After all the musicians bailed out early from the Tsunami jam session, I let myself be persuaded to play some songs by myself. So I did a few that come off well solo, and that I didn’t care whether anybody heard or liked. I played “One Gas Stationâ€â€”and people applauded. I think they listened. So they also got “Leavin’ It to Beaver†(which Jane now wants to do in the NCRD comedy show), “The Strange Saga of Quoth, the Parrot,†“Song for Charity (and Faith, and Hope)†and for a finale, “Meet Me at the Stairs.†All words-heavy (but I did remember the words). And it appeared the audience listened to all of them.

The lesson? (There’s always a lesson.) Don’t pass up an opportunity to play. There’s always hope someone might hire you later on. I’ve been known at the Tsunami primarily as a lead guitarist—something I’m not particularly good at, but am at least enthusiastic about. Yes, there are a couple of country-music songs of mine the other musicians know and can play, and we always do play them. Maybe some of them now know I can write other stuff.

The New Band’s got a gig May 11 at the 2^nd Street Market. Unpaid, but I know how to parlay that into a little attention and maybe some tips so it ain’t a total loss. 2-hour show and we need to provide our own PA (the Market should really get its own PA system).

First invite of Concert Season for Deathgrass—and that one’s a paying gig (yay!). I’ve been pondering a new setlist for 2012. We’ve done basically the same songs the last two years, and I don’t want us to get boring (or bored). I don’t want to change everything; we should continue to do what I think are the best of our “standardsâ€:

Dead Things in the Shower—fast two-step

Tillamook Railroad Blues—deliberate blues

For Their Own Ends (Southern Pigfish)—folk-rock

Things Are Getting Better Now That Things Are Getting Worse (Gene Burnett)—fast two-step

The train song because it’s “local colorâ€; the Pigfish song because the band enjoys it so much (they like rock ‘n’ roll, and this does rock); and ditto for Gene’s song. “Dead Things†has become our standard opening number, and I see no reason to change that.

And beyond that? I’m really not sure. The New Band wants to do “Spend the End of the World with Me,†“Pole Dancing for Jesus,†“Armadillo on the Interstate,†and Odd Vindatad’s “Simple Questions,†so I don’t want them in Deathgrass’ set; there are going to be some opportunities this summer when both bands are going to be playing the same venue, and they shouldn’t be playing the same songs. The only other new one that’d be appropriate for a band would be “Selling Off My Body Parts,†which is bluegrass (but won’t come out that was when Deathgrass plays it). We could do a few older songs we haven’t done in a long time:

Hey, Little Chicken—slow, sleazy quasi-blues

Angel in Chains—country death metal (played at the Rocktoberfest)

Bluebird on My Windshield—fast bluegrass (with trucker rhythm)

--and one we’ve never done, Diane Ewing’s “Alabama Blues†(which is actually a two-step). That still leaves quite a few to come up with; we need 12 songs for an hour-long show, 18 for an hour-and-a-half show.

New Band practices Friday night; comedy show Saturday night; marimba practice Sunday afternoon and (hopefully) the Rapture Room Sunday night. I am staying busy. Wish there was an income in it.

Joe