back to back...and back again?

This past weekend I had the pleasure of performing two shows back to back on August 28 and 29. And then I mentioned a short hiatus for me until September 19.

Spoke too soon!

Friday was the Supernova show at the Beacon, my second time playing there and while the band sounded great, the crowd was...very light. But that happens, I guess. In the past I would have been depressed and miserable about it. Over time, I realized that those who came to see us were the most important people in the moment. 

Singer Mike McCormick wasn't able to do the first set as he had a family obligation (always comes first!) so Tony's girlfriend Deb sang the first set. She knocked it out of the park! She and I used to be in the band Naked Glory back in 2021, and when I split from them, she stayed in touch with me. Most musicians want to forget me after a brief tenure but she stuck around. I must be a pretty good guitarist ;) But seriously, it was awesome having her front the band, and when Mike showed up, he did his thing and it was awesome too. This time, he didn't bring a guitar, just showed up, grabbed a mic, and that was it. Off and running!

Saturday was my fill-in gig with Rubber Duckie Riot at the Riverdale Fire Station. This was for a great cause: a memorial for the firefighters who perished in the 9/11 attacks. Played two sets and they went well, good crowd, beautiful day and a BIG stage (I forgot what those were like). But the most interesting part of the day...

A fire fighter walked up to me and asked "Do you know the Star Spangled Banner?" and I said "I know the Jimi Hendrix version, why?" He then said, "Great! Can you play it when we do the memorial and then open the cornhole tournament?" I get the first part but...the second...well, there's a first for everything.

With that in mind, I did the Hendrix version and it received the most applause of the day. I'm NOT going to gloat over that because I did it for the fallen firemen. Period. As far as I'm concerned, my little performance there was for a great cause.

So now I'm supposed to say I'm on a short hiatus until September 19. Not so fast. The band Evolution asked me to fill in this Saturday September 5 at Blackjack Mulligan's in Woodland Park. I played with them back in June and it was quite good, much more together than in the past when I would help them. Having a solid drummer helps. And the bassist doing the sound instead of that dude they hired...it's like they say, "praise in public but criticize in private." (I'll keep my opinions to myself for once.)

And there you have it.