Glad we were able to fit this in ("that's what she said" - he he). Maybe because it was a Friday night, but the party wasn't as large as we'd hoped for. I guess pool parties should happen on a Saturday. It wasn't just me; the boys in SWJ had a road trip to take the following morning. The calendar is full this time of year. The good news was that we had a sunny, warm evening here at Post Oak Square in East Cobb (can't you tell from the picture above?) that gave the faithful attendees a nice night to relax and be social. We played some new additions - new to us at the time. Treasure by Bruno Mars worked really well. Also got through my first attempt at Get Lucky, that Daft Punk single that became the song of the summer. We needed a kick in the pants with these new tunes. The band sounded great. Brian's funky Nile Rogers-styled rhythms helped to propel these cuts into a new direction for the band. I don't play with these guys very often at this point, and neither does Walt for that matter. It was great to reconnect, and especially with Walt's blend of tasteful piano comping and adventurous diminished-mode lead lines.
Just remembered that we also played Chris' tune Back Porch. I listened to it over and over as the form seemed a bit unorthodox at first, but it made sense once I got it in my head. It is a great "N'Awlinz" groove straight from the Little Feat gumbo cookbook. Reminiscent of Dixie Chicken. Mark's second-line snare rolls set the Bo-Diddley beat into a relaxed motion that helped to evoke the party-themed lyrics and "les bons temps". Nothing like kicking back with friends and cold ones. I more or less got the changes right - first go to the V, back to the I, then the IV,... Cool song and it makes me regret not participating in the recording sessions earlier in the year (or was it late last year?).
I can tell this band has been busy. Fluid grooves and a certain attitude that exudes professionalism, not that it wasn't there before. It's just that when they're out doing it every weekend, you can sense the difference. I'm glad for them, and hope they can use me more in the future. Also nice to have these sweet new LED lights, making us look as good as we sound. We played 2 long sets, the 2nd being close to 2 hours, as we knew we had to shut it down at 11. The time flew by...
I always dig hearing Chris wail on the harmonica. He makes it look easy, and the boy works it well. Mark played really well; his grooves are so locked in that it makes it a pleasure to play Play That Funky Music for the 4,999th time. We ended with Billie Jean, which may have been a bit anticlimactic after some of the rock territory we ventured into near the end of the night. Walt and Miranda were very generous with a great barbecue spread and an icy cooler full of Fat Tires. Summer never tasted this good.
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