Checker Jam 10/3/18 Acousta Crabby's Last Stand

It's October already.  Every day, things go by a little more faster.  It's strange how the the summer came and gone.  The World Naked Bike Ride, The Cabin Jam. It seems like it's all done in a blink of a eye.

I'm not a fan of growing old. As I look upon myself on performance playing the past three years and seeing more gray, less hair and the usual two or three good pictures and the 10 bad ones.  Somewhere in those pictures lie the real me, and I'm not sure who I am now, Or maybe I ever did.


And now,  the Parlor City Blues Jam.  Ryan Phelan hosted and of course in usual fashion threw out a few blues shuffles and soul songs plus a be bop number that had me playing jazz for a rare time.  Two other percussion players, including D J Hovenstot backed me up and Jon Wilson, an excellent drummer himself sat in on Bass for Some Kind Of Wonderful,which Adam Dinsell played guitar and sang  Sir John Miller played percussion and keyboards. .  Bryon Stevens played bass for the number that Ryan played.  Tom Giblin played keyboards.  After the first song he took me over by the shoulder and said he loved the way that I played and how I'm slowly settling into the groove.   Needless to say I did take Tom's advice at heart and adjusted to that I played along with the other guys.   Gibby is a great guy and  I'll miss jamming with him on the Tuesday Night Blues Jam.

Also two horn players showed up and shared the stage.  They're part of Adam's band.


Checker's Acoustic Showcase:  Julie Gordon and Karl Hudson Hosts

Set List:

Baby What You Want Me To Do
Never Been To Spain
Peace Love And Understanding
Sundown
Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover
Samson And Delilah

Julie Gordon, played percussion on Never Been To Spain, Backing vocals elsewhere
Ryan Paul played percussion on Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover and Samson And Delilah
I played guitar and sang lead vocals

Then I played four songs with Steve Black Wolf and Sofia Chesney

I'll Be Leaving Soon
Jackson
Daydream
Turn The Page

Steve Black Wolf: Lead Vocal and guitar
Sofia Chesney: Lead Vocal on Jackson, I'll be Leaving Soon and Daydream
Donna Jo-Backing vocal on Turn The Page
Ryan Paul-Keyboards on Turn The Page

Then.

Right Back Where We Started From

Julie Gordon-Lead Vocal and percussion
Ryan Paul-Keyboards

I played congas.

In attendance:

Carl Meiners
D J Hovenstat
Sir Bob Miller
Rose Slaymaker
Tim Nemec
Kim Hovenstot
Pam Herrington
Craig McCune
Donna Jo Elsner
Karl Hudson
Sofia Chesney
Steve Black Wolf
Julie Gordon
Ryan Matthew Paul


NOTES:

For the first time  in quite a while Ryan played keyboards on Turn The Page and shared the stage with Steve Black Wolf.  I was very surprised to see that happen.  And in a good way.

After the breakup with Tommy, Kim is back with DJ again.  They been spotted in the last couple times I went to jams.  D J has been playing alongside Bob Miller as a triple percussion threat.  At least five other people played percussion tonight outside of me.  Even Julie was pounding on the congas.

Most of the songs went well although I stumbled once again on Peace Love And Understanding. Julie and I talked about playing the Jimmy Reed song that I led off the set.  It was the first time I attempted it.   Julie did Gold Dust Woman with Karl playing it earlier in the evening. I think it was the first time somebody other than myself played since the Mad Dog days, but I'm sure she sang it at the Rumors jam when she appeared there.

I don't lay claim to the songs played, I try them and see how they go.  Peace Love and Understanding continues to fuck me over with the damn chorus when I mistake the G to D to E range and my fingers go with the C chord.   Never Been To Spain was attempted for the first time and not practicing it, messed me up.  It's always best to rehearse the damn songs and then keep up on it.  I still haven't quite figured out how to end Peace Love And Understanding, even with Julie doing the backing vocals.  But that song was spur of the moment.

It's best to try new things and see what happens.  Certainly Julie can pick and choose songs with other folks.  For Baby What Do You Want Me To Do, I think I surprised her by leading off with that song. For future jams, I'll let her sing it in the style of Etta James. I think that song fits her perfectly.

It was a long lunch for me so I couldn't hang around and missed seeing Tim Nemec and Rose, the guys from The EGADS.  With DJ and Bob there playing percussion I'm sure they made the night go quite well.  But I had to get back to work and I was fighting a bad case of being bloated, so I wasn't much fun.

Ryan does play pretty good percussion and I don't mind using him on my songs.  Julie as well.  I think I would rather have it that way anyway.  We make a good sound together all three of us, but Dreams Of Arcadia remains their band, their project.  But with the next six weeks coming up, I am not going to have time to play jams on week nights.  But The Townedgers will remain a studio band, I'll continue to play jams and parties but if Ryan or Julie is looking for some kind of percussion and I'm not busy, I will help out.