The Temple Hosted an Elegant Wedding Reception

The big news on this one was me fronting the band for the first dance.  A song from the North Carolina neo-bluegrass group The Avett Brothers entitled Swept Away.  A nice song that grew on me.  Soundcheck went well.  I felt a bit self-conscious singing but I thought I could improve the delivery.  Well, the ceremony came fast and we had walk-on bits to play, including I Feel Good.  After the funk, I had to quickly switch gears, put on the acoustic guitar, and step up to the front.  I didn't have the first line of the song in my head, and it didn't start too comfortably.  It wasn't a disaster, but it was rather timid and uncertain.  Still, I got a nice big compliment from the groom as we were starting to pack up and that made me feel good.  Rule number one when you sing: have that first line ready to go!  Don't think it will just come to you.  It was just too much going on just before the song for me I guess.

Earlier in the evening, I happened upon Daniel & Carla Padron performing as a duo during the cocktail hour.  It was good to see them and they sounded great.  It had been while, certainly.  Daniel complimented me as well.  I played with Wild Rice for many years.  I think some of my final gigs with that band took place just as this blog began back in 2010.  I miss the music and the salsa, but in retrospect I suppose the decision for Daniel to get somebody who could be more consistent was a good one.  Time has become that precious commodity that I value ever so much more these days.  Work sure takes a lot out of my day and energy.  Yeah, not like I'm different than most others out there.

I didn't take any noteworthy pics.  Kevin managed a couple, one of me up front trying to stay on track.  A nice shot, if I do say so myself.  He got Virginia as well, looking fine and confident.  She was a welcome co-lead-singer up there with me.  Kevin is the man!

Padriac's: Four Months Later

Those in the loop know that I had surgery two months ago.  Happened to fall on the date of a gig with Martay and Co.  Couldn't be avoided, as our health insurance was about to be dropped and the busy season was quickly approaching.  As a result, I missed the gig and now it's exactly 2 months later.  Thus, a long 4 months since I happened into Padriac's in fashionable Vinings.  The place hasn't changed, but they did have spooky Halloween decorations - some large spiders that were strategically placed just outside the bathroom doors made me do a double take.  We were able to jump right in and fire up the willing engine after a long hiatus.

Hurts So Good was the opener.  I wasn't quite there.  Martay's yelling over the din that we're in Eb. Confusing for a few reasons.  When I tune for Martay, I tune down a 1/2 step from standard; I was already there, so to speak.  My tuner calls the low string D#, but that's a technicality.  I wish it thought in terms of flats and not sharps.  Anyways, the last time we did this, I remember playing it in G, down a whole step from the original key of A.  Keep in mind, A sounds like Ab as far as our tuning is concerned; G sounds like F# (or Gb, but who really thinks in terms of Gb, unless you're in E flat minor?), and so on.  Well, this time Martay was in E.  I hadn't played the song in E before.  That puts it in concert E flat - cool, a tri-tone away from the original!  So he's yelling "E flat" to me, he's playing E, I was playing A, I fumbled down to G, then saw his left hand grabbing an E chord and moved it down to my open E (for the last time, Eb).  Now I got it!  To me, it's almost not worth doing the song anymore once you move the key so far from the ingrained key.  Really, corporate radio has slammed that song into our subconscious!  You can't mess with it too much.

Now that I typed that all out in my own disorganized fashion and have re-read my thoughts, I realize that we had played it in E before.  Maybe once, maybe twice.  It had been a while.  I accept the responsibility, and the blame.  That said, it's up to the wanna-be musician to keep track of the keys, changes, and arrangements.  Bass players have it fairly hard in that we need keen ears and an unfailing reliability.  The band (and the crowd) count on us to keep the format intact.  No pressure!

Bill showed up early and sang like his life depended on it.  Man, no one else can get the Led out like Mr. Bill!  Bobby Plant would have been proud to witness this!  Whole Lotta Love indeed!  We should have done more Zep, in any case.  With Martay, it always comes down to the guitar solos.  We did pull out some decent Van Halen: Jamie's Cryin' and Panama.  Also did some 80's hits that not everybody can pull off: Your Love (Josie's On a Vacation Far Away) (The Outfield) and the ubiquitous Don't Stop Believin'  (down from E to D, which in our tuning is C#, a necessity even for Brent's deluxe vocal range).

My Precision had a mighty large tone, certainly owing somewhat to freshly boiled strings (don't tell anybody but I think this was the 2nd go-round in the hot water for the current set...).  The night before I was reminded by removing the strap to polish the wood (!!!) (ha-ha) that the horn's strap hook screw had become stripped over time within the body's wood.  I had to procure a longer and slightly more robust screw to adhere the hook to the horn.  Several minutes of searching through my collection of screws yielded a few good candidates.  It wasn't overly taxing to slowing screw that puppy back into the bass.  It will never come out again!  Back to the tone - so fat and yet so clear.  The clarity owes itself to the jazz pickup in the bridge position.  Love that feature, even if it taints a true P-bass tone.  I can always pan over to just the p p/u, but I never do.

Great to see Cliff, as well as Christine and Dorothy.  Mary, the chief bartender with the bitter soul, has left the building.  Alas, no love lost.  It felt like old times for sure.  Real nice playing with these guys.  We just don't do it often enough!

Recent Pics of Platinum From the Lens of Kevin Harry

Drawn from Kevin's facebook pages, here are some of his recent shots.  He really distills the moment into a great shot like nobody else - well, there's Chuck Dye - he's the best I shutterbug I know, and he knows the equipment and goes the extra mile for the shot.  Check out his web site here.  Kevin is casual and seemingly a hobbyist, typically utilizing his iPhone.  Something happens in between the man and the device.  Check it out.

Splendid Reception Atop Splendor Mountain

Made the trek to Splendor Mountain along with the other Platinum performers.  This site is located in Tiger, Georgia, very near Clayton in Rabun County.  It's virtually a straight shot from 285 - 85 N to 985 N, only a  critical turn at the very end and you're on the winding mountain and gravel side roads.  I successfully got myself stuck trying to navigate one of those gravel driveways.  Four wheel drive would be nice for times like these!  Glen saw me at my worst!  Great timing.  Well, got there safe.  Almost became part of a 4+ car wreck on 85 as a left lane had suddenly closed and none of us were prepared for it.  The car in front of me laid a pair of 50-foot long skid marks as black as my car in an attempt to not hit the cars in the lane next to him.  I was able to get over and then over again and just thanked God for allowing me to continue unscathed.

The air was cool and crisp, and we were in a tent with no flap behind the stage.  As night fell upon us, it became chilly.  I kept my blazer on the whole night!  The band has come to poke fun at my bass stand and assorted instruments.  I tell them that I need a gimmick in lieu of breathtaking chops.  I've really been enjoying the tone on the NS.  This is a magical bass instrument.  Being the bottom of the chain for NS, I can only imagine how great the top of the line instruments are.  Mine lacks the magnetic pickups, but that transducer in the bridge gives a distinctively upright growl, even with the often maligned stock strings.  Need to replace those at some point.

Had a lot of time to hang, since Derek and Glen ended up rehearsing with the violinist and singers for the ceremony music.  They had some tricky tunes to maneuver through, but they did a fine job.  Live ceremony music is a something that Virginia is working on featuring more from the band.  Later on, Derek and I discussed the similarities between the pop hits we are doing.  His guitar intro on Raise Your Glass can easily be confused with the synth intro on Tik-Tok.  Hard to keep it in your head when the moment comes and it's time to start the song under pressure.

Ceremony rehearsal with DJ in the low country brush.

Self portrait in green room cabin bath.

Kevin sitting where he sat earlier, behind the stage, most likely
applying an iPhoto treatment to his latest shot of Diana.

Glen's keyboard display

The tent pole was a dancer''s favorite prop!

Drinking hooch from the groom's shoe!

A Rocking BBE at CCC Had 'em Dancing: Channeling The Fab Four in Vocals, Instruments, and Song Selection

This quartet meets up and all of the time elapsed just vanishes.  Walter "Middleshelf" Austin on piano and other ethereal tones (I strictly informed he doesn't receive double-scale payment for so much musicality), Brian "Big TIme" Molin on alto and tenor guitars (depending on where he is on the neck), Mark "Chuckie" Letalien on percussives and allsorts, and myself on the fretless 5-string make up this band we like to call Billy Batts Ensemble.  We had 'em dancing at the end of the evening, obliging with an extended set of blues, swing, and my vocal turn at Van the Man's Domino.  In fact, all four of us had a turn at the mic for at least a song: Walt sang the most, as we defer to him generally: Unchain My Heart has become a signature tune of ours.  Sounded fine on Statesboro BLues as well.  Brian supplied Got My Mojo Working.  Mark brought the house down with a sincere turn at With a Little Help From My Friends.  Really nice.  I will make certain I'm ready for those backups next time.  I think Walt had Paul's part down, so I just have to summon Sir John's harmony.  The harmonies in that one take on the role of leads, as it's a call and response in reverse - a response and call.  And the bridge comes along twice.  We also played through Dolphin Dance and Stella By Starlight, 2 of my all time favorites.  The former is harder to solo on than just about any other song I can think of.  What's up with that?  All in all, a great and blustery night that started with nobody wanting to sit outside, 1 4-top venturing outside and then scampering away form us, and then the glorious finish with our most ardent fans ever, demanding more and more!  C'est la vie - it goes to show you never can tell, right Chuck?

Platinum at Lake Lanier's Pine Isle Pointe

Pine Isle Point boasts some serious lakefront vistas!  Up here in Lanier country, water is the main attraction.  Houseboat financing available!  It was hard to find, as I blindly surged forth taking in the tunes I had to ingest for the evening: Me and You;  My Wish;  Free (Zac Brown Band);  Just the Way You Are (Billy Joel);  Lovesong (Adele's version).  Too bad I had typed in 700 Holiday Road in Buford instead of 7000 Holiday Road...  There are 2 Holiday Roads in Buford - ha!  I got there late but nobody was that upset.  Here is the link, just so we can get it out of the way!  http://www.lakelanierislands.com/weddings/receptions

Great facility and great sound from David Junius, aka The Man!  Funny how to my ears, my rig can be very loud, then on the next song it isn't keeping up, then it's too loud again later on.  I feel like I'm always fiddling with it.  I used to NS WAV with the ol' strap attachment; NS Designs now labels it as the Frame Strap System here.  I'm getting more used to the orientation of this long-necked bass when worn.  It's an odd sense of mobility when I use my wireless as well.  We opened with some jazz, as is customary.  This time out it was All the Things You Are.  Nice changes, but such an old timey tune that most likely goes over everybody's heads.  Some enough, it was onto the standard fare.  We always leave out some of the more interesting tunes.  After all of this time, it was good to see Norah Jones' Don't Know Why on the list; too bad we broke before hitting it.  I just love those whole note goose eggs of roots on the 42'' scale.  The bottom end on this EUB really shakes our lower intestines unlike any other bass I have.  Played acoustic guitar on I'll Be.  Freshly changed strings gave it a nice tone.  I think I will eventually go with 13's instead of 12's.  Too bad I have another pack of 12's.  I need a more robust tone on that black Fender.

Had Myra Johnson on loan from Atlanta Soul Band as well as Twisted Hip.  She did a wonderful job filling in for Dianna.  Funny how singers know songs in a different way than we are used to doing.  When things get changed up, just follow the singer, even if it means cutting the song in half.  Act like nothing happened!  Easy gig all around.  We gave 'em what they wanted, even an encore.  Hey, we gave an encore last Friday as well.  Don't let that get around too much!  Don't want to spread the word that we want to stay late and play more than we need to...