In the Doghouse

So yesterday, out of the blue, SK drops me a line. Our conversation kinda went something like this:

SK: Hey MC, it's SK. What'cha doing this Saturday?

MC: No plans.

SK: Wanna gig?

MC: Sure. When, where and how much?

So tonight, I will be playing at some club in town called The Dog House, or The Dog Pound, or Who Let The Dogs Out.

Oh, to Hell with it. It used to be called Waldo's Pub.

SK, RH and I will be playing from 8:00 until 9:30 as the opening act.

See you there.

Bring your friends.

The First Rehearsal of Many

On Monday night, the first rehearsal of my new band, still unnamed, took place. MA and RH arrived at approximately 7:00, and promptly began working on the 17 songs we had picked the previous week.

We sat around my computer, with selected songs in an iTunes playlist, ready if needed, and copies of the lyrics in triplicate. We drank beers and ran through the repertoire. What transpired over the course of the evening was very impressive and promising. I was surprised to find that I was singing lead on most of the songs. Even more surprising was by the time the practice ended, we had only given the axe to two songs.

The guys did their homework. The harmonies were there and will be promising. This is going to be one tight band. If we keep learning this quickly, we may be able to start gigging sooner than I expect.

The three of us are going to get together for a band practice this Saturday. We will be going over some of the songs we just practiced, and likely pick up a few more. I will let you all know how things turn out.

The Wheels Are Set In Motion

Today in the Blogosphere: Matt and Jen meet Tony in L.A. for some good times.

Elsewhere in web, the forums are heated with flame wars over Apple's switch to Intel. It's amazing the childish idiocy that are prevalent in these forums. It's not doomsday people; Apple will still be a leading innovator in the computing industry. They will still manufacture high-quality computers, and develop cutting-edge software that Micro$oft cannot touch. The news has only been out for two days, and I'm already getting sick of reading about it. I don't even have the energy to comment on it at this time. I'd rather wait until the smoke clears, and then I shall have a better idea about Apple's future, which I still believe is very bright.

Since I left Legacy in 2002, I decided that I was going to make music on my own terms and no one else's. I also sat around for many months, waiting for the phone to ring, as well as connect with the right people to put together an act of a caliber that no one in this town has seen. After waiting endless months of waiting for the gigs to come my way, it became apparent that I would have to be a little more proactive in securing my next gig. I have been lucky to dedicate my energies to a few side projects here and there, but I was never gigging as much as I would have liked, and I wasn't playing material I was necessarily passionate about. All this time, I have been dreaming of a new band, where I could hand-pick the musicians I would work with, and have a band that I could be proud of.

On Monday, and after three years, this dream was put into motion. RH, the bass player from the SK sessions, and MA from my past Grease experience, have both agreed to work with me on my new project. The timing is impeccable, as I will no longer be a contributing member of Mule Shoe in three days.

Monday was the first time RH and MA met, so Monday's practice was generally an icebreaker, we had barley pops, listened to music and did very little playing. We did however come up with a bit of a game plan, burned CD's of music to learn, and agreed to meet next week for the first practice. We plan on doing thing the right way from day one. There will be no high-volume practices in the foreseeable future. Our practices are going to center around acoustic guitars, working on vocal arrangements. Once gigging is in the foreseeable future, then we will move to full-instrumentation, and I have a feeling that those kinds of practices will be few and far between.

Both RH and MA are accomplished musicians who collectively have more than thirty years in the club scenes of Winnipeg and Vancouver. They have a lot of talent to contribute to this endeavor, and I have great faith that they will exceed my expectations. I expect we will be a force to be reckoned with in this city once we hit the scene -- and I hope that will happen before 2006.

I shouldn't have to mention that I am very excited about our next rehearsal on Monday.

Bittersweet Me

SK, who has given me a lot of gigs in recent months, is moving to Australia for an indefinite length of time. He has been the owner/operator of Absynthe Recording Studio for the last three or four years. Coincidentally, he sold the studio to my guitar player Chris, who obtains full ownership Monday.

Things are exciting and turbulent in my local music scene.

I haphazardly ran into SK two nights ago, and he asked me to play a gig this weekend with him. I told him I would, since I have had a great time playing with him, and it's an opportunity to make a few extra bucks. I was informed that we would be playing at a wedding reception, and that RH would be joining us.

I have had an 18-hour "workday" today. I was up at 9:00, and soon on my way to DM's studio where her and I are putting together a recital featuring both our students. These practices are very long for her and I, as we are working with about 6 groups for an hour each, every Saturday, until the day of the June recital. At times it is very difficult to listen to, at other times it is very rewarding, when we watch our pupils grow musically before our very eyes.

As soon as the recital practice with DM and her horde of pupils, I was running like a headless chicken getting my gear into the reception hall before the guests arrived. I met SK and RH at the hall, and set my gear up in a mad rush. I had my drums set up in under 20 minutes, which might be a record for me. I was off and running, grabbing a bite to eat and changing into a suit.

By 8:30, I had arrived at the wedding reception where we were to entertain the crowd.

Once again, myself, SK, and RH played a successful gig without having a rehearsal. We had a great time playing with one another -- the music felt good, we sounded very tight, for the amount of preparation I had, and the crowd loved us.

The thought of SK moving to the Southern Hemisphere is a little bittersweet. He has been very supportive with me, he has given me lots of work, and he has allowed me to network with a new contingent of musicians in this city I would have otherwise not have met. I am going to miss these spontaneous gigs, playing everything from AC/DC to Kool and the Gang; from Steve Miller to Prince; from Classic Rock standards to the most utter fromage you could imagine.

But he introduced me to RH, who is a relative newcomer in this town. Both him and I have hit it off musically. In a lot of ways, he is a lot like me, lovers of the rhythm section. Good bass players are hard to come by in this town, and I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet him. RH and I are taking very seriously about putting together a new band to upset the status quo of my local music scene. All we need now is a gifted guitar player, and there are many of those circulating around this city -- it's just a matter of finding the right one.

I am so excited, I can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next few weeks.

Apparently, We Were Called "Absynthe"

Last Saturday, I was hired to play another gig with SK in Bow Island -- a town about 40 minutes west of where I live. Much like other gigs I have played with SK, we did the show with little preparation.

Bow Island is a rural community, with a population less than 2000. We figured that given the rural nature of the town, that we should diversify our repertoire and play about a dozen Country songs in addition to our typical repertoire, which usually consists of Classic and New Rock.

We arrived at the bar with plenty of time to spare, and the first thing we noticed were the huge advertisements announcing our performance. Entire windows were covered in poster paper, and painted in large letters was "Appearing Live April 16th: Absynthe. No Cover Charge".

We thought this was a little humorous, as we never thought up a name for the band. The members of this band changes as frequently as the gigs, so a name was almost irrelevant. I have always thought this act was referred to as "The SK Band". RH, the new bass player, whom I had very recently met, turned to me and said: "Well, I guess we're called Absynthe."

We stepped into a deserted bar. The only occupant was the barmaid, watching the television out of sheer boredom. I had the sinking feeling that this was a sign of things to come, as I played in this bar five years prior during my tenure in Legacy. The last time I played in this bar, we got a lukewarm response from the bar patrons -- the few that were there.

After we set up our gear, and had a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, "Absynthe" returned to the bar to play our gig. By this time, there were a few patrons in the bar, already drinking heavily. We decided to get the night underway by playing our Country repertoire. The music was not well-received. In contrast, I thought we were playing very well. The sound from the stage was excellent, and in a few short minutes all the members of the band managed to gel with one another. The music sounded tight, the harmonies were in pitch, and we had energy. The problem was, the crowd didn't want to hear Country, and they made it quite clear to us that we had better play some kick-ass rock in the next set.

By the time we finished our first set, the bar was packed. There were people of all ages within -- and they all were in the mood to party. After a twenty minute break, Absynthe returned to the stage and began playing some good old Classic Rock, which they enjoyed much better. The dance floor was packed the entire night, and the people got rowdy.

During one of our breaks, a young female befriended the bass player and I, whom was interested in a few things we had to say. She complimented us, saying we sounded really good. We thanked her for her compliments, since there wasn't much else we could say without sounding cocky. She asked us how long the band had been together. RH and I told her "About three hours," which was met with laughter. "Oh, you're just pulling my leg," she replied: "Seriously, how long has the band been together?"

By this time, RH and I could barely contain ourselves. We both looked at each other for about one second, then turned to her and repeated in concert: "Three hours. Seriously." The attractive female could barely believe what she had heard. We sounded like the band had been together for a few years. It was a huge compliment for us, but both RH and I know that some amazing things can happen when professional musicians jam on the fly.

The night was hugely successful. We played until 2:00 in the morning, the crowd wanted us to continue playing, in fact, the management enjoyed our entertainment so much, they asked us to return to the bar in the future. I think I would like to come back to that bar if we play to a packed house. This would also be an excellent venue for Müle Shöe to perform.

It was about 4:00 in the morning by the time we had the PA equipment unloaded into the studio back home. RH and I exchanged phone numbers as we enjoyed each other's company and musicianship. I think it is very likely that we will do business again in the future.

I was a very tired man by the time I got into my house at 4:30 in the morning. I treated myself to a nightcap, as I did not have one alcoholic beverage the entire evening. Three days later, I am still recovering from the antics of Saturday night, even though the experience was well worth the lack of sleep.