Checkers' Long Lunch With Kat Blue and Billy Bourbon.

Songs:

Ring Of Fire

Fox On The Run  

Going Down That Road

I Fought The Law   

Help Me

For What Its Worth

My Baby Loves Me

Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Billy Bourbon-Electric drum beats

Kat Blue-Lead Vocal on My Baby Loves Me and Stop Dragging My Heart Around

With:

Carl Meiners, Freddy Jones, David Kirzan, Pam Harrington, Murray and Brett Johnson. 

I find it hard to believe Billy Bourbon never heard me play guitar and sing but he might have forgotten the Urban Pie jam of a few years ago.

This was the part of the month that Kimberly hosted the jam with No Limits Band, a collective of all stars helping her cause.  She did need to have the support, the road construction has kept a few people away from the jams.  Since I couldn't get the night off, Billy stepped in to co host.  He did the John Lee Hooker toe tap as bass drum.

For the songs themselves, the usual safe ones tho Going Down The Road was improvised and thought up on the spot.  I couldn't find a song that I could play the melody.    Kimberly did Gold Dust with Billy, so I chose Stop Draggin My Heart Around for the finale and had to get back to work.  Even Pam said that I sounded great tonight.

Sounds good to me. 

Ring Of Fire had some technical difficulties, Billy thought the guitar amp battery was dead.  It wasn't. The sound system they have sucked.  I went home and tried the guitar out on my regular amp.  It played through okay. I Fought The Law was slowed down, Jet Airliner sped up and messed up.  And I don't have a problem having Kimberly sing.  The more she sings, the less that I do.  

Whisky Jo's-With Tanya and Ed English And The Mandela Effect

Songs:

Shake Your Moneymaker

Spoonful

Fever

In The Midnight Hour

Up On Cripple Creek 

You Don't Know How It Feels

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Creep

Messin' With The Kid

Tanya English-Lead Vocals 1-3

Billy Bourbon-Lead Vocals and Guitar the rest of the way

Tommy Bruner-Guitar

Dakota McWhortor-Guitar

Ed English-Bass

Terry McDowell-Host

Freddy Jones-Harmonica

R.Smith-Took a long lunch break.

Donna Jo-Percussion and backing vocals 

(Tommy don't care what you think) ;) 

Back to work and back to a long lunch break, I had to pass being co host for Kimberly on the Checker's Jam on Thursday, I did come in to finish up a blues set featuring Tanya and Ed English, who are playing the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival this week, they're known as the Tanya English Band.  

I have my share of favorite vocals and for blues, Belinda James and Julie Gordon are up there, but Tanya English really knows the blues songs as we were figuring out how to play Shake Your Moneymaker.   She and Ed do have a lot of breaks into those songs, I have to go see them play to see how they actually do the songs.  I  wasn't in best playing mood, being at work and being pissed at everything going wrong, I play too fast, even You Don't Know How It Feels, felt like I was speeding up the tempo, tho nobody complained (a first0.  

A couple of surprises, Billy decided to brush off Radiohead's insufferable Creep and we did it mid tempo. But I was going reggae with Knockin' On Heaven's Door.   I think Ed went along with it.  He's the most fun bass player I ever jammed with since returning.  He reminded me of the days when Russ would ham it up during the Paraphernalia years, but doesn't do that any more. I don't know why.  I don't foresee myself in the future but if Ed n Tanya needs a new drummer for their project, I'll be happy to sign on. 

ZZ Top was in town, so Terry basically held down the drummer's throne, till I got there on my lunch break.  Then played the rest of the way.  We really don't know the future of the Whisky Jo's Wednesday jams, however, I should be there to support the cause the rest of the month.    But there was a decent crowd there tho, Tami Merrick was there as well as the usual crew.

Stone City-This is far as I go for today.

Songs:

Fox On The Run

Good Time Charlie

Jet Airliner

When Will I Be Loved

Ring Of Fire

Summertime Blues

Help Me

Logic And Lies 

For What Its Worth

Cinnamon Girl

Rick Wingle-Percussion

From what I heard there was a shortage of drummers at the Rumors jam.

Who was at Stone City?  Semi Retired Trucker from Dubuque, Bill Sclatter, Phil Bo King, Carl Meiners, Mike Fredicks, Freddy Jones, Ed Butler and Dave Bonham hosting.

Kat Blue and hubby Bill, to which they left for Rumors soon after and told me no other drummer was there but Terry.  The way it looks, Rumors didn't have much of a crowd there on Sunday.  Bear Clair, Mark Awad, Terry McDowell, Tommy Bruner and Jeff Taylor back the Kat up.

Julie Gordon showed up later with Franklin in tow but then had to leave due to darkness and she didn't want to deal with the one lane road back into town.  I didn't think she was going to be there.  

Bella, Phil's doggie was there too.

Crankshaft took over for the Boy Scout Hippies at FB company Saturday Night.  Word has it that the FB Jam is now history.  It's a shame.  I had some wonderful times playing out there. 

Tyler/Downing: A Date With The Blues

Songs.

Behind Blue Eyes (For Dave Bonham)

Help Me

It's Hurts Me Too

Let's Work Together

Cinnamon Girl

For What Its Worth

You Ain't Going Nowhere

Jim Myers-Drums

Phil Koening-Lead Guitar

Dakota McWhortor-Guitar on the last three songs

Bill Schettler-Host and Lead vocal on You Ain't Going Nowhere.

Bill the harmonica player-Harmonica on You Ain't Going Nowhere.

Jan Hoag-Backing vocals on You Ain't Going Nowhere.

Dave Bonham, Bill the harmonica player, Diana Koening, Mike Murphy, Randy Jensen. Chuck Savage, Lenny Drake were in attendance. With the exception of Diana, all the before mentioned played earlier.

Mike and Randy came down from Waterloo to play in our little acoustic showcase.  This was Jim Myers last performance on drums before he goes back to California.  So I drafted him to play on my songs, tho he was gracious in saying I could play drums.  And, bless his heart, he bought supper again. I gotta love the guy for that.

This was a full band with Phil Bo and Jim doing the work, Dakota came up later to play on Work Together and Cinnamon Girl.  Dave Bonham (Bless his heart) wanted to hear Behind Blue Eyes so I managed to sing that and remembered 99 percent of the words.

Bill Schettler hosts this second Wednesday of the month open mic and Randy mentioned that Jameson's has theirs on the same night we have to get there early to play.  He took over the T and D open mic from Ron LaFleur and told me about it still being on.  Therefore, since I was in town earlier in the day, it was decided that Whisky Jo's would be a pass, unless the kids from the Sunday Patio Jam were going to be there or Kristopher.  Nobody mentioned anything tho.

Bill (the harmonica player)  and the woman singer (forgot her name, maybe Diana will remember her name when she posts the pictures so she can get credit for being there) loved the blues segment, tho I did have the songbook with me, but I left it out in the car and improvised on the blues numbers of Help Me and It Hurts Me Too.  I think Bill and her were part of Switchback, but my memory is getting less and less these days. 

As for Cinnamon Girl, Dakota played the tag ending perfectly. 

The final song was Bill singing You Ain't Going Nowhere with those still around.  I think in the end, I'll do my best to help Bill keep this going.  Tho, fall processing will be forthcoming and my time will have to pick and choose the next time.  

For a guitar only performance, it was great to have Jim sit in, just like having Bob sit in yesterday.  They are the reason why jams are fun. 

Artisan-With Sir Bob Miler And Real Drums Too

Songs:

Logic And Lies

Let It Go

Cheating Songs

Gold Dust Woman

Help Me

For What Its Worth

Cinnamon Girl

Bob Miller-Percussion

Plus Free Form Jam Noise

Jeff Allen-Guitar

Virginia Harlow-No Clue Guitar

D. Harris-Bass

Me-drums

For my set, Bob Miller sat in on percussion on all songs, including the two originals that let off the set. It's fun having a percussion player, that was I can have Bob extend the jam as much as I can.   I have no clue on what to sing or do outside the originals.  I worked up All Along The Watchtower as a jam song toward the end.  But we had some kind of free form noise that Ms. Harlow had her GD amp turned up full blast and gave me a headache.  Eventually, D. and Jeff Allen finally found the beat I was playing. Later on, so did Virginia.  Pat Tecklenburg showed up for a while but didn't play due to an hand injury.   Jeff brown came in for a few before leaving, he had to get up early to get to his daytime job.

Mike McManus did bring his real drums for later on.  Special thanks to him for doing that.  I love the trashy sound of the snare. Take a bow! 

As part of my musical journey I try my best to give each and every person their due and acknowledge them for being part of my musical excursion.  Without them, I may as well go back to the music room and hang out there pretending to be a rock star.  

Artisan Jam

Songs
All Along The Watchtower

Summertime Blues

Help Me

Rock Me Baby/

Big Boss Man/

Smokestack Lightning 

Cinnamon Girl

For What It's Worth

With:

Dave Bonham-Lead Guitar

Pat Ticklenberg-Harmonica, Drums, Keyboard 

D. Harris-Bass 

Virginia Harlow-Guitar

Freddy Jones-Harmonica

Mike Rolen-Bass 

Michael McMeins-Drums

An jam of learn as you go I guess.  Some fun songs, nothing of the ordinary. 

This was supposed to be date night with Julie, but then she mentioned she wasn't feeling all that great, so we did a movie and she made Chinese.   Dave didn't know about the Artisan Jam till I told him and so he went up there before I did.   I did six songs with various members of the Artisan band, and I don't know who the bass player was. Drums were split up between Pat and Dave.  Lee Kohl came up after and then I had to follow Dave home since his PT cruiser wasn't exactly running well.  But he didn't need me anyway. He made it home okay.

Haven't seem much of Kimberly lately at the jams. Haven't seen much of her since The Homestead gig, where I sat in and played drums.  The 2021 Blues finals at Des Moines was announced and she didn't make the cut.  On another note, Country Biscuits are made up for former No Limit Band members it seems.   No word if Checker's is doing the Thursday jams this month.   Nobody has said anything about that.

The Four Day Creep gang: Ian, Amanda, Jon, Rick, Troy

Sunday, was Blues Rox hosting the Patio Jam from Norway, and Kris had a couple of his friends come up and play guitar.  Not a actual gig but just having fun with the future rock stars of tomorrow.  Then caught Four Day Creep and Flex play the Under The Covers thingy at Chrome Horse.   I didn't make it to the Rumors jam since I got back into town late, Herm bought his own drums since Terry was using his for the Chrome Horse gig.  

Technical BS:  Cymbals used for the Patio Jam

17 inch A Crash

17 inch K Dark Crash

20 inch Sizzle Ride

For high hats, I used the 14 inch K Dark Crash as top to the bottom of the quick beat hat and it has a more trashy sound to it  I may continue to have this combination going for the next gig. I was asked why I didn't have the 24 inch ride.  Basically it's upstairs being used for the other drum set.  I am certain it will be back in the lineup shortly.  I don't have a cymbal storage case big enough to cover it. 

I was telling Russ that 40 years ago when we played I was basher on drums and all of the sudden my way of playing has changed in the past two years, going from the all over the place drummer, to a more economical sort of playing.  I was watching Terry McDowell with his playing for FLEX and how he attacks them in a more driving way.  Perfect for grunge and modern 90s rock.  I simply cannot play that way without getting a heart attack.  Troy is just as animated, and he is great on the cymbal accents.  I enjoy watching them do their work.  I know in 2015, I was still in bash mode but upon interacting with other musicians and taking their cue (slow down, slow down, lay off the fancy paddlediddles) I have become a more accessible sort of drummer.   I do not understand my ways and means of bashing the fuck out of the drums but rather consider that to be taking my anger out on the poor drums of yesterday. The poor cymbals never stood a fighting chance and even the good one that Scott Waters gave me finally got destroyed a few years after having it. I've never cracked a cymbal by bashing it hard but rather not catching it when the cymbal stand tumbled down. The K Medium Thin rubbed against the impulse and shaved a small bit off, and the K 17 Dark Crash got a nice sizable dent from not catching that one in Norway last year.    In my younger and brutal youth, I made attempts to destroy drum sticks and even Graphite sticks got shattered.  I did dent a 10 inch splash from a Graphite stick but didn't crack it.  

Given that, Terry n Troy are the two quintessential hard rock drummers still around.  I find it strange that i'm 10 years older than both of them.  Jon Wilson is also damn good at he does.  And I have learned a lot from these guys and try to incorporate them into how I play which seems to be better for me now, than back of the days of the basher years.  Back in the days that baseball bats were part of the drum set and a lot of the 80s and 90s recordings cymbals were tortured and bashed for the sake of art and nose.  The version of The End from 2013 showed more restraint playing tho it still sounded like the cymbals were being mutilated.   Which wasn't the case, the 20 inch Paiste Thin Crash didn't have the big glancing blows of the forgotten 1976 version.  You'll never hear that one, but suability and a lighter touch still made it sound very rude.    

Stone City/Rumors-What No Stones Today?

Stone City Song list:

Interlude In A 

Fox On The Run

For What Its Worth

It Hurts Me Too

Get It Over With

Cinnamon Girl

With: Brian Boss, Michael Murphy, Carl Meiners, Bill Schletter, Ray Larsen, Lane Gaffney, Thad Zimmerman, Sharon Robinson, Mike Fredricks and Krystina Lynn 

Rumors:

Get Back

I Have Just Seen A Face

Take Me To The River

Mr. Lucky

Yer So Bad

Bring It On Home

Long Time Gone

Tommy Bruner-Vocals and guitar

Nate Hines-Vocals and guitar

Morris-Guitar

Mark Awad-Bass

Dan Johnson-Backing Vocal on Long Time Gone

Nick Lnenicka-Harmonica

Terry McDowell-Brings the drums

Donna Jo-Brings the percussion

R. Smith-Plays the drums

(Bill Schettler-photo)

A rare double duty but in the Mandel Effect doing Rolling Stones songs, I missed out but we did a half hour of music and jams and two Beatles numbers.  Donna Jo followed me from Stone City today.

Bryan Sink  and David Schroeder came from Waterloo , first time I got to meet him in person.  First song turned out to be a instrumental since I couldn't figured out a song in that key.   Thaddeus Zimmerman followed me after my song set.    

The heavy rains from up north has got the Wapsipinicon back to its banks and then some.  A record crest in Tripoli  and Independence is looking at 16.2 feet come Tuesday.  Crest for Stone City would be 21 feet.  There might be some rain later on but none of the heavy crap that gave 14 inches of rain up north.  Somehow we managed not to get drowned in this summer here.  But we never know.

A light turnout was at Rumors, DJ Hovenstot was playing when I got there and I missed out on Midnight Rambler.  

Bill Schettler will be hosting the Tyler and Downing monthly jam September 8, with Jimmy Myers on drums one last time before he goes back to California.  Bill approached me about playing but I told him due to my work in October that will be impossible.   I enjoyed my time away from my place of employment this summer but the pay checks have been minimal and Blues Rox haven't gotten many gigs to play this summer.   Bill is a great guy, and hopefully I will help him out at some point before the year is out. 

Both jams were okay and I didn't really bust a sweat but we did have long and extended jams with Take Me To The River and Long Time Gone, to which Mark Awad did an extended bass solo on both songs. This might be the last I'll see of Mark before he goes back to his regular job in the fall.   Brian Sink is looking for a drummer for his band but he lives in Waterloo and I rather not make the hour trip up there.   Kind of like the dude at Dubuque that wanted me in his band but I didn't live in the area.

I have yet to make it to the Quad Cities jam with Sean Ryan this year.  Options are on the table for September.  But I think I'm more inclined to go to watch the River Bandits play baseball.  

Karl Hudson survived his second COVID shot.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  I should know.