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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Gary Primich Memorial Concert Today
Gary Primich Memorial Concert Today
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Michael Rubin
501 posts
Apr 22, 2012
8:05 PM
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About a month ago I found out there was going to be a Gary Primich Memorial concert at the Continental Club in Austin. I am friends with the organizer who had me work up two chromatic instrumentals, Texas Love Kit (Track 10 on Doghouse Music) and September Song (Track 14 on My Pleasure). He wanted me to represent Gary's chromatic music.
If you recall my recent post of the wedding gig, I had a full plate, but spent around 2 hours on each song a week for a little over a month.
I was to play with two different bands. One band could not rehearse, but the September Song band could. It included Mike Keller, guitarist from the Fab Thunderbirds and other Austin heavyweights. We did the song once and it was some of the strongest backup I have ever had. It felt like I was playing along with a record. I didn't need to practice it again.
Today was the day. Driving to the club I saw a vanity plate on the car ahead that said "Nail it." That sounded like the right thing to do.
Also on the bill was Joe Filisko, Mark Hummel, Dale Spalding, Ted Roddy and Andrew Halbreich. If you do not know who the first two guys are, you are living under a harp rock. As for the others, Spalding lives in New Orleans now, but spent around 5 years in Austin and is currently the frontman for Canned Heat. The other two are local stalwarts, great players all.
On Friday my Mom flew into town. I was waiting for her plane and there was a lady near me waiting. We waited near each other for a good 15 minutes, so we smiled but didn't talk. I watched her reunite with her father. Today at the show, I realized it was Gary's sister and father.
The show was well attended. I got up for my first song, which included Keller on bass and the other Fab Tbirds guitarist Johnny Moeller on guitar. Living in Austin, I have jammed with these guys plenty before they became famous, but it feels neater now.
Anyway, if you listen to Texas Love Kit, Gary plays the head twice and solos for 24 bars. He does it on a Bb chromatic in third position in the key of C. I did not own a Bb chrome and didn't want to shell it out.
I figured the tune out on a C chrome in first position. I then transposed it to D to feel it out in third position. They really had about the same level of difficulty and sound surprisingly similiar in tone. I guess because all notes bend on a chrome, all can be played as octaves and you bend only for inflection and not for pitch, it really doesn't matter which harp you play as long as the notes which are clips (Defined as going from a button out to a buttoned in note quickly) are on the same scale degree. In any case, I decided to keep it in first position on a C harp. I also decided to jam 24 extra bars of my own solo.
Well, I do not know if the audience could tell, but I hit a couple of clams. I kept a good poker face and kept them with the rhythm of the song, but I sure knew. I was glad I decided to continue with my own solo because I am good at that key and was able to rip it up. The crowd went wild when I was done with my solo and many musicians I respect told me I did a good job, so I am accepting it as fine.
September Song was another story. I brought the house down. It had been 5 hours of 12 bar blues when I pulled out this jazz standard, which, if you know the lyrics are a tearjearker and quite apropos to a Memorial concert.
Gary's father stood at the front of the stage and shook my hand for a long time. After I got off the stage he hugged me. It was a great moment. Tina Rose, Gary's widow said I nailed it and told me to continue performing it in my own shows.
Every now and then, there's a good success story!
Oh, and by the way, there is a new 2 CD set, partially a best of and partially a bunch of unreleased cuts. It's good. RIP Gary!
Last Edited by on Apr 22, 2012 8:05 PM
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AW
118 posts
Apr 22, 2012
8:47 PM
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Congrats, Michael!
I know you work very hard and it's wonderful to hear about it paying off.
Way to go!
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wheel
94 posts
Apr 23, 2012
1:41 AM
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Thank you for good review! And thank you for news about new Gary's CD! I need to check it out because I think I have all these pieces on all other Gary's CD
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http://www.youtube.com/user/wheelharp
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waltertore
2204 posts
Apr 23, 2012
3:16 AM
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Hi Michael: That sounds like a wonderful time. the continental club is the perfect venue for such an event. I am sure Gary felt all that good music. I wish I could have been there. Teddy and I did a lot of gigs together and Andrew has become one of my closet music friends over the years. When we bought our first house back in Ca in 2001 for 0 down, Andrew loaned us the money for closing costs. We had no idea there was such a thing and were completely tapped out with the process of fees and such. We would still be renters if it wasn't for Andrew. Teddy and I were some of the first acts to regularly play the black cat lounge. Next time you see them tell them hi for me. Stories like this make me miss Austin! Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
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Last Edited by on Apr 23, 2012 3:19 AM
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The7thDave
274 posts
Apr 23, 2012
5:12 AM
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Great story, Michael. Congratulations.
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--Dave
* BTMFH *
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honeydawg
45 posts
Apr 24, 2012
1:05 PM
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Very cool, Michael. Coincidentally, I had a conversation about Gary with Steve James at his house concert here in Maryland last Saturday. He clearly misses him, his "go to" harmonica player.
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Michael Rubin
504 posts
Apr 25, 2012
8:26 AM
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Honeydawg, I was wondering where Steve was. Glad he is still around.
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