Last Week's Rehearsal For a Paul Simon Tribute Concert

The same group of guys is getting together once again to showcase their love for the songs of Paul Simon.  Last time out, near the very end of 2011, we played a tribute to Simon & Garfunkel.  This show will also include Paul's solo years, certainly quite a bit more from which to choose.  The jury is still out on the spelling of Absynthe Makes the Art Garfunkel - maybe we want to intentionally spell it as absynthe.  The correct spelling of the spirit is absinthe, just so we're clear.  Hey, maybe it's a synthesized concoction, or we wish to remove any sinful connotations as we are marketing it as a kid-friendly event!  Well, at any rate, it's a bunch of talented guys, and myself, getting together to play some fine wholesome singer-songwriter folk rock for the masses of the unwashed.  We held a rehearsal last week that I'm just getting around to reporting on.  We got through perhaps the first set of tunes before our time ran out.  I learned that many of my charts were incorrect and that I had a lot of work to do for this.  Funny how one of the easier songs for me, You Can Call Me Al, has that blistering 2-bar break with the slap solo that reverses itself midway through.  Easy enough in the studio - you just turn the tape over.  Live, I am learning it forwards and backwards.  Not so easy when the tempo is fast - faster still in the heat of live performance with a bunch of boys pushing the tempo!  I am slowly nudging the metronome in incremental steps.

We are now a 6-piece group with the addition of Richie Jones on percussion and drums.  As before, it's J.T. Alessi on acoustic guitar, his brand new Epiphone Les Paul model electric mandolin, and vocals; Matthew Smith on acoustic & electric guitars and vocals; Jeff Fritz on acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, and vocals; Adrian Ash on drums and percussion; and myself on bass.  I played my Johnson fretless acoustic/electric last time.  This time I think I'll stick to my P-bass but also bring the Tobias fretless for the Graceland-era stuff.  I might have the Ashbory as well.  It would be fun to use it when J.T. reaches for his lil' axe!  It would also be sweet to play some Stick, but I will have to work that out.  Not sure how much time I have to devote to this gig.  It's rewarding to make it though these songs.  Perhaps I'll post some charts so you can see what I mean.  Still Crazy After All These Years comes to mind as one I'll have my nose buried  in - what a great song!

Richie

Matthew

Adrian

Jeff

John

J.T.