WJ-Mop Up

Avenues

Love's Made A Fool Out Of You

Dark End Of The Street

What's So Funny About Peace Love And Understanding

Patrick Ticklenburg-backing vocal on last song

Support:

Bill Schlettler

Pat Ticklenburg

Brett Johnson

Rick Wengle

Dave Bonham

Julie Gordon

Another successful event with the Acoustic open mic at Whisky Jo's, to which I finished the whole thing in front of these six people who stayed around and the Whisky Jo's waitress.  It used to be that I enjoyed being the last act but nowadays it seems to be a mop up role and most leave except the host and the couple of faithful musicians who hang around.  Stu Pershing had to wake up at 3 just to get to work at 4 so he had to leave.  Getting the word out meant that the Kirkwood students have been able to play this.

For myself, with hardly anybody around, I pulled out some songs I haven't done recently and worked on them.  Peace Love and Understand got extended a bit since Patrick joined up on stage.  I did a Buddy Holly tribute song as well.  

Like last week, I didn't start playing till after 10.  It was a short batch of songs but I pulled the plug after Peace Love Etc.   By then everybody wanted to go home.

Since Kimberley sang on Wednesday, she took the night off. 

WJ-With Kat Blue And The Mandelas

Songs played 

Give Me One Good Reason

Further Up The Road

I Got My Mojo Workin

Gold Dust Woman

Call Me The Breeze

Stop Draggin My Heart Around

Tennessee Whiskey/

I'd Rather Go Blind 

Love Me Like A Man

Fever

Angel From Montgomery

Kansas City

Kat Blue-Vocals on all songs except Kansas City

R. Smith-Drums on all songs

Terry McDowell-Host

Tommy Bruner-Guitar and vocals

Billy Bourbon-Bass, guitar and lead vocal on Kansas City

Matt Panek-Guitar

Stacia Roccio-Guitar on Draggin, TN Whiskey/Blind

Dave Bonham-Bass

Brett Johnson-Harmonica on Kansas City.

John Shaw-Air guitar 

Despite the presence of two other drummers (Mike from Notes From The Underground, Dustin Duwa), I managed to play a good hour and a half, with Kimberly who seems to have been to the majority of the year's jams that I have been part of.  Matt Panek took part in the first six songs.   Most of the jammers that started did come back up to play, Dave played bass on the final four songs.  Even Brett Johnson came up to play harmonica on the closer Kansas City.  We did a very interesting take on Fever on a version that I wasn't familiar with, but managed to put it together.  Kimberly nailed Gold Dust Woman to which she got a standing ovation.

Stone City-Avenues

Songs:

My Baby Loves Me

Gold Dust Woman

Tennessee Whiskey/

I'd Rather Go Blind

Avenues

Dark End Of The Street

Good Time Charlie

Logic And Lies

Behind Blue Eyes

Cinnamon Girl

Kat Blue-Vocal 1-4 

(Sunday Funday Band: Nick Lnenicka, Stacia Roccio, Timothy Canfield, Terry McDowell, Kat Blue, Jeff Taylor and Tommy Bruner)

Kimberly was quite busy Sunday.  Playing a few songs with Lane Gaffney, then I borrowed her for a few songs before she moved on to Rumors to do the Sunday Funday Jam.  I think we did a better version of My Baby Loves Me and Gold Dust Woman brought the house down. 

Avenues and Dark End Of The Street made their debut, and Dark End was well received.  I did that song better on the first go around than Behind Blue Eyes.  Still despite the mess ups and mistakes, the audience enjoyed my set.  Apologies to the guy behind me that was taking videos of the next singer playing guitar and I had to get back into town to visit mom.  

Avenues Lyrics

Avenues

Another song to sing

Another chapter to write

Hoping to keep my balance

Somewhere between wrong and right

I've been gone for awhile

Didn't think I'd come back again

Although I feel like I'm losing the fight

Should have quit while I was behind

Where does this road lead

I've been down this before

It lead me down the guided path

Destination unknown

Maybe deciding

It's time to go it alone

So I'm hitting the highway

But I'm running out of avenues

Too old to change my ways

But I'm too young to call it a day

Some days I feel like I'm getting somewhere

Other times it's the opposite

I wish I could start again

Find some  way to think that I can win

Sometimes I wish I could find a freight train

And ride it somewhere down the line

Where does this road lead

I've been down this before

It lead me down the guided path

Destination Unknown

Maybe deciding

It's time to go it alone

So I'm hitting the highway

But I'm running out of avenues.

R.Smith

C1999 Townedgers' Music Emporium

Album: Land Of Abandonment 1999

Chords: F E D (3)  A

Chorus: G,D 7

last line: A, G D

A song about being a loner and the choice of being one. the F,E,D riff is unique in the way that the chords repeat through the verses.  It seems that D is the main choice of chord for the majority of the songs played. Originally the 151 Song was slated to lead off Land Of Abandonment but Avenues sounded better as opener.  

Whisky Jo's-Kat Sings The Blues

Songs:

Cinnamon Girl

Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Tennessee Whiskey/

I'd Rather Go Blind

My Baby Loves Me

Kat Blue-Vocals on 2 to 5

I suppose this is promising, but two weeks into the Acoustic Open Mic with Julie and Guitar Dave, a full slate of people came out to play.  Stuart Pershing played, it was the first time I have seen him play anywhere in over two years.   

I'm not sure how many showed up but I did count about 8 other musicians playing guitar and singing. I did make up a list of about 10 songs to play but by the time I got to play it was after 10 PM.  I never did any of the songs worked on earlier in the day.  Julie was taking videos so I ended up using Kimberly (Kat Blue) on the final numbers, including the medley of Whiskey/Blind numbers.    Cinnamon Girl, usually done at the end of show, was played first in the drop D tuning, which made it sound much better than usual. 

As we come to end of the month, this will be the first time that I didn't play the Sunday Funday Rumors jam, and only played drums at Whisky Jo's once.   I really don't see a need to do a end of month review since I've been catering to the needs of my folks through their health issues.   I do keep up on the updates of who played where at Rumors/Whisky Jo's.  

I do admire Kimberly for coming to Whisky Jo's to support the acoustic cause, even if Julie and Dave are wary of her.  Kimberly and I do have a nice working business relationship  when we play together. Certainly, I'd love to help Julie and Dave as much as I can, but Kimberly has been more receiving and receptive of my musical tastes.  Would it be good to have a project with Kimberly?  If I could find the time.  With family issues, I cannot commit on anything other than a open mic get together.  

Remembrance Wind Lyrics

Sometimes late at night I sit back and wonder about things

About people and the places I used to go to

It's hard to believe that they're all gone

It's still the same ole town but with different faces

While the present's here, the past keeps coming back

In the way that it's hard to show

Well when the wind blows it takes me back into time

I get the sensation that you are still mine

From another directions it gives a different sign

You can feel it if only for a while 

Can you feel it?  Remembrance Wind

Well if you truly believe  there's something  here for you

Then you truly believe that nothing will stop you

Go anywhere that God intended you to 

Just be yourself, you'll make it through

Well when the wind blows it takes me back into time

I get the sensation that you are still mine

From another direction it gives a different sign

You can feel it if only for a while

Can you feel it?

Remembrance Wind

R.Smith

C 2002  Townedger Music Emporium

From The Road Less Traveled. 

Hard to believe this came out 20 years ago, the album that is.  The last album that Brian Mullahan co produced with me,  I tend to look at this album to be one of the best that I put out.  We were on a roll, after 2001's There' Nothing Left, I wanted to have a more power pop sound than the experiments that were used on the 1999 Land Of Abandonment and There's Nothing Left.  It was quickly recorded, with Jack Orbit helping with the arrangements and Geoff n  Mark McClelland adding their two cents worth.  

Remembrance Wind was about time and memories slipping away and nostalgic feelings for a town no longer around.   John Maier got credited for the term Remembrance Wind.  One of those rare songs that didn't need drums.  

Chords:  for starters, it's D but the forth string is open for accents

Verse D G D

forth line G,E,D

Chorus: A,G,D

Can you feel it line: G strum 7 times back into D

To lively things up. between the repeated chorus

G,C,D (3) 

A,G,D

It's better suited for a bluegrass type of number, but on this song there are no drums.

(Photo by Saul)

Everlasting Thoughts Lyrics

Exceptions to the rule

We're not typical

What we're looking for

We usually don't get

Our moment in the sun

Before the clouds set in

Then we're swept out to sea

By a hurricane wind

And all we get out of this

Is everlasting thoughts

Everlasting thoughts 

Of everything as it ever was

Why are we so elusive?

We got things in common

Is this another illusion

Or a new day coming?

Are we made for each other?

Or just another excuse

Of  winning this race

Only just to lose

Chose the lesser of the evils

Find the least of the sins

Somehow the answer lies within

In the shelter of the wind.

C 1995 Townedger Music Emporium

R.Smith: Lyrics

Album: These Things Must Pass (1995)

Notes:

This song is written in a different style, a mutated 3/4 waltz.

I don't believe this was written for the person that I was seeing.  We had a very good year and half of being together before a big falling out and drifting apart but back in 95 we had lot of fun.  But as I found out that relationships with the other half having kids and dealing with petty ex boyfriends that the  longer you hang with somebody, the longer you'll going to have fights and insecurity issues.

The main chords are  A, E, D

to which the final line of the verse leading to the chorus would be  A,E,A

Chorus is G,D,A  First line 

Everlasting thoughts line G,D (Three times)

G,D,A

Redding got credit for the arrangement of the waltz riff.  I think this is the only song that I do that has that oddball 3/4 time.   In the history of the Townedgers, Everlasting Thoughts never got played much. The guest drummers couldn't figure out how to play the riff.  For the influence of this song, it might have been Uncle Tupelo or even Whiskeytown.  Even after 27 years, the mind gets clouded of the actual influence, but it may have come from jamming out notes and seeing if anything sticks.  Brian Mullahan said that it's a unique song and it should be recorded.  In our trademark learning as we go, we might have done 7 takes before getting a decent version.  For my Acoustic Adventures, this song seems to fit in well and has been dusted off to play to the masses again.