Idea time. Time to handle the problem of finding a rock-country guitarist, as opposed to a country-rock type. You’d know the difference instantly if I pointed out what to watch for. For example, my last guitarist was blues-rock where he should have been rock-blues. I’m now finding I have to keep up to three guitarists on hold, and it is expensive auditioning these people. Therefore, I will add up assets, a precondition to working with what you’ve got. The biggest asset may again prove to be the fact that there are no shortages of ideas around here. It is getting those ideas to pay off that gets a little rare.
In any order, guitarists know they will need Fridays & Saturdays free. Or I can’t use them. Three clubs around here will pay ($45-$65 nightly) for a reasonable solo. These clubs often have Thursday karaoke, so pre-recorded music is acceptable. The open mic Florida things are backward but they appear to work better than the even worse alternatives when dealing with the locals. I’m used to formal west coast jam sessions and my equipment reflects this. I have a complete setup of equipment, including a spare Fender “farmer” guitar and microphone. I can learn almost any tune in a week of spare time. I am impatient to get playing regularly and I can Limewire anything. Where is all this going?Toward to the secondary and tertiary levels [missing sentence fragment]; I therefore know that if you told me the tune and what key you play it in, [missing sentence fragment]I should be able to set up a system where I get paid for checking you out. I do believe I already know the clubs that would go for it. All I need is a way to get your information. An on-line open mic? It works like so.
I set my equipment up at a club on the weekend, and play along to MP3s, which people do at downtown restaurants. I practice to MP3s and a lot of people are pleasantly surprised to hear a bassist do this. So far, we’ve got a standard open mic, but with a bass instead of another guitar, already a vast improvement over the competition.
Now, there would be a guitar sitting there waiting, right on stage. During the week, my ads on-line let you know that you email me what you play (the tune and the key), or you can pick any song from my on-line list. I’ll learn a bass line that will spoil you. Then you can come down to play it live, probably that weekend. Like it? I’ll even buy you a drink – after you play.
It could be a win-win for the club. Call it “live karaoke” if you will. I’ll still have to think of how to advertise this, but the core of an idea has already occurred. Give me a day or so and I’ll add in some features that nobody could easily copy, (like offering a video disk of the performance) and I think I’ll give it a whirl. Hmm, an on-line jam session. Interesting. (It already beats the months that some people I know take to get off their asses.)
Four hours later [8:30 AM]. Yes, I think I can arrange something unique and make it a hard act to follow. I was already equipped to string MP3s (incidentally, slicing MP3 files is a fascinating hobby if you have the correct software) together for Brian and I can produce the video in real time, or at least faster than anyone else in this area. (I know because I do a brisk VHS to DVD business at the computer shop.) For editing, the sound track portion of most video editing software does an admirable job.I’m going to Wal/Brands/K/mart to find the cheapest MP3 unit that will work specifically to avoid having a [tempting] laptop on stage. An ordinary CD player with MP3 kapes [capabilities] should work and I’ve seen desktop models for less than $40. The videos may be intentional low quality, possibly black and white. And I’ve got $631 that says I can do this rapidly, being a capitalist and all.
JZ and I went over to Brandsmart in South Miami. Or is it Kendall. Here is JP standing outside the tower. That paint job can be seen for miles. It took us a while to get there because JZ’s philosophy of life is, “Being rested up is the key to being rested up.”
I have the DVD player, the only type of CD player that will display the tune menu on a screen large enough to pick them randomly. However, the screen only displays a maximum of twenty tunes. Still, it is enough for now and I can borrow a laptop any time I want. Brandsmart now has a policy and security to prevent anyone from entering the store with any kind of recording device, even a tape deck. I have no idea on that one.
Marion called. She is arriving in Florida on September 7. This is my lucky year, more real people to talk to in a few months than the entire time here. She pointed out that we have been best friends for 26 years now, rarely being out of touch for more than a few weeks except when I was overseas. The plan is to meet up in Orlando but nothing is finalized yet. She did point out that the cycle is complete, I will again be playing in a band and going to college, which she describes as my natural state.
Then we hauled a desk over to Alaine’s. See the picture, does that look like a $5,000 desk? It is, and has been in the family 50 years. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and it is actually a dresser. The lid opens up into a vanity mirror. It is constructed of plywood, which is how they made these things before particle board took over. Its history has to do with a museum in Chicago and some contact with that place through JP’s older brother.Then came the worst rainstorm in a year, so we rented “Kingmaker” and waited the thing out eating hotdogs and popcorn. I’d say hold for the video, except it already was. A story about palace intrigue, and I kept insisting everyone was Thai, not Chinese. Ah-hah, I was right. The credits later indicated it was based on a true story about Thailand in the 1500’s. Extremely well-done by Thai standards, I had to laugh at the familiar “sing-song” parts of the script. (Thai cannot say “L” where the Chinese cannot say “R”.) The actors could not avoid saying “swell”, “full” and “will” often enough – it is an accomplishment. Sigh, I like Thailand.
Author’s note: I have not been in Thailand since 1987. Back when it was Thailand.
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