March 28, 2009

           Music dominates again, so it is a good thing you come here to read about the newest and best I can find. Remember, I come from a place and time each band member was only responsible for his own gear. Those were the days. First thing, I was pleased to find Mackie is still in business and have preserved their excellent reputation for quality musical equipment. For anyone who just arrived, my stage equipment weighs close to 180 pounds and I intend to put it on a starvation diet.
           Big Jim uses a 12-channel Mackie powered mixer. My 8-channel Gigrack does a comparable job for being the heaviest chunk of gear in my inventory. Mackie builds a 402, a small 150-watt stereo mixer that seems to be full-featured. It will mean I have no spare jacks on stage for jamming, but somehow I no longer think that is so bad, Florida. If it works for me, all I have to find is the best set of midget speakers in the world.
           Teresa came by the shop and I am now her appointed agent for the condo. Oh, did I mention Fred finally made the motorcycle team. Congratulations. Mike brought me another laptop to see if results are better, and he threw in two more seasons of the “Sopranos”. I promptly lost the power chord for the laptop from my pocket as I rode my bike home. The Taurus is running fine although I did miss that gig I wanted to see at Alligator Alley last weekend.
           A few hours later, I drove to get Teresa and we headed for Toucans. Everybody showed up, including Big Jim and Patrick. That’s Arnel dancing on the Broadwalk seawall. There is a synergy to our stage act that was never quite there with any other band I’ve jammed with around here, Charles the sax player aside. This was also Teresa’s going away party. She told me she never quite knew that music shows were a lot more show than music. I can think of a few other people she could clue in on that one.
           My current mission is to find software that modifies Karaoke lyrics without using the wearisome dash method. I’ve determined one Karaoke screen around 32” will be enough for my act if I set it on a pole beside me on stage. I cannot exist without sing-a-long but that doesn’t mean I want it to eclipse my performance . I only get a couple hecklers a year, always failed guitarists. I can see their point of view, them suddenly discovering they are dispensable and all.
           I’m dropping up to a third of my old music, including a few venerable classics like “Stand By Me” and “Stray Cat Strut”. They just don’t produce results any more. I may also step up the proportion of chick tunes (which I have no qualms whatsoever of playing) to include Madonna and Estafan. I suffered a five year gap in my musical career while I was struggling through school, no radio, no bass. No new clothes or shoes either, but that’s another story. To me, Nirvana sounds atonal and retrograde.
           A little trivia for people foolish enough to invest in gold. The residential real estate bubble has burst, so next in line is commercial real estate. Americans have become a nation of consumers without producing anything. When the credit runs out, fewer dollars will chase the same goods, driving prices up, including the price of gold. Here’s the trivia part most people don’t know. The IMF (International Monetary Fund) has 400 tons of gold stashed away. They have announced they will sell 50 tons when the price exceeds $900 per ounce. That should be soon.
           This million or so ounces of gold will cause the price to stabilize for the next 20 years, even if they don’t dump more onto the market. I won’t go into the numbers and inflation but gold as a security only works in a “closed” market system, like the USA was before World War II. We no longer produce most of what we use. What about playing it safe by buying bonds? Forget it, that is the next thing to implode.
           Think about it. Who are the primary issuer of bonds (other than the Feds)? Towns and cities. Where do they get the collateral to issue bonds? From taxes based on property values. What, are we back to real estate again? The total amount that has been borrowed by all the city halls can never be paid back. Do you know what brought down every pyramid scheme in history? Somebody along the line demanded real money.
           Last thing, I’ve already got a few inquiries over my mention of Gordie Walker, the musician who inspired my act the most. People wanting to know if he is any relation to Gordie Walker, the retired NHL player who is 14 years younger than me. Folks, at the expense of name-dropping, they are exactly the same person. He never once talked about sports and I know when something is none of my business. I have no trouble accepting that some people can do more than one thing in life. Wait, this is Florida. I take that back. Don’t want to hurt any feelings.
           Not everyone wears their medals on their chest.