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Pre-Puppet Show Thoughts...

Two days until the “Sleeping Piggy” performance—and word does seem to have gotten around a lot. I suppose we better make sure we’re good. “Puppet perfect,” so to speak. Still a few things to do: I’ve got to make a new bass guitar for Luke, to match the miniature Gibson Les Paul that Kathryn loaned for Hansolo to play (it’s really a telephone—and it’s the perfect size for a sock puppet); Princess Leah’s pretty yellow helmet (for after she joins the Dark Side) needs its Barbie-flower and “P

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Ce Release Party Thoughts...

So… the CD isn’t done yet, but I’m already scheduling the CD Release Party—have a date, have the hall, &c. The experts say I shouldn’t be doing that. HAVE THE CDS IN HAND FIRST, they said. Apparently a lot of bands and musicians end up scrambling at the last minute to have “product” for an already-scheduled CD release party because something happened to delay production of the CDs. It could happen to us, too. There is a lot of advice online about how to throw a CD release party (and

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Recording The Album...

Recording session went good. Base tracks for all 11 songs are done; despite spending about four hours in the studio, we did manage to do nearly every song in one take—which was the idea. The lesson (which I already knew): practice saves money. Once the levels were set, things moved pretty fast. Vocals on all the songs were “scratch” vocals, intended to be re-done, but Mike says he’ll keep the one on “She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself” because it’s about perfect. Need to record Doc’s harmonica,

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Band Practice (&c.)...

Band practice went good; the ones we do best are, not surprisingly, “Dead Things in the Shower, “Un-Easy Street,” “Tillamook Railroad Blues” and the Southern Pigfish classic, “For Their Own Ends.” They’re all different, but they all default into a “groove” that’s just plain comfortable. “She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself” was good, too—I think because I’ve played it regularly at that so-called “country jam” in Wheeler (where they do not play country music, and if I have to perform anything, I’ll do a

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So We Need A Website...

Two people, now, have contacted me saying Deathgrass needs a Website. (I do agree.) They’ve both advised when you google “Deathgrass,” you come up with nothing (which I have advised is Google’s fault, not ours—it simply proves Google does not and cannot know everything). But I’d agree a Deathgrass Website is not only desirable, but necessary. I’m just not sure how to do it. (Technological dinosaur, y’know.) Here’s my idea of what a Deathgrass Website should do. It should be simple—acc

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In Which "the Play's The Thing"...

A new wrinkle for The Play. (Yes, I’m obsessing about The Play. I tend to do that. This is the third play I’ve written for the “Pig Wars” sock-puppet cast, and they are a lot of fun to write for. I keep suggesting stitching numbers on them and retiring them like football jerseys, but I keep running into new opportunities for them. We may do the whole Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen lexicographies before we’re done.) The “Sleeping Piggy” script is getting peer review; it’ll g

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Failed Economy Show Post-Mortem...

The Failed Economy Show came off good. Smaller crowd than I’d have liked, but everybody brought lots of food (bags worth, instead of the 2-cans-each we’d asked for), and we had some people in the audience who’d never been to one of our concerts before (and I didn’t think to ask them where they’d heard about it). We ended up not having a drummer—Chris was helping deliver a baby, of all things (when we have crises, they are at least interesting ones)—so we just apologized for his absence, to

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Pre-Failed Economy Show Thoughts (&c.)...

THREE DAYS until the Failed Economy Show concert. Delivered a few more posters (never stop selling), and since we didn’t have band practice, baked some of the cookies (still want to do some with cranberries, for those poor, poor folks who are allergic to chocolate). Tuesday night was the first session of the Wil Duncan video class; Thursday night, if the band isn’t practicing, I’ll go to the “country jam session” in Wheeler for more finger-strengthening exercise. Won’t get to play music Frida

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The Failed Economy Show On Cable Tv?

I did hear from the Video Lady, and I think she’s going to do it! Helps that the Senator is coming the same day (yes, it’s official), though not to the concert, and she wants to film his meeting. I got the Failed Economy show poster blown up to 2-feet-by-3-feet size to hang on the Dance Floor’s front door; everybody’s going to see it. If it happens—I hope it does—we’ll be broadcast throughout the county (just this county—Charter Communications finally compartmentalized their cable-TV system,

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Some Updates...

What did Robert Burns say about the best-laid plans of mice?” They “aft gae agley”? Drummer Chris will be out of town until after the weekend; that won’t leave a lot of opportunities for practice before the Big Event Feb. 5. I admit I’m the paranoid one; these guys are good, and the one gig we did last summer without any practice at all came off just about perfect. I still like the reassurance of me knowing for sure that we’re going to sound perfect. We may have a big crowd coming for this

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Gig Post-Mortem (&c.)...

The gig was fun. Audience of 9, in a little group home up north. I was told they wanted to hear Cole Porter songs (they’re from that era), but I didn’t know any and didn’t have time to learn any; I told them instead, “But I know some Skip Johnson tunes” (not mentioning that Skip is still alive)—and gave ‘em “Next Time, I’m Gonna Get a Goldfish,” which really would be Dixieland jazz if someone other than me was playing it, and “Donohue,” which is straight old-time bluegrass. Most everythin

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Three Things...

I’ve heard a number of folks comment, “Boy, you’re sure playing out a lot.” I’m probably not. I just talk about it a lot. I figure if there’s an audience out there, they probably need to know what you’re doing. Every now and then, I think I may just know enough about marketing to be able to teach it—and then I decide I ought to wait until I’ve had some success at it first. (And I am still waiting.) I figure if you’re going to compete effectively against the Big Boys, you have to (1) co

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A Music Viudeo Proposal...

Sorry to have been out of touch... For the last five months, I had a job out of town (hey, it was a job) and didn't have much time at all. It's over, and I'm back. And trying to Do Stuff. Latest stuff is below... I’m going to do a music video of “50 Ways to Cure the Depression” (which is a popular song right now, with the state the economy’s in). Going to do it cheap, of course—like, for zero cost—but very competently. I think that’s possible with what I know now. There is a draft of

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Pumpkinfest, Wedding And Foot (Oh, My)...

The Hurt Foot’s been kind of dominant the last couple of weeks; yes, it only hurts when it’s being used for standing, or walking, or touches something, but that’s, like, almost all the time. The doctor says it’s getting better—thereby convincing me he’s a more insightful man than I. And so I haven’t got much done. (Yes, the Hurt Foot is a good excuse for inactivity, too.) I finally did write the Rap for the Pumpkinfest (a relatively easy job—just have to keep in mind virtually no one in

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Planning For Pumpkinfest...

As repeated storms pound (lightly) the Oregon Coast, I get to do the Marge McKinnis Thing—“I stay inside, ‘cause I want to write about love.” Between next week’s column for the paper, the Southern Oregon Songwriters’ newsletter, organizing the Wedding Setlist, and seeing if I can maybe write two songs for the writers’ group in England, there is really quite a bit to do, but I’ve done rather little of it—I’ve just read, and rested my sore foot. I’m on for the Pumpkinfest in Lafayette; the c

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Wedding Waltzes (&c.)...

Another week, I think, in which to assemble and organize the Wedding Setlist. After that, we’ll need to concentrate on practicing. We’ll have a fair amount of new material to get familiar with. 10 of 18 songs, I think. I found in my “I been to Phoenix” stuff a CD of Screamin’ Gulch songs, recorded by Wayne, our slide/steel guitarist (his guitar was literally made out of steel) live when he was testing out his recording equipment. And yes, “Lilly’s Song,” written by the drummer’s 7-year-

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Sept. 25 Post-Mortem (And A New Cat)...

The Deathgrass Sept. 25 concert was good. Small—very small—but appreciative crowd (we were competing for attention with three other events in the area at the same time—a contra dance, a square dance, and the final night of a very good play). Told the audience to applaud real loud, because we (and they) were being recorded by Jim Nelson, who was running sound; I told them, too, the audience was small enough so if we got album-quality cuts out of the recording, we could list them by name in the

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Can The Band Play Daughter's Wedding?

Quickly, because weekends are busy… Band practice Sunday afternoon (the Rocktoberfest gig is next Sunday, and we need to be ready); have to record “Take Me Back to the ‘Sixties,” and re-record “Crosses by the Roadside” and “50 Ways to Cure the Depression” (because I want to remove a verse from each one, and that’s the easiest way with the equipment I’ve got); and there’s the column to do for the paper. Finish work to finish on the door, and another door to put in (the garage, this time—carpent

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Bay City Post-Mortem (And Sept. 25 Setlist)...

A draft Sept. 25 setlist: SET #1: Dead Things in the Shower—fast two-step Armadillo on the Interstate—slow & sleazy Tillamook Railroad Blues—deliberate blues Eatin’ Cornflakes from a Hubcap Blues—slow & sleazy quasi-blues Take Me Back to the ‘Sixties [NEW]—mod. fast two-step For Their Own Ends (Southern Pigfish)—folk-rock Duct Tape—mod. speed country Steamboat Bill (Shields & Leighton)—rock ‘n’ roll Things Are Getting Better Now that Things Are Getting Worse (G

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A Week Without The Internet...

TWO WEEKS since I’ve posted any issues of the blog? I am sorry. Not only has the new job kept me busy, but I’ve had no laptop the past week, and accordingly no access to the Internet outside of work (and I will not use the work computer for personal stuff). Got to read a lot, and play music some, despite the meetings that took two of the evenings this past week. Central Point concert came off pretty good. Despite not having played together for three years, Dan (mandolin), Gary (electric

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The Mcminnville Open Mike (&c.)...

Looks like I didn’t post an issue of the blog mid-week. I know I thought about it, and even had one partly written. It has been a tad busy, and commuting back and forth to the job—a 2.5-hour trip each way—has left me, by my count, all of three hours to myself, per day, if I’m lucky. It may get easier—I did find a place to stay (a room in someone’s home in Lafayette), and I’ll “move in” (clothes, guitar, laptop, recording equipment, and books) Monday. Wednesday night’s open mike in McMi

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"rocktoberfest" Setlist (&c.)...

I’d say I got everything done I was supposed to do this weekend, but it wouldn’t be true: I still have the application for that city-manager job in Alaska to finish. (I still need to mow the lawn and bake cookies, too.) Being employed doesn’t leave a lot of time to do things like that—but the statistical reality I have to face is virtually the only people who are being offered jobs these days are the ones who already have them. (My getting a job was really a fluke.) While I’m temporarily emp

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The Bay City Open Mike (&c.)...

The Bay City Arts Center open mike Saturday night was good: we had 12 performers, including a poet, a standup comic, and a short-story author (all very good), plus the musicians—Opal (electric autoharp), Bud (guitar), Elsie (accordion), Chippewa Bob (saw), Jim (piano), and Noah, one of Mike Simpson’s “Rockshop” kids, did an original song with little Max on drums. Had an “acapulco” singer, too, and first Opal and then Elsie were able to give him musical accompaniment. Thanks, guys. Some

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Open Mike & "steamboat Bill"...

I’m back. Weekend “off,” but while I’m “off” I have two graphic-design projects to finish, cookies to bake, and a job application to do for that place in Alaska that wants a city manager, and tomorrow there’s music to play (a little) and the open mike to host. Tonight, I am deliberately doing nothing productive. The garden, after a week’s absence, has a potato shrub (once it hits 4 ft. tall, State Forestry will officially classify it as a “tree”—I don’t know if there have ever been any po

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Contra Dance Post-Mortem...

Ah, checklists… Having a job—particularly a 24/7 job as a city manager—forces me to be ruthlessly organized. There is a limited window into which to fit a personal life. Laundry done? Check. Column filed for the paper? Check. Business cards for the new job? Check. Software to load onto the city’s computer? Check. Packed? Mostly. Before I leave, I need to design and Acrobat a poster for the “Rockshop” bands’ concert, IF that’s going to happen—if it does, it’ll be next Saturday.

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