Thoughts From The Townedger-Feb 2020 EOM

Unlike last year, we haven't had much snow and ice and cold.  Unlike last year, I had more jams instead.

I like this picture so much I had to show it again.  I love Al.

Billy Bourbon granted my request of getting some pictures with Al Hendricks.  Now I can go to bed happy.

The Dreams Of Arcadia project with Julie and Ryan seemed to be history.  Of course I have said that a few times in the past, but it seems that Julie means that she wants no more to do with Ryan and his antics of Pro Trump this and Pro Trump that.  I always said that they have been a oil and water duo.  When they click, they do a fantastic job, but when they did the CRL gig, opening for Bittersweet, it was a disaster.  I got there late to the show and by then DOA went home.

The thing is, Julie and Ryan are dominant people, they like to be in control of things and control of the songs and how they are arranged.  This is why I haven't done much playing with Julie myself, she had issues with the way I play Stop Dragging My Heart Around, even tho' the version I was playing was like the version she did with the Mad Dogs.  I love her to pieces, and still back her up on drums if need be.  As for the acoustic side of things with me on guitar, I promise nothing.

With Ryan, she had a more musical partner to help her find her inner groove.  I had fun backing them up at The Underground, lower part of The Lumber Yard. And the Glass Tap.  Swisher was a highlight and a joy to do.  Behind the scenes there was a lot of things going against any type of momentum.  And I was looking forward to help them play this Saturday at the Grove but that got canceled. As for the DOA name.....

It's Julie's property and website, and she might  eventually take that page down if she hadn't already.   The action photos of me playing drums, Kevin Sinmacher took them and I gave him some money for his help and trouble.  Those are the ones that you see of me and my own.  But there's not many photos of me with them  at their music site.  If this is their final go around, then it's time to let it go and move on. Knowing them, they should return soon.   https://dreamsofarcadia.com/

 I've been using Kimberly Trevellion or Belinda James for songs when I play acoustic. Kimberly has a new project going with Stacia Roccio on guitar, which would fun to be a drummer in their band but with an evening job and Blues Rox getting my attention, I won't be able to be much help. I'm sure she'll find a decent drummer.  However, Kimberly did sing Stop Draggin My Heart Around, so we might be doing that one together soon.

Along with Blues Rox, I have been talking with Russ about finally jamming with him and John Field this spring.   However, Ron inquired about me replacing Linda while she goes on vacation this summer when the Boy Scout Hippies play.  If  Blues Rox isn't playing, I got Ron's back just in case. Blues Rox comes first for gigs.  I feel this has the best chance to break out in the limelight.  Kris Bries  will go places if he's serious about this.

I think Ron has mellowed the past year or so, he puts his heart and soul into the music and gets people to dance. Linda is a wonderful drummer but I guarantee you when I was behind the drum kit, the Boy Scout Hippies soared to a new level.  If I'm serious about a band, even as a guest star, I will go full tilt 100 percent and then some.  History has shown otherwise but I do help the BSH if they can't find a replacement.

The Thoughts From The Townedger is basically an overview of things on my mind and how I look at things at that particular time.  I look at the pros and cons of my playing and how I fit into the music scene.  Everybody brings their own something to the music scene.  Reality is, playing music is a dying culture, bars and jams come and go and usually bars go out of biz due to the music mafia (the big 4 that send people out to hear music and reports back to the big four if a cover band is playing certain songs).  Used to be music was about the art and covering other bands a appreciation of their music.  The creative ones have been push aside by the money making machine and bean counters looking at the bottom line.  Corporate mergers begin to kill off the bands and major labels used to let band record four or five albums before finding the classic album.  You're lucky if you can make one album without some A and R hire of the week trying to change your vision.  At this point in life, I'm content with the originals that I do play live and of course the covers that nobody else plays.  It's a shame that the 60s of harmony has been replaced by Corporate greed, indifference and what's in it for the majors who will just write the albums off as tax losses.   As for myself, I enjoyed playing in bands when asked to help them out.  For my guitar adventures, it's been an interesting road traveled.  I'd love to help out my love interest whenever I can, it's just we can't agree on the songs played.  The Townedgers may return.  As long as I'm alive anything is possible.  But at the moment, Blues Rox is the best scenario and the most fun, to the point that I would give up doing the Waubeek jam as drum provider.  Plus with Blues Rox, I don't have to play four and half hours either.

And it's Leap Year.   That's it for now.  I'll return tomorrow with the set list from Stone City or Rumors.

Rumors-The Ed Butler Experience

Songs

Dyer Maker
You Can Never Tell
Wicked Game
To Love Somebody


Richard Edward Butler-Guitar and Lead Vocals
Billy Bourbon-Guitar
Randy Burghdorff-Bass
R.Smith-Drums
Terry McDowell and Tommy Bruner-Hosts

I've been on people's cases to get me a picture with Al Hendricks, Billy Bourbon did come through later on but this one comes from the Crabb's own digital camera.   Since Tommy Patterson's passing, nothing is guaranteed, so I took it upon myself to get a couple.  Thanks to Brenda Snow and George Madion for their help too.  Skeeter Louis and Terry McDowell are in the background.

Notes

I stopped at Aces n Eights to pay a final goodbye to Tommy Patterson and didn't play.  Jay Dean, Rick Gallo, Dan Hartman, Darren Baker, Cathy Hart and Rich Toomsen were there and I spent about an hour and half down there.   In the meantime Jay's bandmate Kimberly was trying out her new band project with Stacey Roccio on guitar at Rumors, but Terry McDowell played drums.  I played earlier with Ed Butler's eccentric set of Dyer Maker.  To which Bird was recording the whole thing.  I might get to hear that later maybe?

I wasn't in the best of moods this afternoon. I spilled my drink at Aces n Eights and then again at Rumors.  Had that happen last night when I air drumming to Four Day Creep.  I'm getting tired of this bullshit. While thinking of leaving early, I got my camera out and took a couple of pics with Al. He played earlier with Mike Lint on drums.   Terry was having problems with the high hat, (Herm messed around with it before I came up) so that took another 15 minutes.

Kimberly was out at Stone City helping Lane Gaffney and got there after I played but she had Stacia Roccio on guitar and she was a whiz.  A surprise was hearing Kimberly sing Stop Draggin My Heart Around, first time I heard her sing it.  That's a song we can duet when she returns to Stone City.

Ed put on a pretty good show, and we nailed Dyer Maker and I found myself confined to Bird's bass beat on the slowed down Wicked Game.  I added some cymbal accents on the chorus. 

A grand total of 8 drummers were on hand today.

Artisan Sanctuary-Tributes to Irene Leeson And Digger

Songlist:

Willin'
All Over Now
Jeanette 15 Years Ago
It's My Time
Handy Man
For What It's Worth
Let's Work Together
Good Time Charlie
Old Time Rock And Roll

With
Frederick Jones-Harmonica (6-9)
Doc Rudolph-Fiddle (8-9)

Had a fiddle player helping me the last two songs in Doc Rudolph, he played bluegrass and I forgot we could have done Fox On The Run.

Spare crowd and varied people.  Big Daddy Kahl started out, John Jorgensen played guitar and Father America did a X rated segment which was kinda interesting.

For the most part, I dedicated All Over Now to the memory of Irene Leeson, who supported my musical adventures back when I couldn't play the drums very well.  Her encouragement kept me going, even tho I have not seen her for many years.  Irene passed away on Valentine's Day.  Good Time Charlie was dedicated to Tommy Patterson, to which Doc Rudolph came up to play fiddle.  I also used Freddy Jones for his harmonica work too.  It was the first time Doc played the Sanctuary.  Freddy is always a late show but I did use him for good advantage.

Willin n Handy Man debuted for the first time.  As well as Jeanette 15 Years Later as a request from Diggy Kat.  I used the songbook for Willin.  Rough, but at least some people were singing to the chorus.

Overall, Patrick Lower did his usual fine job of making me sound good and the help from Doc and Freddy were icing on the cake.  Jim Jacobmeyer took the photos that you see here.

Elegy for Irene Leeson:

"It's hard for me to look at her and seeing a gray haired grandma;  she had long black hair and very stocky in the time that I knew her while growing up.  I'm sure she considered me part of her family as well.  I would rather remember the good moments rather than than the bad.  But in theory, Irene Leeson was a wonderful person to talk things with when I couldn't do that with my own folks.

Irene helped me with my beer can collection.  Back in the daze of the beer can craze, there was Brewery Two, a place you can buy old beer cans, and they had a the famous Orbit beer can that I had my eyes on.  It was a 9 dollar can but Irene was kind enough to buy that can.  And I still have that over the years.

As mentioned somewhere, Irene encouraged me to keep playing music.  Back around 1976, my dad had a reel to reel tape and a interesting set up.  I didn't have regular drums, so I pounded on coffee cans and a one string guitar and made a bunch of echophonic recordings on reel to reel and would go over to her place and we would listen to some of them.  I don't know how she listened to them all, I doubt that she could, hell I couldn't even listen to half that crap that I made.  Eventually, once I got real drums and guitar and learned how to make songs, I would show off the results to her.  She was quite impressed with how far I came from those noisy tuneless songs.

In the good ole days, Irene and John, her husband would come over and with the old man and mom would make these goofy tapes to which they all sing to scratchy 45s.  Irene did have a decent voice, she did a cover of Paper Roses which was note for note with Marie Osmond.   If they haven't been recorded over, I think some of the tapes exists but they are over 40 years old.

In 1975, The Leesons and The Smiths went on vacation for two weeks.  We went from Lincoln Ill to Jackson Michigan and stopped at the Football hall of fame in Canton Ohio.   Irene's dad had a acreage outside of Jackson on some off the way road.  They lived close to property owned by Ted Nugent to which we were warned not to trespass on his lot.  Her grandpa was cool, a big old beer drinker that would help build my beer can collection by drinking all these off the wall brands.  Irene had a sister, who had a couple of daughters, one of which captured my fancy.  She chased me all around the yard, she had long blond hair.  I can't say what propelled me to give my heart to her.  She also farted a lot, which one thought that real girls didn't do that.  Needless to say we were way too young.   I remember I finally gave up after being chased by this girl and as we begin to strolled toward a tent in the middle of the yard, a big dark cloud rolled up and rains poured down from the heavens, which had us running into the house.  Somehow the Almighty intervene and there would not be no hanky panky that day.  Afterward, we had to return home but me and this girl swore that we would stay true.

Young love isn't destined to last, and I would see Jeanette one more time a year later.   Long distance love never last either, especially when you're still in high school.  I made the mistake of waiting till graduation and waiting for her to move up to Iowa.  That never happened, she would end up having three children before she turned 18 and that broke my heart, but then again it was young love and I knew nothing about it.  Irene did her best to console me, while playing her Town's Edge Rock, there was a song called All Over Now that was written about my frustrations with things and Irene offered to play that song at the wedding reception.  Irene didn't care much for Jeanette's husband to be and in her own way, would play this song in front of everybody.

Needless to say, the Bride and Groom were not happy with the results and that tape somehow disappeared and broken into a million pieces and then ran over with the car.  In the end, that marriage didn't last very long, but I think Irene had my back on what happened and the wasted time waiting for that love that never came true.  I haven't seen Jeanette in 45 years and I know I'll never see her again.

I did managed to stay in contact with Irene for the most of the 1980s, till she moved to Hiawatha to where we lost track and I saw her one time.  But I loved her as a friend and personal confidant.  I will miss her smile, her infectious laugh and her kind heartened generosity.

I will miss her.  Much love and blessings to the Leeson family."
https://www.murdochfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Irene-Leeson/

Elegy for Tommy Patterson.

"Sunday Night was the first time I ever jammed with Tommy.  And sad to say it was the last.  He was a great person who played in Koop N Company and was part of Airwaves years ago and many other bands.  I got to be his final drummer, in the final hour of playing the jam.  A pleasure knowing you Digger. "

 https://klosterfuneralhome.com/obituaries/2020/tommy-lee-patterson?fbclid=IwAR2ewdGFeYCuoXlLFRITeC65qx1k0ZGMmCdd33WliA6eG7v6G_Q3ccm_5is

Rumors Jam-Tommy Patterson Final Performance

Songs played

You Can't Always Get What You Want
Roadhouse Blues
Get Back
Way Down South Blues
Tube Snake Boogie
She Loves My Automobile
One Way Out
Lay Down Sally
Suzie Q
I Can't Get Next To You
Going Down

Bill Bourbon-Sang lead on Lay Down Sally, One Way Out, Automobile
Tommy Bruner Sang lead on Get Back, You Can't Always Get What You Want
Nick Lnenicka played harmonica
Randy Burghdorff played guitar and sang on the majority of the songs
Tommy Patterson-Bass
Rob Merkel-Guitar
Terry Mcdowell-host
Rodney Smith-Drummer on these songs.

Notes:

Today was the chili cook off, but it ended at 4 and I missed out.  But we had plenty of jammers to while away the hours.

Terry sold me on the 5A Vater drum sticks that he uses.   For many years I used the Vic Firth 2BN baseball bats, then have been switcher to a lighter drumstick, The Vater 5A is hand selected hickory and maple wood.  Terry plays a bit more radical than I do, but he swore that the sticks he has been using has stood up to his playing.  They feel much lighter than the Vic Firths and whatever I have been using.  These sticks do feel light and don't fall out of my hands like the Pro Marks will, once new.

Earlier in the day, I went to Guitar Center and picked up yet another cymbal.  an 18 inch K Dark Crash.  I still have the 17 inch K dark crash that I traded my Hybrid K to Rocky Smith, but I'm not exactly sold on that sound.  I think 18 inch Dark Crash blends in better with the other cymbals.

Tommy was dealing with throat problems so Bird and Billy did the majority of singing of the songs.  I still find myself getting fucked up on the introduction to Lay Down Sally, I always seems to be on the off beat and opposite everybody is playing.  For Get Back, I cannot break away from the choo choo train beat, tho Tommy encouraged me that I didn't have to play that way.  But I couldn't figure how to incorporated anything else, outside of the Cant' Get No Satisfaction beat.  I will remain a slop artist drummer but whatever I play seems to work if I don't speed up too fast.  Lay Down Sally seems to be my Achilles heel.

Speaking of Rocky Smith, he showed up and played with the Boy Scout Hippies.  I got a chuckle out of Ron saying that Billy tends to hog up all the jam time, so to get back at him, Ron extended Keep Your Hands To Yourself into Glass House.  Ron gets a knee replacement Thursday, but he thinks he'll be back withing two weeks.

(Rob Merkel and Morris)

Somebody needs to sit Tim Kaufman down and force him to listen to Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) a few times before trying to play it.  I really thought about storming the stage and showing him how to play the song right.

There's a strange woman, that I have known for the past few years that comes up to the Rumors jam infrequently but she was up there.  I didn't associate with her much, I did notice her dancing on the floor and doing something like a leap frog, but I pretty much didn't pay much attention and she left after I played.  Maybe some day I'll learn and play Mott The Hoople's Rock N Roll Queen and dedicate it to her.

(Tommy Patterson)

After the jam Tommy Patterson passed away.   It's strange how after finishing up the jam, we shook hands and said our goodbye and I turned around to get something from Bird and Tommy disappeared.   He went home and went to sleep and never woke up. Everybody knew him, loved him.  He was playing in Koop And Company, a band that has Aaron Caryl playing fiddle and recently played too.  There's a parallel to his passing and Kyle Oyloe it seems, both died suddenly after playing gigs.

Tommy's resume is quite impressive, playing in Airwave with Doug Spinler and was part of Julie And The Mad Dogs for a short time.  Tommy did play last month at the Rumors jam with Mike Clair but I do believe this was my first and only time of being the rhythm section with him.  For a final performance, he did great.

RIP Tommy.

Whittier and Various Jams-Everybody Looks Good With A Hat On

Whittier Acoustic Showcase Songlist:

Fox On The Run
Let Your Love Flow
Love's Made A Fool Out Of You
I Hear You Knocking
Spark Of Life
For Shame Of Doing Wrong.

Notes:

I got the old songbook out and revisited a few songs that I haven't played in a while.  I Hear You Knocking was the first time I ever did without Belinda James' singing it.

We had 10 artists playing Whittier, and most stayed the full three hours but most cleared out when I did my final song.

Ken Becicka, who usually plays at Stone City with Carl Meiners played Whittier for the first time in over two years.  First time I ever heard him sing.


Funday Sunday with Terry McDowell and Mandela Effect at Rumors

Songs:

Love Me Like A Man
Drift Away
Gimme One Good Reason
Middle Of The Road
Call Me The Breeze
Bobby McGee

Kim Trevillion-Lead vocals
Billy Bourbon-Guitar and Vocals
Tommy Bruner-Lead Guitar
Randy Burghdorf-Bass
Jeff Craft-Percussion
Bob Gleason-Harmonica
Me, Myself and I-Drums

More Notes:

A weird little get together.  When they play Call Me The Breeze I find myself on the opposite end of the beat.   I still cannot find myself to slow down on the slower songs and really have to rely on Tommy or Bird to maintain that steady slow beat.  The Bobby McGee song Billy signaled to end it, Bird motioned to keep going.  I didn't think it should have been edited but then again, I didn't follow my own rule and keep playing.  That stuck out like a zit.

Bird's philosophy sometimes clashes with my own on playing certain songs.  A clash of egos perhaps, what he hears on songs like Love Me Like A Man and what I hear are two different things.  Somehow, I have to find that groove he's looking for.  He does tend to favor the recorded versions of songs, whereas I tend to improvise.   I don't foresee any changes in the future of jamming, I know what's he trying to do.  I just have to interpret in the style that I play.

I backed Kimberly up on her songs,  Joe Hutchcroft took over for his songs and the Boy Scout Hippies.   In the past, I was best known for bashing the fuck out of Rocky Mountain Way with that bombastic blues beat.  In reality, Joe owns that song.

Tami Soukup was there too.  Even tho we are on opposite sides of the spectrum of who is the POTUS, I still love her as a good friend.

As for any band projects with Kimberly, we don't have anything written in stone and since I'm working evenings, I have turned down a couple working bands since none supplies health insurance.

I don't think I played all that great today, I'm still a bit bothered by the off beat of Call Me The Breeze and Bobby McGee but the crowd thought I did a great job playing drums.  I tend to be harsh on myself between the continuing of butting heads with the guys of playing fast and I asked David, Kim's boyfriend if he head anything different and he said no.  So we'll leave it that and improve for next week.

I haven't played Rocky Mountain Way all that much over the years and my repetition for bashing the hell out of the cymbals is still the stuff of legends make but I think Joe Hutchcroft has taken over the rights of that doing that song right.  His version was damn near perfect.

Stone City jam was canceled.  Bart thought the roads were too slick and they might have been up around my area.  In CR, there was no snow or icy roads going into town.  We lucked out and missed out on a winter storm that give about a foot of the white crap around Minnesota and Northern Iowa.

The Five Best Drummers: (outside of your's truly-Tami Soukup Photo Credit)

Jon Wilson
Terry McDowell
Robbie Haskill
Dana Rocky Smith
Joe Hutchcroft

And Troy Mitchell too.

Sanctuary Acoustic Showcase 2/6/2020

Setlist:

Hole In The Head
It's My Time
Spark Of Life
Logic And Lies
Sundown
Love's Guessing Game
Cinnamon Girl

(Jeff Allen: Photo)

Notes:

I need to start practicing my songs better.  Messed up parts of Cinnamon Girl and Sundown.  Spark Of Light made its debut.  I decided to prolong the Friends part to It's My Time.  And in the process, got a dry throat.

Jeff Allen And Barry Sharp covered For What Its Worth.  Barry was surprised I didn't play Good Time Charlie.

John Jourgasen did a nice cover of Amazing Grace.  This was his first time at the Sanctuary.

Waubeek/Rumors Jam 02/02/2020

Waubeek All Stars:

Brian Bries
Maki Dervo
David Lam
Nelson Borden
The Colorado Connection
Dougie Kovaik
Danny Timms
Rick Tron
David
Captain Kirksey

A small crowd of jammers but we played longer than we did last month.

I played mostly with the Rutes instead of regular drumsticks and it seemed to work better.  Except for a workout with Maki on Whip Lash and Dead Man's Shirt, I didn't break much of a sweat.

Rumor's Sunday Funday With Terry McDowell And Mandela Effect

Songlist:

Unchain My Heart
Maybelline
Going To Chicago
My Girl Josephine
Green Green Grass Of Home
Stuck On You

Al Hendricks-Lead Vocals and guitar (above tracks)

I Drink Alone
Dead Flowers
Political Incorrect
Get It On (Bang A Gong)
Criss Cross Saw
If You Want To Get To Heaven
Dead Flowers

Randy Burghdorf-Bass (above tracks)

Pay Attention To  Me
The Beauty Of Life And Where It Got Us
Star Spangled Banner
Take Me To The River
Honky Tonk Women

Tommy Bruner-Guitar and vocals
Billy Bourbon-Guitar and vocals
Mark Awad-Bass
Rod  Smith-Drums

Notes:

Al finally got his wish.  I got to jam with him on six numbers.  His version of Going To Chicago I tend to throw a stuttering shuffle aka High Rise/Freddy King, or sometimes a Cissy strut beat courtesy of Zig Modeliste from the Meters.  I can't tell you how or why I decided this beat works, probably not for the likes of Bird or Billy B, but for me it works with that sort of stutter shuffle. I was listening to the Meters most of the week and when Dervo did his Dead Man's Shirt song, it was partly Marti Gras shuffle and part Bo Diddley.  Billy did Cris Cut Saw, I went with what Al Jackson did.  Doing these songs don't take much cymbal hitting, in fact it's more snare fills only.

In the case of Dead Flowers, these guys play it much faster than The Stones do and it kinda throws me off.  I suspect that Randy would like for me to be more animated on drums, but I have found, it's better to stay more in the background then overpowering the band or going too fast.  Randy will cue me in, if I go too fast on the slower songs, which is more harder to play for me, than it is to them.

Billy did try three originals, The Beauty Of Life is actually and off the wall blues slowed down, Pat Attention To Me is a tongue in cheek about the crowd and the over-reliance on cellphones, somewhat like All Along The Watchtower perhaps?  Billy also dusted off some debuts of I Drink Alone, Bang A Gong and If You Want To Get To Heaven, sans harmonica.   It's kind of nice to do something different.

Tommy actually started up a riff that was Mama Let Him Play (Doucette) but I told him the version that he did with Gladstone Parnell Band was the first version that I knew about this song.  I have done the song on occasion, but not recently (probably with West 66, when Mike Serbousek had to do a bathroom/beer break), somehow the conversation went over to Mike Swearingen and his remake of Heartbreak Hotel to Unique Motel, the infamous no tell motel that used to be by St Lukes Hospital. I did told Tommy that we did record Unique Motel, as a gag song.  He said he wasn't surprised that came from Mr Swearingen.

It was Joe Hutchcroft and me as the drummers of note outside of Terry, and he got most of the night off.  I might have played for over an hour and a half.  Which went with the five hours of drumming at Waubeek.  The only other jammer was Mark Awad who spelled Randy for the final half hour.   Karl Hudson was there but was more interested in watching the Super Bowl.

So Terry let me finish the jam and I eventually would find my way to Cancun to catch up with Russ and watched the KC Chiefs win the super bowl 31-20 over San Francisco.  Russ wanted Green Bay to be in there but the 49ers beat them.  On a side note, it was fifty years ago that KC defeated Minnesota 23-7.  It was that rare time that I saw Russ cry over a game.  Somewhere beyond the horizon, his dad was watching.  San Francisco had two big gains so I mentioned something to the effect and told Dad to help the Chiefs win and strange enough the one pass got knocked down and another sailed over the head of the WR and the third one was intercepted.  So I'm sure Dad had something to do with that.

Afterward Russ did mentioned about the possibility of playing again, maybe with John Field.  I heard that before but this time out the wheels were set in motion.  So I'm sure we'll get together again real soon.

Overall, a very busy week of drum practice for me.  Stone City was bypassed in favor of nice weather and a walk around New Bo.  I'll return back to the General Store next Sunday.