I have continued to appear at various jam sessions for the past month and it's been mucho fun hanging with some of the finest musicians out there. Last Sunday at Rumors' I was paired up with Tommy Bruner, one of the best songwriters in town and one of the nicest guys you ever want to meet. Tommy also plays in a few other bands, ( Past Masters) and he is the guitarist next to Bart Carfizzi who is the keyboard player and hosts many jams in the area. The bass player is Jess Toomsen who with her husband Rich are part of Wooden Nickel Lottery, a up and coming blues band, who will be opening for Anthony Gomes in Davenport this November. They have a album you can get from CD Baby and is recommended. Tommy has a solo album coming out and I can't wait to hear it. I hope someday I can borrow Tommy to do some jamming on future projects but he's very busy. Wooden Nickel Lottery's website is here: http://www.woodennickellottery.com/
Past Masters have been very busy touring the Midwest as well. They're a fun band to see as well. You have to check out Chad Johnson their lead singer. He's a pure entertainer. You can catch them at this link: http://www.past-masters.com/
If you want to further confuse them, just tell them Crabby sent ya!. They probably don't know who I am ;-)
(Honey Badgers: Front: Cathy Hart, Julie Gordon, Dawn Sedelcek, Back: Lorie Parker, Jess Toomsen, Barb Myers. Brenda Snow took the photo. Dawn provided her own drum set. Jess was my rhythm section partner. I didn't associate with The Acousta Kitties at that time, nobody knew of my guitar playing and they didn't know me. Things would change eventually)
The Sunday Popcorn Jam was taped and can be seen on You Tube or here and it marks the debut of myself playing drums on a couple songs with the musicians in the first picture. Fast forward to 15:30 mark to see me in a brief minute and a half cameo. Check out Bart's odd look on Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay. The half hour highlights can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH10WAgankM
I'm finished with the songs on the new album Fitting Finales and it's now on to doing the drums tracks. I did about 20 songs, including a couple different takes on a couple songs. I think it continues the way Forthcoming Trains did, although I went back to more acoustic songs rather than electric. I'm sure I'll pick the right 12 songs and then finalize the whole thing before October. I think after that, I'll see what options is there, if I want to continue to jam often, or try to start up a new band project. Of course I should have not bought them, money is tight but I couldn't pass up on finding a pair of 14 inch Quick Beat Hi Hats from Zildjian for 100 dollars at Music Go Round. I think I paid 200 for my old pair many years ago and got rid of for a song. If nothing else, Fitting Finales will be the first album that I have done using any type of Quick Beats since Postcards From The Edge, 28 years ago. We're turning full circle again.
Dawn Sedlacek provided the drums for the Sunday jam, and most of her cymbals were Zildjian with the exception of a Sabian Splash cymbal but I loved her 20 Ride cymbal. I know it was a Zildjian but it may have been either a sweet ride or a medium ride. I really wanted to take that one home with me. Dawn is part of a band called Sound Daze. She absolutely kills it on Mr Big To Be With You. The surprise is that she did a mash up of Metallica's Enter Sandman with Don't Stop Believein'. Very impressive. Since I'm giving props and shout outs to my musician jammers, I'll put in a plug for her band: https://www.reverbnation.com/SoundDaze
I tend to notice for jam sessions that is better to leave the power crashes at home. The problem is that they overpower everything. Terry McDowell has a Power Crash 18 inch cymbal that is quite loud, so I end up using it for a ride more often than not. Since I haven't been using them, I have taken a couple of Paiste cymbals, an 18 inch Innovations Medium Crash and a 18 inch Signature Mellow Crash along with the 3000 20 inch Ride, and the 13 inch Signature medium hats and left the 2002s at home, I rather not have folks bashing on them. Since Forthcoming Trains, I've been back to Zildjian K's and the Armand Ride for main cymbals. As I gotten older I tend to favor a smaller crash ride cymbals The Armand Ride is perfect for riding the groove and crash too. If people never requested to hear them in the last contest that I did in asking folks what cymbals I should use, I probably still be playing the Paiste 2002 and 3000s. But I tend to like the more fuller and beefier sounds of the session crash of the 18 inch K's and the old beat up Medium Thin K crash that has been a part of my recording career since 1995. New cymbals may be nice but vintage cymbals are better.
For the first time in over 30 years, Russ Swearingen and me were on stage together again and I have to say it was a highlight in a somewhat frustrating night. It also provides a reason why I haven't played in other bands, the egos and not being on a same page on certain songs. Jam sessions are supposed to be fun, not dictatorial. When Russ showed up and got on the stage, it seemed like we picked up where we left behind. He seems to know where I'm heading the songs and doesn't take exception to the oddball beats that I will do from time to time. I don't play things by the record and never will. I always add a counterpoint or put in some accents. It's always been that way. I know I'm not the same wild drummer I was 30 years when Russ and I shared the stage, I can't play that way, I would be dead from a heart attack and even my reservedness, there is a rude tenacity that borderlines on craziness. There's certainly a lot of drummers in the area that can play circles around me, but I do know I can lay down a beat that can get people to dance, or get crazy. As much as I like having Bart or T Ray Robertson on stage and them encourage me to play, Russ remains the inspiration and spark, the guy I can lean on more often than Bart or T Ray or Guitar Dave. I suppose I should have invited Russ to be more involved in The Townedgers music and that's on me and everything I do is secret. I look at Russ more as the bandmate in Paraphernalia Tyrus than The TEs. The TEs remain my band and my vision and I don't think he would conform to such tyranny. In Paraphernalia Tyrus, he is my equal, just as he was in the band we had in 2008, I/O. But then again I kinda withdrew from him in 2008, the flood didn't help.
But when he was on stage last Thursday, I realized that I missed him more than I let on. Even while rusty, he impressed T Ray to the point that T Ray may have some openings for him to handle. I'm sure Russ would fit into any band, more so than myself. If nothing else I do believe Russ really doesn't want to be pegged into a classic rock bar band type of person. I look at myself as alternative folk garage country rocker. I'd be bullshtting everybody to think I was a Blues man, or country player. I love all kinds of music (within reason and certainly not rap) and could play it if I had a general idea what people want me to do. I can't explain the chemistry that Russ brings to the band, all I know is somehow it works and we have it together. I know he really doesn't care much for Rocky Mountain Way, like I do but it's our theme song, it made us (Me) notorious 23 years ago and it's still a fun song. It's a bit strange now that I'm the one singing it but no matter what, I think it's special moment when we play it together. I like the chance of sharing the stage with Jess and Tommy but I love it when my best friend on stage with me. It's like 1982 all over again.
And thank God his wife Deb took a picture of us on stage together. Otherwise the moment would have been lost forever.
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