COLLABS...

The selections (not in any order) are 5 of the 6 songs recorded in Nashville in the Pineyfest Demo Derby::

ABOUT LOVE (Marge McKinnis)
DISTRACTION (Diane Ewing)
ALABAMA BLUES (Diane Ewing)
SO FAR (Marge McKinnis)
DEAD THINGS IN THE SHOWER (with Bobbie Gallup)

Plus a set of “definitive recordings” consisting of 2 collabs:

BORN AGAIN BARBIE (with Scott Rose)
GLOBAL WARMING SANDWICH (with Gem Watson)

And a passel of songs of mine that were performed and recorded with other people:

CAT WITH THE STRAT (by The Collaborators)
SHE AIN’T STARVIN’ HERSELF (by The Collaborators)
THE SIX-LEGGED POLKA (by Gem Watson)
OIL IN THE CORNFIELD (by Vic Bonner and Vikki Flawith)

For the collabs, it will be necessary to (1) file copyrights jointly with the co-author, (2) create a publishing company, (3) assign publishing rights to my company. On the recording end, somebody like Substudio will need to tweak them so the levels all match, and convert the *.mp3 files to *.wav or something similar that’s suitable for CD. By the time we’re done, there will probably be more money invested in this effort than in the album of original material.
Title? How about “The Cat with the Strat and Other Collaborations”?

ALL MOVED IN...

And the new place is nice. Still needs furniture, which I’ll retrieve from home; mostly tables—one for the studio equipment (currently nestled in one corner), one by the bed, one in the kitchen, one for the printer. A filing cabinet wouldn’t hurt. Lamps, and chairs in case somebody else ever comes to visit. Thrift store TV, and maybe another desk—one can never have too many desks. Still waiting on the Internet.

Friday’s, Saturday’s and Sunday’s gigs were all good. Johnny B.’s in Medford had a cover charge with me on the agenda, and still drew a crowd. And I showed I could hold their attention for almost an hour and have not one person get bored. The Lions Club variety show in Grants Pass was a whole different audience in a whole different place—Lions Club members from all across two counties.

And Sunday night’s audience at the Wild Goose got treated to the first-ever live performance of “Dirty Deeds Done to Sheep.” And yes, it was a hit. They also got “Hank’s Song,” which many of ‘em had heard before in other places—I’ve been playing it a lot this month, since Sept. 17 was Hank Williams’ birthday—and a bunch of folks sang along. Didn’t expect that (and I haven’t noticed it happening with other performers). I’m not sure why people here like that song, but they do.

Another lesson: Play everywhere you can. Everything is potential gig material. Johnny now knows I can draw a crowd, for instance, and he’ll tell others. I may even get to perform with his band, if they get the idea that I’m a good draw--but it would be okay if they decided that MY MATERIAL was a good draw, no matter who’s playing it. Remember the Goal—it’s to get attention as a WRITER. Performing is secondary. It’s just how one has to get exposure for the material. The more people performing it, the wider—and better—the exposure.

Tuesday—my birthday—I plan to go to Rogue River and play lead guitar for their
weekly country dance. Couldn’t think of a better birthday present. I can maybe round up another half-dozen CDs to take to the League of Oregon Cities conference later in the week for just-in-case sales or promos; one of these years, I or a band I’m in will be the entertainment.

MOVING...

Having my job extended to next June 30 meant I could go get a house of my own, so I did that; I move in this weekend. Get to buy furniture and all that fun household infrastructure I haven’t needed while I’ve been living out of a motel room. It’ll take a few days before Internet is hooked up at the new place, so this is a last-minute post to keep the commitment I made in January to post a new blog weekly.

Last night was my first real performance in this area—about an hour’s worth, at Johnny B.’s in Medford. Part of a three-band set, and there was actually a cover charge, and they actually advertised my name in the paper, and there was actually a crowd. And I think the crowd actually liked it. Only had one CD left (I’ll have to make more), I could have sold a lot more. Lesson: ALWAYS have lots of CDs. If you don’t have them, you can’t sell them.

The bass player for the band that followed me (Johnny B. himself) was awesome—played a percussive-type standup bass, where the bass is substituting for a drum set as well as providing the “bottom” to the music. “Slap bass” is what they used to call it, years ago, but nobody does it any more. Johnny does. He said he learned it from George Maddox (now deceased) of The Maddox Brothers and Rose, who were a big-name country band maybe 50-60 years ago (you can still get their records on CD). I want him—maybe the whole band—on the next album, and told him so.

The rest of the band? The lead guitarist is good; the rhythm guitarist didn’t do much (of course, he didn’t have to), but has a really good singing voice. What we’d be missing for the album is the “whiny lead” (fiddle, harmonica, flute, sax, or such). The lead guitarist could take care of the “non-whiny lead” with no problem. I know a couple of local blues harp players who could probably be roped in. Wonder if Don Maddox would be interested in playing fiddle? He’s the last surviving member of The Maddox Brothers and Rose, lives in the area, and still performs—sometimes with this band.

And the band—“The Cheatin’ Hearts”—are potentially interested in playing with me, and DEFINITELY interested in covering some of my songs. (And of course that’s okay. These guys opened for Big & Rich at a concert in Medford this week.) They’re interested in “Eatin’ Cornflakes from a Hubcap Blues,” and (at my suggestion) “Bluebird on My Windshield,” and I was encouraging ‘em to tackle “Dirty Deeds Done to Sheep.” I’ll have to record that for ‘em so they can hear what it sounds like. And one of the audience folks who didn’t get to buy the CD was interested in “Rotten Candy.” I NEVER thought anybody would be.

Today (Saturday) is the Lions Club variety show in Grants Pass, maybe an hour or less drive from here, and I’m on the agenda for maybe a 15-minute set. And tomorrow night is the open mike at the Wild Goose—and the first night I get to spend in the new house. Tuesday night’s country dance is on my birthday; I think being able to play music on my birthday is a great present. Should be fun.

Joe

RESOURCES...

So now I know two standup bass players (and have played with both), two lead guitarists (played with one), two harmonica players (haven’t played with either), a flute player (have played with her), the guy with the congas (no), and somebody who can play just about anything but prefers mandolin (yes). Makings of a band? Probably. Next step, I think, is to get ‘em familiar with all the material that’s going to go on the album.

Potential inclusions for the album:

Armadillo on the Interstate
Milepost 43
Dirty Deeds Done to Sheep (could be the title cut)
Naked Space Hamsters in Love
Twenty-four Seven
The Frog Next Door
The Termite Song
Even Roadkill Gets the Blues (needs a Christmassy title, though)
Rotten Candy
Dead Things in the Shower
When I Jump Off the Cliff, I’ll Think of You
Oil in the Cornfield

That’s 12. Not a bad mix—one waltz, one serious song, one blues, one rock ‘n’ roll, one straight-up country. Possible to play around with the instrumentation, depending on what’s available; we know from experience that bluegrass songs can be played on electric instruments, and that rock ‘n’ roll can be performed just fine with a bluegrass band.

And the collabs? There’s almost an album’s worth of those, too:

Dead Things in the Shower (with Bobbie Gallup—recorded at Pineyfest)
Alabama Blues (Diane Ewing—recorded at Pineyfest)
So Far (Marge McKinnis—recorded at Pineyfest)
Distraction (Diane Ewing—recorded at Pineyfest)
About Love (Marge McKinnis—recorded at Pineyfest)
Born Again Barbie (with Scott Rose—and recorded by Scott, too)
Global Warming Sandwich (Gem Watson—recorded with & by Gem)
The Six-Legged Polka (recorded with & by Gem Watson)
She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself (recorded with & by The Collaborators)
Oil in the Cornfield (recorded with & by Vikki Flawith & Mississippi Spud)
Cat with the Strat (recorded with & by The Collaborators)

“Dirty Deeds Done to Sheep” is pretty much down. Didn’t play it at the Wild Goose, though—it needs more practice (I still stumble over some of the lines). I did get handed a nice title for a song—“Naked Plants.”

And this week, I get to play music Tuesday night (for the dance), Friday (as opening act for another band), Saturday night (for the Lions Club variety show) and Sunday night (at the Goose again).

DIRTY DEEDS WE DONE TO SHEEP...

I should have known it’d take something like a job interview to generate a new song. I was asked how I was coping with the stress, and the answer I gave ‘em was I’d get another dead-animal song out of it. Of course, things don’t always turn out as expected: the animals (sheep) aren’t dead—only raped (though I never said so). I finished the song tonight (I think)—had to get it done before the stress went away--and I’ll get it vetted by the usual suspects, and see if I can get practiced enough at it to perform it for the drunks at the Wild Goose tomorrow night.

To give credit where due, the title was suggested by Bob Cushing up (over?) in Cincinnatti (I would not think up something like “Dirty Deeds Done to Sheep” on my own), and it’s rock ‘n’ roll of a sort. Think Kris Kristofferson meets Buck Owens meets Glen Campbell, and one of them has a saxophone. (Yes, those are all country writers. What makes it rock ‘n’ roll is the saxophone, and the Keith Richards-style riff I hear repeated throughout the song. Those guys didn’t do THAT.)

It was an interesting challenge because of the rules I imposed. I didn’t use any Bad Words in the song, and not even any risque images; the rape and mutilation (did I mention there was mutilation, too?) of the sheep is never overt, only suggested. And it’s quite sad—something else I hadn’t planned on. It’d actually be a good candidate for Goodnight Kiss Music’s “growing up songs” contest, but I don’t know if I could get it decently recorded in time for their deadline (if it’s not already past).

Upcoming week is going to be full of music, I think. Besides the open mike at the Wild Goose Sunday night and playing for the dance band Tuesday night, I have a gig next Saturday (a Lions Club variety show) and was asked tonight (Saturday) to open for a bigger-name act next Friday night at Johnny B.’s Tavern in Medford. At tonight’s Southern Oregon Songwriters’ “showcase,” I got a flute player to do lead on “The Frog Next Door,” and got to play “She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself” and “Eatin’ Cornflakes” with a band. And announced I needed a sax player for “Dirty Deeds Done to Sheep.”

Joe

AN IDEA...

Fellow who owns the recording studio (and is still looking for a place in Phoenix to relocate to) visited me at City Hall to bring it up, about the same time I was thinking of it. (This is probably coincidence, rather than serendipity.) The idea? Put on a concert as a benefit for the City, which as everyone knows is strapped for cash. An application of the old Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney movie theme—“we’re out of money, they’re foreclosing on the farm, so let’s put on a show!”

Of course, his idea is a little different from mine; he’d like to bring in one of the big-name bands he knows personally, and has recorded in the past (who would charge money, but not much, and he’s thinking corporate sponsors would cover the cost), and I was thinking of just local folks like me, in an application a lot like the “Moograss” Bluegrass Festival, where everybody does everything for free because it’s a benefit for the school. Same venue, though—the City’s Blue Heron Park, 27 acres kinda of out of the way along the Bear Creek Greenway. The place could take some improvement, though—right now, it doesn’t even have grass. And a semi-permanent stage, like they have in the park in Central Point, would be a good idea.

And of course, we’re both thinking of something that could be an annual event. Phoenix doesn’t have any local festivals of any kind, and I maintain a small town needs one (or some), to provide a sense of community for residents who might otherwise not ever know each other. An extended block party, as it were. The date—and the excuse—are really unimportant. It’s more a question of whether we could have the park ready to handle the event by late next spring (say).

Why a concert? My “interface,” I guess, with the town I’d like to call home. I’m a musician; it’s what I do. If I’m going to use my talent to benefit the community, that’s the talent I’m going to use, because I think it’s my best shot at attracting people. I just may know enough people to be able to put on a decent show. And if no one comes? (No, SOME people will always come. There may just not be many.) Well, we’ll all have had fun. With luck, enough fun to want to do it again.

MOOGRASS...

Labor Day—the Monday that feels like Sunday. Work tomorrow. Today, a chance to rest up from three days of playing music, two at the “Moograss” Bluegrass Festival and one with the Friday Night Group.

Moograss was a little bit of a re-affirmation that I’m still worth something as a performer. Did find out the reason I wasn’t on the agenda as a performer this year wasn’t because I wasn’t good, or wasn’t famous, but rather because I was solo. All of the acts this year were bands; all the guys who were solo last year who performed this year were in bands, either accidentally or intentionally. I did point that out to one of the organizers, and ask, “If I want to perform next year, I better have a band, yes?” The answer was “Yes.”

I have, I think, two options for putting together a band. I can do it down here in southern Oregon, or I can do it up on the Coast, with members of the Friday Night Group. In both cases, I’m probably looking at some adjustments. Like, we probably can’t play all my stuff; everybody is going to need to get equal time. If the band is all from down here, I may be able to insist that we do all original material. Up there (and maybe down here, too), it’d have to be a mix of my original stuff and traditional (or traditional Gospel) songs. Otherwise, since Moograss is charging a gate fee, they run afoul of the copyright authorities, and nobody wants them to go there.

Songwriting workshop had a class of one (I’d warned the organizers that might happen if they didn’t have me on the agenda as a performer, too), but the one was a lady who had had some commercial successes and then hadn’t written anything in years (she blamed it on criticism from her family). We talked for a couple of hours, and I hope I left her with a little inspiration. I think she at the class because she was looking for a reason to write, and maybe I gave her one or two. Gave her and one guy who showed up late for the class copies of the CD, too (and I notice he’s already left comments on Soundclick).

Good week for the clipping file, too. Besides the big article in the Medford paper last Monday (probably the first and last time “Naked Space Hamsters in Love” has ever been in a newspaper headline), the daily paper in Ashland (which is smaller) ran it, too, and the League of Oregon Cities Website picked that one up. And the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce ran a photo of me in their newsletter, with thanks for performing at their open house, and the Tillamook paper, which (under new ownership) ran a big article on Moograss, mentioned “Garibaldi’s own Joe Wrabek” was teaching the songwriting class. Need to save copies of all these things. Handled properly, they’re “chits” that can be parlayed into gigs.

Joe