I was sitting in bed with my computer on. I was chatting with someone online who had sent me two boxes in the mail. I unwrapped one of the boxes. In it was some sort of leather craft piece. I wasn’t too interested in it and decided to throw it away. I walked into the kitchen to do so. My mom was in the other room and I didn’t want her to know what I was doing. I went back into my room where the packaging was lying on the bed. I opened the other box and there was another leather craft item from this person. I was thinking that maybe I should save them, that they’d be sentimental at some point and was thinking of fishing the other out of the trash but my mom came in and asked who the boxes were from. I was like, oh they’re nothing, wrong address or something and brushed it off. It was kinda like Kirby as well as my mom, it’s hard to tell the difference. Suddenly she (they) are gone and Scot MacDonald sends me a reply to a running IM.
The Sacred RoomOctober 20th, 2006
Kirby and I were driving somewhere. I was on the phone with Mel and we were talking. He was saying that he was somewhere going to his mom’s and we were in the country driving away from the sunset in some eastern town in the mountains. It was really beautiful and I was looking behind me trying to see the sunset and thinking that in the eastern part of the US, it was hard to see the sunset from the top of a hill because the hills were laid out in a strange fashion. But we were making this turn and I could slowly see the sun on the building tops in the distance behind us and it was beautiful. We parked outside of a little church and walked in. Mel was there and he said he wanted to show me something. He took me through a little door into a different part of the church. He said normally people weren’t allowed in here. He took me to an alter. It was a woman kneeling. I told Mel that she was suplicating. Kirby came in. Mel was telling me that I could play guitar in this room all day and night because it was a special day. No one would ask me to stop. There was an older woman in the room and was thinking about whether or not I wanted to play. It was a stone church and the acoustics were awesome. I asked Kirby if my guitar was in the back of his car. He looked out the window and said no. I decided I was going to go look and see if there was a guitar I wanted to buy in the local shop. I remember Mel carrying a big book that he was looking in. I also had a book in my hand when I was leaving. I think it was my copy of “The Occult in Art” and as I left, a minister was ushering in a couple of people. I noticed that there were lots of expensive books in the place and as I was leaving, there were two woman that were as well. I saw a very large book on the floor with a price tag of $149. I made it outside and looked at this quaint town wondering if I would find a nice guitar.
Weather VeinsOctober 13th, 2006
I was coming out of some sort of large complex and had had a not so great experience. Apparently, I had been visiting someone and they’d dissed me. I got into a large white van that Kirby was driving and told him what had happened and he got really upset with these people. As we were driving out of the complex, Kirby, rather than wait for the gate to go up, he drove right through it. It was so out of character for him, I was perplexed. As we drove, the sky got darker and I started to notice white objects falling out of the sky very slowly. Suddenly I was not in the van anymore, but standing on the road. The sky was a very dark blue like around twilight, and the things falling from the sky I proposed to be weather veins. There were hundreds of them, just gracefully floating. They were all different shapes and sizes and designs. All were made from some heavy white construction paper and were simply folded like oragami. Each one had some sort of depression that caused it to catch the wind differently and float and a different rate from the sky. I picked one up to examine it. It was probably 3 feet long and 8 inches wide and had the edges curled up and the center was a chamber probably 6 inches deep to catch the air. This one was a fast moving one.
FrescaromaOctober 13th, 2006
Well, I did the Frescaroma gig last Friday night. It’s only taken a week to write this because I had company for a number of days and work has been hell this week.
I had never been to Frescaroma before and didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be very small but had a really nice ambiance. I found out about this place via myspace because I somehow ended up on the friend’s list. Previous acts had led me to believe that this was a really up spot and when I sent out email announcing the show, I told everyone that I expected it to be pretty jumping and that I would play mostly uptempo/hi NRG stuff. In fact, what transpired is that I played one of the mellowest shows I think I’ve ever played. I have to say though that I was really on. I was even doing improv stuff that I’d never played before, just going with it. There was a very small crowd of 9 people but they were all really appreciative and really listening to what I was doing. I discussed this with Bill, that I’d rather have a small crowd that was paying attention than a big crowd that wasn’t. It just makes all the difference. Even at the Sofa Lounge, you can have a very small crowd, but they’re so noisy and you really don’t get the feeling that they’re listening. You may as well play to a wall.
Anyhow, any of you musicians out there, I recommend Frescaroma. The owner was really nice. Cosmo is the one who does the booking. I’m not sure of his exact affiliation with the place but if you’re interested, let me know and I give you his contact info.
The Ugly Mug & Red RockOctober 3rd, 2006
Last Saturday night was my first gig in Santa Cruz in 4 years. I played at The Ugly Mug in Soquel. There were quite a few people in there studying when I started. My friends started rolling in a little after I started: Andy brought her friend Laura, Jacob and Jen came in, said hi, and ran off to grab a burrito before they both sank into blood sugar comas and came back afterward, and Robin and Bruce wandered in late because they got the time wrong, God bless’m, and of course Kirby was there to show his support even though the poor guy has heard my songs 1,000 times. It was a nice night. I tell ya, it makes all the difference in the world to be playing for friends and family. The audience was very appreciative though and the tips were really good. As a venue,… eh… the seating arrangement is really odd but the vibe is good, and it’s always nice to be in the Cruz. We all went out to dinner afterward at Mobo Sushi and closed the place. It was a great night.
Tonight, I did the featured artist position at Red Rock Coffee’s open mic. That was nice because I hadn’t been in there since the new ownership took over. They put in actual stage!! That was awesome. It also got a much needed paint job. I really liked the new seating arrangement for the open mic and Scott and Steve were just great. I really like it there. It was nice to see some old faces in the crowd too. Autumn and the Fall Guys Chris and Hank were there, along with Andrew whom I haven’t seen in ages. Props to Bill for hooking that up. He gave me Steve’s email addy and I mentioned that Bill gave it too me and he’s like, “Well, if Bill gave this too you, I don’t even need to hear you, I’ll go on Bill’s recommendation.” I’m like, “Damn Bill, got any connections at the IRS?” Bill did the harmonies on Helplessly Hoping with me which seems to be our cursed song. We jacked it up one night at BRS, totally my fault, just couldn’t hear the harmony. Tonight’s catastrophe: Two people sitting in the front of the stage decided to sing along with us. I just kinda fell into a trance listening to them listening too us when suddenly I realized that Bill and I were not singing the same lyrics. The people whom I started following weren’t singing the correct lyrics! It was quite comical but I stopped the song and started over. It’s just too pretty a song to butcher. The second time around was much better.
I’m playing Frescaroma this Friday night. First time there, I haven’t even seen the place before so we’ll see. They’re supposed to have a bit of a hip hop flava to the place so I’ll be playing more uptempo, higher nrg stuff. We’ll see how that goes. I’d sure like a percussionist. Anyone, anyone?
Sofa TonightSeptember 21st, 2006
It’s funny missing the Sofa Lounge for a week and coming back. Tonight, the two SM57’s and one of the SM58’s was missing, so I had to do the night with one microphone. Luckily that’s all I needed because Racket didn’t show up tonight (bass player out of town). But jeez, it’s always like potpouri of musical equipment. I never know what’s going to be missing. I got to play a couple of songs which was the first time in a while that I’ve been able to play. I did The Wisdom of Trees and Bitter Storm. They went over pretty well. We always let others play before us and if there’s time, we’ll sneak a couple songs in.
This week, there was a new guy named Jeremy. Played guitar alright but needs work in the vocal department. I think he was really nervous. Then there was Leroy who did a couple soul tunes, most enjoyable. Then there was Christy Bryce. She was dragged in by her bass player and forced to drink a couple beers. We were out of time but I made sure she went up and did at least one song. She was really good. She had seen me play before somewhere but I’m not sure that I recognized her. Anyhow, she has a band but she’s been out doing an acoustic thing. We’re going to book a show together at The Blue Rock Shoot in November. I’ll keep ya posted on that.
The first featured performer was Chris Hanson who is one of my favourites. His overhand guitar style is interesting to watch and his voice is really haunting, and he’s really just a great guy. He’s set up a concert for the Day of Peace tomorrow in Santa Cruz with Univeral Language and Dis Moi at the Vet’s Hall. We’re going to try to set up a show together in November as well in Santa Cruz at E3. More coming on that one.
The second performer was Tiffany Joy. I don’t know much about this young lass but she played pretty solid and had a nice voice. I didn’t stay for her set though as I’ve been sneaking out to La Victoria to eat. I just can’t go the entire night without food, my blood sugar drop to my socks. She said something about playing the stage at Santana Row soon.
The third performer was Kaila D’Sa who consistently puts on a great show and tonight was no exception. He really can draw a crowd. I didn’t stay for his entire set since we let the performers play longer than a half hour. By 10:40pm, I was done. I need to practice a little from my show tomorrow night at Orchard Valley Coffee and take a shower. I’m actually up way later than I should be right now. argh.
Show ReminderSeptember 19th, 2006
Just a friendly reminder of the upcoming shows this month:
This Thursday night :|: 9/21/2006 8pm
Orchard Valley Coffee
349 E Campbell Ave, Campbell, CA
Next Wednesday night :|: 9/27/2006 1/2 hour set between 8:30-10pm
Sofa Lounge
372 S. First St., Downtown San Jose, CA
Next Saturday evening :|: 9/30/2006 7pm
The Ugly Mug
4640 Soquel Dr., Soquel, CA
Work DreamSeptember 19th, 2006
I was walking through the office but it wasn’t my regular job/work office, it was the “dream” office that I’ve had a number of dreams in. I had spilled something on my shirt and had removed it and was walking through the office shirtless. I realized that I shouldn’t be doing this and rushed over to my desk to put on another shirt. Next thing I know, I’ve been called into a meeting that’s taking place at a restaurant. I’m thinking, oh great, I’m going to get fired. Instead, I find that I’ve been called in with others, mainly Adrienne, Shane, and two girls whom I don’t know. They’re asking us to work on a very important project though they don’t tell us what it is.
Katie Bloom’s retrospectiveSeptember 10th, 2006
Thursday night at Katie Bloom’s was quite interesting and different than what I expected. I was opening for David Ross MacDonald who I had played at the Sofa Lounge with the night before. Had the night before been any indicator for Thursday night, I would’ve known that the place would not be what it was the last time I played there.
I did my first gig at Katie Bloom’s about two months ago. I had never been there before and didn’t know what to expect. What I found when I got there was a total party place, in the middle of downtown campbell. The crowd seemed to be a mixture of comefuckme’s, can’tfuckme’s and jock supporters. I was scheduled to play with my man, Kaila D’Sa who is a downtown musical hero… Campbell is his domain and he has quite a following in the area. We were supposed to start at 8pm and were all set up and ready to play but there was a basketball game going on. Now, I don’t follow sports; I know the difference between the different balls and pucks used in each game and I can tell when someone sucks and someone doesn’t and that’s where it ends. The jock supporters were in a frenzy over something and it couldn’t possibly be interupted, especially not by a couple hippy guitar players, so we waited and waited and waited for the never ending game to finish.
Now, I many times like to pick my songs on the fly rather than making a set list. This is good and bad: Good because I can leave things to how I’m feeling at the moment and bad because I can often take too long in between songs deciding what to play. This night however, I picked out a few songs that I intended on doing. Big mistake; this crowd wanted to party and I had picked and freshened up a number of songs that just were not party songs. Oops. I can’t stress enough how hard it is to play a song to a crowd of people and not one claps when you’re done. Ouch. My friend Richard, head of Thriving Artists will attest to this as he just called me this morning to tell me about his experience at Coffee Society last night where a similar thing happened too him. He pulled out of it by digging deep into his self and pulling out the courage to keep going and the wisdom of where to go with the music and made what he said was the worst and best musical evening he’s ever had. When the going gets tough, the tough get going… that’s it, no ifs, ands or buts. What I did that night was press on, but I learned a valuable lesson as Richard did, you really have to know your audience and really play to them. If you think that you’re going to change them, you’re wrong. You adapt to them and integrate with them… then groove with them.
So back to the present… Wednesday night at the Sofa was just DEAD. What I neglected to forsee was that this was the week after Labor Day weekend, and people were either burnt, broke, or both, and they were not coming out to party this week. David Ross MacDonald is from Australia and used to play with The Waifs. He’s a very good guitar player but his music is very mellow, sensitive and introspective. So Thursday night, not learning me lesson from the night before was expecting this large party crowd, and I get there and there’s a 1/4 of the people there from the last time I played. I had put together a list of my most energetic songs like Sweet Obsession, Sinner and even started with I Gotta Know just to set the pace. You know what? It just never really worked for me. I kept thinking that I was just playing too aggressively for the crowd. I got a decent response from them and got some email addresses on my list and handed out a couple business cards so it went alright… but I really felt bad for David who played very sensitively and got little response for it. His sound just seemed to get drowned out by the place. I on the other hand was singing so loudly that I over compensated for the noisy crowd and was hoarse the next day.
Live and learn I guess. I’ll try it again I supposed… but next time, I’m making my set list at the bar just before I go on. I think that’s the happy medium here.
Benefit for EthiopiaAugust 29th, 2006
Dr. Ali Khan, chiropractor and musician and Thriving Artists set up a benefit show for the Ethiopian Orphans of AIDS Foundation on Saturday, August 26th. Guest performers included Robert Perala from Music for Relief, Von von Lindenberg, Richard Adoradio founder of Thriving Artists, Jessica Stein, Jeff Wood, Stephanie Johnson, Larry Rosenthal, Louis Costanso, and myself. The show opened with a talk from J.N. “Seamus” Boylson who talked about the plight of Ethiopians trying to survive AIDS, drought, lack of governmental structure and militants in an area of the world once known for it’s wealth and opulance.
Overall, the night had high points and low points. Jeff Wood’s sax playing was great although a bit loud. The Coffee Society has a really big sound due to it’s high ceilings making it difficult to temper brass. Drums don’t go over very well there either. Richard played guitar sang harmonies and I sang on “Norwegian Wood” and “Listen to the Music” which IMHO sounded awesome. Richard is a delight to play with as his rhythm guitar (a dying art) is superb. Richard later performed “Lalainia”, a song of his and he sounded awesome. Von did some originals, Ali played some originals as well as some covers, and Jessica (9 y.o.) sang songs acapella and with Ali. I’m not sure about hearing a 9y.o. sing about partying and being “here for the money” though; something about that just seems wrong. Robert joked that we’d explain the meaning of the lyrics to her later. Robert also did some originals and played bass for much of the evening.
We were trying out the new Bose LS1/PS1 sound system that we got for our shows. We intend on putting this system in each of the locations that we book and I have to say that this is going to rawk. There were a few things that we learned from using this system that night that will help us dial it in like some of the gain settings that we can set on the system and how to position mics around it. The most incredible thing about this system is the dispersion of sound. There’s such clarity and projected length of sound waves that the musicians when placing the unit 5 feet behind them can act as a monitoring system negating the need for a separate monitor system to hear themselves, and be the speakers for the audience to hear the amplified performance. This is obviously suitable to smaller venues and perfect for the cafes that we play in. I can’t say enough about he great this system is.
I talked with Seamus during the show about doing more benefits for their organisation which helps to send medical supplies to Ethiopia. It’s a great program and he’s a great guy. I’ve been wanting to send my tips somewhere because I’d rather my tips for playing go somewhere that it’s really needed, so I will be making a sign for my tip jar very soon and sending this money onword. I’m so fortunate to live where I do and not have a fraction of the problems that many other people in this world face.
