I’ll analyze the session, since it represents a potential link to other musicians, something in desperate short supply again. I learned four of Genie’s tunes, she learned zero of mine. In that peculiarly familiar strain, she only likes certain tunes. And it is not her fault the very ones she likes happen to feature her exact brand of vocals and guitar work. She undoubtedly finds it convenient so many also have the same chord patterns and tempos.She runs the early week evening shows. Both her style and brand of music will condemn her to that slot. Genie is partially guilty of using the open mic to stock the stools. I pre-empted that by telling her I could give her a half-hour between 10:00 and 10:30, so I was on stage within 5 minutes of arriving. She remembers the incredible sound of our duo (she strums and sings) and wasn’t about make me wait around. The Octopus is not my scene, although I would say that about any joint that isn’t chock full of young, unattached babes.
The show was great. Say what you want about the rest of my playing, I have perfect timing thanks to my eight grades of classical piano. There was no drummer, which was okay by me. I had to lug in my 45 pound Ampeg as their gear was indeed as crappy as she said. I doubt I’ll do a repeat for quite honestly, my performance and sound was, shall we say, significantly of a quite different caliber than the rest. She also drops chords, a very difficult affliction to cure in guitarists, and a problem always underscored by my chronometric bass lines.
Eric’s Dodge is now behind the shop and ready for the market. An English ex-spook was in with some modem troubles. We got to chatting, he once worked with MI-6 (Military Intelligence, the British spyworks). He was on the team that shut down that huge ring of software smugglers via fake German businesses in Europe. The bad guys would install the software in West Berlin, roughly slingshot distance from East Berlin. To catch them, MI-6 used a tactic that would never work with me. They dressed up as DEC techs and showed up pretending to do routine maintenance on the systems.
The Englishman is also a lead guitarist, but not a singer.* Can’t use him. When he learned I was a bassist, he went into this two minute description about some kind of 1976 starburst finish, humbucker with Dean Markley’s and stopped when he saw none of us had any idea what he was talking about. That is strictly guitar player babble, can you see a piano player bragging about his brand of strings? He was confounded to learn I thought Mark Knopfler played for “The Kinks”. I meant “Dire Straits” but so what, that’s close enough for most people.
To be polite, I told him it was “humbucking”, not “humbucker”, that the patent had run out in 1971, that advances in technology by then meant no pickups, even the cheapest, had any hum that needed bucking. What? You didn’t think “humbucking” was some guy’s name, did you? He also said his greatest moment was playing “Hotel California”, where he played “one part” and the other guy played the “other part”. I presume he meant people from the band “The Eagles”, who I would not know if they came along and bit me in the ass.
Author's note 2015-09-15: If this sounds odd, I remind the world that as of this date in 2009, I had not yet learned how to sing. Today, I sing all my own tunes and am a Karaoke regular.
At the shoe shop, we lost money today. To solve problems, Alfredo relies on experience much the same way I rely on thinking. A customer was unsatisfied with some custom work we did that cost us 12 man-hours to complete. My advice is to take in only the high-profit work: heels, toes, soles. Let customers find another shop for any type of luggage. I explained the advantages of specialization. Alfredo still likes one person to do each job start-to-finish, but a production line makes more sense. Take in what I can handle, and use the gaps in my output for any specialty work that requires his expertise. I know it is hard to turn down any customer in these times but self-employment is knowing when to say “No”.
By the way, from Federal to Dixie, the water has been off since 6:00 PM this evening. Well, duh, I forgot my flash drive at home, which is why this post is a day late. I'm allowed [to forget things when], the water is off again between Federal and Dixie.
Return Home
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
