Well it..s been a weird month for me! I lost my Internet connection for a while so that is my newest reason for not being consistent with this blog. But I negotiated with my roommate and was able to get the connection back.
Regardless I continued to go to music while offline. Unfortunately a lot has happened since my last post. I went to see The Grams play at Humphrey's a while back and met and listened to a lot of new performers for me. Although many have been around for quite a while. (I can't get everywhere...grin) Some of the new performers for me were a very vivacious and talented Danielle LoPresti & The Masses who also puts on the INDIE BY DESIGN! Shows. She is expecting to do a really large show early next year that will have multiple stages and a multitude of bands. So look for that early next year in 2007. Also got to hear Carol Ames who was the winner of Grand Prize in the 2004 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, she was accompanied by a very talented guitar player named Hector Maldonado. There were two other people, or actually a young lady and a band that performed there that night. But here is where having been offline for so long I have forgotten who they were comes into play. I apologize to these other performers. It was a great night for music. So check some of the people out that I mentioned who play around town on various dates.
The next night I went out for music I went to a new venue called Riley..s sports bar. I really liked this bar it is very open has a couple of pool tables and actual real dart boards available a really large bar and huge dance floor. Sounded great too! And it was right across the street from where I live. But the addition of music and better hours are a recent addition in the last year. I went to see a new friend play named Tommy Edwards. He books the entertainment there and the acts tend to be good but a raw sound more like a garage band flavor. The first band was a punk rock like band by the name of Gasoline Chicken. They were raw but definitely good. The next band was kind of raw too but really good their band is called New Dayze. They are kind of a Rock/Jazz/Hip Hop type band that was really good and the saxophone player was one of the best I have ever heard and I have heard a lot! After them was my friends Tommy Edwards & Billy Fritz who plays in about five different bands and one of my closest friends. I wasn..t sure if the other guys with him were just friends sitting in or just an occasional set of friends who sit in with him but they are one of the best bands I have heard this year! I actually don..t think many of them played before or have practiced together. But they played like they been playing together for years. Even the Saxophone player from the other band sat in on two songs. Tommy..s sound is country rock or just rock so I guess you would call it alternative country nowadays. On the two songs the saxophonist played on it made the songs a little more jazzy but still had country/rock overtones. Anyone who knows me knows I don..t usually care for country but I do like some of it if it is good and I love live music. By country rock I am assuming you think of the same bands I do like Lynard Skynard or The Allman Bros. among a few! Anyway they blew me away and Tommy is definitely a favorite now!
I hung out with Billy Fritz the next night and he started having me trained on the soundboard at Portugalia. He works there a couple nights a week doing sound for the venue and he has a lot of gigs now, (duh with five bands ..grin) and needs someone to back him up when he can..t make it. I got a thorough running over the board by a couple of semi-profession sound guys. And Billy as well and watched them all running a set up for a couple of bands that were playing that night. Now I remember that I really like the first band although they were alternative country... I think. And another band I wasn..t too fond of but they were good all the same. But for the life of me I just can..t remember their names right now because I have all that soundboard info stuck in my head from that night. Heavy sound theory!
On Saturday I went to the Art show at seaport village this weekend to watch The Grams play. They had a great first session and I helped out with the Merchandise table, which was fun! After the played some old songs from their award winning CD they played a couple of covers and a few new tunes that would be on their upcoming new CD. But the weather got dicey before they came up for their second set and they decided to pack it up. No on wants to play electrical equipment in the rain and the way the wind was blowing it might have been very wet sideways rain. So I don..t blame them!
I took the next few nights off and on Wednesday I went to Farmers Market to watch Dreamstalker in their first official gig with the whole band. Jonathon the sound guy I was learning from was there to run Chelsea..s sound and he took me over and taught me Chelsea..s board. Apparently (which sounds great to me) everyone thinks I am a good candidate to learn and run Chelsea..s sound for the band. I got another intense lesson and got to help set up (hands on) and break down everything. So it was good practical experience. Dreamstalker sounded better than they ever have now that Dave Sawyer is doing lead guitar and Dan Ochipinti on Drums and percussion. They had O.B. cheering and asking for encores! Later we went to Jefferson Jay..s Open Mike at Portugalia and Billy showed me the board there again. Apparently he is going to throw mw in the deep end of the pool on Friday to run sound for a Reggae and Hip-Hop group because he has a gig! I hope I am ready..Oh Boy..Sheesh! GRIN I..m Out! I..ll try to be a little more consistent I just have to get my life to cooperate!
Ciao
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