It's easier to remember something while it's happening. March is already a blur of "let's do one more take" and "is pizza OK?" (the glamorous life of recording). The new album is shaping up pretty good, though with the rhumba about evolution, midwestern tango love song to heavy equipment, and a samba about a safe space/bar we may need to change our tag line from Amerikinda to South Americana. Just need to get Joe back to sprinkle some fookin fairy dust on it (Google "troggs studio out takes" if you don't get the reference. I recommend listening if you've ever been in a band, or wondered what it's like. It's like that) and a little bondo and we're good. That's the main thing I have to remember later this month, but as the commercials say, "You're in Good Hands with Joe Craven".
By the way, this is Henry here. Kathleen usually writes these because she is the writer, but everyone gets tired of their own voice from time to time. So lucky you. I should flog the gigs in April while I'm remembering it. There's our 2 regular ones, Sun Apr 9 11AM at the San Gregorio Store in (what a coincidence) San Gregorio (10 mi south of 1/2 moon bay) and Fri Apr 28 7PM at the Caffe Trieste on Piedmont in Oakland (decent pizza, see, pizza is a fundamental part of a musician's life). I'm looking forward to Sun Apr 23 4:30 at the Bird and Beckett Bookstore in SF. This is a very cool little place that ranges from jazz to honky-tonk (Joe Goldmark and The Seducers, highly recommended) to whatever we are. We're adding David Phillips on pedal steel and Roger Pease on drums to hopefully confuse things even more.
One thing I do remember from March is don't ask a drummer to play percussion. When they say "yeah, I play some percussion" they mean "well, I might play bongos if you hold a gun to my head" (no offense meant Russ, you did a great job on percussion. Eventually.). The other thing I remember is seeing Vince Gill and Lyle Lovett do the songwriter-in-the-round thing. Great stuff, but my favorite moment was Lyle doing "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", one of the best Chuck Berry songs you never get to hear. Very Lyle-like and fit like a glove.
One nice thing about April is Spring, the Eternal Illusion of Hope, the thing that came out last from Pandora's Box. No matter what monsters come out, we all have an obligation to Hope. Hang on to yours, and I'll hang on to mine. See you in the funny papers.
By the way, this is Henry here. Kathleen usually writes these because she is the writer, but everyone gets tired of their own voice from time to time. So lucky you. I should flog the gigs in April while I'm remembering it. There's our 2 regular ones, Sun Apr 9 11AM at the San Gregorio Store in (what a coincidence) San Gregorio (10 mi south of 1/2 moon bay) and Fri Apr 28 7PM at the Caffe Trieste on Piedmont in Oakland (decent pizza, see, pizza is a fundamental part of a musician's life). I'm looking forward to Sun Apr 23 4:30 at the Bird and Beckett Bookstore in SF. This is a very cool little place that ranges from jazz to honky-tonk (Joe Goldmark and The Seducers, highly recommended) to whatever we are. We're adding David Phillips on pedal steel and Roger Pease on drums to hopefully confuse things even more.
One thing I do remember from March is don't ask a drummer to play percussion. When they say "yeah, I play some percussion" they mean "well, I might play bongos if you hold a gun to my head" (no offense meant Russ, you did a great job on percussion. Eventually.). The other thing I remember is seeing Vince Gill and Lyle Lovett do the songwriter-in-the-round thing. Great stuff, but my favorite moment was Lyle doing "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", one of the best Chuck Berry songs you never get to hear. Very Lyle-like and fit like a glove.
One nice thing about April is Spring, the Eternal Illusion of Hope, the thing that came out last from Pandora's Box. No matter what monsters come out, we all have an obligation to Hope. Hang on to yours, and I'll hang on to mine. See you in the funny papers.