Popcorn Jam 12/19/16-Hot Jam On A Cold Day

Lineup:

Brook Hoover-Guitar
Tommy Bruner-Guitar
Dan Johnson-Bass
Bob Gleason-Harmonica
Rodney Smith-Drums
Terry McDowell-Host

Songs:

I Knew The Bride
I Hear You Knocking
Boom Boom
You Can't Always Get What You Want
10 Minute Trippy Beats Jam
(also, some Christmas Surf Music improvised by Brook Hoover)

Typical December weather here, blowing snow all day yesterday and today we suffered through 4 below weather with a wind chill around 35 below zero.  And the Corsica's starter decided to take a dump, another something to be replaced on the car.

I've spent Saturday working on the new side country project still not under a working title or band.  Will it be the forthcoming of the legendary Wapsipincon Dreamers or do I tack it on under the Townedgers banner?  We did six songs before my vocals gave out.  I just didn't have the pitch to sing Let Your Love Flow.  I got  If I Were A Carpenter, Fly Away Home, O Death, Splendid Isolation, A Stranger To Himself and Spanish Harlem Incident.  I know Spanish Harlem Incident and Carpenter we practiced a lot on, Splendid Isolation was thought up upon the spot, although when Warren Zevon did his version he threw another chord into the chorus which we didn't and couldn't figure out till later on.   With the passing of Bruce Stanley, and now Ellis Kell, I got word that my cousin Billy Pinney died Thursday at age 57 from heart failure.  So we took up a version of O Death, the old traditional folk song done by Camper Von Beethoven and did a ominous version of it.  Looks like 57 is the new 27 of leaving this planet and both Bruce and Billy died at age 57.  I have a year and a month left to reach that age.

I don't like recording at this time of the year. With dry air and everybody sick at work, I end up having a gravely throat and it was ideal to sing O Death at a lower octave, not so much on the Mama part later on.   The hope is to find another 6 songs to live with and record them too, but I am not sure if I have the vocals to do them till perhaps springtime.   I might tire of the cover version quickly, but we hope to put our own little spin on Gold Dust Woman and Lodi before all things are said and done.

For Sunday, it was pointless to record, and while the temps were bone chilling cold I managed to pop into the Rumors Jam.  Needless to say, the turnout of jammers were very small.  This one woman, Sheila which I talked to on occasion, popped up to say hi, and peppered my friend Kathy with plenty of hugs and danced on the floor, but she got on a tirade on Blue Scratch, she tried out for them and I guess things didn't go well.  She didn't have much good things to say about them.  She disappeared after Boom Boom.

With only me and Kim Bean there, I had plenty of time on the stage, almost a full half hour or 35 minutes, almost a like a whole set list.   Basically it was the Brook Hoover show, throwing a lot of Surf Christmas songs into the mix and first time run through of I Knew The Bride (He chose the Nick Lowe version from Rose Of England) and DJ gave us Boom Boom, done with a bit more swing I think and Tommy did the Stones number, before we ended things on a improvisation piece of off beats and following Brook and then over to Dan and then to Tommy till about 8 minutes later. 

After that it was time for a nap.  Kim Bean took over and the insane Craig Dewitte popped up to slur his way through Tush and managed to hug almost all the jammers out there, except for me.  I think he forgot jamming alongside me earlier in the year.  Kim plays unbelievably light on the drums, a very light drummer's touch.  Dan threw him a curve on Love Me Two Times by The Doors, it's not one of the Saloonatics songs (probably been better to do Riders On The Storm as originally intended). Afterwards I chatted with Brook about recording drums and who The Townedgers are all about.  No word about any projects together but there's always next year.

If there's any pictures of me at the recent popcorn jams, I have yet to come across them.  It would have been nice had somebody taken some pictures of the last jam song. I actually worked up a sweat.

And finally, on Monday my coworker and one time producer Steve Rasmussen underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery.  On Friday he went home.  That was record time recovery but I don't think Steve cares much for the hospital or doctors, which almost cost him his life it seems.   Take it slow Frank, I don't want to sing O Death at your funeral anytime soon.

On behalf of DJ, and Tommy (Brenda Snow photo credit), plus The Townedgers, Merry Christmas.