The T Ray Memorial Tribute Jam At The Chrome Horse

The Shitstorm didn't help much but a very disappointing crowd came out to bid farewell to Thomas Ray Robertson at the Chrome Horse.  Brad Zimmerman and Dan Hartman along with Mark and Rocky Smith were there.  Rick Clay and Jeff Brown put up the sound system, Ian Jacoby came along, and we laughed and bullshitted ourselves.  Ian joked about the ideal of playing Mustang Sally, and I told I wouldn't be surprised if that would be the first song I played.

Turns out I was right.

I got paid 50 dollars for bringing my drums and leaving them out in a steady drizzle and got to play two songs,  the aforementioned Mustang Sally and Don't Be Cruel before they went on break and then eventually canceled the rest of the tribute jam.  Hardly anybody showed up.  Kevin Sinmachner and Jeff Langenburg popped in and Dave Bonham came later after we all packed up.  But a lot of no shows, probably due to the CORVID issues and a couple had band gigs.  So it was a paying gig but perhaps the biggest disappointing event that i have been involved with.

I didn't plan to do anything more but to show my respects but the original drummers backed out at the last moment (Patrick did have a gig later on but so did Rocky and Dan Hartman).  T Ray's ex didn't show up either, strange how that goes.   Rocky got me just before I was thinking about going somewhere for bargain hunting.   I was going to do that after the Tribute jam but I spent the afternoon helping Julie and her yard projects.  I haven't been much help for her when the storm messed up her yard n house so this kept me away from the thrift stores.

The connection with me and T Ray is that he was the first musician along with Dave Bonham and Dan Hartman at the Wrigleyville jam in 2015, and since then I continued to participate in various jams and got to hang with the best and the up and coming.  He was very country and western by the time I got to know him but he was one of the 80's and 90s super players in town.  It was a shame that the turnout wasn't better, Blues Rox played to bigger crowds. 

The jam was supposed to start at noon and end at 5 and tear down for the next outdoor band at the Chrome Horse.  The outdoor stage was quite roomy and perhaps I should have used the trailer since it had a roof over it and I wouldn't get rained on, as it would happen later on.   I think we started around 1 and played about an hour, but I don't think anybody had their heart in it.  Brad Zimmerman did bring a couple guitars.  I did like the outdoor stage, it had carpeting but I didn't have the drums set up very well and they kept moving, much to my annoyance. 

Given the haphazard state of things, I made my promise to show and support and I did that. Too bad the rest didn't  bother to go.  But then again, as we were playing, the tree removal people were picking up the remelts of the fallen trees across the road and I can see the torn off roof of St Wencalaus Gym from the stage.   I bought a very abbreviated drum set, two cymbals and a three piece drumset.  Rocky always said that the Paiste Signature and Innovations cymbals used sounded fine.  But then again we didn't need any power crashes given the songs.  We did the best that we could and playing two songs for fifty dollars?

That will never happen any more.

Appendix:  Stone City Set list 8/23/20

Songs:

At The Crossroads
Lay Down Sally
Just To Satisfy You
Let's Work Together
Midnight Rider

Chuck Savage: Harmonica on Let's Work Together
Phil Bo King, Lenny Drake, Katy Merrifield: Background vocals.
And Carl Meiner for support

Bub Johannes provided the sound and MC.

Lost my F**king guitar pick at the beginning of Lay Down Sally so I basically had to finger strum for the rest of the set.  I was going to do four songs but Bubs let me do one more for fun and games.  A very hot afternoon and the fucking flies and jiggers sucked.  And one mosquito bite as well.  I must be doing something right, I covered my mistakes up all right.

It was the first time I have seen Chuck and Lenny since Waubeek.

Anne stole the show with her amazing fiddle playing.  She backed Katy up on one song.

Donna Jo and Lorie Parker showed up later to do three songs with Phil Bo on guitar.

Dave Bonham was there and did four songs.