Promoting Jubliee-Checker's Tavern 12/21/16

Parlor City Jam Lineup 12/20/16

Bob Dorr-Harmonica and lead vocals
Jeff Petersen-Guitar and vocals
Tom Giblin-Keyboards
Dan Johnson-Bass
R.Smith-Loud drums

Songs:

Move It On Over
I'm A Man
House Of The Rising Sun
Four In The Morning
Green Onions
Rocking My Life Away

(Photo: Cathy Hartman Spina- With Joe Hutchcroft on congas)

Rodney Smith Solo with some help-12/21/16

Rodney Smith-Lead vocals and guitar!
Skip Richards-Bass
Joe Hutchcroft-Backing vocals and percussion
Lorie Parker-Lead vocals on Let Your Love Flow

Songs:

Rock Me Baby
I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better
Ever So Much
Let Your Love Flow


It's been over a year since I got the old guitar out to play songs, last time was Wrigleyville last year.  With the completion of Jubilee I really wanted to emphasis and focus more on guitar work rather than pounding on the drums during jam sessions.  Taking time off from work to have fun jamming this week was nice, although work still remains to be done in playing more softly in front of a captive audience and a owner not too keen on loud music.  Which Tuesday Night, I got to sit in with Bob Dorr and Jeff Petersen from The Blue Band.  Both are long time veterans and established as Hall Of Fame rockers from Iowa.  In the presence of Dorr, I do come to find he was a very vast and knowledge of the blues, really tearing into I'm A Man, and shouting through the harmonica microphone, I think I heard not only Little Walter but even Captain Beefheart in Dorr's vocals.  I also found myself being carried away by my playing on Move It On Over, to which Tom Giblin politely mentioned that I was playing too loud and instructed me on how to tone it down.  Even with 35 plus years of drumming, I still remain somewhat undisciplined and not on the same page.  Any future Parlor City jams I must find a way to come down to not stand out. Giblin knows what works and once we got on the same page, I discovered an inner groove to compliment Tom's playing and Bob's harmonica, Jeff's guitar and Dan's bass (note: Dan wasn't playing bass during my time on stage, the same guy who backed up Skeeter Lewis was on stage but nobody ever mentioned his name and I tried to look it up on past jams.  If and when I find the name I'll add him to the mix.  The best part was getting folks out on the dance floor on Rockin My Life Away, a song that Jerry Lee Lewis did as well as George Thorogood.  Guess which version I knew best.

The big announcement was that on Wednesday I was going to play guitar at the Checker's Acoustic Jam and last night, I went through The Townedgers songs and picked out about 6 to do and ended up doing four.  I did stop to see how Karl Hudson was doing with the Rumors Acoustic Jam and it wasn't looking very well, even worse when somebody stole one of Karl's prized microphones.  Everybody likes Karl and wishes the best for him but when it comes to acoustic Wednesday Nights it has been Checkers and the Acousta Kitties.   Cathy Hartman Spina and Lorie Parker and Julie Gordon have been one of the most beloved trio out there and every show they have is fun.  Which was why I chose to play guitar, I knew they would support me and there would be plenty of musicians to help out putting my music together.  I thought on occasion that Russ or Dewayne would be on stage helping me out, but Russ says he's still not ready to hit the stage and while I invite him to show on jams, I resigned to the fact that he won't be there.   He's afraid that somebody will spring out Sweet Home Alabama on him, which did happen the two times he did show up.  He swears there will not be a third time. But in the situation with Karl, he's a full time musician and will find ways to get gigs, although I'm sure he probably wishes he was back in Florida and the sunshine and warm weather.   Playing to a sparse crowd, to which somebody rips off your band equipment makes a lousy evening.  And that may have put an end to the Rumors Acoustic Jam.  He's better off hosting something in Stone City, they usually have good turnouts even on winter nights there.

It was Cathy and Lorie doing the show, Steve Black Wolf and Skip Richards helping out and Joe Hutchcroft making a rare appearance.  Certainly, when it was my time to hit the stage on guitar I didn't figure he would be up there.  By that time, Skip Richards popped up to play bass.  I was still trying to figure out what to start out, and ended up doing Rock Me Baby instead of Let's Work Together.  Most of the songs were three chords easy to play, I told Joe to do some blues conga work and it actually worked very well to my surprise.  I used the version off Jubilee and even to the tag ending.   On the next song Feel A Whole Lot Better, Joe offered to do the counter vocals and that worked out well, even the harmonies of a first time, not bad since we never worked together with me playing guitar.  But it's still a work in progress but being my debut as guitarist lead singer, the process of practicing the songs before coming to Checkers helped a lot.    Next up, I did Ever So Much from Pawnshops for Olivia, basically D, C, G, and repeat till you get tired of the song, which is about 3 minutes tops.  The crowd seemed to like it judging by some woman giving her boyfriend a lap dance. And then I pawned off the lead vocals to Let Your Love Flow to Lorie Parker and her and Joe kinda did a duet since that song was bit out of her vocal range (and of course mine but I'll get that song right eventually) but I did sang backing vocal. 

Overall for a debut, it was better than expected.  After announcing that I was going to show up and play guitar I had thoughts to cancel out. But I needed to get this done, to see if I could do it and I did it.   After which I went back to play percussion and later straight cowbell after a couple folks jumped up to play congas.   I wanted to do Knocking On Heaven's Door with Steve Black Wolf but when he did that song I was on the congas instead of guitar but no biggie.  But for a winter night, there was a good crowd and plenty of people up there to support it.  Julie Gordon, two weeks after knee replacement wanted to show up, but I think we talked her out of it for at least another week.   I plan to return next week and take up guitar again for a few more songs, I just have to get used to having people around to help me and get more comfortable.  With the Acousta Kitties around, they do make the jams fun and the patrons very supportive.  Some are pretty dedicated, Belinda Christensen James works in Waterloo and comes down to do these jams with her boyfriend Mark Randolph.  Steve moved from Vermont and has hanged around the jam circuit for the past six months.  A lot of good people were there, and up to the crazy ending of Cathy and Lorie's husband rapping to Save a Horse Ride A Cowboy you had to be there.  In the end with Lorie doing her Boobalicius song to end the whole, I was there, playing the congas. 

Even with guitar in hand, I'm still a drummer by trade. ;-)

(The Acousta Kitties: Cathy Hartman Spina, Lorie Parker, Julie Jules Gordon)