General Music Chat

I mentioned in another thread how we were doing a show as a backing band for another artist (along with our own). Her name is Kimie by the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h3ZdPb3 ... re=related

We just got through making a cd, learning about 25 covers, the band needs to get tighter still, and now here's this on some short notice.. I just didn't want to do it. When Ryan told me we were gonna do it, I even told him I didn't like it. My feelings were that it was going to push the band backward a bit, when we need to go forward. All of these new songs were filling my head and stressing me out. I do have a reputation, and I like to kill it live.

We did 2 shows yesterday.. First one was just mediocre. And at one point, I ended up in the wrong scale in a lead, and it was probably the worst mess of notes you've ever heard. So bad I had to apologize to the crowd. very extremely embarrassing. I'm not sure where the confusion came from.. But it was BAD!!

Going into the next show, I was extremely stressed. This would be the one where all of our regular Hawaiian crowd will be. AND it will be streaming live worldwide... Ugh.. Talk about nerves.

Two of my songs just got on the radio in Hawaii. People are now singing Jah Soldier back at me when we play in bigger numbers. Why on God's green Earth am I doing this????

The place was PACKED wall to wall. A few hundred I would say. And the set started. I literally had a cheat sheet at my feet for this set. It started out kind of like the last one did. Just eh.. My mood wasn't into it. I kept myself strategically hidden behind Ryan out of view of the camera. It just felt like the first show all over again.

Then during the second song.. The turning point.

Ryan was playing Bass.. He turns around and looks at me and has the BIGGEST smile on his face I've ever seen. He's just giddy like a kid at Disneyland.. Yyyeeeeaaa!! Woooo!! And laughing. I asked him in his ear during the song "You're loving this aren't you??" He yells back at me and says, "We're JAAAMMMINN DUDE!!"

Right away I told myself..I'm being selfish. This isn't about me. Just look at Ryan. He's really in Heaven right now. I'm gonna kick ass for him. This is one of his Hawaiian heroes he's on stage with.

The rest of the set we totally fed off each other and it really was a killer set. We both just had a lot of fun. The crowd was ROARING!!

At the end of the night I apologized to Ryan for the way I acted throughout the whole process. I was totally being selfish. I let him know that anytime he wants to back up Kimie, I'd do it with him. Doing stuff for the fun of it and Jammin'.. That's what this band is about a lot of times. I lose sight of that from time to time.. Ryan never does.

Yesterday we played a total of 5-5 1/2 hours..

You were in my top 5. Often smirked at Halo.

Kudos. Go, don't look back, don't talk. Just go please.
Best 'o' Luck my friend.

Isn't it amazing how one guy...one huge grin...one person's enthusiasm...can put a mediocre gig into a whole new universe?

Sometimes I'm that guy. Sometimes it's Dddonnie or Mike, in Flamingo Road.

Yes, it makes all the difference in the world!

We all get stressed sometimes, & it's the best part of being in a band, when there's someone else to show you how foolish you're being, & pulls you out of the doldrums in such a subtle fashion.

That's when you know you're blessed to be playing with the ppl you work with.

You're a lucky guy, Shredd! DO try to keep that in mind, the next time Ryan or someone else is having a pissy day, & it's your turn to change the direction.

Always remember that a band is never about "me", it's always about "us."

Always remember that a band is never about "me", it's always about "us."

Amen Bob!

Shredd said I ended up in the wrong scale in a lead, and it was probably the worst mess of notes you've ever heard. So bad I had to apologize to the crowd.

This happens, more with guys like me whom have less fretboard time than you. I made up my mind that I'll not apologize, just smile and recover.
( with huge beads of sweat popping out on my bald head )
Trying to get some of the others to do the same. If you flooked bad enough for them to notice, you don't need to remind them.

Awesome that you caught the vibe man. There is something just special about getting into that groove and jammin with others.

Always remember that a band is never about "me", it's always about "us."

Amen Bob!

Shredd said I ended up in the wrong scale in a lead, and it was probably the worst mess of notes you've ever heard. So bad I had to apologize to the crowd.

This happens, more with guys like me whom have less fretboard time than you. I made up my mind that I'll not apologize, just smile and recover.
( with huge beads of sweat popping out on my bald head )
Trying to get some of the others to do the same. If you flooked bad enough for them to notice, you don't need to remind them.

Awesome that you caught the vibe man. There is something just special about getting into that groove and jammin with others.

This is so true, never admit anything negative especially during a performance. I remember...in a land far, far, away that I played some wrong notes in a classical piece. I got a hoard of compliments on my perofrmance but instead of accepting the compliments graciously, I kept whining about how I played an f# in the 50th measure of the second movement. It's the performance as the whole that counts. Also I think that it isn't about me or the band...it's about the audience. The audience wants to see you enjoy yourself and play well among your musician friends. You are in a world that they can only dream of. Always, always, always enjoy yourself, look interested and even if you have to force a smile on your face...do it.
Playing the music is only part of the show.

Yeah, nerves and uncertainty have a way of locking you up and making you stiff.
I'd wager that if you were already loose you would have adjusted to the key of the song and just improvised.
I know when something like that happens and I'm all balled up tight it just makes me more stiff and frozen mentally.
I don't drink anymore but sometimes a couple of shots of tequilla is what it takes if I'm having a negative start.

IT wasn't a mistake, Shredd. It was JAZZ!

IT wasn't a mistake, Shredd. It was JAZZ!

Don't make me climb into my computer and git you , Philby
On that note, take it from a jazz musician...there ain't no such thang as a wrong note.

Oops.


I'm sorry.


I thought this was about sea food.

I honestly don't think you guys can fathom HOW bad the mistake was. It started out as a mistake, and when I tried to improvise it, it got much much worse. I would normally agree with you guys on that, but I still think it was warranted. Kimie hired us to be pros and I didn't want it to reflect on her, and I certainly didn't want anyone to leave because of it. Yes.. It WAS that bad. It seriously sounded like a 3-year old playing a guitar for about 20 seconds.

I would have to say, however, that once we were into our Haleamano set, anyone who'd seen the Kimie set, did seem to forget about my uh.. Mishap. I even had the president of an events company give me his card. So it was forgotten about by the end of our early evening show.

I regularly get called up to put bands together for touring artists. Most of the band members I call up I only play with a couple of times a year but I do usually get a bass player that I play with 6 times a year (he's kinda my anchor) and I get a good drummer that I know that has the chops to handle the gig. We generally get 1 wk of personal practice and a 4 hr rehearsal for 25 to 30 songs and then we hit the road for the tour. If we have guitar or key intro's that we have to do, we each have a MP3 player with a small spreaker in it to listen to the intro quickly before we start ... we all have charts .. most are Nashville number system and the drummer charts his own stuff.

Mistakes are alway made, we're all human, but what has to happen is the rest of the band has to hold it together and the guy making the mistake has to acknowledge he is making a mistake and recover in a miro-second ... to me it's not the mistake, it's the time to recover from the mistake and how well the band can make the mistake disapper that matters. That generally requires you to be listening to yourself and the band at all times ... it seems that many musician don't do that ... they think they are but they're not.

Aw hell, Shredd. Don't sweat it. I had one of those moments last night...& unfortunately it was at an audition. I'd learned my stuff well, but playing with headphones just ain't something I've done much of. I've sung with them in the studio, but never played in a band situation with them, & I think it threw me way off a few times, actually. I caught myself playing 1/2 step low twice, but I couldn't hear the vocals, or much of anything, really, but the bass & the drums in my mix, even after i'd tried to address the problem twice. I eventually gave up & just went for it.

They were a bit young for me, I think, from the reaction I got from the singer as I met him...

Shoot Shredd every solo I do sounds like the one you described!

I cant remember a few monthes ago we were doing some basic ZZ Top song cant even remember and we got to the solo and i jsut locked up, I run over to our bassist and say what damn keys is this. Hes grinning, come on man its in A. He thought I was just joking around and later said man that was one of the best solos Ive ever heard you do. A lot of times I will start a little repetitive lick and act like Im stuck and Andy will run over and bump my like a broken record player to get me going.

So these days when ever I do one of those gaffs and some one asks I jsut say I was trying to stick a Jeff Beck solo in there, and they go o yea the one off of Wired right?

Dont feel lonely cause I think that happens to everyone.

I guess the smile just shows what a happy vibe can do for your playing when you arent in the best mood.l