Last night's Yacht Rock gig was very plain. I'm not sure if it was the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd or the absence of Mark Cobb, but the energy in the room was a bit low. The playing was fine (more so in the first set than the second). It could very well be that we were just flat.
For me, it was a pretty decent night. No equipment problems last night, which leads me to believe that I have solved the mystery of my laptop. It seems more "awake" and responsive...that seems like a strange thing to say about a machine! What I mean is that when I bump the space bar to wake it up (so I can check what number is my next sound), it comes back up much quicker than it has in the last year. One other thing that seems to be working better: some of my sounds have a lot of delay (think the synth solo in Rosanna), and it seems like those delays start to add up over time and eventually overload the processor (and make my whole rig sound like it's underwater). Hitting the space bar clears that up. Last night, that was never an issue. It could be the order of the songs, but I think at least some of it has to do with whatever it was I reset (the PRAM).
It was not a heavy saxophone night. I did have a little hiccup in Silly Love Songs where I kind of stopped thinking for a second and messed up the little sax section thing. I also got a little sloppy in Baker Street.
Before the gig we were watching episodes of The Midnight Special and heard a couple of songs that we perform on a regular basis. I heard a fair number of things that I need to improve upon, specifically in the area of my keyboard playing. When I first took on the role, I was just trying to get through the song, so I simplified things and eliminated things. Now that I'm a bit more comfortable, I need to relearn them a little more accurately!
I have a busy week ahead. Next Friday we are performing an entire set of Bee Gees stuff at Andrews, and the rehearsal is set for Wednesday morning. I have gigs Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday. Next Saturday I am performing on sax and keyboards with the Schooner (Yacht Rock B band), and there are a couple of songs I will need to learn for that. No sleep and all the pressure I can handle!
One more quick note: this week (Monday night to be exact), I made the decision to relinquish my position as saxophonist for a local cover band Platinum. Platinum is an excellent band comprised of friends whom I have known for over ten years. We have been extremely successful and I have enjoyed performing with them. However, my commitments to other gigs have made it difficult to play with them regularly; I have been sending a sub to four out of every five gigs. It seemed foolish to hold onto the gig when I obviously could not be there, and though the band was extremely patient with me, I could understand their desire to have someone in that spot consistently. Though I'm sure we will miss each other, in the long run this is the best decision.
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