Friday November 12 at GA Tech

Sweetwater Junction played at Beta Theta Pi Fraternity at Georgia Tech.  We were outside on a chilly evening in front of the frat house.  We were supposed to play from 10 till 2 but it got pushed back till 11.  No worries, we still stopped at 2!  This was the quartet version of the band, lean and mean.  Everybody was late getting there so it was a little chill.  They wanted a lot of country - think Dixieland Delight.  Too bad we didn't oblidge.  They were polite anyways.

November 6 at Piedmont Garden Tents

Another wedding reception with Platinum - this time Miss Virginia took a leave of absense due to budget issues with the clients.  We missed her.  She really adds a lot to the overall morale and quality of the gig.  Thus, Glen was in the front line to keep it 3 in front.  The tent was heated with the heater directly in front of us.  This meant that the stage was approximately 20 degrees warmer than the rest of the tent.  Glen sang Georgia On My Mind in the original Ray key of G.  I liked it.  My poor rig was making it's usual farting sounds.  Not really sure still what it is.  I'm wondering if it's not the Hartke head.  We were fed and we had high hopes of eating off of this incredible menu.  However, they came back and laughed at our order and explained that it was a burger and fries affair for the band.  Hey, the food was still good and I'll take that over cold sandwiches any day.

This last one was the standard Electric Slide portion of the show, tkane from behind the keyboard.  They enjoyed it and as I recall they tipped us after the show with cash.  Nice touch considering we were a 7 piece.

Tara Humata & Athens Botanical Gardens Oct. 30

Nothing like being a week behind in my posting.  Thursday I was with the AAG at Java Monkey.  We played as many "scary" tunes as we could muster up - Frankenstein, In-a-Gadda-da-Vida, Witch Hunt (Wayne Shorter, not Rush), the Munsters Theme, ...  We had Chris on sax and a special guest whom I've since forgotten, but they sure added a lot.  Adrian always nails those kicks so we are rhythmically enriched when compared to some other jazz settings I find myself in lately.  Played at Tara Humata last Friday with Martay & the related Partay.  Good to see Brent again, and Bill made it out to sing with us as well.  It was a good family oriented crowd with lots of little ones up front dancing and getting into it.  The sound of the band has improved tenfold since M ponied up and bought some PA speakers.  He got a deal on some huge 15" cabinets made by Yamaha, so they do sound good, if not a little overkill for our typical needs.  Nice to have a monitor and some effects in the mains as well.  It looks a lot more pro too. 

Meanwhile, my Genz Benz 12" combo is at the shop since it started cutting out big time that night.  The preamp potentiometer has become disconnected from the board.  I looked at it when I took the amp out recently and it seemed to be beyond my capabilities, so I hauled it over to Northwest Speaker.  They do good work but the 2 guys I usually like to see in there were out.  The dude who rang me up complained about my debit card which has to be rung as a credit.  It's for my protection but he has to pay more for it.  Oh well.  Saturday I went out to Athens to play a reception with Platinum.  I was sick at this point in the week - I still am actaully - but I was nursing a fever and it wasn't fun.  Still, we made it through and I sorta learned Single Ladies all the way through for once, thanks to Glen.  We all enjoyed the privlege of eating from the buffet line in our little backstage room.

Yes, another shot of Gus - hey, he's always to my right so that's who I see.  He killed it as usual.  And this night Kevin called me by my new name - Diesel!  Does it sound right?  Hard to tell if it will stick.  Before the gig I made it over to Hendershot's Coffeehouse but Seth wasn't there.  I left him a note and tried the expresso - not sure if it was my favorite but it was very good.  Cool stage he has for the live music - I hope he continues to grow the business.

Brasstown Valley Resort Oct. 23

This was a humdinger.  The day was crazy from the start with getting Jack to his new Saturday morning karate class which started at 9:10.  I had Spencer with me too, and we went to Mickey D's for hotcakes and eggs while we waited for Jack.  Then I foolishly decided we had enough time to go to the Sprint store to possibly purchase new phones and transfer our service from AT&T.  Well, that took a long time and Spencer was quite a handful.  I ended up missing my ride with DW so I had to drive myself and was late, but so was everybody else.  We played in a pavillion on a golf course behind the lodge, but man, what a view and the weather was nice too.  We had Michael Ray subbing for Kevin and he did a fine job.  Gus and I got into it a little over the ending for Haven't Met You Yet, which we soundchecked but didn't even play on the gig.  All is well.  The first dance was Ray LaMontagne's You Are the Best Thing, which I had learned incorrectly.  Derek got me to listen to it and the verse is in fact different form the chorus (F instead of D7/F#).  I wish I had helped myself to a lobster tail cause they were gone by the time I wanted one.  Driving back that night was a chore - 2 1/2 hours with a stop.  Then, once I got home I set up for Binnie's birthday with a sign, purple balloon, M&M's and cards.  For her birthday we went to visit with Praline and then we went to Six Flags for the day.  Fun and exhausting!

Sweetwater Junction at FAB Oct. 19

Tuesday we had a coorporate type gig at the French American Brasserie on Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.  Along for the ride were Eric Frampton, Mark Letalien, and Scott Walker.  We were positioned way up above the crowd so we were heard but not seen.  Overall the response was very positive.  We played perhaps with perhaps the lowest stage volume we've employed in a very long time, which worked in our favor.  Then managers and the client really liked us.  We played a weird jazzy jam intro song that went on for a very long time as our first tune.  It actually worked but it could have beena little shorter, and then to get out of it we just kind of stopped dead.  Funny.  Then of course we had to do Freddie Freeloader.  Bb blues for 10 minutes.  I sang Domino, with Scott taking the 2nd verse, as well as Miss You, which turned out to be the closing song.  Easy stuff.

Last Week - Tuesday thru Sunday

It's like what my Grandpa John used to say: "It's just like Lemon-Pepper Chicken: Where does the thyme go?"  Now I get it.  Tuesday found me down at Smith's Old Bar with many other bands for a night of rotating musical mayham all for a worthy cause.  It was billed as the Cotton Langston Family Benefit Show ft. Ledfoot Messiah.  We were the Tone Brothers, which is Greg Hester & Doug McCombs along with a rhythm section or not.  I was joined by the mighty Greg Baba, one of my favorite and most versitile of drummers.  We flew by the seat of our pants and made the most of what felt like a 25 minute set.  I played my P-bass with recently boiled strings and a neck tweak.  It really went by fast.  I saw my old MMS co-worker Fran Mann loading out his pedalboard.  We said a few words but it has certainly been a while.  Good to see a familiar face at any rate.  A highlight would have been the opener of "Guilty", and old Randy Newman blues number they've added to their setlist.
The next night, Wednesday, was with Sweetwater Junction.  This night featured Brian along with Walt & Ganesh Giri.  We were playing for the owner of Canoe, who was celebrating his 60th birthday with an exclusive party including Ted Turner.  Also present was Jeff Dauler, who I got to meet while we were waiting to start.  It was a perfect night to be playing in the smaller tent down by the river.  Very nice evening with awesome vegetarian cuisine for us and free beers, which were exotic to my taste.  Musical highlights were the first song of "A Pirate Looks At 40" and "I Saw Her Standing There" since that got everybody dancing.  Tequila shots followed and we probably lost a little integrity at that point.

Thursday I rejoined the elite few that get together as the Adrian Ash Group, a jazz quartet that plays at Java Monkey in Decatur for the bi-weekly wine tastings.  The current quartet is made up of Jason Passmore and Guy Fenocchi as well as Adrian Ash, who usually plays drums, but also plays upright or even 6-string bass.  Here's a link for the band that has some older sound clips: The Adrian Ash Group.  We played through many of the other 3's originals.  It hasn't been my forte to be composing.  Adrian has tried to encourage me.  We are slated to go into the studio in a few weeks so I really do need to get it together.  I have started but it is not going so well.  I shall try in earnest tomorrow.  We sounded good on much of the stuff, including "Seven Steps to Heaven", "Recordame", "Stella By Starlight", and "Cold Duck Time". Plus, Guy has some newly constructed memorable charts: Frankenstein as well as In-a-gadda-da-vida!  Classic rawk!

Friday I was with Martay & the Partay at Padriac's in Vinings.  Luckily Cliff showed up for some good energy to bestow upon us.  We had fun but the crowd was quite thin - none of Martay's usual posse was there - perhaps due to the Eagles' concert in Piedmont Park.  Here's a pic from the end of the night:

Alright, now here's where life gets squirrly, time to hit the road with the members of Platinum for a gig in Hilton Head.  Thanks to David Winterhalter I was able to carpool along with Derek and Glen in his Town & Country.  We listened to a fair amount of jazz on his satellite radio including a Wynton workshop interview which I found to be good jazz journalism.  The time flew by and we made it there with plenty of time to spare.  The gig was at the Westin Hotel for a most swanky wedding reception.  Two wonderful families coming together, one African-American and the other Scottist.  The groom wore a kilt and there was a bagpipe player, but we never really saw him, or heard him too much.

Just above is Anthony Baker, who filled in for Gus and is my old rhythm section partner from Wild Rice back in the early 2000's.  I heard he is planning to move to Maryland so I need to make sure to keep in touch over the years.  He did a great job and had some crazy energy in just the right places.  Also, some of the tunes were at the perfect tempo at which I wish we always played them.  We got very little sleep that night and were up at 6ish to head back for a Sunday gig we had at the Primrose Cottage in Roswell.  It was good that we got up early as Virginia, Lexxi, & Kevin were all stuck in some awful traffic backup that kept them from making soundcheck.  It was another wedding reception with another amazing set of families.  The crowd really seemed to enjoy the night and our performances.  They even tipped us extra!  Nice touch.  The first dance was The Nearness of You by Norah Jones and we all learned her version at the last minute.  I flubbed the chorus to "December 1963" by playing an A instead of the Dm - hey, at least it was the V of the chord!  My only decent shot of the night was of Gus, so it will have to do:

I have something on Tuesday and then another reception this Saturday at Brasstown Valley Resort.  More soon.

 

Wedding Reception at Renaissance Waverly near the Galleria

Played my only gig of the week with Sweetwater Junction, a relatively new incarnation featuring Scott Walker on vocals.  Good to play with him as well as Mark, Walt, and Brian.  We had to learn It Had To Be You as well as Walk With You by Edwin McCain.  Easy stuff.  It seems that we didn't really play that long and because our main set started on the late side that we were penalized for starting late and we were asked to play longer - for no extra money.  Oh well, we were able to drink at the bar and this band seems to take advantage of that after the ice is broken.  After the gig, I joined Walt and Mark for a couple of cold ones at Delkwood Grill on Delk Rd.  Nice big bar and it was good to unwind a bit with the fellas.  Very nice of Walt to treat us!

Best Cellars Dinner at the Ritz in Buckhead

This was a big one!  A gourmet meal, wine, and a silent auction brought out some big names with Platinum serving as the entertainment.   We even had a 3-piece horn section so we were extra spiffy.  I brought my NS as well as my Tobias fretless and Stingray, so I had 3 basses in all.  And I really didn't have any equipment struggles so that was nice.  However, I did forget my book (!) but as karma would have it, Derek had copies of charts that I had sent him and I was able to get them copied by the good man behind the front desk of the Ritz.  That was great since one of the soundcheck tunes was "Haven't Met You Yet" and I needed the chart (I think Glen looked it over too - that bridge and the key change make it a bit of a production).  We got through it and did it again so I think we're are ready for it at any point now.  Had to do some audibles (Grapevine that everybody thought V had said 29).  We were a great band for the situation.  Some famous names too - Kevin Cronin was sitting at the table closest to the stage and he looked like he had a great time!  Also, Big from Big & Rich was the autioneer.  I wandered over to the bar and watched the band there with Dan Lawrence on piano (!), Sean O'Rourke on drums (!), Russ Rodgers on 6-string bass (!), & the thoroughly entertaining Theresa Hightower on vocals and heartbreaking personality (!!!).  She makes me cry on a regular basis, and I'm not really sure why!  I know I did sing backup vocals to "My Guy" on request, and caught her by surprise.  Hey, it's Atlanta, so I'm not sure why that would elicit any consternation.  They are a great band at any regard.  A showstopping version of Michael McDonald's "I Keep Forgettin'" was the hot number on which I had to return to my room.  Also of note is that I met Jennifer from Event Performance, who works with Chip Lunsford.  I've spoken with Jennifer quite a few times so it was nice to meet her and hang a bit over at the bar area.  She really enjoyed our first 2 songs, the first being "Fragile", so I guess she dug the EUB.  I thought it sounded good too.  I still need to get it together on "Easy", the part where the bass does it's little solo before the guitar solo.  Alright, still a great night all around.  Oh yeah, I bumped into Jeff Dauler from Q100 in the bar area.  You never know who will be there.

Dynamo Swim Club in Chamblee

Friday the 1st I played with SWJ which consisted of Ganesh, Eric, & Brian over at a swim club facility in Chamblee.  We were outdoors and the party was on the small side.  I honestly don't know who has the budget and judgement to hire a band like this for this kind of function, which was just an outdoor picnic for the members.  Still, we gave them what they wanted to a degree and the highlight that I will remember will certainly be Dream Weaver by Gary Wright.  Eric knew it, and taught it to us in a matter of seconds.  Ganesh has a great voice and knows so many songs, so he is a great contact.  We played for 2 hours and then ate dinner around 8.  Then we packed up and were out by 9!  What a great Friday night gig!  Home by 9:30 but too tired to do much of anything except watch Flight of the Concords.

Marriott Gateway is Connected!

Platinum played at the Grand Opening Celebration of the new Marriott Gateway at the International Convention Center near the airport on Thursday the 30th.  It has been open since the beginning of August but this night was it's coming out party.  We were asked to learn a song for the hotel - Get Connected!  It is an easy little vamp in D that bordered on repetitive.  Getting to this place was not made easy with an overly cautious security guard who would not let me into the dock area.  Thus, I was trapped in the convention center parking lot as hundreds of people filed out and promptly lined up their cars to escape to their neighborhoods.  Oh, the stress.  Well, once inside I set about getting my gear in place.  It all worked out but I know that Virginia was annoyed.  As long as I'm on time today, I think all will be forgotten - not that women ever forget much!  My 15" cabinet seems to be okay, at least with my Stingray so I'm going to try it tonight at the Ritz.  My NS is extremely susceptible to high end feedback so I always need to remember to EQ out the highs!  Ugly feedback!  No no!  We played well and had to kill extra time for V to morph into her Lady GaGa getup.  She makes a strong impression but I sense that even she thinks it's a bit too much LG all at one time.  Well, we'll work it out.

A gig with Gwen Hughes on Sept. 25th

I had played up at Waterfall Country Club at Lake Burton with Dave MacDougall, Mike Little & Chad Driskill a while back.  We were the perfect band for the moment - it was a force of cover band-dom that could not be matched.  Once in a while the right line up shows up and makes music that is just the right element.  It was a job that Gwen gave to Dave to lead, since she was on her honeymoon.  I learned this night that they liked us more than Brad Large's Living Large.  Nice to hear.  So we were asked back for a Chastain Night, meaning outdoor dining and dancing by the lake.  Fortunately, the rain held off - a cloudy and rainy day after so many hot sunny ones, and we were outside!  So we were with Gwen and her big band: Gwen on keyboards and vocals, Mike Hinton (her husband) on drums and audio mixing, Dave MacDougall on guitar and vocals, Don Erdman on saxophone, Jason Covey on trumpet, and somebody whose name I forgot on trombone.  With a big band we read Gwen's charts, which are very good and not too confusing.  I have to say that everything went very well.  I also have to say that the sets we had played as a quartet a few months back were possibly more entertaining and better received.  A number of factors made that true.  For one thing, we were farther away from the people this time.  Also, the songs were just a bit more esoteric.  Hard to put my finger on it, but the comraderie was a bit lacking as well, with such a diverse group that hadn't really met before.  Well, Gwen was great and it was a real treat to have performed with her.  Very professional and fun too!  Hopefully we can do it again!

Adrian's Wedding

Sunday the 19th came along and it was time head out to the Mary Gay House in Decatur for Adrian & Heather's wedding.  As part of the band I showed up relatively early.  I saw Guy as I was pulling up.  I secured a nice spot on the street to park for an easy load in.  I met Rob Henson who played upright bass during the ceremony, which was next door in Adair Park.  The weather was beautiful and Rob did a terrific job bowing and making it look easy on his 5-string upright (with a high C - I want one of those!).  Inside we all played a first set of jazz that gave the growing crowd some nice background music.  It was nice to meet Rob and the rest of the musicians including Kinah Boto Ayah, Brett Warren.  The one weird part of the night was that for some reason, we played You Are The Sunshine of My Life during the last set, but it was supposed to be the last dance.  So, we had to play it again!  Kind of funny.  They had great barbecue and awesome Sweetwater IPA on tap, so it was a relaxing time!  Yes!  Overjoyed was a highlight.

And the next night

On Thursday the 16th we were back at Java Monkey for our 2nd night in a row of dress rehearsals for Adrian's wedding and reception.  We played Pachelbel's Canon, with my part being the vibraphone transcription, so there is not really any bass.  Hard to believe Johann Pachelbel lived so long ago - 1653-1706!  A very old tune indeed.  I've learned that the Canon in D Major - it's always played in D - has only become such a popular wedding song since the 1970's, so it's a relatively recent trend.  We played it twice, once at the beginning and then as our closing number.  In between we played many others from the playlist.  The weather was very nice compared with the usual 90's + humidity we've been dealing with out on that patio.  Friday the 17th I played with Martay & Brent at Padriacs in Vinings.  It was a relaxed night with a sparse attendence, but the crowd eventually did show.  Great to see Cliff & Christine.  Cliff told us the news that he and his wife are expecting their 2nd child.  Very good news.  Cliff has been working in the ER of Grady as a counselor.  Long days and tough work.  All in all, we did well, even on "Is There Something I Should Know", which we hadn't played before.  They all went to Waffle House afterwards, but it really was too late for me to tag along.  Sleep is always an opportunity cost.  A very good time all around.  Tonight I am without a gig but it is Yom Kippur.

Adrian Ash's Bachelor Party at Shorty's Pizza

Yes, the Adrian Ash Group performed at Shorty's Pizza in Tucker on L'ville Hwy in honor of Adrian's impending marital sentence.  We were given the night to play by local bass entertainer and vocalist Michael Hurwitz (I hope I have his name correct), who helped to fill in the night in a N'awlins kind of fashion.  We ended up playing our 1st set of dinner music and then later on Adrian sang a few numbers before turning it over to the rest of us.  It should go better tomorrow at Java Monkey and certainly problem free at the wedding and reception.  We enjoyed a good, cold 420, a slice of pie, and found out who was ready and who wasn't!  Nice Ampeg amp and cabinet that I played through.  Always good to see Guy and Jason, who had some nice comments on my part relating to my dismissal from WR.  Ah, that's life and I'm guilty as charged, in a way.  Got to move on and keep my head up.  Oh yeah, saw Doug Morton tonight, after some 13 years or so.  Great to see an old friend.  We reminisced about playing at Fuzzy's Place all those years ago, with the Blues Barons: Barron Ruth, Bill Diehl, Doug, myself, and Big Matt Kearney on the sax-o-horn!  Matt got me involved with those cats and I really can't remember why we didn't do more.  Doug said they couldn't afford Matt, so I guess we were considered a package deal.  It was a good night and hopefully a decent musical bachelor party for Adrian.

Big 2 Week Catch Up - 6 Gigs in 6 Days (End of August & Labor Day)

This was quite a busy time for me.  Everything fell into place I suppose.  Started last Tuesday the 31th, which was officially Van Morrison's birthday.  A cause for celebration and a great performance with Greg Hester.  When Greg plays with Doug McCombs, they bill themselves as the Tone Brothers.  We went out as the Tone Brothers with Uncle Gnarley.  Uncle Gnarley includes Reece Harris on the trap drums, the lovely Joanie Ferguson on percussion, Brian Molin on acoustic guitar, and me on upright bass.  For a few songs, we had Jonathan Ripley swing by with his alto sax.  Also on site was John Gillespie who was ready to play guitar as well, but there was no room for him up there.  We played a great list of Van's popular tunes and the crowd became quite substantial for a Tuesday night.  I thought the best tune of the night was "Steal My Heart Away".  Nice version.  All right, Wednesday Sept. 1st I rode out to Reynolds Plantation with JT, Mark, & Mike who make up Hologram.  We played for the Outdoor Advertising Association of Georgia (OAAG) by the lake and the gravity pool.  It was hot during the setip and with a beached large-mouth bass nearby, it was a bit smelly too.  We were setup and ready in 90 minutes.  Went to check in and slug down a Corona that JT had thought to bring.  I had learned on my trip out there that I have been given my pink slip from Wild Rice.  It's never easy to deal with these kinds of things but it may serve as an eye opener in terms of keeping my communications at the forefront.  I can see that Daniel perhaps wanted more time from me than I was willing to give.  I will miss the Rice and wish them luck.  It's beena good long run and I am on the debut CD so it's nice to have that to look back on.  Getting back to the gig in Oconee, the crowd largely ignored us and before we knew it we were done for the night.  We ended up closing down the bar upstairs with Mike and JT leading a sing-along until 3 am or so.  I was not feeling too well and the next day was a sufferring one.  The next day being Thursday and I played my biweekly gig with Adrian Ash at Java Monkey.  We had big fun playing some of Adrian's wedding reception charts.  Nothing much to report.  I limited myself to 1 beer and it tasted good but that's all I craved...  Friday night I played with MartaY & Brent at Ri Ra in Midtown.  First I swung by Randy Chapman's birthday jam at Northside Tavern.  Great to see Rich, McKnight, Dan, Lee, Bill, Jon, the usual suspects.  Also saw Ron Roper, who I hadn't seen in forever and a day.  Great to catch up a bit.  Everyone looked great.  Then over to Ri Ra, and we played very well.  This band is a great little 3-piece rock unit that can do a lot of variety.  Wish we could take it to the next level.  A lot of fun indeed.  Saturday I played with Platinum at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead - a wedding reception to be certain.  No major train wrecks and I enjoyed the night.  Our first with new guitarist Derek McCoy as full time guitarist.  Good playing and singing all around.  Glen gave me compliments on the NS WAV and I appreciate that.  His voice is always a strong asset to the band, even when he's a little hoarse.  He sounded particularly great on "Easy" - I gotta nail that Ab pentatonic riff after the 1st chorus - he did!  And "Last Dance" is too much for me to ever memorize, but I could try harder.  Ok, then Sunday I met up with Brian, Walt, Mark, and Matt in Sweetwater Junction for another trip to Ashville.  Another wedding - this time we had to play the Horas.  We were joined by our booking agent who played electric violin with us.  We made it through and the couple and parents really loved us!  Yay!  It was a beautiful place and the first dance of "They Love Each Other" set the tone for a Grateful Dead themed night.  This was the gig I had to give up my "Running With Desire" at Piedmont Park - they had a great time so I hear.  So that was 6 gigs in 6 nights - don't think I've ever done that before.  Played again on Wednesday the 8th with MartaY & Brent at Brighton Gardens in Vinings.  Good party with many of the usual faces present.  They are undergoing new management so we'll see if they still hire the full band.  Thursday I played with Sweetwater Junction once again, this time down in Palmetto at Serenbe Farms.  We had Eric Frampton on keys and Justin Brogdon on guitar and vocals.  I ended up singing a few - Miss You, Brown Sugar, Shakedown Street, Domino, Ain't Too Proud To Beg.  It felt good.  Funky sax player opened up the evening with streaming new-jazz and his wireless harmonized alto noodlings omni-present.  A little surreal when we don't play a 1st dance or have any toasts.  Still, they had good food - salmon, fried chicken, good margaritas.  I enjoyed myself but man, it was seriously hard to get to this place with the few details I had been given.  Friday I played my 2nd gig with Hologram at the Hilton in Norcross on Peachtree Industrial Blvd.  It was a birthday party and we were in the Peachtree Corners ballroom, which is tucked away in the back of the hotel.  We had a nice low stage volume due to Mike not having his amp and that was good.  There was a party coordinator who was clearly interested in us.  I hope to do some more with them some time in the future.  It was a great way to wrap up this 2 week flurry of gigs.  I'm a little wiped out, but next week will have some more in store.

It was a busy weekend

It started off Thursday over at Java Monkey in Decatur with the Adrian Ash Group.  We had a good night and played many originals from Guy & Jason.  I played my Tobias and it seemed to fit welll with the band sound.  The crowd was a bit thin but we played to some enthusiastic patrons.  Adrian asked me to bring in some originals so I'm starting to get them together.  Will try hard to make this happen while Binnie is out in Colorado. 
Friday I was with Sweetwater Junction in Norcross for a High School Reunion.  It was the class of 1970, and in retrospect we should have honored that time period a bit more.  It was a rainy night in Georgia so that made the night a bit dreary.  They fed us well with meat loaf, mac n cheese, and some fresh tossed salad with avacado.  We played well but it felt uninspired.  I sang Don't You Forget About Me and I thought it went well but it didn't go over well.

Saturday I joined up with Martay & the Partay at a Taste of Chamblee.  We played an hour-long set of rock, naturally.  We went on after a Dixieland band led by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/studio owner Rick Hinkle: Whole Lotta Dixie which was a lot of fun to check out.  It was a very warm and sticky day out there in Chamblee.  I do have a photo to show us up there with Bill on vocals.

I should mention that Eric was our audio engineer and he did a great job, as always.  What a hot day indeed!

Once we we done, I loaded up and made my way back to the Atlanta Athletic Club where I had set up earlier for a Platinum wedding reception.  We were here recently and it was a similiar arrangement.  I didn't need my big amp setup so the Genz Benz combo was enough to rumble this enclosed stage area.  I sang "In My Life" for the Mother/Son dance.  Everything went well - no fatal flaws.  I felt that the band was a little busy in some ways - hard to pinpoint what is going on with this band sometimes.  Derek McCoy performed on guitar with us did a great job.  He seemed to be a good fit and has some impressive technique - nailing the fierce intro to "Don't Stop Believin'" and a spirited fusion take on "Mr. Magic."  All in all, we had a great time and the wedding party really enjoyed themselves.  Oh yeah, I enjoyed listening to Glen Perdew's walk-on music of "Say a Little Prayer".  I need to learn that one!

Professional Airmen's Conference Party at the Hyatt Regency

Saturday the 14th Platinum played for approximately 800 Airmen and guests as a part of the Air Force Sargeants Association conference kickoff .  The theme was "Party Like A Rock Star" and that meant we were pulling out any and all rocking tunes that we do.  The band played really well, like a fine tuned machine.  For me, I did well with relatively few clams but I hit a huge bad ugly loud note at the beginning of "What I'd Say".  Things like that can ruin a whole set for me.  I realize now that I was wrongly associating that song with "Ain't No Sunshine" and that's why I hit the A instead of the E.  It will never happen again!  The rest of the night was smooth.  I played my Tobias fretless and my Precision and I really enjoyed how both fit into the mix.  The P-bass really has some balls and snot and it is a true rock bass.  I gotta admit it.  Don't turn your nose up to the Precision!

A memorable wedding reception at the Four Seasons + Java Monkey last Thursday

Played with Platinum last night at the Four Seasons in Midtown.  We were there just recently so it felt very familiar.  The room looked great and our stage was all white so it felt elegant and upscale.  We had a different guitar player, Brian Bartlett, who did a great job playing acoustic, electric, and especially talk-box guitar for "Livin' On a Prayer", which really made the song feel accurate.  Big surprise would have to be the bride requesting the groom's guilty pleasure favorite song: "Baby Got Back"!  And we played it - yep!  THis after the couple's parents and grandparents complained of our loud dinner set volume and had us break for the next 90 minutes.  Thus we started again at 10 and gave a crowd pleasing 2 hour set.  My NS WAV was in fine form.  Not sure if everybody digs it or what they think, but it breaks up the night a bit for me to play some pseudo upright stuff for the slower numbers.  My J bass was very bright considering the strings are getting a bit worn form this humidity we've been sufferring through lately.  All in all, a few clams but nothing too terrible - got to make sure I know "Build Me Up Buttercup" without stepping on myself, that's for sure.  Thursday I had the pleasure of another Adrian Ash Group gig at Java Monkey.  We played mainly Guy's and Jason's originals and it went well.  I play my J with the Genz Benz combo and everybody seemed to like that a lot.  I guess the 15 has it's place, perhaps more for rock than jazz.  Guy and Jason had some bad luck and got their cars towed during the gig.  Not cool.  I hope they recovered them without too much money going to the city of Decatur.

Uptown Express at Lake Burton's Waterfall Country Club

Last night was the last night in July 2010.  I wound my way up 985 towards Clayton, GA to perform with Dave MacDougal and Uptown Express for a country club celebration that followed a golf tournament held yesterday.  The band consisted of Dave on guitar and fronting the band with lead vocals.  Also on board was his usual call of Mike Little on keyboards and lead vocals and new recruit Chad Driskill on drums, who also sings but did not sing last night.  Thus we were a quartet and that was good since there was not much space for us to set up and perform.  The night was very laid back.  Walk in music was provided by a dude wearing a kilt and playing the bagpipes.  They put out quite a sound and make a strong impression when heard in person.  They were turned to the key of A so everrything he played was in A.  Well done but almost too loud for the environment.  We started once Chad was set up.  This place was not wasy to get to, being at the top of a mountain yet offering the most serence view of nearby mountains and Lake Burton.  We had big fun playing oldies, Motown, Jimmy Buffett (Volcano), and a surprise rendition of "Double Shot of My Baby's Love" sung by your's truly.  Everybody was feeling the love by the end of the night and we celebrated with a few cocktails before making our way back towards the Atlanta area.  It was a very long drive home.  My Fender Jazz sounded nice and full and was the right instrument once again for this event.  Loving the SWR Golight 15 cabinet as well - so easy to lift.  Wish we had a pic.  I will make sure to provide that next time.  It was great to play with Dave once again after his departure from Platinum.  I miss his demeanor and his musical resources.