My musical performances
From roughly 2006 through 2014, I played two or three times a year at services of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Staunton, along with Matthew Poteat, Randy Hamblett, Colin Hester, and a few others. On September 21, 2014 (see August 8, 2016 blog post), I played with those guys at a peace rally in Gypsy Hill Park. Since March 2016, I have been playing at "open mic" events which are held each Wednesday evening at Queen City Brewing in Staunton, Virginia. The first time was kind of rocky, but I eventually returned and gradually got better at performing in public. I am grateful to Fritz Horisk and the Staunton Music Guild for providing this venue for aspiring musicians.
My own shows
In early 2017, I began asking around at various local venues about doing music shows, and had my first solo act (at Bedlam Brewing) in June of that year. I am very grateful for the support from my friends who have gone to see me play. I generally write one blog post per show (including brief summaries of my open mic appearances), but combined three shows (April-May, 2018) into one blog post:
- Jun 4, 2017 Bedlam Brewing ( + 7 open mic )
- Jul 23, 2017 Bedlam Brewing ( + 7 open mic )
- Sep 24, 2017 Bedlam Brewing ( + 4 open mic )
- Nov 17, 2017 Bedlam Brewing ( + 5 open mic )
- Jan 20, 2018 Valley Smokehouse ( + 3 open mic )
- Feb 17, 2018 Shenandoah Brewing ( + 6 open mic )
- Apr 20, 2018 Bedlam Brewing ( + 12 open mic ) *
- Apr 27, 2018 Shenandoah Brewing ( " ) *
- May 25, 2018 Bedlam Brewing ( " ) *
- Aug 31, 2018 Bedlam Brewing ( + 5 open mic )
Dates refer to when the events occurred, not the blog posts, which came later.
* Three separate shows, and 12 open mic events, were covered in a single blog post on July 28.
| Original artist | Song title | # of times I played (at my own shows) |
|---|---|---|
| (traditional) | Blue Ridge Mtns of Virginia | 1 |
| 10 CC | I'm Not In Love | 2 |
| Al Stewart | Year of the Cat | 1 |
| Allman Brothers | Melissa | 3 |
| Andrew Clem | Better Left Unsaid | 5 |
| Argent | Hold Your Head Up | 1 |
| Avicii | Wake Me Up | 1 |
| Badfinger | Day After Day | 1 |
| Beatles | All You Need Is Love | 1 |
| Beatles | And I Love Her | 1 |
| Beatles | Come Together | 3 |
| Beatles | Here Comes the Sun | 2 |
| Beatles | Hey Jude | 1 |
| Beatles | If I Fell | 1 |
| Beatles | Love Me Do | 2 |
| Beatles | Norwegian Wood | 1 |
| Beatles | You've Got To Hide Your Love Away | 2 |
| Billy Joel | Piano Man | 4 |
| Bob Dylan | All Along the Watchtower | 1 |
| Bob Dylan | Like A Rolling Stone | 3 |
| Bob Seger | Turn the Page | 3 |
| Bobbie Gentry | The Ballad of Bille Joe | 1 |
| Bread | Guitar Man | 1 |
| Cat Stevens | Wild World | 1 |
| Chris Isaacs | Wicked Game | 4 |
| Classics IV | Stormy | 2 |
| Classics IV | Traces | 1 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | Green River | 3 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | I Put A Spell On You | 1 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | Proud Mary | 3 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | Susie Q | 1 |
| Crosby, Stills, & Nash | Carry On | 1 |
| Crosby, Stills, & Nash | Guinnevere | 1 |
| Crosby, Stills, & Nash | Simple Man | 1 |
| Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | Helplessly Hoping | 2 |
| David Bowie | Space Oddity | 1 |
| Doobie Brothers | China Grove | 3 |
| Doobie Brothers | Listen To The Music | 2 |
| Doobie Brothers | Long Train Running | 3 |
| Duncan Sheikh | Barely Breathing | 1 |
| Eagles | Bitter Creek | 1 |
| Eagles | Certain Kind Of Fool | 1 |
| Eagles | Doolin' Dalton | 1 |
| Eagles | Hotel California | 4 |
| Eagles | Love Will Keep Us Alive | 2 |
| Eagles | Lyin' Eyes | 1 |
| Eagles | One of These Nights | 1 |
| Eagles | Outlaw Man | 3 |
| Eagles | Peaceful Easy Feelin' | 1 |
| Eagles | Saturday Night | 1 |
| Eagles | Take It Easy | 1 |
| Eagles | Tequila Sunrise | 1 |
| Eagles | Train Leaves Here This Morning | 2 |
| Eagles | Witchy Woman | 4 |
| Elton John | Bennie and the Jets | 1 |
| Elton John | Daniel | 1 |
| Elton John | Rocket Man | 1 |
| Elton John | Your Song | 1 |
| Eric Clapton | Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out | 2 |
| Eric Clapton | Tears In Heaven | 2 |
| Fleetwood Mac | The Chain | 1 |
| Fleetwood Mac | Landslide | 2 |
| Fleetwood Mac | Never Goin' Back Again | 3 |
| Gerry Rafferty | Baker Street | 2 |
| Gin Blossoms | Follow You Down | 3 |
| Gin Blossoms | Found Out About You | 4 |
| Gin Blossoms | Til I Hear It From You | 1 |
| Gordon Lightfoot | If You Could Read My Mind | 2 |
| Green Day | Boulevard of Broken Dreams | 2 |
| Green Day | The Time of Your Life | 2 |
| Guess Who | American Woman (Wigeon) | 1 |
| Harry Chapin | Cat's In the Cradle | 1 |
| Hootie & the Blowfish | Only Want To Be With You | 5 |
| James Taylor | You've Got a Friend | 1 |
| Jethro Tull | Aqualung | 1 |
| Jethro Tull | The Teacher | 1 |
| John Cougar Mellencamp | Paper In Fire | 1 |
| John Cougar Mellencamp | Pink Houses | 3 |
| John Cougar Mellencamp | Small Town | 1 |
| John Denver | Back Home Again | 1 |
| John Denver | Take Me Home, Country Roads | 3 |
| John Fogerty | Centerfield | 1 |
| John Fogerty | The Old Man Down the Road | 3 |
| Johnny Cash | Folsom Prison Blues | 1 |
| Johnny Cash | I Walk the Line | 2 |
| Johnny Cash | Ring Of Fire | 2 |
| k.d. lang | Constant Craving | 1 |
| Kansas | Dust In The Wind | 4 |
| Molly Hatchet | The Fall of the Peacemakers | 1 |
| Moody Blues | The Story In Your Eyes | 1 |
| Moody Blues | The Voice | 1 |
| Moody Blues | Tuesday Afternoon | 1 |
| Neil Diamond | Kentucky Woman (Warbler) | 1 |
| Neil Young | Cinnamon Girl (Teal) | 1 |
| Neil Young | Harvest Moon | 2 |
| Neil Young | Heart Of Gold | 1 |
| Neil Young | Like a Hurricane | 1 |
| Neil Young | My My, Hey Hey | 2 |
| Neil Young | Sugar Mountain | 1 |
| New Riders Of The Purple Sage | Lonesome L.A. Cowboy | 1 |
| Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Mr. Bojangles | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Colorado Song ** | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Country Girl | 2 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Fly Away Home | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Gypsy Forest | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Homemade Wine | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | If You Wanna Get To Heaven | 4 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Jackie Blue | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Leatherwood | 3 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Noah | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Standing On The Rock | 3 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | You Know Like I Know | 1 |
| Pink Floyd | Breathe In the Air | 4 |
| Pink Floyd | Comfortably Numb | 3 |
| Pink Floyd | Hey You | 2 |
| Pink Floyd | Time | 3 |
| Pink Floyd | Us and Them | 3 |
| Plain White T's | Rhythm of Love | 3 |
| Poco | Crazy Love | 2 |
| Poco | Heart of the Night | 1 |
| Police | Don't Stand So Close To Me | 1 |
| Police | Every Breath You Take | 1 |
| Police | Invisible Sun | 2 |
| REO Speedwagon | Take It On the Run | 1 |
| Rolling Stones | Sweet Virginia | 1 |
| Rolling Stones | The Last Time | 2 |
| Rolling Stones | Wild Horses | 2 |
| Rolling Stones | You Can't Always Get What You Want | 1 |
| Seals & Croft | Summer Breeze | 1 |
| Sheryl Crow | A Change Would Do You Good | 1 |
| Sheryl Crow | My Favorite Mistake | 3 |
| Simon & Garfunkle | America | 1 |
| Simon & Garfunkle | El Condor Pasa | 1 |
| Simon & Garfunkle | Mrs. Robinson | 4 |
| Simon & Garfunkle | The Sound of Silence | 2 |
| Soggy Bottom Boys | Man of Constant Sorrow | 1 |
| Steve Goodman | A Dying Cubs' Fan Last Request | 1 |
| Steve Goodman | City of New Orleans | 3 |
| Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty | Stop Draggin' My Heart Around | 1 |
| Stone Temple Pilots | Interstate Love Song | 2 |
| Styx | Lady | 1 |
| Terry Cashman | Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, & the Duke) | 1 |
| The Who | Behind Blue Eyes | 1 |
| Tom Petty | Here Comes My Girl | 2 |
| Tom Petty | I Won't Back Down | 4 |
| Tom Petty | Into the Great Wide Open | 2 |
| Tom Petty | Mary Jane's Last Dance | 1 |
| Tom Petty | Refugee | 2 |
| U 2 | In God's Country | 2 |
| U 2 | With Or Without You | 1 |
| Waylon Jennings | Luckenbach, Texas | 3 |
| TOTAL NUMBER | (OUT OF 151 DIFFERENT SONGS) | 267 |
Other songs
(at open mic events only)
| Original artist | Song title | Approx. # of times I played (at open mic events) |
|---|---|---|
| Alannah Myles | Black Velvet | 1 |
| Alice Cooper | School's Out | 1 |
| Bachman Turner Overdrive | You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet | 1 |
| Bachman Turner Overdrive | Let It Ride | 1 |
| Badfinger | Baby Blue | 1 |
| Beatles | Eight Days a Week | 1 |
| Beatles | Strawberry Fields Forever | 1 |
| Beatles | A Day In the Life | 1 |
| Beatles | Penny Lane | 2 |
| Beatles | Lady Madonna | 1 |
| The Byrds | Eight Miles High | 1 |
| Collective Soul | The World I Know | 1 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | Bad Moon Rising | 1 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | Who'll Stop the Rain | 1 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | Fortunate Son | 1 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | I Heard It Through the Grapevine | 1 |
| Eric Clapton | Let It Rain | 1 |
| David Bowie | Rebel, Rebel | 1 |
| David Bowie | Golden Years | 1 |
| Dion | Abraham, Martin, and John | 1 |
| Eagles | On the Border | 2 |
| Eagles | New Kid In Town | 1 |
| Eagles | Peaceful Easy Feeling | 2 |
| Eagles | Take It To the Limit | 1 |
| Eagles | Best of My Love | 1 |
| Eagles | I Can't Tell You Why | 1 |
| Eagles | Heartache Tonight | 1 |
| Eagles | The Long Run | 1 |
| Eagles | Please Come Home for Christmas | 1 |
| Eagles | Long Road Out of Eden | 2 |
| Elton John | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 2 |
| Bing Crosby | White Christmas | 1 |
| Eric Clapton | Before You Accuse Me | 1 |
| Eric Clapton | Hey Hey | 1 |
| Eric Clapton | Layla | 1 |
| Firefall | Strange Way | 2 |
| Firefall | Cinderella | 1 |
| Goo Goo Dolls | Iris | 1 |
| (Lerner & Lowe / R. Burton) | Camelot | 1 |
| Gordon Lightfoot | If You Could Read My Mind, Love | 1 |
| Johnny Cash | Folsom Prison Blues | 1 |
| Johnny Mandel | Suicide Is Painless | 1 |
| Jose Feliciano | Feliz Navidad | 1 |
| Linda Ronstadt | It Doesn't Matter Anymore ** | 2 |
| Lynyrd Skynyrd | Sweet Home Alabama | 1 |
| Martina McBride | Independence Day | 1 |
| Mel Tourme | The Christmas Song | 1 |
| Molly Hatchet | Fall of the Peacemakers | 1 |
| Molly Hatchet | Flirtin' With Disaster | 1 |
| Moody Blues | Nights In White Satin | 1 |
| Neil Young | Sugar Mountain | 1 |
| New Riders Of The Purple Sage | Panama Red | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Southern Cross | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Beauty In the River | 2 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | You Made It Right | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | It'll Shine When It Shines | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Black Sky | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Road to Glory | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Within Without | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Chicken Train | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | Out On the Sea | 1 |
| Ozark Mountain Daredevils | It's How You Think | 1 |
| Pink Floyd | Brain Damage | 1 |
| Pink Floyd | Wish You Were Here | 1 |
| Pink Floyd | Brain Damage | 1 |
| The Police | De Doo Doo Doo, De Da Da Da | 1 |
| Sheryl Crow | If It Makes You Happy | 1 |
| Sheryl Crow | All I Wanna Do | 1 |
| Steve Goodman | A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request | 2 |
| Ringo Starr | It Don't Come Easy | 1 |
| Rolling Stones | Ruby Tuesday | 1 |
| REO Speedwagon | Ridin' the Storm Out | 1 |
| Ringo Starr | You're Sixteen | 1 |
| Toto | Africa | 1 |
| Toto | Rosanna | 1 |
| U2 | New Year's Day | 1 |
| U2 | Pride (In the Name of Love) | 1 |
| Waylon Jennings | Good Hearted Woman | 1 |
| The Youngbloods | Get Together | 1 |
| TOTAL NUMBER | (OUT OF 79 DIFFERENT SONGS) | ??? |
Other events
On December 12, 2016 I provided musical entertainment at the Augusta Bird Club's 50th anniversary dinner, playing five songs (or parts thereof), four of which are marked with asterisks in the open mic list above for December 14, when I played them again (in full). On the first song, "Take Me Home, Country Roads," I changed "West Virginia" to "Augusta County," and "Shenandoah River" to "Shenandoah Valley." The next four songs were all abbreviated, comprising what I called a "bird song medley," in which each song title was altered, along with a few lyrics where appropriate.
- Take Me Home, Country Roads . . . John Denver
- Kentucky Woman ("Kentucky Warbler") . . . Neil Diamond
- American Woman ("American Wigeon") . . . The Guess Who
- Mississippi Queen ("Mississippi Kite") . . . Mountain
- Cinnamon Girl ("Cinnamon Teal") . . . Neil Young
At the April 10, 2017 monthly club meeting I played the same medley again, but replacing John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" with "Tern, Tern, Tern" ("Turn, Turn, Turn") by the Byrds.
ABOVE RIGHT: The four birds (Kentucky Warbler, American Wigeon, Cinnamon Teal, and Mississippi Kite) about which I sang.
BELOW: Yours truly, performing at the Augusta Bird Club's 50th anniversary dinner on December 12.
