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A Music Festival In Wheeler?

A new music festival is being organized for the Coast this summer; if it comes off, it’ll be in Wheeler, in mid-July. Successor to the old Crab Festival—with the price of crab headed for the same stratosphere as gasoline (in this case, because of overseas sales—and one can’t complain, since local boys are getting the money), and the bar that spearheaded the old event out of business, they want to do something different. Both Deathgrass and The Impromptus (who are determined to get a better nam

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First Cd Sales (&c.)...

Well, we were supposed to be Internet-less for four days, while the phone company sent a crew from Florida to fix some big, mysterious piece of equipment that failed… It’s back, after less than a day—with no explanation, of course. (I wonder if the repair crew is still en route from Florida.) Life Without Internet did interrupt a couple of typesetting jobs—the SOSA newsletter, which I’m already late on, and one for the square dance club; on the other hand, I did get other work done, and figu

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The Deathgrass Cds Are Here!

The Deathgrass CDs are here! Opened one up and listened, and yes, DiskFaktory really did record it, and they did their usual very good job. We got a salable item, here. Next step (well, a few steps from now)—sell this puppy. Got to make back production costs. Today, copies go out to some radio station DJs that have expressed interest in listening to it (and maybe playing it on the air), and a music publisher and a record distributor I’m in touch with who have also deigned to listen. I’

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The Impromptus' Debut...

Debut performance for The Impromptus last night at the Bay City Arts Center, and it was good. They were good. I got numerous comments later saying how good we sounded. We did: Pole Dancing for Jesus (me) Still the One (a Mutt Lange/Shania Twain song, by Candice) Desperately Sinking Into the Sea (Kathryn) Armadillo on the Interstate (me) --and two more songs later on, because there weren’t many musicians left for the open mike: Dylan’s “Wagon Wheel” (because we know it, and we

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Updates...

On the radio Friday for the Bay City Arts Center… A number of people apparently heard the broadcast; response I got back was “Wow—you sure have a lot of stuff going on there.” Yes, there is. One additional event I’d like to have happening there in May is the Deathgrass CD Release Event—we should have the CDs from DiskFaktory by mid-month (and hopefully they did everything right). Both radio stations got advance copies of the CD last week, and hopefully will play them. It would be fun to

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Podcasting House Concerts?

I can cross “’Manzanitaville’ lyrics” off the to-do list. Done, and it sounds like it’ll be okay. Yes, a parody, but it ended up with substantially more social commentary than I’d planned. We’ll practice it Sunday night and see how it comes off. It was scheduled to be the #2 song on The Impromptus’ setlist for the Manzanita Farmer’s Market. Another of those Wild Ideas… Between the economy (which is in shambles) and high fuel prices (which will make the economy even more of a shambles),

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Tonic Lounge Post-Mortem...

Comedy night at the Tonic Lounge in Portland was good. (I didn’t send out any notice to the “joelist” or to Facebook—this was just a short appearance, only three songs, and I didn’t know how it was going to go. But it was good.) Half a dozen standup comics there, plus me (and some were good, and others less so), but the good side was there was a fairly sizable and appreciative audience. And the bar owner really likes it—and that’s a major key to keeping it going. It happens every week, whic

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"alice" Unchanged...

Well, Alice’s brain (body) transplant did not work, and I’m not sure why. I gave up after working at it for three days, and she’s back in her old (and a little worse for wear) case, with her partially non-functional motherboard. Her one remaining IDE port is running her almost-completely full 40-GB hard drive and her DVD-ROM drive, and it’s going to stay that way, I guess. I did get a few good things out of the exercise (I should—I spent three days at it). I have a rather sturdily-built

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Deconstructing "alice"...

I’ve about decided “Alice” the ‘puter needs a new body. I would get a new motherboard if I could, but I can’t. However, I’ve got four computer hulks out in the garage, three of them purchased from the community college when they moved and a fourth bought from Sharma Kay, dear departed friend and former bass player in our short-lived Portland band. The college’s are Pentium IIIs, and it appears from the techie Websites that I can make those work with my stuff. They were all supposedly working

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The "12 Reasons Why Joe Is Going To Hell" Album...

I’m slowly slipping back into my new/old role as newspaper reporter. It’s not a real job—I’m just a fill-in, while the real reporter is having a baby. I have covered three news stories in the past 24 hours (still have two of the stories to write, though), and have a fourth to do tomorrow afternoon. It was a distinct pleasure to be able to go to a meeting and do the write-up in an hour after I got back home, and know it was right. If I could keep that up, it’d be worthwhile. And people are s

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About That Suicide (&c.)...

Heard from a friend on the other side of the globe about the musician in Bend, Oregon, who committed suicide at an open mike; reportedly, the guy introduced a song entitled “Sorry for the Mess,” and at the end, stabbed himself to death. He was 19… I was asked whether one should say anything. I’m not sure one can. Without knowing more—specifically, why it happened—any comment I could offer would be pure speculation. I think I’d like to hear the song. It might offer some clues. I am perenni

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Paying Taxes, Playing Music, And Stuff...

Music at the Tsunami Grill in Wheeler was good; not too much progressive-rock stuff (I like Aaron, but I cannot follow his rock instrumentals), so I pretty much got to play all evening. No bass player, so I “emulated” bass on the acoustic guitar (doable with that little amp, if one gets the knobs set right); compliments from several people on my playing—maybe they’re starting to know who I am. I sang a few things, too: “Pole Dancing for Jesus” is a definite hit with this crowd, even though the

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Thoughts On An "earwigs" Video...

A music video of “Earwigs in the Eggplant”? Why not? I am good at assembling resources (one of my city-manager skills), and I can script (three plays now, with the sock-puppet cast, and a couple decent music videos); I have the equipment and (I think) the expertise to do both video and still photography. So how would I do this one? Photos, maybe, of all the plants—and pests—mentioned in the song. Getting real-life photos of all the plants listed in the song is probably not possible—

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"earwigs In The Eggplant"--And Setlists...

New song. It’s a love song about vegetables—and garden pests—tentatively hight “Earwigs in the Eggplant” (after the most-repeated line). Essayed it at the Lotus in Nehalem, and even though rough, folks appeared to like it. I still have the music to finalize. It was the result of a suggestion: since The Impromptus are doing a gig at the Farmer’s Market, shouldn’t we do a song about vegetables? And rather than search for songs about vegetables, I decided I’d rather write one. I did disco

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Recording Inventory (And A Mixer!)...

I might have the I-have-only-4-channels-on-the-Tascam problem taken care of. I have a mixer! It’s the ancient Sony I bought on eBay some years ago—so old it’s got gauges and incandescent lights. And it does (or did) work. It’s wired backwards (I was told early Japanese audio equipment was like that)—but I had a power supply made special for me way back then at Radio Shack to take care of that; that way, I don’t have to pack the thing with a fortune in D-cells (not C-cells—this thing is old)

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Making Tools For The Street Team...

Let’s say—because it actually might happen—I get asked to do an out-of-town concert, for pay, with another musician. Other musician isn’t well-known in the area where we’re going (and I’m not known at all), but the people putting on the concert (who don’t know me, but do know the other musician) constitute a decent “street team” that can theoretically do promotional legwork. I’m told I’m being invited because (1) I’m a better guitarist (at least I’m not afraid of jumping in and playing l

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More For The Puppets...

“Selling Off My Body Parts” is up. Link is http://www.soundclick.com/share?songid=10473026. Two songs in a week is a little out of the ordinary, but I was already working on this one when the “pole dancing for Jesus” news clip was brought to my attention, and I just had to say something about that. The Garibaldi Library wants to book another performance by the Great Intergalactic Puppet Show—for mid-June, to kick off their summer reading program. Noonish, on the Dance Floor at City Hall

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Selling Off Body Parts (&c.)...

The “Southern Hospitality” play is going well (opening night is April 1); I took cast photos, and they did come out fairly well—chalk that up as something else I can do (or that people now know I can do). The little camera is living up to the reviews I saw of it a while back: “These things are really old, but they’re really good.” Mine is seven years old now. A news story (one of two) to cover for the paper Thursday night, instead of playing music. I don’t mind a bit if paying work gets

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"pole Dancin' For Jesus" (&c.)...

I now know what I’m doing almost every day and night next week (I am developing the kind of rigid schedule I had as an employed person). Sunday is “beta” rehearsal for the play (I think that’s one step below dress rehearsal), practice in the evening with “the impromptus” (we don’t have a name yet), and I need to do the press release for the music publisher; Monday, I have a Garibaldi Days meeting (one more pitch to have Deathgrass play) and I’ll do my first shooting for the video class’s docume

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Podcast?

(Yes, I really should be working. I do have things to do.) I watched garbage being picked up this morning by a “pup.” A “pup” is a miniature garbage truck, that retrieves trash from mostly residential neighborhoods, and rendezvouses periodically with the big garbage truck, which has only to compact the trash and haul it to the dump. In our town, the “pup” is mostly used where there are steep hills. When I was city manager in Vale (not the rich place in Colorado), we considered buying a

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Preparing For The Cd...

Accomplished something, for a change. I figured out the reason why “Ben,” our 1999-vintage PC at the Arts Center, wasn’t playing music any more was the onboard sound thingie had died (it’s one of the first things to go on older computers). Installed a soundcard from my Endless Stash of Computer Parts, and Ben has sound again. I miss being the IT Guy… Got the master for the Deathgrass album. Yes, it is good. Very good. These guys (band and sound engineer both) do impressive work. I ne

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Video Work...

I finish one blog and start another one almost immediately. It’s because it’s early, video class is over for the evening, and I don’t plan on doing anything productive until tomorrow. I have been assembling the list of media people and DJs to get advance copies of the Deathgrass CD, and contacting them one by one; that’s about it for work tonight. There will be plenty to do tomorrow. “Alice” the computer’s part that will let her DVD-recordable drive finally work has apparently arrived at

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Finishing The Album...

Back in the studio Sunday afternoon just past to finish up the album. Recorded vocals for “The Dog’s Song,” “Tillamook Railroad Blues” and the Southern Pigfish anthem, “For Their Own Ends”—everywhere else, we’re actually using the “scratch” vocal, which came out just fine. Touched up the vocals in a couple of places on “Free-Range Person” and “Crosses by the Roadside,” recorded the Raps (about half the songs will have Raps), and recorded a simple lead guitar part on the Strat for “No Good Song

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Album (&c.) Update...

Listening—repeatedly, which is a good sign—to the two “final” (thus far) tracks from the Deathgrass album, “Armadillo on the Interstate” and “She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself.” It strikes one partway through the latter that “OMG, this was recorded LIVE?” Yes, and in one take, too. Good musicians, good sound engineer—what can I say? I know a number of other writers who will have an album out this year. I’ve suggested that the Southern Oregon Songwriters Assn. do a seminar at which the album-

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Puppet Show Post-Mortem...

The puppet show went well, I think (hard to tell from behind the stage); some folks have said they liked it. And some folks are sorry they missed it (which means they might come to the next one). We did have a packed house, but that was deliberate: we had the parents of the elementary-school kids whose work was in the Art Show, and the parents and friends of the school kids performing in the Open Mike—a captive audience. Helped, I think, to spend a little time behind the stage earlier in t

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