GIGS AND JAMS AND ANGELS IN CHAINS (OH, MY)...

Spent the better part of Thursday at the Arts Center, doing the organization’s taxes (which also entailed figuring out how to do it—I’d never done a Form 990 before). I do enjoy this kind of work. I bet I could set up their financials so that it’d be easier—maybe even automatic—for me (or someone) to do this next time around. I am good at figuring out ways to make things take less time; I suppose that could be regarded as efficiency, though I’d be tempted to call it simple laziness. The result is the same: things take less time, so there’s more time to do other stuff, whatever it is.

I am not sure I’ll be able to nab us a gig at the Bay City centennial celebration. I seem to be being run around from one person to another, being told each time that yes, the band are very good, but the person I’m talking to isn’t the one in charge of entertainment, so-and-so is—but said so-and-so (who also thinks we are very good) turns out not to be in charge, either; someone completely different is. I expect I will eventually stop asking—but not yet. I have gotten used to rejection over two years of being unemployed.

It’s not like there isn’t enough to do. There’s the tentative Food Pantry benefit in June, Garibaldi Days in July, and sometime I need to arrange a “Joe Wrabek Concert” at the Bay City Arts Center, because it’s in the budget (and enough of a revenue source to warrant its own line item). That last would be a paying gig, too—and paying gigs are nice.

In August I intend to go down to southern Oregon to perform at one of the Southern Oregon Songwriters Assn.’s summer concerts (that’ll happen the same time as the Just Plain Folks “Nashville Bash,” so I won’t be going to Nashville—I couldn’t afford it, anyway). And would the Garibaldi Museum have us back? We did get paid for our performance last fall (and that was nice), but I know the Museum didn’t make any money off it—too many things happening the same night. On the other hand, the folks who were there loved it. And the two people who actually control the Museum are in opposite camps, I think: one loved us, and the other was upset about the money. I don’t know which way this’d go.

Went to my first Wednesday night jam session at the music store in Tillamook, and it wasn’t bad; most of the musicians were novices, though—I was easily the most accomplished one there (which isn’t saying a lot), and that doesn’t make it a great opportunity to learn from other people (the main reason I like to play at these things). On the distaff side, it is an opportunity for those folks to learn from me—what little I know, anyway—and they are people I didn’t know before, who are potential fans and networkers. I’ll get to sit in with them again in about two weeks (next Wednesday, I have a meeting to cover for the paper), and at that time, I suppose I can start exposing them to my stuff (having exhausted at our first session most of the covers I can sing).

“Angel in Chains,” the country death-metal song, is ready to record, I guess; I’ve been holding off, singing it to myself in virtually every odd moment, wondering if the lyrics could be improved. I like the first verse a lot better than the other two (and the chorus), but I’m not sure how much the lyrics matter in death metal. It’s the melody that carries the song, I think, and it may have a good melody—if I can manage to express it.

Music just on Saturday this week (again); it’s just as well—daughter’s going to visit (briefly), so I have a house to finish cleaning and a garage to organize. And about half a dozen jobs to apply for, too, some of which I’d really like. We will keep busy.

Joe