There is a lot about my musical performances in here, of course, but there are also observations about this new "life in the country" that I find myself involved in these days. I was born into a rural community in Indiana, but have spent my life, since early childhood, in very large metropolitan environments in Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay area, so the way of life in this small (population: 5600) town on the Mendocino Coast of Northern California, has taken, and is taking, some getting used too.
Steven Bates at V'canto and a new gig there for EO & Friends
Tonight I went over to see Steven Bates performing his solo act at V'canto. What a monster that guy is! So talented, and just the sweetest fellow you could ever know. We talked about the Skunk Train show we'll be sharing on August 17th. It is a Beer Tasting train. His band is playing out at Northspur, while I will be riding the train as I usually do on Sundays. I plan to bring my guitar along with the banjo for that train. In fact, I might decide to bring it for tomorrow's train. Kind of break it in, more or less. I plan to use it out at Northspur tomorrow, and during the train trip out on the 17th.
Steven asked if we could do City of New Orleans together during his concert. He wants me to play it on the banjo. Sounds like fun.
Mike at V'canto asked me to fill in for a cancelled show with John Smith next Saturday night. I said, "of course..." That will be the evening of our Art in the Gardens appearance, so we'll do two shows that day. Also, John and I are going to play together for my Headlands Open Mic this Monday. Tom can't make it, but it will be a good chance for John and I too get some time in front of an audience together before the big gig on Saturday morning.
My train season is now either half, or 2/3 over now. I say that because Peggy talked about keeping me on through September this season. That would make it only half over at this point. This has been a better season than I might have expected. I seem to have improved my delivery in some way that brings in more cash in the hat despite the fact that rider ship seems to be down this season. It's funny because I am actually doing less this year. I cut down the number of songs I sing during each pass through the train. I have found that it is much more effective to keep things short and sweet. Always leave them wanting more... I am still working on cutting down the speeches I make between songs. I know that I run on too long. Verbosity is one of my faults, i admit it.
I am thinking that adding the guitar will help give my presentation a little more sophistication - that might go over well in the comparatively quieter situation I find myself in when I get to the ground at Northspur. The electrified parlor guitar will have better projection outdoors than the banjo does. The sound will be fuller, and therefore will add energy and power to what I am doing. It will also allow me to choose a few blues songs, to tune more into the "Walkin' Blues Man" rather than just the "Banjo Man' for the entire trip..
2008 World's Largest Salmon BBQ
This week was brutal. It started with the Parade last Friday, which I have already chronicled.
The next day was the Salmon BBQ. As I mentioned in the previous entry, I was set up over on the right side of the stage with my own microphone - so I was able to perform between the bands, as well as introduce them. By appearing four times during the day, I was able to sell a few CDs and thus actually made a little money on the gig for a change. There were quite a few people there who had seen me at the parade - I got some nice compliments throughout the day.
Lee Rider's group was up first. The Windshield Cowboys featured guitar bass, drums and mandolin, plus Lee doubling on lap steel and electric lead guitar. They played country western real good! The mandolin player was also a girl singer, and her husband was the guitarist and also sang. They did some real nice harmonies.
Next up was The Steve Clay Band. Steve came back to town after a two year absence about a year ago and has re-assembled his Roadhouse ensemble, except for a new drummer - Peter White from Rogerwood. It was a dynamic quartet to say the least, and captured a lot of the magic of the former band. They are all blues, all the time, and they really know how to do it right.
Steven Bates & Friends was back again this year with the same line-up as last year. Again this year, Steven's brother Peter came up from Los Angeles to hold down the bottom end. They rocked out as usual - really a fine dance band - perfect for the BBQ.
After that, of course, I was on the train four days in a row. Boy were my fingers sore!!
Mendocino July 4th Parade
Today I marched in the 4th of July Parade in Mendocino for the first time since 2004. Since that year I have been on the train every July 4th - but this year it fell on my day off the train.
I used the banjo and decided to go without the sound reinforcement gear. It worked out fine. I got there about an hour early and actually walked the parade route once before the parade began, mingling with the crowds and playing instrumentals while cracking jokes and throwing out humorous asides. I dressed in the "summer version" of my train outfit. Light colored slacks and white shirt without the vest but wearing the garters on my arms and the string tie. I wore the straw hat I've been using on the train this year with a couple of small American flags stuck in the band. I also stuck flags at both ends of my banjo.
During the parade, I was positioned about halfway, and I started out singing Sunny Days, then switched to Hey Good Lookin'. Finally I settled on Honky Tonk Blues. I do a yodeling chorus twice during my usual arrangement. In this case I threw in the yodel after every second verse and just sang the song continuously until I got to the end of the parade route. It felt like I was getting my best reaction ever for a parade performance.
After the parade I repeated my instrumental tour then walked back to my car and split.
Tomorrow is the World's Largest Salmon BBQ down in Noyo Harbor. I am the MC for the event. Lee told me he's going to set me up on one end of the stage with my own station so that I can entertain during the band set up breaks, then introduce each band.
Frankie's of Mendocino
My first gig at Frankie's was a rousing success. I liked it because it is an early evening gig as well. I was home and watching TV by 9:45 on a Saturday evening! I used the banjo for the entire show, by the way. I took a guitar but never picked it up. The banjo just seemed more appropriate for a pizza and ice cream parlor.
This is afternoon I went out to Jerry and Rebecca's place on Highway 1, North of town for a jam session. It was the fourth one I've gone too there. Lenny Lax was there and I jammed with him for the first time in the five years I've lived in Fort Bragg. He and John Chamberline were at V'canto when I started my show last night. Lenny complimented me on my performance, which was a compliment indeed coming from one of the North Coast's legendary musicians.
Oracle Oaks Winery gig
Well, I managed to get my voice back together in time for the winery gig last Saturday. I worked four hours each day on both Saturday and Sunday. It was really hot out there, about 90 degrees both days. I returned to the train on Monday with my voice still intact, but with very sore fingers. I had a good week on the train so it was a great week over all.
Tonight I played at V'canto, which was pretty dead all evening, but I had a good time because I met a gentleman from Amsterdam who plays harmonica. His name was Jan (pronounce Yawn) and he came to California to attend, or maybe teach at, a harmonica workshop. I'm not sure which it was. Anyway, he was a fine harp player and seemed to really enjoy playing with me on several tunes, including Deep River Blues, Smoky Joe's Cafe, Walkin' Blues (my slow version in the key of A), and WPLJ.
Tomorrow evening I have my first gig at Frankie's Ice Cream Parlor in Mendocino, then on Sunday I am back on the train for four more days.
A busy week - still sick
I continued on the job despite my cold this week. Fortunately, I have just recently come to the realization that I can dial back a bit on the volume and intensity and still be quite effective, even on the train. I used that knowledge to pamper my voice a bit. That and generous applications of licorice tea with honey helped me keep going
Finally, on Wednesday evening I came to the conclusion that I'd better lay low for a couple of days. I have my Oracle Oaks Winery gig this weekend and I can't afford to let those people down. I begged off of going out on the train Thursday evening after croaking my way through 5 train trips. I also made arrangements to have Steve Clay and John Smith cover for me at Headlands last night. I slept for three hours this morning after getting off at the health club and I plan to get to bed early tonight.
We'll see what happens tomorrow. Stay tuned...
Working with a cold
I came down with a cold on Thursday evening. I have been fighting it every since. This morning I went out on the train, still not feeling up to snuff.
We had a bicycle event going on - "The Tour de Skunk". The bicyclists were about 2/3 of the passenger compliment. They rode as far as Camp Mendocino, then got off the train to ride back to Fort Bragg via a canyon trail.
This created a problem for me because we had two passenger coaches and two open cars (one was loaded with bikes for the trip out). After the bicyclists departed, that left us with 28 passenger spread out over four cars. This meant that I had to cover all four cars on the way back, normally with less than 30 folks there would only by two cars - so I was forced to work twice as hard as my voice was starting to give out.
I am hoping I will feel better tomorrow...
Memorial Day week: After the Flood
My 2008 train season started with a bang this week. On Sunday we went out with almost 300 souls, on a train that included six passenger coaches and two open cars. Tyler was the conductor in charge and Marty was the concession hostess.
At the station I warmed up my voice over a cup of tea and singing a few scales in one of the back cars. I tuned up the banjo and played my "Take Me Home exercise" for a few minutes to loosen up the fingers on my left hand before heading out to the front of the station. I spent a little time jollying up the crowd on the platform. I sang Skunk Train Blues for them and joked about running a portion of the passengers "...along side the rails, to help us get over the hills."
Since there were so many cars, I limited myself to one song in each of them on the way out. Tyler is fairly loquacious in a very understated way, so he keeps the passengers' attention at intervals throughout the trip. He and I agree that after we pass a place called Grove, I start my first walk through the train. I have an introduction speech that ends with an oblique reference to accepting tips, then I launched into Hey Good Lookin', dedicated to "...all the beautiful woman on the train today - and I don't have to point you out, you all know who you are." Solid corn.
If there were more time I would go into a second song, but on Sunday I just did the one, with a parting shot about "...now don't go away...oh wait! That's right, you can't go anywhere. That's why I love this gig! I have a enclosed venue with a captive audience - you can't get away from me! You can go to another car - I'll just follow you!". Then I'm gone.
At Northspur, which is the mid-point of the tracks between Fort Bragg and Willits, I got off ahead of the passengers so I could meet them on the ground as they alight. I play the "Take Me Home exercise" again. An instrumental introduction I use for my song, Take Me Home. I can repeat it almost endlessly. Then when I get tired of that, I switch to Nashville Skyline Rag, which is similar in its round about quality. We're on the ground for just over a half hour, so I stroll from area to area, offering original banjo tunes mixed with 1930s jazz tunes and the inevitable Hank Williams selections.
I get lunch just before departure, sometimes eating it on the train, but I usually have time to sit down and will invite myself to eat with a family that seemed to be enjoying my act.
Back on the train, I waited until just after we passed Camp Mendocino, about a mile and a half west of Northspur, before making my walk through for the return trip. In this case, I did two songs where I would usually do three. In any case I will always start this set with Deep River Blues. I have a great intro that talks about the Noyo River and the fact that it was named after Chief Noyo of the Pomo tribe. I make a joke about the Chief having been "...named after the bowling alley in Fort Bragg." (Noyo Bowl) Then I just say, "Let me sing you a river song", and plunge into the tune.
My second tune on this trip alternated between Tennessee Stud and The City of New Orleans, where normally I would do the cowboy song first, then the train song for the closing. After the train song, I thanked them for listening, and for coming out on the train, then I made my CD pitch, "...one for ten dollars, two for $25 - it's a great deal, don't think about it!"
Back at Fort Bragg, I got off ahead of the crowd again and stood near the foot of the stair with my case open to display a stack of CDs, playing Windy & Warm and thanking the passengers as they headed for their cars.
On Sunday, I got back to the station and discovered they had booked an evening train with 150 people on it. So I went through it all a second time, with the passenger cars cut back to three, so I was able to do my full performance during the second walk through. I only do up to three songs regardless of how many cars I have to cover. I like to leave them wanting more, if possible.
On Monday things were slower, but still not bad for the early season. I only did one train that day. Tuesday was slower still, but there was compensation in the extra trip for the Barbeque in the evening. Wednesday was a fairly big day - I made over $100 in tips for the two trips combined.
That was my week. Today is my day off. Tomorrow I have a rehearsal in the afternoon and then a gig at V'canto in the evening. Saturday I have off, though I might decide to busk in Mendocino if I feel rested enough. Then Sunday it starts all over again, although it is unlikely that I will have to do a second trip that day.
The 4th Train Season about to begin
I stopped by at the Skunk Train Depot today and was given my schedule for the 2008 season. I will be on four days a week from Sunday through Wednesday. That's six train rides per week, the same as last season.
Actually, The Train Singer and I share the twelve train trips each week even steven - except that Gregg's days are all better then the ones I get. But hey! It's all good - I'm honored to be his alternate. This is his 19th season unless I am mistaken. My 4th.
Have a very busy June ahead of me. Six engagements, not counting the train. Well five really, one of them is taking place over two days. During the Fathers' Day weekend I am appearing both days for the "Touch of Redwood Valley" wine tour. I'll be at the Oracle Oaks Winery on June 14th and 15th.. On the 21st I am booked at Frankie's Ice Cream Parlor in Mendocino. That's a new venue for me.
Then I have my usual three monthly gigs to make six (two at Headlands and one at V'canto).
2 Surprise Engagements and a Troubadour Circle
This has been a busy weekend and it is only Saturday night.
On Monday I got an email from a young woman in the Bay Area, asking me to deliver a singing telegram to her new husband this afternoon. She got married in Fort Bragg this morning and wanted me to visit the reception. In the end we negotiated an hour performance for her family and friends by "The Walkin' Blues Man" beginning at 2:30. She even paid me in advance, via PayPal!
Then, Friday afternoon, I got a call relayed to me from the Sports Club about an Open House event at the Covington Creek Veterinary Clinic out on Highway 20. They wanted me at 1 PM, so I planned to do both shows in costume - do the train guy for both parties. I can be completely portable, leaving the banjo case in the car, so i can walk in and walk out without any set-up or break-down. I was able to leave there at 2 PM giving me a full half hour to drive from one end of Fort Bragg too the other..
What's funny is that the bride-too-be originally wanted me to come to her party at 1 PM, but I turned that down telling her I was on call for the Skunk Train until around 2 PM. That was on Monday. By Friday I realized that I wasn't going to be asked to go out on the train, so when the Animal Hospital offered me their engagement, I grabbed it.
The Veterinary Clinic gig was a bit of a letdown. They didn't really make any plan for a performance venue. I circulated around the lobby and the front porch area while people milled about, and had conversations - I was background music... I played instrumentals and instrumental versions of some of my vocal tunes. I sang a couple of times, but mostly I kept to the background. I ran into a few friends from the Mendocino Sports Club, where I work mornings, so that was fun.
I left there right on time, at 2, and went across town to the North end. It took about 10 minutes, so I had 10 minutes or so to kill before making my appearance. On a curvy little lane that meanders around a fairy ring, which is a circle of second growth redwood trees, sprouted out the stump of an ancient giant, there was a gorgeous old house. There was a nice wide lawn with tables set up for a sit down dinner. I stood on the portable dance floor and sang cowboy songs for the most part. I sang my Anniversary Song for the goom's parents and Makin' Whoopie at the bride's request. The wedding was performed in Edwardian costume, so there was an air of theatrical performance already about the place by the time I arrived. My train guy costume fit right in. My music was all wrong, of course, but they didn't seem to mind.
This evening I accepted an invitation to a Troubadour Circle event in the dining room at Mendo Burger. Basically, a bunch of acoustic musicians sitting around a room with a drum stick. Everyone who wants to, leads songs as others in the circle join in on their instruments, or voices, or both. As a performer start his round, he hands the stick off to the next performer. When everyone has led a song, then you start a second round. Every participant leads 2 songs for each round. Its kind of a combination of an Open Mic and a jam session. It was a nice time, with several really fine musicians, and lots of encouragement for everyone to participate. They do it on the second Saturday of each month.
Edgewater Gallery show
This evening I performed the the monthly, first Friday opening at the Edgewater Gallery on Main Street in Fort Bragg. The opening featured fine paintings - oils & reproductions by Joseph Du Vivier. It was my second time at bat there.
I really like gallery shows, I feel like I come into my own under that circumstance. Well dressed people, strolling around and checking out the art, groovin' to a blues or a cowboy song while they discuss Patrick Doyle's latest wood sculpture, or Sunshine Taylor's daisy series of watercolors. A large contingent of the audience there are the artists, not just the ones who are involved in that gallery, but their peers from outside the venue, come to check out the competition.
I went back to my black tube pickup with the volume control. I ran it through the K&K preamp and into my Peavey PA head. I used a high gain Beyer Dynamic microphone and set it below my chin and out a foot or so. That way I got a slightly enhanced acoustic sound that spread throughout the gallery because I used two 10" 3-way speakers in the separate bays of the the storefront. I just propped them in the corner with the cabinets tipped back and kept the master volume real low. I like to think of it as background music that people actually stop and listen too :-)
First train trip for the 2008 season
Yesterday I went out on the train for the Wine & Redwoods tour - kind of a wine and cheese party on the rails. There was a small crowd - 60 or so, but I did pretty well. I sold a couple of CDs. Lonna came with me and enjoyed the ride and her embroidary... I tried altering my usual routine a bit. I cut out 2 songs from the trip back, and I did fewer songs during the turn around break. I also did Skunk Train Blues out on the platform while the crowd was waiting to board, just as an introduction without actually introducing myself.
If the current story is correct, I could be back on the train full time next Sunday.
Butch and I played V'canto on Friday. It was our first time there as a duet. It was just an average night, so we didn't do that well with tips. I guess I am again rethinking how I want to do that gig going forward. I still want to try it once with Tom, but maybe I will hold off on that for a while.