I’m back. Weekend “off,” but while I’m “off” I have two graphic-design projects to finish, cookies to bake, and a job application to do for that place in Alaska that wants a city manager, and tomorrow there’s music to play (a little) and the open mike to host. Tonight, I am deliberately doing nothing productive.
The garden, after a week’s absence, has a potato shrub (once it hits 4 ft. tall, State Forestry will officially classify it as a “tree”—I don’t know if there have ever been any potato trees in Oregon), and four tomato shrubs (also trying to turn into trees), and pea pods on the still-wimpy pea plants. Two of the corn plants may survive, and one of the bean plants. I don’t think any carrots will.
I am thoroughly enjoying the new job. I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything (yet), and might actually be able to accomplish something.
With new stings on the guitar, I essayed the McMinnville open mike. Cornerstone Coffee Roasters, downtown, 1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. It was good. Nice place; hosts are an older couple, sound system is good, and the audience is attentive as well as sizable. They (hosts and audience) liked the stuff, and they (hosts and audience) want me back. There may be a chance of getting one of the paying Friday night gigs later on.
It’d be nice if Deathgrass’ Labor Day setlist included something historic—it being Bay City’s centennial celebration and all. There are no songs about either Bay City or Bayocean, the fancy resort (now washed into the ocean) for which Bay City was the jumping off point. (I checked.) But what about songs from 1910, the year Bay City was founded? There weren’t Billboard charts back then, but I did find a list of what purported to be the most popular songs written that year.
There’s “America the Beautiful”; that was written in 1910, but everybody knows that one (and I can’t sing it, anyway). Most of the other 1910 hits were real turkeys—with one exception. “Steamboat Bill” is a rather well-written tune about a riverboat captain who gets involved in a race, on a bet, and blows up his riverboat and dies. Does sound like Deathgrass material. It appears to be public domain, too.
The title, if not the song, is famous because Buster Keaton turned the story into a movie in 1913 (I think)—supposedly one of the best silent films ever made. And in 1928, a fellow named Walt Disney made an animated short, “Steamboat Willie,” starring a cartoon mouse, that was supposed to be a parody of the Keaton film. I don’t think anyone remembers the song.
It’s not clear how the song is supposed to sound—back in 1910, songwriters got royalties from sheet music, not recordings. I can hear it as a 16-bar blues with a good rock beat (which they didn’t have in 1910, of course). I’ll see if I can do a decent draft recording for the band. It would be particularly fun to do something historic, because I don’t think the idea will occur to anyone else.
Beyond that, we probably want to include some Woody Guthrie tunes (him being a bit historic himself): “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad” is one of our standard closing songs, and we do a pretty good job on “Dance a Little Longer” (which we do as country rock), and it’s probably time to do “Ain’t Got No Home in This World Any More” (a two-step)—it’s been on a number of our setlists, but it’s routinely been cut when we got short on time.
Joe
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
ROCKTOBERFEST SETLIST (AND AN APOLOGY)...
An apology, first, to Alice, who did the sound for ContraBand; I hadn’t mentioned her when I was passing out thanks and credit to everybody, and I should have. I’m frankly not used to having a sound engineer. A sound engineer I knew in Medford (he hung out at the tavern where Screamin’ Gulch played) maintained the sound engineer should be considered an equal member of the band, since he or she is the reason the band sounds good in public, and I agree. Thanks, Alice. (And thanks, too, for reading this thing. I am always surprised to find out someone is actually reading it.)
I’ve got to re-write my column for the paper—they say they didn’t receive it. I don’t want to let a week go by without a column in the paper—people might think something had happened to me (or worse still, not even notice), and besides, there is Important News to disseminate. I should be able to re-do it from memory. I tend to remember what I write; in this case, that’s good—I’m 83 miles away from the data I used to write it.
Doc won’t be in town Sept. 4, so we will be doing the Bicentennial Concert with just four of us: John (bass), Chris (drums), Mike (lead guitar), and me. That’s how we did Garibaldi Days, too. Doc will be here for the Rocktoberfest concert Sunday, Sept. 19. I’d like to do two practices each for each of those concerts, but wonder whether that’ll be possible considering my own restricted movements. I thought ContraBand was scheduled to play dances two Saturdays in August (8/21 and 8/28), but I hear that’s not for sure (it’d be nice to know). I’ve got a performance myself with Dan Doshier at the SOSA Summer Concert in Central Point on Friday, Aug. 27, and could probably score another solo gig down South for the 28th—if I knew what I was supposed to be doing.
I’ve talked a little about wanting to include mostly “rockers” in the Rocktoberfest setlist, but I don’t think we have quite enough to make an entirely rock setlist. Better, perhaps, to just include a little of everything, and show off the band’s versatility. We have 50 minutes, which is ten songs. We could do—not in order (yet), of course:
For Their Own Ends (Southern Pigfish)—folk-rock
Test Tube Baby—Elvis-style rock ‘n’ roll
Love Trails of the Zombie Snails—folk-rock
Tillamook Railroad Blues—deliberate blues
She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself—fast blues
Dance a Little Longer (Woody Guthrie)—country rock
Our Own Little Stimulus Plan (Betty Holt)—Buddy Holly-style rockabilly
Rotten Candy—fast bluegrass, with Gospel beat
Dead Things in the Shower—mod. fast two-step
Un-Easy Street (Stan Good)—mod. fast two-step
“Dead Things” is our standard opening song, and “Un-Easy Street” the usual closer. Both are two-steps, and are the only ones on the list. Style-wise, the list includes about everything we do except ragtime (Coleman & Lazzerini’s “So 20th Century”). Includes everybody’s favorites that I know about, too: Doc really likes “the Pigfish song” (and wants me to include a second lead break), Mike likes “Un-Easy Street,” and John is partial to the zombie snails. Tempting to include the country death metal song, “Angel in Chains,” but I’m not sure the band or the audience is ready for that yet.
And the job? (People have asked.) It’s good. I did my first city council meeting (the regular one is in ten more days), and folks were generally nice. I don’t know for sure if I’m a calming influence, but it’d be nice to think so. Got more people—from all three political groups, I think—looking for a place for me to stay. Tonight, I had the evening off, and managed to get to the music store before it closed; tomorrow—new strings. Tonight, me and the store owner just traded jokes—about banjo players (me) and drummers (him). Gave him a CD, too. There is reportedly an open mike in downtown McMinnville on alternate Wednesdays, and if this Wednesday’s the right day, I’ll go.
Joe
I’ve got to re-write my column for the paper—they say they didn’t receive it. I don’t want to let a week go by without a column in the paper—people might think something had happened to me (or worse still, not even notice), and besides, there is Important News to disseminate. I should be able to re-do it from memory. I tend to remember what I write; in this case, that’s good—I’m 83 miles away from the data I used to write it.
Doc won’t be in town Sept. 4, so we will be doing the Bicentennial Concert with just four of us: John (bass), Chris (drums), Mike (lead guitar), and me. That’s how we did Garibaldi Days, too. Doc will be here for the Rocktoberfest concert Sunday, Sept. 19. I’d like to do two practices each for each of those concerts, but wonder whether that’ll be possible considering my own restricted movements. I thought ContraBand was scheduled to play dances two Saturdays in August (8/21 and 8/28), but I hear that’s not for sure (it’d be nice to know). I’ve got a performance myself with Dan Doshier at the SOSA Summer Concert in Central Point on Friday, Aug. 27, and could probably score another solo gig down South for the 28th—if I knew what I was supposed to be doing.
I’ve talked a little about wanting to include mostly “rockers” in the Rocktoberfest setlist, but I don’t think we have quite enough to make an entirely rock setlist. Better, perhaps, to just include a little of everything, and show off the band’s versatility. We have 50 minutes, which is ten songs. We could do—not in order (yet), of course:
For Their Own Ends (Southern Pigfish)—folk-rock
Test Tube Baby—Elvis-style rock ‘n’ roll
Love Trails of the Zombie Snails—folk-rock
Tillamook Railroad Blues—deliberate blues
She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself—fast blues
Dance a Little Longer (Woody Guthrie)—country rock
Our Own Little Stimulus Plan (Betty Holt)—Buddy Holly-style rockabilly
Rotten Candy—fast bluegrass, with Gospel beat
Dead Things in the Shower—mod. fast two-step
Un-Easy Street (Stan Good)—mod. fast two-step
“Dead Things” is our standard opening song, and “Un-Easy Street” the usual closer. Both are two-steps, and are the only ones on the list. Style-wise, the list includes about everything we do except ragtime (Coleman & Lazzerini’s “So 20th Century”). Includes everybody’s favorites that I know about, too: Doc really likes “the Pigfish song” (and wants me to include a second lead break), Mike likes “Un-Easy Street,” and John is partial to the zombie snails. Tempting to include the country death metal song, “Angel in Chains,” but I’m not sure the band or the audience is ready for that yet.
And the job? (People have asked.) It’s good. I did my first city council meeting (the regular one is in ten more days), and folks were generally nice. I don’t know for sure if I’m a calming influence, but it’d be nice to think so. Got more people—from all three political groups, I think—looking for a place for me to stay. Tonight, I had the evening off, and managed to get to the music store before it closed; tomorrow—new strings. Tonight, me and the store owner just traded jokes—about banjo players (me) and drummers (him). Gave him a CD, too. There is reportedly an open mike in downtown McMinnville on alternate Wednesdays, and if this Wednesday’s the right day, I’ll go.
Joe
Sunday, August 1, 2010
CONTRA DANCE POST-MORTEM...
Ah, checklists… Having a job—particularly a 24/7 job as a city manager—forces me to be ruthlessly organized. There is a limited window into which to fit a personal life. Laundry done? Check. Column filed for the paper? Check. Business cards for the new job? Check. Software to load onto the city’s computer? Check. Packed? Mostly. Before I leave, I need to design and Acrobat a poster for the “Rockshop” bands’ concert, IF that’s going to happen—if it does, it’ll be next Saturday.
The ContraBand—Chuck on percussion, Fred on piano, Jane on fiddle, Kathryn and myself on guitars—played the contra dance at the White Clover Grange in Mohler Saturday night. (Jane did a neat banner advertising the band.) Like the old proverb says, when we were good, we were very, very good—and I’d only practiced with the rest of ‘em twice (and they’d only practiced together two or three times besides that). And of course, when we were bad, we were horrid—but we were only horrid a couple of times. The audience (around 50 people) appeared to like us.
I told people who were surprised at the turnout they were looking at a symptom of the Failed Economy. Just as in the last Depression, people are hungry for entertainment; it has to be local, and it has to be cheap, because that’s what people think they can afford. An organized dance at the local Grange Hall with a live band is ideal—and something nobody’s seen in a long time (but the old folks will remember them from the last Depression). It’s a market ready to be tapped—and whoever gets there first gets to grab a big piece of it. There’s a chance that could be us. (Deathgrass, too.)
And one of the things I wanted to prove with the exercise is I can be a musician, too. This is all instrumental stuff: there’s no vocalist to keep one on track—I have to follow the melody (being played mostly by the fiddle player), without being able to hear it very well, and deliver a strong enough rhythm line to keep the rest of the band on track, and signal chord and verse-to-chorus changes. It’s a bit of a struggle, but I think I did okay.
I talked to Jay the caller a little afterwards, and he said we did best on the songs the fiddle player was most comfortable with, because she was playing melody without hesitation. Those were the old fiddle tunes “Red Wing,” “Golden Slippers,” and “Bonaparte’s Retreat,” and a sweet little dance tune called “Mossyrock.” I concentrated mostly on bluegrass-style bass runs, trying to keep the “A” and “B” parts distinctively different enough so the others could tell (if they needed to) which part we were playing. Some of those bluegrass runs are pretty fast, though, and that’s hard to keep up for maybe eight minutes at a stretch—which is how long it took the caller to complete a dance.
Frank, who organized the contra dance, says he wants to do another one Saturday, 28 August, and a Waltz Night on Saturday, 21 August, both at the White Clover Grange; I don’t know if he’s told the rest of the band yet, but he did tell me. (The August 28 dance will not draw as big a crowd; there’s a square dance that night, and quite a few of the dancers at Saturday night’s contra dance were from the square dance club.)
Right now, the ContraBand only know two waltzes, and we’ll have to learn more. (I know quite a few, because I can play lead to most waltzes, but I don’t have music for them—music doesn’t really enter into what Tone-Deaf Lead Guitarist does.) We need to learn as well some more “contra-able” tunes—I’m told we should know at least nine to be able to do these dances real well.
The Bay City Centennial wants Deathgrass for 1-1/2 hours Saturday, 4 September; I have John, Chris, and Mike confirmed, and still need to contact Doc. Practices will have to be limited to Saturdays and Sundays, the only time I’m home from the new job. And John will be out of town the first couple of weekends in August. That means the setlist ought to be familiar stuff—no new material. (When will I get to introduce them to “Angel in Chains”?)
Joe
The ContraBand—Chuck on percussion, Fred on piano, Jane on fiddle, Kathryn and myself on guitars—played the contra dance at the White Clover Grange in Mohler Saturday night. (Jane did a neat banner advertising the band.) Like the old proverb says, when we were good, we were very, very good—and I’d only practiced with the rest of ‘em twice (and they’d only practiced together two or three times besides that). And of course, when we were bad, we were horrid—but we were only horrid a couple of times. The audience (around 50 people) appeared to like us.
I told people who were surprised at the turnout they were looking at a symptom of the Failed Economy. Just as in the last Depression, people are hungry for entertainment; it has to be local, and it has to be cheap, because that’s what people think they can afford. An organized dance at the local Grange Hall with a live band is ideal—and something nobody’s seen in a long time (but the old folks will remember them from the last Depression). It’s a market ready to be tapped—and whoever gets there first gets to grab a big piece of it. There’s a chance that could be us. (Deathgrass, too.)
And one of the things I wanted to prove with the exercise is I can be a musician, too. This is all instrumental stuff: there’s no vocalist to keep one on track—I have to follow the melody (being played mostly by the fiddle player), without being able to hear it very well, and deliver a strong enough rhythm line to keep the rest of the band on track, and signal chord and verse-to-chorus changes. It’s a bit of a struggle, but I think I did okay.
I talked to Jay the caller a little afterwards, and he said we did best on the songs the fiddle player was most comfortable with, because she was playing melody without hesitation. Those were the old fiddle tunes “Red Wing,” “Golden Slippers,” and “Bonaparte’s Retreat,” and a sweet little dance tune called “Mossyrock.” I concentrated mostly on bluegrass-style bass runs, trying to keep the “A” and “B” parts distinctively different enough so the others could tell (if they needed to) which part we were playing. Some of those bluegrass runs are pretty fast, though, and that’s hard to keep up for maybe eight minutes at a stretch—which is how long it took the caller to complete a dance.
Frank, who organized the contra dance, says he wants to do another one Saturday, 28 August, and a Waltz Night on Saturday, 21 August, both at the White Clover Grange; I don’t know if he’s told the rest of the band yet, but he did tell me. (The August 28 dance will not draw as big a crowd; there’s a square dance that night, and quite a few of the dancers at Saturday night’s contra dance were from the square dance club.)
Right now, the ContraBand only know two waltzes, and we’ll have to learn more. (I know quite a few, because I can play lead to most waltzes, but I don’t have music for them—music doesn’t really enter into what Tone-Deaf Lead Guitarist does.) We need to learn as well some more “contra-able” tunes—I’m told we should know at least nine to be able to do these dances real well.
The Bay City Centennial wants Deathgrass for 1-1/2 hours Saturday, 4 September; I have John, Chris, and Mike confirmed, and still need to contact Doc. Practices will have to be limited to Saturdays and Sundays, the only time I’m home from the new job. And John will be out of town the first couple of weekends in August. That means the setlist ought to be familiar stuff—no new material. (When will I get to introduce them to “Angel in Chains”?)
Joe
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A NEW ADVENTURE...
Like the song says (one of mine), “The future can change in the blink of an eye.” Got offered a job Monday night, as interim city administrator in Lafayette, Oregon, and I accepted. I start Wednesday (they needed someone right away, and I can do right away). It’ll restrict my movements a bit, and I expect to enjoy every moment of it.
I’ve received tons of well-wishes, from all sorts of folks, for which I am grateful. Thanks, everybody. Like another song says (not one of mine—it’s by John Denver), “My bags are packed, and I’m ready to go.”
I will get to find out whether all the maneuvering I did to enable music, et al., to accommodate a job if one happened is going to work. It should. All the Concert Season gigs except one are on Saturdays, so I can do both work and music—it will just be necessary for the band to practice on weekends, too (but three of them have jobs, too, so we’ve kinda had to do that anyway). The first performance of our Contra Band is on a Saturday night, too (July 31), and so is either the Arts Center Open Mike or “Rockshop” band concert (I still don’t know which one is happening, but it’ll be Aug. 7). And the new job is relatively close: if there were good roads between here and there (which there are not), I could commute. I expect to do that some of the time, anyway.
In the same vein, I should be able to compress typesetting the SOSA Newsletter into weekend work, if the folks will be efficient about getting me stuff; it’s mostly a set piece now, that doesn’t take much time. Designing posters, flyers, &c., is quick and easy stuff, too (I’ve finished off one I was doing for the 2nd Street Public Market tonight). Once I’m settled in during-the-week digs in Lafayette, I’ll have a computer there that will let me do graphic design in the off evenings (I’m expecting there will be a few)—but initially, I’ll be taking an old laptop that won’t be able to do much besides word processing and e-mail. I can still do the column for the paper; I won’t be able to do news articles, but those didn’t pay much of anything, anyway.
The only performance piece I need to worry about isn’t a music one—it’s the Great Intergalactic Puppet Show I’d arranged for the Arts Center staff to do at the Garibaldi Library Aug. 18 (which is a Wednesday). I have written the script—this time, it’s the legend of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, performed by the sock-puppet cast of “Pig Wars” (Luke, Leah, and Hansolo as the Gruffs, Yoda as their mother, again, and Darth Vader as the troll under the bridge)—and that’s getting peer review as this is written. I expect the crew can pull it off without me (and hope they’ll want to). It is a paying gig, after all.
(I do enjoy writing these plays. I’d like to do a musical. I could see the sock puppets doing “The Wizard of Oz,” with Leah as Dorothy, Luke as the Scarecrow, Darth Vader as the Tin Man (of course), Yoda as the Wicked Witch (since he/she is green), and Hansolo (who always acts like he knows everything) as the Wiz. We could have a Cowardly Wookie…)
Over There, I won’t have much free time for a while—there’s a lot of work to do—but there is an open mike I’ve been wanting to get to in Newberg, and Newberg is close to the new job. I don’t need to pursue the Music Work Plan I sketched out over a year ago in anticipation of relocating to other jobs: I will be relatively close to home, and it’s a relatively busy Concert Season on the Coast, and the new job is a temporary one, lasting maybe four months. (While I’m there, a couple of really attractive jobs will be opening up, and I will be applying for those, too.)
So the adventure starts. There’s probably a song in it…
Joe
I’ve received tons of well-wishes, from all sorts of folks, for which I am grateful. Thanks, everybody. Like another song says (not one of mine—it’s by John Denver), “My bags are packed, and I’m ready to go.”
I will get to find out whether all the maneuvering I did to enable music, et al., to accommodate a job if one happened is going to work. It should. All the Concert Season gigs except one are on Saturdays, so I can do both work and music—it will just be necessary for the band to practice on weekends, too (but three of them have jobs, too, so we’ve kinda had to do that anyway). The first performance of our Contra Band is on a Saturday night, too (July 31), and so is either the Arts Center Open Mike or “Rockshop” band concert (I still don’t know which one is happening, but it’ll be Aug. 7). And the new job is relatively close: if there were good roads between here and there (which there are not), I could commute. I expect to do that some of the time, anyway.
In the same vein, I should be able to compress typesetting the SOSA Newsletter into weekend work, if the folks will be efficient about getting me stuff; it’s mostly a set piece now, that doesn’t take much time. Designing posters, flyers, &c., is quick and easy stuff, too (I’ve finished off one I was doing for the 2nd Street Public Market tonight). Once I’m settled in during-the-week digs in Lafayette, I’ll have a computer there that will let me do graphic design in the off evenings (I’m expecting there will be a few)—but initially, I’ll be taking an old laptop that won’t be able to do much besides word processing and e-mail. I can still do the column for the paper; I won’t be able to do news articles, but those didn’t pay much of anything, anyway.
The only performance piece I need to worry about isn’t a music one—it’s the Great Intergalactic Puppet Show I’d arranged for the Arts Center staff to do at the Garibaldi Library Aug. 18 (which is a Wednesday). I have written the script—this time, it’s the legend of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, performed by the sock-puppet cast of “Pig Wars” (Luke, Leah, and Hansolo as the Gruffs, Yoda as their mother, again, and Darth Vader as the troll under the bridge)—and that’s getting peer review as this is written. I expect the crew can pull it off without me (and hope they’ll want to). It is a paying gig, after all.
(I do enjoy writing these plays. I’d like to do a musical. I could see the sock puppets doing “The Wizard of Oz,” with Leah as Dorothy, Luke as the Scarecrow, Darth Vader as the Tin Man (of course), Yoda as the Wicked Witch (since he/she is green), and Hansolo (who always acts like he knows everything) as the Wiz. We could have a Cowardly Wookie…)
Over There, I won’t have much free time for a while—there’s a lot of work to do—but there is an open mike I’ve been wanting to get to in Newberg, and Newberg is close to the new job. I don’t need to pursue the Music Work Plan I sketched out over a year ago in anticipation of relocating to other jobs: I will be relatively close to home, and it’s a relatively busy Concert Season on the Coast, and the new job is a temporary one, lasting maybe four months. (While I’m there, a couple of really attractive jobs will be opening up, and I will be applying for those, too.)
So the adventure starts. There’s probably a song in it…
Joe
Sunday, July 25, 2010
GARIBALDI DAYS POST-MORTEM...
The Garibaldi Days performance went well. I found out late that morning that there would be no talent show participants (I had wondered if that might happen), so the two-hour show was back to consisting of just the “Rockshop” bands and Roland and Deathgrass. The “Rockshop” bands stuck to the two-song limit they’d originally been handed, and so did Roland, which left us as the flex point—but we’d originally planned on playing a half-hour set anyway. We actually did 25 minutes (the “Rockshop” kids started late), giving Mike a little extra time to get the PA system packed up for his paying gig that evening. The setlist:
Dead Things in the Shower
Tillamook Railroad Blues
Things Are Getting Better Now That Things Are Getting Worse (Gene Burnett)
Armadillo on the Interstate
Un-Easy Street (Stan Good)
Three two-steps (at different speeds), one blues, and one (“Armadillo”) that’s just plain sleazy. All are songs that the band can do really well at the drop of a hat (which is basically the amount of warning we did have). Mike had harmonies worked out for the last four of the songs that were real impressive. I don’t know if there’s a single song I could point to this time as being “best.” Everything was actually good, even though we hadn’t practiced at all since April.
A fair percentage of the audience that had come to hear their kids or their friends play (that’s why you book kid bands—the park was packed) stuck around to hear us perform (and a few people said they had actually come specifically to hear us), and I could see they laughed at the right points and their toes were tapping. Got a few compliments afterwards (one from a teenager—that was a real surprise), so I guess we did okay. I didn’t mention in the Rap where we were playing next, but one fellow did ask afterwards (he seemed to be under the impression we should be touring).
I suppose we do come across as professional (well, that was intentional). We started on the same note, without even drummer clicks (or appeared to—we do have that worked out), never had to look at each other when we played (we looked at each other plenty when we were practicing), never paused except for applause, and everybody knew what they were playing without being told (actually, the Rap does that, but it’s not obvious). All of the songs we performed have little quirks in them, but everybody’s familiar with them, and our “arrangements” were note-perfect. Is there a lesson in all that? Sure—but the lesson is simply, “Practice.”
I got band photos of all the “Rockshop” bands, and will go over those with Mike later to identify the kids. I can give ‘em all photos of their bands as a thank-you for doing the show—plus I want to use the photos in advertising the “Rockshop” band concert I still want to put on at the Bay City Arts Center.
The contra dance reportedly now has a caller (yay) and another guitarist (double yay). We practice tonight—the last time we’ll get together before the big dance July 31. The newspaper ran a big article on it, mentioning the musicians by name (I’d wondered where people had found out about it). I got sent a pile of new contra dance music, tunes which none of us know and which we will not have time to learn and master by dance time. We will stick, I believe, to what we know, and concentrate on making it sound good (and staying in time).
Elsewhere in Music World: The music publisher in Hawaii wanted happy songs about dogs, so I sent her “The Dog’s Song,” my Ramones-style country love song. And I sent “Angel in Chains” to a filmmaker doing something on Kurt Cobain (I figured a country death metal song about a suicide might be apropos). In both cases, I expect no miracles—it’s just something that had to be done, and doing it didn’t cost anything (an important consideration these days).
Joe
Dead Things in the Shower
Tillamook Railroad Blues
Things Are Getting Better Now That Things Are Getting Worse (Gene Burnett)
Armadillo on the Interstate
Un-Easy Street (Stan Good)
Three two-steps (at different speeds), one blues, and one (“Armadillo”) that’s just plain sleazy. All are songs that the band can do really well at the drop of a hat (which is basically the amount of warning we did have). Mike had harmonies worked out for the last four of the songs that were real impressive. I don’t know if there’s a single song I could point to this time as being “best.” Everything was actually good, even though we hadn’t practiced at all since April.
A fair percentage of the audience that had come to hear their kids or their friends play (that’s why you book kid bands—the park was packed) stuck around to hear us perform (and a few people said they had actually come specifically to hear us), and I could see they laughed at the right points and their toes were tapping. Got a few compliments afterwards (one from a teenager—that was a real surprise), so I guess we did okay. I didn’t mention in the Rap where we were playing next, but one fellow did ask afterwards (he seemed to be under the impression we should be touring).
I suppose we do come across as professional (well, that was intentional). We started on the same note, without even drummer clicks (or appeared to—we do have that worked out), never had to look at each other when we played (we looked at each other plenty when we were practicing), never paused except for applause, and everybody knew what they were playing without being told (actually, the Rap does that, but it’s not obvious). All of the songs we performed have little quirks in them, but everybody’s familiar with them, and our “arrangements” were note-perfect. Is there a lesson in all that? Sure—but the lesson is simply, “Practice.”
I got band photos of all the “Rockshop” bands, and will go over those with Mike later to identify the kids. I can give ‘em all photos of their bands as a thank-you for doing the show—plus I want to use the photos in advertising the “Rockshop” band concert I still want to put on at the Bay City Arts Center.
The contra dance reportedly now has a caller (yay) and another guitarist (double yay). We practice tonight—the last time we’ll get together before the big dance July 31. The newspaper ran a big article on it, mentioning the musicians by name (I’d wondered where people had found out about it). I got sent a pile of new contra dance music, tunes which none of us know and which we will not have time to learn and master by dance time. We will stick, I believe, to what we know, and concentrate on making it sound good (and staying in time).
Elsewhere in Music World: The music publisher in Hawaii wanted happy songs about dogs, so I sent her “The Dog’s Song,” my Ramones-style country love song. And I sent “Angel in Chains” to a filmmaker doing something on Kurt Cobain (I figured a country death metal song about a suicide might be apropos). In both cases, I expect no miracles—it’s just something that had to be done, and doing it didn’t cost anything (an important consideration these days).
Joe
Friday, July 23, 2010
TWO WEDDINGS AND A GARIBALDI DAYS...
It’s busy—but as a former boss of mine used to say, “Never confuse motion with progress.” There’s lots of motion. I have no idea whether any of it will turn into progress.
Job interview last Thursday night, and one coming up Tuesday night; I’m not assuming either place will want me, but it is nice they thought I was worth interviewing. (In both cases, I was one of three people they were talking to.) I still have a couple more jobs to apply for—one in Alaska. Though Congress has passed the unemployment-extension bill, I’m told I may end up being one of the so-called “99-ers”—the people who have been out of work so long there’s presumed to be no point in caring about them any more. (There is probably a song in it—if I can figure out how to say it with dead animals.)
One nice “upper”: while I was taking snapshots of the Arts Center’s West Africa Day Camp, I got introduced to one of the helpers, who said, “You’re THE Joe Wrabek? I read your column!” Nice to know I’m making headway somewhere. The column is fun, and relatively easy, and apparently (and surprisingly) a lot of people do read it. And I get to report a lot of things that wouldn’t make it into the paper any other way.
Like the weddings. Carol (she of the lovely voice) Ackerman and Norm Myers were married tonight—during intermission at the Friday Night Group’s music at City Hall. That may be the first time we’ve been the venue for a wedding (and a few people did know “The Wedding March”—in that group, somebody’s bound to know almost everything). We tried to play mostly wedding-type songs, and I don’t have much in my repertoire that fits that bill: I threatened to play “I Want a Man for Christmas,” but instead gave ‘em “Armadillo on the Interstate” and “Duct Tape.”
Carol and Norm are the third Friday Night Group couple thus far to have fallen in love and gotten married; Bud (guitar) and Elsie (accordion) got hitched a few years ago, and Fred (guitar) and Barb (keyboard and spoons) were married just last Saturday. I guess one could say we’re good at producing duets.
Deathgrass is confirmed for the “Rocktoberfest” in September—SUNDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER, at NOON. We’re on for an hour. I need to work up an hour setlist. Tempting to put a bunch of rockers in the set (especially since the organizers are advertising Deathgrass as “country/Americana”)—but we really can do a little of everything. (And I’ve written a little of everything.)
I don’t know yet whether the Bay City Centennial folks want the band for the Saturday or Sunday of Labor Day weekend, but I think I get to find out Monday if I go to their meeting (I may not find out any other way). And then I’ll find out if the band can do it. That’s how it always works. Still to nail down: a date for a Food Pantry benefit concert.
At least, if I do get offered a job, I have made sure there aren’t many scheduling conflicts that would entail my having to get time off; with the exception of the SOSA concert in Central Point Aug. 27 (a Friday), everything else is on a Saturday or holiday Sunday.
Deathgrass performs tomorrow, at Garibaldi Days; I haven’t bothered to advertise it, since we’re on for only ten minutes. (That’s two songs. We’ll do “Tillamook Railroad Blues” and “Un-Easy Street,” both of which require no practice.) I expect there will be a good crowd anyway, since it’s the 50th anniversary of the festival. If people complain there wasn’t enough music, I’ll direct them to the folks in charge. I tried my best, but it’s not my show.
Joe
Job interview last Thursday night, and one coming up Tuesday night; I’m not assuming either place will want me, but it is nice they thought I was worth interviewing. (In both cases, I was one of three people they were talking to.) I still have a couple more jobs to apply for—one in Alaska. Though Congress has passed the unemployment-extension bill, I’m told I may end up being one of the so-called “99-ers”—the people who have been out of work so long there’s presumed to be no point in caring about them any more. (There is probably a song in it—if I can figure out how to say it with dead animals.)
One nice “upper”: while I was taking snapshots of the Arts Center’s West Africa Day Camp, I got introduced to one of the helpers, who said, “You’re THE Joe Wrabek? I read your column!” Nice to know I’m making headway somewhere. The column is fun, and relatively easy, and apparently (and surprisingly) a lot of people do read it. And I get to report a lot of things that wouldn’t make it into the paper any other way.
Like the weddings. Carol (she of the lovely voice) Ackerman and Norm Myers were married tonight—during intermission at the Friday Night Group’s music at City Hall. That may be the first time we’ve been the venue for a wedding (and a few people did know “The Wedding March”—in that group, somebody’s bound to know almost everything). We tried to play mostly wedding-type songs, and I don’t have much in my repertoire that fits that bill: I threatened to play “I Want a Man for Christmas,” but instead gave ‘em “Armadillo on the Interstate” and “Duct Tape.”
Carol and Norm are the third Friday Night Group couple thus far to have fallen in love and gotten married; Bud (guitar) and Elsie (accordion) got hitched a few years ago, and Fred (guitar) and Barb (keyboard and spoons) were married just last Saturday. I guess one could say we’re good at producing duets.
Deathgrass is confirmed for the “Rocktoberfest” in September—SUNDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER, at NOON. We’re on for an hour. I need to work up an hour setlist. Tempting to put a bunch of rockers in the set (especially since the organizers are advertising Deathgrass as “country/Americana”)—but we really can do a little of everything. (And I’ve written a little of everything.)
I don’t know yet whether the Bay City Centennial folks want the band for the Saturday or Sunday of Labor Day weekend, but I think I get to find out Monday if I go to their meeting (I may not find out any other way). And then I’ll find out if the band can do it. That’s how it always works. Still to nail down: a date for a Food Pantry benefit concert.
At least, if I do get offered a job, I have made sure there aren’t many scheduling conflicts that would entail my having to get time off; with the exception of the SOSA concert in Central Point Aug. 27 (a Friday), everything else is on a Saturday or holiday Sunday.
Deathgrass performs tomorrow, at Garibaldi Days; I haven’t bothered to advertise it, since we’re on for only ten minutes. (That’s two songs. We’ll do “Tillamook Railroad Blues” and “Un-Easy Street,” both of which require no practice.) I expect there will be a good crowd anyway, since it’s the 50th anniversary of the festival. If people complain there wasn’t enough music, I’ll direct them to the folks in charge. I tried my best, but it’s not my show.
Joe
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
MORE UPDATES...
As I continue to collect rejection letters from employers, Congress is preparing to vote to re-extend unemployment benefits to the multitude of people who had their benefits cut off in May. I’m not sure it will apply to me—a lot of people who reportedly won’t get helped any more because they’ve been “unemployed too long” are the middle-aged men in professional positions (like me) who were the first to lose their jobs when the economy first collapsed.
The garden is way more satisfying than the job market, because things do happen there, albeit slowly. (And there will be food. Food is good.) One of the dying pea plants suddenly put forth a pod this morning, with one pea in it—that’s probably all it’s capable of in its death throes, but I appreciate the effort. Planting new, healthy pea plants next to the dying ones may actually have stimulated some activity. Maybe plants really can feel embarrassment. (I wonder if there’s a song in that.)
The Bay City Centennial folks did approach me (finally) asking Deathgrass to play at their celebration. I don’t know (because they didn’t know) whether we’ll be offered the Saturday or Sunday of Labor Day weekend—and when I know, I’ll have to ask the band. It is a freebie—but everybody’s been anxious to play again, too. Being limited at the last minute to a ten-minute “show” at Garibaldi Days was somewhere between frustrating and annoying—though we will do it.
The other freebie I’m still trying to organize is the benefit concert—our third—for the Food Pantry. Saturday, Aug. 21 is about the only date I’ve got available, though, and I don’t think I can get everybody together. Aug. 27 (Friday) I’m scheduled to be on stage in Central Point for SOSA, and in September the band is playing the “Rocktoberfest” Sept. 19 (Sunday) and the Arts Center concert Sept. 25 (Saturday). And the Bay City Centennial, too, if that happens.
It looks like we might be able to put on a concert of the “Rockshop” bands on Saturday, August 7. (They’re being limited to ten minutes apiece at Garibaldi Days, too—and that’s hard on (and not nice to) the kids.) Aug. 7 is the night normally reserved for the Bay City Arts Center’s open mike—but it’s my job to host the August open mike, and I’ve said if we can get the kids, we’ll cancel the open mike and have the kids do a show instead. The four “Rockshop” bands can collectively do 1-1/2 hours of music, I understand, and that’s an ideal length for a show. I can get band photos at Garibaldi Days, and do posters, and give ‘em a good shot of publicity in the two weeks before the show.
There’s the contra dance band, too (general consensus was to call ourselves “ContraBand”—has such a nice ring to it). Right now, we’re fiddle (Jane), piano (Fred) and guitar (me); there’s an effort to line up a bass player. Talked to guitarist Jim Nelson, who’s played a lot of contra dances, and contra dance music is mostly reels, I think. I have danced reels, though I’ve never played them—reels are what the square dance club occasionally defaults to when there isn’t a pool of dancers divisible by eight. (For reels, your pool only needs to be divisible by two.) As far as tempo goes, think drunken colonials in hoop skirts—that’s who was historically dancing those reels. (“Reel” may well have been a double entendre.) How fast can drunken colonials in hoop skirts move? That’s the speed one has to play.
I have a lot of material to learn—mostly old fiddle tunes, some of which are a lot of fun—but most of it isn’t too difficult. Once I’ve got the tunes down, I can do more interesting things on the guitar than just rhythm, but for right now, I’m able to play just rhythm. Our first gig may be as early as July 31, and we’re only able to all get together to practice on Sunday nights.
Music Wednesday afternoon at the Garibaldi Pub, Friday night at City Hall, Saturday afternoon at Garibaldi Days, and contra dance practice Sunday night. Job interview Thursday night in Lafayette, over in the Willamette Valley—first one in a long, long time. Wish me luck.
Joe
The garden is way more satisfying than the job market, because things do happen there, albeit slowly. (And there will be food. Food is good.) One of the dying pea plants suddenly put forth a pod this morning, with one pea in it—that’s probably all it’s capable of in its death throes, but I appreciate the effort. Planting new, healthy pea plants next to the dying ones may actually have stimulated some activity. Maybe plants really can feel embarrassment. (I wonder if there’s a song in that.)
The Bay City Centennial folks did approach me (finally) asking Deathgrass to play at their celebration. I don’t know (because they didn’t know) whether we’ll be offered the Saturday or Sunday of Labor Day weekend—and when I know, I’ll have to ask the band. It is a freebie—but everybody’s been anxious to play again, too. Being limited at the last minute to a ten-minute “show” at Garibaldi Days was somewhere between frustrating and annoying—though we will do it.
The other freebie I’m still trying to organize is the benefit concert—our third—for the Food Pantry. Saturday, Aug. 21 is about the only date I’ve got available, though, and I don’t think I can get everybody together. Aug. 27 (Friday) I’m scheduled to be on stage in Central Point for SOSA, and in September the band is playing the “Rocktoberfest” Sept. 19 (Sunday) and the Arts Center concert Sept. 25 (Saturday). And the Bay City Centennial, too, if that happens.
It looks like we might be able to put on a concert of the “Rockshop” bands on Saturday, August 7. (They’re being limited to ten minutes apiece at Garibaldi Days, too—and that’s hard on (and not nice to) the kids.) Aug. 7 is the night normally reserved for the Bay City Arts Center’s open mike—but it’s my job to host the August open mike, and I’ve said if we can get the kids, we’ll cancel the open mike and have the kids do a show instead. The four “Rockshop” bands can collectively do 1-1/2 hours of music, I understand, and that’s an ideal length for a show. I can get band photos at Garibaldi Days, and do posters, and give ‘em a good shot of publicity in the two weeks before the show.
There’s the contra dance band, too (general consensus was to call ourselves “ContraBand”—has such a nice ring to it). Right now, we’re fiddle (Jane), piano (Fred) and guitar (me); there’s an effort to line up a bass player. Talked to guitarist Jim Nelson, who’s played a lot of contra dances, and contra dance music is mostly reels, I think. I have danced reels, though I’ve never played them—reels are what the square dance club occasionally defaults to when there isn’t a pool of dancers divisible by eight. (For reels, your pool only needs to be divisible by two.) As far as tempo goes, think drunken colonials in hoop skirts—that’s who was historically dancing those reels. (“Reel” may well have been a double entendre.) How fast can drunken colonials in hoop skirts move? That’s the speed one has to play.
I have a lot of material to learn—mostly old fiddle tunes, some of which are a lot of fun—but most of it isn’t too difficult. Once I’ve got the tunes down, I can do more interesting things on the guitar than just rhythm, but for right now, I’m able to play just rhythm. Our first gig may be as early as July 31, and we’re only able to all get together to practice on Sunday nights.
Music Wednesday afternoon at the Garibaldi Pub, Friday night at City Hall, Saturday afternoon at Garibaldi Days, and contra dance practice Sunday night. Job interview Thursday night in Lafayette, over in the Willamette Valley—first one in a long, long time. Wish me luck.
Joe
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