Bart and Brenda Birthday Bash 12/23/18

Songs


Midnight Rambler
Fortunate  Son
Keep Your Hands To Yourself
Move It On Over


Players:
Terry McDowell: host drummer
Tommy Bruner: Host guitar player and lead vocals on Midnight Rambler
Randy Burgdorff: Host bass player and vocals on Move It On Over
Billy Bourbon: Host guitar player and vocals
Mitch Smith: Sax and lead vocals on Fortunate Son  and Keep Your Hands To Yourself
Bart Carfizzi: Keyboards
Bob Gleason: Harmonica
Greg Mein: Keyboards
I played drums on this segment.
Brenda Mein: backing vocals
Jeff Overly: Guest sax and bass player

(Tami Soukup took this happy shot of me)

(Tami also took this one of Billy Bourbon, Mitch Smith and Randy as well, he's hiding behind the sax man)

Notes:

A lot of people came down to wish Brenda Snow and Bart Carfizzi a happy birthday. Tami Soukup showed up to take pictures and blew me a kiss from afar.

For the first time, I got to play Midnight Rambler, tho' it came out rough toward the end.  The shuffle beat gone to the straight rock beat to the slow down beat and then the finishing fast rocker at the end. Afterward Tommy took me to the corner and said that tonight was the best that I ever played.  That really means a lot to me, coming from him.  I know he expects something close to the beat and not too flashy.  But I had to rely on him telling where to speed up or slow down on the song.  Warts and all it was a fun song to do.  Likewise Fortunate Son, a song I always wanted to do and somehow nobody wanted to do it in the bands I was in.

It's surprising that I didn't use the simple is better method rather than pounding on the drums and giving everybody a major headache.  But that was growing older and altering my style of playing.  It also comes with learning from other musicians and how they play and I know now that I don't have to carry a band like I once did with Paraphernalia Tyrus.  When you play congas and other sorts of percussion you then begin to develop a feel for songs.  It's not that I'm the best player but rather the one that can adapt to other's playing.  You can always tell a newbie when they take the stage.  I have high regards for Scott Sanborn, the former news anchor now playing drums on a part time basis.  And Bonnie from The Sensations band,   Good drummers will learn from others and then take what they know into developing their own beat, their own style.

I look upon my early years as a wet behind the ears brat that thought I knew everything when they came to playing drums.  Pointing up to them, saying I can out rock them.  I could, but that type of playing is exhausting and I spend many a day after trying to recuperate.  Even when I came back on the scene in 2015, I still had that sort of arrogance that, in the end, I would play 2 or 3 songs and get replaced.  I do feel bad that I tried to destroy Kim Bean's electric drums when he hosted jams a few years ago.   But I think, over time, I figured out how to play and how to keep time or keep in the vicinity of the beat.    It's not rocket science but if you can get them dancing, and leaving a dollar or two in the tip jar than you know that you did well.

I talked to Karl Hudson about Checker's needed a new Wednesday Night Acoustic gig host and he said he would think about it.

I know I did four songs, there might have been one more with Billy singing but I don't remember it.  There was about 6 other drummers up there, Trevor Worcel was there but took off without playing.  Surprisingly, I didn't play any songs with Jeff this time out, but Mitch Smith from Crankshaft was there and did all of the sax work.  Bob Gleason played Harmonica throughout the whole set.

A fun night.

PS.  Jean Gilmore and Randy Faulkner are engaged.  To which I wish them a long life together.  They deserve each other.