One year ago today: June 28, 2021, a generic day.
Five years ago today: June 28, 2017, it isn’t extinct.
Nine years ago today: June 28, 2013, he likes fat girls.
Random years ago today: June 28, 2009, I dislike Cakewalk, the app.
What are this morning’s highlights despite how I just overslept for eleven hours? There are no highlights, it’s one of the blessings of retirement, which I swear is going to really happen to me some day. The phone woke me up, it was Wilford. I’ll relate the tale from the trailer court, you can decide if there’s any promise. To me, last evening was a rare chance to throw the new guy in the deep end and see how quickly he learns to swim. Wilford did an admirable job of it and in the process got convinced of how important that rhythm part is in such a presentation. Next time, I won’t be there supplying that part so between us we have to fake it.
It turns out they did not know that other place has begun to close Mondays, so this was their first time at the old club. Nor was this a passing incident, they bought us drinks to play for more than two hours, by which time Wilford is basking in the glow of fame. They collected all his contact information and I kept back, wisely figuring that could be a massive incentive for him to learn fast. One asked if we knew a guitarist named “MacKenzie”, which we both did but can’t place. If you remember, leave a comment. Didn’t I get a business card from that guy?
Anyway, he is a younger guitarist of some note in the area and it turns out one of the ladies is his aunt. In keeping with [my] policy, I mentioned my sore wrist and left Wilford at the table with them. I was ten feet away but watching and listening. He carried the show another twenty minutes by playing snippets of other songs, such as he knew. That was to convince him that while that is fine guitar playing, no way he can put on a show with such material, it is strictly a duo and he needs that bass part—unless he wants to put in another 20 years to get back as a solo.
He called to confirm rehearsal today at 6:00PM. That gives me a few hours to see if I can work again. I’m mostly mobile but you know these lower back cricks. It’s not a disk or anything, it is off to one side above the hip. A random sharp cramp now and then, diminishing. I said give it six days, if persistent, we head for Miami. I’ll dutifully report any work done, as ever, for this was unthinkable ten years ago. Wilford also brought out a 3-inch ring binder of guitar lessons and theory. He explained none of it made sense until I “showed him the easy way”. That kind of confirms the show last evening. A lot of details got covered, such as he now knows he’s not alone on stage because I can cover all his parts. He only has to memorize the first verse-chorus, he can stop playing and I can continue, he knows how to listen to my playing with only half of one ear, and so on. Invaluable lessons that too many guitarists never learn, or worse, think is the other guy’s job. All told he played twenty tunes in some manner, which he now knows is half as many as he needs for a gig.
Causeway in Okinawa.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.
Yet again if becomes impossible to avoid politics, as there is talk the Supreme Court many rule as early as this weekend that executive agencies are not Constitutional. This is far too huge a topic for this blog. It would mean the end to dozens of government departments that rule by fiat, meaning they only have authority because a government wanting to avoid making a decision, hands the matter over to them. Confused? Here’s the simple explanation:
All those government offices full on non-elects who tell you what to do may be shut down. No more EPA, DOE, and more to taxpayer’s liking, the end of Obamacare and the Green New Deal. Watch that one closely. I’m all for it if they close down the DMV.
Looks like I’ll be really disappointed if Wilford & I don’t get this duo happening. You should have heard rehearsal this afternoon. We wound up playing for over two hours. What happened first is I showed him the value of playing a single chop through the entire song, first with straight bass, then with rhythm bass I saw the light bulb go on. After that, we I had a list of styles to go over and what happened in each case was he already played something similar.
He was so quick to adapt, we skipped the straight bass learning phase and went right to playing six tunes that are pretty much stage-ready. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that. None of this is new to my list; here are the songs anyway:
These Boots
Guitars, Cadillacs
Memphis, Tennessee
Hot Dog
My Next Broken Heart
Tennessee Flat Top Box
The point is, I must repeat, this material is nearly stage ready. No need for hours of grueling repetition getting the new guy up to speed. Much of the time, it was as easy as showing him what to listen for on the bass. I mean, Hot Dog is a Led Zep tune with major guitar work, and we were faking it within minutes. Leery I was when he admitted he’d not played any songs all the way through but in this instance it meant no damage that needed undoing. I showed him the formula and it’s been smooth sailing since. Mind you, we are still on basics. But I wonder if this guy can play “Love Me Two Times”.
We were going to meet up for a couple of brews later. The Reb called. I never made it out the door.
ADDENDUM
Another player in the Jan 6 kangaroo trial is erased. The guy in charge of security “died suddenly” the day before he was due to testify. Foul play is not suspected by anyone who sees what is going on. The Swedes set up a fake on-line pharmacy to reveal that Facebook was illegally collecting private medical data. Google has set up fake abortion sites to scam information out of pregnant teens. This new lady in Arizona, Kari Lake, is proving a tough customer for the mainstream media as she is on to all their tricks. Love it the way the townspeople on horseback in north Colorado shunted the violent uneducated protesters out of town. They maybe should have had a few horses ride ahead of the parade, if you know what I mean?
Has Mars One been millennialized? This is the concept of sending robotic missions to Mars years in advance to manufacture fuel and extract water, in preparation of a flight of human volunteers who never intend to return. They received 200,000 applicants for the 24 potential astronaut positions. The short list is only 1,028 names.
Names. Lists. Millennials. What could go wrong? The suckers, er, I mean future space explorers, can influence their chances on the short list by filling out surveys, buying merch, and recruiting others. Great Mars One t-shirts and skateboards. Mars One credit card, 0% APR for 30 days. Don’t spend too much coin, for in the end you just know the candidates will be chosen on the basis of race, gender, religion, and country of origin.
