Holy Crap! The Roadhouse Series thing is getting a lot of raves around here. Maybe I need to think about this a little. Seems that Ohioans like that three-piece, lead-guitar driven power-trio thing.
Both Shady's and the Mt. Lookout Tavern shows went real well, and I hope to get callbacks. I do know that the folks loved it. That much I do know for sure.
I do love having a good gig. I sure do. :~D
Of course, the classic Nor'Easter show is still up and running, and still features the "3 shows per night" concept.
Show 1 - Americana and Songwriters
That'd be the more classic stuff (see Thunder Road on the mp3 player above) and is my salute to some great writers of great songs. It's a little lighter than the rest of the evening.
Show 2 - Alt Rock and New Rock
This is stuff I really like that's a bit heavier and more atmospheric. Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails, even U2 and Ramones. (see Would on the mp3 player above). This is good nasty stuff and my rig handles it just fine.
Show 3 - Drunk Rock
This is mostly my own chance to let 'er rip. Cranking blues/rock, garage rock and roadhouse messterpieces. I get to play a lot of stratocaster in this set and it's the reward I give myself for a long hard night of work. (see Rodeo on the mp3 player above and the Jailbreak garage video over to the left side there) This is some serious madness and good for getting you home in one piece after being out all night drunking.
So time yourselves properly so that you're getting what you need here and nobody, especially me, gets in a shit over anything.
Okay, back to the promo boilerplate
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Okay, now imagine walking into that corner bar where you and your buds drink off the pain of yet another hell week at work. You know the place. It’s that one where every Friday night there’s a guy with an acoustic guitar working his way through “Brown Eyed Girl” or some Grateful Dead song while you and the guys drink as fast as you can in order to give that special 5 hours a little help. After all, it’s Friday night. You can’t waste that Friday night. You only get so many of them in life that come free of hassle and responsibility.
So, you walk in, and instead of the drone of yet another folk guitar, you’re slammed by a wall of sound that sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard coming from that side of the room before. The hot grind of full-blown Marshall amps, the crystalline explosions of crash cymbals, the gun-shot retort of a maple snare, and the deep heart-punch of a bass and kick drum being played by two guys that have really figured out how those two things are supposed to work together. Riding over this aural assault is one…no…is that two?….three?....vocalists balancing perfectly atop, every breath catching clear air and sailing to the back of the bar, turning your old hangout into a concert hall.
A band? In your little bar? And not just a rock band, but a killer rock band? You know it’s not possible. The place is too damn small for a band. It’s been tried and it can’t happen.
And yet….
So you spin around and what you see doesn’t totally register at first. It’s just one guy. He’s singing and playing….but….. So, where are the other…..
Then you start really checking it out.
He’s got a million things at his feet. He’s clicking this and that in and out, and making it all change…right there in front of you as he goes along…while ripping through one of your favorite rockers, without missing a beat. It’s not like he’s playing to a track. He’s playing the machines as he plays the song. He’s playing that guitar and playing the machines with his feet….or something. You’re not sure what he’s doing but it pretty damn clear that he’s making it all happen in real time. And it friggin’ rocks.
So, you look over at your pals, who are sitting right where they always sit, and they’re digging the shit out of all of it, and you decide right then and there that this is some cool shit. Friday night just got a lot more fun in your bar. So, you head on over to the bar and get your first beer. It’s Friday night. You only got just so many of these ahead of you, and this one looks like it’s going to be pretty good.
It's a bar act. That's right. A bar act. That means I play plenty of songs people know and slip in my own stuff when I'm pretty sure that no one is listening. I have fun though. A friend of mine, Dan, asked me once, after seeing the whole set-up, “Rick, why do you bother with all that stuff? It looks like too much work.” The truth is that I love messing with all this stuff. I’m like a mad scientist that takes his lab out of the cellar and drags it around town to show everyone what kind of nutty stuff he’s come up with. It’s the best job I’ve ever had, and I’m running into a lot of people that really seem to enjoy checking it out as well.
LOL.....of course they're still alive...but just barely. Hopefully I can get those CD's burned and mailed out soon. I tried to download them on the laptop but they would have taken 17 years and 22 days. He called tonite but I was taking an astronomy exam and it went to voicemail. His timing is phenomenal in music but it sucks in real life.
Jawohl. Nebraska ist Amerikaner. By the way, they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night, so you have to sing Atlantic city in memoriam. Oh, and your penance for daring to crack wise is to start a fight with the Ron Paul puppet at cincymusic.
I love you but the "wifebeater" shirt kinda creeps me out. (LOL) And why can't I add your songs to my MySpace page?????? I'm glad to see the hair growing out too. Not bad for an old guy.
