Thoughts From The Townedger

Ah the half way point of the year.  Where does the time go?  Anyway I haven't done much on the inside thoughts of late, I've been too busy posting the set list of songs at places that I played at.

There's has been some wonderful highs of the month:  The Stone City General Store crowd singing along Tulsa Time, Julie stealing the show with Gold Dust Woman when I played in Marion last Saturday.  And playing drums and backing up Billy Bourbon and Kim Trevillion at Aces N Eights.    And seeing my folks watching me play live for the first time ever.  And getting paid in the process by the Freedom Festival folks too.  I'm living the life.

Terry Bainbridge was asking me about starting up the next album.  It's been a year since Logic And Lies got issued into the world and I'm ready to come up with new songs to do.  It's different this time out, I usually write heartbreak songs but I've been with Julie for over a year and she has managed to turn my life inside out.    We have songs planned, I haven't gotten around record any due to playing jams and record collecting.  My place needs a good cleaning.  I have stacks of 45s that need to be put away but no storage to put them in.   And I keep collecting.  I am a hoarder, that needs to stop...oh Looky J.Geils Your Getting Even While I'm Getting Old, don't mind if I doooo.

The question remains if Martin Daniels will return to help out on the new album.  He's got a new job that has taken his attention away from the band, he's still part of The Townedgers.  But I do have Kenny Miller if need be when I start working on this album.  Really no time limit but hopefully it will be released before the snow flies.  Count Geoff Redding in, although he has no time for the weekend jams.

I haven't used Julie for my own projects, she's very busy with gigs with Dave Bonham and despite it all  Dreams Of Arcadia will keeping playing, Ryan Paul remains an enigma, but knowing Julie, she'll forgive him and they'll play on.   I'm sure she's all in favor of doing a gig with me at Ramsey's or Stone City.  But I do think she has to follow the money and have the right guys with her.  There's talk of her and Dave and Byron Stevens putting together a new blues rock band, or a new version of the Mad Dogs.  I think that will be a reality soon.  If I can help her sound better with her band I can do that.  As long as I have a full time paying job, I have to keep this part time.

With Tony Nickles starting up the acoustic jam at Urban Pie on Saturday Nights, that will be more of a place I'll be hanging around, more so than say, Whittier or Waubeek.  I have a gig coming up on July 14th that will keep me away from Whittier for another month but I do owe David Lam a visit.  It may have to wait till September, but I'll return eventually.  Stone City is five minutes away and works out great for me.  If I decide to relocate to Cedar Rapids then I'll be more at Rumors once again and the jams in town.

Patrick Lower mentioned that Julie and Kyle did made a couple songs for a forthcoming project that never seen the light of day, Kyle's passing put an end to that.  Two and a half years later, she still misses him.  I'd be in favor of a project of her and Kyle's best moments.  I'm sure something could be arranged if I would add some sort of percussion to their songs, which a few are out on You Tube.  It would be a touchy situation and it would have to be done right if at all.

Being with Julie has changed my songwriting.  I really can't go back to the days of rehashing songs about forgotten girlfriends.  When people bring up Janice or Clarice or even Lisa, I can't envision them in the present tense.  I retired the songs that was about Janice, Running In The Rain, Last Train Home, they mean nothing to me anymore.   Looking back, I really had no relationship with Janice nor Jeanette nor in the first place.  I finally found that somebody that has buried those days and times when they were in town.  Even the town we grew up no longer exists.  The train don't go through town anymore, the record store and Ole's Ham n Egger are gone, so is the OK Lounge.  Janice married her true love years ago, she served a purpose in this life and no longer figures in my life.  Julie is the one that matters, she's still devoted to the memory of Kyle and perhaps always will. It took me a while to let her in my life, after I broke up with Nicole, I really swore to a life a solitude and wasn't interested into getting into another love.  Julie somehow managed to sneak through the barriers and walls and into my heart.  I can't envision nobody else to ever take her place.

Given that, we remain friends. We tried being boyfriend/girlfriend, but I'm not Kyle.  I'll love her forever but we simply too set in our ways.

I heard stories that Belinda and Mark are back together again.  They make great music together but relationship wise? Toxic at best but I do wish them well if they want to be together.

Urban Pie Acoustic Jam  Songlist: 6/30/18  (electric show)

Songs;

Summertime Blues/Realitiesville
For What Its Worth
Everybody's Talking
Knocking On Heaven's Door

Donna Jo-Vocals and percussion on For What Its Worth and Everybody's Talking
Steve Black Wolf-Backing Vocals on For What Its Worth and Everybody's Talking

With:

Tony Nickels
Glen Gardner
Donna Jo Eisner
Steve Black Wolf
Shawn Ster
Mike Fredericks
Jay Devore
Hoppy

Donna Jo filled in for Julie on tonight's songs

Even though Steve and Donna Jo could sing it, they didn't on Knocking On Heaven's Door.

I used the Fender Strat for the guitar of choice tonight.  I debated to even bring an amp due to the forthcoming thunderstorm that drenched the area but at least it stopped in time for me to bring the amp out to the car.

Donna Jo sang back up to Shawn on California Dreamin.  She really does have a nice singing voice to her.