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12/25/04
Jesus lives!
Jackie has informed me that New Year's Eve will be one of my last gigs as his bassist. He says he plans to use me as "utility man" playing guitar, dobro, mandolin, etc...which I would rather do, anyway. The J man needs to have a band that can tour exhaustively when the time comes. Since I have a wife and three kids, that really ain't for me.
Once a new bassist is found I will be taking a hiatus from the band until such time as Jackie decides to bring me back to use a 4-piece for regional gigs.
On the beach in Capitola, 11/04
photo: Carrie Marino
12/6/04
SB, SC, and little old me
Playing the Lobero Theatre was every bit as thrilling as I had hoped it would be and possibly even a bit more thanks to:
* a great crowd
* the exceptional graciousness of hosts Peggy Jones and Hale Milgram
* attendance by some of my dearest friends in the world
The weather was so lovely it forced me to consider what a fool I probably am for ever leaving the area. I told the audience that it was very gratifying to be there after having played in much humbler settings so often around there, having grown up in "the armpit of Santa Barbara county", Lompoc. More than one person asked after the show, "Did you really grow up in Lompoc?" - as if that were something I would make up!
The only fly in my otherwise blissful ointment there was the absence of my old bandmate and songwriting partner Michael Warner who needed to stay with his ailing mother. Hopefully we'll be lucky enough to go back to the Riviera of the west again soon.
The Catalyst in Santa Cruz the next night was an explosive gig. The crowd of about 800 actually hurt my ears with their applause at one point. The other act on the bill, Sonny Landreth, is someone we have worked with before last summer when he and his band were backing John Hiatt. His band is also a trio and I had the pleasure of getting to know the rhythm section a little then. Kenneth Blevins is a treat to watch on drums as he is loose and powerful in a very compelling way. David Ranson plays like "the Duck Dunn of the south", according to Sonny on his website, and I agree. They both told me they were running on fumes due to 3 hours a night sleep for several nights in a row. So, I admired the way they put it down with conviction. They're both a few years older than me and therefore inspirational in regards to stamina as well as skill. My traveling companion, Mindy Giles, and I ran in to David back at the hotel and had a great conversation wherein he filled us in on what it was like to hear zydeco master Clifon Chenier in his prime down in their native Louisiana. Sonny had to cancel their remaining California dates and fly home the next moring to see his dad. Please keep Michael's mother and Sonny's father in your prayers.
The next morning I attended church where my cousin Dinah and her spouse Gail sing in the choir in Santa Cruz. It is a Church of Christ and the minister made reference to the contraversy currently in the news over their TV commercial (which I have only heard about so far) that apparently welcomes homosexuals to church by saying that Jesus didn't turn anyone away and neither do we. He said something like, "All are welcome here and we don't really care whether ABC, CBS, and NBC like it or not." I was profoundly moved by the music, the message, and the setting. Mindy and I then joined a group of friends and Jackie fans for an incredibly tasty brunch at a place called the Shadowbrook in Capitola. Thank you Carrie, Rick, Cindi, Michael, Chrissa, Big Tom and friends. By then, I was too ready to get home to my family to wait and hear Gail and Dinah perform with the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus later that afternoon. As I said about SB, hopefully we'll be back to SC again soon.
As I write I am listening to the record that the big San Francisco radio station, KFOG recently put out called "Live from the Archives" as a Bay Area food bank fundraiser which includes tracks by Peter Gabriel, Mark Knopfler, Allman Brothers Band, Sarah McLachlan, Steve Miller and others including Jackie Greene and his band. Nice. Thank you, Jesus.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
11/28/04
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
Really enjoyed our first time playing at the GAMH last night. It was Jackie's 24th birthday and everyone was in a fine mood. Sal sat in with us and someone told me he played there 40 years ago...must've been a trip for him. We also had our fiddler, Tom Gunterman, which is always a spicy treat.
Our friend Bodhi Busick and band provided a good and well-received opening set. My neighbor and pal, Martin Holland, was on bass. Their drummer, Bruce Spencer, played on the CD I made with the weird folk/pop group Xenophilia that I was with before Jackie. Love that small-world-after-all kinda stuff.
Looking forward to going down to play in Santa Barbara next Friday for the first time with Jackie. That's the area in which I grew up and did my share of crappy bar gigs so it's extra sweet to be playing at the Lobero Theatre.
11/11/04Letting go
"The best revenge is living well" - Frank Sinatra
I intend to take the Chairman's advice starting now
and I hope you will, too.
Peace, Hence
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