Hat Trick
OK, I finally got back out on the road.
Not all shows can be considered "touring." I define touring as a show so far away from home that it requires some form of lodging. The free kind (staying a friend's houses) is preferable, but usually its an affordable hotel.
When I'm out driving the highways of our great nation, I inevitably end up calling my friend Kyle for no real reason other than to bother him. Not in a pestering way, but just in that way that guys do. Talking about movies, films, books,...you know, important stuff. When I passed Parkersburg, WV, I was reminded of arguably the most surprisingly good Collapsis show of the Dirty Wake tour: Pub 47. I had to call Kyle because he was the road manager on that leg of our tour. Kyle works for the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team. A hat trick is when a player gets three goals in a game.
"You know when you're playing darts and you get three bullseye's?" Jimmy said. We were standing in a recently cleaned garage on the outskirts of Warren, OH. Jimmy arranged three separate shows for me in the Warren, OH area on the weekend of July 15 - 17, 2005. He continued, "Well, that's called a hat trick."
The first show wasn't much of a show, in the formal sense. It was an informal gathering around a bonfire to celebrate Jimmy's recent engagement. He invited his friends to hang out, eat, drink and generally be merry. He hired me to play the guitar and sing for everyone. Being an outstanding musician in his own right, Jimmy also played along with me as he called out the songs he wanted to hear. It was a fun night. That garage I mentioned provided some needed shelter from the constant drizzle that seems to loom over Warren. Eventually, we made it out to the fire...after the rain stopped.
The second show was at Kelly's Patio. This place recently changed ownership, but it's still the same great place Athenaeum played in 2003. It's still the same place I played in 2004 (that Ron recorded well). I've played a handful of shows this year and I can honestly say that this was the best one so far. The litmus test for a good show is the sing-a-long factor. If there's a song that people like so much that you, as a performer, can break down for a round of interactive crowd singing, you're playing a great show. "Sour Milk" has never been more appreciated by a crowd, anywhere. Thank you, Warren.
The third show was a slot at Jimmy's Localpalooza event. I played early so I could get home at a reasonable hour. I did a short set consisting mostly of songs that I didn't play the night before. I did an acoustic version of "Stumble," which I very rarely do.
Last year in Warren, I spent some time bowling. My wife never goes bowling. Therefore, I rarely go bowling. It's only when I'm out of town that I find the sport appropriate. I didn't get to go bowling this year because I was working. I've been doing a lot of production, co-writing, and recording of other artists lately. One of the artist with whom I work is living in Ohio this summer, so I figured we'd collaborate while I was a few hours away. This took the better part of Saturday afternoon. The song turned out really well and we'll be recording it in August. I may not bowl again.
The drive to and from Warren is mostly through West Virginia. It's a long, winding road. I'm glad I bought an iPod a few months ago. Man, those things really do occupy one's time. I usually listen to playlists that I've made, but this time I tried listening to a few albums on shuffle. Most of them were great. Except, one album that really doesn't work on shuffle is Pink Floyd's The Wall. It was like watching Memento.
For the trip home, I purchased two new albums. I've wanted to check out Herbie Hancock's Headhunters for about six months. I wanted to make sure I had a good jazz vocabulary before I ventured into the fusion world. This is one of the more important and influential albums. It's worth listening to at least once, if for no other reason than to hear where the funk genre came from. I listened to this album seven times in a row. It's that good.
I also finally picked up the latest Foo Fighters album, In Your Honor. It's an extreme album. It attempts to rock harder than they ever have, on one disc. And, it attempts to break things down to the most acoustic level than they ever have, on the other disc. Yes, it's a double album. The only double album I know of that works is The Wall (except in the situation noted above). I think a case can be made for this album, but I'm going to hold off on making that claim for a few weeks. The first time through, I didn't think the rock side rocked hard enough. Then I realized that I've been coming off of an Anthrax binge for the past month. It's just a fact that there aren't many albums that are heavier than Stomp 442. After coming to that realization, I was able to appreciate the rock side. I'm not a big fan of "Best of You," mainly because I heard that hook in a Radiohead B-Side called "Lewis (Mistreated)." Oops. The acoustic side is completely flawless, though. It might be my favorite thing the Foo Fighters have done. Packaged with the heavy stuff, I can see why a case could be made for it being their second most relevant album, next to, of course, The Colour and the Shape.
It was a fun weekend. Thanks to Jimmy for setting it all up. Thanks to Travis for having me at his club. Thanks to Nick who drove from Minnesota for the show. Thanks to Renea for driving from Pittsburgh. Thanks to Jenna who lets me write songs with her. Thanks to everyone I forgot to thank. And, thanks to the great people of Warren, OH who are brave enough to take a chance on music that isn't being forced down their throat by record labels and tv shows.
Three darts. Three goals. Three bullseyes. Hat trick.
Not all shows can be considered "touring." I define touring as a show so far away from home that it requires some form of lodging. The free kind (staying a friend's houses) is preferable, but usually its an affordable hotel.
When I'm out driving the highways of our great nation, I inevitably end up calling my friend Kyle for no real reason other than to bother him. Not in a pestering way, but just in that way that guys do. Talking about movies, films, books,...you know, important stuff. When I passed Parkersburg, WV, I was reminded of arguably the most surprisingly good Collapsis show of the Dirty Wake tour: Pub 47. I had to call Kyle because he was the road manager on that leg of our tour. Kyle works for the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team. A hat trick is when a player gets three goals in a game.
"You know when you're playing darts and you get three bullseye's?" Jimmy said. We were standing in a recently cleaned garage on the outskirts of Warren, OH. Jimmy arranged three separate shows for me in the Warren, OH area on the weekend of July 15 - 17, 2005. He continued, "Well, that's called a hat trick."
The first show wasn't much of a show, in the formal sense. It was an informal gathering around a bonfire to celebrate Jimmy's recent engagement. He invited his friends to hang out, eat, drink and generally be merry. He hired me to play the guitar and sing for everyone. Being an outstanding musician in his own right, Jimmy also played along with me as he called out the songs he wanted to hear. It was a fun night. That garage I mentioned provided some needed shelter from the constant drizzle that seems to loom over Warren. Eventually, we made it out to the fire...after the rain stopped.
The second show was at Kelly's Patio. This place recently changed ownership, but it's still the same great place Athenaeum played in 2003. It's still the same place I played in 2004 (that Ron recorded well). I've played a handful of shows this year and I can honestly say that this was the best one so far. The litmus test for a good show is the sing-a-long factor. If there's a song that people like so much that you, as a performer, can break down for a round of interactive crowd singing, you're playing a great show. "Sour Milk" has never been more appreciated by a crowd, anywhere. Thank you, Warren.
The third show was a slot at Jimmy's Localpalooza event. I played early so I could get home at a reasonable hour. I did a short set consisting mostly of songs that I didn't play the night before. I did an acoustic version of "Stumble," which I very rarely do.
Last year in Warren, I spent some time bowling. My wife never goes bowling. Therefore, I rarely go bowling. It's only when I'm out of town that I find the sport appropriate. I didn't get to go bowling this year because I was working. I've been doing a lot of production, co-writing, and recording of other artists lately. One of the artist with whom I work is living in Ohio this summer, so I figured we'd collaborate while I was a few hours away. This took the better part of Saturday afternoon. The song turned out really well and we'll be recording it in August. I may not bowl again.
The drive to and from Warren is mostly through West Virginia. It's a long, winding road. I'm glad I bought an iPod a few months ago. Man, those things really do occupy one's time. I usually listen to playlists that I've made, but this time I tried listening to a few albums on shuffle. Most of them were great. Except, one album that really doesn't work on shuffle is Pink Floyd's The Wall. It was like watching Memento.
For the trip home, I purchased two new albums. I've wanted to check out Herbie Hancock's Headhunters for about six months. I wanted to make sure I had a good jazz vocabulary before I ventured into the fusion world. This is one of the more important and influential albums. It's worth listening to at least once, if for no other reason than to hear where the funk genre came from. I listened to this album seven times in a row. It's that good.
I also finally picked up the latest Foo Fighters album, In Your Honor. It's an extreme album. It attempts to rock harder than they ever have, on one disc. And, it attempts to break things down to the most acoustic level than they ever have, on the other disc. Yes, it's a double album. The only double album I know of that works is The Wall (except in the situation noted above). I think a case can be made for this album, but I'm going to hold off on making that claim for a few weeks. The first time through, I didn't think the rock side rocked hard enough. Then I realized that I've been coming off of an Anthrax binge for the past month. It's just a fact that there aren't many albums that are heavier than Stomp 442. After coming to that realization, I was able to appreciate the rock side. I'm not a big fan of "Best of You," mainly because I heard that hook in a Radiohead B-Side called "Lewis (Mistreated)." Oops. The acoustic side is completely flawless, though. It might be my favorite thing the Foo Fighters have done. Packaged with the heavy stuff, I can see why a case could be made for it being their second most relevant album, next to, of course, The Colour and the Shape.
It was a fun weekend. Thanks to Jimmy for setting it all up. Thanks to Travis for having me at his club. Thanks to Nick who drove from Minnesota for the show. Thanks to Renea for driving from Pittsburgh. Thanks to Jenna who lets me write songs with her. Thanks to everyone I forgot to thank. And, thanks to the great people of Warren, OH who are brave enough to take a chance on music that isn't being forced down their throat by record labels and tv shows.
Three darts. Three goals. Three bullseyes. Hat trick.
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