Thoughts from The Townedger-September Edition

Greetings.  It was 30 years ago, that I released Wapsipinicon Dreaming.  It had a flood of hits so to speak.   This is the Wapsi with a 24 foot crest at Paris this week.  The floods have been a big story.  The Cedar River in town managed to creep up to almost 22 feet.  Lot of people went out of their way to sandbag and move their things to higher ground.  Wasn't as bad as the 2008 one (and I hope we never see that much water again) but the floods did put a stop to the Rumor's Popcorn Jam on Sunday and the Parlor City Tuesday Night Blues Jam.  BTW, I didn't take this picture up above, but Lisa Stick did while scoping out the floods along the Wapsi.   I should point out that this is the first time in the fall ever, that we got this much rain from up north to play havoc down here.  Climate change is not fun.   Usually on a decent day, Sutton Road, where the Paris bridge lies at is always seem have lots of water around all year around.  I noticed the musty moldy smell of mud river is always in the air down there.  But The Paris Bridge is a beautiful bridge.  Below is how it looks when the river is in it's banks.

I think originally the cover art of Wapsi Dreaming was supposed to have the Red Bridge but we never got around taking any pictures of it back in 1986.  Brian Mullahan had a cabin next to the river that we recorded some of the songs at, but a couple years later it got flooded out.  We trying to get a vibe like playing out by the river and I think we almost had it right.  Alas, the recorder we used sped things up so when it was time to overdub, each playback the songs slowed down.  CD technology managed to correct that to somewhat better effect but the WOW and FLUTTER ratio was real bad.  Like most of the early stuff, there are great songs and there are good songs and there's a couple that didn't turned out as planned.   I thought about doing a new album of Wapsi Dreaming Revisited but there is a couple songs I really don't want to redo.  They should remain in music history.  The below picture with the band in front of the bridge would have worked wonders.

I didn't do much popcorn jamming this month, outside of the 2 Beatles songs that I did with Tommy Bruner, Craig Erickson and Dan Johnson.  Smokin Guns hosted one jam and they had electric drums and I passed.  I like jamming with John Shaw but the drummer didn't want anybody playing his real drums so he bought his electric drums instead.  Or maybe Herm did.  By the time I got there, the songs I knew they already did and Herm got called back up stage a second time.   Too nice of a day to waste so I went elsewhere.

I did get a used Tama Rockstar set for 200 dollars for jamming purposes or getting gigs around town.  As of the moment, there's been no real offers to get into a new band.  Best case scenario would be with my best friend Russ again.  I did run into Wiley Kat at the Parlor City Blues jam on a rare Tuesday Night off and he and Ben, the bass player are in the Kirkwood Jazz Band.  We had a cordial chat but didn't jam together.  By the time I got up there, he was long gone.

October will find The Townedgers working on a new album.  Working title still remains KROD and still going through the archives to see what song we can improve upon. Over 200 songs to choose from and only 12 spots open on the CD.    It will be a push to complete it before the year is out.  But I've done it before in time.

I love Brook Hoover and his song selections.  He plays with the Flaming Camaros and the Surf Zombies to go with his solo career.  He's a very eccentric and quirky guitar player somewhat like Geoff Redding. With two bands and a solo acoustic career I don't know if he'll have the time to do any projects with me.  I think my evening job has killed off a few chances of playing live but I have to follow the money.  I love playing live and jamming with the folk but it just doesn't pay the bills as well.  That said, I can forsee doing something with Brook if the stars align just right.

Julie And The Mad Dogs are getting back around the bar circuit.  They will be down in Anamosa at Knuckleheads on Halloween weekend (Friday), and then will figure into the Popcorn Jam that Sunday on the one year passing of Kyle Oyloe.  I'd love to sit in with them once again.

With parts of Cedar Rapids underwater, (the Bo Town area), there's talk about doing a benefit for the folks at Tornados and Kick Stand and Mad Art Gallery who got left out of the HESCO Barriers when the Cedar River spilled over.  Kinda of a sore subject but knowing how Ron Corbett and the CR City council works, I think they been trying to buy the land off the owners.  I did put in a word to help out anybody looking for a drummer for a makeshift band but I am not holding my breath at all if I will participate.  Even in the flood years of 1993 (when it was Kacers (sic)) and 2008 that area always gets flooded.  Once the Cedar recedes, something will come of it for a concert and proceeds helping out the businesses affected by the flood.  In the old Ma's building, they have been refinishing it and I heard it's supposed to be a pizza place.  In my time down at New Bo/Bo Town, I never ate at Tornados, but I promise next time they open I'll try out their burgers.  But by then, they should be hopping with people too.

I know Martin and Geoff have said that I've taken record collecting more seriously then The Townedgers and of course I've seen Martin roll his eyes at some of the 45s I bought, but I always said that record collecting has been my favorite hobby and perhaps if I had played drums like I collect records, I'd be in the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.  Sad to say it don't work like that.  I'll continue to play my usual Keith Moon type of drumming and hope people enjoy it.  So far they have. But in reality, The Townedgers don't sell a lot of music and originals don't go over very well with the bar crowds wanting to hear Free Bird.

Did somebody mention Stone City?  They got flooded too, although the General Store made out okay. The Wapsi only made it just under the first floor.  I'm guessing the basement got a bit of water though.  The TEs have covered Stone City Rock And Roll, originally done by Billy Janey, but we threw a couple of lyrics to make it rocking.  Billy wasn't impressed.

If they didn't have 10 other bands to contend with, I would ask Tommy Bruner and Dan Johnson to form some sort of a band collective and Brook Hoover too.  I betcha we would stump each other with all the music that we know.   That probably won't happen either.

Losing Bruce Stanley hasn't totality sunk in yet.  I always keep thinking that I will see him at the pawnshop and we can talk of tunes and bullshit a while.  I also know I'll run into Tim Hotz at Half Priced Books soon.  I usually do.  It was nice to run into Jerry Scott at Bruce's funeral and I did give him my phone number if The Merles 2, his band was looking for a drummer.  Heard that story a couple times. Don't forsee it but it could happen.  Heard his son is a guitar wizard.

Unlucky in love, yes I am.  Out of all the ones that I dated, Nicole helped me write a couple songs.  I did credit Amy for Moonlight And You on Town's Edge Rock since she was the inspiration for said song but she didn't write the words.  Nicole helped on Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever and Place And Time.  Clarise liked the albums that I did when we were together.  The rest washed their hands of the band.

That's it for now.  Stay dry everybody.