RED ROOM #2 will be THURSDAY, 30 APRIL, 9 P.M. Poster’s done. First practice will be Saturday, 28 April (St. leif’s Eve, by the way). Sharma’s setting up times (I’m flexible, being unemployed and all). Setlist will be:

Bluebird on My Windshield (fast trucker rhythm)

Hey, Little Chicken (country blues)

Naked Space Hamsters in love (fast bluegrass)

Eatin’ Cornflakes from a Hubcap Blues (slow & sleazy)

Dirty Deeds We Done to Sheep (rock ‘n’ roll, Johnny Cash style)

50 Ways to Cure the Depression (mod. fast Gospel)

She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself (mod. fast traditional blues)

Rotten Candy (fast bluegrass)

I’m Giving Mom a Dead Dog for Christmas (slow & sleazy)

And this time, the Portland musicians are getting CDs with recordings of the songs, like I did for our band on the Coast. Definitely a good practice tool.

The setlist includes five songs that we did well last time, and four new ones. All the new ones are uptempo songs—the band likes and does those better. “Bluebird” is a bluegrass song that’s been done real well by rock bands; “Starvin’” is a fast-paced, easy to follow blues with room for a lot of lead breaks (which I now am sure these guys can do); “50 Ways” has a pounding Gospel-style bass line, as does “Rotten Candy.” It’d be neat if Sharma the bass player could sing “Rotten Candy.” The song could really benefit from a good female voice.

I was asked why I want to do this—we know from experience that the Red Room gig isn’t going to amount to any money. The answer is that this will turn into more business down the road—business that does pay better. This time, we will get a video that can be used for promotional, gig-getting purposes, too. Besides, I have an album to record (once I can afford it) and I think I would like these guys to do it.

FAILED ECONOMY SHOW got over two hours’ worth of submissions, which will allow the band to pick and choose what they want to do. The submissions include some country, some blues, some bluegrass, one jazz, and one R&B; we’ll listen to a round dozen or the songs over the weekend, and talk Monday at practice what we want to do.

I’m assuming my songs are a given for inclusion (there are advantages to being The Writer). There will be three of those: “Eatin’ Cornflakes from a Hubcap Blues,” “Free-Range Person,” and “50 Ways to Cure the Depression.” I have two Stan Good songs “musicated”—“WD-40 the Economy” has the electric banjo playing a sort of lead, and “Death of the Middle Class” I did as very electric (and angry) Death Metal. (Considering that it’s me doing it, it’s probably Country Death Metal.) I still have two more songs to musicate, and two that need to be re-recorded.

Not all the submissions are about the Depression per se. Everett Adams’ “I Will Survive” and Glynda Duncan’s “I’m Not as Stupid as You Wish I Was” are actually lost-love songs with sentiments appropriate to today’s hard times, for instance.

UPDATES: I sent a link to “The 30-Second Resume” video along with my last city-manager job application—to Wrangell, Alaska, the little town that’s accessible only by plane or boat. I’m still not sure whether it was a good idea, but it’s done. They’ll either hire me or not (and odds were on the “not” to begin with).

Joe