One year ago today: July 18, 2013, tank warfare lecture.
Five years ago today: July 18, 2009, reads like a diary.
Ten years ago today: July 18, 2004, beautiful Andromeda.
The gig news while it is still fresh in my mind. This is the callback we had in Cooper City and for anything else I say, we brought down the house. We will likely be back there before long. The first time (two months ago?) the crowd was icy and most of the couples left after dinner hour. But this time we brought more of the important hours-on-stage experience and played more of the newer material* we’ve been working on. At times we had the dance floor packed and there was still a small crowd hanging around at midnight. The house made money tonight, you can’t fool an old accountant like me.
I met two ladies tonight who would have been in the ball park if they’d been just a tad more responsive. I don’t mean aggressive or assertive, just a little more nimble on the uptake. A guy who hops off the stage and introduces himself has to get back on stage. He can’t sit around and chat you up along the passive-resistive angles you ladies get used to from hanging around bars too much.
We barely played half the song list, which I’ve already said is far too long and should be culled. I had a mild attack of the gout I don’t have, but it was only discomfort. One of the other guys tripped on stage and nearly knocked himself out. The bar manager asked if I had a business card and twice said if I ever get my own band together, he would hire me on the spot. Nice to know.
The sound balance was bad tonight because one guy wanted to face one of the PA speakers inward so we didn’t have to use stage monitors. Wrong move, you do not make such major changes at a live show. There was feedback all evening. It is a late gig, meaning I’ll have to sleep in until noon tomorrow. I’m exhausted but I would not want to spend my later years any other way. If I ever have to play sitting down, I will, because anything--anything--is better than being in the audience.
Another change is the band is more critical of mistakes, which is good. It means they don’t expect others to just play it their way. Besides, you know I’m touchy about that, or in general learning anything that can only be played with one band. The inside of the dance hall was wonderfully air conditioned. As normal, rehearsal is canceled for the weeks when we play out, good because I get tired faster than I used to.
I have long since been concerned about the amount of practice time this band burns through. Instead of getting gigs between us, it is left up to the drummer, who is the most inflexible do-it-my-way personality I've seen in years. It would make more sense if his way was working. That doesn't change th 17:1 ratio of practice hours to performing hours. That is the opposite of common sense.
Furthermore, for the first time the band pulled together as a cohesive unit, though the downside there is I expect that after a month, not after 1-1/2 years. Thus, I did not get any special kudos during the band intro (though I have not reviewed the videos). The response was a more even, a more measured applause you'd expect for the situation. The group is slowly being influenced by the new singer and I, but this process takes just forever. By that, I partially mean there is far less resistance to my suggestion that we go play each place we like for a lousy $100 and see who picks us up. Think of it as an introductory special.
If I went out on a Friday, it means I was probably paid to do so. Ah, this is retirement. Out of curiousity, what was your Friday like?
ADDENDUM
You want controversy? Good, I can supply that. How about that airliner shot down by the Russian missile? If that isn't controversial enough, how about this? There were 100 AIDS researchers on board. Question: does this mean we don't have to hear another damn word about AIDS being just another disease like the flu? World War III is erupting and every damn day we got to listen to how ill done by the queers are? They don't want equal marriage rights, they want to force you to change yours. Get it?
Yep, I was reading the newspaper. How about the advice columnist with her ancient advice that some men never grow up and mature into responsible adults. These same columnists never mention a word about how most women never grow out of the childish stage of constantly needing puppy love. How they never mature to the stage of getting over their own petty clinging dependencies to the point where they can have an honest relationship with an adult male. Their petty need for constant reassurance that passes for love, you know, the do-these-pants-make-me-look-fat phase that becomes permanent.
There, chew on that for a while.
[*Author's note 2015-0-18: Newer material, in this instance, means music from the 1960s. In the end, the band did not have the capability to play anything more recent. There just was not any "wow" factor whenever they tried even music from the 1970s. And they turned out to be oblivious to the music that got the crowd dancing, and for it would never allow any suggestion it might be due to the country feel. Because of this, the band as seen here lasted another month. Sorry, I'll put up with bad music before I'll tolerate closed-mindedness.]
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