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Jade Lounge Audition...

Setlist for the Jade lounge audition was: Hey, Little Chicken (sleazy quasi-blues) Dead Things in the Shower (mod. fast two-step) Sam & Melinda (slow & sleazy) Bungee Jumpin’ Jesus (mod. fast Gospel) Crosses by the Roadside (mod. slow two-step) The Termite Song (fast bluegrass) I’m Giving Mom a Dead Dog for Christmas (slow & sleazy) Almost exactly 30 minutes—and it showcased (in order, of all things) all the things I told the folks at Songstuff I wrote about: de

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As It Gets Busy...

Well, I wanted to have stuff to do, didn’t I? I think I will be busy for a while. I have an audition at the Jade Lounge in Portland on Sunday (timed it so it’d be just after our Burlesque Troupe post-mortem, if it happens), the Insomnia Coffee Co. gig the following Saturday, a “proofreading test” to take for a state job Wednesday (yes, I’m driving 2-1/2 hours into Portland to take a test I know I’ll pass with 100-plus other people—times are hard). And, I think, another Failed Economy Show to

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April's Other Song (And The Food Bank)...

April’s other song is done—“Family Photo.” A good old cheatin’-heart kind of song, but one where the woman leaves the cheater dude (and takes the kids and dog, too). One reason I like musicating other people’s songs is I get to address serious issues without having to write about them myself. I get to preserve my image as the guy who probably can’t take anything seriously (and then when I do write something serious—which I’ve done all of five times in 30-odd years—it has greater impact becaus

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Musicating April...

I spent most of the day following our performance at the “Rocktoberfest” unable to get the songs on our setlist out of my head. I did hit on a solution, though. With nothing musical on the immediate horizon, and no immediate commitments except applying for more jobs I probably won’t get, now was the time to musicate something—fill my brain with a different melody, as it were. So April Johns’ “Sometimes Country Boys Get the Blues” finally got its music. It didn’t come out exactly like I e

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"rocktoberfest" Post-Mortem...

The “Rocktoberfest” show went good. (I attribute it primarily to our being practiced.) No flubs (at least not any noticeable ones), and the few special tidbits—the stops for the bass runs in “Tillamook Railroad Blues” and the deliberately slowing-down last line in “No Good Songs About the War”—came off without a hitch, and made us seem uber-professional. Small audience, of course—one shouldn’t expect otherwise at 10:00 on a Saturday morning—but it included some folks I recognized, that I’

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"no" From The Audition...

Back from southern Oregon… Almost an 11-hour trip, what with stops at the towing company to pick up the Big Yellow Tip Bucket (retrieved from the T-bird before they destroyed it) and buy a couple of spare tires (because I had a blowout on the way), and the audition at the Capitol Coffee House in Portland. It was a “no” from Capitol Coffee, and I probably should have expected that was going to happen. The reason the owner hadn’t been answering my e-mails was he really wasn’t interested in

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Thoughts On The Road...

On the laptop... The laptop (no name yet) travels with me wherever I go these days, just like the cell phone. I have become appallingly 21st Century. Perhaps the pleasure of owning a 23-year-old froofrooless truck is compensation. The Wild Goose was fun; the crowd there got “Crosses by the Roadside” (prefaced with apologies for playing ‘em a serious song), Derek Hines’ “I Want to Come Back as a Stripper Pole” and–as a surprise for Gene Burnett–his “Things Are Getting Better Now That Th

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I Have A Truck!

A riddle. What’s new and 23 years old? My truck! Paid for it and picked it up a day after insurance advised the crashed Thunderbird was a total loss (mostly because of its age) and they were sending me a check. A small check, but it’s enough to buy the truck—a 1986 Toyota Nothing Special, with lockable canopy (good), standard transmission (real good), a little rust (not good), the little engine that Toyota made for years and years and years (real, real good). Even has fishing rod racks, rif

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"rotten Candy," "crosses" &c.

I had a song recorded by Polly Hager! You can hear her rendition of “Rotten Candy” at http://www.soundclick.com/share?songID=8163332. She has a lovely Ronstadt-esque singing voice that was perfect for this song. Larry Hazelbaker in Nashville plays guitar and mandolin on this, and did the recording. No, it’s not the sort of thing that has any money in it—Polly’s an independent writer, like me (though a whole lot prettier)—but with a voice like that, she’s going places. It’d be nice to provid

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A Quick Burlesque Show Post-Mortem...

The Burlesque Show was good. Very good. If you attended, you know this. If you didn’t, be patient—I’m sure now there will be another one. The troupe will be doing a post-mortem Sunday, 4 October; I won’t be able to be there—I’ll be en route to the next job interview in southern Oregon, the state Fish & Wildlife one in Trail. I’m anxious to see the video (I understand it was videotaped as well as podcast). One reason I want to see the videotape is I want to see the crowd’s reaction

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Burl3Esque Show In 2 Days...

JUST TWO DAYS till the Burlesque Show (I don’t count the day of the show—we’ll be doing a final dress rehearsal that day). In lieu of a program, we’re going to have a big 24x36 poster with our photos, Tarot cards, real and stage names, and functions in the show. I’m designing that. One more day to finish it in—Friday’s shot with a job interview in Salem, 90 miles away (and a 2-hour drive over bad roads). The good news on the job front is I got called for an interview at the Library. Not

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A Quick Update...

The Burlesque Show will be okay, I think. Dress rehearsal today in Laurelhurst Park in Portland, and everybody seemed to know their lines, including me. We’ll do one more dress rehearsal, the afternoon before the show (Sept. 26), and that will be at the Hawthorne Theater itself. Recording was good, too. I continue to be impressed with this band. The songs we were familiar with—i.e., that have been regular inclusions at our gigs—were note-perfect the first time. Even “Rotten Candy,” whi

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Four Busy Days Ahead...

Music Friday; Burlesque Show rehearsals Saturday and Sunday; the Urban Grind show Saturday night; band recording Sunday morning; job interviews Monday and Tuesday. I feel like a four-day hole is being ripped out of my generally empty life. That means today and part of tomorrow is the only time I’ve got left to do Empty Life things in. I have the rest of the recording equipment to move out into the garage studio (which is clean, now), the thongs to print, more jobs to apply for, two of Apr

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Nightmare (And Job Interviews)...

I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed the band was going on stage for the “Rocktoberfest,” and I hadn’t done a setlist—and hadn’t the faintest idea what we were going to play (and the band didn’t, either). I decided to take care of that as soon as I woke up. We’ve got 40 minutes, which is 8 songs. I think we’ll do: Dead Things in the Shower (fast two-step) Armadillo on the Interstate (slow & sleazy) Bluebird on My Windshield (fast bluegrass) For Their Own Ends (folk-rock)

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Weekend Update...

I have a script (finally) for the Burlesque Show—and it’s pretty good. I’ve scripted out one of the Fool’s scenes, and have one more to do. The show will include three of my songs: “Electronic Love,” “The Termite Song” (both in response to Ann Landers-type advice questions), and “Can I Have Your Car When the Rapture Comes” (after a presentation by the Snake-oil Salesman). Rehearsals Saturday and Sunday next weekend; I’ll miss the music session at the Tillamook Library Saturday, but would like

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Attacking Portland...

Here’s the details on the Sept. 19 gig. I’ll be part of something called the “Favorite Show”—a monthly (I think) showcase hosted by Whitney Hampson, one of the ringleaders in and for Life’s SubtleTease, the burlesque troupe. It’s at Urban Grind East, a coffeehouse at 2214 NE Oregon (just north of Sandy Blvd.) in Portland. Saturday, 19 September, when the doors open at 8 p.m., I’ll be playing. When the Official Show starts at 8:30, I’ll be the first act on. It’ll be just a couple of song

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The Bottom Line: Butts In Chairs

I bought a book at a yard sale Saturday. I thought I’d add it to my Music Business Library (it’d be Book #3), but now I’m not so sure. Hight “The Mansion on the Hill,” it purports to be a history of how rock ‘n’ roll lost its soul to the record companies. What I’ve read of it is a history of the marketing guys who seized on rock music as a potentially salable commodity, and proceeded to sell it. I’m not sure “soul” had anything to do with it. It is true that the music business has since

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A Sudden Death--And Plans...

I got word today that Sharma Kay—dear friend, fellow writer, inveterate encourager, and bass player in our brief Portland band—died, with her dad, in a car accident in California. She was, like, 37. Right now, her Website, www.musesk.com, is being maintained by friends—which she has a lot of. I’m sure it’ll take a little time to sink in; right now, it just feels weird, realizing that no matter what happens, she won’t be around any more. Labor Day weekend is here, but for the unemployed,

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'no' From Gold Hill..

A firm “no” from Gold Hill—they do not want me as their city manager. I had figured after the interview (which was a short one) they’d already made their minds up, and it wasn’t me, and I was right. (Sometimes I hate being right.) It’s disappointing in part because so many friends in southern Oregon were hoping I would get the job, and be moving back. Oh, well… I’ll send Gold Hill The Letter (haven’t sent it to anyone else thus far), thanking them for interviewing me and wishing them luck w

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And The Cd Heads For England...

Other stuff, for a change… My regular column for the newspaper is starting to get some attention; I hear from people telling me they read it. Folks are starting to get used to my insistence on the Wednesday deadline, and I have subjects for about two columns ahead now. No job yet, but getting lots of interviews does generate feelings that I’m doing something right. In addition to the Gold Hill city manager interview 8/31, I have one for a state planner job 9/10, and I got a letter saying

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Burgerville Gig Post-Mortem...

The Burgerville gig went pretty good. Sparse crowd (Burgerville advertised, but I hadn’t), but people listened, and virtually every person left tips. Even got a nickel from a little girl who had listened raptly to “When They Die, I Put Them in the Cookies” (I had to help her drop it in the Yellow Bucket because she couldn’t reach it). A couple of the people who said they’d visit actually did (thank you). And the staff wants me back (I thought they weren’t listening until they sent somebody o

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The Making Of Episode Two...

This just in—another job interview! This one’s in Gold Hill, down in southern Oregon again, and it’s to be their first-ever city manager. Next Monday night; I’ll tentatively go down early and play music while I’m there. (Good time to get new strings again for the guitar. I’ve been playing a lot.) Episode Two of the “Joe Show” is uploaded to YouTube, with links at Facebook and Just Plain Folks. (Still have to add MySpace. There may be other places I can do this, too.) URL is . I

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The Joe Show Episode #2 Is Coming...

I learned something about the Tascam I didn’t know. If I’m going to record a long 4-track piece all at once—like the soundtrack to the “Joe Show”—it better be less than 7-1/2 minutes. That’s all the Tascam can hold. The first draft of “The Joe Show, Episode Two” was 8-1/2 minutes long, and I couldn’t mix it—and I have to mix it before I transfer it to the computer, because the computer can’t read the unmixed files. (There is probably a way around this problem, but I don’t know what it is.)

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The First Video Show...

Finished the first episode of the ”Joe Show,” and it’s posted on YouTube and MySpace with links to Facebook and Just Plain Folks. The YouTube link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HttdPnrZO8. It was about a 6-hour job, for less than five minutes of video—and I’m not sure future episodes will take any less time, at least until I have better technology. I did it “French style,” ignoring the webcam (since it wasn’t working, and I was tired of investing time to find out why) and instead doi

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Recording & Southern Pigfish...

John says Dick’s harmonica parts on both “No Good Songs About the War” and “For Their own Ends” are perfect. One part down. Still need to record the lead guitar, for which I think I’ll use the Strat—gives the sound engineer (John) better control. He’d like to record the lead guitar four times and then mix and match pieces from the four leads. Him da boss. He said he’ll make sure we have “No Good Songs About the War” done in time to send to England for the Dylan-wannabe contest. (Deadline i

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