A Misty Botanical Garden Reception With Sweetwater Junction

Atlanta's hard-working Sweetwater Junction brought their extensive repertoire and showy chops to one of the city's most desired wedding venues, The Atlanta Botanical Garden.  I always want to make that name plural, but the garden is a singular variety.  We performed in the Day Hall, which is perhaps one of the busiest rooms in the city as far as functions go.  It is not a quiet room, with little absorption.  Guess what - very few rooms these days are.  Folks prefer their vaulted ceilings, hardwood flooring and super-sized windows.  That's where they want to be seen.  It's up to the band to deliver their sound in these less-than-ideal sonic slots.  A well placed subwoofer can help level out the frequencies and provide heft to the mix without overbearing harshness.  We took some time dialing the sub in, and it paid off.

Fortunately, Sweetwater Junction has figured out how to mix the band in such a way that volume never seems to be an issue.  It starts with the drummer, and in this case, they have one of the most versatile craftsmen in the business.  Mark Letalien is a consummate professional, and aside from being a great friend of mine, he really understands the whole mechanics of a percussion gig.  He and I have chatted at length about the value of playing quietly and yet with intensity.  Only a seasoned pro is capable of generating and maintaining that level of force and drive without playing harder.  That is just one of his many facets.  I marvel at his skill set and serious application of his energies to the bandstand.  Check out one of the many links to Mark here for more on this performer/instructor.

It was a rare treat for me to perform with these guys once again.  I really enjoy the opportunity to play with Daniel Barker (Scott Walker Band, Paris Luna).  He is a classic keyboard wizard who always brings excitement to the bandstand.  I love his two-tiered setup and analog-infused tonalities.  He always finds a spot in the show to get down on a Keith Emerson styled Moog patch that just tears the hair off of your dog.  Plus, he stands up like the rest of us and really gets into it from a physical perspective.  The fact that he knows every song this band commits to is icing as well - almost a musical director of sorts.

Chris Garner is the principle vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and it's just not the same if he's not available.  Fortunately, he came ready to belt his mighty pipes for the blessed couple and their attendees.  Good thing, as he can sing this songlist better than anybody else i can think of.  The groom picked many of our jam band favorites: Widespread Panic's All Time Low, Chilly Water, The Band's Ophelia, The Shape I'm In, that big ol' Superstition medley that keeps the floor packed.  We played some typical ones that are quite standard as well: Signed Sealed Delivered, Ain't Too Proud to Beg, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), Wonderful Tonight, Sweet Home Alabama...  almost too many to recollect.  I marvel at how Chris' voice holds up throughout the whole night.

Brian Molin is the guitarist and leader of the band.  He is there through the whole process, from the booking of musicians, to requirements of the venue, to providing meals to the band, the the last minute requests of the booking party.  He takes it very seriously.  I've known Brian for quite some time, so I can say this.  He has the best tone of any guitarist when it comes to playing on these shows.  True to form, he keeps the volume in check, as we all do.  Here is one of his secret weapons: /13.  Love his Clapton-esque via Haynes double-stop high bends - I actually don't know what to call it, but as a guitarist, I want to learn it.  The flow from one song to another keeps the people partying, and the time flies by like on no other night.  Almost as soon as we've started, we are saying good night.  It was a fun night for the bride and groom, as well as everybody in attendance.

Live at the Omni: A Monday Night Corporate Affair

Atlanta's Ferris Wheel as viewed from the Omni Hotel

Some folks have it good.  A Monday night swanky party downtown and no apparent need to rise and shine the next morning.  It certainly is nice, and nice to be hired to play the hits for their dancing pleasure.  Atlanta's own Platinum was the seasoned choice for their entertainment needs.  It takes a few minor miracles to pull off my getting there at the appropriate time on a school night, and school had indeed just started.  Thanks to my good wife and her mother for the unwavering assistance in my regard.  It was a rather large room up on the 4th level of the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta.  I had some weirdness with my rig during soundcheck, but I guess I got it worked out.  As a semi-post-script, I figured out that I truly need a short 1/4" cable to connect my bass to my wireless transmitter.  I like one with right angle plugs, so I guess I'll shop around for a couple of those.  I seem to have a lot of issues with my jacks in my basses, jacks in my pedals, my strap pins, etc.  Not a very glamorous predicament, you may agree.  Still, is there one more crucial?  I kinda doubt it.

One big stumbling block for me (and maybe to a certain extent, Derek) was Da Butt, that hip tune by D.C.'s E.U. (Experience Unlimited) and made super-famous in Spike Lee's School Daze.  Yeah, shame on me.  We've played it before.  Years ago.  Somewhere, I have the David Freeman invoked chart to prove it.  Could never make complete sense of it.  Glen spelled it out for me,but I still didn't get the verse-chorus form down.  I'm just this side of too white, I suppose.  I've since learned that it is a Marcus Miller tune, and it's his famous '77 Fender Jazz tone all over it.  Never knew that.  It has synth bass too.  I try to cover that lower octave with the octave pedal, then switch it off for the incidental slaps.  It's got a little bit of minor blues to its form.  Need to get it in my head, since I typically don't have a music stand in front of me by the time it's called, late in the evening.

Earlier in the night, I sang Johnny B. Goode and it packed the floor.  It was one of those freakish "perfect song of the moment" tunes, when everything went well.  Derek played his tail off and we had a nice trade off with Anton wailing on a chorus or two.  Gotta love it when that happens.  Now if I could only get my duck-walk down!

We had a remotely located green room on the 4th level, where we were fed one of the best meals we've ever been served.  They even served us salads, bread, and dessert.  Yes, we had a server.  He wasn't much for small talk, but he treated us well.  We asked him to save our desserts and coffee, which he did.  However, he locked the doors, front and back, and nobody could unlock them for us when our break came around.  Not even the front desk.  We lounged on the floor in front of the room for the first break.  Eventually, Virginia got it worked out so that we could get in the room and bring our stuff back to the stage area.  As luck would have it, we were asked to play some overtime.  This was a Monday night, so the late gig went past midnight and we all had a good time.  The packing up was swift, rolling my cart down the passenger elevator to the lobby saved some time, but getting our cars from the valet service slowed us all down accordingly.  Yawn.

A Driving Force to be Reckoned With at the Driving Club

Platinum spent a Saturday evening in the comfy confines of the Piedmont Driving Club, arguably one of the oldest private social clubs in the South.  I always wondered why it was called the Driving Club.  Members who did not wish to venture on foot during their 18 holes of golf would actually drive their horse and buggy on the course.  Hey, before golf carts, that was how we did it.  History points out that the land that used to be the golf course surrounding this club was eventually sold to the city of Atlanta to become what is now Piedmont Park.  The golf course is now located rather far away, on Camp Creek Parkway near the airport.  So, at any rate, it had been a stretch of time since I'd been there.  The load in through the kitchen area is not quite ideal.  I learned later that we could just roll out through the front.  Parking is across the street in an unlabeled lot.  The stage is deep and the room is long, which can make for some loudness issues and serious bass.  I like serious bass, but that's another story.

The main thing with this was some tunes we had to work on.  The first dance was Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You, which we've done many times before.  I know it better than I give myself credit for, but I still like to have a chart.  The bass pedals on the E throughout the intro, while the chords do some nice chromatic harmony shifting above.  It's a little unsettling for the bassist to hold that static note for so long.  Norm worked on Haven't Met You Yet, but that is a singer's singer that he's dealing with.  I thought he did well at the soundcheck.  We left it out off the list.  It was cool that he brought out the bari sax - I love that we can add things like that once in a while to make it more of a show.

The other song of note was The Platters' beach music styled classic With This Ring.  This song gets requested all of the time, it seems.  I've always been a bit uncertain about it, to be perfectly honest.  It's one of those tunes that bands never seriously learn.  If everybody is not on the same page, it doesn't work.  I listened and listened, took a stab at it, and sent it out to Derek and Glen.  Those two are armed with big ears and they got back to me with some pertinent corrections.  That's the way it should work for situations like this.  Let everybody chime in and get it right.  I did the leg work and they straightened out my issues.  I came up with a nice little chord chart that can save the day -  worked hard to fit it on one page, with the lyrics and cues.  I've looked and looked (from it being on the list with other bands) and I've never seen a good chart for this one.  Glen sang it very well in the original key of A-flat so that's how we did it.  He commented that the intro is a bit inconsistent, mainly with the piano.  His ears are golden, as I'm sure he was listening to a YouTube posting on his phone.  So here it is - check it out.

Chord chart and lyrics for With This Ring. Written by Luther Dixon, Richard Wylie, and Tony Hester.
Recorded by The Platters and issued as a single in 1967 on Musicor Records.

Last Call at Park Bench

How's this for being out of touch and becoming of victim of suburbia's sprawl?  I guess I knew that Park Bench moved back when the Buckhead strip was razed for high rises;  I just didn't ever think about it much.  Whenever I cut through from West Paces Ferry to Roswell Road, I seem to miss this nightclub in my surveying of the land.  Well, here we were, on the back patio area of Park Bench.  It was nice and spacious, with a decent raised stage and outdoor bar.  David and the gang assembled a good crowd so that we were on it as far as representing.  Farrel joined us for several tunes and we had a good sound.

David has so much to do to get us ready.  He is our soundman and logistics coordinator.  His passion for making it happen is a fine testament to his relaxed demeanor.  I haven't seen him get upset or raise his voice, yet.  We'll have to draw up a itinerary for patching the system together for the future.  I hate that it all falls on him, and we all run through it.  Remember, this is the band that uses no amps;  no stage volume or monitor wedges even.  It's a little unorthodox, but that gives us a bit of an edge as far as control over our sound and the ability to keep the volume way down in a club environment.  I find it to be refreshing, especially since our mix is just a great sounding mix.  David's judicious use of compression, reverb, delay, and even panning can give us a real nice stereo spread.  The ear buds don't lie!

A quick aside: recently at a rehearsal, I briefly experimented with patching my NS/Stick into 2 channels on the board.  This allowed me to pan the right-hand guitar side a bit to one side.  It really made a big difference.  I think bass and drums need to stay dead center, although the drums can have a bit of a spread with the kick and snare down the middle.  It gives some nice perspective if we can utilize a bit of imaging.  Hey, it's 2013 and if the rig is stereo, why not play with it a bit?

We had a small incident with somebody supposedly getting an adult beverage to an under-aged patron.  Most of the venues we perform at are all-ages, as they are restaurants that serve alcohol as well.  Park Bench is a bar and not much else.  This makes it hard to host all-ages shows, as they do not wish to shoulder the liability.  Can't blame them.  Once again, David smoothed out the ruffled feathers and we proceeded to play a generous 2 hour set of our finest covers.

I brought out my NS WAV to have a slightly different vibe.  It's big fun to rock out on the upright bass, albeit an electric upright.  Even without the magnetic pickups of the higher-end models, it can deliver a solid bass tone.  I do compress the signal, as I almost always do.  I also have to be mindful of the high frequencies, which can squeal if not attenuated.  It can just sound too clicky if I don't roll back the passive tone control.  Lately I've started adjusting the treble on the Boss pre-amp.  By the way, my Tech 21 Sans Amp Bass Driver is out of commission - no power.  I called Tech 21 and spoke with a nice technician.  He urged me to open it up and check the spring on the footswitch.  It is a latching footswitch and if the spring is out of alignment, then that can cause the unit to not turn on.  It does still operate in bypass mode, and the spring is in place.  I think I have to send it up to them - $30 to repair it, from what I gather.

Which brings us to notes on the show itself.  Some of these tunes are starting to feel real comfortable for all of us.  I'm more confident singing here and there, particularly on Driver 8.  I used to take that song for granted but the bass line and those vocals are so distinctive - it's a minor work of art.  We debuted a couple of tunes: Junior's Farm by Sir Paul's other band Wings and Rod "The Mod" Stewart's Maggie May.  I had great fun singing that nutty Macca lyric, which I did one time for karaoke with Walt about a year ago.  Such a great rocker - unpretentious, and yet it yields a marvelous climactic coda; we milk it for all it's worth, complete with our string "section" (okay, 1 violin sounding like several).  The latter track is a showcase for Farrel, who was in her element and sang with her characteristically strong upper range as if she was in Phillip's Arena.  Speaking of Sir Paul, we also brought out Getting Better.  It was good, and I believe it will continue to get better.  We are still working on it, but it was fairly strong.  What I need is more practice playing that melodic bass line and singing - I notice that Paul plays guitar when he performs it.  It's tricky!  Once again, I do believe Ira received the greatest applause for his turn at the mic, particularly on Box Full of Letters.  Very confident.  Karl played his fiddle lines with wondrous precision.  I love it when he takes the lead.  He really shined on the new ones and he continues to add more parts to the older repertoire.  I got dark on us, which of course made for some challenging chart reading.  No stand lights!  Shameful!  Sometimes you just have to let loose with what you really know in your head and heart.  Sometimes it sounds better when you do, anyways.  The audience really enjoyed it, and by the way, there was nobody inside when I finally departed.  We had a great turnout and took our crowd with us...

Later That Night... Back Again at Capital City Club

The night after Billy Batts, I was in the very same venue with Platinum.  I zipped straight downtown from the afternoon gig in Decatur.  Not much to report.  We had Bogey on the front line, and Dianna as well.  Also had another young cat to meet for another audition for the front line.  We ended up working up The Temps' Just My Imagination.  I can't recall ever hearing the original version prior to hearing the Stones do it on Some Girls.  Suburban white boy syndrome.  To be honest, I think I could say the same about My Girl;  the Stones released it on Flowers and that's the version I knew until later in life.  Never had any Motown records as a kid.  That's the way it was, I have to say.  My brother and sister didn't have any, so I just wasn't exposed to it.  I don't remember oldies stations being around back in the the '70's.  So anyways, I started playing along.  I am familiar with the Temptations at this point, but I didn't have the bass line in my head 100%.  I knew it was a distinctive riff that cycled through the tune.  Gus started singing it to me while we were playing.  He knew it and told me what was right and what wasn't.  The school teacher in him came out.  He corrected me until I got it, and by golly, he was right.  Once I had it, the song sounded right.  The bass is just so critical, the song isn't the song until that line is happening.  Bob Babbitt performed the understated line on the original single, released in 1971, well after some of their more psychedelic offerings in the late '60's.  Well, I'm glad we learned it.  We ended up connecting it with My Girl, as the song is a bit long and they are both in the key of C.  Bogey actually took the lead, although it was suggested by the guy who was trying out.  Other tunes that we brought out: Kool & The Gang's Ladies Night and Get Down On It.  Somehow in my exposure to these R&B hits, I had never heard the longer album version of Ladies Night.  This one has 2 bridges, with that crazy hit on the Flat Seven chord.  Everybody plays it in Cm, although to my ears it is clearly in C#m.  Not sure why, but there you go.  It's not the Real Book's fault (for instance, everybody plays Red Clay in Cm because that's the key of the cheesy chart).

Not much to really report other than we were on the other side of the room.  It gives us more room to stretch out but, as Junius pointed out, we end up playing to a smaller area in front.  After considering it, I realized that it is better to be in the main room.  Less confining and what feels like a larger dance area makes for more fun for the crowd.  That's what we're here for.  Everybody who wanted to dance got their groove on.  My Tobias with the new Tapewounds performed well, as did the Stingray with the increasingly dead strings.  Need to change those puppies out one of these nights.