By 1:00 P.M. I haven’t got that other panel out yet. I discovered the concrete pad does not extend under the entire trailer, and the Florida room is held up only by four pylons in the corners. I had noticed the floor swayed a little. It turns out there was a water leak between the walls and that panel was holding things up. Since I caught it in time, I jacked up the joists and shored things up with concrete blocks. Another lesson I’ve relearned is that if you ever think your air conditioner isn’t cold enough, go work construction in Florida for a couple of hours. When you come back inside, you may not even notice you forgot to turn it on. Close examination shows the roof bolts were never properly sealed, meaning a trip up on the roof on a plank to spread my weight. How I love to keep busy.
When I retrieved my cell phone, the barmaid and I chatted momentarily, during which I mentioned the bar had a California style “but without the Internet”. She became very defensive, saying that people came to her bar to drink, not go online. She said they could bring their own computer, but would you take a laptop to a Florida bar? I looked around. You know, she is right. Florida bars purposely go out of their way to ensure there is nothing to do except drink, talk and smoke cigarettes. There may be pool and darts, which most people never play.
Even the music is geared toward two-fisted drinking. It tends to be blues bars, rock bars and I have yet to see one with a decent stage. (Decent means at least two feet off the floor, rectangular, and facing the main area where people congregate. Boston Johnny’s has a stage, around six inches high and even that is a triangle tucked in the northwest corner of the singles section.) I would go to a bar for much the same reasons I would go to a restaurant. I usually read, write or socialize, but I wonder if there is a bar in the entire state of Florida that has any atmosphere. And no, I don’t mean fifteen flat screen TVs.
There was a power outage late afternoon. The place became uncomfortably warm within twenty minutes and but also, the buildings across the street are on a separate grid. If they are on the same system as the casino, that gives them priority in any blackout. That means in a pinch, I run an extension over to Eric’s. Pudding-Tat got locked outside for the longest stretch yet, at least five hours. I had to leave for the gig before I could find her.
The Hippie and Cowboy Mike came in for the show. We basically jammed our way through three hours. I was too tired to continue and the crowd was not there. The crowds aren’t anywhere. We made gas money each. Both the speakers on my PA are acting up, meaning if they are blown, they lasted approximately one week past the warranty period. It must be something I did, because both speakers at once are crackling.
The feedback from Jimbo’s is mixed. My regulars like my old show, the other half appreciate something new. I’ll let others decide on their own they will have to play up to 40% country music in that bar. All musicians agree that Jimbo’s has potential but are shy of the strategy to make it work. The Hippie’s band didn’t show up so without that distraction, we were actually sounding like a group after an hour of on-stage practice. Between the three of us, we don’t own a wristwatch. Will hated the whole show and said so. Twice.
