General Music Chat

So, before last night's gig...the best compliment i ever got while playing was maybe 20 yrs ago. i'm playing bass w Spectrum, a VERY good country/rock back in Mid Missouri. My cohort in the rhythm section is bruce who i'd been playing w in a number of other bands for yrs. and so we had a great musical rapport and hookup.

anyway we're scheduled to play a weekend at a club in Wentzville MO. we show up fri to set up and we're informed they've double booked. these were some pretty straight up and stand up people running the club. they felt terrible.

their plan was to have us play that night friday and have the other band play saturday....and they were gonna pay us 1/2 price for the saturday gig that we'd be missing. i assume they did the same arrangement for the other band that missed out on playing fri.

so, we're doing fri's gig and these three guys walk in and sit at a nearby table. we make them pretty much immediately as the band that got cancelled that night. and they are. they're looking pretty pissed like it was our fault or something that they're sitting there...and we're on stage playing.

before long their attitudes and expressions change up and clearly they're digging the music. we finish the set and their drummer comes over to me and bruce, and all dead pan he says to me and bruce...."so it must be pretty cool playing with your twin in the rhythm section, huh?"

the punch line is that Bruce is a 6' 4" black man!


anyway...that was the best compliment i'd gotten til last night....

PLANET JAZZ was playing our regular pizza gig and we were having a blast freewheeling... taking songs down all kinds of new roads and alleys....lots of musical dialog and interplay among us. on break a gtr player i know comes over and says "i was just telling my wife how much fun it is watching the communication between you guys....it's like watching a freaking talk show w/o all the damn talking!"

Mine was a band I was in in 1997 were playing a gig when a guy came up all pissed off and accused of faking it and acting like we were playing to a recording. I just looked at him very seriously and said thanks man that's the best compliment I have ever received. He just walked away scratching his head! I didn't tell him but as a cover band playing Lay It On The Line by Triumph if we sounded that much like the record that's pretty cool!

I have difficulty accepting complements.
Usually they have to do with how much energy I put out on stage, or the "tone" ... ( yeah I like that one )
But to be honest, when I'm in the crowd with my guitar and people just want to slap me on the shoulder or shake my hand without saying anything is pretty cool.
Still the best, is when someone kneels down to pray with and along side of me during an alter call.
( some times I'm not on stage during that particular part of a service and get to participate just as "me" )
That's why I'm there.
I'm entertainment . . . and I am also on a mission.
That's the best . . . absolutely.

My favorite remains the snark I got in my first gig. I'd been playing a whopping four months.

On a break some cat said, "You're a terrible bass player!"

But I was a bass player and that's what I set out to be.

Talbot

Always nice to hear appreciation from listeners. A few I remember:

About 7 years ago we were playing the local Elks club. We had just finished a Blues flurry that included Red House, Before you Acuse Me, and Pride andJoy. The band was cooking and I was having fun on guitar. We took a break and I headed off to the head. On the way back a big crusty looking guy stops me and says "Hey, I just had to tell you, that was some of the finest blues guitar I have ever heard. ".
Cool thanks man! No one had ever said that to me before.

NYE 2011- San Diego Convention Center Porsche Club party - I was invited to sit in with the Blues Doctors for a few. They gave me the song list in advance so I could work up something interesting to add to a really good band. This was an A list gig so it needed a special touch. In the second set they called me up and I just did my Tele thing with a really solid groove behind me. Afterwards a guy I new came over and said " Wow! I always knew you played guitar but never like that. I really like the Blues Doctors but your playing is exceptional. I had no idea! bravo!"
This was an extra treat because Paul had performed with the SD Master Chorale for 10 years and is a highly respected classical cellist.

Two years ago we created a pickup band at the Festival of Speed, AAA Speedway. It was Friday night and we were kinda tired from driving and wrenching but wanted to blow off some steam. We jammed on a bunch of familiar tunes and had a decent groove. The next day a guy walks over and said "Hey, I really enjoyed your playing last night. I have been around musicians all my life and my sister is a session guitarist in LA. You really dig deep into the music and it comes across great!"
Nice!

We pour our souls into those grooves and most of the time it is just personally satisfying. It's always appreciated when someone else notices the effort.

I had a drummer in one group turn to me after about 15 rehearsals and 2 gigs and said, "You are a great bass player, the best I've ever played with." I didn't expect that.

Getting paid AND getting more gigs.