Miyazaki's newest rock sensations [!], The Dead Flowers, had their first official gig this past Sunday evening at The Bar. As the opening act we took to the stage somewhat early, so there weren't yet quite as many people as we would have liked. There were enough to rock, though, and their apparent enjoyment of what we were doing was all we needed for inspiration. Like all new bands, a couple of the intros and endings were a bit tentative, but all in all we were quite pleased with the job we did. We played with spirit and had no "breakdowns" at all (which, frankly, is more than I can say for the "headliners"). [What, me snarky? Never! After all, rock n' roll is a vicious game!]Personally, it feels a bit weird to get back into this game after so many years away from it. It depends on how serious it gets, of course, but I can foresee possible conflicts with family obligations, etc. But hey, in the meantime there's nothing wrong with having some fun, making some music, and being chatted up by nice-looking women! [Huh? What? OUCH! No, no, dear, I was talking about the bass player. He's single, you know...]
... had no "breakdowns" ...
ReplyDeleteI can never forget that scene in Slingblade where the big backyard concert came to a grinding halt, with Dwight Yoakum yelling at the bass player (?), "You can't just stop playing in the middle of the song!"
Glad to hear it went well.
Congratulations, glad it went well!
ReplyDeleteBrendan and Rob,
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys!
Brendan,
What's this (in an earlier comment) about you "doing a show" with the Georgia Satellites? Explain please!
I was for several years stage manager and monitor engineer at a nightclub in Providence, RI, USA, called The Living Room. Apart from the Civic Center, it was the largest venue in the state for original music. We'd get all kinds of great bands in there who, say, had a show in New York on day N and a show in Boston on day N+2, and needed the work to keep the tour paying for itself.
ReplyDeleteGood times.
I should have added that since it was a small club in a small town, with the added bonus of the owner's mother's home-cooked meals being provided to touring bands, most people who played there were a lot more relaxed than they would be at bigger venues, so I got to meet and hang out with a lot of them beyond just the interaction of sound check.
ReplyDeleteMany band members had the sort of stereotypical rock star persona that makes you happy to restrict "knowing" them to watching them on stage, but some people were a real treat to meet. The Georgia Satellites were about as friendly as you could ask.
Brendan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the elaboration. Back when I was playing on a full-time basis most of my best buddies were band techs or other drummers--I generally found them less self-involved, more fun-loving, and usually easier to get along with! I was never in a "big name" band, but I had the honor of opening for a few fairly well-known bands and meeting some of the guys. We'll have to trade "war stories" sometime!
We'll have to trade "war stories" sometime!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that'd be fun. Maybe the next time you're back in Canada? I don't know when I'll be able to get to Japan.