December 7, 2018 [LINK / comment]
Much, much more music!
Since my last solo musical show three months ago, I have cut back somewhat on appearances at the Queen City Brewing open mic nights. Instead of roughly three weeks per month, it's been more like twice a month this fall. I have also spent a bit less time learning new material, trying instead to polish the songs I already know, but I have not stopped entirely. Far from it! (I may have been at the September 19 open mic event, but if so, I didn't write it down.)
Here is what I have played at recent open mic events, beginning with October 10. This was soon after the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings, and I thought a song about excessive drinking in college would be appropriate, hence "Chug All Night," a little-known early Eagles tune. But the big "hit" of the evening for me was "Hummingbird," marking the departure of hummingbirds who head south every October -- or most of them, anyway! (See below.) The other four songs (which I had played in public before) went OK, although I wish I could have played the harmonica (denoted by the # symbol) more cleanly on "Gypsy Forest."
- * Hummingbird -- Seals & Croft
- Gypsy Forest ( # ) -- Ozark Mountain Daredevils
- * Chug All Night -- Eagles
- Take the Long Way Home ( # ) -- Supertramp
- Standing On The Rock ( # ) -- Ozark Mountain Daredevils
- Hey You -- Pink Floyd
A week later, on October 17, I played three new (for me) songs, indicated with asterisks as in the list above. They all went surprisingly well. "Mr. Powell" is about John Wesley Powell, the first explorer to navigate the rapids of the Colorado River in its entirety, in 1869. I learned it a long time ago, but made some "final corrections" before doing it in public for the first time. "Under the Bridge" is one hell of a cool song from the nineties, and really impressed the bartender, Kyle. 
- * Forever Autumn -- Moody Blues
- * Mr. Powell ( # ) -- Ozark Mountain Daredevils
- * Under the Bridge -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Us and Them -- Pink Floyd
- Aqualung -- Jethro Tull
On October 31 (Halloween!), there weren't many musicians present, so we each had to do a few extra songs. This time I had two new songs, both by Chicago. I did passably on the first three "encore" songs, but for the final song, I gave up on Jethro Tull's "Living In the Past" after flubbing the intro. That hasn't happened to me in a long time. So, I played Carole King's "It's Too Late" instead, and that went just fine.
- * If You Leave Me Now -- Chicago
- * Wishing You Were Here ( # ) -- Chicago
- You've Got a Friend -- James Taylor (Carole King)
- Refugee ( # ) -- Tom Petty
- Year of the Cat ( # ) -- Al Stewart
- Two Lane Highway ( # ) -- Pure Prairie League
- The Story In Your Eyes -- Moody Blues
- It's Too Late -- Carole King
Two weeks later, on November 14, I played three new songs (two by Chicago) and did "Hummingbird" again, in recognition of the surprise visit of a Rufous Hummingbird to the home of a local bird club member. (See November 10.) My friend from the bird club, Peter Van Acker, was in attendance, appropriately enough. The first song I played, "The Last Resort," called attention to the disastrous wildfires that killed perhaps a hundred or more people in California. It's all about ruining the wilderness with vacation and retirement residences, and of the consequent risks to the environment. I had just learned that song a couple days earlier, and managed to pull it off very well, I thought. My final song, "Elected," was of course a tribute to the congressional midterm elections that had just happened.
- * The Last Resort -- Eagles
- Hummingbird -- Seals & Croft
- * Colour My World ( # ) -- Chicago
- * Feelin' Stronger Every Day -- Chicago
- Elected -- Alice Cooper
November 28 was frigid, and I had trepidations about heading out to play music, but I'm glad I did. I played four brand-new songs of very distinct genres, and the audience was very friendly and appreciative. I really wowed them with the first three songs, and Fritz Horisk kindly complimented me on "Wichita Lineman." For the fourth one I gave them fair warning of a slight change of pace, and to my surprise, some of the "older" folks were singing along! For the "encore" song, I did "Under the Bridge" again, but should have played the intro more cleanly. Also, I kind of messed up the chords on the final part of that song. Nevertheless, it was for the most part an excellent night, and Craig Austin's percussion added a lot. My set list:
- * Saturday In the Park ( # ) -- Chicago
- * Wichita Lineman ( # ) -- Glen Campbell
- * Whippoorwill -- Ozark Mountain Daredevils
- * No More Mr. Nice Guy ( # ) -- Alice Cooper
- Under the Bridge -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
( # ) = with harmonica
Chicago! Chicago! Etc.
As you might have noticed, I played five songs by Chicago, the first time I have covered that particular group. Not surprisingly, given that the band relies heavily on brass instruments, I used the harmonica in all five songs. I'm working on one other Chicago song, "Beginnings," but it will take a lot more practice before it's ready for public consumption!
I have also been learning more songs by Carole King and Joe Walsh, among others. A couple months ago I was working on Doobie Brothers and Three Dog Night but then set those aside. Maybe I'll get back to them soon...