One year ago today: February 11, 2023, I begin the saw shed.
Five years ago today: February 11, 2019, resorting to slogans.
Nine years ago today: February 11, 2015, blog post #3644.
Random years ago today: February 11, 2003, “There’s a man outside!”
Today did not begin until after 2:00PM. I went out to move some lumber this morning and sat down in that comfy wire chair. Blame it on another perfect day with no sounds to wake me. I fell asleep sitting up until barely enough time to drive to band practice. This was abetted by an early breakfast (5:30AM) hash. Spuds, celery, onion, chopped sausage, shredded cheese, and coffee by the tankard. Here’s some footage of the letters written awaiting my Karaoke turn y’day. It’s a contrast to what other people get done when times are slow. Stick around, today was one a lot of others could only hope for.
Turns out a nice surprise this song lends itself very well to duo arrangment. It got overlooked because nobody could sing it in the original key of A, plus here’s something you can try yourself. Sing along to it yourself. The entire first verse is one sentence, 31 words long before you can take a breath. Playing in G also allows more hammer-ons, a guitar technique that works well with most McCartney tunes. The slightly lower key also gets rid of that trebly edge on his vocals so it sounds more like a ballad than it really is. If some of you who play think, hey, none of this sounds like any band rehearsals you were ever part of, well, you’re right.
I worked hard to get around certain musical dead ends. This band focus is on presentation, not on just “learning your part”. The Prez remains amused when I pick melody lines, he is now used to hearing thirds all the time. This blog talked about that a lot in the past. Once I found a guitarist willing to try, it is now commonplace. Part of the hurdle was rather than leave out thirds they could not play, other guitarists would play a convenient fourth, causing a clash. The Prez has learned several techniques to adapt to this method, he still finds it amusing that I know the correct names of the scale tones and notes.
Many a strummer, you know who you are, would never even try for the simple reason without a bass player, trying to solo while playing this way sounds thin, and like so many they could never give up their right to solo all the time. Because Guitar Center said so. If this upcoming Wednesday goes as expected, I will try for a gig at the Legion over on 27.
It was a grueling 40 minute drive to practice, what is with the traffic some Sundays? Finished the lawyer Cds more convinced than ever police investigations only are about who is doing who. Stuck in traffic, I reached over to what I thought would be some lame documentary. Not so, it is an excellent portrayal of the final days of John Dillinger, who robbed 24 banks. He was a popular hero, hitting banks that foreclosed. The police don’t advertise the fact, but he also robbed police stations who had been collecting fines and lining their own pockets.
Tons of Hollywood films have been based on the facts of his situation. No doubt he was a folk hero in the era where evil bank mortgages were still unacceptable. I remember my own upbringing where so many older people complained the farm was lost so the bank could resell the land to the then-new agri-business corporations. I tend to believe public perception over the newspaper portrayals. He was definitely a lady’s man, which I accept as fact because he was an Indiana farm boy. If he got any women then he got lots. That’s kind of how Indiana still works, no I won’t explain.
Tutoyaktuk seafront property.
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Rehearsal was again highly productive as mentioned. Ha, did I mention he has this old doggie named Lola who has glommed on to me big time. You’d rate her has snappy, hyper, and a bit of a pest. But she sure loves me. What a nice little doggie in a rat-shaped package, you didn’t hear me say that. A closer look at that “Rocky Top” song shows neither of us can sing it right. Will this stop us? Not likely. Would you like to know more about this “closer look”? It is how we adapt this song to a duo. Every version we found on-line has a five piece orchestra. Topmost is that thumping stand-up bass. This is done on a fretless instrument that is hard to emulate on electric. It is so easy to fake, but in a duo like this that is no wise. The trick is to place your fingers further behind the frets, making every note just slightly flat.
As it gets lighter, I took the scenic route home. I don’t send certain types of mail from local post offices. That took me way around Winter Haven and past Kooters, where I noticed there were no vehicles. Great, I like a quiet brew on Sundays. I walked in to find the staff talking about staging a bingo. I was Mr. Helpful since they had very little idea of what was involved. Everything from buying the cards with the correct serial numbers to the color of the markers, which must remain visible in dim saloon lighting. They were unaware that the caller was a part-time job, trust it to volunteers and you may not be pleased with the results. On the other hand, pay them and that changes everything.
I’m too busy to commit but if they get stuck, I can help. My experience says they’ll do it because the suggestion came from the staff. If an outsider suggests it, they think it’s because you are too old. They are planning on a Wednesday, which for me is jam night. I predict they will quickly move it to Saturday. They are unaware of rules and regulations or even how much to hold back for supplies. Do you know why to avoid those cardboard bingo cards with the little sliding markers? Because they get soggy when used in pubs & clubs. There you go, my readers, some of whom thought I was all about papayas and old lumber.
Not everybody had such a good day. Poon held a rally today and ten people showed up. Biden announced the USA is “proud of an unrelenting stream of migrants” who are being outright bribed to vote for him with printed up money. Banks, now completely government controlled, are told to give them mortgages. There are rumors the illegals will be rounded up and placed on old container ships that will be then run aground on the Mexican shorelines. Remember, Mexico had an agreement not to let these people through and they broke it.
