So You Want to be in a Band Part 28

Something Different

Last week I was asked to sit in with a Jazz Trio. Sounds Great right? Well...

About 1 month ago I was asked to sit in with a small group for a Birthday party. To ensure I was on the same page with the group I met with group leader. Jerry Byville came along to help me work out any details with the music. We played a few tunes and I was feeling pretty good about this outing. He told me that he had been with group for so long that all he was use to doing, was give the rest of the band the intro and they would know what to do. That was great however I would need the name of the tune or at least the key ( I would be using a Fake book.) He told me to tell him the key my chart was in and he would instruct the band to play in that key. ----- O.K.

I was hoping that Jerry would be able to play on Sunday. In this case two horns would better than one. Unfortunately Jerry had other commitments for that day.

So I looked at my fake book running through what I thought were standards noting the concert key for the gig.

Sunday came I went to the location and set up my sax. Then went to search out the band leader

to go over the "standards" and their key. We sat and talked. He looked over my Fake book and said they looked like the songs were in the original key. There should be no problem.

We got started a little late so I spent the time talking with the drummer for the trio. He told me of the times when he was in the Union and would get calls to play with bands from cool jazz to hard rock. Once showing up to play in a jacket when the rest of the band were in sleeveless shirts if they were even wearing one. It was enjoyable killing time with a veteran player.

Well we finally got to play and it started out well. The first tune Don't get around much Anymore went smoothly and When Sunny get Blue got a very warm reception from the party goers. Then the leader started into tunes with out calling out the tune or key. The other members knew exactly what song and key ----they have been playing them together for 30 years. I started to play softer and tried to extract what key we were in by watching the keyboardist hands and transposing to Bb. To say the least I was not up to that challenge. I made alot of assumptions on the keys we were in. I could hear C chords -I hung out on that to the best of my ability. It was quite a workout.

The trio was made up of great musicians that knew their music inside and out. They made very smooth transitions as they moved from one song to another. I felt very much the rookie that night.

Lesson learned

So You Want to be in a Band Part 27

Well the time as come for the BlueShadow Band to Play its first gig of the year. In all honesty I planned it as a practice gig. The community center was able to take money at the door. The Band was playing for free. Its like when a new vessel is built there needs to be a shake down run to be sure all of the pieces are working. A few shaky starts, one or two weak endings. But for the most part some good playing. Pete (new on keyboards) had a goodnight. I was very pleased with Angie (vocalist). Her take on Midnight Train was great, but when she sang At This Moment she had the audience and the rest of the band wrapped.
We finished the night with Walking on Sunshine. Determined not to have anyone sitting down to end the show, I went down to the dance floor to get everyone on their feet and Dancing.
For good measure I had Todd (trombone) flank the other side of the floor. It worked well this will be the way this song is always done.

As always the next practice will include a post gig meeting so we can discuss ways to improve the Band's performance. There is always room for improvement.

So You Want to be in a Band Part 26

Reshuffle and Regroup

Well for a fleeting week The BlueShadow Band was no more. I spent and evening with Jerry (in the practice room) putting things away, sorting out which items were his and which were mine. We played a little jazz together but for the most part wondering what is next musically.

Not more than a few days later I got phone call from Jerry. "Bill, I may have found a singer!...we need to meet."

So I set up a time to meet with Jerry and our soon to be lead singer Angie Berle. The three of us Jerry playing the keyboard, I switching between sax and trumpet part on my tenor and Angie knocking our soxs off with her style of singing.-----and she can read the charts.

The next change was a different drummer enter Micky Stclair. Long hair, tattoos and pink converse hi- tops. ----Perfect. He has great timeing and will add to the set list singing James Brown and Grand Funk Railroad.

One more change. Al had told Jerry and I that he would like to take a break from playing full time in a band and we should start looking for a keyboard player.

I can hardly wait to type this.....Pete Murphy our one time drummer inquired about playing keyboards. I have always thought Pete was a great drummer. He really impressed everyone with is ability to make music happen on keyboard to cement the rhythm section.-----I am so pleased to have Pete back in the Band.

THE BLUESHADOW BAND

Angie Burle- Lead Vocals

AJ Straw- Guitar

Mickey St clair-Drums/Vocals

Todd Oliver-Trombone

Dave Egler-Bass

Pete Murphy-Keyboards

Jerry Byville-Trumpet

Bill Kneisel-Saxophones

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.