Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[Al Kraft]

@Al Kraft ! Good to hear from you. We're doing a couple bar gigs and a couple dinner parties. On one we'll have to crank it out and the other be background music.!

Good luck on the gigs Will. What rig are using these days...still rocking those Eden cabs?

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Good luck on the gigs Will. What rig are using these days...still rocking those Eden cabs?

You know it my friend! Since Sitka is small I couldn't find anyone to buy them, as I was going to buy a couple DNA DNS-112 Micros. I've grown so accustomed to their excellent sound and performance I've given up on selling them LOL. On the cocktail dinner gigs I'll only need one 110 and my MB200. Larger shows I'll use the MB500 and 2 x EX110's. Very compact configurations and pleasing sounds!

How about you-- still using Eden?

 

[Jeff Scott]

We're doing a couple bar gigs and a couple dinner parties. On one we'll have to crank it out and the other be background music.!

Which do you prefer between the two types of gigs?

 

[beans-on-toast]

Saturday Reprise

Santo & Johnny have a lot of well known songs. Their names faded into obscurity although they have quite a cult following.

 

[Al Kraft]

You know it my friend! Since Sitka is small I couldn't find anyone to buy them, as I was going to buy a couple DNA DNS-112 Micros. I've grown so accustomed to their excellent sound and performance I've given up on selling them LOL. On the cocktail dinner gigs I'll only need one 110 and my MB200. Larger shows I'll use the MB500 and 2 x EX110's. Very compact configurations and pleasing sounds!

How about you-- still using Eden?

For small jam sessions and/or when space is tight and the PA is doing the work I find my EX110 both convenient and satisfying. While I have a ton of amps and cabs (and when I count them all up and add the weights I'll bet that's not a huge exaggeration), the EX110 with a GK MB head (200 or 500) definitely holds it own against any of the big stuff when used in a venue it's appropriate for. That little cab never fails to amaze me, especially considering what it cost.

 

[GwenOnBass]

IME this is an almost automatic formula for success in most places I've played...assuming of course that the venue patrons didn't come expecting death metal.

By cracky!

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Which do you prefer between the two types of gigs?

The cocktail party gigs pay more and are easier to set up. But there won't be any 80's rock, more soft music. Also we get done earlier. As a GOF I prefer the parties, as a rocker at heart, I prefer the bar gigs. Go figure... lol..

 

[dramatwist]

The cocktail party gigs pay more and are easier to set up. But there won't be any 80's rock, more soft music. Also we get done earlier. As a GOF I prefer the parties, as a rocker at heart, I prefer the bar gigs. Go figure... lol..

Yeah, the bar gigs are better. They tend to like the older stuff they know, and they tip better. Especially when we play "White Room."

 

[Al Kraft]

The cocktail party gigs pay more and are easier to set up. But there won't be any 80's rock, more soft music. Also we get done earlier. As a GOF I prefer the parties, as a rocker at heart, I prefer the bar gigs. Go figure... lol..

I'll cover most any style, but like you Will tend to enjoy the gigs where fast and loud tend to best characterize the set list. So if it's modern country or 60's rock, especially Motown you really have my full attention. However, I must admit to liking a lot of the newer rock (last couple decades) and find some seriously talented musicians in that genre.

 

[Jeff Scott]

The cocktail party gigs pay more and are easier to set up. But there won't be any 80's rock, more soft music. Also we get done earlier. As a GOF I prefer the parties, as a rocker at heart, I prefer the bar gigs. Go figure... lol..

So, you want your cake and eat it, too. At our age, go for it!

 

[GonePlaid]

Saturday Reprise

Santo & Johnny had a lot of well known songs. Their names faded into obscurity.

Our "other" closer when "We Gotta Get Outta This Place" is too boisterous.

 

[GwenOnBass]

So, you want your cake and eat it, too. At our age, go for it!

The solution is Schrodinger's cake.

 

[Jeff Scott]

The solution is Schrodinger's cake.

Did you make/not make that, yourself?

 

[blastoff99]

Not quite 'Get off my lawn!' but exactly 'GET OUT OF MY LAUREL. NOW.'

For those of you not in the know, laurel is an enormous weed. I have 40' x 10' of it across the back of my lot. There are hundreds of trunks and it's probably 30' tall. It's a menace. I keep it controlled just enough that the city compliance guy stays off my case.

But I have a problem with a kid. Three years ago he was nine, and already the ringleader. He knocked on my door and asked if he could play in my tree. I said 'Thank you for asking! Absolutely! There are only two rules: if you bring something in, take it out when you leave. And keep one foot on the ground at all times.' This wasn't what he had in mind, of course; the thing is great for climbing. But he and his pals did great at this for awhile. Then I caught them climbing, and when I caught them again, I posted 'KEEP OUT' signs and told them that they had broken the rules and were not allowed to play there at all.

Today I caught him (now age 12) and a buddy about 10' up. This is the fifth time for him. Took their photos (up and down), and said 'Ok, DJ. This is it. Let's go see your mom or dad.' Kid starts fake-crying, and I say 'Nope, not doing that. You broke the rules repeatedly, and now there will be consequences. Stand up and face them.' Kid says, 'My dad is going to ground me forever,' and I say 'I'm ok with that.' By the time we got to his dad's, he and his buddy were genuinely ugly-crying - wobbly jaws, snot, copious tears.

I introduced myself and said how I knew his son. I talked about how I appreciated that the kids are outdoors and not glued to screens, and that DJ is smart, outgoing, and a clear leader. But. Etc. Dad was unhappy and disappointed, and said to the kid 'You walk with Jason to his house, and by the time you get back I will have figured out what the consequences are going to be for this,' which set both kids bawling. Two crying boys and I walked several blocks to Jason's house. We had to run a gauntlet of DJ's friends, who were saying 'Hey man where you going, what's up, what's wrong' because he was practically crawling so they couldn't see his tears. I said 'Give him room, guys, he's having a bad day.' Got to Jason's house, where Jason screamed, burst into tears, and shoved past his mom as she came down the steps. His mom rounded on DJ and said 'Where you two been? We been looking all over for you,' and I said 'In my laurel,' and showed the photos. I mentioned that I'd talked to Jason about it twice now, and DJ five times. The mom said 'That won't happen again, and these two can't hang out together.' I said that DJ's dad said the same thing.

I walked DJ home because I wanted to make sure he went. I talked to him the whole way. I told him that other kids look up to him, and that's a big deal. It's a big responsibility to lead people in the right directions, not the wrong ones. I also told him that he's 12, and this stuff is no longer cute. He'll be becoming a man soon, and breaking rules comes with consequences that are far more serious than getting grounded by dad and a talking-to by the neighbor.

This kid was broken. He had quit lying, quit deflecting, quit making excuses. He was just crying. When we got back to his house, I said to his dad that there's a lot to like about DJ and a lot that's good about him, and I wanted to see those parts grow. I gave DJ props in front of his dad for standing there and taking it rather than being a coward and running like his buddy.

So. Obviously I don't want the kid to hate my guts. He knows where I live. And the fact that he was ugly crying for real tells me that he's not beyond reach. But his behavior was not something I could ignore, and the fact that he didn't like what resulted is not my problem. His dad responded appropriately - didn't start cussing or threatening, and in fact one tear escaped his eye, too, and the kid saw that and practically collapsed.

That's my curmudgeonly adult story for the day. I hope it's the only one I have to tell for several years, honestly. I don't do great with kids, so this was super stressful. Those of you who are parents, I don't know how you do it.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Not quite 'Get off my lawn!' but exactly 'GET OUT OF MY LAUREL. NOW.'

For those of you not in the know, laurel is an enormous weed. I have 40' x 10' of it across the back of my lot. There are hundreds of trunks and it's probably 30' tall. It's a menace. I keep it controlled just enough that the city compliance guy stays off my case.

But I have a problem with a kid. Three years ago he was nine, and already the ringleader. He knocked on my door and asked if he could play in my tree. I said 'Thank you for asking! Absolutely! There are only two rules: if you bring something in, take it out when you leave. And keep one foot on the ground at all times.' This wasn't what he had in mind, of course; the thing is great for climbing. But he and his pals did great at this for awhile. Then I caught them climbing, and when I caught them again, I posted 'KEEP OUT' signs and told them that they had broken the rules and were not allowed to play there at all.

Today I caught him (now age 12) and a buddy about 10' up. This is the fifth time for him. Took their photos (up and down), and said 'Ok, DJ. This is it. Let's go see your mom or dad.' Kid starts fake-crying, and I say 'Nope, not doing that. You broke the rules repeatedly, and now there will be consequences. Stand up and face them.' Kid says, 'My dad is going to ground me forever,' and I say 'I'm ok with that.' By the time we got to his dad's, he and his buddy were genuinely ugly-crying - wobbly jaws, snot, copious tears.

I introduced myself and said how I knew his son. I talked about how I appreciated that the kids are outdoors and not glued to screens, and that DJ is smart, outgoing, and a clear leader. But. Etc. Dad was unhappy and disappointed, and said to the kid 'You walk with Jason to his house, and by the time you get back I will have figured out what the consequences are going to be for this,' which set both kids bawling. Two crying boys and I walked several blocks to Jason's house. We had to run a gauntlet of DJ's friends, who were saying 'Hey man where you going, what's up, what's wrong' because he was practically crawling so they couldn't see his tears. I said 'Give him room, guys, he's having a bad day.' Got to Jason's house, where Jason screamed, burst into tears, and shoved past his mom as she came down the steps. His mom rounded on DJ and said 'Where you two been? We been looking all over for you,' and I said 'In my laurel,' and showed the photos. I mentioned that I'd talked to Jason about it twice now, and DJ five times. The mom said 'That won't happen again, and these two can't hang out together.' I said that DJ's dad said the same thing.

I walked DJ home because I wanted to make sure he went. I talked to him the whole way. I told him that other kids look up to him, and that's a big deal. It's a big responsibility to lead people in the right directions, not the wrong ones. I also told him that he's 12, and this stuff is no longer cute. He'll be becoming a man soon, and breaking rules comes with consequences that are far more serious than getting grounded by dad and a talking-to by the neighbor.

This kid was broken. He had quit lying, quit deflecting, quit making excuses. He was just crying. When we got back to his house, I said to his dad that there's a lot to like about DJ and a lot that's good about him, and I wanted to see those parts grow. I gave DJ props in front of his dad for standing there and taking it rather than being a coward and running like his buddy.

So. Obviously I don't want the kid to hate my guts. He knows where I live. And the fact that he was ugly crying for real tells me that he's not beyond reach. But his behavior was not something I could ignore, and the fact that he didn't like what resulted is not my problem. His dad responded appropriately - didn't start cussing or threatening, and in fact one tear escaped his eye, too, and the kid saw that and practically collapsed.

That's my curmudgeonly adult story for the day. I hope it's the only one I have to tell for several years, honestly. I don't do great with kids, so this was super stressful. Those of you who are parents, I don't know how you do it.

Well done!

 

[GwenOnBass]

Taking responsibility for one's actions is sometimes held by some as a step to adulthood. There's no shortage of people in adult bodies who have yet to cross that point, I observe.

Laurel is a good topiary shrub. Many a jack tar has found topiary inspiration from the ship's complement in Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Our "other" closer when "We Gotta Get Outta This Place" is too boisterous.

There’s a peacefulness to Sleepwalk, as you said, a good closer. I think that it’s hard to perfectly nail this song. The video shows his attack and timing, a perfect how to.

 

[GonePlaid]

There’s a peacefulness to Sleepwalk, as you said, a good closer. I think that it’s hard to perfectly nail this song. The video shows his attack and timing, a perfect how to.

Our guitarist who plays the lead on "Sleepwalk" has it down so well that I had forgotten the original was on a steel. I'm certain the audience can't tell the difference. BTW, just for grins, after one chorus of SW, we go into an instrumental rendition of Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry", with 'I'm sorry' being spoken in 2-3 languages, then back to to the bridge of SW and out.

 

[SoulReflection]

Happy Soulful Sunday...

 

[GonePlaid]

Happy Soulful Sunday...

10 piece backup band! Where ya gonna find that any more? Another goodie, SR.