Reviewed the videotape of the July open mike at the Arts Center. The parts with our impromptu band aren’t good enough quality to mess with, I’m afraid—percussion too loud, vocals too low, and lead guitarist Charlie was almost out of the picture most of the time (but he did sound good). I’d like to look at videos from open mikes where Charlie was behind the camera, and able to manipulate it more, rather than being a performer; I think those might be better for converting into YouTube-type videos. The sound problem does make me more interested in recording sound through the Arts Center’s mixing board rather than from the camera.

Poster’s designed, the Rap is done, and setlists mostly distributed for the Deathgrass Garibaldi Days concert (Sat., July 24). We practice Sunday. Some folks have been excited that Deathgrass will be playing again. (Fans? We have fans?) Well, I am, too.

I seem to have fallen into a defined role with the band, that I guess I’m mostly comfortable with: I decide what we’re going to play (taking into account what the guys like to play, and their various styles, and what I think the audience is going to be like), and organize the setlist, and give everybody copies and CDs with “draft” recordings of the songs the way we’re going to play them (which minimizes the need for practice), and design and distribute the posters. (The Garibaldi Days poster features the Deathgrass “logo”—the cute stuffed skull with dreadlocks, hanging from a mike stand—for the first time. There still are no good photos of the band; maybe I can get someone to take some while we’re playing at Garibaldi Days.) I don’t—and probably won’t—get much feedback on the setlists and posters, though I’d like it; I have to go with my gut feelings, and trust that I’m going to be right. I think the rest of them are trusting that, too, though.

For the other gigs: Doc can’t make it to the Arts Center concert Sept. 25, though Mike can. (That’s too bad—that is the concert I’d like to record, since the Arts Center has that lovely mixing board and I know somebody who could maybe run it. It would be nice to have everybody.) However, both Doc and Mike can be at the Rocktoberfest gig the Sunday before (Sept. 19).

I’m not sure about anybody’s availability for Sat., Aug. 21—all I know is it’s the only Saturday night in August I can get the Dance Floor at City Hall, and the Food Pantry could use another shot in the arm. August 21 would give us just about a month for promotion, which could generate a real good crowd (and a lot of food donations), like last time.

I do not yet have a date for the Garibaldi Museum concert—I just know it’ll be before Hallowe’en, since Hallowe’en is when the Museum shuts down for the winter. And I have heard nothing at all about the Bay City Centennial concert Labor Day Sunday—I suppose I’ll have to call the organizers, who are not good at publicity.

So… some more setlists to organize. The Food Pantry benefit will be a 2-hour show, focusing as usual on Failed Economy songs; the Arts Center is a 2-hour concert, too, without the same limitations. Our Rocktoberfest performance is 50 minutes (and I could pad the setlist with more “rockers”), and the Museum, like last time, will be an hour. I’d like to introduce some new material in a couple of those, but am not sure what. Is the public ready for “Angel in Chains”? Is anybody?

Joe