Popcorn Jam 1/15/17 Ice Station Brookie

Lineup:

Brook Hoover-Guitar
Tommy  Bruner-Guitar
Dan Johnson-Bass
R.Smith-Drums
Courtney Trimble-Vocals (Rhiannon, Bobby McGee)
Nick Lnenicka-Harmonica
Tom Listebarger-keyboards 

Terry McDowell-Host

Songs:

Rhiannon
Me And Bobby McGee
Not Fade Away  (Brook Vocals)
Cocaine Blues (Brook Vocals)
Sleep Walk
Suzie Q (Tommy Vocals)
Beer Barrel Polka Number 2 (Brook Vocals)

(Photo: Laurel Henshaw  L to R: Brook Hoover, R.Smith, Dan Johnson, Tommy Bruner)

A short turnout today.  I think the forthcoming winter ice storm scared a few folk away but I thought it was one of the most varied and interesting jams of late.  Featuring the hardest working guys in town (Brook, Tom, Dan, Tommy had eight gigs in four days, Dan plays every other day), but somebody stole Brook's mic with the blue lights on it at some gig (CRL one thinks) and he was missing it.  He showed up with a Gibson Les Paul and played that instead of the Rickenbocker at Parlor City last time we jammed together.  This was the first time at Rumors that Brook took over the song list, basically during my tenure up there, which included a Beer Barrel Polka to which he wore my drum playing out towards the end.  No excuse for a 5 minute polka but I went with wherever Brook took us.

I got there late.  I dropped off a bunch of CDs at Half Price Books and got 40 dollars and some shelf space for the three stacks of CDs waiting to be filed away.  Then off to the recycle center and bid farewell to my humidifier that died two days ago.  Since it was a nice afternoon (32 degrees) I decided to do a walk around Cedar Rapids before heading to Rumors.  I felt better this time out than last week when I was dealing with sore hands and wrists from packaging work and Terry managed to get me up on stage after I walked in the door.    Earlier on Saturday a fellow jammer came to complain about not being able to play right off the bat, a fellow from New York, who did jammed late one night and did a amazing version of All Along The Watchtower and managed to get a band going with some of the guys from Julie And The Mad Dogs.  So far in his half year of being here he's managed to piss off a few players with his demanding practice and his methods.  After his Facebook posting of suggesting a sign up list and him demanding special treatment, I had to reply back and telling him I had no problems of jamming, that it was he got there at 4 and then left at 4:30 when told how things work around here and to be patient.   He certainly hasn't been patient it seems.  Perhaps maybe it's best that he go back to New York state, arrogance and bad attitude won't get you very far here.  He's not winning many friends here.

Courtney returned back to the stage and we did two songs with her, Rhiannon and Me And Bobby McGee.  A lovely girl and she can wail on the vocals for sure.  Then Brook took over and started playing Not Fade Away, it could have been Bo Diddley or the Grateful Dead but I actually playing to the beat of my own song Well All Right or Mo'rockin Roll.  The shave and a haircut, two bits Bo Diddley beat.  I noticed that Terry did replace the drum heads and they sounded a lot better.  Nevertheless Brook Hoover is lot like me in terms of off the wall music, he can do just about anything and of course the Surf Zombies and Meekats, having Kyle Oyloe around added a element much different than the usual bar band songs everybody knows.  In the 1990s The Meekats were the alternative boys in town and perhaps if I was better known and not working a regular job might have added something to their music but the original drummer was better suited to their songs.  I just got late to the party and not knowing Kyle sooner, or going to jams.  I'm trying to fix that.  Still out of folks in town, I'm more closer to Brook than say Dan or Tommy in terms of knowing music of the 60s and such.  Brook will keep you on your toes, the trick is to figure out what he is playing on guitar or for a song and go with that,  Dan is also very good at picking up on songs too, likewise Tommy.  These three guys play for a living and can adapt as quickly.  Like Susie Q, I can do it CCR style or blues style or Dale Hawkins and it took me a while to settle on a beat half CCR and half blues swing and add some sort of drum counterpart but not overplay and let Tommy and Brooke sort out the guitar lead and give the Keyboard player some soloing and the harmonica player too.   From what I heard, Brook played Beer Barrel Polka earlier in the jam and trotted it out again.  Which turned out fine for about 4 minutes and 50 seconds before it became me trying to hang on and finally threw in the towel after the ending.  I don't think I worked that hard playing Vehicle last week and could barely play.  But I did play more this time out, doing 7 songs and hanging on the stage for about 35 minutes.   Some pretty good jamming by the gang and was glad to be a part of it.

And Brook did find his Shure Mic. He had it stored away properly after a gig.