mr. t's bowl 080705

sunday was family day at mr. t's bowl. the day started with a group/spouse/girlfriend dinner at our local thai dinner spot before the sound check. we don't get to hang enough, so anytime we all can get together is real special.

one of the great benefits of playing in a club is that all you have to worry about is the soundcheck. i didn't have to worry about selling tickets, icing the beer, setting up chairs, etc... damn its so easy just to show up and plug in. sunday afternoon we decided to mic the clarinet, trombone and vibes because on friday night i realized that the pa system would make it impossible for scott to be heard. so we used the string mics and they worked pretty well. i need a better device to attach to the mic to the clarinet, but scott's life was so much better. he didn't have to push and we ended up taking down a few parts because of the amplification. i still have to work on a simple micing solution for the vibes. most stage mics aren't really designed for that. i know that some people are kinda freaked when we are all "electric", we do lose many of the great overtones in an acoustic performance, but the main reason we mic the group is that when the volume level gets really high we don't want the vibes and winds (and strings) to disappear. having the ability to get to that high energy level (through electricity) is the whole point of having an amplified keyboard, electric and bass guitars.

the show was a blast. as i walked off the stage the clubs owner had a six-pack of corona's w/limes in her hand. "could we play another set... please!" damn, i wish we had more music. but the hour we played was almost too much to learn this summer. we really had no idea how playing in a club would turn out. until then i was very stressed, and i think it rubbed off on everybody else. its easy to feel like the bad news bears coming into a new situation, but we had a good turnout of many friends and family. playing at the t's was so much fun. the vibe much different than the concert hall and it reminded me of playing in jazz and blues bands.
it also doesn't suck that you can sit back and order a drink during the show. i don't even mind if you run for a refill. most importantly, we are going to play there again soon, i just need to work out the details. for now, i'm content to develop the at a single club like mrt's before taking the show around town.

enjoy the show mp3's

palimpsest (new version)

cheap admiration

seven (eric hendrickson)

sweater song (weezer/bailey)

on a side note yesterday was recovery, sleep and lesson plans (school starts in two weeks). as a special reward i had been wanting to go to the renowned pie and burger in pasadena. i was enjoying myself having lunch and catching up on the local alternative news. i even had a "la" moment and noticed john c. reilly (he is the best thing in magnolia, one my favorite but hugely flawed guilty pleasures) having lunch with his kids on the way out. that moment ended quickly when i hit a trash bin on the way out of the parking lot. anybody know a good body shop?