End Of The Month Rapport

It's a rainy afternoon and I'm finishing up laundry.  And getting ready for the busy cycle at work.  I'm at work with my body, sneezing, hacking and coughing and dealing with back spams once again.  So I'm feeling like shit on a shit day.

While I begin to take a sabbatical from the local jam sessions this month, I managed to spend the night with Julie And The Mad Dogs at the local watering hole, and this time out they did a much better try at War Pigs and Fairies Wear Boots.   Tiffany Z, popped in for a few and we said hi and chatted for a moment, she's playing in 50 Shades Of Rock in Moline tonight.  I hope to see her and her band soon.  I did chat with Mike the drummer for a while and we talked drums of course and his love of Paiste 2002 cymbals.  He also plays in another band that will be up in my neck of the woods tonight.  Looks like Monticello has two drummers that I know of, him and Rocky Smith.   One of the Anamosa faithful, Steve popped up on guitar for a song and we chatted a while too.

Tiffany Z, while talking about what we are doing for band projects did compliment me on that funky workout with Ernest and that Jimbo Starks/Clyde Stubblefield funky groove that I managed to pull off without messing up.  Awfully nice of her to say that.  She does keep up on new things to do and she was schooling the old crabb to keep it up.  She still has plenty of years left to continue to be one of the best drummers around.  And only gets better everytime I hear her play too.

The musical blahs has set in again, as I got together with Geoff and Pat about the next album or where it leads.  Fitting Finales is only a half year old and it's too soon to really demo new material.  And questions about doing any more jamming on the weekends as well.  I am feeling my age at this point.  Jule mentioned that she started her gig with the Acousta Kitties from 6 to 8 before doing her gig with the Mad Dogs   Great musicians around here do play in 2 or more bands and make the sacrifice to rock and roll.  I tip my hat off to them and to Tiffany to playing drums and going after a Masters Degree.

But as I get older in life, I have gotten used to working on my own time to complete albums and do gigs under The Townedgers banner.  Plus I don't move as fast as I once did and lugging drums from gigs to gigs does take a toll without roadies.  When I think about The Wiley Kats, we had good personnel, but I spoke the truth when I said I may not have time for that and to plan accordingly.  There's always another drummer waiting to take your place if you're not dedicated enough, or having a working job.  But I do know that there will be a day that I'll walk away even from the jam sessions.  Sometimes I would rather just lounge on the couch and watch a DVD and pass out for an hour or two. The advantages of getting older.

But Dan Johnson and Terry McDowell play on, because they are good at it and have multiple bands. Perhaps they have to.  When you're a professional you can do that, name your place and time and play.  The hobbyist only has so much time to partake in jam sessions and or make a one song appearance if a local band is in town and you're at that place. Julie is good at that too, between the Acoustakitties, The Mad Dogs and Blue Scratch she keeps busy.   I might have taken myself out of playing Parlor City or even Rumors when I opted out of The Wiley Kats, but it all boils down to economics and paying bills, or having fun for that matter.   And in the end, playing for fun at popcorn jams meant more than trying to split 150 dollars three ways for a three hour gig and not knowing if you're going to get paid equally or at all.

It might be an interesting live Townedgers album if we get time and a place to do it. Being around Wiley and Julie and the rest of the music gang has prompted me to take notes on how to approach a live gig.  Or even try to be back on stage again with my best friend in the future.   The rock spirit is always there but then again something in life will come up and we'll have to postpone everything once again.  And the damn yard needs to be mowed again.