[getbent]

I'll start with excuses: I've had a nasty bug all week and stayed in bed most of the day today... we've played with different guys playing different roles of late.... the whole group hadn't played together in two weeks....

Oh man. The bar had a weird vibe... our set up went okay... a few weeks back two members delicately suggested that they maybe could do a better job at doing the sound... No problem says I! and they ran the sound... but really struggled and nearly smoked the mains because they had some buttons pushed incorrectly which caused the coils to heat up and catch fire....

all rear view mirror stuff except when I discovered what they'd done and suggested that unless we wanted to buy new mains we could fix it.... anyway, tonight they decided that the best sound check was 'screw it, it will be fine.'

NO test of the mics. First song... instant feedback.... it rattled our fiddle player and he started forgetting lyrics. I can't actually list everything that went wrong tonight.... it would be like Moby Dick or something....

One of our players just stopped playing in about the 3rd set and declared that he just couldn't get in tune. I've never actually had that happen before.... I think he just hit a wall...

Anyway, I did not play particularly well, but I soldiered on and sometimes thats gotta do... I was surprised at how many parts that I know how to play for the other melody instruments...

We did well enough in the last two sets that the locals (a very drunk and celebratory crowd including a new grandfather who bought the house not one, but two drinks!) cheered and went nuts and we let them sing on "I love this bar" (a song that is painful to listen to and play, but they love it)

In the end, the band was pretty freaked out, but we got 6 more dates, a 100.00 bonus and we made 160.00 in tips, sold 5 tshirts and 3 cds....

We kept smiling throughout... but I have a headache (did not drink, just sinuses hating on me) I'll drink a couple of glasses of water and get some shuteye.... I cannot believe how much I sweat!

Last night, I went to see my nephew's band "The Higher" play a show.... very tight, very professional 8 songs and gone.... the crowd (of very attractive mostly young ladies) went berserk...

Tonight was anything BUT professional... A good dose of humility is healthy... when I wake up in the morning (if I'm not struck down for sucking) I'm going to create a plan for myself to make sure that I play NO role in poor play. Sure, you can have an off night, but, I think that maybe by becoming more proficient, I can raise the level of the band and maybe encourage the other guys to take it up a notch...

Not all gigs go well. A good friend has a rhythm section with a drummer (he's a bass player and they have keys too) and he said he and the drummer backed this guy last weekend who was so embarrassing that he said he played with his back to the audience hoping no one would recognize him.... after the gig as he was skulking back to his truck... the guy chased after him and said, "dude, you guys were awesome... would, uh, you guys like to have a band?"

this stuff can be hard! it is 2:25... best get some sleep.