We Grooved

48 hours have since passed since Tung N' Groove played their "second" gig at the Royal Hotel Saturday Jam on St. Patrick's Day. This was the perfect time to "redeem" ourselves from the disastrous first performance at the Blue Turtle a few weeks back.

Since then, we have been hard at work, learning a whole pile of new songs, tightening up old ones, and working on the ever-so-important vocal harmonies that seldom makes (but often breaks) a band.

As I have mentioned earlier, we have been going to local jams periodically to "test-drive" the material we have been practicing. The reasons for this are plenty: Of most importance, is this allows us to present the material in a live environment, and we can see how it works on-stage. We receive feedback from other patrons and musicians, which gives us some indication if the music will "sell". It gives us experience, and even though most of us are experienced in playing clubs (with the exception of our bass player KR), every new band is different. We need to get a feel for we listen to one another on stage. You can't do that in a rehearsal environment.

Lastly, but not of least importance, is that attending these jams allows us to showcase the new act, generate buzz, and sell the band to club managers, so we can be hired in the future.

The plan is working.

After a number of delays, Tung N' Groove managed to get on the open stage around 4:30 Saturday afternoon. By this time the Royal was getting quite busy, and the excitement began to boil in our blood. It took about fifteen minutes to get our equipment hooked up into the host band's PA, and get our sounds before we kicked off our set.

We opened with the Judas Priest song "Burnin' 'Up", which was likely not the best of openers, but it was enough to grab the attention of a number of patrons and musicians lingering about.

The rest of the set consisted of Mr. Big's Take Cover, Robin Trower's Day of The Eagle, April Wine's Enough is Enough (which I sang lead vocal on), The Scorpions' The Zoo, Led Zeppelin's Livin' Lovin' Maid, and Foreigner's Juke Box Hero.

I think the band was a lot more relaxed than our first performance; We felt so much more comfortable at our instruments, and our playing showed. The music was solid; the vocals were not strained, and the harmonies clicked in as they have been at practice. I felt we played very well, and judging by the crowd's reaction, we hit a home run.

After our set, we settled down for a few beverages, and mingled with a few of the other musicians who were present. Their comments were, to say the least, very candid and warm. A few of them even said they were blown away by the level of musicianship, the professionalism of our act, and by the material we showcased.

I for one, can say that this was one of only a few jams where I sat at someone else's drumkit and actually played well. The host drummers' kit was set up in a way that I felt was uncomfortable, but for some reason I played solidly; and with enough of my personal flair that I felt I wasn't compromising my abilities.

Even the managers of the Royal Hotel poked their heads from behind the bar, and sauntered to the dance floor to check us out. This can only mean a high potential for bookings this year.

Yes, Tung N' Groove is here. And we mean business. Look for us in the coming months; it's going to be very exciting. When we first started MA and I agreed we wanted to raise the bar as to what people expected in local talent and live entertainment. It might be egotistical, but I think this act has what it takes to accomplish just that.