A Gig (+ History W/ Loo And Mischke)
Entry posted by Donna
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Mischke is playing live for his CD release party - and he left me a message saying, "I'm calling to ask ya to join a band."
With Mike Loonan! OMG...so Dorothy re-fell in love w/ all her ppl after the Oz dream. I know what she feels like.
History
Mike used to be the younger kid looking in the bsmt windows when I was with Krystal - the older-teenaged-guys-band who performed the whole 2112 album; there were spots for me and Patty - I drummed easier stuff, maybe Badfinger, some of the Yes. Patty sang very well Heart and all that. I learned a bit to sing back up. We were totally into Yes.
I was 14 at the time, and soon to be thrown into playing speed punk, Bowie and funk at school, and avant garde jazz w/ thee most heavy players/theorists I've (still) ever met.
At one of these parties is Loonan, and I'm going wow has HE grown up! Grew up to top all of us writing, multi instrumentalist, producing, sings everything. And still admires each of us in Krystal, how cool.
I remember meeting (re-meeting??) Tommy - he, Loo and I in Loo's living room (8-track days), recording Tommy's first collection A Better Man (I think right before he landed his talk show this happened).
Then a local guitarist Dee Rocker died. I asked Tommy if I could sing his Walking Songs at her tribute. That was the first time as an adult I sang lead on a big stage, as myself, doing an original (knowing the writer personally was close enough to it being an "original" for me). "as myself" - that is, no new wave or whatever persona, but me unaffected. Tommy was there, Loonan video'd it, and I recall all three of us being very happy how it turned out.
Loo and I before and after Better Man recorded, and I became very spolied...I'd lay down a vocal and come back the next day...there'd be this orchestrated, nuanced beauty he'd done. He played everything man, engineered, arranged, produced. Mike put out CD's and gigged extensively, very prolific writer.
And we lost track of each other as I was in baby exile, then he went into it, and I missed Mike badly. Tommy then put out Whistlestop - actually asked me to sing on it during an on-air conversation when I called him out of the blue one day...just like when I turned on the radio summer of '07 and he and Loo were on Garrison Keilor's show! It just happens, just get in touch w/ each other at the right time.
Back To Kansas
The coolest part is that I'll be playing with Loonan - he'll be bassist...in a trio w/Mischke. A trio! Singing-drummer time, back to where I starteed once the artistry began gelling. A trio is the most challenging. And with my good music buddies, I am one very grateful person for this opportunity.
Hey - the last time I played out w/ Tommy (forgot to mention that gig above), Michael Bland was the drummer! This is a happening town...
Will keep posting on this +++
-listening to Always On My Mind (Moxey re-mix) in OPLH (our peaceful little home)
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