I did my two Sunday church gigs. The first one was kind of a special show, with lots of extra stuff while they decorated the church and lit the trees. It was the usual kind of frenetic rehearsal and a pretty good performance. No sweat. The second gig was not too bad until the last song--the leader decided that the beginning verse and refrain should be a cappella (on a really lukewarm gospel song). By the time the band entered, all the energy had gone out of it. We did another verse and refrain (and no tag!) and it ended. It was a really weird way to end the service. So much for that!
davidfreemanmusic.net
Monday, November 28, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Black Friday
Yacht Rock played Atlantic Station last night. We were set up on a stage in between the Rosa Mexicano and the movie theatre.
It was kind of a strange gig. We showed up while the band before us was playing--an Atlanta wedding band string of songs: Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide/I'll Take You There, the PG version of Cee-Lo's Fuck You, and then It's Tricky/Funky Cold Medina/Oye Como Va. It's hard for me to say whether or not they were even any good. Those kind of lowest-common-denominator set lists are such a turn off, and it's not like they were trying to get close to the sounds--it was the same acoustic piano/guitar/bass thing for all of it. I walked away.
While we were setting up, Georgia Tech held their pep rally. That was kind of odd. We kind of worked around Buzz while he was throwing out free t shirts. The cheerleaders and a smaller version of the band were also in attendance. When that finished, the crowd dispersed.
Our sets were pretty good. We had three subs from the Schooner: Kevin Spencer out front, Ganesh Giri Jaya on drums, and Tom Young out front on bass. We got to play a few tunes we'd never touch with Nick and Pete leading--Love is Alive, Lonely Boy, and Thunder Island, so that was cool. Other than that, it was business as usual.
We played two sets beginning at 8 PM…we were cold and there was nothing to do and the crowd seemed confused, so we were finished by 10:15. The advance for the gig said we had to stop no later than 11 PM. I guess that was ok? I was home by 11:15. Not bad!
davidfreemanmusic.net
It was kind of a strange gig. We showed up while the band before us was playing--an Atlanta wedding band string of songs: Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide/I'll Take You There, the PG version of Cee-Lo's Fuck You, and then It's Tricky/Funky Cold Medina/Oye Como Va. It's hard for me to say whether or not they were even any good. Those kind of lowest-common-denominator set lists are such a turn off, and it's not like they were trying to get close to the sounds--it was the same acoustic piano/guitar/bass thing for all of it. I walked away.
While we were setting up, Georgia Tech held their pep rally. That was kind of odd. We kind of worked around Buzz while he was throwing out free t shirts. The cheerleaders and a smaller version of the band were also in attendance. When that finished, the crowd dispersed.
Our sets were pretty good. We had three subs from the Schooner: Kevin Spencer out front, Ganesh Giri Jaya on drums, and Tom Young out front on bass. We got to play a few tunes we'd never touch with Nick and Pete leading--Love is Alive, Lonely Boy, and Thunder Island, so that was cool. Other than that, it was business as usual.
We played two sets beginning at 8 PM…we were cold and there was nothing to do and the crowd seemed confused, so we were finished by 10:15. The advance for the gig said we had to stop no later than 11 PM. I guess that was ok? I was home by 11:15. Not bad!
davidfreemanmusic.net
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Turkey Eve
Yacht Rock played our now annual Turkey Eve show. This year's event was at the Park Tavern in the room upstairs (not in the tent, which now holds the ice rink!).
We played two shows. I think both went pretty well. The first one was just about sold out; the second was not quite there, but still maybe five hundred people.
I really don't like playing that room very much. Acoustically, it's a big glass shoebox; once the sound starts bouncing around, the only thing you can do to hear yourself is to push your own volume up above the natural reverb. It's funny that it feels the opposite downstairs--there's not enough reflection in the tent, and so I NEVER feel like I'm in the PA.
The stage has also been an issue in the past when we have played this room--the never make it deep enough and instead try and make these worthless one-stage-square wings. When we played our Christmas show last year, all of my gear was crammed up against me, and then in the course of trying to hear myself over the room noise, my sax started feeding back. This time, they gave us the same stage we have downstairs--much better. I was pretty comfortable.
Anyway, I could hear OK, considering the situation. The sound guys were pretty miserable, though. One told me that while we were soundchecking, they pulled all the faders down and couldn't hardly hear any difference. Ouch. Mix that!
We debuted Your Momma Don't Dance tonight, so I brought out my bari. I'll bring it to the Christmas show, and then do it on tenor from there on out.
We're off tonight (no 10 High!), but back on at Atlantic Station on Friday night, 8-11 PM. Come check us out!
Here's a little clip of Rosanna from last Friday's show at the Strand. Worth watching for Pete's dancing.
davidfreemanmusic.net
Monday, November 21, 2011
Sundaze
After the fun of this weekend's stand at The Strand, I was up early Sunday morning.
My first stop was church gig number one. Not too much happened…I don't if it was because I'd played a lot the day before, but it didn't feel like I contributed much. I think part of the problem is that the on stage sound is pretty poor, so it's difficult to cut loose--if I play too much or too loud, I can't hear what else is happening.
When I was putting my clarinet together, the cork in the center joint disintegrated. Great...
While we were on break we were served with a big packet of papers. Beginning next year, we will be considered employees of the church; taxes will be taken! I asked if we'd get health care, but they said we were part timers, so no. We do get background checks and drug tests. It seems like a lot for a hundred bucks a week.
There must be some angle that benefits the church (though they made it sound like this was something they "had" to do). My other church gig isn't doing this; Yacht Rock/Pleaserock isn't doing this, and I make way more money with them. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
When I was packing up, I knocked over my sax stand and messed up my tenor. It still played, but the side of the bell was bent. Ouch and nice going, idiot.
My second stop was at Wonderdog Sounds in Marietta for a recording session for Moontower. Super cool place, super cool music, super cool guys. I played on two tunes--one on soprano and one on alto.
I really suck at recording. I don't know if it's because I'm alone or can't get the headphones quite right or what, but I just can't seem to make it happen by myself. At this session I started fixating on my intonation problems, and it got harder and harder to hear anything else. Then I started screwing up the form and missing landmarks I was trying to hit, and then I had to go in after I'd not quite gotten stuff right and hear it again...I don't know…things I played sounded fine--it wasn't like I played a bunch of wrong notes, but I didn't nail it...it's just difficult for me to kick ass in a studio setting. I feel better about live stuff.
I got to church gig number two a little early, so I fell asleep in my truck for a half hour.
Number two was another non-commital performance by me. It felt like there was no room for me to play, so I laid back a lot and played whole notes. In a related story, my flute playing sucked real bad--another reason to take it easy!
I crashed on the couch.
davidfreemanmusic.net
My first stop was church gig number one. Not too much happened…I don't if it was because I'd played a lot the day before, but it didn't feel like I contributed much. I think part of the problem is that the on stage sound is pretty poor, so it's difficult to cut loose--if I play too much or too loud, I can't hear what else is happening.
When I was putting my clarinet together, the cork in the center joint disintegrated. Great...
While we were on break we were served with a big packet of papers. Beginning next year, we will be considered employees of the church; taxes will be taken! I asked if we'd get health care, but they said we were part timers, so no. We do get background checks and drug tests. It seems like a lot for a hundred bucks a week.
There must be some angle that benefits the church (though they made it sound like this was something they "had" to do). My other church gig isn't doing this; Yacht Rock/Pleaserock isn't doing this, and I make way more money with them. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
When I was packing up, I knocked over my sax stand and messed up my tenor. It still played, but the side of the bell was bent. Ouch and nice going, idiot.
My second stop was at Wonderdog Sounds in Marietta for a recording session for Moontower. Super cool place, super cool music, super cool guys. I played on two tunes--one on soprano and one on alto.
I really suck at recording. I don't know if it's because I'm alone or can't get the headphones quite right or what, but I just can't seem to make it happen by myself. At this session I started fixating on my intonation problems, and it got harder and harder to hear anything else. Then I started screwing up the form and missing landmarks I was trying to hit, and then I had to go in after I'd not quite gotten stuff right and hear it again...I don't know…things I played sounded fine--it wasn't like I played a bunch of wrong notes, but I didn't nail it...it's just difficult for me to kick ass in a studio setting. I feel better about live stuff.
I got to church gig number two a little early, so I fell asleep in my truck for a half hour.
Number two was another non-commital performance by me. It felt like there was no room for me to play, so I laid back a lot and played whole notes. In a related story, my flute playing sucked real bad--another reason to take it easy!
I crashed on the couch.
davidfreemanmusic.net
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Seattle to the Strand
Here's the news:
We arrived early in the afternoon, checked into our hotel (the W downtown),
and headed out to the Pike Place Market in search of food.
Eventually, we landed at Steelhead Diner. It was really good! I'm not really a fish eater, so I was worried that I might end up with a meal of french fries and water. The menu had a variety of things; I ended up with some kind of pork sandwich.
We went back to our rooms after that. I went and worked out, and then decided to wait in my room for the half hour until we were going to go out.
Thursday: I woke up in my clothes with the lights and the TV on at 5:45 AM local time--I'd fallen asleep and missed going out. Since I was pretty well rested, I went downstairs and got coffee, and then poked around on the internet while watching the sunrise.
When Seattle finally woke up, I made my way over to the Space Needle. Pretty cool. I went up in the first elevator of the day--me and some weird British indie band.
Next, I explored the Experience Music Project museum. Lots of cool stuff about Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana. Mostly a collection of broken guitars! It was neat, though Nirvana never had much of an effect on me--for almost all of the nineties, I was on a pretty exclusive diet of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.
Seattle's really hip. I walked down along the waterfront on the way back to the hotel, and I couldn't help but notice how hip the architecture was and how well all the buildings fit together--nothing stuck out, and but none of the buildings was simply a nondescript box. The people were quiet and polite--I didn't notice any obnoxious cell phone conversations on the street. People waited patiently on street corners for the crosswalk signs to change, and when they stepped into traffic, the cars all waited. I liked it--everybody followed the rules and it worked. The entire city felt really well laid out.
I worked out again, showered, warmed up, and met up with everybody in the lobby for the gig.
The event was held at the Fremont Studios--kind of a big soundstage. When we walked in, all of our rented gear was set up and in place--some minor adjustments and we were ready to go! Usually when we do fly dates, we have to wait while everything gets set up (and we end up doing half the work ourselves). Very nice to have it all there.
For food, we had a pork chop, a hunk of salmon, and some weird sort of slaw-like thing. I was so hungry, I even ate the fish.
The gig was pretty good. The crowd was decent, though they ended up so far away from us that it was tough to get any energy from them. We played well, though. Towards the end (around 10:30 PM) I started to get really tired since I'd been up and active all day. That last half hour, I was watching the clock.
We got back to the hotel around midnight. Our lobby call was 4 AM. Ouch.
Friday: from the Atlanta airport, we drove straight to the Strand Theatre in Marietta for the first of a two night stand there. Our equipment arrived around the same time we did.
This one was pretty smooth. The place was packed (530 people-over sold out!), and they were really into it right from the start. We did our usual stuff, and they loved it.
I like playing the Strand a lot, and not just because it's ten minutes from my house. It's a cool little venue and the size of the stage feels right. They don't really have enough of a PA for our show, but we made do. We had good energy from the crowd, and I think everybody was pretty comfortable. Hans came and ran sound for both nights; having him there gave me peace of mind.
Saturday: for our second night, we played Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Dark Side of the Moon, and our friends The REMakes played all of Document. Good stuff! I'd never played Fireplace before; I wonder how I'd overlooked that in the past?
Sgt. Pepper's was good. Paul Poovey played trumpet with us, and we had a good night--the tuning and phrasing were tight.
Dark Side went well. I was hoping I'd have all my stuff memorized so I could walk out front and play, but I never could get it all in my head. I bet I could have played three quarters of it without my charts, but one mistake would have screwed me up--I would have had to play my own stuff from there on. Anyway, I used my charts--probably my best attempt at this stuff ever.
We played Dark Side synced up to The Wizard of Oz. If you've never heard of it, there's a myth that all kinds of things line up. The Strand had a big screen that they lowered. It worked great. Here's a picture of us making noises during On the Run.
I hope we include the Strand in our future plans. It was a really good week for the band.
davidfreemanmusic.net
 |
| hey Grand Forks! Wednesday: Yacht Rock flew to Seattle for a gig for Brooks Running Company. What a cool opportunity! I'd never been that far west before. |
We arrived early in the afternoon, checked into our hotel (the W downtown),
and headed out to the Pike Place Market in search of food.
 |
| the place where they throw fish |
Eventually, we landed at Steelhead Diner. It was really good! I'm not really a fish eater, so I was worried that I might end up with a meal of french fries and water. The menu had a variety of things; I ended up with some kind of pork sandwich.
We went back to our rooms after that. I went and worked out, and then decided to wait in my room for the half hour until we were going to go out.
Thursday: I woke up in my clothes with the lights and the TV on at 5:45 AM local time--I'd fallen asleep and missed going out. Since I was pretty well rested, I went downstairs and got coffee, and then poked around on the internet while watching the sunrise.
When Seattle finally woke up, I made my way over to the Space Needle. Pretty cool. I went up in the first elevator of the day--me and some weird British indie band.
Next, I explored the Experience Music Project museum. Lots of cool stuff about Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana. Mostly a collection of broken guitars! It was neat, though Nirvana never had much of an effect on me--for almost all of the nineties, I was on a pretty exclusive diet of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.
 |
| MJ glove |
 |
| strat from Woodstock |
 |
| a perfectly good Rhodes stuck on there! |
Seattle's really hip. I walked down along the waterfront on the way back to the hotel, and I couldn't help but notice how hip the architecture was and how well all the buildings fit together--nothing stuck out, and but none of the buildings was simply a nondescript box. The people were quiet and polite--I didn't notice any obnoxious cell phone conversations on the street. People waited patiently on street corners for the crosswalk signs to change, and when they stepped into traffic, the cars all waited. I liked it--everybody followed the rules and it worked. The entire city felt really well laid out.
I worked out again, showered, warmed up, and met up with everybody in the lobby for the gig.
The event was held at the Fremont Studios--kind of a big soundstage. When we walked in, all of our rented gear was set up and in place--some minor adjustments and we were ready to go! Usually when we do fly dates, we have to wait while everything gets set up (and we end up doing half the work ourselves). Very nice to have it all there.
For food, we had a pork chop, a hunk of salmon, and some weird sort of slaw-like thing. I was so hungry, I even ate the fish.
The gig was pretty good. The crowd was decent, though they ended up so far away from us that it was tough to get any energy from them. We played well, though. Towards the end (around 10:30 PM) I started to get really tired since I'd been up and active all day. That last half hour, I was watching the clock.
We got back to the hotel around midnight. Our lobby call was 4 AM. Ouch.
Friday: from the Atlanta airport, we drove straight to the Strand Theatre in Marietta for the first of a two night stand there. Our equipment arrived around the same time we did.
This one was pretty smooth. The place was packed (530 people-over sold out!), and they were really into it right from the start. We did our usual stuff, and they loved it.
I like playing the Strand a lot, and not just because it's ten minutes from my house. It's a cool little venue and the size of the stage feels right. They don't really have enough of a PA for our show, but we made do. We had good energy from the crowd, and I think everybody was pretty comfortable. Hans came and ran sound for both nights; having him there gave me peace of mind.
Saturday: for our second night, we played Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Dark Side of the Moon, and our friends The REMakes played all of Document. Good stuff! I'd never played Fireplace before; I wonder how I'd overlooked that in the past?
Sgt. Pepper's was good. Paul Poovey played trumpet with us, and we had a good night--the tuning and phrasing were tight.
Dark Side went well. I was hoping I'd have all my stuff memorized so I could walk out front and play, but I never could get it all in my head. I bet I could have played three quarters of it without my charts, but one mistake would have screwed me up--I would have had to play my own stuff from there on. Anyway, I used my charts--probably my best attempt at this stuff ever.
We played Dark Side synced up to The Wizard of Oz. If you've never heard of it, there's a myth that all kinds of things line up. The Strand had a big screen that they lowered. It worked great. Here's a picture of us making noises during On the Run.
I hope we include the Strand in our future plans. It was a really good week for the band.
davidfreemanmusic.net
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Trio at the Aquarium
I had the great pleasure of playing a trio gig at the Aquarium yesterday evening. Easy gig…an hour and a half of music for V.I.P.s. This gig was Tyrone Jackson on keyboard and Kevin Smith on bass.
Here's the audio. Kevin was really playing his butt off:
I hope you'll check it out. Good stuff.
davidfreemanmusic.net
Here's the audio. Kevin was really playing his butt off:
I hope you'll check it out. Good stuff.
davidfreemanmusic.net
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday
The gigs continue!
Sunday morning was my regular church gig. Not much to report. We had a special guest: steel guitarist Tommy Dodd. Really impressive. I have no idea how that thing works…it's like ten strings, eight pedals, the knee bend thing…plus the nifty seat, the amp, the cart. That thing's a commitment. Sure sounds cool, though.
That being said, I have no idea why he was there. There was no special feature, no big solo, no songs yearning to be caressed by a pedal steel. How about bringing him in on a week when I'm out of town? Odd.
Other than that, it was the usual stuff. Fire drill of a rehearsal, no biggie for the service. We're wearing all black now (before it was jeans and a shirt with a collar). Again, I'm wondering why the change fifteen months into us playing this gig. It seems pretty random. And I hate the all black thing--it's like wearing a tux these days at a wedding gig. It says "we have no style, so we're wearing all black to hide it."
It also says "lint brush?"
Sunday night, Yacht Rock played a benefit at the Capital City Club. This time we were out in the tent on the back patio instead of inside that room. It was pretty dead. The sound guys were in a little over the heads, but we helped them out/took over, and everything worked out fine.
I'm not sure how many people were there, but there wasn't much dancing. Lots of standing around staring at us. It was easy, though, and over at 10!
We've got a couple of big gigs this weekend! Yacht Rock is playing the Strand Theatre in Marietta on Friday night. Saturday night, we are also there, but this time playing all of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Dark Side of the Moon. It should be damn fine. There's a link on our page if you want tickets.
We had the Dark Side rehearsal today (Monday). Following the stoner myth, we are synched up to The Wizard of Oz. I watched it while I wasn't playing. It really looks like they filmed a play--it doesn't look like a movie. Also, the scarecrow is awesome. My favorite part is when he falls over the fence and Dorothy puts the stuffing back in him. He's really good.
davidfreemanmusic.net
Sunday morning was my regular church gig. Not much to report. We had a special guest: steel guitarist Tommy Dodd. Really impressive. I have no idea how that thing works…it's like ten strings, eight pedals, the knee bend thing…plus the nifty seat, the amp, the cart. That thing's a commitment. Sure sounds cool, though.
That being said, I have no idea why he was there. There was no special feature, no big solo, no songs yearning to be caressed by a pedal steel. How about bringing him in on a week when I'm out of town? Odd.
Other than that, it was the usual stuff. Fire drill of a rehearsal, no biggie for the service. We're wearing all black now (before it was jeans and a shirt with a collar). Again, I'm wondering why the change fifteen months into us playing this gig. It seems pretty random. And I hate the all black thing--it's like wearing a tux these days at a wedding gig. It says "we have no style, so we're wearing all black to hide it."
It also says "lint brush?"
Sunday night, Yacht Rock played a benefit at the Capital City Club. This time we were out in the tent on the back patio instead of inside that room. It was pretty dead. The sound guys were in a little over the heads, but we helped them out/took over, and everything worked out fine.
I'm not sure how many people were there, but there wasn't much dancing. Lots of standing around staring at us. It was easy, though, and over at 10!
We've got a couple of big gigs this weekend! Yacht Rock is playing the Strand Theatre in Marietta on Friday night. Saturday night, we are also there, but this time playing all of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Dark Side of the Moon. It should be damn fine. There's a link on our page if you want tickets.
We had the Dark Side rehearsal today (Monday). Following the stoner myth, we are synched up to The Wizard of Oz. I watched it while I wasn't playing. It really looks like they filmed a play--it doesn't look like a movie. Also, the scarecrow is awesome. My favorite part is when he falls over the fence and Dorothy puts the stuffing back in him. He's really good.
davidfreemanmusic.net
Sunday, November 13, 2011
House Gig #2 (BACON!)
Yacht Rock played another gig at somebody's house; two nights, two houses. This one is the same party we've played the past couple of years (the one where my EWI froze!), in a tent in a guy's backyard in North Druid Hills.
This year's gig was the best yet. For starters, they had a crew to carry all of our equipment from the driveway, through the garage, and up the steps. Secondly, we had Kip Conner running sound, which meant better quality and less gear to move! Lastly, the stage was significantly larger--no jigsaw puzzle set ups like we've done in the past.
This gig (for me) is also known for its bacon. They order forty(!) pounds of sugary bacon--that's the dessert after everybody's eaten supper. Every year I try (and fail) to eat none. It's too good.
davidfreemanmusic.net
 |
| Kip |
This gig (for me) is also known for its bacon. They order forty(!) pounds of sugary bacon--that's the dessert after everybody's eaten supper. Every year I try (and fail) to eat none. It's too good.
davidfreemanmusic.net
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