbie starts off with an additional disadvantage besides the incumbent’s possession of what Teddy Roosevelt called the “bully pulpit.”

One service the political party organizations could provide is training in how to work a crowd: how to be organized, how to get and hold their attention, how to use inflections, gestures and eye contact—the same sort of stuff I used to critique the high school kids on in speech and debate tournaments. And practice: the party organization could arrange for candidates to practice first on each other (at Central Committee meetings, say), then on presumably friendly audiences (to build up confidence), and finally on audiences guaranteed to be hostile (to give them a good baptism by fire), before turning them loose on the campaign trail.

I’ll suggest the idea after I get elected to the Central Committee. I think the party organization(s) should be providing a service to candidates in order to justify the candidates paying them any attention, and giving candidates tools to help them win elections is a good service. As I recall, all the political parties did this for candidates when I was a kid back in New York—but the parties there controlled candidates to a much greater degree than they do in Oregon.

I found in an old notebook an old setlist; it was for a 3-hour show, and I haven’t done many of those. I think this may have been the big show I did at the Wild Goose in Ashland in April 2008, just before I left southern Oregon; I didn’t see any songs later than that on the setlist. (And the list does have “The Abomination Two-Step,” “Dirty Deeds We Done to Sheep,” and “Sam & Melinda” on it, so I know it was for a bar gig. Those are pretty sleazy songs.) There’s a few on the list I hadn’t done in a long time, that might be good Deathgrass material (“The Termite Song” and “Born Again Barbie,” for instance), as well as some that Deathgrass haven’t done in a while (“When I Jump Off the Cliff I’ll Think of You,” “Bluebird on My Windshield,” and “Hank’s Song”). Diane Ewing’s “Alabama Blues” is on the list, too.

Got an invitation (through Mike Simpson) to contribute to an exhibition being organized by the Tillamook County Arts Network (TCAN); as this is written, I still haven’t gotten their entry form, but the Arts Center had one, and I copied it. Yes, they’ll get a Deathgrass CD. They were asking for CDs from people who had produced albums within the past five years. I passed on to TCAN’s person-in-charge names of other musicians I either knew or was pretty sure had CDs less than five years old (Michael and Sedona, and Doc Wagner, for example, have CDs out this year)—and we’ll see what develops.

Upcoming: band practice Monday and Wednesday nights, caller class Tuesday night, plus a meeting to attend Wednesday and meeting with the vacation rental guy in Cascade Locks Tuesday before class. Denise got a slot at Eric John Kaiser’s Songwriter Showcase (yay!) and I want to go see (and vote for) her after class. Happy Easter, everybody. May the Bunny bring you something edible.

Joe

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

SINKING DE MAYO, AND OTHER STORIES...

Well, I didn’t get the Museum job. Couple other irons in the fire but really, despite the governmental protestations about “recovery,” I don’t see things getting any better. There is (as usual) a reflection in my private life: I’ve talked a lot about “reinventing myself,” but I haven’t—I’m still doing the same things I have been. And they’re not working, either. It is time to do something different. What? Does it matter?

Caller class last night was the first one I’ve managed to attend in three weeks. Yes, I am getting better (and people told me I’m getting better, too)—I’m just not getting better fast enough to suit me. Locally, I won’t get to work with my square of guinea pig dancers again until April 18—a 3-week break there, too. It would be good to attend some square dances and watch how the callers manage their crowds. It is just hard to get to those things. They all seem very far away with gasoline headed for $5 a gallon.

This week is shaping up a little different, which is good. (Shaking things up a little is good.) Practice with the New Band tonight (because I don’t have my square dancers). Tomorrow afternoon, I have an interview to do for the paper—and tomorrow night, instead of playing music, I’ll be going to a Relay for Life meeting, taking photos for an Arts Center promotional poster, and attending my first Republican Central Committee meeting (I haven’t been officially elected yet, so I don’t get to vote—it’s just an opportunity to meet everybody). Friday, I can play music in Garibaldi—after I attend a meeting that maybe might get argumentative enough to turn into a news story for the paper. I have as many as three news items for the paper this week, and at least one of them will turn into a real story.

Some promotional work, too (unpaid of course). The Arts Center’s going to host a candiates’ forum, with the contestants for county assessor and the two (of three) county commissioner seats; that’ll be Sunday, April 15. Radio and newspaper announcements, posters—it’ll be fun. And cookies for Show Day of course. What would an event at the Arts Center be without cookies? (When we celebrate Marie Antoinette’s birthday, though—it’s on a Friday this year—we will have to have cake.)

For the Community Chorus concert at the Arts Center May 5, I’d like to do something different if possible. Normally, they’d be the “featured performer” followed by an open mike—but the open mikes haven’t been drawing much of an audience, and I’d like to change that.

I’d like to imitate a tactic of The Mercantile, and invite performers—and then publicize heavily the fact that these performers are coming. For the performers it’d be an opportunity to publicize upcoming gigs, as well as to try out new material. I’m pretty sure The New Band would want to do it (and we have a gig coming up at the 2nd Street Market May 11). Songwriter Eric Sappington’s got an upcoming gig at the Market, too. Roger MacDonald, Michael and Sedona, the Ocean Bottom Blues Band… Yes, there might be enough performers. And two to three weeks might be sufficient for a lot of promotion.

(An idea for the Promotional Poster. The concert will be May 5—that “Cinco de Mayo” beloved of advertisers in recent years. What about a tastefully arranged photo of a jar of salad dressing floating in Tillamook Bay? I suppose the politically correct folks would have fits…)

Joe

Monday, April 2, 2012

NCRD POST-MORTEM--AND A VIDEO IDEA...

NCRD Comedy Show went good, I think; sound was perfect, and Jane and Ken were very good. Practicing both songs repeatedly the night before definitely helped. I think the audience liked “When They Die, I Put Them in the Cookies” better (but they still ate all the cookies that had been laid out for refreshments).

A lot of good standup, slapstick and improvisational comedy at the show; some of these folks were quite good. Ours was probably the tamest of the acts on stage; I’m inclined to be straight on stage, and just let the words carry the comedy, and hopefully they did.

Just two of us—myself and fellow songwriter Roger MacDonald—at the Rapture Room the following night (I guess everbody else was tuckered out from the show). Was good, too: Roger and I got to trade originals back and forth for two hours (I’d never heard a lot of his stuff, and it’s quite good), and also got to talk about our writing styles, which are rather similar—though he tends to write more sad songs than I do (might have something to do with the number of ex-wives). He includes cover songs in his repertoire so he’ll have some happy songs to sing, and I include co-writes in mine so I’ll have something serious.

Up next: the marimba band has a gig in early May—need to have at least three songs down for that—and the New Band plays the 2nd Street Market Friday, May 11. Need two hours of music for that one—24 songs.

And an idea. I’d pretty much discounted the “One Gas Station” song until I played it at the Tsunami last week, and people not only listened, but applauded. Could it be music video material? I think I know how I’d do it. Slightly up north are most of the “icons” needed for the song—a lonely gas station (at Bayside Gardens), an old folks’ home (also at Bayside Gardens) a little coffee shop (there’s a couple in Wheeler), a “Welcome” sign big enough to hide a police car (Wheeler), maybe a few other things. Finding a yard sale for the “couple of ladies selling things on the lawn” might be a little problematic—but Rick, who owns the thrift store in Wheeler, has his classic St. Joseph statue with the “Really Neat Stuff” sign that he sets up by the side of the road, and that might work as a substitute.

I would film the entire first verse without people in it, then introduce a singer somewhere in the first chorus—maybe me, but it wouldn’t have to be—and gradually increase the number of people as the song progressed. In the final chorus we could have as many as 20 (no more than that, because the song talks about one visitor raising the population by 5%). And I’d have ‘em all lip-synching along with the song. The only voice on the recording, I think, would be mine.

What makes it a possible idea is I just might know where I could get 20 people who’d be willing to act in this. That’s the improv troupe and the folks who were in the other acts at the Comedy Show. As noted above, they’re very good—and don’t mind being outrageous on occasion. I’ll ask if they’d be interested. Could be good publicity for them, and also for that NCRD Theatre they’re trying to renovate.

During the lead break—we’d have to have a lead break—I could list everbody who helped. I could also have a band on hand: fiddle, guitar and standup bass at least, and maybe some others. (And I’d film them, too, and use that footage in the break.) The song mentions a saxophone, and I know a sax player too. It’d be an opportunity to try a recording trick with the Tascam that I think is possible: running everything through the old 5-channel mixer (thereby controlling the levels) and thence into either the “line in” or “microphone in” port on the Tascam. Alternatively, if Michael (say) were interested in doing the sound engineering on his computer, we could do it that way. He’s a much better sound person than I am.

Garibaldi Days meeting tonight, caller class tomorrow night; band might practice Wednesday (I have this Wednesday night free). A Republican Central Committee meeting Thursday night may preclude my going to the Tsunami.

Joe