United States

I had this thing yesterday about some woman I know blah-blah-blah.
So I was feeling a little down in the dumps...

I have this habit of going to music stores when I feel out of sorts.
I just play a little, whatever they got. blah-blah

I told you that I have been known to play to the TV.
(It doesn't talk back, it doesn't stop playing, it changes, it's like a game.)
It really trains your ear and I am living proof.

I see this synth and I ask to play it a little bit. I go through a medley of utter crap that I have heard on the TV at one point or another, laughing a little as I go. (theme from Peanuts, Scooby Do, Johnny Test (that's a good one), a piece of Whipping Post (Almans), Love is in the Heart and then I heard a radio playing faintly Wham's "Everything She Wants".)

2 minutes later, I am playing the whole thing (well my version) with a synth bass bottom and a church organ top for color and laughing like a craxzy man. I was beating on the tone wheel like mad and trying to fill a little while I sang the tune softly.

Next thing you know some guy comes up to me and stops me, offers me a spot playing keys/vocals in his setup.

I tried to avoid vomiting right there, as I truly dislike WHAM in general but it was pleasing to know someone thought it had some validity. (albeit the wrong variety of...)

I went through he motions and explained to him that I can't really play keys, I just dabble. I don't even own a keyboard per se or keyboard amp.

The fing guy wouldn't go away. And a cover band as well.. (gag)

I end up telling him that I would need a "500$ deposit" for my services, a real keyboard and keys amp to play through. Then I would consider his setup. (I thought that would get rid of him FOR SURE.)

The guy asks me if a Kurzweil K1000 would be ok and said they had a keys amp I could play through.

Then the f**k asks me if I would take a check. lol

I just looked at him in disbelief. He then asked me if something was wrong. LOL (The look on my face was telltale)

In the end, I just took his info and told him I'd call him and to keep his check for now.

I have no intention of calling him, just like I rather doubt I could play that wham tune again even if I wanted to.

But it made me smile in an otherwise bad and dreary day.

I am guessing that there really is a shortage of keys players, especially in NJ.

I have to find a better music store to go jam in, who knows what you'll run into. If that can happen like yesterday, I'd say anything is possible.
But WhAm? Oh f**k no!!!!!

I'm just glad he didn't want the nonsense from "Love Is In The Heart". LOLOL What is that "Delite"? "Delight"? I have to look on you tube.. it'll tell me.

Beware of what you play and where you play it, all kinds of people are hungry for players. And if you can do something that others don't want to or consider difficult, all kinds of weird stuff is possible.

I'd play keys for Dave Grohl or Josh Homme, but the rest of them are screwed. (Just like I would be if I consent to manning the keyboard for unsuitable material(s), it's just not who/what I am. Stay true to yourself or you'll be miserable.)

Or maybe you could just tell them "I'm a dick. You don't want me.:

I did everything except that.

You try not to tell people stuff like for instance, "your proposed covers make me ill". No one wants to hear that sh*t and when you say "no", it should be enough.

I thought the 500$ and the fact I don't own a keyboard would be more than enough to scare him away.

I could have played him some of your samples, I bet he would have run from that. LOL I know I would.

Man you need to just go from town to town dinking in music stores and then cashing the checks.

Just don't let em see what you drive off in.

I was checking out an interesting guitar the other day and two young black kids came over, wide eyed! I told them, 'it's no big deal - you could do this' - and handed them a 3k guitar (didn't know it at the time) which freaked the poor salesman. Showed them how to make some basic chords and they loved it. Cute kids.

But wait - then a beautiful, and I mean extra hot, music teacher came over to collect the kids. She had kicked off her pumps and looked about as sexy as a female is allowed to short of jail time. She smiled at me, I retrieved the guitar, and then passed out on the floor.

I must truly be getting old or I'd have chased her to the ends of the earth.

talbot

UH . . . Scott . . . don't trip over Mike laying there on the floor, whilst your running out with your check.
Could delay the get away.

I don't take monies that aren't mine.
I don't rob people.
I don't like people that do that type of crap.
If I didn't do it to you, please don't do it to me.
I didn't take his money.

I told him 500$ just because I thought more would be too obvious I was trying to get rid of him. I just wanted him to go away, but didn't want to hurt his feelings. (You never know who will help you or hurt you..better to have friends than enemies. You know I tend to be abrasive as per usual, but I wasn't actively trying to down him.)

And people won't even give me so much as a ride, let alone a check that is worth money. It was just a fluke at best and like the sign says, "shortage of keys players in NJ, film at 11".

Capt Im having some issues myself, I joined some new guys and actually I was hoping to go in a different direction musically than what Ive been doing the past 5 years, but now I realize they are just trying to recreate my band Aint Yo Mama over again. Hell Ive been there and done that.

Plus last night our bassist was back in town to pick up some more things and we got together, the drummer, me and the bassist, and since we didnt have any vocalist, we really cranked the sh*t out of it, and no this new group will never be anything like my old group.

So Im fughen confused on what to do, have a couple of gigs lined up wiht the new group, so we will just see how it goes.

My bassist broke me heart, he had left this old Hartke 4x10 cab at my house to keep for when he came to play, I was running it with my old SUNN MODEL T head, sounds great by the way, But he decided to take his cab back, cause he has found some guys to play with, he had a 8 x 10 Hartke cab that he traded, I wish I had gotten that one from him and kept it around.

Hell Capt maybe you should take the money every now and then. Use it for your other musical endeavers, plus it has to make your head swell up a bit when someone really really wants you!

John - sometimes its fun to keep on doing the same-ol' thing, other times it's "time to move on" - only you can make that decision for yourself.

Scott - I appreciate your integrity, but I agree with John, sometimes you should just 'take the money and run'!

Gentlemen, I don't often get offered money like that..it was a fluke, plain and simple. I've been in a position to take advantage of people in the past, it's simply not done by myself. (Karma is a bitch and she already left her size 12 foot print on my rear end.)

Otherwise, just do what you always do.

JW, play and perform, you been there 1000x before. Yeah maybe the situation is not perfect, but you can't stop playing anymore than any of the rest of us can.

Remember the lessons of the Glambert, "you don't always get what you want, but you might get what you need". (ooh that's stones as well)

I'd just go with the flow if I were you, for now.

Perhaps keep an eye out for some people you like that are doing original music. I'm thinking it might be a great time for you to cross over to an original music band that you could write with. I heard you say you have some originals you are working on. In the right setup, you'll be welcomed with open arms. You just need to find that niche and I suspect things might really open up for you.

PS: My head doesn't swell. 'Humble' is always the way to go. People like humility and after the crap I've endured, you learn that ego is only something the rich can afford. The rest of us are scrapping for every last shred of morsel to be found in hopes of making it another day. And then you get the occasional kick that sends you reeling, back to start, do not pass go, do not collect 200$.
I am always looking for "free parking", but get "just visiting" if I am lucky or in jail indefinitely because doubles are not the order of the day.

I am great on a night when nobody is expecting me to perform, but trying to organize something regular takes more than I have presently and I am def not one to convince anyone of anything. (faq em all)(exception is that kooky fake radio show laden with covers I didn't really want to play.)

Am I going to stop what I am doing? no.
Do you get weary? Yup-yup, we all get weary from time to time.

Every day is a new day or that's what I keep telling myself.

Head up, chin up even if it's just to let them slap you again.
Trust in what you know and forget the rest.

And if people are going to do you dirty, well sometimes you can't do much about it except to "keep it moving".

You know what happens to sharks when they stop moving, right?
The movement through the water helps them to separate the oxygen so they can breathe. When they stop moving, they asphyxiate slowly.

"Keep moving, don't over think it and do what you do naturally".

I don't take monies that aren't mine.
I don't rob people.
I don't like people that do that type of crap.
If I didn't do it to you, please don't do it to me.
I didn't take his money.

I told him 500$ just because I thought more would be too obvious I was trying to get rid of him. I just wanted him to go away, but didn't want to hurt his feelings. (You never know who will help you or hurt you..better to have friends than enemies. You know I tend to be abrasive as per usual, but I wasn't actively trying to down him.)

And people won't even give me so much as a ride, let alone a check that is worth money. It was just a fluke at best and like the sign says, "shortage of keys players in NJ, film at 11".

I'm sure . . . was just being humorous . . . or at least attempting to.

Capt, dont worry since Im getting divorced again I will be riding the musical pony into the ground, this new group, I presented my latest original and Im going to play it live sat night. Besides I have to do something to keep my chops u if nothing else.

Hell I took my favorite LP in and may have to refret it, waiting on the consensus from a few folks, but I bought one of those damn Ibanez RG shredder guitars, with the locking whammy system to play with. Cool guitar very fast neck, that you can play a whole two octaves on, it doesnt have the bite that my LPs do, but its a fun guitar to mess with.

On another note my ole drummer and I actually talked about maybe finding a bass player to do some jamming with, and who knows where that might go, wish we could find a guy who can play bass and lead vocals with a higher register voice, but if not we may try to find an attractive female to front us and call it Whos Ur Daddy?

These guys didnt want to use the name, but Im still determined to use that name.

What bands have you played in Bubba?

Well there was Aint Yo Mama, and then there was Whos Ur Daddy?, in college there was 4 Drunk Fukkkas, just sounds cool to me.

I have my fingers crossed for you, JW.
It's about time your originals come out into the open air.

I'll say a little prayer. Let us know how it goes.

You know your whole extended bmix family is pulling for you, as usual.

Chin up.