Playing right now: Nothing but the gentle lull of the space heater in the baby's nursery.
The last couple shows I attended were both reunions of bands that I used to see between two and 10 years ago. What kind of person am I becoming? One of those people (let's call them "new parents") that eventually only goes to one gig every six months on the stipulation that it has to be something that reminds them of their past?! Uh oh..........
Alright, I'm exaggerating a bit.
The first of these shows was indeed a reunion, in this case the band was Blogurt, which included my dear friend and musical comrade Aimee, who honked on the bassoon before she gave it up for the drums and a new band with me. They played at Gooski's right around Halloween. [Yeah, I'm slow on the blogging, and desparately trying to improve....] Their initial run took place in the early '90s, fronted by a tall schnoz of a guy named Dave, with another Dave being the other mainstay of the group. The first Dave's brother was with them on this recent night, filling the second guitar seat.
It was a good set. I could tell they were all really working hard to keep the music together because they were underreheared. But they are all such good musicians that it sounded really good. They just didn't take it to the level where they could all rock out onstage. So, all in all, it was a good night.
The second show was the CD release for the Breakup Society, who released Nobody Likes a Winner on Get Hip. Also on that bill was BS frontman Ed Masley's old band the Frampton Brothers. That band was together throughout the '90s. It was while they were playing that I made the observation about only being out at reunion shows. If I was REALLY neurotic, I'd let that freak me out. But I'm not. I'm just looking for fodder for blog entries. (By the way, it was a good show by both bands and Ed's still an amazing songwriter. I believe that so much, I'll be saying it in print in some magazine somewhere soon.)
After thinking , when my son was born, that I'd hang the bass up, possibly for good, I went back on that idea and returned to the stage Thanksgiving weekend. The Living Praise Choir had a show at Howler's but their current bassist (or my fill-in, depending on who you ask or how you look at it) couldn't make the gig, so they asked me.
I told them that I hadn't picked the instrument up in seven months and that I didn't have time to practice. But I remembered the songs, so I could do it if they were cool with that caveat. They said yes.
So sure enough, I listened to the disc of their recent set on WRCT, figured out the arrangements for the new songs and felt like I was ready to go. I got the bass out of its case about an hour before we played. That was the first time since the Amoeba Knievel show (which happened when Donovan was four days old) that I touched the instrument. I wasn't as fast around the fretboard, but I wasn't blistering up my hand either. We all agreed that the band was missing something w/o lead guitarist Rob, but we had a good time. The other bands - Black Bear Combo from Chicago and Ishtar from here - played sort of Eastern folk musics, albeit quite differently from each other and they played good sets.
Maybe someday I'll do another show. Or go to one.
Maybe I'll go the see Rufus Wainwright in January. (Sigh)
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