Back of the Van, Ya'll: LAST CALL Floors 'Em With the Rock at Stonewalls

Trust me, I looked worse from atop my monitor perch... and we hadn't even broken into the brewskie cooler yet!

Come awn, ya gotta be smirkin' after that headine!  Might need to read it twice.  So, we met relatively early on Friday the 28th of February (the day after Buddy's, our Husky/Shepherd, 12th birthday).  I think it was close to 1pm.  I ate my pasta leftovers on the way to David's.  Par for the course.  Ran out of time with an on-line quiz of sorts related to IT certifications.  So much for getting anything done.  I packed up for the evening and headed out.  We were hoping to get on the road before the serious traffic had built up.  Young DF had rented a deluxe cargo van to schlep us and our gear in.  Good call on that venture.  It was a fantastically easy load up as we had tons o' room for the PA system, drums, keyboard, instruments, and whatnot.  Ruth appropriately took shotgun, and Ira & myself hunkered down in the cheap seats, ie on top of monitors and other relatively safe thrones of sorts.  No biggie really.  The traffic was at a standstill at 2:00 or so.  85 had plenty of free parking.  Bully.  It cleared after Pleasant Hill - go figure.  We inched our way toward 316 and then, by a stroke of genius on the young pilot's part, chose to keep on truckin' up to Hwy 129, aka the Jefferson Bypass.  Who knows this way to Athens?  On the map it doesn't quite make sense, but in real life it's golden!  I'm a true advocate.  We made killer time, especially with all of the construction and lights that are part of the 316 ritual.  I vow I'll never take 316 again until something changes, or if there's a fatality between 316 and 129 on 85 - God forbid.  You never know.

 The bad part on all of this, as we learned along the way, was that Stonewalls (facebook page here) doesn't allow for early load in and a soundcheck.  It's just a dive bar so it doesn't even open until way after a normal happy has commenced.  What?  Well, we had some time to kill, didn't we?  We ended up checking in to our hotel rooms (thanks again to DF and his assistants!) and then we held a pre-load-in meeting at Hotel Indigo.  A few Athens-centric Terrapin Mosaic drafts were poured on our behalf.  What a fine "Red Eye" IPA that is!  Check out the link for future reference and reverence!  A heady taste of the coming spring, I must say...

While we were quaffing our ales, we spotted former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck casually strolling up near the front desk to meet his partner for the evening.  I resisted being the fan-boy that I am and did not take a picture.  It actually happened very quickly, and then he was gone.  He was dressed in dark clothing, as a rock star should, and was as tall as I remember him being (ie very tall and dare I say, lanky).  No evidence of a protruding belly there.  You know, Peter plays with Robert Fripp in the Seattle-based venture called Slow Music.  Fripp and Buck!  What a partnership!  I loved R.E.M., that is, until Bill Berry left.  Even after he left, they were good, just not the same.  Interesting how a drummer can affect they group so profoundly.  His parts are integral to their tunes.  Peter's arpeggiated lines are not that easy to cop, that is, with accuracy.  From Chronic Town through Lifes Rich Pageant (ok, for me I include Dead Letter Office, as it was leftovers from that era) they were one of the greatest bands in the world.  They had competition with The Police, The Smiths, XTC and U2, among many many others, but they made alternative (ie college music for those of us of a certain age) a lot of fun.

Eventually, after drafting a set list or two, and welcoming young Karl to the proceedings, we collected ourselves and made our way out to dinner.  A fine meal it was, at The Capital Room, with multiple appetizers that did not stand a chance.  I opted for a classic burger with a few deluxe garnishments.  It was quite a full meal deal.  I was stuffed.  As we were headed to a place that does not serve food whatsoever, I felt a bit justified.  We had a lot of work to do.  Load in, set up, tune up, and little did we know, play a 3 hour set without a break!  What the...?  It was that kind of vibe indeed.  With the Sons of DF in tow, and their strapping friends, we got it in there and strategically transformed the whiskey bar into a glorified music venue that was about to tear the roof off the sucka!  This band came to play, and that is indeed what we did.  It was a magical evening of being at the right place at the right time.  The crowd was teeming with young, impressionable students and the like.  For whatever was blowing in the wind, they seemed to know and respond favorably to everyone of our tunes written and recorded before they were conceived.  With Queen Farrel Anne at the helm, we were the biggest band in the world at the moment.  Even newer additions that we were on the fence about (I'm seriously talking about Triumph's Magic Power) went over like the latest latest skit from Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake.  I held the moment in my mighty claw.  I was a worthy Lord to King David, Prince Ira, and the Duke of Karl.  What a knight!  ha!

Deep in lack of thought, it appears...

 Special thanks to Chuck Meiers for his excellent photography; the above shots of the band and the following crowd pics were from his portfolio.  His generosity made this blog entry a much more fun read.  You rock Chuck!

For the first time, my NS/Stick (NS/Stick site here) solo on No Matter What was spot on: good volume, a bit less harsh in the distortion department (I tweaked the GT-8 setting back a bit the day before), and by golly, I nailed the notes, even while hitting the bass.  If only I had my carabiner for the slide.  David and son both commented on it.  There is hope for my two-handed independence yet!  The Avril Levine tunes were a huge hit as well.  The gentlemen had their glory with our trio of Who tunes: Pictures of Lily --> Substitute --> The Kids Are Alright.  Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy indeed!  GS, can't help but think of you when I'm up there wondering what The Ox would be thinking of our reckless abandon!  Love that middle break in TKAA where you don't quite know how to get out of the seemingly endless free-form and back to the final verse!  Other highlights?  A great take on The Beatles' I've Got A Feeling with David & me trading off lines, a real nice vocal from Ira on the Fastball nugget Fire Escape (in the original key, mind you), and Karl's raucous take on What's So Funny "Bout Peace Love & Understanding.  We even corralled Farrel into singing lead on the Sgt. Pepper gem Getting Better, 'cause that is sure hard to sing and cop Paul's oblique bass lines at the same time (not to mention, there are quite a few harmonies we feel obligated to deliver).  Worth mentioning anyways.  We had it all - hot dancing girls giving us the eye (sure they were less than half my age, but they made it a party at the moment - I'm not that creepy, I promise), cold brews bestowed upon our dusty dry throats, and an anticipatory group of audients (Fripp's word) ready to go down any road we were about to turn onto.

Eventually, we came to the end of the show and it was time for American Girl to kiss the blokes goodnight.  Then the beer goggle lights are on and we have to pack it up.  Down the stairs with some good strong backs once again.  It took forever to get the van and load that sucker up.  Watched all those bags of trash get lined up outside the club.  Watch where you step, people!  Then on to the rooms.  Very comfortable beds.  Ahhhh.  I was under pressure to get back the next day, but we made it okay.  Road with Karl and it was very nice.  We grabbed a breakfast bite and coffee at Starbucks before hitting the road.  David and the van made it back before us (that 316 is a mess, I tell you).  We brought the goods to rest in the basement studio and parted ways.  Last Call did well - one for the books.