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”.

So You Want To Play In a Band Part 18

Let’s catch up. In December BlueShadow played at the Elk Rapids Town Hall, again playing the Patsy Cline tribute. This time was a little different- the band paid for the Hall up front, counting on the door receipts to cover our expenses. The weeks leading up to that night we were sure we were going to take a bath on this one. Joanie appeared on 2 local radio programs and Todd added a short blurb on the end of one of his radio adds. We printed more fliers hoping that we could get a better turn out. The night came, along with the threat of rain/snow. The Band went into set up mode and people started to arrive… turns out we had a great night (SRO). In order to shoot video that included Motown, we changed clothes and played a short Motown set as an added bonus.

First week of January there is 2 feet of snow on the ground and 10 degrees outside, so of course Jerry wants to talk about Jimmy Buffett tunes to help sell the BlueShadow Band this summer. You got to have a hook of some kind; “Sounds of Summer” is the name of that hook. Jerry assured me that he will come up with the charts. A week later he had “Volcano”, “Come Monday”, and “Its Five O’clock Somewhere”.

Going Forward

With a new promo pack and DVDs, Jerry and I met with HERTHA (Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall Association). They liked the “Sounds of Summer” idea. We were booked for 3 weekends. Encouraged, I visited The Patio (Holiday Inn). We talked about the theme and I set the “Sounds of Summer “ hook and reeled in 3 Saturday Gigs for the summer. I believe I may have left her with the idea that we have a steel drum. I’m sure Al can pull it off. I wouldn’t be surprised if he played lead steel drum in a past band. That’s just the way Al rolls.

I am still holding jam sessions now and again at Espresso Bay.

Well that’s all for now, with the Band is learning Jimmy Buffett tunes. I am being told that I will have to learn to play the Guiro. What’s a Guiro?!

So You Want to Be in a Band Part 17

Different Gigs Different Places

The last time BlueShadow performed it was a backup band to Joanie’s covers of Patsy Cline. It was a great show. The following week-end the band was scheduled to play a Motown gig back at Wilderness Crossing (Friday), The Inside Out Gallery (Saturday) and Patsy Cline at the Mills Community House.

Inside/Out Gallery

We had agreed to play a benefit for Andre’s House (a good cause doing great things). http://www.andresplace.org/ I had arrived earlier in the day to be sure that stage had plenty of outlets and was ready for the band to set up. Michelle St. Amant was busily working with her group setting up displays for the art show and silent auction. Michelle is the founder of Andre’s place and is one very hard working person. I let her know that the band stand looked fine and we would be ready to play at 7pm. What I didn’t say was that the bass player was new to the band and the guitar player was a fill in. Our regular guitarist Mike was getting married the next day. I was not worried Dave Egger is a fine bass player and fill in guitarist was A.J. he has sat in with us before.

The Inside/Out Gallery is located in the warehouse district downtown Traverse City. This part of town is working to convert unused warehouses into restaurants, art galleries and music venues.

The BlueShadow Band started to set up the stage at the Inside/Out Gallery at 5pm. In the background of instrument cases closing and speakers being set up, was the Michigan/ Michigan State football game playing (Michigan State never lost the lead). The scene was bliss.

7pm arrived and they opened the doors and people started to come in. At first it was not much of dance crowd but as set two progressed some dancers came out on the floor. They could really dance! They were all over the dance floor. The band was entertained. Toward the end of the second set the leader of the band that our new bass player came from showed up. I thought there might be a little trouble. I was wrong. He was cool and went on to say that the band sounded good wish our bass player and the rest of the band “good luck” and left amicably.

During the show there was a woman taking video of the band she introduced herself as a contributor for the local public radio/tv staion. They were making a documentary of local bands and she was getting clips from some of the Traverse City venues. This conversation lead to a call from the station and invited us to play on their TELEGANZA in the coming month. Sounds like good advertising we will do it.

Back to the Wild Pony

It was Friday night and we were back at the Wild Pony. A good crowd was there with a few dancers. Some of those dancers were already dressed for Halloween. We played the first set fine but, by the end of the second set it had all gotten to loud. It went from music to a din. No one was happy with the performance. Joanie felt like she straining by the end of the night. This became a big concern—we had a sold out performance at the Mill House the next night.

Patsy Cline at the Mills

I arrived early to the Mills Community House to find Joanie and Jerry already there. The community group was also there setting up. After the rest of the band arrived, there was discussion concerning the acoustics “how live the hall was”. I tested both the sax and clarinet –they were both too loud. Fortunately I packed a mute and various reeds, even with those accessories I had to play everything between pp and mp all notes above G had to be played an octave down. Our guitar player was nearly playing at 1 for is master control. The brass players were struggling to keep a “buzz”. The final sound check was completed 10 min. before the doors opened.

As the crowd filed in the band hung out backstage. It was a long wait in small back stage area. The band members talked about everything from other bands playing in the area to car problems. Finally the time came and we took the stage. Even though we had to play very soft, the sound was good. We had the crowd clapping along with the music and 5 or 6 couples dancing in the back.

.

One week 3 gigs 3 different locations. All in all, it was pretty satisfying.

So You Want To Be In A Band Part 16

Patsy Cline –A Musical Retrospective...

That’s how it was billed. I arrived at the Williamsburg Dinner Theater at 6pm, dinner for the patrons was scheduled to start at 7 and we were to start the show at 7:45. Jerry, Al, Joanie and I started to set the stage. Very soon after Pete, Todd and Mike arrived and everything was ready for the show. For the final touch the owner of the venue flipped the stage lights on. At this point it

occurred to me how different and vibrant a

theater stage looks with the horns, keyboar

ds, drums, guitars and BlueShadow banner---I liked it!

The Band members hung out in the back room where the equipment and props from other shows were being stored. Dave had not yet arrived he wasn’t late, just the last member to show up. So, as always, the other members begin to speculate. He arrived and slipped on stage and plugged in. With that we all put on Country Western attire. Joanie, with her red cowgirl dress with white fringe, went out into the crowd and

mingled.

After waiting back stage for 45mins I began to hear announcements, with that the rhythm section went to one side of the stage and the horns to the other, waiting to be introduced. Joanie had somehow arranged to have Michael O’Shea, the local Oldies radio announcer, introduce the BlueShadow Band. He was very good. His radio style voice and ability to work freely with the Band primed us as well as the audience for a memorable performance.

We took the stage. I was a little on edge. Not because it

was a full house or the fact they paid top dollar to eat good food and hear us perform, it was Joanie’s reputation on the line. I didn’t want to let her down. I believe the rest of the guys felt the same. The first couple of tunes we were a little tight. As we progressed through Patsy Cline’s career the Band began to loosen up and hit our stride. The crowd was really into it, some dancing near the stage others between the tables. Jerry said, “Let’s make it a show.” With that we really sold it with horn movements and working the music with over the top dynamics changes. By the time we played “Bill Bailey” the audience was ours. We “one more timed” that final song to a standing O.

A final stat—out of 120 available tickets 126 were sold.

There is a Post Script to this entry. This would the last gig Dave North played as our regular Bassist. He has started a new band called Trilogy. Dave is a fine bass player and does the best cover of "Rainy Night in Georgia" I have ever heard. I will miss all of his talents. Good Luck Dave!

So you want to be in a band 15

Now for Something Completely Different

The BlueShadow Band is still playing nearly every weekend. We have been adding new songs to sets and as a band really gelling with very few issues. BlueShadow has gigs lined up to finish out the summer and get into the fall. Things have been going along smoothly. That’s always the way just before…
Joanie (our exceptional lead vocal) came to Blueshadow from a very successful stint as Patsy Cline in the play “Always, Patsy Cline”. This role has followed her ever since. So much so that we have added a few Patsy Cline charts to our sets. It is inevitable that we get P.C. request when she is recognized on the stand.
A few months ago Joanie and Jerry began kicking around the idea of a Patsy Cline show/review. This was proposed as a 2 hr show. As we had only 2 P.C. charts I didn’t think much about it. Of course I would be happy to play in any form of our band but at that point it seemed far away.
Now, let’s refer back to an early part of this blog. Jerry has only one speed…go hard! He and Joanie contacted an arranger put up the money and charts started to roll in. Next thing I know I was handed charts, a shirt (with rhinestones) and a ten gallon hat. Cowboy up! You’re in a country western band.
I started looking at the charts first of all the Bari sax will be replaced with a clarinet. The next change is the keys these charts are written in. Gone are the friendly keys of F, D, C typical Motown and Rock Roll saxophone fare. Now we have B, F#, and C#. Get a rope!
In 3 weeks the first of these shows will be at the Williamsburg Dinner Theater. A venue I have always wanted to play. The first site reading proved to be challenging. Other than Joanie none of us knew these tunes (unlike Motown). I had to research for melody lines and style. It was quickly decided that it will require two rehearsals a week.

I will tell you how it goes.

So You Want To Play In a Band Part 14

Things that happen on the bandstand

Part of doing live shows is learning to keep the performance flowing no matter what is actually happening on stage.
I have been in attendance of shows when a performer will literally stop the show because a volume level is not right or worse yet will stop a song half way through to start again because he or she felt it could have been played better. Some band members will choose to discuss a problem like a missed chord change, or a mistake in reading a chart, or simply a wrong note played. Although there is always room for improvement, discussion on stage in the middle of a set is not the time or the place. As a dance band it becomes important to ride out problems in order to keep patrons on the floor dancing.

For instance…

The second weekend in July Blueshadow is playing on The Patio at the Traverse City Holiday Inn and it is hot. We were about two thirds thru the first set when our lead vocal steps off stage. She calmly walks to the bar and sits down. The band finishes Easy with the horns filling in the vocals best that we could. Looking to our vocalist she lets us know she was over heated and needed a break. With that we played 2 instrumentals to finish the set. During the set break we put an extension on her mic cable and brought in a bar stool and set her up in the shade where she finished the night. The Band had to crane their necks to watch for cues. We played to an encore – a good night.

Another Time…

BlueShadow was playing near the Beach and it was windy. During the first set the music stands kept trying to blow over so we played with one foot on the stand base. Between sets the duct tape was brought out to secure the stands to the stage. Even with the stands secure the pages with clothes pins were blowing around and our bassist had a whole set blow off his stand. (As it turns out like most bass players he really isn’t looking at the chart)

Saxophone issues…

Last Friday we were playing at the Wild Pony for the regulars and a small wedding reception. Jerry has been pushing for more synchronized horn movements. I am all for that! This entails horn shakes, lifting the horns over the head and right and left shifts. I like to use a string type neck strap. It is less visible than an actual strap. Unfortunately it is not as durable. I have now broken two this summer. I do however, keep a spare on stage. A bigger disaster is losing a pad in the middle of a song. When this happened (as calmly as I could) I set the offending horn on the stand, moved offstage to my spare horn and assembled it. Came back on stage flipped on the tuner and tuned the notes that came up on the chart. This allowed me to finish that song. Before we started the next one I tuned the critical notes (tenor sax) C G AC. I was ready by the next downbeat.

There are many small and big issues that occur on the band stand and the trick is never let the audience or dancers know there was any problem. The Band Scout motto: Be prepared for anything and stay cool.

The Street Party…

Our next gig was a Friday Night Live. If you are not local to Traverse City Mi, let me explain. The Downtown authority during the summer months will block off the street and have a block party with entertainment. We were that entertainment.

While waiting for the tow trucks to remove the last of the unfortunate cars on the street, I noticed a local news van parking in a strategic spot. The tech guy started pulling cables. Not wanting to miss an opportunity I struck up a conversation. We talked about the cars being towed, where the BlueShadow Band would set up and more importantly where he was planning to shoot. He told me that I should meet with the on-air talent. A few minutes passed and a young woman approached and I was introduced to the reporter who was covering Friday Night Live. She looked familiar, and I soon learned that she had formerly been a hostess at one of the clubs where we had played regularly. Being as this was one of her first field assignments, she was pleased to report on BlueShadow band, a group she knew and liked. I introduced her to Joanie, our lead vocalist and presto a spot on the 6 o’clock news. More importantly, our band was the back drop for her report.

Setting up...

During set-up we discovered the only power source given to us was a single 20amp extension cord. This was not going to be enough. Jerry and I scrambled for a chain of extension cords and the nearest outlet. Pete fired up the P.A. and other various amps. Jerry and I hoped for no fires. It all worked to perfection.

Guest on the Bandstand…

Lately, we have been approached by local musicians during sets hinting to the band that they would like to perform a song with us. To me it all seems a little presumptuous. Jerry told me this will happen more and as the band gets known. He told me it’s a good thing. I will leave to him to decide who will play or not play. However, last night playing at the street party, a guy with a tambourine decided to join the band unexpectedly. At first he stood behind Pete (our drummer) but soon became more emboldened and I found him standing right next to me. I tend to move when we play so after bumping into me twice the third time I gave him the elbow to let him know he had to back off. Thinking he left I turned around to find Mr. Tambourine Man playing his tambourine right in front of Pete’s face ala Will Farrell as the Blue Oyster Cult Cow-bell player on SNL(Saturday Night Live).
All in a nights work.

Until next time…

So You Want To Play In a Band Part 13

I have not written in this space for a while. To catch up, BlueShadow has just finished up a 2 month stint as the house band every Friday at the Wild Pony. It was a good run. Some nights were better than others. The band played well, however as the weather got better we found ourselves competing with Mother Nature for an audience. Being an early spring, nice warm Fridays made for slower nights at the Wild Pony. There were always a group of regular dancers (that were greatly appreciated by the band) keeping the players energized.
Here I would like to interject the importance of keeping your ear to the ground concerning gig opportunities and the dedication to the band to make them happen. When it came to the band’s attention that one of the local hotels was looking for entertainment, Pete sprang into action and made contact with the management. He called me to get a few press kits put together with CDs. Unfortunately, the meeting he arranged fell through. When the management called back and told him they could meet on short notice, Pete knew he would not be able to make that meeting so he handed the ball and

press kits to Jerry and sent him over. Jerry talked his way in and we had a gig the next Saturday.
Now that spring has given over to summer, our venues have taken on an “al fresco” style. I met Jerry at The Patio located on the beach in downtown Traverse City to get lay of the land. We decided to hold a practice outside in front of Jerry’s garage to work out the sound difficulties of playing in the open air. Gone are the black pants and the 50’s style black shirts with a white stripe. The first gig we wore more of a “parrot head” outfit (Hawaiian shirt and khaki pants).
Saturday afternoon arrived and the band began to set up. It had been an overcast day and it rained the night before. This worked in our favor in two ways. First, the night before BlueShadow performed at the Wild Pony and we benefited from the poor weather by having a good crowd. Secondly, the band that was supposed to open The Patio for the season was rained out. That left the summer opening for us!The manager asked us to begin at 4:30. At the start it was a pretty light crowd, however the band was up to the challenge

. When we reached the 2nd set we had some dancers in front of the stage and on the beach. By the 3rd set management was dragging in more chairs and a boat came in close and moored along the beach. At the end of 4th set the folks at the bar wanted an encore. Joanie made a quick eye check with Greg (the Manager) he gave the O.K. and we launched into “Sweet Home Chicago”. It was a great end to a successful opening of The Patio

. Apparently the Holiday Inn must have agreed. They contacted Jerry the next Monday and we will be playing ther

e six more times over the summer. I invited comments from a few friends that attended that night and they thought that BlueShadow never sounded better.