THREE DAYS until the Failed Economy Show concert. Delivered a few more posters (never stop selling), and since we didn’t have band practice, baked some of the cookies (still want to do some with cranberries, for those poor, poor folks who are allergic to chocolate). Tuesday night was the first session of the Wil Duncan video class; Thursday night, if the band isn’t practicing, I’ll go to the “country jam session” in Wheeler for more finger-strengthening exercise. Won’t get to play music Friday—that’s the first read-through of the TAPA play, Southern Hospitality, and I have a bit part.

On the radio Friday morning early, to promote the Failed Economy Show one last time. And Saturday is the show. I already feel like I’ve done everything I could, and it’ll either come off or it won’t, and there’s nothing more I can do. Just make sure I know the material (still one song to perfect, Frank Papa’s “Have a Good Day”), and plan on it being fun.

There’ll be two, maybe three, “support staff” from the Food Pantry on hand; not sure what we’ll get from the Lions Club (though I’ve asked folks to ask). I still need to line up someone to take photos; there are no good photos of the band in existence, and I’d like to have some for the album (and for future posters). Coffeepot? I can borrow one—a water jug, too, maybe.

The Hoffman Center Talent Show Saturday night was good. Opportunity to play for (and promote the Failed Economy Show to) a crowd that mostly had never heard me before. They got (at Jane Dunkin’s suggestion) “Dead Things in the Shower.” And—I think—loved it. While reluctance to travel to Garibaldi may discourage some people (I had one person tell me, “Why, it must be 15 miles from here!”), I hope some folks come.

One of the other performers was a girl singer—ex-music teacher, she said—with a good voice and some obvious experience singing blues; she said she was looking for material, and I do have some of that. We traded cards, and I sent her stuff—I do have a few songs, and a bunch of musications, that’d work real well with a female voice. And she can play guitar, too.

So where do we go with this? I don’t know: I tend to get excited when I run across something that’s really good, but I don’t have what Joni Mitchell called “the Star-Maker Machinery” at my beck and call—all I can do is nudge and encourage. With my own songs in mind—because I am perennially mercenary—I would love to see her be a success, and be singing my material when she does so. I don’t know if that’s possible; these days, the only way you sell records (which is the only place the writer makes money) is by performing, and I certainly don’t have any control over that. I don’t even manage to perform enough myself.

I haven’t forgotten the Music Video of “50 Ways to Cure the Depression”: I still have the bass, banjo, and musical saw tracks to record and mix (and a couple of final photos to take); those probably have to wait until next week. Now that drummer Chris is back in town, I could add drums to this, too. That could be fun…

Joe