What is this?
That's easy. It's a broken one of these:
Which usually sits right here (top left of the body of the bass):
And is used to hold this:
There is another fastener at the bottom of the body, but that one is not relevant to the story.
The useful life of this one fastener came to an end during last night's gig. Not only has this little component resisted gravity just in holding up the bass for the past two-plus years, but it resisted the added force from my jumping up and down during a number of songs that a bandmate of mine says have "jump value".
We were playing Take Me Out, the last song of our second set. On the jump value scale from 1-10, I say it ranks an 11.
About 1:10 into the song, right before we lead into the first verse, it happened! The fastener broke. It wasn't that the screw holding in the fastener was stripped and fell out of the hole. The fastener snapped. One piece went somewhere - where, I don't know. The other piece was still screwed into the bass itself. The accompanying part of the fastener, which is clipped to the strap, shaved through the part that was mounted on the bass.
Hence, the strap was no longer connected to the bass. The body of the bass started dropping, and I had to catch it. You're talking about 12-14 lbs of unbalanced weight, with the heavy part - the body - being the unheld part. Not only did I have to make sure I didn't hit any wrong notes as it was falling, I had to make sure the body didn't hit the ground - all with my weaker hand, which is loosely surrounding the top of the fretboard, at the position farthest away from the center of gravity.
Left hand works as planned. No bad notes, no dinged instruments.
But wait, there's more. I saw what happened to the fastener immediately, and knew there was nothing - NOTHING! - I could do during the song to fix it during the song. Yikes!
Having been on all types of stages - from making presentations in front of corporate officers, to performing in rock and jazz bands - I knew the show must go on. Thankfully, I was positioned right next to our speakers, so I was able to stretch up one of my legs onto the speaker cabinet, and prop up the bass on my knee. Okay, so that only took half the first verse straighten out.
Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to co-lead on the vocals on this song, too. So much for the first verse. But one of our singers had presence of mind to move my mic where I could use it, and I was able perform the rest of the song well, but without all the requisite jumping. It's a hard song not to move around to, but I did it.
During our break, I took off the fasteners, leaving only the screw used to attach the fastener to the bass. I attached the strap to that screw. This wasn't a great fix, but it mostly got me through the night. My focus on the strap did cause me to forget the first verse of Hang On Sloopy. (No Polly, that's not a reason for us to stop playing the song. Sorry.) No one cued me, because I'm known in the band for being the lyric guy; no one thinks I ever, ever forget lyrics.
Thankfully, I had all the proper hardware at home, and replaced the fasteners this morning. All is in working order again, ready for hundreds of jumps!
Come see us if you can. We are playing at Blue Canyon in Twinsburg on April 12 (a week from today), then at Flyers in Parma Heights on Friday, April 25. Come to think of it, I think that's the second anniversary of Running in Circles being on the gig circuit. Way cool!
Saturday, April 05, 2008
How Did That Happen?
Monday, March 03, 2008
Rock and Roll Fun
If you happen to be out in Hollywood the weekend of March 14, be sure to see my brother's band, Elegantly Wasted, opening for Winger. If you grew up on 80's hair band music, you know who Winger is. (Snicker).
Tickets are available at ticketmaster for the March 14 show, being held at the Crash Mansion theatre.
And it gets more exciting for my brother, who will also be playing Rocklahoma this year! It's an 80's style rock and roll festival. The band should get themselves plenty of good press and an opportunity to sell lots of CDs and shirts! :-)
I'm really excited that the band has these gigs in their near future. Things are definitely coming together for them now. I wish them well.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Happy Leap Day!
And it's almost over. Sniff.
BTW...I'm two rehearsals into a second band project. This one will be primarily 90s and 00s rock, with some old stuff thrown in. Dance is not the goal here, but "jump value" - you know, head bobbing and foot stomping - is. Everything from Santa Monica, to Otherside, to No One Knows and Paralyzer. Then we want to throw in some curve balls, like an 80s-revised rendition of Puff the Magic Dragon (don't ask...just run with it, okay?), some Lonely Ol' Night, and Ice Cream Man. Maybe some STP and Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters and - well, you get the idea.
The four band mates all knew (or knew of) each other. The same guy assembled all the bands we are in now. We each looked to gig a couple more times per month, and approached him separately - within a couple weeks of each other - about starting or joining another project. How about that! We'll see how it goes; we hope to start gigging in late summer.
Monday, February 04, 2008
That's Entertainment!
After not paying attention to the Super Bowl hype, I got home from band practice just in time to sit in front of the tube with the whole family and watch "the big event". The Engineer, front-runner that he is, was rooting for the Patriots. The Artist didn't really care about the game; she was rooting for the commercials. Marie was doing the same, conducting research for the next day's post.
In a post I submitted a couple weeks ago, I said I didn't care who won. As the game went on, though, I found myself slowly getting excited about the opportunity for...for...for...
AN UPSET!
As the Giants hung on via their stifling defense, I couldn't help but start rooting for them. After watching them play the Patriots so well during the last week of the season, I thought they had a chance; they wouldn't be blown out, but I didn't know if they could win. But, as they kept thwarting the Patriot's offense, and Eli Manning kept not looking like an idiot (see his last three years to understand this), I grew more excited for the Giants.
Enter the fourth quarter. New England took the lead with less than three minutes left. You could even hear Marie groaning, "Oh no, not the Patriots!" As the Giants took over on offense, I thought, "They have enough time, they don't need to rush." They earned a couple first downs, then got themselves into a third down situation when this happened:
Awesome. The most awesome play I have ever seen in a Super Bowl. Probably the best non-trick play I've ever seen. David Tyree caught the ball with his right hand AND HIS HELMET! Talk about concentration. Talk about strength. Wow!
At that point, I knew they COULD win. Then, with less than 40 seconds left in the game, the Giants scored a touchdown, and stopped the Pats from scoring again. Game, set, match: New York Giants! I actually ended up rooting for a New York team. Imagine that!
All over a game I didn't care about two weeks ago. It was the best Super Bowl I have seen in my lifetime, all 39.912328767123288 years of it. I guess I waltzed into the den thinking, as some of my band fans say, "I'm coming to watch you play; DON'T SUCK!" Well, the Giants didn't. Neither did the Pats. The better team, on that day, won the game.
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played an excellent halftime show yesterday. They sounded great. Looks are a concern, though. I wasn't sure if I was watching Tom Petty
Or Red Green
Maybe they are related.
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And finally, here are the songs Running in Circles chose to learn. Or, will at least attempt at our upcoming practices:
Songs marked with (*) are songs that, for various reasons, I am ready to perform.
Lot of variety, although I think we are becoming more of a family/party band than a bar band. We'll see where that leads us. (p.s. It is not worth watching the RHCP version of Fire. Trust me on this one.)
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So, when's my birthday? Marie, the kids, and anyone with our church's calendar cannot venture a guess. (That includes you, Scott!!!)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Song Quest
Hello friends,
We are at it again. Running in Circles is looking for new songs to add to its repertoire. We are looking for a couple different types of songs:
- sing-along anthems, like Journey's Don't Stop Believing
- dance or danceable rock songs
The way this works best for our band is that each band member picks five songs they would like the band to consider. Everyone listens to those five songs, and the band picks one. Six members, six songs selected. Unless our keyboardist says, "just tell me what to learn," then it's five new songs.
So I have to pick five songs. Here is my short (too short) list from which I will choose my five:
- Lovin' Every Minute of It - Loverboy
- Oh Boy! - Buddy Holly
- Any Way You Want It - Journey
- No Matter What - Badfinger or Def Leppard version
- Somebody's Baby - Jackson Browne
- Heart & Soul - Huey Lewis & the News
Like I said, it's a short list. Got any other ideas?
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Train Wreck
A train traveling to Los Angeles leaves New York City at 10:00am, due west, at 100 mph. Another train, traveling from Los Angeles to New York City leaves at 2:00pm, due east at 110 mph. Assuming that neither train makes any stops and are traveling on the same track, at what time would they crash? (Note: all times are EST.)
That would be quite a train wreck, wouldn't it?
All things considered, Running in Circles had a pretty good gig last night. We were more pit crew than band prior to the gig, because the venue was hosting a benefit that ran 45 minutes late. Instead of staging our equipment and then setting up, we went into fast-forward mode. Hence, we were not allowed to bring in any equipment until folks cleared out. This worked against us in two ways:
- The place was packed...for the benefit. Which means it looked full before we started, and anyone who popped their head into the venue would see there were no tables available, and go elsewhere.
- We were hurried and not in good form on a couple songs in the first set. We recovered, but were somewhat frustrated. Our cover of American Girl, by Tom Petty, always goes over well. This time, we got our wires crossed during the intro, but too far into the song to declare a mulligan.
The result...train wreck. It was the only one. Looking back, I realize we hadn't had a good train wreck in over nine months. I guess we were due, but I would have preferred it to happen in the last set, and not in the first.
This is the second weekend in a row where I have been to a gig that occurred right after a benefit. Last week, I watched Disco Inferno go thru the same thing; crowd loss, first set not tight as it could be. Fortunately for us, a number of patrons actually approached us and the venue manager to compliment us on our performance and song selection. The manager liked us, too. Can't complain about that.
But this is Sunday, Rick. Isn't this the time you craft some wily, wooly Idiots of the Week post?
Of course. Let's talk train wrecks:
- The one that almost happened by My Idiots, the Cleveland Browns. They forgot that the games run for four quarters again, and made a can't-miss win a nail-biter again. It seems to me the coaching staff is still learning on the job, too, based on some decisions they made in the second half. Neither the players nor the coaches know how to close out games they should win.
- The Detriot Lions season. The Lions were 6-2 at one time, and have since lost the last five. That is not significant from the sports perspective, but from another. After the Lions won their sixth game, QB John Kitna, a born-again Christian, declared that God destined their team for the playoffs. I hate when people do that. I will not go further here, but you can add your thoughts as you post your comments.
- The Miami Dolphins season. Terrible, absolutely terrible. The road to 0-16 is more interesting than New England's road to 16-0. It is ironic, too: the only team to go undefeated for an entire season was the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Now, for the Idiots:
Win - The Browns defensive coaching staff, for playing the prevent defense for practically the entire fourth quarter. It almost prevented another victory; they gave up twice as many points in the fourth quarter as they did the rest of the game.
Place - John Kitna, QB for the Detriot Lions. Shut your mouth, and play football.
Show - QB Derek Anderson. for the second consecutive week. He has problems throwing passes in less-than-optimal conditions. He had problems in this game, and in the Steelers loss. No nail-biting this game if he throws a couple good passes in the third and fourth quarters.
Honorable Mention - The Miami Dolphins, who are redefining "incompetence".
Friday, October 26, 2007
Watcha doin' on New Years Eve?
Why not join Running in Circles at the Michaud's New Years Eve Bash in Strongsville, OH?
We will perform from 8:00pm-1:00am. Each room will have a different band.
You can get the details here.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Selfish Desires, Part II
To: The Cleveland Indians
From: Quipper
Subject: Winning the ALCS
Dear Cleveland Indians,
Thank you for reading and responding so positively to my previous request. It was a pleasure to watch you clinch the division title live from Jacobs field. I also enjoyed watching you take it to the Yankees in four games in the ALDS. It was great to hear the silence in Yankee Stadium after you won game four and eliminated them from the playoffs.
I have been paying close attention to the ALCS, too. Always near a radio or TV, it is tough for me to concentrate on anything else during your games against the BoSox. While the first game was kind of a bummer, the second game gave me hope that you can achieve success in the ALCS, and advance to the World Series.
Running in Circles was scheduled to play at Spectators Grille last night, and we were to start performing after Game 2 of the ALCS. Well, you can guess how that went. The game ended at 1:44am - wow that's late! We didn't perform, but being the homers that we are, we cheered you on through each inning. We were excited that you pulled out the victory and are coming home with home field advantage in what is now a five game series.
I have a new request for you. The band is scheduled to play at McCarthy's Ale House this coming Saturday. I understand that, if the ALCS goes to game 6, the game will be played on Saturday, most likely starting at 8:20pm. This ALCS is a heavyweight battle; like with the ALDS, none of the games are fast, but all run close to four hours. And, if you go into extra innings again, who knows how long the game could run?
I'm sorry for babbling a bit, but here is my question: Could you close out the BoSox in Cleveland, and win the series in five games? It seems a bit improbable, but you have had a heck of a season so far. I want to celebrate the Tribe's ascension to the World Series. I just want to do it on the night of October 18 - or, shall I say, the early morning of October 19. :-)
Thank you. Go Tribe!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Big One, Elizabeth! part 2 (The Show)
The lineup for the Hi Fi concert highlighted three distinct musical styles: eclectic anti-establishment, hardcore punk, and rock.
The first band, Below Jupiter, was led by key-tickling front man Josh and drummer Chris. Yes, a two-piece band, and they pulled it off well. Josh’s piano playing is front and center for the band, and he is an outstanding performer. Chris’s drumming style fits perfectly with Josh’s performance abilities, making for a unique sound. The band’s style is hard to describe, even for the band, so they just go with “eclectic”.
Below Jupiter performed songs from their upcoming release, “Saul” as well as other concept-related pieces they have been performing for the last year. Their anti-establishment, anti-forced-religion themes came through loud and clear in their songs, especially “Political Robots”. The band and their sound were, at first, a curiosity to the crowd. However, as they continued to play, you could tell that interest in the band was growing, and the band morphed from “curiosity” into legitimate performers in the eyes of their audience. Keep an eye on these guys as they grow on the indie scene.
The second band rolled in from down the street, or so it seemed. No, wait, they really did! Dead Man’s Curve, from
This three-piece outfit – starring Jason on guitar and vocals, Mike on bass and vocals, and Dustin on drums – was “on” from the moment they hit the stage. They reminded me of 80s punk, when bands like the Misfits, Social Distortion and Suicidal Tendencies ruled the realm.
The band’s loyal audience was in full force, and showed their appreciation by whooping, hollering and singing along with the band. Dustin’s drumming was crisp, and Mike and Jason put on a great performance. Not just with their playing, but with their antics, gyrations and smirks on stage. They know what they’re doing, and they know how to do it. For all the new fans that bought DMC t-shirts at the gigs, DMC also threw in their demo CD. Awesome!
(Rumor has it a big-time punk band asked Dead Man’s Curve to open for them when they come into
As the witching hour approached, it was time for the headliners to take the stage. It had been three years since Pauly left
EW did not disappoint. They started the night with “Sickhead”, the first song off their new CD, “Desolation Row”, and played most of the songs off that CD. They also threw in a three songs from their first release, “Greetings from a
The band threw in a couple curve balls by playing their renditions of “Ring of Fire” and "Rockin’ in a Free World”. They also covered a Bob Dylan tune, but I hope someone comes to my rescue by telling me the name of it.
Since this was Pauly’s homecoming, the band let him have a little fun with his family, friends and co-workers, and begrudgingly (I’m sure) let him own the mic while he rapped all the lines to Beastie Boys anthem “Fight for Your Right”. Before that, though, Pauly had a big surprise for a very important member of the audience. A friend of his and his brother joined the band onstage to play a special rendition of “Tonight, It’s You” by Cheap Trick. The song was dedicated to Pauly’s girlfriend, Brittany, who flew in with her sister, Erin, to see the show. Little did
After Pauly and
When the show ended, they were all spent, er, I mean “wasted”. They had given the audience their all, and were taking a well deserved break before taking down their equipment. They were readily available after the show, and talked freely to everyone who approached them. Rock stars? Yes, talent wise, but without any of the annoying attitude. It was great to see.
These guys are excellent performers. I could have watched any one of them all night. They all bring different styles to the table, and have different ways of showing off their talents. To watch them do it together, and blend they way they did, was a treat. I wish them all the best, and hope to see them perform again soon.
(cross-posted at my myspace blog)Disclaimer: Show review does not indicate agreement with some song lyrics or themes.
Monday, September 24, 2007
The Big One, Elizabeth! part 1 (preview of Hi Fi show)
Friday night was the date that many of us have waited for, seemingly for eons. Fresh off its third European tour, the band Elegantly Wasted kicked off its first American tour right here, in greater
If you haven't heard of Elegantly Wasted yet, you must have just crawled out from underneath a rock. This hard hitting quartet recently started its run towards stardom and is starting to get the accolades it deserves. The band rocks the house, the way rock should be played! Each band member is truly a master of their craft. The guitar parts and styles are complimentary, the vocals are on target, and the rhythms are infectious.
No emo crap, no whining and whimpering, no screaming unintelligible lyrics into the defenseless microphone. Their lyrics are easy to understand and tell a good story in each and every song. You will relate, I guarantee it. Why? Because EW is a group of down to earth people, relating experiences like those you and I would have.
At times you will hear influences from Guns and Roses,
I was privileged to first see the band two years ago in
(cross-posted at my myspace blog)
Roller Coaster Week
If you're expecting this post to include the Idiot of the Week Awards, I will sadly disappoint you. There had been so many things going on this last week, that the Awards were not near the top of my priority list. Needless to say, it was a roller coaster week.
And went something like this:
- Ups! - asked to play piano accompaniment for a baptism in October.
- Downs - didn't hear back about the baptism during the week. Getting concerned.
- Downs (how low can you go?) - work situations, and their affect on my projects.
- Ups! & Downs - running interference before the Elegantly Wasted gig last Friday night. (Everything went great, it was just time consuming.)
- Ups! - Bought Tribe tickets for the last home game of the year - could they clinch then?
- Downs - Saturday's Running in Circles gig canceled; the bar double-booked.
- Ups! - baptism accompaniment is on! I will learn "Mother's Prayer" by Celine Dion.
- Super Ups! - The Elegantly Wasted concert on Friday night! (separate post on the show coming soon, links to many of their songs here.)
- Triple Super Ups!!! - Brother proposed to his girlfriend at the show, and she said yes!!!
- Ups! - Relaxed on Saturday; watched "Back to the Future" with the family.
- Ups! - Watched "Oh, Brother, Where Are Thou?" with Marie.
- Downs - Browns defense. Bummer.
- Super Ups!!! - We were at Jacobs Field to watch the Tribe clinch the Central Division Championship! It was awesome.
BTW...for my New York readers, Elegantly Wasted is coming to Brooklyn, NY tomorrow night! They'll be at The Trash Bar:
256 Grand St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Cost : $5
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Selfish Desires
To: The Cleveland Indians
From: Quipper
Subject: Clinching the playoffs
Dear Cleveland Indians,
As a lifelong fan of you, my hometown team, I am excited that the team is ever-so-close to clinching the Central Division pennant. I have waited a decade for this to happen. I remember the Tribe-Mariners series in 2001, when Robbie Alomar didn't give his all and potentially caused us to lose the series to Seattle. I watched the 1995 and 1997 World Series, heartbroken but not crushed. I watched Mark Shapiro trade Bartolo Colon, but knew it was the right thing to do. Others complained, but I bought into the plan.
I strayed slightly last year, seeing that the whole package wasn't there. It was not hangover from the season ending meltdown in 2005; I liked the team, but something just didn't seem right.
This year is different. There have been points of frustration, but I kept on listening. The family even afforded to attend one game this year. Our 5-yo boy got to see Jacobs Field for the first time. We had fun watching our first baseman bat, having great call-response fun with "Garko!"..."Polo!" I eagerly await the reduction of the Magic Number from three to zero, and anticipate celebrating that success with my family.
However, I have an issue. You see, as much as I want you to clinch this weekend, my band, Running in Circles, has a gig on Saturday night. We are supposed to start at 10pm. The locale is a very popular watering hole, and has televisions set up all over the place so patrons can watch the home team play, no matter what the sport.
In these situations, the bars usually delay the start of the gig until the game is over. Knowing how this works, I imagine that, if you clinch on Saturday night, we won't start until 11:30, maybe midnight, because of all the celebrating. I won't be at home, and won't be able to celebrate with my family.
In conclusion, seeing how (mostly) loyal I have been to you, can you please do me a favor and not clinch until Sunday? Your consideration would be most appreciated.
Thank you. Go Tribe, but don't go too quickly.
{snicker}
Update: they got my memo. Ha ha! :-)
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Guitar Slingin' Pastors Scare Me
Not only do guitar slingin' pastors scare me, but so do hip-hoppin' pastors...and salsa dancin' pastors...and comedian pastors.
Yeah, they do, and it has nothing to do with their theology...okay, it does have something to do with their theology, but that's not the point of this post. It has to do with them.
What's my problem, you ask?
After giving it up for eighteen years, I've been gigging again for over a year now. It's a blast, a great release on the weekends without interfering too much with family life. The little side income helps, too. I have learned a lot so far, like:
- "Kids" of all ages can give you undue adulation. I had one tamborine-playing chick tell me she wanted to be a rock star like me. Hah! It was all I could do not to laugh out loud.
- People can tend to go crazy when you do well on stage. They like you, they try to flirt with you, they want to get your attention.
- And, if you're not careful, the attention and fanfare can really swell your ego.
I am thankful that my church's Pastors recognize their roles as called and ordained servants of the Word, and do not try to make themselves the main attraction. They preach the word and administer the sacraments, and don't get everyone all caught up in the emotional willy-nilly. They fulfill their vocations, as they should.
If these other pastors want to become rock stars or comedians, they are free to move on to another career, but they should leave it out of the pulpit.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Just a Bassist In a Rock And Roll Band
Today's the day! We're geeked, we're pumped, we're psyched!
Our August 14th gig at House of Blues was moved up to tonight. We're ready and rarin' to go.
Big night, hope we do well. It could lead to other H.O.B. gigs and corporate events. And we won't look like we are in a boxing ring...
Or in a tavern aisle.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Statute of Limitations?
I was talking to a co-worker this morning, and he wryly injected a few lyrics into our conversation. I answered his original intent, then exclaimed:
Oh, that was from Radar Love, wasn't it?!?
He grinned, and said that it was. How smart of me to recognize his wit. :-)
We started talking about Golden Earring, the band that recorded Radar Love. We could only remember two of their songs, Radar Love and Twilight Zone. We couldn't remember when they were released (see here for details), but got thinking...
Two hit singles...
At least a decade apart (or so we thought at the time)...
If you didn't listen to music regularly, you might not even know that the band performed both songs...
Hmmm.
What's the statute of limitations on being called a "one hit wonder"? Is it possible to be a "one hit wonder" twice-over?
Inquiring minds want to know. Do you know of any other bands like that?
Friday, February 23, 2007
Twenty Years Later
When they were popular in the mid-80s and up through the early 90s, I thought, "they're done!". I never thought they would survive. Now, on our trip to Florida, the Artist could be heard singing this song when it came on the radio.
By the way...who says you can't go home?
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Boogie Wonderland
So, here I am, minding my own business, when a musician friend of mine asks me if I want to audition for his new band. I do, and things go well. That was thirteen months ago.
Fast forward to today. Here I am, an 80s rocker who likes some of today's new rock, playing...
Yep...disco.
We had a great New Years Eve gig for a local catholic high school fundraiser, but realized we needed to add more "cheese" to keep folks of all ages on the dance floor. For our last two gigs, we added Get Down Tonight, by KC and the Sunshine Band, and Car Wash, by Rose Royce (see pics above of each).
Early returns have been favorable. Last week's gig was in a smaller venue. We had the place hopping until we finished at 2am. The new disco tunes, coupled with our standards for Jungle Boogie and Play That Funky Music, doubled the number of people on the dance floor, and the floor stayed packed for the rest of the night. Yesterday's gig was played in a larger venue, and the results were similar; folks came out of the woodwork when we played the disco tunes.
We're not giving up on the rock & roll; we also added Journey's Don't Stop Believin' to the set, to much fanfare. We realize, though, that certain venues need more cheese (dance), while others need more meat (rock).
More cheese, please!
