Happy holidays. It's another brown Christmas, temps are in the mid 40s and it's a nice day. To which at this time of year, I go back and take a look at the year, both good and bad.
2021 turned out to be more trying year than 2020. The Waubeek and Whittier Jams are a thing of the past and probably not coming back for next year or for that matter the Parlor City Blues Jam. There are still some neat jams and open mics in town but the ones on weeknights have suffered. Whisky Jo's and Checkers are the two main ones, The Artisan still has the twice monthly open mics and the Quad Cities have plenty if I want to drive there, or Des Moines, or Dubuque. I made one trip to the Smokestack to check out and of the course the Black Friday Jam at the Eagles' Club that had bad sounding drums and I ended up getting Covid two days later. While it was considered mild, I still slept most of the first two weeks away in December and couldn't stop the hacking/coughing. It was the worst that I felt since 2018 when I had to cancel two jam tributes that year. Spring and fall processing and I packed the guitar away for long stretches The jams opened up this March with Stone City and Checkers started up the acoustic open mics, Checker's moved theirs to Thursday. Despite the return of Hart/Parker, the participants dwindled down to a select few. Kat Blue tapped me to help her out in August and it turned out to be a lot of fun but it also came with reservations, namely from my other half who accused me of hanging with the enemy. Granted, the hosts of the jams would not come out and support the other acts by showing up. Kat did have a few more jammers than Julie and Dave did this month. In Kat's defense, she does enjoy me being a part of her jams and band fill in when needed. And she's always made good on her end of the deal. The jam with Julie And Dave would turn out to be the last one at Checkers for a while. Thankfully, I got there to play it.
I had no time for The Townedgers' projects and Geoff Redding out the door. Robbie Prescott replaces him and whenever we will get around to do another album remains to be seen. The Acoustic Adventures did come around once in a while, tho I favored the Rumors Sunday Funday Jam and me and Terry McDowell have been getting along quite good. For six years, he has done a great job keeping the Rumors jam alive and well. The core band of Billy Bourbon, Tommy Bruner, Tim Canfield and sometimes Jeffrey Taylor have been the prime players and I enjoy the time jamming with them. Of course the usual criticisms will come up, (too fast, too loud etc etc), most of time I'll find my way back to their groove, they prefer a simple beat and not too many drum fills, but sometimes I get annoyed enough to roll my eyes and pencil in more Acoustic Adventure appearances at Stone City. I have not made it to Dharma's for their Sunday Acoustic Jam, I always had some issues with Billylee Janey in the past and Troy Mills is about halfway to Waterloo and takes me off the route to CR and Rumors after playing Stone City. Sean Ryan has moved the Monday jam in Moline, but I didn't make it to any of those jams, I spent more time watching the Quad Cities River Bandits play and win the Championship this year. But then I stuck up a friendship with Bryan West of Avey Grouws Band and promised him that when he host a jam down there, I bring a guitar and play and he can back me up on drums. He's very good and one of the nicest dudes I ever met. More about Avey Grouws later.
Contrary to rumor I still have not got any groupies or one night stands, not that it matters much, being 60 and no longer a looker, I managed to keep away from temptation. Cynthia Mahoney is now long gone, I haven't seen her since she walked out during a Artisan performance and we all for the better of it. Although, she popped up to post something to that she misses hearing us. The feeling isn't mutual
The Artisan moving from Marion to Cedar Rapids was one off the biggest stories of the year. We went from a small, cramped but cozy place to a much bigger place and larger stage. I do miss the days of going to Marion, tho not so much of trying to find a parking spot when they had the Thursday Bands on the Square Adding Mike McMeins to the sound guys along with Patrick Lower made me sound better than usual. Not my vocals are up to par with the pros but it does okay.
Another big story was COVID showing up in November and the jams begin to disappear. Taz Grant and Kevin Sinmacher lost their battle to COVID and I ended up getting that shit after the infamous Black Friday Jam. I only played once alongside Taz, but Kevin was there from the beginning adding shots to me to be part of the music scene. Gregdon Cole also passed away but from cancer. He is missed greatly as well.
The year of Blues Rox was more uneven than 2020. In our second year it still remains a father/son duo with a hired rhythm section and the bass player became Russ, my best friend and co hort of Paraphernalia/Tyrus years ago. It's nice to have a bass player to help out, to hopefully fill out our sound. But this year, the lack of practice and the lack of wanting to step out that comfort zone has turned this band into a family event for the Bries and the performances suffered greatly. The best moments came from Chris Avey sitting in our set in October at Checkers Jam with the Mandela Band and Avey Grouws Band, but the next month without Avey, we sounded like crap. The Jones Country show on the Free Stage had moments of greatness too but I had to compete with Kane Brown's shitty loud beats overpowering our band while they were at rehearsal. Somehow we passed the audition to come back next year. Kris did show up for a Whisky Jo's jam, but nobody waited on him and he hasn't been back since. Chris Avey really did get him to play his absolute best. A shame that the Parlor City Blues Jam had to end. Kris had Craig Erickson, Daddy O and Dan Johnson help him solidify his chops. This month's Artisan I had to bow out, but Mike McMeins filled in nicely. There were some wrong headed moments, especially the worst idea of taking Keep Your Hands To Yourself into a crapola blues shuffle that didn't work, that was at the JA Tap, and we haven't been back there since that episode. Another one and done was the Wasserbaum Water Park in Williamsburg to which the sound guy worked on the getting the drum sound right for 20 minutes, and then having five people all total to come see us play. But at least a free night stay at the hotel and getting paid 100 dollars was worth it. In the end, we regressed more than progressed and showing up to play in front of 10 people tends to take the fun out of this. It's nothing more than a gloried practice, to which at times we did get paid. I don't think Kris is that interested of playing, since he's been taking night shift jobs. Blues Rox has one more gig coming up in January. I think it will be our last.
If there was one thing that went right, was that Russ Swearingen and I started playing again together. As for any more Paraphernalia Tyrus shows, not going to happen, DeWayne and Dennis have retired, and Mike continues to rag about his ex wife. 40 years ago, Paraphernalia was recording and we were trying to get better but we never did find the right combination of musicians or songs to make it work. As I sit back and listen to our recordings of 1981-82, it appears that my dad was right, I was bashing the cymbals way too many times. But being a angry young kid that didn't know shit, I took my frustrations out on my drums and cymbals. And still wouldn't get laid till a dozen years later on. Mike was a damn good singer but with our songs, he blew his voice out. Too bad our main guitar player Doug knew how to turn his amp up to 11. As they say, the louder you are, the more you suck.
I was flattered and honored to help out Kimberly with the No Limits Band after the Blues Rox Wasserbaum gig. Kimberly hasn't had the best of luck, with most of her band dropping her after Fred Stock, but No Limits had Craig Erickson and Stacia Roccio helping out and tho we never did get to practice, we seemed to be more in tow than Blues Rox was. I'm sure 2022 will find me and Kimberly working together off and on. But again, I will have to fill in if she can't find anybody. Contrary to what people think, Kimberly and me have a musical relationship and nothing more.
The year with Julie started out great, she made my 60th year on Earth fun and for her birthday in April, I took her to Dubuque. Then the kayaking incident in July and it hasn't been the same since. We're still trying to understand each other and tolerate each other's quirks, but outside of playing harmonica in a couple of open mics, we never got around doing much else on stage. Most of the time she is part of Guitar Dave duo and it works better for her than my set of songs. 2022 may find us either drifting apart or coming back together again. Life would be so much fun if Kyle was still alive, and she'd be much happier. The jury is still out on me.
The Cabin Jam this summer I had to deal with adversity between warring people and I doubt if I'll go back there for next year. I love Donna Jo and Bill Elsner and thank them for their dedication to the cause. It's a nice cabin, we didn't have to deal with mosquitoes or humid temps, it was a one in a million day. And I got to once again play drums for Pinicon Drift again, Dave Petersen is one of my fave people to play on stage. Also at the old Bar outside of Monticello, Terry McCauley and I got to jam together and he made me work for playing that snare. I'd love to go see him play and perhaps bring the drums again.
30 years ago, Greg Nutter got me back into playing music again and inspired me to make Diamonds In The Skies, a 1991 album that showed once I worked a four track right, the songs would be much better. The vocals are still in that odd goth sounding tenor, but there's no doubt the songs were strong. It's a shame that Melissa never heard Sweet Melissa or Christine on Still Strangers but when I think about the time we were going steady, I blew her off when she was ready to rock. I was in the wrong, but at that time I wasn't ready to accomply her on the bed sheet rhumba. But then again, she was a Gemini and that's the worst sign for me, despite what the stars say. They been nothing but trouble. Isabella was Gemini too. For 2022, I plan to cover some of the songs off that album to play live. 2022 will be the 30th Anniversary of Drive In Blues as well. I think I have a few songs I can play off that album too.
Here's the gang that was part of my musical adventures of 2021
Freddy Jones, Kristopher Bries, Brian Bries, Russ Swearingen, Billy Bourbon, Tim Canfield, Tommy Bruner, Terry McDowell, Dave Bonham, Bill Schettler, Rick Wingle, Nick Lnenicka, Bob Gleason, Tom Berdo, Mike Fredericks, Phil Koening (Phil Bo King), Kimberly Kirzan aka Kat Blue, Donna Jo Elsner, Tammy Wildcat, Steve Black Wolf, Greg and Brenda Mein, Chris Avey, Bryan West, Maurice Anholt, Dee Vieman, Jeffrey Taylor, Richard Edward Butler, Russ Gracklin, Brett Johnson, Skeeter Louis, Wes, Barbara Finestrom, Jasper Hovenstot, Mark Awad, Ronnie Boles, Carl Meiners, Cathy Hart, Dan Hartman, Al Hendricks, Frank Gasler, Randy Faulkner, Tanya English, Ed English, Dakota McWhortor, Chuck Savage, Corey Baker, Bill Hoag, Jan Hoag, Jim Meyers, Bob Miller, Jeff Allen, Virginia Harlow, Demetrius Harris, Patrick Ticklenburg, Mike Rolen, Eric Paul, Michael McMeins, Nate Hines, Amanda Marshall, Eddie Jarrell, Michael Clair, David Pedersen and Pinicon Drift, Karl Hudson, Jeff Overly, Craig Erickson, Stacia Roccio, Layne Goldsberry, Perry from Iowa City, Lou Roccio, John Stephenson, Braden Carden, Adam Montgomery, Eric Paul, Blues Boy Billy, Ernest Bynum, Brian "Taz" Grant, Matt Panek, Mike Zhone, Jeff Craft, Rocky Burmeister, Billy Ginkens, Gary Darling, Dan Johnson, Jamie Allen Vance, Tara Primasing, Jeff Reeder, Brian Laudio, Roger Adams, Tim Kauffman, David Lee Kirksey, Lorie Parker, Terry McCauley, Guy Peterson, Mark Johnson and Marijane Euchner.
I am surprised to see 97 folks share the stage with me. Some are hall of famers, some are rock and roller, blues, bluegrass, country, some are just starting out and even Jasper is three years old, the oldest is probably Al. Randy Faulkner is one of the surprises, he did backing vocals for a song Al played but he doesn't play drums anymore. There are legends to boot and somewhere I fit way in the back but still proud to be a part of this.
There are highlights to boot. Backing up Al Hendricks on his birthday bash, watching Kristopher go into the stratosphere with his blues songs and then see Chris Avey push the envelope much more on his guest spot at Checkers in October. Having Russ play alongside me. Having Freddy Jones and Phil Bo help me out on the blues that I play and sing. Seeing Brook Hoover waving and yelling from the top of the Bohemian on a hot July Afternoon. Helping out Terry McCauley on the Barn Jam. And the rare pairing of Steve Black Wolf at the Cabin Jam, Steve doesn't go out all that much due to his health but it's a treat to see him. I don't think all the Blues Rox shows were wasted efforts, in fact we did quite well during Fred Stock and Chris Avey really was the best we did. In due time, it's best to remember the good and forgo the bad. Everybody, every band has that too. The Good and the bad, the happy and sad. Will this all be remembered come 2061? By then most of us will be dead and the young will be in their forties.
Every year, there's this premonition that this could be my last year of playing. Hell, I have been saying that every day and then pony up for another trip around the sun. I think 2022 will be a different year. I do hope that things will be better and everybody will be around but people will retire, people will die, some will get fed up and quit playing and go back to waste the rest of their years watching TV. I don't plan to be that person.
I hope to continue to enjoy playing drums and backing people up when the case may be. I don't expect to get rich on my musical adventures, once in a while I'll get a 100 here and a twenty there and appreciate the kindness of strangers. I hope Julie will still be around but I also hope she will find that happiness that she is looking for, I hope my parents will still be around as well, I hope my mom can return to her fun and usual self. It's heartbreaking to see somebody you love fall into the despair of Demetria. And I don't wish that on anybody, or with Covid. I also hope to get back into playing more guitar and getting back to singing my songs like I once did. I think that's my option, since I continue to battle those who continue to complain about my loud and fast paced playing. Believe me, I haven't played fast and loud in a while. I hope Waubeek and Whittier can continue the jams like they once did but I don't foresee that. Nor Parlor City for that matter. But while one jam place ends, another will come around and pick up what was left behind. Life will go on, and music will go on. But I cannot my life without my mom around. She's has been supportive of my music going ways and she suffered many a day with me pounding on drums and playing guitar. Forever indebted to her and forever loved. Love your parents. One day they will not be around.
