Thoughts Of The Townedger-September Edition

So much going on.  The jam sessions of the past two months are coming to an end at Tuesday Nights.  I love jamming with T Ray Robertson, Dave Bonham and a many others but I'll be working full time once again and bills need to be paid for the next hospital visit.  Once  things slow down I will be back to weeknights jamming but if nothing else I can probably do the Rumors Sunday Jam till the snow flies.  Usually I like to spend the waning hours of the fall watching leaves turn and trains down at the nature center, but they are putting up a new building where the trail used to be.  Not happy about it, but that's progress I gather.

The surprise of the month was seeing DeWayne Schminkey, my old Open Highway guitar player took  a few shots of courage (and a couple shots of Jack) and come up on stage and we did about four or five songs together.  It's irony but when I was wailing away on Rocky Mountain Way, he strolled in.  We did a few songs from the old Open Highway catalog, a version of Oh Boy, a couple of Pink Floyd Wall tracks, one of them Mother was done as avant garde number but perhaps the highlight was a version of Knocking On Heaven's Door.   Of course I knew the words, it was done off Forthcoming Trains and I think we did all right on that number.  Usually Ross, the bar owner of Rumors does that song on Sunday Afternoons, and I think he does it via Guns And Roses.  While his version is more of a tribute to his friends who passed on, my version is more darker and a bit more piss and vinegar, as if that long dark cloud is coming down on us.   While Dave and T Ray have been jam bros throughout the whole two months, it's even more special when I got Russ to join up on stage and just as much DeWayne as well.  I guess it all goes back when we were all friends and knew each other in high school and around town and our band was the first band we got it together.  We played at a new year's party as a opening act, we played the Pink Elephant and drove the undesirables out with country music before getting back to rock and roll.  Like Russ, DeWayne and I share a common bond.  We both stayed way past our bedtime that night but I'd do it again just for the pleasure of hanging with one of my favorite guitar players.  If I get a free afternoon, I'm sure we will get together and play a while.  Just like in the old days.

Another highlight of the month was patching up differences with my grade school good friend Jeff Kewley.  When we saw each other at the reunion party this month, we talked for about a good half hour and he said that he has taken up the guitar at age 50 and has taken lessons.   We went through a lot through grades 4 through 6 at Longfellow School and bad fortune of having a good looking girl tear our friendship.  Even we didn't get that certain girl, Jeff has done quite well being married for over 30 years with his wife and she remains as stunning as ever.  I hope some day that I can convince Jeff to come out and jam a song or two.  Miracles do happen, I got Russ and Dewayne back on stage this year. I hope to convince Dennis Lancaster to pick up a guitar and jam next time he comes into town.

I hope to finish up the album archives next month.  It does bring back memories when I come across the sessions of previous recordings, sometimes good, mostly bad.  But not the songs themselves.  The argument is that Diamonds In The Skies was the classic Townedgers album, but in my eyes, Light At The End Of The Tunnel was the best of the bunch, it certainly was the most emotional one before Pawnshops For Olivia came to be in 2008.   Especially when I had to shelve the album after my appendix burst on me.  While this was the 3rd and final album of the Clarice Trilogy, I think a better term that it was the final album of the Broadcast Manor years, which started with The First And Last Reunion in 1993 and ended with Light At The End Of The Tunnel.  While the last year and half of us being together wasn't much fun, Clarice in the beginning of our time together really was an inspiration and the love songs were written with her in mind, from Undying Love to Listen To Love. I'd rather remember her in that way.

I don't think Clarice is computer savvy.  She disappeared after I picked the car up from her in 1999.

Townedger Radio was a nice outlet to promote the music and to do it for 15 shows was a feat upon itself.  When people ask about where to listen the music, I tend to post links to TE radio and what ever is posted.  But then again, you get folks who rather hear everything for free, since the TEs are not well known, it's best to put it on the net, all of it for no cost to them.  Diamonds in the skies is the free album, it's been out for those to hear for about 10 years now, thanks to Diggy Kat, and I posted selected singles that showcase the best of the TEs.  But I don't make any money doing that, it's a showcase of the best music and if your a fan I'll do my best to accommodate but then I would transfer songs into MP3s or make CDs that nobody buys.  In this day and age, CDs from unknown artists usually get thrown in the dumpster or dollar bins.  I read some of the concerns from fans off the Facebook site and when they mentioned about promoting the music, I direct them to the links that do have the music available.  I can count on one hand how many folks did buy an CD and one of them was somebody I dated for a while.  Certain artists do protect their music, and I do admit that to get a TE CD you really have to really want it to get a copy.  And people's attention spans are shorter than they have ever been.  To be honest if i was a stranger, I would  buy the TEs, it's alternative rock garage fun.   I have the greatest supporter in Diggy Kat, he's the main person that has kept the TEs alive and well on Lucky Star Radio and I suppose some day our tenure there will be over.   But he's had my back in the past 12 years of being friends with him.  I wish there were a few more like him.

I doubt if I will hear my music on Spotify or Pandora.  If I did I wouldn't get paid.  They don't cut checks under a half penny.

And my music should be fun to play and listen to.  If it's not anymore then I'll retire once and for all.

If the jam sessions have done anything, it's that I'm beginning to get more at ease singing and playing. The vocals have been a bit more assured and more confident.  I don't know if I'll ever get used to play guitar in front of a crowd, it's still a work in progress and not a good one, but I have held my own in the studio.  Otherwise who else would have thought up those riffs and words?  And albums too?

I didn't go back into jamming just to see if I can get a bit of lady action.  At this point in time, I have no desire for drunk 22 year olds trying to sing Hit Me With Your Best Shot or Bon Jovi.  Usually when the jam is over for the night, yours truly wants to go home and rewind on the computer before bed.   It's kinda  pain in the ass when your trying to maneuver around some drunk chick shaking her butt to some techno playing on the net jukebox and her giving you the evil eye when you bump into her when she's not paying attention.   I prefer records.