The Blues

I'm still at odds with myself about jamming with folks.  I have great moments, some not so great and sometimes why the hell I show up at these things, when there will be 8 other drummers or the like.  Tonight, while braving 1 above temps and a lurking full moon outdoors, I continue to be wowed by the drummers who do show up and the extended jams continue.  Brenda, Tommy Bruner's girlfriend mentioned that her dentist was playing drums during a spirited set with Skeeter Lewis, an old blues soul singer with a big ponytail down to his butt.   Dan Johnson jams with Skeeter from time to time, why I didn't know Skeeter?  I just don't go out often enough to see who's playing out there.

Eric Douglas was the drummer host and he used a couple 18 inch crashes for a high hat, ala Doug Clifford.  Since there was a assortment of great drummers, I didn't get to play but on one song, Dead Flowers with DJ, Tom Giblin, Tommy Bruner and Skeeter Lewis doing backing vocals., Dan did Jingle "f'n" Bells and I just clapped along while Eric played Hi hat.

Basically it was a nice to get away from work and from the Negative Nelly  who continues to bitch and moan about if I do any work or not, let alone me helping Sonya burst and trim labels. I have to deal with this shit for 31 years working at my place of employment, do not nothing at all but I'm supposed to do test jobs and do a shift report, to which I said hell with it, we have a full staff and I really don't want to deal with the Negative Nelly.  I cannot help if her personal life is hell, just don't blame me for the bullshit in her life.  Either kill yourself or get another job or fuck off.   It pays the same and basically I'm sick and tired of it all.  They laid off the wrong people again.   Or just let me go, so I continue to get back into the music scene full time instead of jams and one offs.   Where's Rod at? He went fucking someplace to have fun and get away from you how about that???

At the jam I talked with Brenda about The Wiley Kat, who usually shows up for the blues jam and hangs at Cooters.  The band thing didn't work out and while Tim and I are on the level and opening to jams, unless he has anything lined up, there's nothing there to continue onward.  Ben Benton, the bass player has been keeping busy with the Kirkwood Jazz band and really he was the one that kept us together, even though Tim wanted to can him on occasion. Ben has good rhythm and sense of melody, which is why he's in the jazz band.  He fucking rocked it on One Way Out.

However, I don't see myself hosting any jam sessions and the phone hasn't ring with any offers about doing something to that effect.  Having a evening job quells any attempt although I do have vacation days to use if the need arrives.  In a attempt to bullshit myself, I am considering getting some low volume cymbals just in case a Stone City or Parlor City gig comes up. But for now it's business as usual.

The Townedgers new album is now done and completed, I have found myself adding more new songs for inclusion for the next album.  Since I have two TE albums done for this year, I'm tempted to revive the Wapsipinicon Dreamers side project, which has been off and on since 1992 when Chris Dutcher and I started work on a couple songs, only to have him bail out after completing one of them.  The intent is to cover certain songs with a folk/country mood and put under The Wapsi Dreamers name, and I tried to do that a couple times.  One became A Long Time Forgotten, the other was Forthcoming Trains.  Both came out under The Townedgers.

So I continue to while away the hours on guitar picking old favorites from the record player and seeing what I can do with them and so far we have 5 songs ready to record.  And tonight's blues jam I was taking notes on the guitar players and their songs.  The dentist drummer may not have gotten the beat right on Cissy Strut but he did a outstanding job in his own way and on All Along The Watchtower.  Perhaps being freed from the Negative Nelly at work, I could hang with Dan Johnson more and get a feel of what he does for music and the guys such as Daddy O or Skeeter.  But for now, I'll continue with what I'm doing with The Townedgers and bide my time.  It's all I can do.