Where is Capps Tavern, you ask? It's in BF Egypt....unless you happen to live in BFE (like my brother and sister-in-law), then it's just down the road a piece.
Apparently, their golf outing was quite a success. Lots of people turned out for the event and even the loosers won something. Actually, I wouldn't have minded some of the lovely parting gifts....guess I need to take up golf. Or not.
They have a pretty cool patio, complete with a fountain that some little girl decided needed a rock rearranging. And by rearranging, I mean throwing rocks onto it. Good thing they didn't bounce back.
There's also a canopy so we got a nice little break from the blazing sun. And the OFF gave us a nice little break from the bugs once the sun went away and we turned on our lights. What is it about lights that bugs like? Maybe in their little bug minds they think they're crossing over.
We actually had some dancers, but they danced to "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay". Odd song to dance to (I thought), but they made it work.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
7/8 - The Boneyard
Okay, so it's a thousand twelve degrees outside and we're scheduled to do a patio gig. I was most unhappy about that. I like patio gigs, but not when it's so stinkin' hot that everyone is inside enjoying the AC while we're outside trying not to pass out from heat exhaustion.
But, oh happy day ~ we got to play inside!
The acoustics were funky in there, but we muddled through. Muddled, actually is the key word. That's kinda what our sound was. But, oh well. We got through it. I know Jake was loving it.
Thanks to Col. Smoker and company for stopping out to see us. You guys are alright.
We got the plug pulled on us an hour early, because of the "big announcement". Stupid, stupid, stupid Lebron. Oh well, what can you do?
But, oh happy day ~ we got to play inside!
The acoustics were funky in there, but we muddled through. Muddled, actually is the key word. That's kinda what our sound was. But, oh well. We got through it. I know Jake was loving it.
Thanks to Col. Smoker and company for stopping out to see us. You guys are alright.
We got the plug pulled on us an hour early, because of the "big announcement". Stupid, stupid, stupid Lebron. Oh well, what can you do?
7/4 - Meadows Neighborhood Fireworks
Once again, Vic and Amy pulled out all the stops for a great party with lots of fun and lots of food!
Jake brought along our number one fan (thank you, Betty!). What a difference it made being able to have a wee bit-o-breeze.
Vic was nice enough to set up the canopy for us again this year, so that we didn't have to be in direct sunlight. Kinda like a house plant, but different....at least we weren't leaning toward the light.
We did Marylou's songs for her; "I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover", "Bye, Bye Blackbird", and "Crazy". She's a hoot, that one.
And the fireworks were awesome, but not long enough. We did get to see some on the way home, so that was fun.
Looking foward to being a part of the party next year!
Jake brought along our number one fan (thank you, Betty!). What a difference it made being able to have a wee bit-o-breeze.
Vic was nice enough to set up the canopy for us again this year, so that we didn't have to be in direct sunlight. Kinda like a house plant, but different....at least we weren't leaning toward the light.
We did Marylou's songs for her; "I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover", "Bye, Bye Blackbird", and "Crazy". She's a hoot, that one.
And the fireworks were awesome, but not long enough. We did get to see some on the way home, so that was fun.
Looking foward to being a part of the party next year!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
7/3 - Jackalope
Everyone was pretty subdued this time around, with the exception of the reincarnated Sam Kinison, who at first glance appeared to be a perfectly quiet and well behaved 2-ish year old girl. It was Sam.
For quite a while, we had the pleasure of watching a deer grazing in the grass beyond the parking lot, although Mudcat insisted that it was indeed a jackalope. She wasn't bothered by any people wandering around, car doors closing, and/or engines starting, but she drew the line with a little Toto impersonator and she was gone.
We also got to see a beautiful sunset that turned the view of the lighted boats gathered at the dock into a picture perfect evening.
And this is our job.
For quite a while, we had the pleasure of watching a deer grazing in the grass beyond the parking lot, although Mudcat insisted that it was indeed a jackalope. She wasn't bothered by any people wandering around, car doors closing, and/or engines starting, but she drew the line with a little Toto impersonator and she was gone.
We also got to see a beautiful sunset that turned the view of the lighted boats gathered at the dock into a picture perfect evening.
And this is our job.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
BW3 - Broadview Hts
This had to be one of the most uneventful gigs in PM history.
With the exception of B&B (thanks for coming out and enduring the comfy seats), it was pretty much a take out kinda night. The taker outers had a couple drinks while they waited for their food order, gave us the 2 thumbs up and promptly left.
However, I did learn a couple things ~
1) A take out order is "almost ready" at the end of the first drink and will arrive almost immediately after the second drink is served. Coincidence? I think not.
2) A vodka exists in a bottle that looks like a crystal skull (hence the name Crystal Skull Vodka).
The bottle represents the human skull carvings made from rock crystals purported to be pre-Columbian, but research has found them to be from the mid-19th century. I sound all smart, huh? Wikipedia is a wonderful thing. Reminds me of the Golden Encyclopedias....artifacts from my youth.
With the exception of B&B (thanks for coming out and enduring the comfy seats), it was pretty much a take out kinda night. The taker outers had a couple drinks while they waited for their food order, gave us the 2 thumbs up and promptly left.
However, I did learn a couple things ~
1) A take out order is "almost ready" at the end of the first drink and will arrive almost immediately after the second drink is served. Coincidence? I think not.
2) A vodka exists in a bottle that looks like a crystal skull (hence the name Crystal Skull Vodka).
The bottle represents the human skull carvings made from rock crystals purported to be pre-Columbian, but research has found them to be from the mid-19th century. I sound all smart, huh? Wikipedia is a wonderful thing. Reminds me of the Golden Encyclopedias....artifacts from my youth.
6/25 - BW3, Medina
This was a patio gig, so we got to watch the comings and goings of the crazy drivers who apparently thought that the parking lot was a slalom course. Seems they just had to get inside to have some wings and/or beer. Lots of motorcycles about, which made me a little nervous what with the slalom course crazies and all.
It was also a full moon. Hey, maybe that s'plains the meandering motorists.
This was the night that Jake was presented with his crown and scepter, which he was robbed of....robbed I tell you. Stupid, stupid, stupid spoon boy.
And it turns out that when a group of people gather together at the local watering hole to have a class reunion and they're standing in the only open area to accommodate their mass, it's a fire hazard. So, the real life Francis Soyer (a.k.a. Psycho from "Stripes") arrives on the scene to reclaim law and order. He was pretty intense. Oh, and neither law nor order were reclaimed.
However, he did try to intimidate the group from across the room by staring at them, which might have worked had anyone actually been paying attention to him other than his own self.
It was also a full moon. Hey, maybe that s'plains the meandering motorists.
This was the night that Jake was presented with his crown and scepter, which he was robbed of....robbed I tell you. Stupid, stupid, stupid spoon boy.
And it turns out that when a group of people gather together at the local watering hole to have a class reunion and they're standing in the only open area to accommodate their mass, it's a fire hazard. So, the real life Francis Soyer (a.k.a. Psycho from "Stripes") arrives on the scene to reclaim law and order. He was pretty intense. Oh, and neither law nor order were reclaimed.
However, he did try to intimidate the group from across the room by staring at them, which might have worked had anyone actually been paying attention to him other than his own self.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
6/19 - Mustard Seed
This might have been our last hoorah at the Mustard Seed. No, we didn't do anything outrageous and we kept our pyrotechnics to a minimum....they're changing their entertainment format and trying new things to see how that works, so we won't know until next year if they will want us back or not.
But, in the meantime ~ here's what happened: Everything was going along pretty non-blog worthy until this gentleman who had been dining alone, but was now just sitting at the bar listening to our music, decided to play maitre d. He was dressed for the occasion with a suit jacket and a Quicksilver Sly Fedora hat. I do believe he is the real life version of Chuck Finley from "Burn Notice".
A couple came in and they were waiting to be seated, just like the sign instructed. Chuck decided that they had waited long enough and got up from the bar, went over to them, greeted them with a slight bow, took 2 menus from the hostess stand and told them to follow him. He then proceeded to slowly, and deliberately escort them to a table where he made a grand gesture of getting the woman settled in her spot and then exchanged pleasantries with the man and I'm assuming he then told them that their server would be right with them and to enjoy their dinner.
The manager chick in charge intercepted Chuck on his way out and had a nice long chat with him, which I'm guessing might have had something to do with his lack of employment at the restaurant.
After their conversation, he exited as slowly and deliberately as he had seated that couple at the other end of the restaurant, glanced at us, grinned, and tipped his hat on his way out.
Wonder if we were as memorable...guess we'll find out next year.
But, in the meantime ~ here's what happened: Everything was going along pretty non-blog worthy until this gentleman who had been dining alone, but was now just sitting at the bar listening to our music, decided to play maitre d. He was dressed for the occasion with a suit jacket and a Quicksilver Sly Fedora hat. I do believe he is the real life version of Chuck Finley from "Burn Notice".
A couple came in and they were waiting to be seated, just like the sign instructed. Chuck decided that they had waited long enough and got up from the bar, went over to them, greeted them with a slight bow, took 2 menus from the hostess stand and told them to follow him. He then proceeded to slowly, and deliberately escort them to a table where he made a grand gesture of getting the woman settled in her spot and then exchanged pleasantries with the man and I'm assuming he then told them that their server would be right with them and to enjoy their dinner.
The manager chick in charge intercepted Chuck on his way out and had a nice long chat with him, which I'm guessing might have had something to do with his lack of employment at the restaurant.
After their conversation, he exited as slowly and deliberately as he had seated that couple at the other end of the restaurant, glanced at us, grinned, and tipped his hat on his way out.
Wonder if we were as memorable...guess we'll find out next year.
6/18 - Whole Foods
Thanks to Lightnin' for stopping out to see us!
We didn't see our regular dancer guy, but we did see a couple dancing in the ice cream aisle (or it could have been frozen yogurt).
Our new friend, Dave pulled up a chair to make his very own ring side seat and stayed for about an hour.
I think the joint is jinxed for Mudcat. The last time we were there he dropped his glass slide on their concrete floor...yeah, it broke. Oh, guess what he did with his back up glass slide this time. If you guessed that he dropped it on their concrete floor and that it broke then you would be correct, but win nothing.
We didn't see our regular dancer guy, but we did see a couple dancing in the ice cream aisle (or it could have been frozen yogurt).
Our new friend, Dave pulled up a chair to make his very own ring side seat and stayed for about an hour.
I think the joint is jinxed for Mudcat. The last time we were there he dropped his glass slide on their concrete floor...yeah, it broke. Oh, guess what he did with his back up glass slide this time. If you guessed that he dropped it on their concrete floor and that it broke then you would be correct, but win nothing.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
6/10 - The Boneyard
Our first patio gig of the year! Well, our first outdoor patio gig. And to help us celebrate the occasion were some midges, which made Jake SO happy.
We had a tiny dancer at this one. She was a little cutie and she was quite mesmerized by Mudcat.
After a bit, one of the servers came out and with the bartender's help, rearranged the tables into a long line, because there was a party of 12 coming out to the patio. They get it all right and proper and moments later, 2 guys sit down with their beer at the far end of the tables.
They are obviously part of the party for which the rearranged tables were intended as they were watching for their friends. However, their friends decided to stand around a high top table that could fit four, if those 4 people were either really small or they were all jammed in together.
The boys at the long line-o-tables motion for them to come over and sit down. They don't. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that one of the boys was a big jock type guy and the other one was a scrawny geek type guy, which brings me to my next observation.
The bigger of the 2 boys is getting more anxious the longer he's segregated from his average size friends, so after a bit of what I'm sure he thought was an internal struggle....you know, the one that showed all over his face and was made even more outward with his body language, he left his small friend to fend for himself. But he was kind enough to leave the pitcher of beer with him.
So, now Scrawny Boy is getting to be even more of a Nervous Nelly, sitting at the head of the otherwise empty table with a pitcher of beer and his very own beer glass. When he realizes that all his "friends" are quite content to be standing all jammed together without him, he makes one of the most important decisions of his life. He holds his position as head of the empty table.
The look on his face told me that he probably spent a lot of his school years saving places for his friends in the cafeteria, while they ate at another table with the hope that they would at least join him for dessert and he was reliving those moments.
Finally Jock Boy comes back over to join Scrawny Boy, but only long enough to refill his glass from the pitcher that he left on the table with him. Scrawn Boy takes this as his cue to have an "in" and walks back to the group-o-guys with his large friend, leaving the pitcher of beer on the table to act as a beacon.
The good news is that the server chick and the bartender did not rearrange those tables in vain. That's where all the pitchers of beer ended up, so that the boys wouldn't have to take turns holding pitchers along with their glasses.
Curiously, the pitchers were always at the far end of the table from where all these boys were congregated....the very same spot where Scrawn Boy was lording over his invisible subjects.
One way or another, he was going to get his friends to that table.
We had a tiny dancer at this one. She was a little cutie and she was quite mesmerized by Mudcat.
After a bit, one of the servers came out and with the bartender's help, rearranged the tables into a long line, because there was a party of 12 coming out to the patio. They get it all right and proper and moments later, 2 guys sit down with their beer at the far end of the tables.
They are obviously part of the party for which the rearranged tables were intended as they were watching for their friends. However, their friends decided to stand around a high top table that could fit four, if those 4 people were either really small or they were all jammed in together.
The boys at the long line-o-tables motion for them to come over and sit down. They don't. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that one of the boys was a big jock type guy and the other one was a scrawny geek type guy, which brings me to my next observation.
The bigger of the 2 boys is getting more anxious the longer he's segregated from his average size friends, so after a bit of what I'm sure he thought was an internal struggle....you know, the one that showed all over his face and was made even more outward with his body language, he left his small friend to fend for himself. But he was kind enough to leave the pitcher of beer with him.
So, now Scrawny Boy is getting to be even more of a Nervous Nelly, sitting at the head of the otherwise empty table with a pitcher of beer and his very own beer glass. When he realizes that all his "friends" are quite content to be standing all jammed together without him, he makes one of the most important decisions of his life. He holds his position as head of the empty table.
The look on his face told me that he probably spent a lot of his school years saving places for his friends in the cafeteria, while they ate at another table with the hope that they would at least join him for dessert and he was reliving those moments.
Finally Jock Boy comes back over to join Scrawny Boy, but only long enough to refill his glass from the pitcher that he left on the table with him. Scrawn Boy takes this as his cue to have an "in" and walks back to the group-o-guys with his large friend, leaving the pitcher of beer on the table to act as a beacon.
The good news is that the server chick and the bartender did not rearrange those tables in vain. That's where all the pitchers of beer ended up, so that the boys wouldn't have to take turns holding pitchers along with their glasses.
Curiously, the pitchers were always at the far end of the table from where all these boys were congregated....the very same spot where Scrawn Boy was lording over his invisible subjects.
One way or another, he was going to get his friends to that table.
6/5 - Mojo's Coffee House
This gig was just the boys. I was in Kent at the Wine & Arts Fest (as a vendor, not just a wine tasting wanderer), so here's the gig report I got from Mudcat ~
"It was good."
He's a man of many words, isn't he? Of course I had to nag more info out of him, but I didn't get much.
A couple guys were there for open mic night and came up to play and sing for a while and our friend, Don was there.
Okay, for Mudcat that's a huge amount of information.
So, that's it for this one.
"It was good."
He's a man of many words, isn't he? Of course I had to nag more info out of him, but I didn't get much.
A couple guys were there for open mic night and came up to play and sing for a while and our friend, Don was there.
Okay, for Mudcat that's a huge amount of information.
So, that's it for this one.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
6/4 - Paradise Resturaunt & Pub
I don't know about you, but when a place is called "Paradise", I usually picture a dump. This place was actually not a dump, but very nice.
This time, we were not on the patio due to rain. And this time, the place had AC....just not flowing into the stage area. There was one tiny air vent that Mudcat was kind enough to point in my direction. The vent really didn't help much, but the gesture did. Thanks, Mud!
It was an unusual crowd mix with some people dressed to the nines, and others in their dirty baseball uniforms. But everyone played nice together.
One couple at the bar caught my eye, because the woman was drinking white wine with a marciano cherry in the glass and I thought that was kind of fun. The guy was drinking beer. But wait, there's more. After a couple of drinks, they ordered shots. The shot was Sky Vodka direct from the bottle on the shelf, not chilled, with a lemon wedge. How in the world they drank that at all was beyond me (warm vodka just isn't appealing to me), but how could this chick drink that after white wine with a cherry and then go back to the wine with the sweet cherry after sucking on the lemon? And not once, not twice, but 3 times....and they both walked out of there like they had been drinking water. I'm still stunned.
The owner, "Stanley" (and I use quotes, because for reasons that I won't get into I am pretty darn sure was not his real name) bought us a round of drinks and then shut us down a little early. There seemed to be a private party brewing and we were not invited, which was fine by me.
This time, we were not on the patio due to rain. And this time, the place had AC....just not flowing into the stage area. There was one tiny air vent that Mudcat was kind enough to point in my direction. The vent really didn't help much, but the gesture did. Thanks, Mud!
It was an unusual crowd mix with some people dressed to the nines, and others in their dirty baseball uniforms. But everyone played nice together.
One couple at the bar caught my eye, because the woman was drinking white wine with a marciano cherry in the glass and I thought that was kind of fun. The guy was drinking beer. But wait, there's more. After a couple of drinks, they ordered shots. The shot was Sky Vodka direct from the bottle on the shelf, not chilled, with a lemon wedge. How in the world they drank that at all was beyond me (warm vodka just isn't appealing to me), but how could this chick drink that after white wine with a cherry and then go back to the wine with the sweet cherry after sucking on the lemon? And not once, not twice, but 3 times....and they both walked out of there like they had been drinking water. I'm still stunned.
The owner, "Stanley" (and I use quotes, because for reasons that I won't get into I am pretty darn sure was not his real name) bought us a round of drinks and then shut us down a little early. There seemed to be a private party brewing and we were not invited, which was fine by me.
6/3 - Milestone Bar & Grille
Did you ever wonder why "grill" is spelled with an "e" at the end when it follows "bar &"? Yeah, me neither.
So, this was one of the warmest and most humid nights EVER and we get to play in a bar with no AC....not that it was broken, but that it was nonexistent. And there was no cross breeze, there were no ceiling fans, just the open front door and that did absolutely nothing to help lower the temp inside.
And yes, yes they did have a patio....
Everyone, with the exception of Karen and Elmo got their drinks and fled to the patio where there was a nice breeze and a coolness to the air.
After encouraging words from Karen, Heather came back inside and stayed for a bit. She even joined us for a few songs as did Elmo. I tried to force Karen to be our backup singer/dancer for "stop in the name of love" and she complied for a wee bit.
And we were Jakeless, but with good reason. He was at the second round of the King of the Blues competition and oh guess what, he WON! If you didn't see the link in my congrats posting, here ya go ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01_v9_p5PZY
Once again, CONGRATULATIONS, JAKE!
So, this was one of the warmest and most humid nights EVER and we get to play in a bar with no AC....not that it was broken, but that it was nonexistent. And there was no cross breeze, there were no ceiling fans, just the open front door and that did absolutely nothing to help lower the temp inside.
And yes, yes they did have a patio....
Everyone, with the exception of Karen and Elmo got their drinks and fled to the patio where there was a nice breeze and a coolness to the air.
After encouraging words from Karen, Heather came back inside and stayed for a bit. She even joined us for a few songs as did Elmo. I tried to force Karen to be our backup singer/dancer for "stop in the name of love" and she complied for a wee bit.
And we were Jakeless, but with good reason. He was at the second round of the King of the Blues competition and oh guess what, he WON! If you didn't see the link in my congrats posting, here ya go ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01_v9_p5PZY
Once again, CONGRATULATIONS, JAKE!
5/29 - Mustard Seed
Well, with it being the holiday weekend and all this gig seemed as slow as molasses in January.
Really nothing eventful, but we still had fun.
For some reason, every time the manager came out to the main dining/bar area where we were set up, I kept feeling like we were going to get into some sort of trouble...kinda like having the principal come into the classroom his own self and escort you to his office (not that that ever happened to me, of course). But, we never saw his office.
The end.
Really nothing eventful, but we still had fun.
For some reason, every time the manager came out to the main dining/bar area where we were set up, I kept feeling like we were going to get into some sort of trouble...kinda like having the principal come into the classroom his own self and escort you to his office (not that that ever happened to me, of course). But, we never saw his office.
The end.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
5/28 - Whole Foods
Our spot this time was between the lemonade and the bananas, opposite the bottled water (oh yeah, Whole Foods is a grocery store).
We were also in prime viewing location of the cheesecake sampling. I got more nervous as the slices dwindled, but thankfully there were a couple pieces left by the time we finished. I'm pretty sure I ran over there to get some and I'm pretty sure that Mudcat would have appreciated having more than a wee taste, since I chowed it down on the way back to our spot.
But I did assure him that it was a tasty treat. I'm nice like that.
Saw some familiar faces this time ~ the guy who danced his way past the cheesecake to the deli and then doubled back to scoop up the artichoke and spinach dip girl. She wasn't made out of artichoke and spinach dip, she was serving samples of it. And the couple who clearly have different wardrobe requirements for their jobs (she was in a skirt and really high heels, he was in shorts and boat shoes...and yes, they both were wearing tops). Or maybe they just have different ideas about what's comfortable to wear on a milk and bread run.
It just makes me chuckle to see people dancing while grocery shopping, but so does the concept of having live music in a grocery store. Even so, glad that it's us, because it really is a fun little gig.
We were also in prime viewing location of the cheesecake sampling. I got more nervous as the slices dwindled, but thankfully there were a couple pieces left by the time we finished. I'm pretty sure I ran over there to get some and I'm pretty sure that Mudcat would have appreciated having more than a wee taste, since I chowed it down on the way back to our spot.
But I did assure him that it was a tasty treat. I'm nice like that.
Saw some familiar faces this time ~ the guy who danced his way past the cheesecake to the deli and then doubled back to scoop up the artichoke and spinach dip girl. She wasn't made out of artichoke and spinach dip, she was serving samples of it. And the couple who clearly have different wardrobe requirements for their jobs (she was in a skirt and really high heels, he was in shorts and boat shoes...and yes, they both were wearing tops). Or maybe they just have different ideas about what's comfortable to wear on a milk and bread run.
It just makes me chuckle to see people dancing while grocery shopping, but so does the concept of having live music in a grocery store. Even so, glad that it's us, because it really is a fun little gig.
5/15 - Tavern Of Richfield
Ahh...a quaint little tavern tucked away in a quaint little town.
The Marcel Marceau gig, as I like to call it.
We are now officially "gig whisperers".
If you've ever seen the movie "Spinal Tap", you know that their numbers all go to 11...ours go into the negative.
We were actually asked to turn down (which just never happens) and not once, but twice.
Apparently, they were unaware of our motto: our music should be enjoyed, not endured.
The Marcel Marceau gig, as I like to call it.
We are now officially "gig whisperers".
If you've ever seen the movie "Spinal Tap", you know that their numbers all go to 11...ours go into the negative.
We were actually asked to turn down (which just never happens) and not once, but twice.
Apparently, they were unaware of our motto: our music should be enjoyed, not endured.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
6/9 - CONGRATULATIONS, JAKE!!!!
Jake is the King of the Blues Store Winner ~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01_v9_p5PZY
This is an acceptable reason for missing a gig, don't you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01_v9_p5PZY
This is an acceptable reason for missing a gig, don't you think?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
5/8 - Firehouse Grille & Pub
The Firehouse Grille & Pub is in a tiny town called Malvern. And I mean tiny. A population of 1,218 people sounds like it's not so small, but compare that to Strongsville (43,858), Chagrin Falls (4,024), even Geneva-On-The-Lake beats them out (1,545).
To "put" it into perspective: Put-In-Bay tips the scale with 128 (obviously they weren't counting summer squatters). And I do believe that the amount of people we had at this gig could double the population of PIB.
I should have told you at the very beginning to take your potty break now, grab a big mug of coffee and perhaps a small snack, because this is going to be a long one.
Okay, here we go ~
As we drew closer to Malvern, we noticed quite a lot of restaurant/bait shop combos and fortunately none of those restaurants were advertising sushi as their daily special or the catch of the day. And most of the bait sections were drive through for the fisherman on the move.
We finally get there (and yes, I had ample opportunity to ask "are we there yet?" during our drive....and ask it, I did) and as we turned right to go over the bridge into town, I swear we had turned into an abandoned dirt lot and I'm pretty sure that I heard banjo music playing in the background while Mudcat noticed that cell phone service had ceased.
That quickly faded to the welcoming "downtown" area. There was the Firehouse Grille (thankfully), a bank, and oddly enough a tanning place across the street. A few more shops lined the main street, but I was too busy wining about being cold to notice what they were during our walking tour before the gig.
We had some supper time treats before setting up and the food was quite tasty and reasonably priced, if you ever get the urge to drive to Malvern for a meal. A couple in the adjoining booth asked who was playing and as soon as the bartender called over to them that it was Project Mojo, the guy in the booth said, "oh, they're that NEW band" with not a very nice tone to his voice. I was both amused and a little frightened. They left shortly after, so I didn't have to find out if my fears were warranted. Turns out that we were labeled as "new from Cleveland" and the other bands for the month were listed as "returning".
Their shot for the month was Swamp Water. I wondered if it was an accurate description of the contents, so I looked that up too, only to discover that it's a combination of a variety of liquors, depending upon which recipe you choose, but the common ingredient is vodka.
And of all the things to see when I didn't have my camera with me ~ a wall mounted pay phone, complete with rotary dial. During our break, I asked the bar goddess if it was a working phone and she didn't know. Then I asked her if anyone has a cell phone in Malvern, because non of ours were getting a signal. She said that the only cell phone service that works there is Verizon, but it cuts out every time she goes into Brooster. So, wouldn't you think that Brooster is even smaller than Malvern? I did, but it's not (2,324).
So, the first set started out fairly generic...people alternating between singing along to some of the songs and ignoring us. It was pretty obvious that everybody knew everybody in town (as our new friend Paul pointed out to us) when any newcomer arrived, at least 4 people said hi and/or hugged them before they settled in. And it was pretty obvious that nobody knew us, because when we walked in everybody turned around seemingly in unison and stared at us for quite a disturbing amount of time before they turned back to their beverage at hand.
We had a tiny dancer named Capri. What a doll she was and not a half bad dancer, either.
The second set was like we were at a completely different gig all together. Maybe it was due to the reverse raffle at the church that got the town all revved up, or maybe it was because the people in Malvern like to let their hair down. I don't know why, all I know is that it was very different. Mudcat describes it as our "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hide gig".
And we had another dancer, who wasn't so tiny. She was quite grown. I'm assuming that she and the guy and girl she was with had just come from a wedding reception, because they were dressed to the nines. Well, she was mostly dressed....on the outside. Apparently, she used all the money she saved on not buying undergarments to put toward the purchase of the dress, which was beautiful, but not long on fabric.
This chick was hugely fond of the "grinding" maneuver for her dancing and she was determined to captivate ME with that move. Although she ignored the boys during the song that would not end with her face and parts directly in front of me, she gave Jake some one-on-one attention.
And I do mean one-on-one. If she were any closer to him, she would have been inside his skin. She almost succeeded in at least being inside his shirt....tried to stuff her broken necklace (which must not have been intended to be worn while grinding) down the front of Jake's shirt while he was playing his guitar, singing, and trying to ignore her. I think he may have been temporarily traumatized.
Along with her grinding ability, she must be good at climbing trees, because she mounted the back of some guy at the bar with the greatest of ease and they "danced" together that way, making the space between my mic stand and them get smaller and smaller. Thankfully, they and my mic stand remained upright, which is more than I can say for the bar chair that was holding her purse while she was busy. She managed to scoop up her purse and the bar chair in one easy motion and as she walked away, the chair toppled in her wake.
Now, on to the guy she climbed.....he and one of his buddies were singing along to our songs, which in itself is not a bad thing at all. However, boys who sing along to "Harden My Heart" make me wonder about things....like for instance; they know the words, but do they know what the words mean?
He also was a HUGE fan of Jake's and got the entire bar to cheer him on during one of his solos.
We found out from our friend, Paul (remember Paul at the beginning of this?) that most everyone in town is a "Buckeye", so we played "Hang On Sloopy" at the end and I am not kidding you when I tell you that everyone in the bar was doing the O-H-I-O part. It was really loud and kinda cool to get that sort of response.
Thus ends the tale of our adventures in Malvern.
To "put" it into perspective: Put-In-Bay tips the scale with 128 (obviously they weren't counting summer squatters). And I do believe that the amount of people we had at this gig could double the population of PIB.
I should have told you at the very beginning to take your potty break now, grab a big mug of coffee and perhaps a small snack, because this is going to be a long one.
Okay, here we go ~
As we drew closer to Malvern, we noticed quite a lot of restaurant/bait shop combos and fortunately none of those restaurants were advertising sushi as their daily special or the catch of the day. And most of the bait sections were drive through for the fisherman on the move.
We finally get there (and yes, I had ample opportunity to ask "are we there yet?" during our drive....and ask it, I did) and as we turned right to go over the bridge into town, I swear we had turned into an abandoned dirt lot and I'm pretty sure that I heard banjo music playing in the background while Mudcat noticed that cell phone service had ceased.
That quickly faded to the welcoming "downtown" area. There was the Firehouse Grille (thankfully), a bank, and oddly enough a tanning place across the street. A few more shops lined the main street, but I was too busy wining about being cold to notice what they were during our walking tour before the gig.
We had some supper time treats before setting up and the food was quite tasty and reasonably priced, if you ever get the urge to drive to Malvern for a meal. A couple in the adjoining booth asked who was playing and as soon as the bartender called over to them that it was Project Mojo, the guy in the booth said, "oh, they're that NEW band" with not a very nice tone to his voice. I was both amused and a little frightened. They left shortly after, so I didn't have to find out if my fears were warranted. Turns out that we were labeled as "new from Cleveland" and the other bands for the month were listed as "returning".
Their shot for the month was Swamp Water. I wondered if it was an accurate description of the contents, so I looked that up too, only to discover that it's a combination of a variety of liquors, depending upon which recipe you choose, but the common ingredient is vodka.
And of all the things to see when I didn't have my camera with me ~ a wall mounted pay phone, complete with rotary dial. During our break, I asked the bar goddess if it was a working phone and she didn't know. Then I asked her if anyone has a cell phone in Malvern, because non of ours were getting a signal. She said that the only cell phone service that works there is Verizon, but it cuts out every time she goes into Brooster. So, wouldn't you think that Brooster is even smaller than Malvern? I did, but it's not (2,324).
So, the first set started out fairly generic...people alternating between singing along to some of the songs and ignoring us. It was pretty obvious that everybody knew everybody in town (as our new friend Paul pointed out to us) when any newcomer arrived, at least 4 people said hi and/or hugged them before they settled in. And it was pretty obvious that nobody knew us, because when we walked in everybody turned around seemingly in unison and stared at us for quite a disturbing amount of time before they turned back to their beverage at hand.
We had a tiny dancer named Capri. What a doll she was and not a half bad dancer, either.
The second set was like we were at a completely different gig all together. Maybe it was due to the reverse raffle at the church that got the town all revved up, or maybe it was because the people in Malvern like to let their hair down. I don't know why, all I know is that it was very different. Mudcat describes it as our "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hide gig".
And we had another dancer, who wasn't so tiny. She was quite grown. I'm assuming that she and the guy and girl she was with had just come from a wedding reception, because they were dressed to the nines. Well, she was mostly dressed....on the outside. Apparently, she used all the money she saved on not buying undergarments to put toward the purchase of the dress, which was beautiful, but not long on fabric.
This chick was hugely fond of the "grinding" maneuver for her dancing and she was determined to captivate ME with that move. Although she ignored the boys during the song that would not end with her face and parts directly in front of me, she gave Jake some one-on-one attention.
And I do mean one-on-one. If she were any closer to him, she would have been inside his skin. She almost succeeded in at least being inside his shirt....tried to stuff her broken necklace (which must not have been intended to be worn while grinding) down the front of Jake's shirt while he was playing his guitar, singing, and trying to ignore her. I think he may have been temporarily traumatized.
Along with her grinding ability, she must be good at climbing trees, because she mounted the back of some guy at the bar with the greatest of ease and they "danced" together that way, making the space between my mic stand and them get smaller and smaller. Thankfully, they and my mic stand remained upright, which is more than I can say for the bar chair that was holding her purse while she was busy. She managed to scoop up her purse and the bar chair in one easy motion and as she walked away, the chair toppled in her wake.
Now, on to the guy she climbed.....he and one of his buddies were singing along to our songs, which in itself is not a bad thing at all. However, boys who sing along to "Harden My Heart" make me wonder about things....like for instance; they know the words, but do they know what the words mean?
He also was a HUGE fan of Jake's and got the entire bar to cheer him on during one of his solos.
We found out from our friend, Paul (remember Paul at the beginning of this?) that most everyone in town is a "Buckeye", so we played "Hang On Sloopy" at the end and I am not kidding you when I tell you that everyone in the bar was doing the O-H-I-O part. It was really loud and kinda cool to get that sort of response.
Thus ends the tale of our adventures in Malvern.
5/7 - Emerald Valley Golf Course
Emerald Valley....not to be confused with the Emerald City, which by the way was not green.
This was an interesting joint. It was once a full golf course until 30 acres were sold off to make a home for some new buildings. So, now it's a driving range with parts of the original course still in tact, but taken over by the Canadians. Canadians as in geese and there goslings (why aren't they called geeselings?).
This I just don't get ~ it was super duper warm in there and the bartender chick had on a turtle neck, a hoodie, jeans....and sandals, which were really cute, but I just don't get the winterization and summer time shoe item combo. Maybe she was going through a transitional phase.
Thankfully, it was not a patio gig because the sky just let loose with rain and wind. It was pretty intense. And of course, Mudcat played "Ridin' the Storm Out"....he's clever like that. As brutal as it was, it still did not keep the smokers from going out to have some puffs. I have no idea how they lit their cigs, much less kept them going. They're a very determined lot.
Jake's new technology loving friend kept Mudcat engaged during our break and he attached himself to Jake's 3 foot perimeter during tear down. I think the guy had quite enough of sitting with his wife and her 3 girlfriends. It started out with him and his wife being a cute little couple, but as the girls filtered in, we could see the will to live start to drain out of him.
Project Mojo: Unlike the Government, We're Here To Help.
This was an interesting joint. It was once a full golf course until 30 acres were sold off to make a home for some new buildings. So, now it's a driving range with parts of the original course still in tact, but taken over by the Canadians. Canadians as in geese and there goslings (why aren't they called geeselings?).
This I just don't get ~ it was super duper warm in there and the bartender chick had on a turtle neck, a hoodie, jeans....and sandals, which were really cute, but I just don't get the winterization and summer time shoe item combo. Maybe she was going through a transitional phase.
Thankfully, it was not a patio gig because the sky just let loose with rain and wind. It was pretty intense. And of course, Mudcat played "Ridin' the Storm Out"....he's clever like that. As brutal as it was, it still did not keep the smokers from going out to have some puffs. I have no idea how they lit their cigs, much less kept them going. They're a very determined lot.
Jake's new technology loving friend kept Mudcat engaged during our break and he attached himself to Jake's 3 foot perimeter during tear down. I think the guy had quite enough of sitting with his wife and her 3 girlfriends. It started out with him and his wife being a cute little couple, but as the girls filtered in, we could see the will to live start to drain out of him.
Project Mojo: Unlike the Government, We're Here To Help.
Monday, May 3, 2010
5/1 - Mojo's Coffee House
WE MISS YOU, BETTY! Please get better and stay better (although you're already better than most!).
It was all quiet on the western front, so we invented a new, fun game...I'll call it "random requests". Played some songs that we haven't done in a while and a couple that we've never done.
Swan showed up to save us from ourselves and stayed for the duration.
The doors were open and our music lured a woman and her daughter away from their intended route to the DQ and into Mojo's. They saw us through to the end as well.
The little girl looked at my cast and asked me how I broke my arm. The exchange went something like this ~
Lola: I fell
Little Girl: Down the stairs?
Lola: No, just walking
Then the Little Girl was speechless...just the look of "how is that possible????" on her face.
As they were leaving, she told me that she would say a prayer for my arm. How sweet is that?
And speaking of little girls, an even littler/more little/less big girl and her dad were taking a walk and she dragged her dad over to the patio to look in the window at us. She was wearing a headband that looked like giant flower petals, which made her face the face of the flower. Too cute. She and I played a little game of peak-a-boo and wave exchange until her dad had enough and insisted they continue on their way.
Geeze-o-petes, almost forgot ~ Congratulations, Jake (I mean, Blind Lemon Ockuly) on your naked teeth!!!!!
It was all quiet on the western front, so we invented a new, fun game...I'll call it "random requests". Played some songs that we haven't done in a while and a couple that we've never done.
Swan showed up to save us from ourselves and stayed for the duration.
The doors were open and our music lured a woman and her daughter away from their intended route to the DQ and into Mojo's. They saw us through to the end as well.
The little girl looked at my cast and asked me how I broke my arm. The exchange went something like this ~
Lola: I fell
Little Girl: Down the stairs?
Lola: No, just walking
Then the Little Girl was speechless...just the look of "how is that possible????" on her face.
As they were leaving, she told me that she would say a prayer for my arm. How sweet is that?
And speaking of little girls, an even littler/more little/less big girl and her dad were taking a walk and she dragged her dad over to the patio to look in the window at us. She was wearing a headband that looked like giant flower petals, which made her face the face of the flower. Too cute. She and I played a little game of peak-a-boo and wave exchange until her dad had enough and insisted they continue on their way.
Geeze-o-petes, almost forgot ~ Congratulations, Jake (I mean, Blind Lemon Ockuly) on your naked teeth!!!!!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
4/24 - Fox's Sports Bar
First, let me say that being at Fox's brought about some mixed emotions for me...some 20 odd years ago I bellied up to that very bar on occasion with my dear friend Marylin, who sadly lost her battle with cancer a few years ago. We threw back a lot of "vodsonics", but more importantly, a lot of laughter. Sorry, Mar ~ I just had a regular vodka/tonic this time around.
Okay, on to the gig ~
Jake was all kinds of happy. Not only did we have a stage (even though his happiness about the stage turned to loathing by tear down time), we also got to play loud. He likes that.
And he got to jam with Lightnin'. Lightnin' sat in with us for the last set and a good time was had by all. Thanks for coming out to play and thank you, Gina for indulging us.
You know how I was on a roll for a while with describing various establishment's bathrooms and then the "interesting" bathrooms were no more? Well, they're baaaaack....
The bathroom door was hand painted with a bouquet of beautiful flowers, which impressed me because this didn't seem like the kind of joint that would have a lovely bathroom. And it isn't, which I discovered once I got beyond the door.
The toilet tank was strapped down with some criss-crossed metal stripping (still not sure what that was all about) and I could still be in that stall reading all the eloquently put thoughts that covered the walls and door.
I just have to share one such thought (the others were pretty much potty mouth stuff and yes, pun intended). Scrawled across one wall was this ~ "Seriously, writing on bathroom walls? Who does that anymore?, which was followed by, "Obviously you do, bitch!", which was followed by, "Sounds like split personality to me".
And how is it that girls can walk in 5-6 inch heels, much less dance in them without snapping their ankles like twigs? I don't know if I could even sit wearing them. I had my day of wearing high heels, but 3" was considered high and 4" was considered CFM. Wonder what the girls are calling theirs (besides a challenge).
A couple (and I do believe that's the operative word here) of girls who were not only sporting the highest of high heels, but who were also wearing swishy little party dresses ("little" because of the girls' stature, but mostly because of the lack-o-material involved in the making of these dresses) danced and sang their hearts out to "Folsom Prison Blues". Not sure if it was the song, the swishing, or perhaps the alcohol, but one of the girls decided to cop a feel and the coppie didn't seem at all surprised nor bothered by this sudden and unexpected (at least to us it was unexpected) PDA.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the variety of songs that we did and the rain didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Wow, I just realized the play on words in that sentence. It would have been pretty clever had it been intentional...
Okay, on to the gig ~
Jake was all kinds of happy. Not only did we have a stage (even though his happiness about the stage turned to loathing by tear down time), we also got to play loud. He likes that.
And he got to jam with Lightnin'. Lightnin' sat in with us for the last set and a good time was had by all. Thanks for coming out to play and thank you, Gina for indulging us.
You know how I was on a roll for a while with describing various establishment's bathrooms and then the "interesting" bathrooms were no more? Well, they're baaaaack....
The bathroom door was hand painted with a bouquet of beautiful flowers, which impressed me because this didn't seem like the kind of joint that would have a lovely bathroom. And it isn't, which I discovered once I got beyond the door.
The toilet tank was strapped down with some criss-crossed metal stripping (still not sure what that was all about) and I could still be in that stall reading all the eloquently put thoughts that covered the walls and door.
I just have to share one such thought (the others were pretty much potty mouth stuff and yes, pun intended). Scrawled across one wall was this ~ "Seriously, writing on bathroom walls? Who does that anymore?, which was followed by, "Obviously you do, bitch!", which was followed by, "Sounds like split personality to me".
And how is it that girls can walk in 5-6 inch heels, much less dance in them without snapping their ankles like twigs? I don't know if I could even sit wearing them. I had my day of wearing high heels, but 3" was considered high and 4" was considered CFM. Wonder what the girls are calling theirs (besides a challenge).
A couple (and I do believe that's the operative word here) of girls who were not only sporting the highest of high heels, but who were also wearing swishy little party dresses ("little" because of the girls' stature, but mostly because of the lack-o-material involved in the making of these dresses) danced and sang their hearts out to "Folsom Prison Blues". Not sure if it was the song, the swishing, or perhaps the alcohol, but one of the girls decided to cop a feel and the coppie didn't seem at all surprised nor bothered by this sudden and unexpected (at least to us it was unexpected) PDA.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the variety of songs that we did and the rain didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Wow, I just realized the play on words in that sentence. It would have been pretty clever had it been intentional...
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
4/23 - Whole Foods
It still slays me to play in a grocery store, but we did it again and the people shopping there seemed to like our music. Even had an older gentleman dancing in the aisles.
And it also amazes me that for a smart girl (Master's degree....in science), I can be really dippy. I'll try to explain it the best I can for you to get the full effect. Here goes ~
An aisle to the left of us was this woman trying to get her grand daughter, who was sitting in the shopping cart to clap and cart dance, rather than chair dance (ooh, would that be dancing a la carte? I crack my own self up, but I digress...shocking, isn't it?). Anyway, the girl was having none of her grandma's enthusiasm. She was watching us with the most intent look on her face (perhaps she was a bit perplexed about a band in a grocery store).
So, let me clarify that I know with all certainty this woman is the little girls' grandma, because of the obvious age difference, but more so because this little girl was an exact miniature of the woman.
This little girl looked like an older version of the Gerber baby. She had the most beautiful blond hair, big expressive eyes, that little pouty mouth to go with the cheeks that strangers feel compelled to "pinch" and she was wearing what looked like her Easter dress complete with the white tights and white Mary Janes, topped off with a polite little white sweater. So, you see this little girl made quite an impression on me.
The dippy part is coming. Wait for it....wait for it....
After a couple songs of just the grandma dancing and clapping, they make their way down that aisle and out of sight, but in this case it wasn't out of sight/out of mind for me (well, the out of my mind thing pretty much always applies, but you know what I mean).
A few songs later, I look over at the aisle to the right of us where this same grandma is pushing a cart with a little girl wearing the same little Easter outfit, but this little girl is about 3 times bigger than the Gerber Girl and she has black hair. My first thought was that this grandma chick was not paying attention and took the wrong cart with someone else's kid in it and I was horrified at how she wouldn't have noticed.
And then I saw that grandma wasn't alone. The woman with her was clearly her daughter, who looked just like a younger grandma with black hair and an older version of the girl in grandma's new cart and she was pushing the cart with the Gerber Girl. She also had a baby in one of those front papoose things. And the baby looked just like her too. If it weren't for the women's sunny dispositions and the dark hair, they could have been from "Children of the Corn".
So, that's my dippy story.
This grocery store is more like a health food store with just about everything being all natural, organic, or "green" and yet a woman strolled by us with a McDonald's cup, sipping some kind of liquid that probably wasn't all natural or organic....but it might have been green (just not "green"). Clearly, she wasn't a health food nut.
And then there was the guy who had a bag of carrots in his cart. Not just any bag and not just any carrots. This was an industrial size bag, like 50 lbs. And the carrots were giant (maybe they grew next to the Perry power plant). I'm thinking that this guy either has a horse, a really big rabbit named Harvey or a big old juicer at home. Seriously, how much do you have to like carrots to buy that many at one time? Obviously, way more than I like them.
And it also amazes me that for a smart girl (Master's degree....in science), I can be really dippy. I'll try to explain it the best I can for you to get the full effect. Here goes ~
An aisle to the left of us was this woman trying to get her grand daughter, who was sitting in the shopping cart to clap and cart dance, rather than chair dance (ooh, would that be dancing a la carte? I crack my own self up, but I digress...shocking, isn't it?). Anyway, the girl was having none of her grandma's enthusiasm. She was watching us with the most intent look on her face (perhaps she was a bit perplexed about a band in a grocery store).
So, let me clarify that I know with all certainty this woman is the little girls' grandma, because of the obvious age difference, but more so because this little girl was an exact miniature of the woman.
This little girl looked like an older version of the Gerber baby. She had the most beautiful blond hair, big expressive eyes, that little pouty mouth to go with the cheeks that strangers feel compelled to "pinch" and she was wearing what looked like her Easter dress complete with the white tights and white Mary Janes, topped off with a polite little white sweater. So, you see this little girl made quite an impression on me.
The dippy part is coming. Wait for it....wait for it....
After a couple songs of just the grandma dancing and clapping, they make their way down that aisle and out of sight, but in this case it wasn't out of sight/out of mind for me (well, the out of my mind thing pretty much always applies, but you know what I mean).
A few songs later, I look over at the aisle to the right of us where this same grandma is pushing a cart with a little girl wearing the same little Easter outfit, but this little girl is about 3 times bigger than the Gerber Girl and she has black hair. My first thought was that this grandma chick was not paying attention and took the wrong cart with someone else's kid in it and I was horrified at how she wouldn't have noticed.
And then I saw that grandma wasn't alone. The woman with her was clearly her daughter, who looked just like a younger grandma with black hair and an older version of the girl in grandma's new cart and she was pushing the cart with the Gerber Girl. She also had a baby in one of those front papoose things. And the baby looked just like her too. If it weren't for the women's sunny dispositions and the dark hair, they could have been from "Children of the Corn".
So, that's my dippy story.
This grocery store is more like a health food store with just about everything being all natural, organic, or "green" and yet a woman strolled by us with a McDonald's cup, sipping some kind of liquid that probably wasn't all natural or organic....but it might have been green (just not "green"). Clearly, she wasn't a health food nut.
And then there was the guy who had a bag of carrots in his cart. Not just any bag and not just any carrots. This was an industrial size bag, like 50 lbs. And the carrots were giant (maybe they grew next to the Perry power plant). I'm thinking that this guy either has a horse, a really big rabbit named Harvey or a big old juicer at home. Seriously, how much do you have to like carrots to buy that many at one time? Obviously, way more than I like them.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
4/21 - Gobs-o-Gigs
I am so sorry for the delay in gig updates, but in my defence there really are an awful lot of shiny things around here to distract me, which accounts for a couple missed blogs, and then I decided to test out gravity to see if it still works and found out the hard way by breaking my wrist that yes, gravity does still work (do not try this at home...or anywhere else for that matter).
Okay, enough with the excuses and/or whining. Let's get to some serious gig updating. I'll do my best to remember the ghosts of gigs past.
Ready? Here goes ~
3/19 - Old Whedon Grille
Once again stupid, stupid, stupid basketball takes precedence over us....the nerve. But, it wasn't until the very end of the gig that we got shut down. Thankfully, it was a late starting game.
We got there too early to set up, so decided to take a stroll through "Stepford" (and we saw some wives). As we were coming back through the park, we saw a car pull out of a spot directly in front of the bar, so we picked up the pace to cross the street, Mudcat went one way to get the van from the nearest parking space we could find, which was about 3 blocks away and I went the other way to stand in the newly open parking space to hold it for him. I was not only successful in holding the space for him, but I also annoyed a couple people who tried to pull in there, but couldn't, because I was standing right in the middle of it pretending to be completely oblivious to them.
The place we were set up in was wee and there was a TV hanging from the wall right above and somewhat behind Jake's head. It reminded me of Max Headroom. Remember him from the 70's or 80's? Of course Jake had no idea what I was talking about and looked at me like I'd gone off the deep end (hmmm...I get that look a lot from him).
3/20 - The Pub
Always a fun time and to make it even more fun, Betty & Bernie were there with their entourage and Mike & Sue came with their peeps and Dave & Patti were there too. Jake's friend Chris and his crew were there as well. Lots of good company, but during the break, we felt like a couple at their wedding reception going to each table only getting to spend a brief moment with each person.
It was still a little bit chilly, so the industrial strength ceiling heaters were on full blast, including the one directly above us. I asked the boy who was hostess for the night if he would please turn off our heater. Being that it's high up, this boy had to stand on a chair and stretch to reach the controls (and he's tall to begin with). He was quite reluctant to do it for me, because the uniform for everyone (boys included) is a kilt. He looked down at his kilt, back up at me and asked me if I noticed what he was wearing. I asked him if it was really true then about what's worn (or not worn) under a kilt. He said that he wears boxers under his. He was still reluctant to climb up there and risk having anyone see his underlings. I promised that I wouldn't look up his skirt if he didn't look up mine. He didn't think that was a fair trade, but turned the heater off for us anyway. I can't tell you how tempted I was to say, "nice boxers" after he climbed down, but I refrained.
3/26 - Whole Foods
Missed this gig due to the gravity test, but Mudcat reported that someone did a long distance request and held up their cell phone while he and Jake played their song. And the boys were an end cap this time rather than being set up in the "dining area".
3/27 - Mustard Seed
Once again, missed because I was still nursing my wound and wouldn't ya know it ~ Greg finally makes it out to see us with his son, Elliott and I missed them. He called from there to harass me about sitting at home on the couch with my feet up, eating chocolates and drinking wine. What are friends for?
4/3 - Mojo's Coffee House
Betty & Bernie were there to offer support and this time, Sarah was with them. Since this was our open mic night, we forced Sarah to come up and sing. What a voice that chick has! I was a little concerned that she might be my replacement. Thanks for jamming with us, Sarah. Hope you had as much fun as we did.
4/10 - McCarthy's (Strongsville)
The stage there was giant and multi-levels! What a treat, although I did feel like we were miles apart from each other.
Many thanks to Betty & Bernie for their continued support and for gathering a group together to cheer us on. Sorta felt like rock stars.
Some guy who was clearly feeling no pain decided to invite himself up to "sing" with me.
We had tons of requests and oddly enough, we knew all of them. Ended up playing overtime to get all the requests in, but enjoyed every minute of it.
4/15 - Milestone Bar and Grille
The weather was so nice that pretty much everyone was on the patio....except us.
Our new friend, Karen was a hoot! She stayed for quite a while. If you get a chance, check her out at www.miscellaneousyammering.blogspot.com.
If The Sleeper has a brother, Big Al is him. Pretty scary....
Thanks to Mark & Gina for coming out (and for not sitting on the patio)! Too funny that when they walked in Mud was singing the "Gina works the diner all day" line from "Living On A Prayer".
4/16 - Laurello Winery
I do believe their stage is the smallest stage EVER. We were pretty packed up there and with my wing still in a full arm cast, I kept bumping into Mudcat and had to turn sideways in order to sing and play the maracas at the same time.
For some reason, my mic stand was being a little tipsy and I swore I was going to end the night with a fat lip and/or chipped tooth to go along with my lame wing.
As we were leaving, I caught the toe of my boot on the floor strip going out the door and almost did a pinwheel thing out of there. Jake was behind me and was convinced that I was going down. Hopefully, I sing better than I walk.
4/17 - Mustard Seed
The place was packed all night. Re-mark-able. During our break, we went to the back banquet room to sit and some people actually sought us out to tell us how much they enjoyed us. Pretty cool, huh?
And as always, there was at least one screaming child (hopefully not because of our music) and a "clean up on isle 6" in the grocery store below.
.
.
.
Okay, I'm finally caught up on my gig reports. Did you make it all the way through?
Okay, enough with the excuses and/or whining. Let's get to some serious gig updating. I'll do my best to remember the ghosts of gigs past.
Ready? Here goes ~
3/19 - Old Whedon Grille
Once again stupid, stupid, stupid basketball takes precedence over us....the nerve. But, it wasn't until the very end of the gig that we got shut down. Thankfully, it was a late starting game.
We got there too early to set up, so decided to take a stroll through "Stepford" (and we saw some wives). As we were coming back through the park, we saw a car pull out of a spot directly in front of the bar, so we picked up the pace to cross the street, Mudcat went one way to get the van from the nearest parking space we could find, which was about 3 blocks away and I went the other way to stand in the newly open parking space to hold it for him. I was not only successful in holding the space for him, but I also annoyed a couple people who tried to pull in there, but couldn't, because I was standing right in the middle of it pretending to be completely oblivious to them.
The place we were set up in was wee and there was a TV hanging from the wall right above and somewhat behind Jake's head. It reminded me of Max Headroom. Remember him from the 70's or 80's? Of course Jake had no idea what I was talking about and looked at me like I'd gone off the deep end (hmmm...I get that look a lot from him).
3/20 - The Pub
Always a fun time and to make it even more fun, Betty & Bernie were there with their entourage and Mike & Sue came with their peeps and Dave & Patti were there too. Jake's friend Chris and his crew were there as well. Lots of good company, but during the break, we felt like a couple at their wedding reception going to each table only getting to spend a brief moment with each person.
It was still a little bit chilly, so the industrial strength ceiling heaters were on full blast, including the one directly above us. I asked the boy who was hostess for the night if he would please turn off our heater. Being that it's high up, this boy had to stand on a chair and stretch to reach the controls (and he's tall to begin with). He was quite reluctant to do it for me, because the uniform for everyone (boys included) is a kilt. He looked down at his kilt, back up at me and asked me if I noticed what he was wearing. I asked him if it was really true then about what's worn (or not worn) under a kilt. He said that he wears boxers under his. He was still reluctant to climb up there and risk having anyone see his underlings. I promised that I wouldn't look up his skirt if he didn't look up mine. He didn't think that was a fair trade, but turned the heater off for us anyway. I can't tell you how tempted I was to say, "nice boxers" after he climbed down, but I refrained.
3/26 - Whole Foods
Missed this gig due to the gravity test, but Mudcat reported that someone did a long distance request and held up their cell phone while he and Jake played their song. And the boys were an end cap this time rather than being set up in the "dining area".
3/27 - Mustard Seed
Once again, missed because I was still nursing my wound and wouldn't ya know it ~ Greg finally makes it out to see us with his son, Elliott and I missed them. He called from there to harass me about sitting at home on the couch with my feet up, eating chocolates and drinking wine. What are friends for?
4/3 - Mojo's Coffee House
Betty & Bernie were there to offer support and this time, Sarah was with them. Since this was our open mic night, we forced Sarah to come up and sing. What a voice that chick has! I was a little concerned that she might be my replacement. Thanks for jamming with us, Sarah. Hope you had as much fun as we did.
4/10 - McCarthy's (Strongsville)
The stage there was giant and multi-levels! What a treat, although I did feel like we were miles apart from each other.
Many thanks to Betty & Bernie for their continued support and for gathering a group together to cheer us on. Sorta felt like rock stars.
Some guy who was clearly feeling no pain decided to invite himself up to "sing" with me.
We had tons of requests and oddly enough, we knew all of them. Ended up playing overtime to get all the requests in, but enjoyed every minute of it.
4/15 - Milestone Bar and Grille
The weather was so nice that pretty much everyone was on the patio....except us.
Our new friend, Karen was a hoot! She stayed for quite a while. If you get a chance, check her out at www.miscellaneousyammering.blogspot.com.
If The Sleeper has a brother, Big Al is him. Pretty scary....
Thanks to Mark & Gina for coming out (and for not sitting on the patio)! Too funny that when they walked in Mud was singing the "Gina works the diner all day" line from "Living On A Prayer".
4/16 - Laurello Winery
I do believe their stage is the smallest stage EVER. We were pretty packed up there and with my wing still in a full arm cast, I kept bumping into Mudcat and had to turn sideways in order to sing and play the maracas at the same time.
For some reason, my mic stand was being a little tipsy and I swore I was going to end the night with a fat lip and/or chipped tooth to go along with my lame wing.
As we were leaving, I caught the toe of my boot on the floor strip going out the door and almost did a pinwheel thing out of there. Jake was behind me and was convinced that I was going down. Hopefully, I sing better than I walk.
4/17 - Mustard Seed
The place was packed all night. Re-mark-able. During our break, we went to the back banquet room to sit and some people actually sought us out to tell us how much they enjoyed us. Pretty cool, huh?
And as always, there was at least one screaming child (hopefully not because of our music) and a "clean up on isle 6" in the grocery store below.
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Okay, I'm finally caught up on my gig reports. Did you make it all the way through?
Friday, March 19, 2010
3/13 - BW3
So glad that the crowd didn't turn ugly like the weather did! It was normal-ish when we started, just a little spritz-o-rain, but by the time we were finished the rain turned to snowiness. Of course, it was just in time for us to load the van. What a lovely treat.
But inside it was warm and welcoming. How could you not feel warm singing "Margaritaville"? And the couple who requested it not only sang along, but danced too....well, he danced...with someone else....it was alright, though. No fight broke out.
Wally and Chris made it out to see us. Thanks, you guys! It was great to see you both again.
The gig closed out with Parker and the MVP of pee-wee hockey helping us out on percussion. Parker requested the Charlie Brown song, but sadly we couldn't honor his request. And we call ourselves professionals.
But inside it was warm and welcoming. How could you not feel warm singing "Margaritaville"? And the couple who requested it not only sang along, but danced too....well, he danced...with someone else....it was alright, though. No fight broke out.
Wally and Chris made it out to see us. Thanks, you guys! It was great to see you both again.
The gig closed out with Parker and the MVP of pee-wee hockey helping us out on percussion. Parker requested the Charlie Brown song, but sadly we couldn't honor his request. And we call ourselves professionals.
Monday, March 15, 2010
3/6 - Mojos Coffee House
Our open mic night at Mojos is really starting to catch on!
Catfish joined us again and it's always great to have him there, especially when he does his "Violet" song. Great falsetto.
Our new friends, Austin and his dad Larry came out and brought their entourage along. Austin is 15 and a heck of a guitar player/singer/song writer. We certainly wish him the best with his music. Austin did 3 numbers on his own and then Larry joined him for a song. He also sat in with us on a couple songs at the end. A good time was had by all.
Harmonica Dave still wouldn't come up and play, but he's a nice boy so we'll let it go.
And Peanuts his own self graced us with his presence (not presents). Thanks for stopping out.
Mostly, thanks to Betty for being our best supporter EVER!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
2/26 - Doogan's
HUGE snow storm, so we thought the place would be like a ghost town, but when it comes to an overabundance of snow, those eastsiders are pretty resilient.
We do a run of songs from our hometown peeps who've made it big (Pretenders, James Gang, Outsiders, The Choir, Tracy Chapman) and one guy was able to name all the artists. Pretty impressive. Well, it's impressive to us (mostly because someone was actually listening....).
One of the guys who works at Doogan's asked if we do any opera. Wow, that's a first. And by the way, we don't.
A Cav's game was on and we were humbled every time people started clapping wildly during the songs, because they weren't clapping for us. Although, we did get a good response after each of our songs...still, not basketball worthy.
Hoping to play back at Doogan's during the summer so that we can be on the patio. Stay tuned to the schedule.
We do a run of songs from our hometown peeps who've made it big (Pretenders, James Gang, Outsiders, The Choir, Tracy Chapman) and one guy was able to name all the artists. Pretty impressive. Well, it's impressive to us (mostly because someone was actually listening....).
One of the guys who works at Doogan's asked if we do any opera. Wow, that's a first. And by the way, we don't.
A Cav's game was on and we were humbled every time people started clapping wildly during the songs, because they weren't clapping for us. Although, we did get a good response after each of our songs...still, not basketball worthy.
Hoping to play back at Doogan's during the summer so that we can be on the patio. Stay tuned to the schedule.
Monday, February 22, 2010
2/13 - The Mustard Seed
Yes, finally getting around to writing about the Valentine's Day Eve gig.
Well, being Jakeless made it way less interesting, but don't worry about me....I'll be alright.
With it being Valentine's Day Eve, obviously there were lots of couples, but there were also families, which sort of surprised me. One small family was a man with his little girl, so of course we used her name in the "Amy" song. Her name was Emma. In talking with Emma during our break, I was told that she liked my dress, her dad has 3 guitars, and that she liked my dress.
I also discovered that most of the songs I do are not very romantic AT ALL. Most of them are about good love gone bad or bad love gone worse. Very nice for Valentine's Day. But everyone was either fine with that or they were ignoring me and had no idea what I was singing. Probably the latter of the two.
So, if anyone has a romantic song suggestion, please let me know. Or I could just write one....
Well, being Jakeless made it way less interesting, but don't worry about me....I'll be alright.
With it being Valentine's Day Eve, obviously there were lots of couples, but there were also families, which sort of surprised me. One small family was a man with his little girl, so of course we used her name in the "Amy" song. Her name was Emma. In talking with Emma during our break, I was told that she liked my dress, her dad has 3 guitars, and that she liked my dress.
I also discovered that most of the songs I do are not very romantic AT ALL. Most of them are about good love gone bad or bad love gone worse. Very nice for Valentine's Day. But everyone was either fine with that or they were ignoring me and had no idea what I was singing. Probably the latter of the two.
So, if anyone has a romantic song suggestion, please let me know. Or I could just write one....
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
2/6 - Mojo's Coffee House
Thanks to all who braved the cold and snow to come out and play ~ especially Betty, Little Pat & Mark, and Ted & Nora. Also out and about were a couple of familiar faces and some strangers, who will hopefully turn into familiar faces.
Dave and Ron (a.k.a. Catfish) stopped in after their recording deal. With it being open mic night, we thought that Dave might join us with his harmonica, but he could not be coerced. Catfish did some originals and sat in with us during the last half of the gig. Loads of fun!
And congratulations, Andrea on your new catering business. We wish you much success.
Dave and Ron (a.k.a. Catfish) stopped in after their recording deal. With it being open mic night, we thought that Dave might join us with his harmonica, but he could not be coerced. Catfish did some originals and sat in with us during the last half of the gig. Loads of fun!
And congratulations, Andrea on your new catering business. We wish you much success.
Monday, February 1, 2010
1/30 - Java Cafe
Betty, thank you SO much for coming out (sorry about the time mix up) and for staying. You are the way best chick EVER!
Jake's entourage was there to offer support as well.
And we were graced with an appearance by Peanuts. Once again, I'm sorry that we didn't get to chit and chat with you. Thanks so much for stopping out. See you at your b.day bash.
Mudcat broke a string early on in the gig, but like a Boy Scout he's always prepared. Jake and I made the best of it while Mud was re-stringing.
We had another tiny dancer, but this guy decided to incorporate surfing moves into his dance and made use of the entire length of the place. Pretty entertaining.
There was a window to the side of us that looked out to the parking lot (lovely view, by the way) and I noticed a tow truck drive by. It was one of those tow trucks that have the car sitting up on the bed of the truck, like the car is on a stage. This particular car was some maroonish car (and yes boys, that's the most important thing about a car to me). That sighting in itself was no big whoop. Some time passed (pretty sure it was time and not gas) and the very same tow truck with the very same car passed by again. Wasn't sure if the driver was circling the parking lot because he was bored or if his GPS was doing the "recalculating" thing and he just couldn't find his way out.
Some girl was there trying to take artsy fartsy pictures of a glass coffee mug. She kept moving the mug around and trying different shots. Not sure if she took any pictures of us. We're probably not as photogenic as a glass coffee mug.
The Java's turtle brownies were a big hit with Mudcat. I got distracted by something shiny and forgot to get a sample (how is that possible, that I could forget about food???), so I did the next best thing and made my own version of them last night. And not to toot my own horn, but they're most dee-lish. Pretty doubtful that there will be any left to share at the next gig.
Note to Jake: the same thing happened to me with the car alarms today in the parking lot of the grocery store...you're not alone.
Jake's entourage was there to offer support as well.
And we were graced with an appearance by Peanuts. Once again, I'm sorry that we didn't get to chit and chat with you. Thanks so much for stopping out. See you at your b.day bash.
Mudcat broke a string early on in the gig, but like a Boy Scout he's always prepared. Jake and I made the best of it while Mud was re-stringing.
We had another tiny dancer, but this guy decided to incorporate surfing moves into his dance and made use of the entire length of the place. Pretty entertaining.
There was a window to the side of us that looked out to the parking lot (lovely view, by the way) and I noticed a tow truck drive by. It was one of those tow trucks that have the car sitting up on the bed of the truck, like the car is on a stage. This particular car was some maroonish car (and yes boys, that's the most important thing about a car to me). That sighting in itself was no big whoop. Some time passed (pretty sure it was time and not gas) and the very same tow truck with the very same car passed by again. Wasn't sure if the driver was circling the parking lot because he was bored or if his GPS was doing the "recalculating" thing and he just couldn't find his way out.
Some girl was there trying to take artsy fartsy pictures of a glass coffee mug. She kept moving the mug around and trying different shots. Not sure if she took any pictures of us. We're probably not as photogenic as a glass coffee mug.
The Java's turtle brownies were a big hit with Mudcat. I got distracted by something shiny and forgot to get a sample (how is that possible, that I could forget about food???), so I did the next best thing and made my own version of them last night. And not to toot my own horn, but they're most dee-lish. Pretty doubtful that there will be any left to share at the next gig.
Note to Jake: the same thing happened to me with the car alarms today in the parking lot of the grocery store...you're not alone.
1/29 - Flat Iron
The full moon was so incredible! It was the Wolf Moon and the brightest moon for the entire year, which also made it appear to be enormously huge, but it was just regular moon size.
Because of it's brightness, Mars (but not the candy bar) was visible to the left of the moon. Okay, enough with the science lesson.
There was a guy sitting at the bar who looked like a cross between Sammy Davis Jr. and Stevie Wonder. He was telling tales of his grand adventures from the 60's. I pointed out to him that it's common knowledge that if you can remember the 60's, then you weren't really there.
Well, our new friend Tim was an interesting character. Came in wearing sunglasses (why yes, it was a night time gig) and he left them on for quite some time. But what was even more interesting /borderline disturbing, was when he asked me if he could smell my hair. He was sitting about 8-10 feet away from us and just yelled it out (during the gig). I've got to say that's a first for me. Just to set the record straight ~ I said no.
Jake was our resident comedian....started to play "I Shot The Sheriff" when a couple of policemen came in for their supper break. Mudcat compromised and we did "White Rabbit" instead.
Because of it's brightness, Mars (but not the candy bar) was visible to the left of the moon. Okay, enough with the science lesson.
There was a guy sitting at the bar who looked like a cross between Sammy Davis Jr. and Stevie Wonder. He was telling tales of his grand adventures from the 60's. I pointed out to him that it's common knowledge that if you can remember the 60's, then you weren't really there.
Well, our new friend Tim was an interesting character. Came in wearing sunglasses (why yes, it was a night time gig) and he left them on for quite some time. But what was even more interesting /borderline disturbing, was when he asked me if he could smell my hair. He was sitting about 8-10 feet away from us and just yelled it out (during the gig). I've got to say that's a first for me. Just to set the record straight ~ I said no.
Jake was our resident comedian....started to play "I Shot The Sheriff" when a couple of policemen came in for their supper break. Mudcat compromised and we did "White Rabbit" instead.
Friday, January 29, 2010
1/23 - Mustard Seed
The joint was hoppin' with a private party (but people kept oozing out to listen to us, so that was nice) and with regular diners. And the bar had its fair share of people (probably for the giant lava/glitter lamps).
Wearing stripes appeared to be a requirement to get into the party. Or perhaps it was a Where's Waldo convention...it could have been.
The absolute best part of the entire gig was Sadie. She was so freakin' cute I can barely stand it! Probably 2-ish years old and her percussion instrument of choice was the cabasa. She definitely liked that better than the maraca.
During the chorus of the Pure Prairie League song "Amy", we changed Amy to Sadie and looked at her while we sang it. The look on her face was complete shock and utter disbelief that we knew her name (we asked her dad, we're not psychotic....I mean psychic), but that look quickly changed to a look of horror, because we knew her name. Sadie ran back to the safety of her dad's arms and when she saw that he was smiling, she realized that it must be alright and started to relax again. Wonder how many times that incident will come up in future therapy sessions.
And her side kick looked like he was straight out of a Baby Gap add. What a little cutie pie he was (didn't get his name) and he was most interested in the cabasa as well, but only after Sadie had it in her little mitts.
We saw some familiar faces and I'd like to believe that they came back to see us.
Much thanks to Betty and Bernie for coming out to show their support!
Wearing stripes appeared to be a requirement to get into the party. Or perhaps it was a Where's Waldo convention...it could have been.
The absolute best part of the entire gig was Sadie. She was so freakin' cute I can barely stand it! Probably 2-ish years old and her percussion instrument of choice was the cabasa. She definitely liked that better than the maraca.
During the chorus of the Pure Prairie League song "Amy", we changed Amy to Sadie and looked at her while we sang it. The look on her face was complete shock and utter disbelief that we knew her name (we asked her dad, we're not psychotic....I mean psychic), but that look quickly changed to a look of horror, because we knew her name. Sadie ran back to the safety of her dad's arms and when she saw that he was smiling, she realized that it must be alright and started to relax again. Wonder how many times that incident will come up in future therapy sessions.
And her side kick looked like he was straight out of a Baby Gap add. What a little cutie pie he was (didn't get his name) and he was most interested in the cabasa as well, but only after Sadie had it in her little mitts.
We saw some familiar faces and I'd like to believe that they came back to see us.
Much thanks to Betty and Bernie for coming out to show their support!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
1/16 - Brewsters
Only 8 days in their new location and you could never tell. Well done!
Thanks to the Big Guy and his crew for coming out. It was great to see you guys again.
During our break (well, mind and Mudcat's), the bartender came over to jam with Jake....hey, I think we should start calling open mic nights "Jammin' with Jake". Whatdya think? It was fun to listen to them. Mud and I sang with Jake on the first song, but then we left them to their fun.
Our new friend, Andy requested "Gypsy", but I don't know that song (well, I know it to sing along on the radio, but not to pull it off my own self). So, I'll learn that one to do the next time we play at Brewsters (Feb 20th). Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks to the Big Guy and his crew for coming out. It was great to see you guys again.
During our break (well, mind and Mudcat's), the bartender came over to jam with Jake....hey, I think we should start calling open mic nights "Jammin' with Jake". Whatdya think? It was fun to listen to them. Mud and I sang with Jake on the first song, but then we left them to their fun.
Our new friend, Andy requested "Gypsy", but I don't know that song (well, I know it to sing along on the radio, but not to pull it off my own self). So, I'll learn that one to do the next time we play at Brewsters (Feb 20th). Thanks for the suggestion!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
1/15 - Whole Foods
Whole Foods as in the grocery store. Seriously. At least we weren't an end cap.
It was fun doing the sound check. I systematically wandered around the store to hear how far the sound carried. Got to the back of the store to the wine and beer section (yes, I came back) and then things started to get spotty from there on over to the produce section. Turned around and walked down the center isle and started picking up the sound again by the chips (yes, I came back).
It was interesting playing a gig while people were doing their grocery shopping. The deal was that from 5-7pm for $5 you can sample 5 different foods and wine. With the food you can go back as many times as you want, so it's a pretty good deal. And one of the sample foods was spicy macaroni & cheese and you know how I love m&c. I missed out on getting a sample, but don't worry about me....I'll be alright.
There was a woman in there with her teenage boy and girl and she just could not decide on a dairy item. She came back to the same spot 3 times and just stood there staring into the display. I'm not sure if she was doing the same thing that I do with the refrigerator, expecting some food item to have magically appeared from 5 minutes before when I last looked, or if she was just mesmerized by dairy products. Either way, her kids were having none of it and came over by us. Apparently we're as boring to them as watching their mom watch the dairy case. Oh well, could be worse.
And we had our tiny dancers again. Made their own dance floor in front of the bakery....until their mom put the kabash on that.
One chick stands out from all the rest. Even the boys noticed her and not because she was blonde....although, they may have noticed her hotness first and her odd fashion sense second. Anyway, remember those navy blue down parkas from the 70's? This one had a twist to it and I'm thinkin' that she either got it on the clearance rack after it had been marked down so much that the next price adjustment would have been for the store to pay her to take it off their hands or she paid an exorbitant amount of money for it, because it was a designer one of a kind coat (let's hope it's one of a kind). Okay, here goes and I am so not exaggerating ~
Imagine one of those navy blue down parkas that's been streamlined to be form fitting (that part is fine), but then imagine that streamlined parka and the shoulders of the worst bridesmaid dress from the 70's melding into one garment. The top of the coat looked like a giant bow with her head being the knot......hey, wonder if that's where the expression "knothead" comes from.
Mud thought that the shoulders of the coat were a safety device to protect her head in case she happened to fall off her boots with the 4-6 inch wood heels. It was hard to tell just how spiky they were, but they had to have been at least 4 inches.
Perhaps her coat doubles as a floatation device...
I swear her outfit looked like it was costume reject from the movie "Earth Girls Are Easy". Honesty, who dresses like that to go grocery shopping (or ever)?
It was fun doing the sound check. I systematically wandered around the store to hear how far the sound carried. Got to the back of the store to the wine and beer section (yes, I came back) and then things started to get spotty from there on over to the produce section. Turned around and walked down the center isle and started picking up the sound again by the chips (yes, I came back).
It was interesting playing a gig while people were doing their grocery shopping. The deal was that from 5-7pm for $5 you can sample 5 different foods and wine. With the food you can go back as many times as you want, so it's a pretty good deal. And one of the sample foods was spicy macaroni & cheese and you know how I love m&c. I missed out on getting a sample, but don't worry about me....I'll be alright.
There was a woman in there with her teenage boy and girl and she just could not decide on a dairy item. She came back to the same spot 3 times and just stood there staring into the display. I'm not sure if she was doing the same thing that I do with the refrigerator, expecting some food item to have magically appeared from 5 minutes before when I last looked, or if she was just mesmerized by dairy products. Either way, her kids were having none of it and came over by us. Apparently we're as boring to them as watching their mom watch the dairy case. Oh well, could be worse.
And we had our tiny dancers again. Made their own dance floor in front of the bakery....until their mom put the kabash on that.
One chick stands out from all the rest. Even the boys noticed her and not because she was blonde....although, they may have noticed her hotness first and her odd fashion sense second. Anyway, remember those navy blue down parkas from the 70's? This one had a twist to it and I'm thinkin' that she either got it on the clearance rack after it had been marked down so much that the next price adjustment would have been for the store to pay her to take it off their hands or she paid an exorbitant amount of money for it, because it was a designer one of a kind coat (let's hope it's one of a kind). Okay, here goes and I am so not exaggerating ~
Imagine one of those navy blue down parkas that's been streamlined to be form fitting (that part is fine), but then imagine that streamlined parka and the shoulders of the worst bridesmaid dress from the 70's melding into one garment. The top of the coat looked like a giant bow with her head being the knot......hey, wonder if that's where the expression "knothead" comes from.
Mud thought that the shoulders of the coat were a safety device to protect her head in case she happened to fall off her boots with the 4-6 inch wood heels. It was hard to tell just how spiky they were, but they had to have been at least 4 inches.
Perhaps her coat doubles as a floatation device...
I swear her outfit looked like it was costume reject from the movie "Earth Girls Are Easy". Honesty, who dresses like that to go grocery shopping (or ever)?
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
1/9 - The Pub
Yikes ~ I've been neglectful in my updates. I'm oh so too very sorry.
We do like playing at The Pub. This time around we had the support of Mike and Sue, Swan and company, and Jake's entourage. Thanks everyone!
There was a group in the back of the room who were quite good at chair dancing and one of the girls in the group may have imbibed just a wee bit much, which caused her to stop on their way out, sing at maximum volume into her imaginary microphone, which in turn caused extreme embarrassment to the guy who was with her, who I'm assuming was her designated driver.
When his verbal cuing didn't work, the gesturing toward the exit finally got his point across and got her moving again, but her microphone must have been cordless, because she continued to sing into as they made their way out the door.
We do like playing at The Pub. This time around we had the support of Mike and Sue, Swan and company, and Jake's entourage. Thanks everyone!
There was a group in the back of the room who were quite good at chair dancing and one of the girls in the group may have imbibed just a wee bit much, which caused her to stop on their way out, sing at maximum volume into her imaginary microphone, which in turn caused extreme embarrassment to the guy who was with her, who I'm assuming was her designated driver.
When his verbal cuing didn't work, the gesturing toward the exit finally got his point across and got her moving again, but her microphone must have been cordless, because she continued to sing into as they made their way out the door.
Monday, January 11, 2010
1/2 - Mojo's Coffee House
First gig of the new year!
Andrea was out because she hurt her neck, so we're hoping that you're back in the swing of things soon. We missed you.
Betty & Bernie, our true supporters braved the cold to cheer us on. We started with a request for the "theme song" (Betty's absolute favorite song in the entire world!) and then did an all request gig. We got to request songs too, so that was fun.
And Jake actually sang, which is a way good thing! There will be no more getting out of it now, buddy.
We started doing open mic night the last time we were at Mojo's, which was a lot of fun, so now we're on the look out for people who come in with a guitar....or what we think is a guitar.
This guy came in and sat down with his coffee at one of the tables in front. The boys mentioned that we should invite him up to sing and/or play. So, I start over to his table, but he's not there (potty break). I didn't want to stand there and wait for him, so I decided to come back up to the mic by the boys. However, I noticed that there was no guitar at the table and thought it was odd that he would take it into the bathroom with him. He came out and sat back down at the table guitarless. So, of course I had to give Jake grief about seeing things and Jake kept insisting that the guy really did have a guitar when he came in.
After a bit, the guy goes out for a smoke break and when he comes back in he has a guitar over his shoulder (or not). Jake and I look at each other, Jake's look being an "I told you so" look and mine being an "I'll be damned, he really did have a guitar" look. We both looked back at the guy and the guitar was gone. Then Jake and I looked at each other again, both with the "light bulb just went off" look and said, "hood".
From just the right angle, the way that the hood of his coat was bunched up, it looked like the neck of a guitar in a back pack case, but from all other angles it just looked like a hood.
It was a lot more amusing as it was happening.
Andrea was out because she hurt her neck, so we're hoping that you're back in the swing of things soon. We missed you.
Betty & Bernie, our true supporters braved the cold to cheer us on. We started with a request for the "theme song" (Betty's absolute favorite song in the entire world!) and then did an all request gig. We got to request songs too, so that was fun.
And Jake actually sang, which is a way good thing! There will be no more getting out of it now, buddy.
We started doing open mic night the last time we were at Mojo's, which was a lot of fun, so now we're on the look out for people who come in with a guitar....or what we think is a guitar.
This guy came in and sat down with his coffee at one of the tables in front. The boys mentioned that we should invite him up to sing and/or play. So, I start over to his table, but he's not there (potty break). I didn't want to stand there and wait for him, so I decided to come back up to the mic by the boys. However, I noticed that there was no guitar at the table and thought it was odd that he would take it into the bathroom with him. He came out and sat back down at the table guitarless. So, of course I had to give Jake grief about seeing things and Jake kept insisting that the guy really did have a guitar when he came in.
After a bit, the guy goes out for a smoke break and when he comes back in he has a guitar over his shoulder (or not). Jake and I look at each other, Jake's look being an "I told you so" look and mine being an "I'll be damned, he really did have a guitar" look. We both looked back at the guy and the guitar was gone. Then Jake and I looked at each other again, both with the "light bulb just went off" look and said, "hood".
From just the right angle, the way that the hood of his coat was bunched up, it looked like the neck of a guitar in a back pack case, but from all other angles it just looked like a hood.
It was a lot more amusing as it was happening.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
12/26 - The Mustard Seed
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear.
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he? NO ~ it was Jake!
Apparently, a battle of the wills ensued and she who held the clippers won. Try to remember this life lesson, weed hopper....never go up against the will of a woman.
Bernie, Betty (the Clipper Queen), and David were there to cheer us on. Thank you! It's always appreciated.
It was a fairly sparse group, being the day after Christmas and all, but we got a great response from everyone, so that made it nice.
Abraham, the new manager has everything under control and we look forward to working with him again.
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he? NO ~ it was Jake!
Apparently, a battle of the wills ensued and she who held the clippers won. Try to remember this life lesson, weed hopper....never go up against the will of a woman.
Bernie, Betty (the Clipper Queen), and David were there to cheer us on. Thank you! It's always appreciated.
It was a fairly sparse group, being the day after Christmas and all, but we got a great response from everyone, so that made it nice.
Abraham, the new manager has everything under control and we look forward to working with him again.
12/19 - BW3
Anno sat in with us during the last set and what a great time that was! Thanks for stopping out and pleeeeeeeeeeeze join us again when ever you can (and it doesn't just have to be at BW3's, you know). I'd forgotten how much fun it was to sing "Closer To Fine" with the other girl's part and I was so excited that I completely lost track of where I was in the last part of the song
....amateur.
Betty and Lindy were there as well to offer their support. Lindy's new friend, Steven was quite a piece of work, but he at least attempted to give Jake the thumbs up during one of his solos. And by the way, "attempted" is the key word in that sentence. He was feeling no pain.
This was our first winter-ish gig, so the back dock and steps were nicely coated in ice and then topped with snow. Having mastered the art of slipping on snow covered ice, falling, and braking my wrist many moons ago, I was just a wee bit terrified of a repeat performance so I made the boys risk life and limb while I stood in one spot holding the door that didn't require any holding.
But I did tell them to be careful....does that count?
....amateur.
Betty and Lindy were there as well to offer their support. Lindy's new friend, Steven was quite a piece of work, but he at least attempted to give Jake the thumbs up during one of his solos. And by the way, "attempted" is the key word in that sentence. He was feeling no pain.
This was our first winter-ish gig, so the back dock and steps were nicely coated in ice and then topped with snow. Having mastered the art of slipping on snow covered ice, falling, and braking my wrist many moons ago, I was just a wee bit terrified of a repeat performance so I made the boys risk life and limb while I stood in one spot holding the door that didn't require any holding.
But I did tell them to be careful....does that count?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
12/12 - The Pub
This was a patio gig. All right, fine then ~ technically it was indoors, because the patio was enclosed for the winter and there were 850 heaters out there (I asked them to turn off the one directly above us), but I'm still counting it as a patio gig.
The Dunder Mifflin Christmas party was being held out there. Well, that's what Mudcat was calling them anyway, but we swear that one of the girls in their party was Angela. "Michael"
asked Mud if he could come up and make an announcement that the first 2 drinks were on him and then it was an open bar. Mudcat said that was fine, to just come up to the mic when ever he was ready. Very early on, the party started to thin from the 30 people they started with and it appeared that it was happening after each person finished their second drink. Coincidence? I think not. Anyway, when it eventually got down to "Michael" and "Dwight", Mudcat had to be a smartass and ask him when he wanted to make his important announcement.
Thanks to Betty, Bernie, and company for coming out and staying and thanks to Bernie for the barley sodas!
Mr. Peanuts made a guest appearance, but unfortunately we didn't get to talk with him because we were in the middle of a set and Peanuts left before we finished. We waved to each other, so that will have to do for now, but next time I expect double hugs.
Kevin and Jeff were the servers in the patio and they were wearing kilts. Well, not just the two of them, but all the boy servers. I really wanted to ask THE question, but I figured that they've probably been asked so many times that its cleverness was lost long ago....plus, I'm thinkin' that some things are just better left unknown. Anyway, they were very nice boys and took good care of us.
And what's a gig post from me without mentioning the bathrooms? Well, let me tell you about the bathrooms at The Pub. Actually, it's not so much the bathrooms themselves (very nice and clean), but more the journey to get to them....Across the patio to the side bar, through that section and down a small hall to the front door, a sharp right turn took me to the main bar area where the tile floor and my boots did not play nice together, eventually made my way between the bar and the booths without actually falling, to the plushly carpeted back dining room. A slalom course took me through the tables to the back of that area, then a sharp right turn down a ramp to finally arrive at the bathrooms on the left. I really could have used a GPS...or a rest stop along the way.
The Dunder Mifflin Christmas party was being held out there. Well, that's what Mudcat was calling them anyway, but we swear that one of the girls in their party was Angela. "Michael"
asked Mud if he could come up and make an announcement that the first 2 drinks were on him and then it was an open bar. Mudcat said that was fine, to just come up to the mic when ever he was ready. Very early on, the party started to thin from the 30 people they started with and it appeared that it was happening after each person finished their second drink. Coincidence? I think not. Anyway, when it eventually got down to "Michael" and "Dwight", Mudcat had to be a smartass and ask him when he wanted to make his important announcement.
Thanks to Betty, Bernie, and company for coming out and staying and thanks to Bernie for the barley sodas!
Mr. Peanuts made a guest appearance, but unfortunately we didn't get to talk with him because we were in the middle of a set and Peanuts left before we finished. We waved to each other, so that will have to do for now, but next time I expect double hugs.
Kevin and Jeff were the servers in the patio and they were wearing kilts. Well, not just the two of them, but all the boy servers. I really wanted to ask THE question, but I figured that they've probably been asked so many times that its cleverness was lost long ago....plus, I'm thinkin' that some things are just better left unknown. Anyway, they were very nice boys and took good care of us.
And what's a gig post from me without mentioning the bathrooms? Well, let me tell you about the bathrooms at The Pub. Actually, it's not so much the bathrooms themselves (very nice and clean), but more the journey to get to them....Across the patio to the side bar, through that section and down a small hall to the front door, a sharp right turn took me to the main bar area where the tile floor and my boots did not play nice together, eventually made my way between the bar and the booths without actually falling, to the plushly carpeted back dining room. A slalom course took me through the tables to the back of that area, then a sharp right turn down a ramp to finally arrive at the bathrooms on the left. I really could have used a GPS...or a rest stop along the way.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
12/5 - Mojo's Coffee House
This was our first open mic night at Mojo's and I do believe that it was a success.
Don and Ron both brought their guitars with them. Ron (Kingfish) played some of his originals during our break. He plays at the Flying Monkey, but of course I can't remember the days.
Anyway, when he launched into his twist on Johny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues, I just couldn't sit still and went up to play the cabasa while he sang. Then Mudcat joined us and then Jake filtered his way up there, followed by Don.
The boys jammed together to a few more tunes and then Don took his turn at a couple songs.
Mudcat, Jake, and I finished up the gig and ended by request with a repeat of our version of "Time Won't Let Me", which is Don's brother Tom's song (Tom King of the Outsiders). Betty and/or Bernie caught it on video, which Mud posted, so if you have a spare moment, check it out.
And speaking of Betty and Bernie, thanks for being there for us. Your support is greatly appreciated (even if Jake won't admit it!). Also thanks to Colleen for stopping out and to Joey for helping out with percussion.
Don and Ron both brought their guitars with them. Ron (Kingfish) played some of his originals during our break. He plays at the Flying Monkey, but of course I can't remember the days.
Anyway, when he launched into his twist on Johny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues, I just couldn't sit still and went up to play the cabasa while he sang. Then Mudcat joined us and then Jake filtered his way up there, followed by Don.
The boys jammed together to a few more tunes and then Don took his turn at a couple songs.
Mudcat, Jake, and I finished up the gig and ended by request with a repeat of our version of "Time Won't Let Me", which is Don's brother Tom's song (Tom King of the Outsiders). Betty and/or Bernie caught it on video, which Mud posted, so if you have a spare moment, check it out.
And speaking of Betty and Bernie, thanks for being there for us. Your support is greatly appreciated (even if Jake won't admit it!). Also thanks to Colleen for stopping out and to Joey for helping out with percussion.
12/4 - Riders Inn
Christmas trees as far as the eye can see....they were for a silent auction to benefit the Morley Library. What clever ideas! Not sure how long the auction is going on for, but if you're interested in a miniature theme tree and/or helping the library, give them a call.
Paul and Little B were there to offer support and chit chat during the break. They're just so cute together.
Samantha (the resident horny cat) was missing, so I'm thinkin' that she may have been out trying to break her litter record again.
Our new friend, Lynn (a.k.a. the hostess) offered up some requests. She was pretty excited about having the songs "dedicated" to her.
And once again, I judged by appearance and shouldn't have, but let's see if you would have come to the same conclusion ~
A guy at the bar who was wearing short sleeves to show off his tattoos (actually looked like one giant tattoo, because his arms were completely covered in them) yelled out "awesome tune!" when I was singing Jewel's You Were Meant For Me song. And for those of you who are familiar with the game "what Lola heard", it was "you're out of tune!". Anyway, I wouldn't have thought he would be into that song. Then as he was leaving, he stopped to listen and sing along for the ending of the Motel's song Only The Lonely. Again, didn't think that song would appeal to him. I was pleasantly surprised.
Paul and Little B were there to offer support and chit chat during the break. They're just so cute together.
Samantha (the resident horny cat) was missing, so I'm thinkin' that she may have been out trying to break her litter record again.
Our new friend, Lynn (a.k.a. the hostess) offered up some requests. She was pretty excited about having the songs "dedicated" to her.
And once again, I judged by appearance and shouldn't have, but let's see if you would have come to the same conclusion ~
A guy at the bar who was wearing short sleeves to show off his tattoos (actually looked like one giant tattoo, because his arms were completely covered in them) yelled out "awesome tune!" when I was singing Jewel's You Were Meant For Me song. And for those of you who are familiar with the game "what Lola heard", it was "you're out of tune!". Anyway, I wouldn't have thought he would be into that song. Then as he was leaving, he stopped to listen and sing along for the ending of the Motel's song Only The Lonely. Again, didn't think that song would appeal to him. I was pleasantly surprised.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
11/14 - Mustard Seed
Ah...the place with the giant glitter lava lamps at the bar. I love those things!
But here's something I do not love ~ a ringer for the Salvation Army was out front. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the ringers or the SA, but it's not even Thanksgiving yet. If they're going to start that early in the season, then why not just do it all year long? And what happened to their uniform? I know the ringers haven't worn them for years, but I'm just now ranting about it. Okay, I think I'm over it now.
Oh, my goodness the cutest little boy EVER was there with his parents having some supper time treats. He had to have been about 2-ish. Watching him was entertaining enough when he was looking at Jake and Mudcat with wide eyed wonder and then started playing along with them on his air guitar, but when he launched into playing the air drums (complete with cymbals) I thought I would die.
And I also thought I would die (or at least need Jake's help) when I tried to stand up after squatting down to zip up the mic stand bag. Mud and I went on a 15-ish mile bike ride and then took a walk after that in the morning/afternoon before the gig. But don't worry about me...I'll be alright.
The good news is that we're now playing at the Mustard Seed once a month through the summer!
Ah...the place with the giant glitter lava lamps at the bar. I love those things!
But here's something I do not love ~ a ringer for the Salvation Army was out front. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the ringers or the SA, but it's not even Thanksgiving yet. If they're going to start that early in the season, then why not just do it all year long? And what happened to their uniform? I know the ringers haven't worn them for years, but I'm just now ranting about it. Okay, I think I'm over it now.
Oh, my goodness the cutest little boy EVER was there with his parents having some supper time treats. He had to have been about 2-ish. Watching him was entertaining enough when he was looking at Jake and Mudcat with wide eyed wonder and then started playing along with them on his air guitar, but when he launched into playing the air drums (complete with cymbals) I thought I would die.
And I also thought I would die (or at least need Jake's help) when I tried to stand up after squatting down to zip up the mic stand bag. Mud and I went on a 15-ish mile bike ride and then took a walk after that in the morning/afternoon before the gig. But don't worry about me...I'll be alright.
The good news is that we're now playing at the Mustard Seed once a month through the summer!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
11/7 - Redhawk Grill
Apparently, the Ohio State game was the main attraction. According to the manager, the place was packed for the game and then everyone left. There were just a handful of people throughout the evening, but at least we never out numbered them. That's good, right? Even the Beatles had it rough before they became a household name, but why doesn't that make me feel better?
After we had set up and I was making the final adjustments to my area, our new friend, Michael comes up to me and says, "oh, I see you have a stick". Stupid me wondered how the hell he knew that I drive a stick, so along with the deer in the headlights look I gave him, I also said, "what?".
And then he pointed to the Bose tower....never mind. Michael stayed for the duration and he seemed to like us as much as he liked the Bose "stick".
Our entertainment (or at least mine, anyway) was watching these 2 guys shoot pool. One of the guys had quite a flair with the cue, but that didn't help his game...unless the game was to see how many times he could land the cue ball in the pockets.
And there's the ever amusing hand driers in the bathroom. I'm pretty sure the force of the air that shoots out of them could propel a small child across the room. Dries the hands pretty quickly, though.
Apparently, the Ohio State game was the main attraction. According to the manager, the place was packed for the game and then everyone left. There were just a handful of people throughout the evening, but at least we never out numbered them. That's good, right? Even the Beatles had it rough before they became a household name, but why doesn't that make me feel better?
After we had set up and I was making the final adjustments to my area, our new friend, Michael comes up to me and says, "oh, I see you have a stick". Stupid me wondered how the hell he knew that I drive a stick, so along with the deer in the headlights look I gave him, I also said, "what?".
And then he pointed to the Bose tower....never mind. Michael stayed for the duration and he seemed to like us as much as he liked the Bose "stick".
Our entertainment (or at least mine, anyway) was watching these 2 guys shoot pool. One of the guys had quite a flair with the cue, but that didn't help his game...unless the game was to see how many times he could land the cue ball in the pockets.
And there's the ever amusing hand driers in the bathroom. I'm pretty sure the force of the air that shoots out of them could propel a small child across the room. Dries the hands pretty quickly, though.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
10/24 - Mojo's Coffee House
Unfortunately, I missed this gig because I was at a memorial service. However, I can still do the blog from Mudcat's report of the gig. Here goes ~
It was good. (he's a man of many words)
After some interrogation, when I was almost to the point of shining a light in his face to make him talk, he fessed up that Betty and Bernie were there.
Then there was a lull in the conversation.
But, I was able to get more information from him ~ Grandma Jake was there and also our new friend Don.
Maybe Mudcat should start writing the gig blogs....or not.
Unfortunately, I missed this gig because I was at a memorial service. However, I can still do the blog from Mudcat's report of the gig. Here goes ~
It was good. (he's a man of many words)
After some interrogation, when I was almost to the point of shining a light in his face to make him talk, he fessed up that Betty and Bernie were there.
Then there was a lull in the conversation.
But, I was able to get more information from him ~ Grandma Jake was there and also our new friend Don.
Maybe Mudcat should start writing the gig blogs....or not.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
10/17 - BW3 (Broadview Hts)
I made it back from my niece's wedding in Loudonville (yeah, you can't get there from here) just as the boys were finishing with setting up. It felt like I'd been driving for half my life.
Carl, Madeline, Jeff, and Robin came out to see us! It meant the world to me to have "Uncle Carl" at one of our gigs.
Deb ventured out and I wanted to officially meet her, but she snuck out the second that we ended.
And our greatest supporters, Betty and Bernie were there as well. I'm sorry that I didn't get to talk with you, it's just that I haven't seen Carl in about 112 years and I spent all my break time talking with him and his family.
Did any of you see the giant beer mug? Oh, my goodness! It had to be 3ft tall. Honest. I watched the bartender filling it and to get the last bit of beer into it she had to set it on the floor and pour beer into it from a regular beer glass. To carry it, she held it from the bottom and had the top part of it leaning against her shoulder. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't drink that much beer in one sitting, but if I could manage it,I'm very sure that it would be warm by the time I finished. Wonder how much that thing cost.
I caught some guy giving a girl the "once over" look. He must have felt me watching him, because he looked over at me (after he was finished ogling that girl) and then quickly looked away. The guy was more than old enough to have been that girl's father, so it was kinda creepy.
And this has absolutely nothing to do with that, but Jake insists that he's not moonlighting as a real estate agent. Mudcat and I have our doubts.
I made it back from my niece's wedding in Loudonville (yeah, you can't get there from here) just as the boys were finishing with setting up. It felt like I'd been driving for half my life.
Carl, Madeline, Jeff, and Robin came out to see us! It meant the world to me to have "Uncle Carl" at one of our gigs.
Deb ventured out and I wanted to officially meet her, but she snuck out the second that we ended.
And our greatest supporters, Betty and Bernie were there as well. I'm sorry that I didn't get to talk with you, it's just that I haven't seen Carl in about 112 years and I spent all my break time talking with him and his family.
Did any of you see the giant beer mug? Oh, my goodness! It had to be 3ft tall. Honest. I watched the bartender filling it and to get the last bit of beer into it she had to set it on the floor and pour beer into it from a regular beer glass. To carry it, she held it from the bottom and had the top part of it leaning against her shoulder. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't drink that much beer in one sitting, but if I could manage it,I'm very sure that it would be warm by the time I finished. Wonder how much that thing cost.
I caught some guy giving a girl the "once over" look. He must have felt me watching him, because he looked over at me (after he was finished ogling that girl) and then quickly looked away. The guy was more than old enough to have been that girl's father, so it was kinda creepy.
And this has absolutely nothing to do with that, but Jake insists that he's not moonlighting as a real estate agent. Mudcat and I have our doubts.
10/16 - Brewsters
Once again, most everyone was in the "beerarium" (kinda like a terrarium, but different), but some people ventured out for a bit.
A woman who was in one of the booths on our side of things came up to us and told us that she really liked us and that she could listen to us all night. Then she headed for the door. But not to leave, like I thought she was going to do. Some people came in just then and she went to exchange pleasantries.
There was a gentleman, who appeared to have come directly from work parked in a booth when we got there. He was intently working on something on his computer while he had dinner and some libations. This man stayed until 10:30. I want to believe that it was because he was enjoying the music and not because he was a workaholic...perhaps it was a combination of the two.
And once again, I'm mistaken for a girl who "plays for the home team" (not that there's anything wrong with that...for them). I just don't butter my bread on that side.
Once again, most everyone was in the "beerarium" (kinda like a terrarium, but different), but some people ventured out for a bit.
A woman who was in one of the booths on our side of things came up to us and told us that she really liked us and that she could listen to us all night. Then she headed for the door. But not to leave, like I thought she was going to do. Some people came in just then and she went to exchange pleasantries.
There was a gentleman, who appeared to have come directly from work parked in a booth when we got there. He was intently working on something on his computer while he had dinner and some libations. This man stayed until 10:30. I want to believe that it was because he was enjoying the music and not because he was a workaholic...perhaps it was a combination of the two.
And once again, I'm mistaken for a girl who "plays for the home team" (not that there's anything wrong with that...for them). I just don't butter my bread on that side.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
10/10 - Riders Inn
Samantha, the resident cat (the one with the record number of litters) seems to have mellowed with age, because she hadn't had another litter recently nor was she pregnant. Turns out that her boyfriend, Cal got the big snip. She did manage to find her way outside while we were there (but this time it wasn't my fault), so by the time we make our way back again (Dec 4th ~ mark your calender) we'll be able to tell if she's loyal to Cal or if she's trying to break her own record.
There was a couple who came from Strongsville (for the food, not for us) who really enjoyed Mudcat's version of "Stray Cat Strut", especially after seeing Samantha dart through the pub on her way outside via the door that was left open (did I mention it wasn't my fault this time?).
Our new friend, Dave moved in from the bar to watch Mudcat maneuver his guitar strings around. Dave had to sell his guitar when he was in FL for gas money to get back to OH. He misses his guitar, but doesn't miss FL.
And what's a gig without an absentee song request? Dan came through for us this time. We did "Rock Me". He left just after we started and didn't come back in until we were well into another song. He must have had a really long cigarette or a really big beer to consume, because "Rock Me" is a fairly lengthy song.
We got quite a lot of other requests from Dan's friend, who didn't leave even when we didn't know her requests. But, I wrote down her requests so that we can learn them and add them to our song list. Whatdya wanna bet that if she's there again in December, she'll request something else that we don't know.
Samantha, the resident cat (the one with the record number of litters) seems to have mellowed with age, because she hadn't had another litter recently nor was she pregnant. Turns out that her boyfriend, Cal got the big snip. She did manage to find her way outside while we were there (but this time it wasn't my fault), so by the time we make our way back again (Dec 4th ~ mark your calender) we'll be able to tell if she's loyal to Cal or if she's trying to break her own record.
There was a couple who came from Strongsville (for the food, not for us) who really enjoyed Mudcat's version of "Stray Cat Strut", especially after seeing Samantha dart through the pub on her way outside via the door that was left open (did I mention it wasn't my fault this time?).
Our new friend, Dave moved in from the bar to watch Mudcat maneuver his guitar strings around. Dave had to sell his guitar when he was in FL for gas money to get back to OH. He misses his guitar, but doesn't miss FL.
And what's a gig without an absentee song request? Dan came through for us this time. We did "Rock Me". He left just after we started and didn't come back in until we were well into another song. He must have had a really long cigarette or a really big beer to consume, because "Rock Me" is a fairly lengthy song.
We got quite a lot of other requests from Dan's friend, who didn't leave even when we didn't know her requests. But, I wrote down her requests so that we can learn them and add them to our song list. Whatdya wanna bet that if she's there again in December, she'll request something else that we don't know.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
10/2 - Mustard Seed
Now, this was an interesting gig indeed! The Mustard Seed is a grocery store with a very nice restaurant situated on its upper level (all grocery items are on the lower level). The back wall of the grocery section was open to the restaurant section and we were able to have a bird's eye view of the shopping that was going on while we were singing. If you've ever been to Trader Joe's, it was like that but way, way bigger.
The best thing about this place was the giant lava lamps on the bar, but instead of the globs-o-goo, they were filled with glitter. Pretty neato peato.
There were signs on the edge of the stage advising that children were not allowed on the stage without constant adult supervision....you guessed it, Mudcat was our designated adult.
Oooh, and there were some pretty cool stained glass items hanging around. One was right behind us. They also had some photography on display in the back hallway. The restaurant was like fine dining combined with a coffee house feel. Very unique and well put together.
We had a good time and everyone there seemed to enjoy themselves too (which is always a plus). Bernie was our support group for the evening. And thank you for the yummy dessert items!
Now, this was an interesting gig indeed! The Mustard Seed is a grocery store with a very nice restaurant situated on its upper level (all grocery items are on the lower level). The back wall of the grocery section was open to the restaurant section and we were able to have a bird's eye view of the shopping that was going on while we were singing. If you've ever been to Trader Joe's, it was like that but way, way bigger.
The best thing about this place was the giant lava lamps on the bar, but instead of the globs-o-goo, they were filled with glitter. Pretty neato peato.
There were signs on the edge of the stage advising that children were not allowed on the stage without constant adult supervision....you guessed it, Mudcat was our designated adult.
Oooh, and there were some pretty cool stained glass items hanging around. One was right behind us. They also had some photography on display in the back hallway. The restaurant was like fine dining combined with a coffee house feel. Very unique and well put together.
We had a good time and everyone there seemed to enjoy themselves too (which is always a plus). Bernie was our support group for the evening. And thank you for the yummy dessert items!
9/26 - Mojo's Coffee House
Once again, Betty and her crew come through for us! Thanks to all who helped make the gig a "success" and more fun.
Our new friend, Don was there too offering up sound check advice.
Still trying to get Jake to sing more ~ he's just not having it. And during one of Mudcat's songs Jake was displaying signs of boredom, so I decided to annoy (I mean amuse) him with doing the bump. Silly me didn't consider the fact that he had no idea what the hell I was doing....he looked a wee bit horrified. But, don't worry about him....he'll be alright.
The rain decided to hold off for us through the entire gig when it wouldn't have mattered, since we were inside. But of course, as our luck would have it the rain started up just as we were finished and packing up to leave. I guess we must have been living right (at least for a few hours), because it let up to a super fine mist that didn't amount to anything while we were loading the van.
Other than that, I got nothin'.
Once again, Betty and her crew come through for us! Thanks to all who helped make the gig a "success" and more fun.
Our new friend, Don was there too offering up sound check advice.
Still trying to get Jake to sing more ~ he's just not having it. And during one of Mudcat's songs Jake was displaying signs of boredom, so I decided to annoy (I mean amuse) him with doing the bump. Silly me didn't consider the fact that he had no idea what the hell I was doing....he looked a wee bit horrified. But, don't worry about him....he'll be alright.
The rain decided to hold off for us through the entire gig when it wouldn't have mattered, since we were inside. But of course, as our luck would have it the rain started up just as we were finished and packing up to leave. I guess we must have been living right (at least for a few hours), because it let up to a super fine mist that didn't amount to anything while we were loading the van.
Other than that, I got nothin'.
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