So You Want to be in a Band Part 25

  As I said The season ended on a high point.  The Band was hired for a large Knights of Columbus Party.  Catered by one of the best restaurants in town, 300+ people on hand most of them dancing to what was the best performance of BlueShadow to date.  We played a little of everything Motown, R&B, Pop, and even 3or4 Patsy Cline tunes. A good night!  The gentleman that hired us tracked me down before the end of the night to ensure we would be available next year.  With a handshake,  I committed to next years big party.

Well, change was certainly in the air. As I had expected something was up--Joanie our lead singer had accepted a part as Patsy Cline in a play starting next spring. She informed the Band she would not be coming back next year.

Now what!

For starters a decision is needed. We can blow-up the Band or start the search for a singer.

I am not the greatest musician and to "tryout" a perspective singer seemed rather daunting. Jerry Byville (the founder of the Band) said he will take on that responsibility. I made only one request that the singer could read music.



Jerry tried out both female and male singers with out much success.


At that point it was decided that BlueShadow was done.


A saxophone player without a band.



I did receive and Email from The Front Street Jazz Band that they needed a tenor sax for an up coming gig. I was glad to have that to look forward to. Practiced a few times with them. I still love to play their style jazz. The night of the gig came and I was given a red vest to look like I fit in.



The gig went well I played all the improv solos I wanted, my favorite was" The Sheik of Araby" Again what a great time. Thanks to Bob Core, Dave Copperthwaite, Neil South, Dino, and of course Steve Weldon for inviting me to play.









As for BlueShadow at this point ........?

So You Want to be in a Band Part 24

Trying to Make Improvements


Certain that we could improve on our ability to draw dancers, I booked the hall for the next month.
This time Jerry and I tried every angle we could think of; I contacted the local Chamber of Commerce, stopped in at local businesses, & wrote a little ad to run on the local radio station. I must admit it was great to hear the spot over the air. I was pleased with the ad and dealing with the radio station was a good experience. All that effort with about the same result- $500 in receipts.

Mid-summer rolled by we played a couple of outside gigs at the Holiday Inn, Culver's Car Show and a wash out at a street festival. At this point in the summer we (as a Band) should have it all together. However we don’t seem to to gel. There are great moments of music, we are just not able to string those moments together to have a great gig. I struggle to put my finger on it.
A little over 2 years ago I was a newbie to this band game and now I am being ask how to fix this lack of cohesion. Individually I talked with each band member to get some insight into what was going on. Some suggested that we needed professional engineering for a better sound and there was some finger pointing. We tried more equipment and help with set up. It did help the balance and the last gig at the Holiday Inn was better. The other big help on that performance was Mark Goike, a friend of Jerry’s, who played all sorts of percussion and it really filled out the sound of the Band.
Our guitarist informed Jerry Byville and I that he had not been feeling well and if we wanted to pursue a different guitarist that he would like step away from the Band.
BlueShadow was booked for three events, each more important than the last. We needed someone that could be counted on to start fast and be ready to play in a little over 2 weeks. Of course the first on our list would be AJ Straw. He has pinch hit for BlueShadow before. This time we would be asking for a little more than just filling in on guitar.
In my zeal to procure high end gigs I had promised jazz style dinner music in the price of the Band. Not only did we have to prepare for 3 events, we needed an hour’s worth of light jazz.
The first of the three was the Schooner Fest-- a good warm up. The band that played before us (Joy Ride) was nice enough to let BlueShadow just plug into their set up, which made the whole thing a lot easier. The engineer from the first band helped us with our sound. We played to an appreciative crowd until dark.
With the addition of AJ, a great jazz guitar, we found that Jerry Endres our drummer also played a mean set of vibes; add Mark Goike on Drums, Al on keys and Dave on bass & presto... dinner music. (AKA Lite Blue) They did an extraordinary job. I was very pleased with the sound & more importantly the client could not say enough about the whole package. I am sure we will we be asked back.
The last gig of the summer was quite the bash. We sold out the Hall at $40 per ticket which did include dinner. The Band even got fed…I should have been including that all year. There were over 200 patrons dancing until after 11pm. I even got to dance with my wife while playing Land of 1000 dances. What a great way to end the summer... we have never sounded better.


The Evening may have been a great success, but the future of the BlueShadow Band was to be shaken yet again.

So You Want To Be In A Band Part 23

Let the Summer Begin

Well we thought so anyhow. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. The temperature was about 60 when we started and went down from there. The Band was not at its best. The Guitarist and bass players struggled with cold fingers as did the keyboards and horns. All round intonation was a challenge. What started out as a good sound had to be constantly checked. Only the hardiest fans came out and they were in winter coats. The band members were very disgruntled with the whole thing. I felt a little responsible I pushed to play on. New Band rule when playing outside the temperature must stay over sixty.

Lesson learned.

The next event was a little different. The Band went out on a limb. I thought that maybe we could rent a hall, charge at the door and keep the receipts. We posted fliers tried to enlist help from the folks that own the hall. I made contact with the local dance groups and invited them to the dance.

We showed up fairly early to post more fliers and to generate

some last minute interest in the “The Summer Dance Party”. As it turned out we took $500 at the door. That covered the hall and band members got paid something for their efforts.

The following clip is of that night. The dancers certainly had a good time.

Next time more Press

So You Want to be in a Band Part 22

More Change

It seems inevitable that a Band will have change. Enter Dan Chryster. I met Dan at a local coffee shop to discuss The BlueShadow Band. Dan and I talked about what we were looking for in a guitar player and what he was looking for in a Band. He had been heading up a popular Bacon and Eggs blues band. As an extra bonus Dan could handle some of the vocals. I went online and found a few clips of his former band on U tube. He certainly has the skills. I looked through some of his set lists there was quite a bit of over lap. I gave him half a dozen charts and asked him to show up at Jerry's place to meet the rest of the band. I had no doubts that he would be good for the band. In all honesty he had with his stage name of "Lumpy Jones"

The rest of the Band was very pleased with his abilities. Now the hard work of learning 60+ arrangement in time for our first gig in 4 weeks with a new rhythm section.

So You Want to be in a Band Part 21

The last entry we were still trying out drummers.

To come into a band that has been playing together for a year + and play with some drive --but not too loud, and follow the breaks that we haven't told you about, is got to be a little rough.
That was the situation that Jerry Endres was thrust into. He pulled it off. The first time through a phrase the rest of the band played the breaks like we always had --Jerry only had to hear it once and the next time around he nailed it. It didn't matter whether it was the drum breaks in "Knock on Wood" or "Sweet Home Chicago", he was able to drive it or make it swing. The band breathes a collective sigh of relief.

Hey the man already owns a Cowboy Hat---Ready to play those Patsy Cline Gigs

So You Want to be in a Band 20

Jerry our trumpet player was moonlighting in the Front Street Jazz Band. I guess its O.K. Both Todd and I have been known to moonlight with that group. (But I didn't wear a red vest.)

Steve Weldon playing Sax.

Scary thing. Pete our 20 something drummer is having surgery. I dont do well with this kind of stuff.

Three days Later

Pete's Surgery was long but went well, he's been recovering at home.

The Band hasn't practiced as a complete group in more than 4 weeks. Jerry, Todd and I have been getting together to work on and fix the horn parts for the Sounds of Summer/Jimmy Buffett music. We have also been learning some percussion instruments clave, cabasa, cow bell and others. Jerry has been learning the steel drum. I worked with him last night supplying horn parts to play the steel drum against. I am encouraged by the steel drum work.

Tomorrow we will have the full band at practice except for Pete. Jerry has a drummer coming in to work with Band. It will be a very tall order as Pete is a great drummer and the Band only feels right with him. I will report back later with how it turns out.

One Week Later...

Finding a drummer that plays with the same swing, drive...talent, as Pete is very difficult. The first attempt failed. A good drummer, just not the right fit. I hope we can pull it together. We have another drummer coming in this Sunday.

I would kid Pete about using a drum machine...yeah right.

Last Night

I try to listen to other local groups and follow what they are up to. Last night I listened to a group by the name of the Big Timers --Robert Abate, Steve Weldon, Bill Muha, and others. The music was great with a right blend of musicians and tune selection. Both guitarists had something to say and did in tasty riffs on each selection. I was particularly taken with Steve Weldon's work on tenor- it was both melodic and exciting. The rhythm section was very attentive and on the mark throughout the night.

Live Music- there is nothing like it.

Jerry went down to visit Pete. Brought back good reports.

Until next time

So You Want To Play In a Band Part 19

OTHER MUSICAL EVENTS

Jerry Byville has been involved in a music program that he put together for a local charter school. The program is to introduce the students to jazz by way of improvising. This is no small task due the differing levels of musical background of the students. This program was to culminate with a short performance during a dinner held at the school.

To create a successful experience for the kids Jerry utilized some of the Jamey Abersoll back up CD’s. These are a great teaching tool; the musicians that play on these CDs are some of the top players in the Jazz world. (I will pop one of the CDs in my car player just to hear the musicians laying down a solid track that is always in the pocket.) In another life Jerry taught school as a Shop Instructor. After school he took the time to teach jazz improvising right in the shop room. As with those kids and the ones he is teaching today, they are very fortunate.

The day of the performance was about a week away. I was asked to sit in with kids along with Al, Todd, and Jerry. The plan was to have a couple of “ringers” to be sure the song got started and then get out of the way so the kids could do their thing. I stopped in at practice the day before the performance. The kids were very excited about playing. They all had chords (3rd‘s) they would be improvising written in pencil on their music. The songs Jerry had selected are as follows; “C jam Blues”, “Basically Blues”, “Watermelon Man” and “Blue Train”. I told him these were great selections…. Blue Train really. I watched seasoned players have a train wreck with Blue Train. He told me that’s why I was there. Throttle down this is Jerry after all.

The night of the performance I arrived at the school and was surprised at the number of people there. We began to set up. I pleased to see that Jordan, a drummer I played with in the NMC jazz band, was sitting in to help out the rhythm section. Bass lines were being laid down by Anthony Weber, an employee of the school. Keyboard duties were being more than handled by Steve Stargart- One the best players in Traverse City.

After announcements and introductions the first chart was called. C jam started with a lone trumpet and to that was added a second trumpet, saxophone, trombone, and a flute section. Every student took their turn improvising. We did a call and response with the audience. The song ended with that same lone trumpet. It was pretty effective. The rest of the performance went well. Even Blue Train went off without going “off the tracks”..

As the performance came to a close I wondered if the kids really understood what just happened. With musicians from many walks of life and varied musical experience all in one place creating music together, that is the true meaning of a “jam session”.