"ALICE" RETURNS FROM WONDERLAND...

Well, the gig went pretty well. It was shorter than I planned (I’d figured an hour, but they told me when I got there it’d be half that), and even with all the publicity about the show starting at 8:00, people still really didn’t begin to show up until 9:00—old habits die hard, I guess. Only two people came specifically to see me (though there were others who knew who I was). Didn’t sell any CDs (though on the basis of a half-hour performance, I wouldn’t buy any, either).

And there was good news, too. (There is always good news. Maybe that’s this week’s lesson. Whether you see the cloud or the silver lining depends on your viewpoint.) “Screaming Gulch,” one of Johnny’s bands, played after I did, and they really needed a lead player; Johnny’s a good rhythm player (guitar and banjo), and they had a competent rhythm guitarist, but no lead. Even when Don Maddox (that’s The Legendary Don Maddox, last surviving member of The Maddox Brothers and Rose) played fiddle, they could’ve used somebody to fill in the spaces.

I found out afterwards they do have a lead guitarist, but he has “commitment issues”—i.e., he can’t show up all the time. So I suggested me. They practice Wednesday nights at 8:00, and I can mostly do that. Playing lead guitar for the country dance in Rogue River may have been good practice for this (and I’ll plan on going to the dance next Tuesday night so I’m good and prepared). And “Screaming Gulch” does play mostly country music.

Reportedly, there’s a new open mike, in Central Point (10 miles from here) Saturday afternoons at 3 p.m.; I’m in town this weekend, so I’ll go. Southern Oregon Songwriters “showcase” that night, too (at Johnny B.’s), the Wild Goose Sunday night, the country dance Tuesday night, Screaming Gulch Wednesday night. Great time to catch a cold (I have one of those, too). Time for new strings also, but I won’t do it with all that playing going on. Following week, maybe.

Last Tuesday, instead of playing at the dance, I went to Delonde Bell’s CD release party in Ashland; good crowd—and nice show (I bought one of his CDs, something I almost never do for anybody). I’d like to do something similar when my next CD is done.

Joe