Thoughts From The Townedger-September 2021

Here tis.  The last week of doing open mics and jams before going back to evenings to work.  Certainly Terry McDowell is giving thanks for continuing to host these jams and keeping me brushed up on my drumming skills.   Most of the week went to watching baseball by the Mississippi River with the exception of the Friday Night gig with Julie and Guitar Dave at Checkers, who were last minute replacements for Blues Rox, when our main attraction got sick with the flu, not Covid.  It was better just to cancel and let somebody else do that.  To which Julie and Dave did.  

I basically used a snare and cajole for percussion but should have brought the bass drum.  It's hard to keep a beat tapping on the stage floor.   It's not easy to be part of a duo that you're a special guest, even tho you are dating the girl singer for the past three years.  I don't plan to have any projects with Julie in the future. But as long as she and Dave are getting out to play, she'll be fine.

Avey Grouws band is playing at the Olympic this week and next will be part of the Checkers' Thirsty Thursday jam with Terry McDowell and the Mandela Effect.  I don't know If I'll be there, October is when I go back fulltime to evenings so it will be pick and choose.  Same with Artisan Tuesday Open Mic, which I didn't play due to the baseball playoffs.  Only happening for this week is Whisky Jo's, which will be my last time to participate.  

With Blues Rox not playing last week, we have been regressing.  With Avery Grouws Band, we missed out playing and opening for them last year.  I'm not sure about if we can get back to opening up to the likes of them or even others.  With October rolling around and back to work again, we won't have many chances to play for the rest of the year.  

 

I haven't had a haircut in the past two years due to Covid issues so usually Julie cuts my hair.  My hair drives me crazy and I didn't want to deal with the Joe Dirt look, so I actually gave myself a haircut.  I tried to Van Gogh myself and cut my ear twice, but it actually looks quite good, not bad for a  chop cut.

I do wish I could have gotten back into playing sooner than I did when I came back on in 2015.  Part of the problem was that I couldn't get over stage fright and a nagging doubt about my playing ability but it turned out that I had it in me, but lack the confidence to override the self doubt.  The music that The Townedgers did in the 1990s proved that the music was quite good and Greg Nutter was right about me, I could play with the best.  30 years ago, I still had the road ahead of me to make it, nowadays, I look back and wonder what could have been but at the same time continue to play along with the best in town.  Talent is in the mind of the beholder.  Certainly I wish I could front a band with Julie and Dave but I think they have their own vision of their music. I tend to be a chameleon, and not fitting with any sort of music alignment.   I think at this point, I have done what I set out to do as part of the Townedgers and the music that I created these past three decades.  Nobody will get to hear it but I still have it here in the archives, just waiting for the right sort of software to get it out to the open.   

(The Whisky Jos gang: Bill Whalen, DJ Maus, Greg Nost, Me, Greg Mullenix, Tom Berdo, Tom Berdo)

With schools back in session, my vacation days will be done.  And will have to wait another 9 months to once again to do the summer tours, but time keeps slipping away.  I haven't felt much like doing the acoustic jams and playing guitar of late.  There will be a handful of Blues Rox gigs but I don't trust the North Port barowner giving us a gig anytime soon, he didn't when he owned aces and eights.   Looking at what and where we played at, the high was Jones County Fair despite competing with Kane Brown's soundcheck break beats and helping out Kimberly with the Homestead Gig with No Limits.  The Wasserbaum gig was the most disappointing with nobody showing up and that was our one and only showing there.  At this point in my life, I go with it.  There'll may not be a next time.  But at least, Whisky Jo's have signed on to keep the Wed Night jam going. 

That's it for now. See you at the ball game. (next time)