jbone
763 posts
Feb 05, 2012
11:11 AM
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1- have not seen burns' documentary but wonder why more jazz guys don't keep a dose of blues in there? ( then i remember hitting a jazz/funk night a while back and being so damn lost i must have looked a fool. sax guy yelled at me. i sort of redeemed myself but emails requesting one or 2 particular songs next time are unanswered).
2- jams have gotten not only stale but at least passively rude around here. it was easy for me to get up as a side harp guy but increasingly, hosts would try and avoid getting my wife up to sing or play rhythm. or me to sing for that matter. we would notice the darlings show up halfway through the night and any semblance of order or following protocol would be out the window. we've stopped attending jams. the last straw was getting yanked off stage after one song, which we did excellently at.
2a- that brings to mind that occasionally the job of jam host or emcee attracts the absolute wrong guy to do the job. we met the holder of that title recently.
3- if you publish a cd keep it away from the local blues society unless you want a shitstorm. we are very pleased our cd was entered into the IBC competition, even for the wrong reasons, but while a lot of people get 15 minutes of fame i think we got maybe 7 1/2 minutes. add to that the gossip that sprouted about the most ridiculous of ideas. payola? give me a break!
4- having one partner who is dedicated is worth any 4 whole bands who want you to sit in or gig with them. picking your own material and having meaningful rehearsals with one person is far above the jam mentality that is most common around here.
5- thank the Powers i have a day job. BUT one of our absolute favorite things to do in good weather is to play on the street downtown. either the farmers market or a store owner's side lot are where we go and we have the best of times. tips are sometimes great, sometimes not even gas $, but it's the vibe we love. all walks of life, all ages, people respond to live acoustic blues and roots.
6- one must stay busy and keep creating even if nobody much notices. in fact it's such a rush to bring out a new cd and shock people. esp if you have gray hair, people tend to think you are permanently out of gas. look up the young bull and the old bull on the hilltop. it's an old joke.
7- i highly recommend being a threat to guitar players, lead singers, and other harp players, if you can do that by playing true quality, different positions and better chops. while it may make you less a darling at the jam, people will be challenged to do better and you will help promote better musicianship locally. and at least you can know you did some good.
8- esp if you are a fairly new harp guy, go ahead and smoke dope and drink before you get on stage. that way, guys like me will be more appreciated. and, you will sound really great- to your own self. been there, done that, take my place please!
9- in all seriousness, to thine own self be true. if you listen to the tiny little voice that actually tells you the right things, you will do well. believe in the fact that, where ever you are on the continuum, you have every right to struggle and learn to be a musician, and the right to make mistakes and learn from them, and the right to develop instinct about what works and what doesn't, and to act accordingly.
10- if you never piss anybody off you're a liar and people pleaser.
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Last Edited by on Feb 05, 2012 11:18 AM
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