Backstage

It's pretty rare for local crew to get backstage passes these days. The newest one of these goes back a few years. Wristbands and extra large T-shirts are the typical 'swag' these days. It's always extra large and I wear medium...

My friend Pete was the guy who got me into the line of work. He got me on my first crew in Phoenix. I believe my first rock show was a band with the members of Menudo minus Ricky Martin. I worked one of his shows during the 'Vida Loca' tour. it was definitely the most impressive show I've worked from a production standpoint -conveyor belts and dancers attached to harnesses dancing horizontally up and down the giant 'jumbotron' video screen.

My last rock show was the Rolling Stones last year. It will be my last -it just about killed me. It's pretty exciting to be backstage though, I worked shows of my childhood idols. Hell, Hulk Hogan accidentally dumped my dinner on the floor! I watched drunk and belligerent middle-aged women get the boot from a Rod Stewart show. I heard 20,000 10-14 year old girls scream so loudly that I couldn't hear the music coming from the wall of speaker cabinets at a Spice Girls show. Good times...

but it's hard work and my body isn't what it was when I was 12 (when I started working construction). I just can't do that kind of work anymore.

Haircut

I realized that I never posted a video Samantha and I made for 'Leeches On My Mind.' So I started going through our highly unorganized backed-up data. I have yet to find the leeches video but I did find some other stuff... A few years back, Samantha and I were taking a lot of video classes. And this was a video assignment to only use 'in-camera' edits. I decided it was time for a haircut...

Haircut

After having hair down to my waist for a decade I went through a period of not knowing how I wanted my hair, so I'd shave it, let it grow, get sick of it, shave it, etc.

Found Photos

We found some pictures in a folder on the computer that we didn't know we still had. They're from one day when we were wandering around downtown.













The ones of me seem to reflect how I feel some of the time -sort of stretched out all over the place like a bizarre conglomeration of emotion, experiences, hopes and fears; with no real cohesion. The comforting thought is that I know many people who feel the same way -probably half of the planet.

'My Baby Gave Me a Kiss' Artichoke -Friday Night

Well, I guess this is going to be a good month in terms of journaling what I'm up to. I write an average of 1-2 new tunes a week and I think I've only managed to get 3 recorded in some way in the past several months. And I promised my mom I'd get back to a song that I mentioned to her a couple months ago, but haven't yet. Oh well -too many songs not enough time. And not enough tendons...ouch. Did I mention that the pain in my arms is keeping me off the computer ?

I guess I also hadn't done more than mention that I've taken up the ukulele (that's oo-koo-le-le to Hawaiians). A lot of the old pop tunes I used to play about 10 years ago translate pretty easily, so it's been a lot of fun getting back into that style of music.

I managed to write this song and finish it and play it tonight. It was definitely a crowd pleaser at Artichoke. I love playing for them, it's such a great crowd. I only wish that I had installed the pickup in my Uke better, well maybe I can pretend it's the sound of an old record player...
My Baby Gave Me a Kiss

Kris and I had a lot of fun playing this Robert Johnson tune when he was in town (that's him on vocals).
They're Red Hot

New Tunes

I haven't slowed down with writing new material, but the spontaneous process of song-writing doesn't necessarily translate into this format, so a small percentage actually makes it onto this page.

The first tune was from last week; I call it Whole New World. It's kind of a sing along about hope. I may not always show it, but hope is something I have a lot of.
'Whole New World'


The second tune I'm calling What it Means. Picture a cowboy on the range back in the old west. Back when they'd ride the trail for months on end. They had a lot of time to think out there. Well this cowboy is all alone on the trail and the worst part of it is that he's in love.
'What It Means'

'Ukulalien'

I took up uke in june and it's been very addictive. So many tunes easily translate to the instrument. Plus it goes anywhere. The only problem is that I've given myself tendonitis playing so much, so I've had to cut back.

End of Summer

Looking back it has been a great summer. We finally managed to get Kris up here for a good chunk of time -about six weeks. We had a lot of fun hanging out and played several gigs, including getting out of town for a few of them. I'm sure if we had a full time combo, it would sound great.

We managed to get several tunes recorded, most of which sound pretty good. Samantha did a few gesture drawings of our performances (these are done looking only at the subject not at the page! They're often used to capture motion and mood) .


I liked what Kris was doing for backup on this tune.

'Soon'

We got a couple of decent recordings of other originals as well.

'Since I Lost My Mind'
'Free Man'
'Never Get Away'

Here We Go...

A lot of shows coming up this next week with Kris. The Artichoke show is especially going to be a blast! We rehearsed with Wild Thyme this afternoon and are rehearsing Moondance with Dean this evening. We got together with Dennis and Doug day before yesterday and had a little jam session.

A few changes to our itinerary mean we'll be staying a little closer to home this month, Olympia Eugene, Salem, and a bunch of local shows for neighborhood stuff.

We're doing a show for the kids at the 1st annual Artichoke Folk Festival on the 30th as well. Kris does beatnik Shel Silverstein, and we've got some great kids songs to play.

Update

Well, my friend Dean mentioned to me that it's been a while since I posted anything...It would be nice if I could keep up on these things. I suppose I have trouble with the idea that other people might actually read this thing. I mean, if I keep the journal for myself I'd much rather just spend my time playing and writing songs.

So anyway, I've got a lot going on. I just got off from working on lighting the dead bodies for the 'Body Worlds' exhibit that's opening at the science museum in a couple of days. A bunch of sliced up and plasticized corpses and body parts displayed in 'artistic' ways. I'd prefer to have my bones made into flutes or something like that instead.

Anyway my good friend Kris from 'The Zone' is up and we're playing several shows. I just booked a cafe in Salem yesterday for the 6th of July, but I'm really looking forward to the gig at Artichoke on the 16th. It appears that a lot of people from the community are eagerly awaiting it. Another desert dweller Leila Lopez (www.leilalopezsongs.com) is passing through on tour and we're playing three shows with her.

The gig at Urban Rhythms last Saturday night was great, there were a lot of people enjoying themselves in a parklike setting called 'The Round.' Kris had a contraption kit of sorts -a snare, a djembe, and a tamborine on his foot. It is so cool to have a great drummer like Kris to perform with. Maybe he'll decide to move to Portland.

That's enough -my damned knuckle is starting to hurt.

9 Muses -April 5th -Explicit Lyrics

Lots of fun at the 9 Muses Thursday! My friends Dean McCrea and Dennis Tracy came and sat in on a couple of tunes. I need to learn how to promote my gigs, so that I can pack them, but even though there weren't a bunch of people it was a great show. I'm putting up links to several of the tunes .

I played a brand new tune written two days before called 'I Love You Baby.' The tune sort of wrote itself after Samantha had been listening to the band Ween a lot after discovering them on Rhapsody (a kind of choose your own artist internet radio station). Anyway, one of their nasty folk songs got stuck in my head and a couple weeks later this tune popped out. Hey, ya gotta write the tune that comes out...so consult your local laws on wether or not it is legal to listen to a tune with explicit lyrics.
I love You Baby

Dean played lead guitar on Van Morisson's Moondance and we played his tune Thanksgiving Day.
Moondance
Thanksgiving Day

I really liked the way I performed Insane that night:
Insane

My friend Bob requested me to play 'Below.' I put the capo on the wrong fret of the guitar so it was in too high of a key, but I like the way it sounded for the most part.
Below

I played a Cheech tune that I loved when I was younger.
Me and My Own Lady