Me!

This Sunday is my Birthday. Now, I’ve had enough of these that the excitement has pretty much worn off. I don’t really think about how old I am on a daily basis. I certainly don’t ‘feel my age’, and I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

I think I’ll go with Cowboy Fireman. In outer space.

In the meantime, being a bass player certainly has a lot of upside to it also. The friends I have, the people I meet, and the places I find myself, all related to playing bass, are humbling and leave me very thankful.

My other job, Husband and Father, is the most amazing stuff I’ve ever done. Have you ever had a job or a gig that was way over your head, and you were hanging on by the skin of your teeth, trying to put up a good front? It’s like that. Sometimes I feel like it’s all been a big mistake to let me raise kids, some kind of Cosmic Clerical Error. I haven’t really embraced adulthood myself; who am I to guide others? They seem to like me though. So I got that goin’ for me.

Life really is good.

So this Sunday, if you’re looking for something to do, come out to Bethel Island, to the Rusty Porthole where I’m playing from 4 to 7 with Wingnut Adams, and say “Happy Birthday”.

And let me know of any job openings for Space Cowboy Firemen you hear about.

Special thanks to Steve Ahola for the recording of “Got My Mojo Workin’” that’s featured on my Home Page. That was recorded on 6/09/08 at Armando’s at the Good Stuff Guitar Jam, and featured Jim Caroompas and me, and some other people who I don’t remember. Which is terrible of me, I know, and I apologize. It sounds good though, doesn’t it?

A call to arms.

Hey y’all, I could use a little help.

The time has come for me to get some new business cards printed. Now, you may have seen my last batch; the little Moo Cards featuring the photo from my title page (cowboy hat, taken on stage in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean – [showoff]).

It’s a great picture, but it’s old now. So here’s what I need; new pictures of me playing bass.

In fact, any photos, paintings, drawings, or other such 2D renderings would be appreciated. Let’s stick to ‘bass playing’ pictures for this. They are ‘business’ cards, not ‘hanging with friends’ cards.

I can use multiple images for a single batch of cards, so send along any you may have, or better yet, come out to a show and take some fresh ones!

If I use your images, I promise to make it worth your while. Within reason, that is.

In the last couple of months, I’ve become something of an expert on the traffic patterns of Highway 4, at least until it dwindles into the Sierra foothills to the East. Suburban Expansion has transformed the entire area. What was once sleepy little industrial and agricultural communities are now massively expanded to include shopping centers, auto malls, and whole instant “neighborhoods” from Pittsburg to Interstate 5. Highway 4 itself is now a nice big four or five lane freeway, until you get to Pittsburg, where it reverts to its old two-lane ways.

Social Engineering 101; millions of new homes, served by a two-lane freeway, that drops to “country road” status in Brentwood, equals…anybody? Anybody? That’s right: traffic.

Duh.

However, those that know me, know I go where the gigs are. “If you book it, he will come.” And lately, that has meant driving out Highway 4 quite a bit.

Gary Craven at Schooner’s has been great at throwing gigs at me. It helps that he doubles as Floor Manager and House Drummer. We do the First Friday gig every month, with Bob Kinney, Becca, and a cast of revolving characters. Now that summer has arrived, the restaurant has brought back ‘Bike Night”, with live music, every Tuesday from 7 to 9, and I’m the house bassist for these, with a rotating set of “bands”; Mark Johnson and Bob one week, Mark Allen the next. Steady weeknight gigs are the greatest. Playing on weekends is easy, paying weeknight gigs are golden.

Speaking of steady gigs, if you look at my schedule, you can see that I’m playing a ton with Wingnut Adams, and another weekly summer gig is our Sunday Afternoons at The Rusty Porthole on Bethel Island. Every Sunday, from 4 to 7, we set up right on the Delta, and play the crap out of the blues and funk. Boaters, Jet Skiers, families, weekenders, and regular islanders make the venue great, and the way the band plays make this a favorite of mine.

Bethel Island itself is pretty fascinating. The lingering reputation – “Methel Island” – is slowly succumbing to the same East County expansion as its neighbors, but the island clings to its “Outlaw Spirit” like a barfly grips her gin. Usually there’s at least one or two denizens who qualify for the “Dude; less alcohol, more sunscreen” awards, but I wouldn’t hesitate to bring my kids around, if they were remotely interested in what their Dad was doing anymore (Teenagers.). The food isn’t bad (Cindy vouches for the Sweet Potato Fries), the setting is summery and fun, and the music is really good. Really!

Last Sunday marked a transition in the band. The time has come for Jesse Lee Falls to work on his own stuff, and prepare for his August tour, so it was his last date with the band. Replacing Jesse is Kelly Back, and both of them were there Sunday, trading leads, pushing each other, and having a great time. The crowd loved it, and the tips were amazing.

Leaving last week was an adventure. The island connects to Highway 4 via a single road, and on my way out, the road was blocked by several Police cruisers and some Fire Trucks and an Ambulance. People pulled off the road, and I kind of walked towards the action to get a feel for how long we’d be here. The first thing I saw was the yellow sheet completely covering something…someone… on the road. Not good. Then a cop hooked the “Police Line” tape to a fence next to the road, and walked it all the way across to the other side. We weren’t going anywhere.

I went back to the Porthole, and was told there’s one other way off the island; a small levy road right on the Delta. I found it, but as you can imagine, I wasn’t the only one who now knew about it. The problem was that it was a small levy road, and not more than one lane in quite a bit of places. By now there was a lot of traffic coming in and going out. The tiny elevated road had water and boat docks on one side, and houses on the other, and complete gridlock was averted only because the residents of the houses took it upon themselves to come out, and direct traffic, holding up one direction while allowing the other to pass through. They communicated up and down the levy by hollerin’ as to when it would be good to let the other side to proceed.

I thought this was extremely cool in a ‘best of a bad situation’ way. So, high fives and fist bumps all around to the fine people of Bethel Island.

So, come get your Summer on. Come sit in, or just hang out and eat, drink, and be merry.

One traffic tip, though; don’t get confused and take the new Brentwood Bypass off of 4. I spaced out took it once, then thought, “No problem. I’ll just head North and find my way.” No. Not even. I ended up about five miles from anywhere, and the only person I saw to ask directions spoke about as much English as I spoke Spanish. I may as well have been in Mexico, for all I knew. After about 30 minutes I started to have visions of my car broken down on a dirt road, my gear spread all over a nearby field, and a Chubucabra gnawing on my bones. Then I found a familiar road.

Man. Some sales pitch. Ignore that stuff and come out and say “Howdy”.

The Best Bass in the World

I wrote this for Good Stuff Guitars newsletter. Blog dump!

I have owned a lot of basses. A LOT. I couldn’t even begin to count. Fist-fulls of Fenders, a gaggle of Gibsons, copious copies, heinous hollowbodies, a shed full of short scales, a harem of headless paddles, and a feast of Frankenstein “Parts” basses. I’ve had fixer-uppers, custom shoppers, and some real eye poppers. They’ve come from stores, pawn shops, Ebay, Craig’s List, flea markets and friends. Some I’ve kept, some I’ve let go or traded, and some I dumped.

Of course, here in the Internet Age, that means I’m easily the most qualified expert in the history of the world to tell you what the best bass is for you to run out and buy (There. I wrote it, it’s on the web, ergo, it’s true.).

The single best bass in the world for you is…

(Drum roll please)

…The one that makes you WANT to play it more.

Okay, so this touchy feely, “Snatch this pebble from my hand, Grasshopper” advice is about as useful as an Espresso Machine on a deserted island, but, if you’re not inspired, you’re not going to play. Period.

So how do you find that special, inspirational, perfect bass? The first step is easy; get one you like to look at. I know, I know…teachers everywhere are gasping and spitting Espresso all over the monitor now. “How can you say that? Everyone should buy the best playing and sounding instrument they can afford! You can’t be swayed by a pretty paint job!”

Yeah…well…maybe, but if that was a universal truth, all guitars would come either oiled or with a thin protective finish, or, just sprayed black, if the wood was particularly ugly. You want something that makes you happy even when you’re just looking at it. To this day, I have a guitar stand near my bed, so at night while I watch T.V., or when I wake up, there’s a bass – usually the newest addition to the arsenal – sitting there, for me to steal a glance at.

Next, take that good looking bass and get it Set Up. A ‘Set Up’ is 30% Personal Preference, 45% Trained Professional, 10% Voodoo, 10% “Right tool for the job”, and 3.67% Hot Sauce. The remaining 1.33% is unknown, but many believe that it’s Alien Technology. What a Set Up does, is make sure that the angle and straightness of your neck (well, your BASS’S neck, that is), the height of your bridge saddles, the height of the pickups, and the tooling of the nut all work together so that the bass is in the best possible condition to be easy for you to play.

Okay, so it looks cool, it plays cool, now let’s check the sound. Sometimes, the sound we hear in our heads doesn’t quite make it through the amplifier. Not getting that mid-scooped slap tone? Need more low end for the reggae band? The first thing to consider is a new set of strings. From the zing and crack of Steel Roundwounds to the throb and boom of Nylon Tapewounds, strings run the sonic gamut. Keep in mind that your set up might need a tweak or two when you change strings, so if you know what kind of strings you want, give them to whoever is doing your set up.

A small aside (from the foremost expert on the internet); consider Light Gauge strings. Some like their Bridge Cables, but I’ve found so much more speed and agility using strings gauged 40 to 100.

If you still can’t “hear what you think” tone-wise, there is a whole world of aftermarket parts. Replacing your pick ups, or upgrading the hardware can make a difference. Be sure to seek out opinions before dishing out the cash. Then Email me, and I’ll laugh at everyone else’s advice and tell you what you really need.

There you go; the best bass in the world. Unfortunately, that’s just “For Now”. The quest never really ends. Why do you think I’ve had so many?

A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of attending the “School of Bass”, and over the course of a long weekend, got to take some amazing classes, hear some stunning bass playing, meet some people I only knew from On-Line, and also hang with some legendary names.

It was “pinch-me” cool. It was also very, very humbling. I had spent the previous four months touring North America and Europe, and was pretty damn full of myself. That lasted about five minutes into my first class. By the end of the first day, I wasn’t sure if I even played the same instrument as some of the instructors.

One of the instructors, Mel Brown, had a dexterity and knowledge that floored me with its scope. Years ago, Mel walked away from the corporate world, literally, to be a bass player. Unlike most musicians, he laid out a detailed plan of how he would go about this, combining intense study, two-fisted networking, and learning about all of the “business” parts of the Music Business. The level of organization in his playing, and in his career path was mind-bending to me.

Mel is a Grammy winner, has been featured in every Bass publication there is, played on a ton of records (when I met him he had just finished a couple of tracks for the Al Jarreau/George Benson CD produced by Marcus Miller!), and a self-promotion pioneer. He was the first musician in the world to use an Enhanced Media CD as a business card.

On top of all that, he’s one of those people with such a good spirit that you want to hang out with him. Just a really sweet and giving man.

Mel has been working on a book for a while now, and he just sent me a note that it’s finished! I’ve been waiting for “From Zero to Sideman” since I met him, and without reading the book myself, I still feel completely confident in recommending it to every musician out there. Mel’s approach to having a successful career in music is simple, and I’d sum it up as “There are no shortcuts, but the shortest distance between two points is still a straight line.”

So, go to the website, and buy his book. It’s the perfect Birthday present, if you, y’know, happen to know someone with a Birthday maybe coming up, like late June, or something. Ahem.

Saturday night was the aforementioned High School Battle of the Bands finals at the Sleep Train (note; two words) Pavilion. So on a dry, hot evening, me and a car load of teenagers, smelling of Axxe Body Spray and sweat made our way to Concord.

I bought my Hot Dog, said hello to Raja, the owner of Red House, who was a judge, and Bentley, a friend who was sound man (putting in a good word for Matchless Overthrow with both), got my seat, and was ready to just sit in the back and watch the events of the evening unfold.

No sooner had I settled in than I saw Raja talking to a guy with a clip board and headset, pointing in my direction. It seems they needed four judges, and only three had shown up. Right place, wrong time? Right place, right time? Whatever the case, I was drafted into judging along side Raja, Samantha, and the ever-amusing “The Reverend Rob” from Fog City Music.

It was pretty much “Here’s the ice chest, dinner is coming later, here’s your Judging Sheets. First band!”

Now I know all the clichés about “music is not a competition”, and really, the fact that these School kids were playing the Pavilion is pretty a damn cool reward in itself, but as anybody who’s spent any time in a band will tell you, you bet yer ass it’s competition. It’s great to meet other like-minded bands and hang out making friends and connections, but when you take the stage, it’s a “gang fight” mentality, and always has been.

My judging criterion was three fold; musicianship, stage presence, and overall originality, with comments on each and a number, 1 through 9, to go to their score. For musicianship, most of my comments complimented the stand out player in a given band, or told somebody obviously lacking that they needed to step it up. Stage presence hinged on relating to the crowd and each other on stage. Overall was a kind of catch all; you could pick on little things in the other two categories and then get a more all-encompassing score to the bands.

So there I am, sitting at the ‘grown-ups’ table with a bunch of people who knew me looking at me like “What are you doing there?” Surprise!

Everybody was pretty good, this being the Finals and all. Stuff I didn’t like was earning 19’s out of 27, stuff that was good was pushing 21’s and 22’s, so not a huge difference in talent.

I didn’t run into trouble until Matchless Overthrow came on. How was I supposed to be objective about kids I’ve known since they were 6 years old? How do I judge them? “Well, you’re much better than you were a year ago”? “Stage presence is relaxed and comfortable, and you’re as funny as you were in Cub Scouts”? When I explained my dilemma to Brooks Lundy, Red House guitar instructor extraordinaire, he said, “Well, you should judge them harshest, shouldn’t you?”

But I don’t think that’s true. I don’t feel like I should Judge them at all, even when I’m a judge! I just root for them. They’ve never sought my advice, but if they did, here’s what it would be; First, tighten up. Get a metronome with a flashing light, figure out your song’s tempos, and practice with the flashing light to start the songs, so you’re more together out of the gate. Second, always…always open with “Big Brother”. That riff/hook is a grabber, and always draws attention.

The boys didn’t win. I had them in third, not because they weren’t great, but because there were two bands that I thought seemed a little more fully formed and professional. The reality is that they weren’t going to win, and after thinking about this for a while I know why. This Battle wasn’t set up for Heavy Metal; look at the judges, older, non-metal types (like me). I’m sorry, but everyone over the age of 30 refers to that vocal style as “Cookie Monster”. Also, Bentley is a good friend of mine, so this is no criticism of him, but that was not a ‘Metal Mix’, with the vocals that high up above the band. I’d venture a guess that even the biggest M.O. fan had never heard the singing that loud and clear. So, if it was a Battle of the Heavy Metal Bands, you guys would have killed.

For what it’s worth, you made the finals, and you kicked ass. It seems to me you sold the most T-Shirts to kids, and you got a Mosh Pit going at the Concord Pavilion! Well, at least for a minute. I bet your Red House show on May 30th is packed.

Like I say, at the end of the night I had them in third place. In second place, I had the band Lucid. I like them for a couple of reasons, one of which was that their drummer kicked ass. He had the whole ‘big rock’ thing down, and was a show unto himself just by the way he played. I also like the way the band interacted onstage, the fact that they were obviously having fun, and the guitarist was a good showman. Ultimately, it was the “foot on the monitor” stance while he played that won me over.

At the top of my list was Dripsound. They had the tightest bass and drum duo of the night, all while the bassist did the singing. They were tighter, more thought out, and just seemed a lot more polished than anyone else. I think these guys listened to each other a lot more than other bands at the competition, and that kind of awareness usually develops later in musicians.

But they didn’t win either.

First place went to Budapeg, and just between you and me, I didn’t like them. They played good, they had a big crowd come out for them, but I just did not feel them. They reminded me of Triumph. Wait, wait…bear with me for this analogy; back in the 70’s and 80’s there was a Canadian power trio called Triumph, who were pretty popular. They all played great, the songs were good, but ultimately they were just a little too “Canadian” for me. About two steps out of whack. They just couldn’t compete (with me at least) with the memories of power trios like Cream, or Hendrix, and they couldn’t rock like UFO or Aerosmith. I just wasn’t buying what they were selling. Same with Budapeg. From the headband to the slowly raised fist in the power ballad, I was not impressed.

Ultimately, they won, the crowd they brought went wild, and who the hell am I anyway, right?

Second place went to the aforementioned Dripsound, by a couple of points.

Third place went to Funky Bus and the U-Turns, a big horn band from Berkeley High. Honestly, they probably got third on the strength of their drummer, an extremely talented kid, who obviously has a world of potential. The band itself was far too “Corporate Party Band” and not nearly enough Tower of Power for me.

What a cool event, though. Frankly, I’m surprised there weren’t thousands of people there. This event should be marketed all through the Bay Area to all music fans, because it’s a great opportunity to see everything good about being in a band, and even old cynics, ahem, can have a good time.

I have some suggestions for the future, though. Number one is my Pet Peeve; put the bass amp next to the High Hat. Not the other side of the drums. I don’t care where the bands think they want it, the bass should always be next to the High Hat. Teach them what they need to listen to. A lot of these bands would benefit from the tightening up of the bass and drums.

Also, and this is for Bentley as much as anyone, I know, and you know, you have to have the Marshall Half Stacks. It looks great, and they sound great. You should also have plexiglass baffles to put in front of them, so the stage volume doesn’t hamper what you can do with the P.A. mix. This just in; guitarists play loud. Lecturing has never solved this. Baffles for the amps, and maybe the drums too, would be very professional.

Another thing; you have the top three winners, and the “who got the most text votes” winner (Lucid), why not do individual musician awards? You could do “Best” front-person, guitarist, bassist, drummer, and ‘other’ to cover the odd horn player and the myriad of violinists (what’s that about?). A little plaque for the trophy case. It would be cool.

Lastly, and I don’t mean to infer that this influenced the judging what-so-ever, but it would be a good idea to feed the judges earlier. I had my Hot Dog, but the other three started getting really hungry about half way into the evening, and the food didn’t show up until the last two bands were on. I’m not saying anything funny was going on, but I noticed scores went up when everybody had a full stomach.

Hey, I had fun. Whether I’ve poisoned my reputation in the community since M.O. didn’t win, remains to be seen!

I want to give some props to some friends of mine. Well…”friends” in the sense that I’ve known them since they were Cub Scouts with my son, and I’ve watched them grow up in our little hillside town.

These boys are all growed up, and collectively go by the name Matchless Overthrow.

This Saturday night, MO is playing at the Finals of the 3rd Annual High School Battle of the Bands at the Concord Pavilion. Or Sleeptrain Pavilion, depending on how old you are. Maybe Chronicle Pavilion...

Whatever Pavilion.

Anyway, the band is a product of Ted Foreman’s Contemporary Music Class at John Swett High, that I’ve written about previously, and the whole town is looking forward to the big show.

They’ve been together through this school year and last, and everything is coming together for them with almost perfect timing heading into the finals.

Here in the Information Age, young bands have amazing resources to connect with other like-minded bands, fans, and other kids. The possibilities to make, record, and distribute your music are seemingly endless, and the sense of Community is stronger than ever. Not like back in my day, when you had to walk backwards through the snow, uphill both ways, to record a funky 4-track demo.

What these guys probably don’t realize is how defining a moment this will be for them individually. For some people, walking onto that big stage for the first time can be scary; too many people, too much music to remember – the spotlight can be a little too bright.

For others, it’s just another thing. It’s fun, it makes them happy, and that’s enough. They got to “play” Rock Star!

Then there’s the last category; the ones who feel nerves backstage. The hands are just a little shaky, but when you walk onstage, and look at the people, and hear the applause, and know it’s for you, you can feel the warmth in your chest, like a dimmer switch being turned up, and you think “I was made for this! I own this!”

Those are the ones who are hooked for life. Those are the ones that will always be Musicians. Because that’s the magic, that’s the drug, that’s the curse, and that becomes such a deep part of you that it never goes away.

I’m not going to wish that for these guys; nobody gets it who isn’t supposed to. I’ll be there rooting for you…unless I get a call for a gig…

3rd Annual High School Battle of the Bands Finals
May 17, 2008 at: 6:00pm
Cost - $7
Open to all ages

Sleep Train Pavilion
2000 Kirker Pass Road
Concord, 94521

“Bassist joins band. Film at eleven.”

Tonight is gig number 9 in an eleven day run. Come out to Armando’s tonight for the Good Stuff Guitars Jam and give me a break.

Here’s what May has looked like so far;

May 2nd, Schooner’s, Antioch, with the Craven/ Kinney Project, featuring Becca on vocals.
May 3rd, sick in bed all day. Flu.
May 4th, Rusty Porthole in Bethel Island with Wingnut Adams
May 5th, Lou’s Pier 47, SF, with Lara Price band
May 6th, Lou’s Pier 47, SF, with Big Delta
May 7th, went and saw “Iron Man”. Awesome.
May 8th, The Livery, Danville, with Panther Slim
May 9th, The Iron Door, Groveland, with Wingnut Adams
May 10th, Torch Club, Sacramento, with Lara Price
May 11th, Rusty Porthole, Bethel Island with Wingnut again.

That’s a good run! Well, except for the flu, which actually fell on the only day it really could. I don’t get sick often, but to have a 24 hour bug on a day with no gigs in the middle of that schedule; lucky. I guess.

So the news is that I’m joining the Wingnut Adams Blues Band. I’ve been subbing with him for a bit now, and I’m going to go ahead and make it official. I talked myself into it with an assist from my son Jack. I was whining about something or other to Jack, and said “Maybe I should just join Wingnut. That sounds so much easier.”

Jack said “Why don’t you? Is the music bad?”

“No, it’s actually about as close as I’ve gotten to those Eric Lindell, New Orleans style party bands that I love.”

“Well,” says Jack, “does the money suck?”

“No. They’re really good paying gigs. The band is a trio, the gigs are plentiful, and the money is there.”

Jack gave his best “Why are we discussing this?” shrug, and the lightbulb finally went on.

Kevin Adams plays drums, sings, and plays Harp, usually all in the same song. Sometimes, he stops drumming to blow a harp solo. That’ll keep a bass player on his toes. He and I have had a few conversations about groove, courage, and professionalism, and we see eye-to-eye on all three.

The band is rounded out by Jesse Lee Falls on guitar, at least until he goes solo. Jesse is a great player, and by that I mean a killer rhythm guitarist. Lead players are a dime a dozen, but a good rhythm player is worth his weight in Gold. Or gas. When he launches into a solo, he plays with conviction, and surprises even jaded, old “I’ve-heard-everything-you-could-possibly-play-on-guitar” me.

It really is a fun gig for me; I make up my own rules as we go along, and get to play the crap out of my bass. Come see us. I guarantee you’ve never seen anything like this before.

Upcoming Wingnut gigs;
Sat. May 24th, Hotel Ledger, Mokelumne Hill
Mon. May 26th, Rusty Porthole, Bethel Island
Sat. May 31st, Fog Bank, Capitola
And starting May 25th, every Sunday from 4 to 7 at the Rusty Porthole on Bethel Island.
Check my Schedule, baby.

The life of a “professional musician” is generally a never ending hustle for gigs. This applies whether you’re a Big Rock Star trying to get corporate sponsorship for a tour, or the local hero looking for a $50 blues gig on the weekend to pad his schedule. Personally, I’m more toward the lower end of the scale.

Sidebar; Let me point out right here that I don’t really feel the need to be a Rock Star, but I don’t mind working for them. It’s easy; never look them directly in the eye for too long, do what they ask without being a prick, and differ to them until they reach the limit of your personal “respect threshold”.

The point I’m dancing around is that when the economy goes in the pooper, the first thing that falls by the wayside is people’s tendency to throw money at entertainment, and gigs get scarce. If you can present yourself as a versatile musician capable of handling multiple types of gigs, well, it’s like the old joke about bisexuals having more dating options.

I’m a really good bass player. I’m also responsible, on time, and easy going. And humble. I’m way more humble than anybody! Anyway, this means I do all kinds of different stuff. Even still, sometimes there are no gigs, and sometimes there are nothing but gigs.

This last week was, fortunately, a busy one, after a bit of a drought. Thursday night, I was on KSVY in Sonoma with Natasha James. Easy enough; five songs live on the radio. Glamorous, right? Here’s the secret; five people jammed into a room the size of a walk in closet, huddled around microphones, trying not to clock each other with guitar headstocks.

Then the weekend, and things got real interesting. Saturday from noon to 4, I played at the Reud Winery in Healdsburg, about 75 miles North of home up 101. This gig was with Kyle Dunson, a very good singer, who’s very new to the whole gigging thing. The band was grizzled vets, though, put together by drummer Brett “King” Cosby, and I had the rock that is Jim Caroompas to lean on to get us through 4 hours of semi-background music at an outdoor wine tasting event.

After that I was on my way to Elk Grove for 9 to Midnight gig at the Elk Grove Brewery with Mojo Madness. Healdsburg and Elk Grove are probably 100 miles apart as the crow flies, but Geography conspires such that to make the drive, one must travel about 70 miles South/East, then change directions and travel another 70 miles North/East. I chose a decidedly scenic route through the Wine Country, and the trip, with a quick stop for a bite, was three hours. The Mojo gig did not disappoint though. James “Loose” Reed is a monster frontman, and a good friend, and the band that night was a little different; Darren the guitarist had the whole “leaving a lot of space/I’m not playing here” thing down really good, and Gary the drummer was a hard hitting, jazz tinged type player. Lots of room for me to make noise.

So I got home and to bed about 2AM. Sunday morning, had to get up and out at about 9:15, because it was back to the Reud Winery for a 11 to 3 show with “Panther Slim”. I used to play with “Panther”, AKA Jerry Shelfer every once and a while, and it’s a lot of fun. He’s got the classic country voice, and his approach to playing and songs can be pretty off-center, so you have to stay on your toes and pay attention.

At 3, I had to throw my stuff in the car, and hightail it down to Santa Rosa about 20 miles away for Natasha James CD release party at The Last Day Saloon. I’ve been working on this material a lot lately. The band is cool, with Peddle Steel and Keys and Guitars and Drums, just a touch of Dave Sampson, and me. I was watching the drummer and eyeing my charts all the way through the two hour and a half sets!

I made it home Sunday night by about 10PM. The totals for Saturday and Sunday look like this; approximately 430 miles, 14 hours of music, 7 guitarists, Two Red Bulls, and more money than I made in all of March.

Don’t try this at home. I am, after all, a professional.

Monday morning, and my feet are a little tired. I probably won’t wear Cowboy Boots for a couple of days at least.

This weekend, more of the same, albeit at a bit saner pace; Friday is the First Friday Feakshow at Schooner’s in Antioch. Gary and Bob throw something together and we make it up as we go along.

Sunday I start a month long run of afternoon 4 to 7 gigs at The Rusty Porthole in Bethel Island with Wingnut Adams; always a fun gig.

The following Tuesday, I’m at Lou’s Pier 47 in San Francisco from 4 to 7 with Lane Coker and Big Delta.

And if you hear of anyone who needs a bass player for Saturday night…

Hey everybody! I’m on the radio tonight! And of course, by “radio”, I mean “internet”.

I’ll be playing with Highway One Records recording artist Natasha James on KSVY 91.3FM from Sonoma, coming to you live via http://www.ksvy.org/ at 9PM PST.

So tune in. And by “tune in” I mean “click and stream”.

Teach you to play?

I teach bass. It’s one facet of my career as a Bass Player.

I get asked a lot about what my teaching method is. Do I focus on scales and theory? Work on Sight Reading? How about Slapping? Can I show you how to play “Sweet Home Alabama”?

The answer is “Well, yeah, but…no.”

This is the best time in the history of humankind to learn to play the bass. Here’s why;

1.) Everybody needs a bass player. There are 10 guitars sold for every bass sold in America. If you figure two guitarists for every band, it’s easy to see that we’re in demand!

2.) The Internet is the single greatest resource for learning ever. A Library in your own home. Want to learn the Phrygian Mode for a F#? Want to spend 45 hours straight watching bass players on YouTube?

3.) The number of Bass Teachers has skyrocketed. Take a look at Craig’s List; we’re all teaching.

There’s a lot of competition for Bass Students, so why should you come to me? Because I play bass; emphasis on "play". I've played bass forever. I’m lucky, because the very thing that I do best is also the thing I love to do the most. Most of the places I’ve been around the world, I went to play bass. Most of the great friends I have, I met because I play bass. Most of the trouble I’ve gotten into, happened because I play bass. Most of the fun I’ve had, happened because I play bass.

If I can teach you to have half as much fun as I do, then you’ll never quit playing bass either. I’ll show you how to have a good foundation; hands, ears, eyes brain, and of course, heart. With a good foundation, you can build anything you want.

I also specialize in Blues Bass, and can get the intermediate player – the guy with a gig, but maybe unhappy and “stuck” in his playing – thinking in bigger, better, and more creative terms.

So, what’s my method? I’d have to say “Showing you how to learn”. Afterall, think back to when you were a kid. Did anyone really have to “teach you to play?”

In 1984, an up and coming actress from a famous Hollywood family was "Tapped" to play the role of Polly Deutsch, the artist/fabricator who built the Stonehenge set, to the dimensions from a cocktail napkin.

 

This actress was Anjelica Houston.

 

The following year, Academy members were so guilt-ridden over passing over Ms. Houston's tour-de-force, five minute performance in "Spinal Tap", that they awarded her the Best Supporting Actress for something called "Prizzi's Honor"as a kind of 'make up' call.

 

I must say that after all these years, and a number of viewings, I still didn't recognize it was her, because of her ultra-convincing acting, I never thought of her as anyone but Polly. Well, 'Stonehenge Artist Lady' really, because I never knew she had a name.

 

The question didn't fool Little Carol Sevilla, from Berkeley, California, who correctly answered the question first. Carol has donated the shirt to the "Put a smile on M.H.'s Face" Guild, where it will make one Kenny Neal fan very happy.

 

Watch for more contests coming soon. As I clean out my closet...