9/23 - The Hyatt Arcade

This was a lunchtime gig, so we were Jakeless. I don't like being Jakeless.

And this was also our official like 500th gig, even though we celebrated our 500th gig at the Jackalope...kinda like Veteran's Day (observed). And no, I'm not comparing us to our veterans, just how the day is always observed on the closest Monday to the actual day.

The Arcade has been around for a bazillion years and it was pretty neato-peato to play there. We were on the bridge that connects the sides on the 2nd floor.

Being a lunch time gig I figured that everyone would be too busy chowing down and watching their time to pay any attention to us, but some people were actually clapping for us. We even had a few come up from the 1st floor level on their way out to tell us that they enjoyed our music.

It was a pretty uneventful gig, which was actually quite refreshing. We just tried to blend in to the scenery.

9/19 - Rush Inn

I'll borrow one of my mom's legendary comments of "that was different" to describe this gig.

And I'll add country and karaoke to the Sleeper's list of the types of bands that we are...motown, reggae, jazz.

There was this nice chick who wanted to sing "Danny's Song" and "You Were Meant For Me"
(which we don't do, but Jake knew them), so I stepped down and she stepped up to sing them. Then we returned to our regularly scheduled program.

Then one of the men at the bar decided to test Mudcat's multi-tasking abilities. While Mud was
playing his guitar and singing his song this man came up to chat with him and ask him if he knew a particular Faith Hill song. And yes, Mudcat was able to throw in conversation to his juggling act, but that talent was lost on this man. He just shook his head with a combo look of disappointment and disbelief because we didn't know his request.

So, the life and times of Project Mojo continued on as usual to carry us to our break.

About 3 seconds after we sat down, a girl from the bar came up and asked Mudcat if we knew that same Faith Hill song (of course, I can't remember which one...). When Mud told her that the man who she was sitting next to already asked him that and we still didn't know it, she became quite defensive saying that her friends want to hear her sing it and the only other song she knows without having the words to look at is the Jewel song, but she already sang that one.

Then she launched into a list of about 5 more country songs and after each one that we didn't know, I told her that we really aren't a country band. So, she went back to her first request and became more and more adamant that we learn it - right now. She even asked the boys "what if I just start singing and you guys just play along". Mud tried to explain to her that it would be a lot easier to do that if he had actually heard the song before. Wrong answer (for us, not for her).

She found the song on her phone and then shoved the phone toward Mudcat's ear. After listening to it for a brief moment, he politely told her that he could hear the vocals, but couldn't pick out the chords and that he was sorry. She was flabbergasted saying, "I can't believe you can't hear that....I can hear it". Then she grabbed her phone from Mud and said, "maybe he can hear it" and shoved it in Jake's direction. So, while Jake was doing the same polite thing of listening to the song, she tells me how she's been in country music singing competitions and that she's done quite well and that her friends really want to hear her sing. I refrained from telling her that her friends might have a better chance of hearing her sing if they would all leave and go to a bar that was having karaoke night.

Then she turned her attention back to Jake and he politely told her that he couldn't get the chords from listening to it on her phone either and that he was sorry too.

Now, wouldn't you think that's where the story ends?

But wait, there's more ~

That took up our entire break time and we apologized once again and took our places back on the stage. She followed us up there and was still trying to get Jake to listen to it one more time to figure it out.

HONEST.

Mud decided to rescue Jake and launched into a song that we knew that was not a country song.

And no, those people never left. They stayed and took turns giving us the hairy eyeball.

8/29 - Jackalope

Thanks to Rhoda and Rick for coming out to help us celebrate our 500th gig!

It was a slow start, but there was some sort of reunion party going on in the bar that spilled over and pretty much filled the patio area. They were still going strong when we were packing up to leave.

I was in the midst of a lovely summer cold, so I had all my items around me...Kleenex, cough drops, hot tea with honey, ice water with lemon. And I lived to tell the tale.

Jake was forced to sing (HA! HA!). Someone requested Pink Floyd and he's our PF guy.

The wind was constantly pulling the door open and banging it closed about 2 feet away from Mud and I think he may have lost his mind for a brief moment...but, not to worry ~ he's like a Boy Scout (always prepared) and fetched a bungee cord from the van to strap the door closed.

We look forward to being back at the Jackalope next summer (they don't have entertainment through the fall and winter months).

8/29 - John Talk Radio Interview

Here's the link to the interview ~ http://www.blogtalkradio.com/john-darlington

Poor Jake...his phone took a dump right in the middle of the interview, so we did the Lucy/Ethel thing with my phone between us and both of us straining one ear to hear.

I was a little nervous, not knowing who or how many people were listening to us, but I tried to sound like a normal person and not ramble on...you know how I get.

And Jake and I decided to let Mudcat do the bulk of the answering to John's questions. Not sure how Mud felt about that decision...but, oh well.