[Author's note 2016-04-29: originally there was no picture. This one has been assigned later to enhance this entry. This is the most expensive photograph sold in auction up to 1999. It is an 1850-ish photo of a French locomotive coaling station.]
This finds us feasting on baked chicken and ice-cold orange juice as we bask in the afterglow of victory. Not complete success, but success just the same as Staci and I do a half-show at Jimbos as proof of concept. This didn't happen all at once, so first here are some details of the day.
The tornadoes out east are knocking the weather here around, with constant rain squalls. I had to ride fourteen miles in the rain. But I could not be late for the gig. We've rehearsed around five times and I've noted that progress had slowed. Lack of inter-week hours put in. That's when I schedule a ready-or-not performance. Nothing brings musical technique into focus as well as playing next to me on stage without knowing your stuff.
You see, I'm the victim, er, the veteran of 150 guitar players who tried to pull that stunt. What you do perfectly in the studio guys is usually useless on stage. This isn't a recording session. Where I used to fill in, I will now jump in and take over--to the extent which covers what would otherwise be a musical lapse. Several key ideas came about during this, our first "live" show through a PA. First, we don't need 55 pieces of paper on stage for the 12 songs we know, ahem.
But more importantly, our voices appear to be two octaves apart. This raises the chance that we could get away with singing in unison. Most people won't try it because it is, well, unison. But the large spread is a fake or poor man's harmony. Think of Johnny Cash and June Carter, although there his voice is naturally so low she can stay well inside her envelope. My act has to leave out guitar lead breaks so we run through a lot of material fairly rapidly.
This is the novelty of the act. I know you've heard me say it many times. This is not a new idea, Robynette and I did a bass and vocal routine back in 1989. But that was for 25 minutes, not for two hours. It also served to bolster Staci's motivation to get these things down pat in a way no amount of pep talking on my part could accomplish. I've warned people before that on stage I am far too busy with my own to coach others along. You've got to put in solitary time to learn your parts. The last thing you want is me getting the idea I'm doing all the hard work myself.
The show was great, an absolute captive audience. Everyone turned around in their chairs paying attention to the band. That is the desired effect. I know it is stunning to see something, anything, new these days, but I am also aware that the novelty will wear off quickly. Only with constant innovation can we keep delivering the wow. Nonetheless, the effect was enough to get a single bill in the tip jar from the owner that will pay for our extra practices all the next month.
Where did I pack all my stage gear? My cow hats and cow boots? I forgot which box since I moved. I even have a rare bottle of real Old Spice aftershave secreted away in there. For reasons unknown, it is hard to find this in Florida. Trivia. Old Spice is the original "branded" aftershave, first brought out in 1957. All such products can be narrowed to less than five basic scents and (oddly) Old Spice is the one that reminds women of a certain age of their own fathers. Figure that one out.
I have now finished reading at least 12 books on sewing. I see it is similar to electronics, where you can go pretty well anywhere with the design once to knuckle down and learn the basics. But, it took me 13 weeks to build my first working LED dot matrix, a telling amount of time at my stage in life. That means I have to be selective, at least initially, and that means I confine my learning to cuffs on trousers and shirts. That’s 12 more books than the average beginner reads before running out and buying a machine. Always think ahead, it is easy once you know how.
There is an old [Australian Aborigine] saying. People call them primitive because they don't even own a cup to drink water. They reply saying the more you know, the less you need. I can confirm that, so remember that the next time I show up apparently empty-handed. And Bogart said the whole world is about three drinks behind.
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