Paninis - 7/3

How nice it was to be back at a patio gig.  And the weather cooperated.  Well, at least the rain held off.  It was most humid, but we had our fans going, so that helped.  Have to position mine just right, otherwise I have the Steve Vai thing going on with my hair.

Was super duper surprised to see Craig and Ria!  The umbrella on the table in front of them was closed and blocking our view of each other, so if one or both of us moved, it was kind of like playing hide and seek with a little kid.

Jake really rocked it out (as he always does), but this time he added a harmonica to the mix, which made Heart of Gold even better.

Giant Eagle - 6/28

What a fun treat to see Jane and Janet! We had no idea that they would be there and they had no idea that we would be there. It's kismet.

This time around, the food tasting table next to us had beef tenderloin with a red wine sauce and oh my great good heavens, was it tasty.

Of course, Mudcat found the dessert table! They had cake, so I wasn't interested. Frosting I like, cake not so much.

Oh yeah, we met Trisha, the new Justin. She was very nice to us and she seems like she'll be a lot of fun to work with.

As always, a good time was had by all.

Mars Bar - 4/19/13

What a nice little neighborhood bar.  And by little, I mean that if it were any smaller you wouldn't be able to change your mind in it.  We were in the "overflow section", separated from everyone, but it was a small enough place that we were still able to see everyone and make some eye contact. 

Mudcat's friend from the music store (sorry, friend....can't remember your name) was there hanging out before heading off to his gig.  He gave us the thumbs up on his way out.

And it was a night to celebrate as the news reported the capture of the second Boston bomber!

Giant Eagle - 4/5/13

Interesting gig....both Mudcat and I were on the tail end of a nasty cold, so neither of us were at our best or even our mediocreness.  Parts of some songs came out as just squeaks and there were some songs that were just out of the question to even try.  But, we weathered through.

Our little Pebbles girl was there again and now she's used to seeing us so that she doesn't have that deer in the headlights look or that seriously concerned look.  This time someone was standing in front of her, blocking her view of us and she did the lean from side to side thing to try to see around this person.  It was pretty cute. 

Other than that, it was pretty uneventful.

Giant Eagle, North Olmsted - 3/22/13

What a fun night! 

Let's see ~ thanks to Joani, Bernie, Dennis, Jane, Brad, and Gayle for stopping out and 
staying for the duration.  I have found that it is actually possible to laugh and sing at the same time. 

Also saw the same little girl who tried to get the dollar back out of the tip bucket the last time we were there.  Oh my goodness, is she cute.  Her hair was done up like Pebbles Flintstone and she watched us by just moving her eyes.  Her head stayed completely still.  She had this serious expression like she was processing everything.  Finally she broke out into a 3 second "dance" and then went back to being serious and eyeballing us again. 

There was a pre-teen girl who made me feel like a rock star, because she kept tugging at her mom's sleeve and pointing over at us and then finally came up closer and took some pictures from her phone, then scurried back to her mom to show her.  Then she was oblivious to us and the world around her while she absorbed herself with whoever was on the receiving end of her text messages. 

I felt like a big star again after the gig when we were doing some grocery shopping (okay, stocking up on wine and beer) and their fishmonger came up to us and asked if we could set up near his counter the next time we play so that he could really hear us.  I have no idea how he recognized us because his area was in the back of the store, around the corner (but not the bar in Lakewood) from where we were set up in the produce section in the front of the store. 

Looking forward to playing back there again in a couple of weeks. 

Tommy's - 3/21/13

Okay, ready....here goes and I'm sparing no detail.  This is exactly what happened ~

























Honest, that's it.

Whole Foods, Beachwood - 3/15/13

Pretty uneventful other than Jake realizing in mid gig that he had another gig right after that he mistakenly thought was the next night.  Thank you, Betty for saving the day for him and bringing the equipment he needed.  You're the way best chick!

We saw some familiar faces, specifically our favorite nameless couple.  Talked with Pia, our new friend and jazz singer after the gig. 

And we saw a couple of celebrities (well, they looked like them anyway)....Gibbs from NCIS and Patrick from Anger Management.  I guess that would make them characters and not the actual celebrities.  Technicalities.

Quarry Hill Winery - 3/9/13

We were a little concerned when we pulled in and found only 2 cars in the parking lot...guess how many people were working then.  If you guessed 2, you would be correct.  I swear it was like one of them called everyone they know and told them to get out there, because shortly after we started playing, the place filled up.  Then we got concerned again when we took our break and people started leaving, but the good news is that the amount of people who left were replaced with the same amount of people, so it was the same packed house but with different faces.

This place is all open with walls-o-windows that look out onto the vineyard and I am really looking forward to going back there in August.  Definitely taking the camera then.   Anyway, it's a big open room with the tables and the bar all together.  A couple older men walk in and take a seat at one of the tables.  They're sitting adjacent to each other with one of the men facing me.  During one of my songs, that man gets up and moves to the other side of the table so that his back is to me.  I felt a little dejected, but then decided that he wanted to watch the TV that was on the wall behind the bar.  After a short time, they both get up and move to the bar.  I mentioned this whole scene to Mudcat to get his take on it and he said that the men were waiting for a spot at the bar to open up.  I never made that connection, because it's usually the other way around where people wait at the bar for a table to open up.  Whatever the real reason, I'm going with this one so that I can believe that it wasn't my singing that caused their move.

Giant Eagle, North Olmsted - 3/8/13

I think their dining under the tower food and wine  tasting (although this time it was beer) is starting to catch on.  A lot more people than last time. 

We did see some familiar faces, in particular a young couple with a toddler and a baby.  The mom had the little girl put a dollar in our tip bucket.  Mom had to guide her daughter's hand and when she took the dollar out of the wee one's grip and let it fall into the bucket, the little girl tried to take it back out.  Pretty cute. 

Thanks to Brad, Gayle, Linda, John, Ted, Nora, and Little Pat for stopping out!  They came in shifts, so that made a nice balance through the evening.  Nora and Pat stayed for the duration.   Those girls are troopers.

A few people danced their way around the produce section where we were set up.  I get a kick out of watching people dance in a grocery store. 

I kinda like playing in the grocery store, especially because we don't have to make a stop on the way home for snack items. 

Burntwood Tavern - 2/28/13

Apparently, it's not just special occasions that have this place hoppin' (last time we were there was Valentines Day).  Whatever the reason for the crowd, we were happy about it.  

Tried some new food items this time and they were just as dee-lish as before.  I highly recommend it, especially during happy hour when their appetizers are half price.

G-Man showed up just before we started, which totally surprised me.  It was great to see him again.  And in true Gordy fashion, he surrounded himself with women.  I had to laugh when I looked over and saw him sitting there with his harem.    

We had a guest singer at the very end.  Didn't catch his name, but he did a really good version of Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay. 

Whole Foods, University Hts - 2/22/13

Oh my goodness, the little kids were so amazingly cute. I love watching them watch us. They're all so serious. Would be interesting to know what their little minds are thinking. One of the boys looked like a miniature Ed Grimley, but was somehow able to make that look completely adorable. And one of the little girls looked like Cindy Lou Hoo.

What a wonderful treat it was to see Tom again!  Haven't seen that boy in about 4 years.  Didn't have nearly enough time to catch up, but it was nice to chit and chat again. 

Ilene, of course was there and we tried to do her favorite "Scotch and Soda".  Still needs some work on my part of things, but it'll get there.  It is a neat little song and I'm glad that she requested it.  The bulk of our repertoire comes from requests.  If we don't know it, we'll learn it.   

Here's an odd thing...well, it's odd to me ~ I saw 2 women sporting the same look.  That's not the odd part, it was the look that they were sporting.  Flip flops.  Keep in mind that it's February in Cleveland.  They both were wearing long pants and winter coats that were buttoned up tight.  Neither of their feet appeared to have issues that would require flops instead of shoes.  Guess it's kind of the same concept as wearing shorts and a sweatshirt, which I've done...so never mind.

Burntwood Tavern, Brecksville - 2/14/13

Happy Valentines Day!

It was interesting to me to see the variety of people who go out for Valentines Day.  Of course, there were tons of couples, but also groups of girls, couples on a double date, guys buddied up together who seemed to be "out of touch" with women, groups of friends, and oddly enough there were a couple of loners, although I'm thinking that those boys were probably regulars and they were not going to let a thing like Valentines Day come between them and their beverage(s).

I felt bad that we didn't have many romantic songs, but most Blues and Rock songs are all about pain and suffering.  No one seemed to care, especially the couple who got up and danced.  I specified that they got up to dance, because we had some chair dancers, which is fine with us.  Enjoy the music however you want, just enjoy!

If you haven't ventured out to the newest Burntwood Tavern (4th in a series), you should make a point to go.  Good atmosphere, wonderful service, and they have some great happy hour specials.  We were happy.

Giant Eagle, North Olmsted - 2/8/13

Looks like we're on the grocery store circuit, which is fine by us, it's just a little odd sounding that a band would be playing in a grocery store. 

Giant Eagle in North Olmsted recently added their "dining under the tower" to their many perks.  Six different wines and six different food items for $6 from 6-8pm every Friday.

We were set up right next to the first tasting station that had a yummy beef item and the perfect paring of one of their featured red wines.

Joani and Little Pat came out to support us, although not together, but they did kibitz with each other, which was nice to see.  Jake's friends ventured out as well and stayed for a bit. 

Quite a few people had the same look of "what the what?" when they walked in and saw us, but quickly recovered and hung out at the tasting tables to listen while they sampled the food and wine.

There was a couple with their cute little girl, who was about two-ish, give or take an ish and their infant daughter who slept through the whole thing (not sure if that meant we were boring or soothing).  The older of the 2 girls decided that dancing/running would be way more fun than sitting in the cart and off she went.  Took her a while to get to that stage...she kind of had the deer in the headlights look right at first since it was probably the first live music she witnessed, much less having that experience in a grocery store.  Little kids are way better at getting through the processing part and then on to the fun part than adults seem to be. 

One little boy was trailing his parents and as they passed us he put his hands over his ears.  Of course it was during one of my songs, so I was torn between being amused and having my feelings hurt.  I opted for being amused.

Mustard Seed - 2/2/13

Well, it's Groundhog Day....again.

Glad to be back at the Mustard Seed after a long leave of absence! 

Talked with a lot of people at this one (between sets and after the gig).  Everyone we talked with seemed to like our music. 

Our new friend, Mark came there on a whim and ended up staying for the duration. 

And oh guess what, I saw East Side Chuck.  Guess this would make him South Side Chuck.  Would really like to know where he's from since we see him quite often in Beachwood.  Didn't get to talk to him, because we were upstairs in the middle of a set and he was downstairs making his way to the checkout.  I'll just have to wait until we see him again in Beachwood.  Hey, maybe he's our following!

The other thing we saw was a heron, but not at the gig. Mudcat spotted him on the way home flying south through a blizzard.  At least he was headed in the right direction.  Perhaps the warmer weather fooled him into sticking around longer or coming back early. 

Whole Foods, Beachwood - 1/25/13

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAKE! 

And not just any birthday....his 21st.  That's huge.  Well, technically it was his birthday eve, but it still counts.

So, we were just getting started with setting up and Jake gets a call from his neighbor that the police are at his house.  Yikes!  Turns out that someone tried to break in, but only made it as far as opening the sliding door...opening it just enough to let their 2 labradoodles and 1 border collie out.  Can you imagine the look on the would-be robbers face when he saw those dogs?  And then the look on his face as he's running away with 3 giant crazed dogs on his tail and it dawns on him that he should have slammed the door closed first before he took off.
Thankfully, nothing was taken and the neighbors retrieved the dogs.  As far as I know, the stupid robber got away.

We were asked to sing happy birthday to Jen, but had to wait until she showed up.  The plan was that the girls would give us the signal and we would do our best to embarrass Jen.  Made it through the entire 2 hours without the signal, so we figured that Jen decided to do something else on her birthday and we started to tear things down.  Just then we hear a group of people "singing" happy birthday to Jen.  We were not about to turn things back on to join in. 

As always, there was a wee one who just had to dance, but was oh so too very shy about it.  Her mom kept encouraging her to come over by us and dance so that she could video the event, rather than just watching her daughter being a delight.  Ah...technology...forever changing the course of memorable moments.

Whole Foods, University Hts - 1/12/13

She's baaaack....

The new year started off right at Whole Foods, which is one of our favorite places to play.

We got to ham it up in our usual spot by the deli (get it ~ ham it up...at the deli), but they've added some items since the last time we were there.  One of those items would be dried mushrooms.  There was either a cooking show on that morning that aired an amazing recipe calling for dried mushrooms or people were laboring under the illusion that these were magic mushrooms.  Oh, I crack my self up....illusion...magic mushrooms.  That one I wasn't even trying for.  Anyway, I digress.  There had to have been at least 4 people who were not leaving without some of those mushrooms.  And of course, they had to have them the second after we started setting up.  One guy waited to make his way to the shrooms after we were set up and did a delicate balancing act over Mudcat's foot board.  And there was a woman who at first appeared to be watching us after we started playing, but her attention kept going to those stinkin' mushrooms.  Since we never moved so that she could swoop in and snag up a carton, she eventually moved on.

There were a lot of familiar faces, including Ilene, our "Scotch and Soda" gal. 

And lots of little kids who either love us or hate us.  It's pretty funny that the ones who can't talk yet can sure get those feelings across.  Fortunately, more of them liked us than not.  Some were even dancing and clapping, but doing it all shy-like in between their parents or while hiding behind them.  

Super duper good to see Betty again!  So glad that you could make it out.

Well, that's about it for this gig.  Tune in after the 25th when we'll be at the Whole Foods in Beachwood, or better yet just come out there for the 5x7.  It's a sampling of five different food items and five different wines for $5.00 from 5:00 - 7:00pm.  Not a bad deal at all.  Plus you can do your grocery shopping while you snack and drink. 

5/26 - Park Tavern

We have a new best friend, Bill.

According to Bill his own self, he was a drinker at age ten, so I'm thinkin' he was a bad boy, but not in the leather jacket wearing/motorcycle riding sense.  Told us that he had been downtown for the rib cook off, got kicked out of one place (just one?, I asked), was on his way home and got lost, so he stopped in and then heard us playing and decided to stay.  I like how he could find his way to Cleveland, but not back to his own house.  I asked him where he lived and he told me Litchfield....the Park Tavern is in North Royalton.  He didn't seem too concerned when I told him that he was no where close to home.  But he told the bartender that his friend dropped him off there and that he would be back to pick him up later. 

It was MUCH later when he left.  Our new friend, Bill was exhausting.   

He was so stupid drunk that the bartenders refused to serve him, except for water and I noticed that he was the only one drinking from a plastic cup.  Even the people who were going to or coming from the patio had glass glasses. 

He was constantly in our faces doing air guitar, directing us, talking to us, singing along, and dancing (well, his version of singing and dancing).  When I was singing Leaving On a Jet Plane, he actually acted out the song like a little kid.  He put his arms across his chest to hug himself during the words "hold me like you'll never let me go" and when it got to the chorus, he started doing the airplane thing with his arms out and buzzing around the bar.  It was amusing for about 3 seconds. 

After we were done, I headed over to the bathroom (I know you've missed the bathroom stories) and these 2 girls come out of the only stall, which was giant and apparently had a sound proof door so that they had to be in there together to chat with one another....anyway, they looked like they're about 12 years old, which made me wonder if I have reached the age where everyone under 30 looks like a teenager, and one of them tells me that I should be really careful if I go in there because the bathroom toilet is almost overflowing.  Okay, really...we have to use the word bathroom as an adjective for toilet????  I suppose if we were in the country, that would make sense so that I would know it wasn't the outhouse toilet or if we were camping I would know that it wasn't the port-o-potty toilet.  So, that alone convinced me that they really were 12 years old and had really good fake ID's.  I took one look in the stall and decided to head back out and I told them that they should tell the bartender.  I watched them stroll back to their spots at the bar, pick up their drinks and continue their conversation even though the bartender was right in front of them.  So, I called her over and told her about the bathroom toilet. 

When we left I made Mudcat stop at the nearest gas station.  Aren't you glad I share these things?

5/25 - Whole Foods, Beachwood

This gig was pretty uneventful other than seeing our cutie little guitar boy.  His mom and dad showed up at just about every gig during the winter and he was always dressed like a miniature Elmer Fudd, but with his blankie....just way too cute. 

Anyway, one day along with his EF get up and his blankie he had a red guitar.  We tried to get him to play something but he was having no part of it.  According to his parents, he could do a mean "Muffin Man".   

Hadn't seen them all since the winter months, just the mom breezing through, but Friday they were all there, with blankie but no guitar.  He was still just as cute.

East side Chuck was back in action, spinning his date around the salad bar.  Can't remember which song we were doing, but he was actually a good dancer.  After the song ended, he was teaching another guy his dance moves, which was way more entertaining to watch than his dancing with the girlfriend.

5/5 - Fat Little Buddies

I apologize for having neglected the blog (again), but the only thing that really stands out in my mind from all those blogless gigs is the guy in a Tony the Tiger suit at The Wine Bar.  No, not like a costume type of suit, but like a man's suit made from fabric that looked like Tony the Tiger.  He had the whole ensemble topped off with a black fedora.  And somehow, he was able to pull off the look.  Definitely sent out the message that he's a guy who likes to have fun.

Okay, moving on to this gig.  We had to be inside, but got to play on the stage ~ pretty fun!  The stage was actually pretty cool, they had it set up like a living room with a giant Oriental rug, a couch, a fire place and a huge tv.  Plus there was a row of old theater seats along one wall.  Tons of space, so we got to have some elbow room for a change. 

There was an older gentleman who could barely walk, he had to hold on to the backs of the chairs as he went, but he made his was to the back room where we were and sat down and started jamming.  He was just too cute.  Then some girl comes in all by her own self, gets up on the dance floor, raises her arms up and yells out like she's at a rock concert that we're awesome (thank you for that, by the way) and then proceeds to dance all by her own self, which I've done, but there were no other people on the dance floor with her.  So, the old man comes up to her with this big smile on his face and they become the perfect dance couple.  It was just way too great.  That girl (but not Marlo Thomas) made his night.  Of course she had to switch to slow dancing, but she didn't seem to mind. 

And Jake was our celebrity for the night when some guy comes in on the last song and is jammin' away, then he gets this "hey, I know you" look on his face and comes up to the stage.  When we were done, he told Jake that he recognized him from the King of the Blues last year.  So, they kibitzed and caught up.

Oh yeah, and it was the super moon.  I had to sneak out before we started and during the break to catch a glimpse.  There's just something about a full moon.

2/4 - Park Tavern

Welcome home, Big Rig Bernie! Nice to see you and Betty.

This was our Park Tavern debut. We were well received, so hopefully we'll be playing back there again. And we had fun too.

Not nearly as much fun as the chick who was drinking some blue liquid in a giant glass. She made her own dance floor and also made her designated driver wait...and wait....and wait. But with her being there, Big Rig Bernie got to hear Bobby McGee twice.

And Jake was still on a roll from the night before. He was crazy good!

2/3 - Cabanas

Jake was on FIRE!

Mudcat and I have never heard him play like that. Especially his solo during The Thrill is Gone. All I could think while he was playing was that I want to send the recording of that song to B.B. King. Honest.

That's pretty much all I can remember about this gig. Everything else took a backseat to Jake's playing. I'm telling you ~ ON FIRE.

1/27 - Whole Foods, University Hts.

Once again, we were squeezed out by the juice weasel. No stage for you!

I think they might be having us do a progressive breakfast....last time we were in the eggs, this time we were by the ham. I felt a little devilish as we went into the black forest of Virginia with the scent of maple in the air and the chip chopped waves crashing like spiral slices peppered with honey. I crack my own self up!

It ended up being a pretty good location, actually better than the stage.

Poor Mudcat was having technical difficulty, but he's a trooper and rose above the troubles.

On a more positive note ~ our friend, Eileen was there and I got to talk with Pete and Sharon after the gig. Haven't seen either of them in about a hundred years.

All in all, it was a pretty good gig.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!

1/21 - Solon Freeway Lounge

This is our bowling alley gig, even though we're not playing in the actual alley part....pretty sure the bowlers might take issue with that, but I'm thinkin' it would be an interesting combination of dodge ball and bowling. I hated dodge ball. Has it been outlawed yet? But I digress. I'll wait right here while you find your shocked face.

We had gobs of room and there were some tiny dancers. Sort of impatient ones at that. They were standing and waiting and giving us the miniature hairy eyeball because we were still in the setting up stage and not in the playing stage, which apparently they thought happened auto-magically. It doesn't.

After the tiny dancers went home to bed and the big girl dancers got liquored up, there was quite a party. The boyfriend of one of the girls did his obligatory dance with her, which consisted of him standing in one place and letting her dance around him.

And you know how street shoes are not to be worn on the alley, which is why we have to wear rented shoes that 45,000 other people have put their sweaty feet into....well, apparently it's okay if you wear the bowling shoes outside to have a smoke and then come back onto the alley. Apparently the thing that matters is the shoes themselves and not the content of their souls. Hmmm...I know some girls like that.

1/20 - Whole Foods, Beachwood

Do they just grow the kids cute in Beachwood or what?

It started with this little boy who saw us setting up and launched into his Lala Song. The tune was pretty nondescript (although according to his mother it was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star), but the lyrics were amazing. They went like this:
lalalalalalalallalalalalala -breath- lalalalalalalalalalalalala - breath- lalalalalalalalalala.
And then there was the second verse, same as the first, but not Henry The Eighth. His song got stuck in our heads and even Mudcat was singing it while we were finishing with setting up, but Mud sang it about 45 octaves lower.

Then there was the little girl who was rockin' out. You know the head shake from the wee ones who don't want to try those pureed peas or carrots? Well, imagine that head shake to music. Her mother must have thought that her little darling was becoming dehydrated, so she gave her some water. The little girl resumed her rockin' out, but apparently was able to hold that water in her mouth, because as our song ended and her mom was trying to get her to clap the most perfect fountain arc spewed from that kid's mouth directly onto her mom's dry clean only sweater. It was great.

1/7 - Rudy's Bar and Grill

Always a fun gig at Rudy's and this time Rudy his own self was there for most of the evening. Let's just say that Rudy knows how to get a party started and to keep it going. Pretty sure most of that training came at a fraternity.

Some of the guys were playing pool...shooting pool....which one is it? I don't know, but what I do know is that the cue ball is supposed to remain on the table, unless of course it's scratched. And that would be scratched as in dropped in the pocket, not scratched as in having a less than pristine surface. The cue ball made contact with the floor quite a bit that night.

And I was so glad to see that their cook wore a t-shirt other than the one that must be his favorite that reads "ankle rests" with arrows pointing to the shoulders. Doesn't get much more classy than that, does it ladies?

1/6/12 - Cabana's

Our first gig of the new year!

Here's the deal ~ I've slept since the last blog entry from the gig in October, so let's just say that a good time was had by all and that's a wrap up of the gigs ending out 2011.

Now, back to our first gig of 2012. We had quite the crowd, which was somewhat surprising. Figured everyone would have been partied out, but apparently Mentor is a happening place to live and/or hang out.

My new friend Pat told me that she and a couple of her girlfriends came in to have one drink and then move on, but they liked everything we were playing, so they stayed. And it's a good thing they did, otherwise Mr. Casual-Dressy (he kept his maiden name) with the silky t-shirt, creased flood pants over shiny penny loafers (less the pennies), and leather jacket to top off the all black ensemble would have had no one to hit on, because all the other girls were there with their men.

Not sure if he really like what we were playing too or if he just didn't want to leave alone and held out the hope that the woman of his dreams would walk in just before closing, because he stayed for the duration after Pat and her friends left without him. And no, the woman of his dreams did not walk in just before closing. Mr. Casual-Dressy left alone.

10/28 - Whole Foods, Beachwood

This was our Halloween gig, but SOMEBODY, who will remain nameless, JAKE chose to not wear a costume this year. He did not get the thumbs up from his "old girlfriend" like Mudcat and I did for our costumes. Mud was a surgeon, I was a cowgirl. Did I mention that Jake didn't dress up this year?

Mandy looked adorable as a flapper, but she looks adorable even when she's not in costume.

Some of the kids were dressed up, mostly of the princess and witch variety, East Side Chuck was not dressed up this year either and he was a little too busy enjoying his date to pay any attention to us.

Jim and Paula were there....also NOT in costume and Paula had been over the moon about dressing up when we had talked about it at the previous WF gig. I have a feeling there was a compromise involved.

Tony was his cheerful self. It's always a pleasure to talk with him.

A super duper cute little boy was there with mom and dad in tow, sporting his red guitar. "Do You Know the Muffin Man" is the extent of his songlist so far, but it's a song that Mudcat didn't know. Perhaps we'll add it to our repertoire. Perhaps not.

10/22 - Stop 45

It's not the old hole in the wall joint, it's across the street. Same name, different set up.

It's a wine bar with a train theme going on with an actual working model that goes around the room on a shelf up by the ceiling. Unfortunately, it wasn't running....guess I could have asked Tom to turn it on for us, but I didn't. They also have the obligatory wine theme as well.
Interesting combination.

As we're bringing in the equipment and looking at our little corner of the world for the evening, discussing what could go where, one of the patrons comes up to us tells us to have a seat and stick around, because the band will be starting soon. Good to know. And then he left.

During the middle-ish, everyone got their checks at the same time and then did a mass exodus. That was not a good thing, playing to an empty place, but we kept going and soon enough, second shift came in.

We didn't eat there, but the pizzas that were coming out of the kitch parading by us on their way to the tables looked pretty tasty.

10/15 - Sammy K's Steakhouse

Our happy bar manager attributed their lack-o-peeps to Homecoming and to some other community activity, so we ended up doing just 1 set and called it a night.

At least the few people who were there were appreciative. That's always a plus.

10/14 - Cabana's

This was an odd weather night. On the way there, we saw a rainbow. Not so odd, but stay with me. Following the rainbow and in a short amount of time, we got rain, thunder, lightning, and hail. No pot of gold, just weather.

We met some nice people who chitted and chatted with me before we started. The guy's brother is in a band and does benefit shows. And I've slept since then, so can't remember the name of the guy or his band.

A couple of girls did some dancing and they stayed for the duration. Not so sure if they ended up staying because they were enjoying our music, or if they were just waiting out the weather. Let's go with both.

10/7 - Whole Foods, University Hts

We were bumped from the stage by the Juice Weasel. Okay, fine...that's not what it's really called, but it was some sort of juice-o-matic (not to be confused with the bass-o-matic). Where did they put us, you ask? In front of the eggs. So close to them that if we backed up too quickly, they would have been scrambled egg ready.

Oh, but the fun doesn't end there. Mudcat had to be on his toes to dodge the worker bees coming out of the back with their restocking supplies, most of which were on giant carts. And we were in direct line of the line to get to one of the tasting tables, which meant that the people who had carts and who were there strictly to shop decided to go "off roading".

One woman thought it would be a great idea to run her cart over Mudcat's mic stand, which sent the stand careening until the microphone became one with Mudcat's face, because my reflexes were not quick enough to right it before it made contact. Sorry, Mud. And what a trooper, he never stopped playing.

Then there was the woman who asked me if we could make change. We make change, that's what we do. She wanted to tip us, just not that much. And she asked me this while I was singing.

And if you don't believe this all happened, just ask Jim and Paula. They were our witnesses. Although, they were probably getting free juice and missed everything.

10/1 - Riverside Wines

Now, this gig I remember ~

Thanks to Betty, Bernie, and their crew for coming out to celebrate and offer support!

While we were doing our thing, I noticed a couple girls talking to each other and the girl who was drinking red wine and wearing a white blouse (you see where this is going, don't you) was the animated one and after she did one hand gesture too many, her red wine and her white blouse became one. She was horrified. And then seemingly out of nowhere, their server appeared with a travel size spray bottle. He gave it to her and she spritzed like a mad woman and then gave the spray bottle back to her server. After the gig, I asked him what that magical formula was and he told me that it was Oxy spray, so I had to get some. It's quite the wonderful pre-laundry treat. As a matter of fact, it completely took out spaghetti sauce that was covering my sweatshirt and jeans the other day. And when I say covering, I do mean covering. The sauce was even on the back of my shirt, but the story of the spaghetti sauce shower is a blog unto itself.

And Bernie, what did we learn at this gig? I'll tell you, because I know you weren't paying attention to Jake's instruction. Do not try to make Jake read a text message from your phone while he's in mid-gig. You're welcome, Jake.

9/23 - Whole Foods, Beachwood

Well, since I'm just now posting about this gig and it's been over a month, it's going to be a short post. Really short. Unless I keep writing about how short it's going to be.

I do apologize for my neglectfulness with this blog, but I've been busy out my eyeballs and unfortunately the things I like most to do (this blog would be one of those things) keep getting pushed further and further into the abyss.

It seems that none of the gig's blogworthiness is making its way back to me, other than Tony being nice as ever. He's our go-to-guy for wine and he always makes time to chit and chat with us.

And I've got to believe that our regulars were there....East Side Chuck and the Dancing Sisters. Hey, that might be a good name for a band.

9/19 - Rudy's Bar and Grill

The grill part of this bar & grill was a teeny tiny kitchen, but a lot of food was making its way out of there. Everyone getting a good base to soak up all that alcohol.

It was so nice to play for a full-ish house and it's also been so long since we've played in an actual bar that we forgot just how sticky spilled alcohol can be. But don't worry about us.....we were alright. All the squishy sounds each time we took a step were sort of amusing to me.

A girl came up to ask us to play something that she could dance to and we had to wonder exactly what kind of music she was referring to, because there were people dancing while she was making her request.

And those boys in Vermilion really take their pool seriously (the cue ball kind, not the swimming kind). I thought that Jake was getting ready to jump in and be the bouncer to break up a dispute, but they seemed to work it out themselves.

Then we get to the end of the evening and Mr. Plastered decides that he wants to play the tambourine. As he invaded our inner sanctum, his foot made direct contact with Jake's then full water glass. Amazingly enough, the water missed Jake's foot board but it immersed all our
cords. It's remarkable how much water a single glass holds after it's spilled.

This guy must have been a regular there and/or the sticky floor was due to his previous spillage because he knew right where the towels were kept and went to get some to sop up his mess.

While he was wiping up the water, he never missed a beat with the tambourine. It was probably a much more interesting view from the bar than from our vantage point ~ he was bent over at the waist, wiping the floor with one hand, banging the tambourine against his upturned butt with the other hand.

The good news is that we didn't get electrocuted and their cleaner's job was made easier, because the water spilled on the sticky part of the floor.

9/9 - Dragon Ranch

Okay, so sue me....I'm writing this a month after the fact. Let's see if I can overcome the CRS.

From what I recall, it was a pretty low key gig, but I do remember a couple things ~

Jake's pilot peeps flew in and stayed for the duration. That was awfully nice of them. And they appeared to be staying because they were enjoying themselves and not out of any obligation. What a concept.

There was also a couple with their son, who had been asked to audition for some musical somewhere.....hey, I barely got all the gory details at the moment, so be amazed that this much is seeping through.

And Ed & Penny came out before heading off to Vermilion for a jam (musical type, not toast type). Ed was completely awestruck by Jake's guitar playing. And with good reason ~ Jake is phenomenal!

9/3 - Riverside Wine

The place was consistently full all evening, which surprised me with it being as warm as it was. I figured that everyone would want to hang out in the AC.

The party at the table directly in front of us was already in full force when we got there and they stayed for the duration.

And the trains were pretty consistent all evening as well. They seemed a lot longer this time, like whole songs worth of long. Oh well, it kept things interesting.

Along with the people and the trains, there were an overabundance of bugs and with Jake being the bug whisperer, we were able to carry on with no screaming or flailing about.

9/2 - Whole Foods, University Hts

WELCOME BACK, JAKE!!!! All is right with the world.

What a treat it was to see Big Rig Bernie again. He made a surprise appearance, but I think that the word got out, because there was a plethora-o-people there this time. I'm talkin' a lot.

And thanks to Jim and Paula for coming out. It was good to see you both again.

Our new friend, Eileen gave us quite a few pointers. In writing. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

Those were the highlights. We had our usual tiny dancers and a couple older ones as well, but nothing earth shattering.

BW3, Strongsville

Once again, we were Jakeless and once again, I was not diggin' it. And yes, I told him that he can never leave again.

And once again, he didn't miss much. Nobody trampled through the equipment as we were setting up and nobody had sex in the parking lot. I mean really, how can you top that?

One of the guys in a bachelor party requested that we play some Beatles, because the groom-to-be really like them. We played "Oh, Darlin'" and quickly realized that was a bad choice for someone who is about to get married. So, we tried to save ourselves, but ended up playing a couple more good-love-turned-bad songs and then it hit me that we knew one happy song ~
"Happy Together". Oddly enough, after we played the happy song for him they took the bachelor party inside. Oh well.

8/19 - Whole Foods, Beachwood

Well, we were Jakeless and I don't like it. Not one bit. The nerve of him to go on vacation. Geesh.

Although, he really didn't miss much at this one and I think it's because his absence effected everyone, not just me. Jake's favorite fan was concerned when she didn't see him, so I explained his lack-o-presence to her. She accepted it, but like me was not happy about it.

The only dancers we had were our regulars, who are starting to come out of their shell with us. Two little girls who are sisters and as different as night and day. One of them is a little tomboy and the other one is a little princess, who brought ballet moves to "The Letter". Betcha that was never in The Boxtops' and/or Joe Cocker's wildest dreams (oh no, wait....that's the Moody Blues).

8/18 - Panini's, Chagrin Falls

I think we're jinxed when it comes to this Panini's.

Last time was the power outage. This time was the rain/thunder/lightning. But at least this time we still got to play, just not outside. And of course the storm stopped about 3 seconds after we started, so all the people coming in paraded past us on their way outside to the patio and then paraded back as they were leaving. During our break I suggested to the boys that we tear down and reset up outside, but noooooooooooo.

Thanks to Jim and his crew and to our new family of friends for staying inside with us. You guys made the gig for us!

8/13 - Jammy Buggers

We all asked the same thing, so here ya go ~ Jammy Bugger is British slang for a lucky individual.

It's a neato-peato place, especially if you're out and about and hungry between 10pm and midnight. They have a $3 menu, which includes a 1/4lb cheeseburger. How great is that?

There are some fun little games stashed under the coffee table, which Jake and I tried our hand at (inside joke for Jake). They also feature local artists' work and are all around friendly people. Just go there.

Our new friend, Paul and his crew were our big supporters. They even requested originals. That just never happens. And I think it's time that Jake names his guitar, but it has to be a stripper name, since Paul so deftly slid his tip into the G string....

8/6 - Riverside Wines

This was the first time playing here that we were able to be outside. And I believe it was also
our first deck gig. Patio gigs are nice, but what a great set up they have ~ a multi-layered deck with flowers and fountains (too many in Jake's opinion) that overlooks a ravine into the river. On the opposite side of the ravine is a train track. A very active train track.

The trains made for a nice backdrop to Folsom Prison Blues and Driver 8.

We had a nice little support crew along the side, that is when their attention wasn't on the trains. How refreshing it was to see that inner child poking through the surface of some of the adults. Remember when we were kids and we would give the universal hand signal to truck drivers so that they would blow their horns? That's what these people were doing to the train drivers....would they be conductors or engineers? Either way, those guys made it very clear that their horns were in good working order.

Aside from all the train stuff, I got to be Spider Woman, but I didn't get to wear a neat suit that shoots webs out of the wrists. So, I guess it was more like spider patrol, keeping the arachnids from encasing us, along with our mic stands in their webs. You're welcome, Jake.

With 10 minutes to go, the rain started up again. And how ironic is it that it happened while I was singing, "crying on the corner, waiting in the rain" and "all of my life I've been waiting in the rain". We closed up shop early to avoid the downpour that never came. We'll sing for 10 extra minutes the next time we're there to make up for it.

8/5 - Herb's Tavern

Unfortunately, we didn't get there early enough to enjoy a Herb Burger. We'll have to plan ahead next time.

It never ceases to amaze me how we can make ourselves fit into tight spaces. Somehow, we made it work and we had fun doing it. I suppose that if our musical careers come to a screeching halt, we could always get jobs in the circus as the clowns in a Volkswagen.

Dorothy is a trooper, she made it out with her foot in an air cast. Poor little thing broke her toe. Ouch. Suzie kept her company. Thanks, girls for coming out!

Jim, Marilyln, Irv, and Judi were there to support us as well. You guys are all right.

Mike was driving along Detroit, minding his own beeswax when he realized that we were playing on the patio. It was too late for him to turn back, but he said he'll catch us there next time.

8/4 - Panini's, Chagrin Falls

Although this won't appear on the gig counter, I still felt it blog worthy.

We make our way to Chagrin Falls, which is not like going around the corner, but not the bar in Lakewood. Wait a minute....we actually did go there after the gig that wasn't. Anyway, we get there only to discover that moments before our arrival there was a horrible accident that took out a utility pole, so Panini's was without power.

To ease his frustrations of having no power, no generator, and no customers, the manager got his golf clubs out of his car and started hitting balls through the parking lot to the woods behind. Thankfully, he hit them high enough so that no cars or Mojo van was injured in the process.

We hung around for a bit to see if the situation would improve, but it did not. We'll be back there on Thurs, the 18th to try again.

7/30 - Dockers, Kelleys Island

What fun to be back at the islands again!

We decided to make a day of it, which started with the glacial grooves. To most people, it's quite an impressive sight. Jake is not most people.

Everyone of us has our strengths and mine is clearly not put-put golf. I started out keeping pace with the boys, and if high scores won I would have been the grand champion. I did however get a hole in one and I'm pretty sure that "one" is the key word there, as in one time.

Had dinch (kinda like brunch, but between lunch and dinner) at The Pump, then headed down to the Casino bar to catch Armstrong Bearcat Band for a couple songs.

I do believe that the set up for bands at Dockers might just be the best ever. Not only did we have a stage, but we had a wonderful view of the water.

Mudcat was right at home when a jet ski pulled up to the dock. Those are his favorites (or not).

I like it that the bar had water dishes set out for the visiting dogs. Real dogs. And they even put ice cubes in the water for them. How nice is that?

So, I'm in the middle of singing Crazy on You when this seemingly normal guy walks up toward the stage, looks me in the eye, then his expression changes to completely insane and he starts jumping up and down, flailing his arms around like he's having a fit and not fit to have it. This goes on for only a few seconds and then as abruptly as he started, he stopped, turned around and walked back to his place at the bar in the same normal way he started out. I'm not
sure what that was all about, but I'm glad he put that space between us again.

Johnny C. came up and sang Folsom Prison and he did quite a good job with it. Then he started ad libbing with the words and was most entertaining.

This gig's super duper cutie was a little boy who was probably 2-ish, give or take an ish who thought it was way more fun to just run around with a maraca having mom and dad take turns chasing him than it was to shake it to make some noise. When mom and dad needed a break from running after him they brought him up to the front of the stage and held him while he looked up and up and up at Jake with an expression like he had just seen his first real giant. Then the mischievous look resurfaced, complete with that knowing grin as he wiggled his way free from his parental clutches and took off running with maraca held high.

Some of us are people watchers and some of us are not. Mudcat is not. There's a table directly in front of Mud with a couple who start out their stay with us friendly enough toward each other, but as the beer flowed, apparently so did some hurtful words. It got to the point where the guy was grumbling loud enough to the girl that I could hear his grumbling over our playing. She starts to cry and then puts on her sunglasses to hide the tears she's dabbing at with napkins. Here's where the part about Mudcat not being a people watcher comes in to play ~ he starts up all these songs that have to do with love gone bad, breaking up, etc. I felt horrible singing, "I'm gonna swallow my tears" as this poor girl is crying. Thankfully, he didn't start playing Happy Together.

And of course there were the drunken island girls who tried to dance, but ended up doing more hanging onto each other for balance than they did dancing. One of them tried to request a song and I'm pretty sure that I got a little tipsy just from her breath.

Everyone seemed to have a good time (except for the fighting couple). We certainly enjoyed ourselves!

Then on the ferry ride back, we got to feel like real celebrities when this girl points toward us and says, "hey, you're the band from tonight...you guys were great!".

7/29 - BW3, Medina

Okay, here is a fashion statement that I was unaware of ~ wearing a backpack like you would wear a backpack when camping, but a seemingly empty backpack. There was a guy (a.k.a. Backpack Boy) who never took his backpack off the entire time he was there, he even adjusted the straps to make sure it was tight. It was a most odd thing indeed.

Thankfully, the weather cooperated and we got to be on the patio. We were set up at the opposite end of the main doors and it was most amusing to see the people who were leaving during the second set look over at us like we had just magically appeared. It made me wonder exactly how long they had been in there.

Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful gig.

Oh yeah, thanks Jake for making me laugh and laugh!

7/28 - Fat Little Buddies

If you're looking for the perfect patio to enjoy an adult beverage or two or six, Fat Little Buddies is where you want to be. They seem to have a little bit of something for just about everyone.
We even had a stage!

The rain stopped just in time for us to set up and it stayed away through the entire evening, however it was so horribly humid that we had to wipe down all the equipment before we packed it up.

Thanks to Marilyn and Jim for coming out and enduring the thick air and the biting bugs.

We had some dancers, including a tiny dancer who seemed to be much more interested in seeing how still he could stand than in dancing.

And our guest singer entertained us with chorus and verse (or was that verse and chorus) after giving thorough and detailed instructions to Jake.

7/23 - The Pub

This was a mixed emotions gig, since it was our last one at the Pub for this year. Happy to be there, but sad because we won't be back for a while. Thanks for everything, Matt. We look forward to being back next year.

As always, the bread pudding was just scrumptious. I do believe that we'll be going back at some point this year just for that.

We missed seeing Rita. Of course, it was the one time she had a Saturday off. Make sure to ask for her if you go to the Pub for dinner and/or bread pudding. She's a doll.

Rosemary, Betty and Chloe came out to see us. What a treat having my smallest of girlfriends there!

Judi and Irv, what can I say? Thanks for being there.

Peter and company stayed for the duration. It was nice to see them again.

The neighbor lady (I'm sorry, but I don't know your name) walked between the raindrops to come over and support us. She's never missed a gig, but always leaves before I get a chance to go talk with her. The first time she was there, she told Mudcat that she was sitting out on her porch and liked what she heard, so she had to come over and see us.

There was a little boy watching us bring the equipment bags in and after we had everything in, this was our conversation ~

Little Boy: That's a lot of suitcases.
Lola: You're right, it is.
Little Boy: What's in them?
Lola: Everything we need to play some music for you.
Little Boy: Why aren't you playing now?
Lola: Because we have to take everything out of the suitcases first.
Little Boy: When will you start?
Lola: As soon as we have everything set up.
Little Boy: How long will that be?
Lola: Until we're done.
Little Boy: Oh

Enter Little Boy's little brother. He just stood there dramatically plugging his ears with his fingers (and yes, we were still in the setting up stage).

It was a fun start to a fun gig.

Thanks again!

7/22 - Whole Foods, Beachwood

Rain, rain go away....my umbrella decided that this would be a good time to break, so I made a dash for the door and even though Mudcat was kind enough to get as close to making it a drive through as possible for me, I still got soaked. He had a golf umbrella to try to keep himself and the equipment dry and he got soaked. Jake had an umbrella as well and oh guess what, he got soaked. Thankfully, the storm had pretty much run its course by the time we were done and we didn't have to repeat the soaking process.

Jake asked me to remind him to get flour for his mom when we were done. I thought he said flowers, not flour so my response was, "what did you do?". Hope the zucchini bread turned out good!

They must have had an incredibly dee-ish appetizer at the sampling station near us, because that area was crowded during most of the 5x7. Hey, do you think it could have been because they were listening to us? That's a pastability.

7/15 - BW3, Strongsville

This was the Sex in the City gig. More like Sex in the Suburbs, but we'll get to that later. Gotta start from the start.

So, we're on the patio just starting to set up. These 2 guys decide that it would make way more sense to cut through the patio doing a serpentine thing all around the equipment bags to get inside. That kind of stuff annoys me to no end, so I had to bitch about it to someone...lucky Jake. He was bringing more equipment on to the patio and missed it. No sooner did I get done telling him about it when these same 2 guys come back out and repeat the process, but this time some of the equipment is set up. I asked them where they lived so I could come over to their house and walk through their shit. For some reason, I never got an address. Go figure.

During that whole set up process, I managed to pinch my finger (not to be confused with pull my finger) in the mic stand, which resulted in a lovely blood blister. But, don't worry about me...I'll be alright. It's just a flesh wound.

Thanks to Linda, Judy, and Chris for stopping out! It's always nice to see some familiar faces. They got there just in time to see the moon rise. And it's always fun to sing "Moon Dance" during a full moon.

Maybe that full moon had something to do with all the over active libidos...back to the Sex in the Suburbs.

As I was singing "Fire", these 2 guys (but not the same 2 guys from before) are walking to their car and one of them breaks into some really sexy dance moves while the other one sashays along with him. Pretty sure there was a little more than just dancing going on there.

Now, the tables on the patio are quite close together, so what happens at one table is not easy to block out of your sight from any other table. Keeping that in mind, a table with a family who were having a nice wholesome time is opposite a table with a couple who were also having a wholesome time (one of them had their whole tongue in some part of the other's mouth) during "One Way Out". Jake said that he never realized that was a make out song and I never realized just how long that song takes.

And then there was THE COUPLE ~ they leave on the guy's motorcycle during the first set, so big deal. But, during the second set they come back on the bike (well, duh), she gets off of it and starts doing these stretches that are way more provocative than cat like. Apparently, she needs to stretch before a good workout...I mean before sex.

They both get into the van that he parked the bike next to and thankfully the van was not facing us. Let me tell you that moon roof was doing double duty ~ it let the full moon in and it let the full moon out....wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more. Oh, but I have to say more.

Not only was the van rocking, but from where we were set up on the patio, we could pretty much see everything through the side windows and like a bad car wreck it was really difficult to look away. I was tempted to take the tip bucket over to them and tell them it was our donation for a room, but I was afraid that if I got that up close and personal I would have to wash my eyes out with acid. We were also tempted to turn our stage lights onto full strobe and spin them around to face the van, but we didn't.

And as if that whole thing wasn't bad enough, the guy gets out of the van and then zips up. I will never eat at Hot Dog Heaven again.

7/9 - Dragon Ranch

Dede and Lori came out for supper and to be our groupies. Thanks, girlies! They stayed for the bulk of the gig until the call of ice cream won out over the joy of being a groupie.

That was the highlight of this gig.

7/8 - Cebar's Euclid Tavern

This place has such a great stage with a shared wall to the kitchen, which has a handy dandy pass through opening complete with a food shelf. The side wall is home to a smaller shelf for drinks. Chuck's dream gig (or Danny's....no more drum case abuse).

And as Project Mojo luck would have it, the weather was finally decent and that meant that pretty much everyone was outside on the patio where we weren't.

The few agoraphobes in attendance were most appreciative in their individual ways. We even learned a few new "dance" moves.

Our new friend, Kevin was quite pleased that he stopped in for an adult beverage while out for a walk around the neighborhood. He really liked our selection of tunes and took our card with the promise of coming out to see us again.

7/4 - Meadows Fireworks

This was our 6th year at Vic and Amy's as the warm up act for the fireworks. As always, they were most gracious hosts, the food was wonderful and a good time was had by all!


We missed seeing Mary Lou (Vic's grandma) and singing her favorites to her. Hopefully, she'll be back for the party next year.

The ultralight (flying lawn mower, as I like to call it) made it's annual appearance, so that was fun to see.

And it's usually the kids who are the dancers, but this time one of the neighbor ladies let her inner child loose and danced a bit.

Of course, the fireworks were grand. Looking forward to doing it all again next year.

7/1 - Whole Foods, University Hts.

I'm still getting used to playing to the olive bar, but at least there are people to go with the fruit. Or are olives vegetables? Okay, now I have to know. One moment please, checking....
According to the world wide web, olives are the fruit of the olive tree. Now what was my point?

We were also right next to the sampler table for the 5x7 that had biscuits topped with vanilla ice cream and fruit (now, these I know were fruit ~ strawberries and blueberries).
Gotta love it when a food item can be patriotic. And thankfully, there were some leftovers that we got to sample before we packed up. And if you'd like to know how to make them for your own self, just ask Jake...he got the recipe.

Of course, a Whole Foods gig is not complete without kids; a cutie little boy who was a miniature Mudcat right down to the baseball cap and the tapping foot, the little girl who was in awe of Jake (pretty sure she thought he was a giant), and the tiniest of kids who clearly was experiencing live music for the first time, but she didn't seem to mind....after all, we're not as annoying as what you would think.

6/25 - John Palmer's Bistro 44

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...it was definitely the quietest of times.

SHHHHHH!!!

6/24 - BW3, Medina

Started out to be a patio gig, but with the weather being Seattle-ish, they moved us inside. Don't know what it is about BW3 and the rain (see BW3 Strongsville blog).

After bringing our equipment in through a 5 mile long maze, we were not rewarded with cheese at the end of the maze, just a table full of people where we needed to set up. And they were just being served their wings and another round of beer, so we knew it was going to be a wait.

Trying to stay out of the way, we piled our gear around and in front of this game that is similar to "the claw", but this one had the prizes hanging from strings and in place of the claw was some sort of scissors device to cut the string to free the prize. Sounds easy enough, right? Not according to the note on the front of the machine that informed the game player that the string doesn't always cut, so keep trying. Wow, if people are that desperate to give away their money, I am quite sure that I can come up with some sort of scam (I mean game) to take their money (I mean test their skill).

While we're waiting for these people to eat and drink, the manager comes over to us and asks us to move our things because some kids want to play the game. Move it where exactly? We moved it in front of the servers' station, which made for some fancy footwork on their part.

After a bit, we were finally able to set up, but in the same space that a table with 4 bar stools was occupying and let me tell you, that is not a lot of space. I had to sing sideways....kinda felt like one of the Supremes, but with out the fancy dress and bouffant.

We had a surprise guest ~ Big Rig Bernie and his fearless fliers. Thanks for coming out, it was great to see you!

6/18 - The Mustard Seed

A make-over occurred since the last time we played here and the place looks great. Not that it looked bad before....

And for crying out loud, be careful out there ~ it was injury central with broken arms, wrists, legs. One man had a cast on his elbow and an air boot on his foot. I don't know what's happening over there, but I'm glad we made it out in once piece.

There were lots of appreciative people and that always makes for a nice gig. Thanks everyone!

6/17 - Whole Foods, Beachwood

Always a fun time to play at the 5x7.

This time, we were scootched over so that Jake was the only one of us who had a room with a view. Mudcat and I could see down the ice cream aisle, which wasn't getting much traffic.

There were some familiar faces this time around. And how did I know this if I didn't have view, you ask? Jake told me.

And their carrot cake is yummy, that is if you like carrot cake. Was so happy to have a sample!

6/11 - The Pub

It was great to be back on the patio (well, we're always on the patio...I meant with the walls down and the heaters off). And we were along the inside wall rather than across the back this time.

There was a bridal shower going on that took up the back area. I don't know about you, but I've never seen men at a wedding shower, except for the groom, but about half of this party were men and they actually played the shower games along with the women. I'm thinkin' that all the trays of shots we saw Rita taking to their table might have had something to do with their participation.

Thanks to Dorothy and her Beau for stopping by and staying a bit. It's always great to see you!

Judi and her crew of Irv, John, Donna, and Sheril came out to eat, drink, and be merry as well.

And our neighborhood friend walked over and stayed for the duration. She and another couple actually chanted "encore" and I'm pretty sure they meant for us to sing more, not for their server to bring them a frozen dinner.

6/10 - BW3, Strongsville

Started out as a patio gig, but we ended up inside because of the threat-o-rain that turned into real droplets.

It was nice of them to reroute us to an inside spot, however it would have been even nicer had there not been a hockey game in the main dining room/bar area. Apparently, people were more interested in the hockey game than in us and it wasn't an option to have the game and our gig share the spotlight. Because of that, we ended up in the furthest, most remote corner of the building.....far, far away from the viewing public with the exception of 4 tables who wanted family time and were quite happy to be in the overflow section.

Phil, Jackie, and Ken stopped by for the second set, which was a good thing because by then the families were gone and that left just us.

Chris, Alisa, and Biz also stopped by for a bit to keep track of the placement of my feet.

6/4 - Panini's, Concord

What a great patio! And it was huge...well, the patio was, not so much our space. But that's okay, it was big enough. Don't worry about us....

The best thing was that we only had to carry the equipment about 3 feet. Got to park right outside of the gate that lead to our spot.

It was an interesting evening, what with the woman who just had to plow through our set up to get outside (hellooo...patio...you're already outside) so that she could talk to her little dog. And I double checked with Jake to make sure I heard her correctly. I did. She was talking to her dog.
But it's okay, because she told us that she wouldn't break anything. This was right before we were getting ready to start and then we closed the gate behind her before we got underway. She came back, but used the door just like everyone else.

Then there was the chick who interrupted Mudcat's introduction (guess she didn't care who we were or what we were about) to request that we sing happy birthday to her friend and when we started our version of the song, she turned around and gave us the look of death, but haha ~ joke's on her, we didn't die.

And then we had the "maraca incident". Birthday requester and her non-birthday friend came out of the incident unmaimed, but I'm pretty sure that Jake was secretly hoping for a cat fight.

Let's not forget about Mark, who came to the realization during his debut of "Down by the River" (using his phone to display the lyrics in lieu of the karaoke machine we did not have) that telling people you sing with celebrities is where he should have left it.

6/3 - Whole Foods, University Hts

Rarely do we have an actual stage to play on, but we did at this Whole Foods gig. A stage in a grocery store ~ what a concept.


Our new friend, Eileen saw us through from start to finish. Thanks!


We had some dancers; a brother/sister duo. Their mom sure has her hands full.


At one point, Jake thought that we were in Lakewood rather than University Hts, but I set him straight.

5/13 - Whole Foods, Beachwood

There are just way too many cute kids who's mom and dad frequent Whole Foods.

This time around we had twin boys, probably around 2-ish years old. Dressed alike in their khaki pants and oxford white shirts was where the similarities began and ended with these little guys.

One of the twins looked like a miniature version of dad and the other one looked exactly like his mom. The boys were having pasta...mini-me-dad had everything under the sun mixed in his, all bright and colorful, while mom's clone had plain noodles. His shoes were nowhere to be seen, his little shirt tail was hanging out and he wanted nothing to do with dad trying to get him to chair dance (or cart dance in this case), while the dad look-alike, who was still fully clothed and shoed insisted on getting out of the cart so that he could dance and jump.....and run.

And it seems that each time we play here, we see a celebrity. This time around it was Janice Joplin. Obviously, we count people who resemble celebrities as being true celebrities. It doesn't take much for us.

5/7 - Dragon Ranch

The Kentucky Derby was on every TV in a place named after the Northfield race horse, Dragon Again, so what do you think people were paying attention to? I'll give you a hint: it wasn't us.

Toward the end we had some favorable comments, so I guess we filtered through on some level.

4/23 - The Pub

PROJECT MOJO'S 600th GIG!!!! (and no, I did not add an extra zero)

And that's 600 gigs in the course of 6-ish years. Is that just crazy?

Thank you, Betty for spending time with us before hand and for treating us to our celebratory meal. You are the way best! And thank you for inviting your group(s) out to see us.

Looks like we have a new groupie (as long as her parents drive her to our gigs). She is quite fond of science fairs and is now an accomplished shaker of the egg.

And we still have some CD's left over that didn't make it into the hands of those congratulating us during our break (see Mudcat's FB post for that little contest), so join us for our 700th gig and you just might be a winner! Don't worry, we'll remind you.