David Freeman Music

Scott Glazer invited me to once again play with his group Mojo Dojo at Blind Willie's tonight. The band also included Mike Ewbank on keyboard, Nick Johnson on guitar, Darren Stanley on drums, and John Sandfort on saxophone. We read some new charts (two I remember off the top of my head: Wah Wah  by George Harrison and Blind Willie McTell  by Bob Dylan), which left us chuckling amidst the ensuing chaos. Not a big crowd tonight (at the beginning and end of the night, we outnumbered them), so very few got to see us fake our way through Cream's White Room , with Scott trying to read the lyrics off a phone that wouldn't stay open. Oops! Anyway, Sandfort killed me again. One of the best sax players in Atlanta. Maaaaaaaaannnn...I was doing my best to keep up with these guys.

This was a last minute call--Yacht Rock was asked to perform at the official UGA Tailgate Party before the championship game in Atlanta Monday night. Between the weather (at one point it was supposed be 34 with snow flurries) and the potentially disastrous traffic, we were bracing for something awful--so much so that we loaded the van and trailer and had it drop us and our gear off in lieu of individually driving and parking. However, school was cancelled, everybody stayed home from work, the weather was ok, and we had no trouble at all. This gig was a long one--three sets, and we were in a room with no windows, and it felt like it could've been noon or eight o'clock at night the whole time. By the third set, we were all a bit disoriented, but the last set was a little short, and there weren't many people left by then anyway. We loaded out onto Peachtree (waaaaaay easier than the loading dock here), and were driving away forty-five minutes after we finished. The even...

Yacht Rock spent the weekend in Atlanta, performing Dark Side of the Moon  and Abbey Road  for big crowds at Venkman's last Friday and Saturday. Joining us were Keisha and Kourtney Jackson on vocals and Rob Opitz on trumpet. Also Ricky Schroder (of Silver Spoons fame) in the audience! We've played this show several years in a row, so bringing it back up to speed was no problem. This one was an easy weekend for me--just reading my charts off the iPad--so mostly it was a good hang as we eased back into steady gigs for the next five months. There's not much else to say...I was better Friday than Saturday? You can watch Friday here: Set 1 (sax solos at around 20:00 and 51:50): Set 2 (sax solos at around 22:18 and 27:50): Here are my charts for Dark Side of the Moon.  For all those altissimo G#s, my usual fingering (1 3, 1 and side C) doesn't work because I'm blowing so hard, so I use 1 2 3 and side C and aim the pitch down a bit. Try it. ...

Yacht Rock closed out the year with an Atlanta show at the Park Tavern. I do love that we've somehow managed to play this gig multiple years in a row, finishing by 12:30 AM (thank you city noise ordinance!) and home in our own beds to sleep it off. From the poster, it appears that the party went later than we did--I was home by 2 AM! In addition to our normal show, we played an unplugged style set upstairs for the VIPs. I think it was ok, but in that cavern of a room, who can tell? Bencuya's toy keyboard had trouble holding at A=440, but he turned down and we did our best to ignore him. The crowd mostly ignored us, too, so...you're welcome? Our main show began around 10:15 PM (we played straight through to 12:25 AM or so). The crowd of a thousand, maybe more, was surprisingly interested in the music--not the usual drunken shit show we've come to expect from that crowd on New Year's Eve. All around, the band fared well, though I had three random equipment i...

I played Blind Willie's here in Atlanta Wednesday night with Scott Glazer's Mojo Dojo, alongside Marla Feeney (tenor sax), Dave Yoke (guitar), and Marlon Patton (drums). It was good to catch up with Marlon, whom I haven't seen in months, Dave played some nasty guitar solos (in a good way), and I'd never met Marla before. As usual, I was a bit concerned about how rusty I would be reading charts and taking solos (since I don't do too much of that these days), but I was totally comfortable with both. We were rockin'! Kenyon Carter was on this gig the last time I played it, and he recommended a clip on microphone instead of relying on the ol' SM-58 on a stand, so I tried it, and it made a big difference. The stage at Blind Willie's is just a little too tight to have Scott and two sax players across the front line, so being able to step back just a little and still keep in contact with the mic was a lifesaver. I'll definitely be doing that the next...

Our final weekend on the road in 2017. More airports, more rented gear... Thursday: Atlanta to New York City for a private gig. Greg Lee looking dapper at the LaGuardia taxi stand taxi ride Our gig was a holiday party at the American Museum of Natural History. Pretty cool spot! We were in the room with the blue whale suspended from the ceiling. After soundcheck, we had a few hours to kill, so I went for a run around town. 27 degrees! Also, running down Broadway when all the New Yorkers are trying to go home? Not my best move. This gig was a very easy one set. The crowd was ok--they weren't nuts from the first note or anything, but there was some dancing, and at least they weren't demanding specific songs. I think we finished around 10 PM, and as soon as I could get all of my gear packed up, we were on our way across town in taxis. probably as close as I'll ever get to playing at the Blue Whale (it's a jazz club in LA) Th...

...and Some Things I Do Not. It was a tough couple of days. Thursday: The work week began with a Thursday morning gig. If you're a normal person, being at work at 9 AM isn't that horrible, but for me, that was pretty rough; with traffic, it took me an hour to get there. The gig was some sort of 80s party, and we played two sets between 12:15 and 2:45. Afterwards, we loaded the gear back into the trailer and went our separate ways. I sat in traffic for an hour. I got home, sat down at my computer, and woke up in the dark. I remember pretty much nothing else about the gig. Ganesh subbing on drums  Friday: In spite of the winter weather closing in on Atlanta, we headed to the airport for our flight to the west coast. It was the first time I've ever seen de-icing in Atlanta. It makes you wonder how much practice the dude with the hose gets at this. First they spray the orange stuff, and then they spray the fluorescent green stuff. Did Nickelodeon choose the colors...