I can only play one at a time anyway

      

          SATURDAY 8/28/21 2:15PM-I THOUGHT I’d already mentioned it, but the  husband of a friend of mine from way back was going to give me her first husband’s bass… due to Covid concerns, the planned get together won’t be happening today, if it happens at all…
And I have yet to hear from Bob about whether or not WE are going to hook up somewhere, sometime… well that’s OK, I don’t need THREE bass guitars – I can only play one at a time, but naturally I am slightly disappointed… I guess the Universe knows what it’s doing… I guess I’m not going to JVs on Wednesday after all;  I don’t think there’s a bass amp listed as part of the house equipment...
11:17PM-and again my mind has tricked me… I double checked the JV schedule and it said “open mic hosted by [whoever they are] but I had accidentally  looked at Tuesday’s schedule, not Wednesday’s… so I think the trip to J V’s is still on… 
MONDAY 8/30/21 9:16AM--I took my (brief) re-mix of ANGEL and extended it...I'm giving it 4 outta 5 stars...or it's a 9 outta 10 somethings, depending on which rating system you use...still very nervous about Wednesday's open mic and I haven't made it thru Tuesday's...sheesh..
12:32PM--now I can set my sights on Tuesday and Wednesday as well...it's kinda hard to believe it's Monday, Life is so good, at this minute at least...
|5:20PM--the Bass playing is getting better as long as I play songs I know reall REALLY well and DON'T try to get too flashy...gotta work on that...SueEl mentioned having Lunch on Wednesday (?) but she didn't mention the Main Stage OM on Tuesday...odd...
10:16PM--I haven't seen any confirmation that the Main Stage o.m. is actually on, but I assume it is...otherwise I'm wasting all this anticipation for nothing...
TUESDAY 8/31/21-on the other hand it’s supposed to rain buckets tomorrow; so the trip the JVs may be off after all… The plan for TODAY is to go to Woodstock, although it’s supposed to rain today as well, just not as much… I really wanted to go to JVs tomorrow; hopefully I can go next week… Although a lot can happen in 24 hours with regards to the weather among other things…
11:35PM--just got back from Main Stage...I signed in as a Bass player then didn't play a single note on my Bass or anyone else's...I talked to a guy that (currently?) plays in a certain BEACH BOYS tribute band...I imagine my less than complimentary remarks will find their way back to Gary...f**k...I bet the guy's less than complimentary remarks will not...by coincidence he too started as a guitarist...
WEDNESDAY 9/1/21 12:41AM--probably NOT going to JV's...even IF the bad weather stays away, I'm probably gonna be wiped out from being out tonight...dammit...and I have to be stingy with the gas...the $16 in my pocket might have to last until FRIDAY...and I'm going out to Lunch with SueEl and Doug later today...the trip to JVs has waited this long, what's one more week...
1:03AM--no Lunch with SueEl--I have an appointment with the Urologist...dammit...but I save a few bucks...

starting to FEEL like a Bass Player

 

       FRIDAY 8/27/21 11:06AM--Jeff has been extremely helpful with the Bass amp research...I'm nervous about discussing my proposed purchase with Dianne...Probably wait until Sunday...Jeff highly reccommends buying it from Sweetwater...I get pop-ups from them often enough...will likely start getting more...At one point I THOUGHT he was gonna buy it for me and I'd pay him back, monthly...now I think he's changed his Mind if indeed THAT was what he was talking about...
There's an open mic at JV'S in VA on Wednesday...I'm hoping to take the Bass and go...
10:18PM-I arrived at Hershey’s before 8 o’clock, which I realize now it was a big mistake because it’s almost 1030 and Geoff hasn’t shown up yet and it’s hard to wait – but that’s my fault… Seriously considering going home, but I guess I should wait a FEW more minutes...
10:26PM-naturally Jeff just got here… The band stops in about half an hour… So I’ll probably go say goodbye to Jeff and head home… 
11:02PM--I KNOW it's wrong to be, but I'm disappointed that Bob didn't make it to Hershey's tonight...if I understand HIM correctly, I think he wants to GIVE me a Bass AND a practice amp...well, IF that's suppposed to happen, it will...
SATURDAY 8/28/21--AND due to risig Covid concerns the get together with Tin & Lil has been cancelled...Tim says he still wants me to have the Bass, but we don't yet have a way to connect and make the swap...

a major milestone IMO

 

               WEDNESDAY 8/25/21 12:28AM--I ultimately had the best time I've ever had at any open mic...my participating in it was only part of the reason...I met a guy, we were hitting it off...found Harmony was his thing, as much as it is mine...we were throwing names back and forth when I thought I heard him say "Buzzy Linhart"...it turns out he DID say Buzzy Linhart...I kinda felt like I'd been hit in the face with a baseball bat...wow...I got kinda lost on the way to the Grille and again coming home, but it was absolutley worth it...I found him on Flakebook, I hope that doesn't scare him...
THURSDAY 8/26/21 3:35PM--somewhat suddenly, I checked in with SueEl and she said "yes" to Dinner and an open mic at Hershey's...Dinner was HER idea...She cancelled...she feels outta sorts, so she's not gonna go...I'm going in spite of the fact that *I* feel outta sorts...go figure...
leaving for Hershey's at about 6...pretty sure it's gonna be raining, which should mean we'll be inside...
11:24PM--I left at about 6, but it didn't rain and we didn't play inside...I may have been premature calling Tuesday "the best time I ever had at an open mic"...I could say that about tonight's Hershey experience...I took over from Jeff at whatever time it was...tonight I would call my playing an 8.5 on a scale of 10...I played about three songs I had never even played on guitar, much less Bass...I sang (I think) MARY JANE'S LAST DANCE--to myself, while playing Bass...someone else was the actual lead vocalist...as for my Bass playing, for the most part it was pretty good...I mess up mostly when my glasses offer me a view of TWO of everything...As much as I loved the sound coming out of Jeff's amp, I'd like to get the next size up...a slightly bigger speaker and more wattage... The sound should be all that different...it's too bad Dianne will find out about the purchase, if and when it happens...*I* think it's time to start working on playing AND singing at the same time...
 12:25AM--on the verge of freaking out over my evening at Hershey's...played, among others, TUESDAY'S GONE by Skynyrd; I've never ever played that on ANY instrument...I'd never heard it the way through, much less played it all the way through...And I don't think I've ever played ONE WAY OUT on Bass either...and personally, *I* think I kicked butt on MOONDANCE...and the way the Bass sounded!!! I need to get a Bass amp...but I'm NOT in a hurry...

I guess I was way too confident

 

            MONDAY 8/23/21 6:06PM--of the 18 songs I created for BASSless 3 (re-do), I can only play about seven of them without feeling like maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew...so maybe I'll sick with those seven until my fingers get used to running up and down the fretboard easily...it's entirely possible that a long scale bass isn't the best bass to start learning on...but that's what I've got, so I'm gonna keep working with it...and now that I wanna watch Bass players up close on youTube, such vids seem to be rather rare...
10:33PM--so I was at the Hershey's jam last week when a guitar player (who seemed to know me) showed up and joined in the fun...He led the band through an obscure McCartney number--I knew the guitar solo better than I knew the bass part, but I was playing Bass at the time...turns out it was the BASSIST (?) from 49 Cent Dress!!! SHEESH...how embarrassing...I wonder if I should even tell hin?
TUESDAY 8/24/21 9:48AM--after I go to CVS to get Prilosec, I'm hoping to go down to my practice space for a little while...then I'm gonna do other stuff, but I'm gonna try to sneak in some more practice...I think I'm gonna have pizza for Dinner at the Main Stage Grille--maybe,,,I'm also considering skipping Lunch altogether--breakfast was unhealthy enough...
11:30AM--I need to learn to be more economicable when I'm playing Bass...nervous about going to the Main Stage open mic with just a Bass, but if I had to, I think Max would let me play thru his rig...I guess the only Bass player I'll be closely watching is Ruth, unless some other real Bassists show up...and I might have to go out to see other Bands on the weekend more often...before we get back to being quarantined...
2:16PM--the more I practice, the better I'll get...the better I get, the less I'll wonder if I made a mistake thinking I could play Bass...

Surely I can be a better Bass player--if I practice

 

    SUNDAY 8/22/21 4:48PM--I tried practising along with my "BASSless" CDs...it did not go well; I THOUGHT I knew most of those songs better...I guess I was wrong...the good news? the practice space is set up, so I accomplished that much...
6:36PM-On the other hand, I discovered that I could create my own BASSless recordings!!!  Thanks to Virtual DJ… The first song I recorded without a bass track is BIG LOVE  by Fleetwood Mac…The older the original recording the harder (I think) it’s going to be to get rid of the bass part…I guess that’s what I’ll be doing for a while after dinner; gonna try a CSNY song next—maybe…
7:29PM--it turns out DE JA VU was a good choice after all...I think MARY JANE'S LAST DANCE might be as well..
8:10PM--still building the BASSless 3 CD...it's a bit of a patience test...In theory, ANY recording can have the BASS guitar part removed...I've got thousands of songs to choose from...first I pick a song from my iTunes Library and (hopefully) send it to Virtual DJ...then I record the song as a file, removing the Bass part...then I go to iTunes and name the song, adding the word BASSless to the title...then I add the song to the "BASSless 3" playlist...it has taken me at least an hour and a half just to put together a 22 minute (so far) playlist...
9:11PM--working on getting DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW recorded...I wanna make a conscious effort to practice playing Bass to songs I know/like REALLY well...with some songs/recordings, it's kinda hard to tell when the Bass part has been removed, like MIDNIGHT ROCKS by Al Stewart, to name one of a growing number of songs...gotta be sure to pick the right "join" or else the songs may be in the WRONG order--SHEESH...I changed my Mind about practising along to an 8 minute recording...but I'm hoping to add UNDER THE MILKY WAY to BASSless 3 shortly...
10:10PM--adding FREEDOM by Bread...I THINK I'm getting addicted to the process...and having thousands of songs to choose from is intimidating, to say the least...
10:42PM--one final song for tonight, hopefully-KEEPIN' THE SUMMER ALIVE by the Beach Boys...it's an innaresting bass line, even though Brian probably had nothing to do with it...
MONDAY 8/23/21 12:53AM--having trouble stopping my latest project...even the FIRST "Hydro" didn't help..maybe the second one (a smaller dose) will help me fall asleep...and I'm making too many mistakes--it's time to cool it until later today--I wanted BASSless 3 to have about hour's worth of songs on it--it has 57 minutes on it...that oughta be good enuff...
3AM--I've been up for the past hour or so STILL working on BASSless practice CDs...did I take the wrong pill(s)? I suspect that the Hydroxyzine is gonna knock me on my ass, and I'll be sleepwalking when I wake up later...

seems like an innaresting idea NOW...

 

             FRIDAY 8/20/21 6PM--seriously considering buying a bass amp and conentrating on becoming a Bass player...I need to work on playing Bass and singing at the same time...dunno when I'm gonna start working on that, maybe Monday, temporarily using my guitar amp for practice situations until I (possibly) get a Bass amp...I wanna know why Jeff got what he got (a Peavey) and how much did it cost...Litz has a used one similiar to Jeff's for roughly $250 bucks I think...
     I've hardly ever sung lead guitar riffs when listening to songs in any manner, at home or in the car...but I think in terms of Bass parts--like now, listening to Tori Amos and Zappa...I DO wonnder if a 66 year old dog CAN learn a new trick?
       Maybe I imagined it, but I think someone expressed surprise last night that, after playing Bass for a couple of hours, I switched to guitar...what I think I might have possibly heard was "You don't play Bass like a guitar player..." SOME guitar players DO play Bass the same way they play a guitar, which generally means NOT thinking like a member of the RHYTHM section...
SATURDAY 8/21/21 3:44 PM--as expected the Bass doesn't sound all that good (to me) coming outta a GUITAR amp, but that's what I have, so it will have to do, for the time being...a lot can happen between now an and TUESDAY, but I'm planning to take the Bass to the Main Stage...I dunno what Ruth uses there, but I guess I'll find out...I might have a bit more value as a Bassist if I incorperate singing into my Bass playing, on the other hand, Jeff doesn't sing and neither does Ruth--as far as *I* know...

Am I becoming invisible? not if *I* have any say in the matter

           

                    SATURDAY 8/14/21 8:17PM-I made it to Hershey’s…arrived at about 7:30 or so...how long I’m gonna stay is anybody’s guess…I’m kinda bored…*I* think SR3 needs a 2nd guitarist or a keyboard player…yes I think *I* would make it a better band…
9:34PM--I stayed until about 9:10, more or less...I guess The Universe wanted me to come home, so I did...but not before stopping at Giant to get Klondike bars and some other stuff...socially, I was unfulfilled...I DID get the dessert I had a desire for, more or less...but I felt lonely...
11:23PM--apparently, had I stayed at Hershey's longer, I woulda seen Jessica, for whatever good THAT would do me...but the Universe had other plans...I guess it wanted me to be lonely and depressed...so I am...
SUNDAY 8/15/21 11:10AM--I have no (fun) plans whatsoever for today...gonna be doing laundry--oh boy...
MONDAY 8/16/21 1PM--I MIGHT go to the Main Stage Grille tomorrow, but I don't know why...apparently nobody in MontCo wants me in their band...and of course with the return of the Pandemic (which never went away in the first place) clubs will likely be shutting down again soon...so maybe I SHOULD go out while I still can, right? the more I think about it, the more likely I am to go...I'll probably just bring Butterscotch and the BritBag full of pedals...it's pathetic, but I need to be where I feel appreciated, even if it's (in MY head) less than genuine...
TUESDAY 8/17/21 8:39AM--I don't yet feel like going to the Main Stage Grille...it seems like quite a ride to the place...Forty miles, 45 minutes--and that's one way...probably WON'T go...Hershey's is a LOT closer--that's about the only thing it has going for it...
NOON--still don't feel like going to CJ's jam...For one thing I have a 9AM appointment tomorrow at All Day Medical...I don't wanna use the gas to get there and back, I don't think I can afford to eat dinner there, and I don't wanna have to replace the gas I would use--whether I use my car or Dianne's...and I don't think I'd feel that much better than if I went...
11:37PM--guess where I just got back from? It took awhile, perhaps, but I'm glad I went...what took awhile was for other musicians to show up...Dinner was cheaper than I thought it would be...I was starting to wonder if I drove all that way just to eat dinner...thankfully, I got to play--quite a lot...it is VERY frustrating to (after many MANY years) still have trouble connecting my pedals...
     Both Max and CJ seem to have the same opinion of my Musical abilitiy...it's a rather positive opinion...I choose to believe that they're being honest...I'm not sure, but I might have stepped on some toes last night, but not deliberately...I'm wasn't  the only scat-singing guitarist in attendance last night (think George Benson) but I may have been the only one who used feedback like Hendrix...THAT made me feel kinda special I seemed to connect with a certain drummer though...he left before I could chat with him...Max told me that he told Max that I (paraphrasing) was a valuable asset to the Jam...naturally, that made me feel good...dunno how long that feeling will last...a lot can happen between now and Thursday afternoon, but I'm still hoping to go to Hershey's--I think SueEl wants to go as well...
10:10PM--SueEl is going, but she doesn't need a ride from me...an early Dinner probably means an early Lunch...if I wanna get there at 5:30, I need to leave the house at five o'clock, which means having dinner at 4:30--whatever I'm gonna eat...and that means being outta the shower by  4PM...
THURSDAY 8/19/21 9:25AM--the Plan is to take my amp AND the Gizmo to Hershey's...I THINK I'd rather play outside, but it's not up to me...
10:21PM--just got home from Hershey's...I'm glad I went...spent the first hour or two (?) playing my BASS...Jeff did some work on it...and he bought a good case for it...altogether I owe him about $100 bucks...now it's a bass worth having, even more than it might have been before...after I changed the batteries, the Gizmo performed admirably...the Jam was held outside...that means what I lost in comfort (temperature -wise) I made up for in having plenty of room...once I switched to guitar, I ended up singing a couple of songs...ONE WAY OUT, MARY JANE'S LAST DANCE and mayvbe one other one I think...there weren't a whole lotta Musicians in attendence...the audience wasn't all that big either...but I'm glad I went...
SATURDAY 8/21/21 6:08PM--I THINK I "lost" an entry in this diary...not the first time, and probably not the last...anyway, I cooked up another pair of BASSless CDs...that's (I think) easier than trying to find the ones I created months ago...so now I've got about two hours of songs I can use to practice Bass playing AND singing too...dunno for sure, but I might get started practising tomorrow...

Bizarre is the only word for it

      

          THURSDAY 8/12/21 11:23PM-my first gig in a year and a half is history… Bob Walsh and friends closed the show… in fact, I think *I* closed the show with a rendition of Further on up the Road… I don’t know exactly why, but Neil GAVE me his guitar tuner, saying he had more than a few of them… I saw quite a few people that I hadn’t seen in at least a year and a half if not longer…Stoney and I actually chatted a little, that was a bit of a surprise…
         The parking situation wasn’t as much of a problem as I thought it might be…I had dinner at Wendy’s, which was the plan to begin with…After the show I stopped by the grocery store and bought a bottle of soda…Bob Walsh gave me a five dollar bill, I don’t know why…But it helped when it came time to buy the bottle of soda…I only had a couple of dollars on me…Of the $200 dollars I started out with on Sunday(?), I have $110 left…

A sad occasion

 

         TUESDAY 8/10/21 5:40PM-Butterscotch has new strings on it… I’ll be using it at the Jon Reeve Memorial show… I’m excited about that, sad occasion though it is…I have to get through Wednesday first…I’m having Lunch with Dianne…
WEDNESDAY 8/11/21 4:23PM-actually, I didn’t have lunch with Dianne… I’m going back there tomorrow morning to do the kitty litter and the trash and take a shower… oh I THINK the gig is closer to Rockville than it is to Gaithersburg, so I want to be back in Rockville by 4 o’clock tomorrow…
7:14PM-I’ve been instructed by Eileen not to arrive at the VFW before 6:45… The show starts at seven… I don’t have a whole lot of setting up to do, but I do have some… I’d like to be there by 6:30… That gives me time to feed the cat at 4:30 and then get myself something for dinner- a Wendy’s burger for instance…
8:54PM-in addition to being nervous and/or excited about tomorrow night’s gig, I’m now starting to feel pressure…I guess the pressure is of my own making; but knowing that doesn’t help put a stop to it…
THURSDAY 8/12/21 11:55AM--I'll be playing my first gig since before March 2020 later today and I'm understandably nervous...One of the other members of the "band" seemed surprised that I'd be nervous...someone (me?) once said that if yer NOT nervous before going onstage, maybe it's time to think about giving it up...or (more likely) the person who seemed to be surprised was lying about not being nervous..people DO lie about stuff...all the time...

7:45PM-I almost wish I had been excluded from this event…but I’m gonna try to make the best of the situation…

Forgot the most important thing…

        SUNDAY 8/8/21 11:30AM--Arrived at the Riley’s lock Jam with my lunch, a guitar, the Brit bag full of stomp boxes-and NO chair-DAMMIT…
1:15PM-now I kind of know why my friend Jeff quit coming to this thing… it’s loud, and as guitarists are prone to do, there’s a lot of competition going on… Maybe it IS competition, but I don’t think Music SHOULD be competition…dunno how much longer I’m gonna stay…
4:40 PM-I guess I left about 15 minutes after writing that last section… I left the Jam and went to the grocery store and bought most of the groceries that I need to have in Rockville…
Ultimately I found the jam to be unsatisfying…I guess Jeff was right… maybe it was better when fewer people knew about it; but there was a time when *I* was one of those fewer people…
9:15PM-looking at the photos taken by somebody (Beth Riley?) at today’s Riley’s Lock Jam, it’s like I wasn’t even there… and that’s OK, I didn’t really feel like a part of it anyway…I dunno for sure if I’m ever gonna go again…
MONDAY 8/9/21 12:25PM--almost forgot that there's a Jim&Eileen practice today at 5:30...the gig is on Thursday...
1:08PM--and there's the Main Stage Grille open mic tomorrow night...I might NOT go...Dunno what Lou or SueEl are gonna do...
9:39PM-well, the Jimandeileen rehearsal is behind me… I’m not happy with the amp sound that I’m getting from Jim’s amp but maybe my EQ stomp box will make the difference… and I’ve been thinking I should use my guitar, which is an idea that Eileen came up with independently of what I was thinking…

a temporary dose of happiness

 

         WEDNESDAY 8/4/21 11:52AM--well, all it took was checking out Angela's FB page to make me feel like MontCo's best kept secret, where  Music is concerned that is...so my euphoria lasted about twelve hours...I'm grateful that I had 12 hours worth...she's "working" with John Trupp...So of course, I'm GREEN from my head to my toes...I'm a pretty good singer, decent guitar player, an OK Bass player and, given the proper adjustments to the drum set, a dammed good drummer...I'm really hoping to go to Hershey's tomorrow...And *I* would rather the Jam be outside, but I imagine it won't be...
6:39PM--I read on FB a post by one of the guys running the Jam that it will be outside...I'd like that...
THURSDAY 8/5/21 2:37PM--the plan is to leave the house at 4:30 to pick up Sue El and go to Hershey's...other than a monentary scare when I couldn't find my amp--it was in the basement, camouflaged--it's still a good day...
3:12PM--just killin' time until I leave the house...just finished a single hot dog AND a gorgeous grilled cheese sandwich...I guess that's Dinner...the Brit Bag is full of cables and stomp boxes, the amp and guitar are in the living room...it IS hot outside, but not as humid as it has been...there's more room outside Hershey's than inside--I like that...
10:43PM--just got home from Hershey's...the cord to my amp has lost its' ground "stem"...a guy said NOT to touch any metal...but nothing happened...Craig, being an electrician, says he can fix it...I honestly dunno when I'll need it back; I dunno if the Memorial Band will be having any rehearsal before the 12th...
11:24PM--I had some fun at the Jam; SueEl sang a few...Craig'e significant other can be a pain in the ass...maybe she had had too much to drink...*I* choose whatever sox I wanna wear, and how...I keep forgetting tomorrow is FRIDAY; I'm glad it is...Dianne is looking forward to going to the Gtown flea market on Saturday, which is the day AFTER tomorrow...
FRIDAY 8/6/21 10:10AM--there are a couple of vids from yesterday's Jam...you can hear me more than see me...I guess that's OK...I could tolerate watching myself if I had been wearing at hat onstage...but it's so hot outside, even in the shade...
12:37PM--got my amp back about an hour ago...Craig fixed it for $10 bucks...maybe I'll use it at the Lock Jam IF I go...
SATURDAY 8/7/21 7:30PM--I plan to go...hope to leave the house by 11:30AM--

it's mean, and I'm sorry, but not too sorry

        TUESDAY 8/3/21 11:40AM--SueEl has decided to stay home tonight...I know I shouldn't be, but I'm kinda relieved...I'd better tell Lou...
3:52PM--getting ready to go to Lou's...I'm gonna stop at McD's for dinner I think so I can eat on the way to Damascus...planning on going the "back way"...he knows about SueEl not going...I dunno for sure if he cares either way, but I suspect he's breathing a sigh of relief...He has three songs on the setlist, none of which are NY Mining Disaster...
11:00PM--just got back from Damascus...Lou and Scott did pretty good (not great)  at the open mic...*I* did better as a member of the back-up band...and that was just as much fun...Max seems to sing my praises more than a little...it feels good, but is also a bit embarrassing...I finally got to jam with a certain guitar player...He said he enjoyed it...I hope he wasn't jivin' me...considering how different we look, we seemed to jell really well musically...*I* think we did anyway...
                 Lou says he wouldn't be surprised if there WASN'T an open mic at the Grille next week, because of the return of Covid...I agree with him...