Born To Be Wild?
09.09.06 (6:30 pm) [edit]Fun but weird gig playing for bikers outdoors this afternoon.
P, the new guitarist, got out of the hospital this morning and probably shouldn't have been STANDING, let alone playing guitar. She just had some kind of heart procedure. Still, I bet she could have taken three of us. She's a tough old lady.
She played OK, not great. But when she was on, it was very cool. We did Stormy Monday (never played by this band) and she sang it. That was fun. I live for that kind of jazz chord progression. I did my best Berry Oakley (the version on the Allman's Fillmore album destroys me) and it was a highlight.
Funnily enough, M was there too, supposedly just to observe. But we got him onstage for almost half the two hours. He played guitar on one song, and did a lot of backup vocals. I've had a cold since Wednesday and figured I couldn't sing, but I did fine the two times I bothered to. I'm glad he was there.
Of course, M being there meant that Layla was too. I somehow managed not to be too affected by that. It took some work to look away, though...
I got a nice almost-surprise. It occured to me a couple days ago that if the drummer for this gig was brought in by the keyboardist, it might have been one that I knew he'd played with before. I was right. I've known T since I was a kid - he's married to my aunt's sister. He's known around here as being a good drummer, but this was the first time I heard him. He was a BLAST to play off of. He managed to totally fuck up a couple things, but for the most part he was right on, rockin', very cool, often pretty inventive. He was playing some Latin shit in the middle of Brown Eyed Girl that made me totally change the way I approached the groove, and I've NEVER had that much fun playing that song. (Though I've always enjoyed it.)
Given some recent developments, it's very likely that he's going to be their new drummer in the near future.
Which kinda sucks for me. This was an exciting, edge-of-yer-pants gig, playing with people I've never played with before, and the results were mostly so damn good that I'm even more depressed about having to leave this band than I was before. The drive sucks cock (and I'm at my parents' now, so three hours on the road awaits me soon) but damn, I had fun today.
The drive soundtrack was Willie Dixon's I Am The Blues (mostly the stuff of his that rock bands covered later - Spoonful, I Can't Quit You Baby, etc) and a Keneally live tape from Cincinnati in 1998 (featuring the fabulous drum stylings of Horrifying Cock, and the deft bass-work of Explosive Unkindness, you've gotta hear this shit) that makes me all fuzzy and nostalgic for those three magical fall months I spent with my head as clear and uncluttered as it's ever been, brain chemicals flying about merrily, all because of some goofball with a green guitar. Damn, Mikey. I love ya.
I will have Internet at home again starting Tuesday. It's been three months. Yay!
Going back to hang out with Quakers tomorrow morning, then I'm renting a bike and hitting the Little Miami trail. Then off to Katie's new school's open house. She starts kindergarten Monday. Good lord, it's been five years? My little girl...
Love,
Dougie