Stone City Acoustic Showcase 9/2/18

Songs:

Me And Bobby McGee
Slipping Away
Peace Love And Understanding
Lynch Party
Summertime Blues


Also:

Waubeek Jam.

With:
Stevie O
Chuck
Kirksey
Glen Gardner
Carl Meiners
Dakota McWhorter
Ron LaFluer
Shawn Ster
David Lam
Maki Dervo



Notes:


A very busy weekend.  Watched Four Day Creep at New bo and then made off to Waubeek for the monthly jam.   I ended up playing drums for the majority of the night,taking a break during Shawn's set and part of Carl's.

When Stevie O and Chuck play, they tend to stick with honky tonk numbers, which I don't break out much in a sweat to play, even on a hot and humid night at FB Company  where there's no air conditioning. I did have a fan on me during the whole time though.  Stevie O's song are Family Tradition, Tennessee Whiskey (George Jones, not Chris Stapleton) Suicide Doors, and Little Red Riding Hood.  Chuck has more originals but they're somewhat more ragged.  Ron is a different story, since he's a professional musicians, his songs are more tougher and energetic.  I try to channel him through songs like Gimme Shelter or Hush.  Purple Rain is one song I have never played until last night.  It's not that I don't like the song, it's just no band I've been in has played it. He's a disciplinarian to the point that when you go to his band practices, he expects you to be there on time and ready to play.  I love the songs he plays and it was fun to interact with him and Dakota, to which I've known from Julie And The Mad Dogs days.   If Ron asks me to help him out with me on drums, I would not turn him down.

I have to hand it to Ron, he knew what would gets the crowd.  All of sudden I saw all these dancers on his 20 minute set.  I might have waltz my way through the sets from Chuck and Stevie O, but Ron did make me work it that much harder on drums.  Not complaining.

The Waubeek crowd wasn't as big as it usually is, but by the time Carl was done, it was time for the house band to rock on out and we had two hours to do just that.  Me, Maki, Dakota, Kirksey and a bass player who's name I can't think of, we tore through two hours of extended jams.  All Along The Watchtower went on for about 7 minutes, Maki and Dakota trading lead riffs, (Maki on Pan Flute BTW), You Don't Know How It Feels went on for about 10 minutes, Mary Jane's Last Dance was another 8 minutes and I Shall Be Released was another 8 minutes too.  Even somebody wanted to hear Mustang Sally but we played it anyway, although I can't tell how many times Dakota's eyes would roll.   But we had four couples on the dance floor, you might hate that song but if it gets them dancing you must swallow your pride and do it.  Could be worse, it could be Wagon Wheel. or Free Bird.  Maki concluded the Saturday night jam with No Woman No Cry to which I played a shaky one drip reggae beat.  Harder than it sounds.  They shut the lights off and we played under neon bar signs for the next five minutes and 34 seconds of that song.

It rained all weekend.  During the set with Ron, there was a nasty lightning crack and thunder rumbled through the bar.  I jokingly said that wasn't me making that racket.   By the time I got done, the rains were done.

But the rains continued on the next day on my way to Stone City.  Again, the usual folks were there, Carl Meiners, Glen Gardner, Lane Gaffney, and Steve Black Wolf appeared as well.  Julie wasn't there but Kyle Oyloe's family was there and after my set which I did a version of Summertime Blues one of them asked me who did the original version and I answered Eddie Cochran of course.  One of them called me by my name, so I got to chat with Kyle's dad for a bit.  Julie has never really introduced me to them, they did stop at the winery last month and was part of the ones who was up there at the final Long Branch Acoustic Jam.   We never formally introduced before today. We did say goodbye when they went home.  If I knew where Kyle was buried at, I'd go visit him.

I'm trying to find the right songs to sing and keep them in my set list. Again, Bobby McGee, Slipping Away and Peace Love And Understanding were trotted out to the audience, with mixed results.  I was surprised that the audience gave a great reception to Slipping Away,the 1974 Jean Shepherd song recorded  for United Artists after being on Capitol for many years.  This time, I came up with set list beforehand and got the lyrics out instead of bringing the book up with me on stage.  It seemed to work better this way.  But I do think from here on out, I need to still work on these songs,  Peace Love And Understand still gets me all screwed up on the final chorus.  But it seems to be a better Nick Lowe song to do rather than I Don't Know Why You Keep Me On.  But since that song and Slipping Away has the same chords, it's better to do Slipping Away since people seem to know it better.

Steve Black Wolf really played his overall best today.  He nailed Ventura Highway and ended things with a good version of Turn The Page.  He's getting better with each performance and a bit more confidant too.  I think hanging with Glen Gardner and having Sofia Chesney as a duet partner helped him a great deal.

Since I did four hours of playing drums last night, I decided to go acoustic and stayed close to home tonight.  I'm guessing Rumors had a pretty good crowd there on Shelly Foley's birthday bash.  I know Herman was drumming there today.  Rocky Smith was up in Stone City tonight.  Dave Bonham played Rumors, so did Scott Sanborn, who I jokingly mentioned that he filled in for my absence.  Herman and Steve Stratton were also up there drumming.  Probably a few others. Barb Myers was there as well as her bagpipe playing hubby.  I think they're married.  That kinda blew Billy Bourbon away.  He swore he never played with anybody that played bagpipes. Perhaps we should get Maki Dervo up there to play pan flute?  That would be a mind blower for Billy.

Jeff Overly came up from Ft Madison to help out Karl Hudson at the Sag Wagon in between thunderstorms and gully washers.

They tore down The Music Loft and Bryan's on 4th street in Waterloo/Cedar Falls is closing.  They been having the blue Thursday jam nights up there with Bob Dorr and Jeff Petersen aka The Limestormers. No ideal what's going to happen.  Meanwhile in CR, Uptown Live opened their doors this Saturday with a Blues jam of sorts.

Well, it's baseball playoffs, and we're stuck in a fucking rainy pattern for the next week.  Nothing more frustrating than trying to dictate where to go for baseball games and not have to worry about rain.  This crap is more April/May than September.  We shouldn't be too busy at work so I can probably catch a jam or two and baseball as well.

I'm not sure if I'll go see the Idiot jam at Garrison, bur opting to do the Whittier Jam instead since it's closer.  Shawn Ster plays Ramsey's this Thursday, and Glen Gardner is playing Ramsey's on the 20th and then Checker's on the 21st of September.  I'll see if I can assist Glen on something one of those nights.  I kinda wish I had a gig to play at, but for the most part I'm not exactly outgoing in playing at places. The best I can do is something at the Artisan Sanctuary but I need to work up a list of about 30 songs to pull it off.   And it would be a solo gig, maybe a guest star or two on a couple songs, but at the moment, I'm not banging down the door.   I have to be in the mood and in good health.

I guess I'm too eccentric, or too eclectic to care to even play gig outside of jams.  Perhaps it's laziness or a fear of failing after going outside my comfort zone of 5 to 6 songs.  Or stage fright returning, I don't know.  I still help Dreams Of Arcadia if needed but I just don't have that much enthusiasm to branch out on my own.   I kinda need a band element to get me going.  I thought The EGADS would been the best outlet but they're a splintered group given the fact we never played as whole band together. Regardless, Belinda remains the vital part of The Egads, Rose and Tim too and of course Mark and Larry. Still,   I guess I'm truly a starving artist, even when I do good and get high marks for playing, it doesn't translate into money.

Got plenty of exposure, just no money coming in.

Monday Night, I spent walking around New Bo when the sirens came roaring on about a quarter till five.  There was a tornado spotted near Vinton and stayed on the ground past Alburnett and Central City. Straight line winds came crashing through Cedar Rapids at 9 PM.  This morning we had five inches of rain in three hours and our newly installed sump pump keeping water out although there was seepage coming through the old sump pump. The basement remained dry.

Ed Butler had a guitar party going on, so me and Glen Gardner came over and had supper with Ed and his family.  We did a few songs and shared a few laughs.  Thankfully the rain and tornado weren't not in his neighborhood.