Gig notes: The Cellar, Oct 1
Posted on 02. Oct, 2009 by Drew in Journal
The "marquee" outside The Cellar, in San Clemente, CA
Strange gig tonight. Strange, but fun.
We started the evening playing to an empty room. Not one patron. Just Stan, Dave, myself, and the Cellar staff. We had the usual request to keep the volume to an absolute minimum, and in an empty room, that’s a tall order.
I found that my 4 watt VOX is the perfect amp for this place. I think I’m going to save the Blues Jr. for jams and larger venues. The master volume knob on the Blues Jr. is just too sensitive for ultra-low volumes — the difference between “just a hair below 2″ and “2″ is the difference between a whisper and a attention-starved-megaphone-toting four-year-old. So it’s the VOX for the Cellar.
P’ came out tonight with Julie and Gary, which was nice. Always good to have friends providing moral support. Even more surprising was the brief appearance by Dan, a photographer friend of mine from work. He dropped in with his son Ryan, shot some photos, and then took off to do whatever else he had planned for the evening. Thanks for the pics, Dan! I’ll post them shortly.
Played the usual stuff. Stan tried “Third Rate Romance” again; I just didn’t have the rhythm down, but I managed to get the solo. Dave played his two tunes. I was having trouble on the solos tonight: Right-hand technique issues. I’d go to hit a string and miss, or find the pick in the wrong place. I need to practice. Standing up, no less. More on that later, though.
This was my first time playing the Blue Girl with her new pickups (Bill Lawrence Keystones). Sounded great! Especially during the third set of the evening, when the place was full and we were able to turn up a bit. Sparkly! I think I’m going to bring her along to the next one; give the Tootsie Roll a break.
During one of the breaks, I asked Dave how business was. He mentioned that he had a private part gig with Stan on Saturday night, then sort of blanched. “Oops, I guess I shouldn’t be telling you about it.”
C’mon Dave, you don’t have to worry about that political shit. Not with me, anyway. I know where I stand. I’m strictly B-list; the guy you call when the guys you really like can’t make the gig. I’m fine with that. I get to play, get some experience, and get better. And I am getting better. Every night.
Which brings up this weeks goals. Overall I want to focus on three things:
- Playing solid rhythm while singing: I’m still shaky in this area. My rhythm playing needs to be automatic while singing. I can do this with basic shuffles, but jump numbers, rhumbas, etc. require me to think. If I’m thinking about what my hands are doing, I ain’t singing good. And I’m not playing well either.
- Improved accuracy with my right-hand technique: Gotta quit missing those notes during leads! There’s no way to address this issue other than practice. And practice. And practice some more.
- Improved confidence during solos: Hit it, or quit it! I need to be less tentative while playing leads. My goal for next week is to play more from instinct, and think less about what I’m doing. “Make it sound good,” is my mantra. Who cares if I’m targeting the third, or playing in different positions, or starting this solo the same way I started the last one. Turn it up and turn it loose!
We played longer than usual tonight, ’til maybe 10:20 or so. As we were going into our “night’s end” number to wrap up the evening, a classy looking couple got up and started dancing. Better late than never, I guess.
No gig at the Cellar next week. We’ll pick it back up on the 15th.
Hope to see you there!
…
The Gig
Satin Blue @ The Cellar Wine and Cheese Bar
Thursday, October 1, 2009; 7pm-10pm
San Clemente, CA
Gear
Blue Girl, VOX AC4TV, Holy Grail Nano Reverb
Songs of Note
Ain’t That Loving You Baby, Blue Valentine, Good Lover, Wait On Time, Third Rate Romance (Stan singing), Too Late, Move It On Over
