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.