Joe G

My conclusion after watching Paul's performance was that it was pre-recorded. It just didn't sound like music produced in a stadium setting. They did do a great job of pulling it off, though, as I was second-guessing myself for most of the show.

Looks like you had your CAPS locked, but didn't know it.

Fortunately I didn't get that far!

Especially the woman in the tank top who fell of the back of the crotch rocket after her dumb-ass boyfriend popped a wheelie. Some serious road rash there!

A few of my impressions: I like this album, with some reservations - mainly Part I, which reminds me a little too much of recent works. Parts 2 and 3 are my favorites, and the opening is cool, too. The most touching part comes at the very end - I like those short phrases Pat plays on the tag. The overt 70's references (flanged guitar, electric piano, and the Eberhard Weber bass tone) are a little strange to me in the context of this work. Tip of the hat, I guess. In the liner notes they thank Mick Goodrick; some of the chordal sections sound like they were adapted from his voice-leading books (nothing wrong with that). Nice harmonica work, in the vein of Toots. It took me a while to realize that the drum pattern in the opening is supposed to be counted on the bass drum pulse. I thought it was in some odd meter because of the cross-sticking pattern, but it's really not. Odd bar lengths, maybe. But it's definitely a fast 4/4 when it reappears in Part 2. There's a lot of that kind of superimposing of elements here, and that's one of the things gives it that density that we're hearing. I imagine they had to practice the hell out of this to play it live!

Yo Mama's got a complex....

That's why Jim and I have had discussions about not billing ourselves as a jazz group. People have a lot of preconceptions about jazz, most of it negative. Our posters say "original organic grooves", which seems ambiguous enough. At the FireFly last Saturday, I made the comment, half-joking, that we aren't really jazz. Chuck Nessa had a zinger ready for that: "That's what those people who left were saying." D'oh! That was cold.

Glad that Melissa and Milo are okay after all that!

My job history is boring, but here it is anyway: Receiving/stockboy at both Big Wheel and Meijers Groundskeeper at Maple Grove Cemetery (yes, I dug some graves) Couple of minutes at a place called Canvasback, which produced anything you could fashion out of canvas. Print shop Got fired from two of those jobs, BTW. Both times it was the best possible outcome for all involved!

I'm getting a "file corrupted" message when I try to view the file you posted, Chuck. Don't know if it's you or me.

You do remember what Michigan winters are like, right Jim?

Thanks for posting this, Mike. I didn't realize he was so involved with and aware of the current crowd of funk groups. Have you heard that new album? I have to catch him for sure next time he comes to G.R.

I think that's correct, Mike. "This Could Be the Start of Something" is the Green/Young arrangement you were thinking of, Paul. And yes, we did Duff's Doonk by organist Bill Heid - you should look for his cds. I'm sure you'd dig 'em. Thanks to all for coming out and spending the evening with us.

No offense taken. The American Idol thing seems like a step in the wrong direction to me, as far as all this goes. Doesn't that fit in with what Sangrey was saying about people "wanting something that they can either laugh at and feel superior to or at some level identify with as something they themselves could do w/o too much effort" ?

Heh heh... you said "Fudge licks".

Same here. If it wasn't for the State of Michigan's employee benefits package, I might be doing more fufilling work.

That would be terrible!

Maybe he had just gotten some bad news via cellphone.

Correct on both counts, I'm sure.

Okay, so if *this* don't beat all... Last Tuesday we were at Founder's, our usual haunt, with a decent crowd on hand. On the way in, I took note of the full moon, which as it turned out, was in full effect. We're in the middle of the third song of the first set, when a woman, probably mid-to-late 20's, approaches the band stand, obviously wanting to say something. Randy and I put up the invisible barrier by avoiding eye contact and turning a shoulder in her direction. But it soon becomes clear that she's not one to be easily dissuaded. The quickest way out seems to be through, so I give her the "yes, can I help you?" look, while trying in vain to maintain my rhythm playing. She smiles, steps in close, and says, "I play cello!" So finally I say, "Yeah?", thinking, "She can't be seriously expecting me to invite her to sit in - can she???" She just says, "Yep!" in response, to which I say, "Let's talk about this on our break." "Okay - come look for me; I'm at that table over there!" Immediately after the song was finished, one of the staff came up and asked if she was going to be a problem, and telling me that "she's a craaaazy lady!" Apparently they'd seen her there before, and they had had a hard time communicating with her then. She actually came up once more that set, and ended up between Randy and me, but a waitress quickly escorted her back to her table. I felt kinda bad for her after finding out that she has some sort of mental problem. But Jesus - that question followed by her expectant look just had me flabbergasted! Later on, in the second set, we started playing Fool For You, a slow, bluesy tune that Jim sings the hell out of. Right from the get-go, this guy (a regular at our Founders shows), who had been drinking quite a bit more than was good for him, went absolutely APESHIT! He just started *screaming* at the top of his lungs, carrying on for a good 2 or 3 minutes. It was total insanity, like Beavis on a suger high. CALM DOWN, BEAVIS!!! Finally, I was able to make eye contact with him, and I put my finger up to my lips in the universal "shush" sign, and that seemed to calm him down. Either that, or he was finally spent. We had a great time playing, but that was one wild night!

Oh Jim - there's a beautiful B-3 (with a Hammond cabinet) down at Marshall's. Thought you might like to go over there and drool on it or somethin'.

Jim, when do you think it will be out? Ballpark.... Ballpark? 2005.

Probably! Actually, I'll do it for you. Whoa! You did that while I was on thread. Pulled the rug out from under me!

This album had me ing.