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 employed, I need to market myself as heavily as possible.

Setlists, CDs and posters for the Bay City Centennial concert are done; I dropped off John’s and Chris’s at their houses, and mailed Mike his. For the poster, turns out I did have good photos of some of us, taken last fall by Carol Ackerman with my camera; the only one I was missing was Mike, and I found an acceptable one of him online. I’d like to do better, but this works for right now.

I’ve arranged (I think) to have Jim Nelson run sound for the “Joe’s Birthday” Deathgrass concert 25 September at the Bay City Arts Center—and also to record the performance. I’d like to get the raw material for a live album out of it. It’s a 2-hour show—24 songs—and I should be able to extract 12 out of that for a record.

Potential setlist for the Rocktoberfest Sept. 19:

Dead Things in the Shower—mod. fast two-step

Tillamook Railroad Blues—deliberate blues

Our Own Little Stimulus Plan (Betty Holt)—Buddy Holly-style rockabilly

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

Dance a Little Longer (Woody Guthrie)—country rock

Test Tube Baby—Elvis-style rock ‘n’ roll

She Ain’t Starvin’ Herself—fast blues

Angel in Chains—country death metal

Rotten Candy—fast bluegrass, with Gospel beat

Un-Easy Street (Stan Good)—mod. fast two-step

10 songs, concentrating on the “rockers,” but with our classic opener and closer (both two-steps) and one bluegrass/Gospel tune. The rest is blues, various subspecies of rock, and country death metal. (“Angel in Chains” is the only new thing on the list. I’d really like to get the opinions of at least some of the band before including it on the setlist, though. I like it—but does (or will) anybody else?)

I’d really like to play at the open mike in McMinnville Wednesday night, if I can fit it into the schedule. This will be the first one since my “debut” performance two weeks ago, and if I’m consistent about it, I’ll both get their attention and be considered “dependable” and a candidate to be a paid performer. (And it is nice to have an appreciative audience. Those folks don’t know how rare that is.) They like the humorous stuff (that’s good—that’s mostly what I write), and I can throw in one serious song and really get their attention. This time, I could give ‘em “Dead Things in the Shower,” “Bungee Jumpin’ Jesus” and (serious) “No Good Songs About the War,” and if there’s time for a fourth, maybe “Bluebird on My Windshield.” And if they want an encore (they did last time), I could do something fairly outrageous—how about “Electronic Love”?

The McMinnville open mike and Saturday afternoon at the Library are my only music this week—though we should have a band practice, too. The Labor Day gig will be only two weeks away.

Joe