Gig Diary - 2002

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Friday, January 4th, 2002
Rock Bottom Brewery, Bellevue, WA
This was the last show with our guitarists, Jess and Josh Gaedtke. They have opted to move on to pursue their own projects. We will miss them dearly. The show went off great, I got to gig my new Roscoe fretless for the first time, and I think I'm in love. We played for 3 hours, and even then hadn't exhausted our complete catalog of songs. Some late arrivals insisted we repeat one song they missed. Susan and I debuted a duet of an Ani DiFranco song. She played her new fabulous Taylor, and I picked up Josh's acoustic. All in all, a good night, and a great send off for the boys.

Wednesday, January 16th, 2002
Bellevue Community College, Coffee House Series
And now, presenting, on guitar, Mike Lummio, and on keyboards, Dave Loy. The new lineup is solid after a few rehearsals. Still a few little kinks to work out, but this is rapidly becoming a killer band. We are very excited for things to come and this year is already shaping up to be a busy one. The sound is a little different with guitar/keys than with guitar/guitar, but there are so many more colors and options. This first show was low key acoustic, with just acoustic, piano, bass and snare drum (played with brushes). We set up in the cafe area at the college. Sound was a bit difficult, nothing but a tiny Fender PA and not much for monitors. We muddled through though, and the people seemed to dig it. It's nice to communicate with a younger crowd, too, who can be so inspired by the music, and aren't afraid to come up and talk. Really refreshing to see.

Thursday, January 24th, 2002
Sit-n-Spin, Seattle, WA
We were looking forward to this gig quite a bit, it being the first big electric rock show with the new guys Mike and Dave. The Sit-n-Spin is probably one of the best sounding clubs I've ever had the privilege of performing in. I also was excited to take my newly acquired Roscoe bass for a drive. It sounded incredible! We had a few rough spots, but in all it went very well and the new boys were well received by our loyal fans. It was strange not to have Jess and Josh up there with us. But Mike and Dave are great guys to be onstage with and we had a fun time. I'm singing backups now, so I have a new role in the band too. I can't wait to play there again. Peepshow, who played after us, were also very good. We have 2 more gigs with them next month and I look forward to hanging out with them and hearing them again.

Saturday, February 9th, 2002
Club 1650 - DIY Convention Music Festival (Los Angeles, CA - Acoustic)
At the very last minute, the organizers of the DIY (Do It Yourself) Conference asked Susan if she would perform acoustically at their Music Showcase and accept their Album Of The Year award. With only a few days to prepare and Mike out of town all week, Susan, Pete and myself got to rehearsing as a trio. I played acoustic guitar (Susan's gorgeous Taylor 710ce - YES!) and Pete played the snare drum with brushes. I had just had my wisdom teeth extracted and was still recovering, so it was a bit of a challenge. We nearly didn't go. But we did, and it went great. Also on the bill performing solo were Pat DiNizio of Smithereens fame, Steve Wynn from the Dream Syndicate, Steve Conte from Crown Jewels (and formerly Company Of Wolves back in the early 90's who I LOVED!), solo artist Holly Light, and the band Streetwalkin' Cheetahs who rocked. I felt pretty naked with just a guitar, and singing backups with stitches in my mouth and a bruised face, and I wish we could have rehearsed more because I did make some mistakes. My fingers were sore from the rehearsing we did, and I'm out of shape in the guitar department. But, we prevailed and got a good response. All in all, I'm glad to have had the experience. It was my first trip to LA too, but it went too fast!

Thursday, February 14th, 2002
Owl And Thistle, Seattle, WA
We played two sets at this tiny pub in Downtown Seattle. Had a good turnout. Peepshow had to cancel, so Big Spoon opened with one set. They were great, one of the guys plays a mean blues harp, mandolin and trumpet. Because the stage was so small, the gear and the three guys were up there while Susan and I stood on the floor in front. Since I'm singing backup now, I get to be featured a little more. Pete usually takes up the whole stage anyway with his drum kit! :) We had a couple rough spots having not rehearsed much the last couple weeks. Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves. I've been getting compliments on the new Roscoe. It's nice when people notice!

Wednesday, February 20th, 2002
Steel Sky Bistro, Seattle, WA
This was a mixer for Sounds Of Seattle (.com) and an awards presentation. Poor sound guy...the snake went out on him and he had to rig some really long mic cables up to the stage. During our first song Susan's mic kept going out, and our friend Johnny from Big Spoon ran up to try wiggling the connection. It would work, then he'd walk away and it would go out again. Susan switched over to my mic, so I had to forego the rest of my backups for the half hour set. Other than that, it went pretty well. We had to cram onto the small stage, but made it work ok. Then we had to sit through the rest of the uh, awards, one of which was presented to Susan for "innovation and excellence in career development". The food was good, compliments of Sounds Of Seattle founder Tom Mehren.

Funny note: While we were setting up on stage, a woman came up to me asking if I was in another band, or if I'd been on TV. She'd seen me somewhere before, and was sure she hadn't seen this band. I named other bands, but she hadn't heard of them. Then a few days later, I walk into my dentist's office to have some fillings re-done, and there she is. "Oh you're a patient here! That's where I've seen you!" Now everyone at the dentist's office thinks I'm a rock star. :)

Friday, February 22nd, 2002
Rock Bottom Brewery, Bellevue, WA
The Rock Bottom again. This time we went electric, and had a grand old time. Not much more to say, I guess. The Olympics were on, so there wasn't a great turnout. Some friends of Mike's and Dave's sat at a table literally a foot in front of my mic, so when I went to sing they were right in my face. I hope I didn't have stinky breath. Poodle Bomb, a duo that plays covers finished up the night. I ordered some dessert while they played but couldn't finish it. Let's just say I was sickened at the sight of some "dancing" going on in front of me. One woman...three different men...Eastsiders...oh, YOU do the math. Went in back to fall asleep with the gear. Later, after we got everything loaded back there, literally 5 minutes before we went to leave, someone hurled on the floor next to the gear, in front of the elevator and ashed on a case. Shouldn't have left the door open...

To Idaho And Back (click on the highlighted text for photos)

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2002
I worked my last day at my temp job at MusicNet, said goodbye to everyone and left at 1:30 to visit the dentist one last time. Got my 2 new fillings, and headed home to finish the last packing details. I updated my web site quickly, and we waited for David and Mike to arrive. When they did we gave them a small tour of the house, then Susan and Jenn arrived with the van and trailer. We packed up the rest of the gear into the trailer and the luggage into the back of the van. David's girlfriend had baked some cookies and they were half gone before we even left our house.

Stopped at a Shari's outside of Portland for dinner. Much fun has ensued so far. Making fun of Susan's driving, group Cosmo sex quizzes (rewritten by Susan to accomodate both genders), etc. We arrived at David's parents house around 11:30 or so. They greeted us warmly with cookies and cold pizza. We hung out for a bit then went to bed.

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002
In the morning we set out to the local college station to appear on the air. We met this guy named Rocco at the club (The Downtown Lounge) who had his old father with him. We scared him but he was very sweet. Well, Susan scared him. Rocco directed us to the station and we headed over. We took some band pictures outside on the loading dock. Inside, the studio was pretty small and we stood around a couple mics. Susan did most of the talking, although David being a Eugene native said a few words as well. They played 3 tracks off the album and talked about the show which also would feature the DJ opening up for us.

When we left, we found that Rocco had blocked our van in with his crappy old car, and his old father was sitting in there waiting in the passenger seat, along with a dog in the back seat. Susan asked him if he could move and he said "Oh no, I can't drive it." Susan offered to move it herself, and then the hilarity ensued. It was one of those cars that roars to life, if you do it right. Then it died. Then she started it again and it made that awful grinding sound. We were doubled over with laughter. She jerkingly got it over to another parking space. Apparently the stereo was blastingly loud with some rock music. Susan asked the old man if he actually wanted to listen to it, and he said "Well, no not really." So she turned it off for him.

Then David took us around Eugene, where we ate a lovely Mediterranean lunch, stopped by some record stores to leave cds on consignment and posters. Back to David's folks for delicious dinner, then relax a bit before the show.

There was pretty much no one at the show. We were told while we were setting up that it would be webcast live. So Jenn called Grace the web designer to ask her to send out a mailer to the list in case anyone might still be up to watch it. It was 1:15am in Wisconsin. We suffered through the opening act, and it was almost midnight when we went on to a practically empty house except for David's folks and a few people playing pool way in the back. Ah, well.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002
Got up in time to leave around 10:30, on the way to Kennewick, WA. Stopped at a waterfall, the tallest one in…the country? The world? I forget, but it's taller than Niagra apparently. We all got some coffee and continued on. Lots of fun in the van. Arriving in Kennewick, we checked into a hotel and went for dinner at an Italian place. I ordered cheese ravioli and got the meat instead. I ate one bite of it. ARGH!

The show was at Starbucks, where the staff was expecting us with exitement. There were actually a few people there to see us, and we had a nice little audience throughout the entire show. It was very nice. Jenn's been taking pictures with my digital camera and I've been loading them into the laptop to show everyone.

Friday, March 1, 2002
We left around noon to head for Boise, but not before stopping at a shoe store for Pete, and Starbucks for coffee. While driving through the mountains, and the windows fogging up, we played a couple riddle games. This became a recurring theme…"there's a dead singer and a U-Haul.. what happened?" Arrived in Boise around 6:00, where Jen and Graham from Honey Tongue were waiting for us in the motel. They have a snazzy new RV to travel in, so they gave us their comp room the club provided. Susan also got us a second room. We went to get some dinner, and got stuck in a one-way parking lot with the trailer. Took about half an hour for superstar driver Dave to back the thing out without hitting anything. We had some great take out Thai food, then changed and went to Tom Grainey's, our venue for the night. We shared gear with Honeytongue, who had played there the night before and were still set up.

We played a good show, and got some people up and dancing. We did one 45 minute set, then Honey Tongue played 3 sets. They were great, and the place filled up. I didn't realize people liked "Sweet Home Alabama" so much…They did some other great covers, like Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" and the Stones' "Beast Of Burden". Of course their originals rock, too. Went back to the hotel to hang with them some more before crashing.

Saturday, March 2, 2002
Next day we went in search of breakfast, and to explore Boise. A very nice man named John from Brooklyn suggested a few places to eat breakfast. We ran into him two more times that day. Walking back from breakfast we ran into the Honey Tongue entourage (Jen, Graham, Darnton and Lisa), who had also just eaten. We wandered around with them for the rest of the afternoon looking into shops and such. Dinner was at some Mexican fast food. Ran into HT bassist Sam on the way, he joined us. Back to the hotel to change, then to the show. Our band would be leaving right after our set to get to Pendleton, halfway to Welches, OR for the next gig.

The show was good, but not as good as the night before. Less people for us. We were pretty crankin', too. It's fun to be loud. Jenn took some nice photos. We stayed for half of Honey Tongue's first set, then went back to the hotel to change clothes, grab the stuff and go. Then the adventures began……

We needed gas, and intended to stop right outside of town before heading into the mountains. It was around 11:00. David was driving. Jenn spotted a sign for gas. But when the exit came up, Dave spaced it and didn't get off. We had less than a quarter tank in the gas guzzling trailer towing van. It was cold outside, we were in the mountains. Didn't look like there would be anywhere to get gas in the near future. When the gauge was on E, we pulled into a rest area thinking there might be someone who could help. Trucker, motorist, anyone. Mike attempted to make some phone calls to find an open station, but the calling card wouldn't work. It was freezing outside. Dave approached a car, but the driver didn't appear to speak English. A couple truck drivers came up to Mike and Dave, saying they thought there was a truck stop about 15 miles away back the way we came. We might make it, depending on how much gas we still had. Susan pulled out the van manual to find out how many gallons the tank holds, maybe we could estimate how much is still in the tank when the needle is under the E. I thought we should call AAA while we were at a phone. Better to be stuck at a rest stop than on the side of the road with no cell phone service. Another option was to call Honey Tongue, who would be heading back to Seattle that night. Maybe they could meet up with us on their way in several hours? In the end, we decided to chance it going back the other way. Drove through a little town with an open bar and a couple closed gas stations. Finally, we came upon a big lit up truck stop. We could see it in the distance, and all of us could hear the angels a-singin'. It was only accessible from that direction. When the tank was filled, Dave figured out that there was less than a gallon left in it. That would have lasted less than ten miles probably. Phew.

We restocked the chocolate and resumed our course and round of the name game. This is where you go around, name a celebrity or historical figure, and the next person has to think of a name whose first name begins with the same letter as the previous last name. We kept that going for a few hours, until we pulled into Pendleton and got a couple of really crappy rooms at a really crappy motel. Susan had to wake up the clerk, and asked him "Is this rated by AAA?" He just looked up and glared at her. We were just glad to get a few hours of sleep before resuming course. It was 3:30am.

Sunday, March 3, 2002
No showers, just back in the van to get to Welches. Mike took the wheel. A few hours later, we pulled into The Resort At The Mountain, which is where the Festivals and Event Conference is being held. It's a beautiful place at the base of Mount Hood, with fabulous golf course, tennis, pool, spa, etc. Since our gig wasn't til the next day we had the afternoon and evening to relax. We had some drinks and snacks in the bar, then came back a few hours later for actual dinner. It was delicious, and the wine was very delicious. Then we all tromped out on the greens around 11:00pm to brave the chill and look at the stars. It's so nice to be able to see them so clearly.

Monday, March 4, 2002
The show today would be at 1:30pm, and we had to check out of our rooms at noon. Got up in time for the complimentary breakfast. Mike and Susan were both not feeling well, thinking they picked up some type of cold that the Honey Tonguers all seemed to have. We got all our gear into the conference room where there was a buffet for the conference goers and a trade show with booths featuring services for festivals, such as talent agencies, lighting companies, equipment rental and so on. We were there plugging the band, as well as to entertain the room. There was one act on before us, a bluegrass-y 4 piece all female vocal group. They had an acoustic guitar, accordian, violin, and upright bass. Very nice vocal harmonies. And I always have respect for an upright bassist, especially since I don't dare touch one! The girl playing it, who also sang some lead vocals, played very well in tune. She told me later she'd only been playing it for 3 years! Pretty darn good.

When we went on, in the middle of the first song, Susan turned to me and said with a big smile, "I have no voice!" Eek. She sounded a little rough. She said to me later, after we got so many great compliments, " Well I guess half a Susan is still better than most people!" I would have to agree. She had pulled of shows on less than that, including one with laryngitis. Most people in the audience didn't even realize. Anyway, this was pretty mellow, and all went well. Pete and I got a "pep talk" from Peter, the guy that booked us, telling us this wouldn't be our crowd, so don't be surprised if we don't get a big response. These people would be looking at us from a business standpoint to see how we might appeal to an event crowd. He was right, as far as we could tell. But Jenn, who was doing the merch table, said she got so many great comments, and one woman even booked us right then and there for a 4th of July event at long Beach, WA. They gave out almost all the sampler cds. In the middle of our set this MC guy did a raffle giveaway. Unfortunately, there was hardly anyone left in the room to hear the numbers being called so he kept reading them, and getting no winners. Eventually Peter kicked him off so we could finish our set. It was a total buzzkill. We continued the set and kept rocking.

As soon as we finished, we grabbed what food was left from the buffet and packed up. Then it was back into the van to head home. Just a few hours away. Got back into Seattle around 7:00 pm, said our goodbyes and parted ways until the next time.

What a fun time! I personally can't wait to go back out again. Mike, Dave, Susan, Jenn, and of course my husband Pete are all a joy to be around, and we all got along great. Susan took loving care of us, making sure we got fed, chocolated and watered. She is truly a great band leader, manager, and singer all in one. No Spinal Tap moments whatsoever. Except maybe the part in Eugene where nobody showed up at the gig except for the opening act and David's parents. But you have to start somewhere, and hopefully when we go back there to play again, someone WILL be there. That's the plan, anyway!

Next up is the long haul to Texas for SXSW. Rock On!

To Texas And Back (click on the highlighted text for photos)

Click here to read the tour quotes.

Since I didn't write this as I went but rather after the fact, it won't be nearly as detailed as the last one.

Saturday, March 9, 2002
Pete and I had the gang gather at our house for a lovely pancake breakfast, and to pack the van. Around noon, Susan, Pete and I hit the road. The van was packed to the gills with all the band's gear, and our luggage. Susan does not travel lightly when it comes to clothing. A girl's got to have some options, you know! Things go smoothly with Susan at the wheel until we hit a major snowstorm at the top of Mount Shasta late that night. It seemed innocent enough until it started piling up and we couldn't see the lines on the road anymore. Pete took over and got us over the pass without any trouble. The good old van has plenty of traction and weight to hold on to the road. Big Blue rocks! Stopped for the night in Redding, CA.

Note: Today was the 18th anniversary of my first big rock concert, Yes at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago.

Sunday, March 10, 2002
Spent all day heading south through California, stopping in Indio, the last decent sized city before the Arizona border. The air was warm and the palm trees tell me we are far from home. Don't remember much about this day. Maybe Susan's diary has more details.

Monday, March 11, 2002
Very hot driving across Arizona, 85 or so. We worry about chocolate (in the promo kits) melting in the car. They didn't, and neither did our guitars. Took a detour around Tucson trying to find a Kinko's to send a fax. Got 3 different sets of directions, the 3rd being the correct one. Should have gotten gas before southern New Mexico. It's nothing but a wasteland. The billboards weren't even lit up at night, and the dinky old gas stations were closed. One truck stop had only diesel. We did stop to get out and look at the gorgeous stars, since there was so little light. Just made it (on fumes, probably) to a one-stoplight town where we also had dinner at Denny's, the fanciest place in town. Made it into Van Horn, Texas to spend the night.

Tuesday, March 12, 2002
It's still quite hot and sunny, a welcome change from Seattle's gray skies (at least I think so - I prefer heat to cold!). Texas is cool, but it's a little weird seeing signs at truck stops that say "no guns allowed" and such. We made it to Austin around 6 pm and checked in to the hotel. Relaxed a little, had a rather blah dinner in the attached restaurant then went out on the town to deliver promo materials. My parents arrive tomorrow from Chicago to see us and visit my aunt who lives in Austin.

Wednesday, March 13, 2002
Slept in, then went for a swim in the hotel pool. Water was FREEZING in spite of the heat. Susan and I laid out in the sun. Pete and I went to dinner with my folks and my aunt while Susan schmoozed in town. We met up later to go pick up the rest of the band (Mike, Dave, and Jenn) at the airport. What a glorious reunion! Had late dinner/dessert at the Magnolia Café on South Congress, then back to the hotel for champagne and chocolate to gear up for the gigs.

Thursday, March 14, 2002
Got up to meet parents and aunt again for lunch, back to hotel to hang by the pool for a bit. Then it's to the gig. Turns out we are providing the backline for 2 of the other bands. Susan and Jenn go downtown to schmooze, Mike and Dave go to eat meat at the Iron Works, Pete and I eat at the Magnolia Café which happens to be next door to Trophy's where the gig is. Then we head over to keep an eye on the gear and make sure nobody blows up my amp or puts holes in Pete's drumheads. First up is The Locals. Cool sounding band, complete with a fiddle player. Next was Carol Plunk and her band. They rocked! Excellent cover of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" and GNR's (or Sheryl Crow's?) "Sweet Child O' Mine". My parents arrived to see the show. I was a little worried about them, since they are in their late 60's and don't hang around in loud, smoky dives too often to see live bands. In fact I'm pretty sure they never ever have. Luckily they arrived after the birthday spanking scene (the MC for the night had someone up who was celebrating her 30th birthday for 30 volunteers to have at her) and before the local headliner Shade and their female singer's topless act. Anyway, we went on next. It was incredibly hot and I was sweating profusely after the first song. Maybe the leather pants weren't such a great idea…The sound was pretty bad, my bass wasn't in the PA, and the engineer was riding the fader on my mic so some of my backups weren't there. Monitors were mostly non-existent. It was fun nonetheless, and my parents said they enjoyed the show. Of course, since they don't usually listen to this type of music, they have nothing to compare to. But it was nice to have them there, and interesting to have them see what my little world is like. They didn't say "LIZZY COME HOME RIGHT NOW!" or anything.

Afterwards, because we were so sweaty, neither Susan nor I could sit down in our sticky leather pants so we had to stretch our legs out in the van. Got back to the hotel before midnight. Pete and I stayed in and went to sleep, the rest of the band went to hang out at the 4 Seasons hotel bar where they met more interesting people.

Friday, March 15th, 2002
Once again we are providing the backline for 2 other bands, so we got to Le Privelege before noon to set up. The stage is on the roof top outside. This time Carol Plunk started out, and sounded great. I got the engineer to run the bass through the mains and it sounded so much better. Vocals were up front and intelligible. Then The Locals went on, and also sounded great. Unfortunately their violinist broke a string and had to sit out a song to change. We went up next and rocked as usual. Not a lot of people in the audience, but a few friends from Seattle were there. Nice to see familiar faces when we're so far from home. My folks attended this show as well, as did my Aunt Dixie. They seemed to enjoy it in spite of the fact they don't listen much to rock and roll. Good thing I don't play in a hardcore punk band or something. I got really sunburnt by sitting out from noon til 2 with a sleeveless shirt. Didn't notice until later I was red as a lobster.

After the show the band had late lunch/dinner again at the Magnolia. We wanted to get dessert somewhere, and our server recommended a place across town. Went back to the hotel to change, then went in search of dessert before heading to the next gig that night. Finally found the place and had some unimpressive chocolate cake. Should have gotten the gelato. On to the gig which was…well, way out of town. And strangely, they had the biggest crowd of any of these gigs so far. 20 acts, each playing 2 songs. This was a "networking night" hosted by GoGirlsMusic.com. I didn't see much networking, but maybe some necking. I wasn't planning to play because we were told this was to be acoustic, but everyone else had their whole bands playing. So at the last minute, after having had a couple beers, I decided "eh, why not play?". I borrowed a bass from Shade's bassist (a Modulus Flea Bass 5 string, very nice!) and we did our 2 songs. I generally do not drink and play but…I guess it wasn't too bad! We left as quickly as possible and went to roam the streets downtown and hear some bands. We went into a place called "Jazz" and had more drinks and food. For some reason we were playing Charades at the table. Went back to the hotel and watched "The Exorcist" til 4am.

Saturday, March 16th, 2002
This was our free day, and much of it was spent sleeping in. Got everybody gathered to go out and hang around at 3:30. We went for lunch on 6th street, then walked over to the Congress Street bridge to watch Austin's famous bat population fly out for the night. Went to Friday's for more drinks, back to the hotel, then back out minus Pete to hang at the Four Seasons bar. Had a major band bonding and Susan entertained as many people in the room as she possibly could. Spent a good 2 hours (well, it seemed like that long) toasting each other and enjoying the love. Late night food at Denny's, then back to the hotel and in bed by 4am again. Ah, to be a rock star.

Sunday, March 17th, 2002
Up in time to pack up the van, check out and have Mexican breakfast. Back to the hotel to drop off those flying home that day, and to take some…uh…interesting pictures in the hotel parking lot. Then it's time to begin the journey home. Pete, Susan and I are off again to drive for many hours on end. We made it to Van Horn, Texas, very late. Thankfully it's not nearly as hot as it was on the way over.

Monday, March 18th, 2002
We had decided to stop at the Grand Canyon on the way home. It seemed a shame not to since we were so close. We made it there very late. Beautiful stars again, and it's cold and snowy up there in northern Arizona. Saw some elk by the roadside in the National Forest. Stayed in Tusayan very close to Grand Canyon National Park. When we went to our hotel room, we walked in to find someone sleeping in there! I don't know if they actually woke up or realize we'd walked in on them, but I saw someone stirring in the bed and shooed my companions out again saying "there's someone in here!!!!". Then we stood outside the door laughing hysterically as quietly as we could. "Did that just really happen?" We were so tired we almost just curled up on the floor in the hall. But we braved the freezing cold again and drove back to the office to get another room, this time a free upgrade to a fancy room! YAY!

Tuesday, March 19th, 2002
Time to see this thing called the Grand Canyon. Man, it's big. You don't realize how damn big this thing is until you see it with your own eyes. I took many pictures, but there's no way to actually capture it. It is immense, indescribably vast, and unfathomable. Looking at it I see eons of time and erosion. We encountered a wild wolf or coyote (not sure what) with whom Susan had a few words. Spent about 2 hours including lunch there, then it was back to the road. We had hoped to make it up to Sacramento to stop. When we got there, around 2 am, we somehow missed the hotels and kept going. Susan drove all day, and for a couple hours I had the guitar out and we worked on vocal harmonies and sang Pat Benatar songs to pass the time. We decided to just keep going, and at 4am Pete took over the wheel since he'd slept a few hours in the back seat. (Wednesday, March 20th, 2002) He took us through the mountains in Northern California as the sun rose. No snow this time, and it was beautiful around Lake Shasta. Stopped in Eugene OR for lunch at the same Mediterranean place we ate at a few weeks before when we played there. Had to call Dave for directions. Susan's back at the wheel for the last leg of the trip. We'd been hearing about snow in Seattle and were worried about making it home that night. Turned out to be practically nothing. We were getting pretty silly by the time we rolled in due to exhaustion and overuse of a certain offensive word which begins with C. Dave met us at our house to pick up his gear, and by 6 pm Pete and I were on our way to relaxation and dinner at home. Whew!

Sum: We had a fun filled 12 days. I couldn't ask for better traveling companions than Pete and Susan. Not to mention band mates! The same goes for Dave, Mike, and our wonderful helper Jenn. I'm so proud to stand on stage with these talented, wonderful people at my side. We hope to see some results from the performances and making lots of new music contacts in Austin. Thanks, Susan, for making this all happen! Let's do it some more!

Saturday, March 30th, 2002
Film shoot for "Iris In" by Knockout Productions at Tommy's, Seattle, WA
A few weeks ago I got an email from a singer named Robert Fuller who needed a backing band to accompany him in a film he's appearing in. He needed a bassist, drummer and backup singer for a nightclub scene. It sounded like fun, so I recruited Pete and Susan and we arrived at Tommy's at 7am with our gear to make it look real. Somebody forgot to tell the club owner we would need to use the PA, so he didn't have the sound guy there and the system was padlocked and nobody had the key. The hope was for the band to play live (for authenticity) along with Robert's recording, and they would sync the recording in the final edit. But we had no mics running, and couldn't run the stage monitors so we could hear the recording. We ended up completely miming to the cd, so Pete's going to look funny because he was faking and not really hitting the drums. I'm sure it will be fine. It's a fairly low budget indie production. There will be one more day of filming for us, to get some close ups for a different scene. It was fun, and cool to see a film production behind the scenes. I don't know if I'll ever see the finished product, but it is good experience to have and perhaps will lead to more work. We're told this may end up on cable and/or video, and possible screening at the Seattle International Film Festival.

Saturday, April 13th, 2002
Rock Bottom Brewery, Bellevue, WA
Um, The Rock Bottom again. Fun as usual! Nice to be playing onstage again with the band, our first gig since Texas. Dave and I are both singing backups now. I have some new parts to try to remember. I used my new Carvin 2x10 cab, which sounded great.

Songwriting at the ocean

Moclips, Washington (click on highlighted text for photos)

Thursday, April 18, 2002
Stopped in Aberdeen for groceries. Arrived at the house in Moclips in the late afternoon. What a great house, right on the beach! 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a loft and upper deck, a hot tub, very nice. Moved the furniture around and set up all the gear in the living room. Pete made veggie curry for dinner. After eating, we began to write. By the end of the evening, we had four new songs. One used parts of one of my demos, another was improvised on the spot, one was a progression Dave had, and the other was a thing Susan (whose guitar playing skills are rapidly progressing) had worked out on the guitar. I hope she can start playing on stage at some point. Sooz was madly writing lyrics, mixing and matching bits she'd already written and brought to the sessions.

Friday, April 19, 2002
Breakfast by Susan - veggie sausage, the best scrambled eggs in the universe, and hash browns. Then it's back to work on more songs. We start out with Dave on guitar, Pete on bass, and me on drums. Dave decides to think up the simplest thing possible. A new tune comes out, G to C. Kind of U2-ish, thanks to Pete's bass line. We switch back to normal instruments and make refinements on last night's tunes, recording everything as we go. Some good ideas get captured, and you can hear the developments happen as we try new things. I'll need to go back through everything to hear my improvised bass lines since I've forgotten some of the things I did. The work is going so fast, as soon as something is mostly solidified, we get the whole arrangement on tape and move on. Sometimes we just jam on the parts while Susan writes crazily. In the afternoon, Pete and I went out to the beach to fly his stunt kite. It's very windy and a little chilly. Had veggie sandwiches for lunch. Then back to work. Pete made a drum loop and we came up with a goofy dance-pop thing. Not sure about that one. Later we reworked the groove so it's less disco-y. Having just listened to Paul Simon's Graceland album, Dave, Pete and I played around with some world-y and reggae-y grooves.

We all took a walk out on the beach, then came back to have pizza for dinner. Got a call from Mike who was unable to make it due to his work schedule. Dave told him we were writing all the songs in E and with very simple changes just to punish him. We watched some videos of our shows in Boise and Texas. Enjoyed more wine and White Russians.

Saturday, April 20, 2002
Dave provided the breakfast today, making delicious Finnish pancakes. Today somebody suggested we channel Tori Amos. Started with a groove in 5/4, then I abruptly changed it to 7/4 without realizing it. Seemed much more natural and flowing. The chorus and bridge are in 4. We toyed with putting the bridge in 6/8, but thought that might be too much. This is turning out very epic. In trying to work out the bridge, Pete and Dave kindly debate the harmonic structure and musical analysis. Anyone reading this should be aware that none of the decisions made about these sorts of things are arbitrary. Decisions like "should we transition back to the chorus from the F# minor, or perhaps the A major would be a stronger choice?" Later I played another one of my tunes, Susan had me switch the chorus and verse around.

Pete got the urge to work out a math problem on the first thing he found to write on. He SAYS he wanted to figure out something about standing on the beach and how far you can see before the earth curves away…or something. Maybe he was just inspired by the image and thoughts of Mother Earth.

After dinner Susan and I sat by the fireplace to see what we could come up with. Soon the guys joined in. The session would not be complete without a joke song, and here it was. I made up some chords on the spot and Susan's instant chorus was a rousing "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA" which by the end had us all singing it at the top of our lungs with joy. The wine continued to flow (as it had already been). Then we began working on an idea Susan began the night before with a few chords on guitar. She handed it over to me, and with Dave and Pete's help we turned it into something I think will be very special.

Sunday, April 21, 2002
Susan whipped up another fabulous breakfast, and after making refinements to last night's tune, we attacked Pete's tune that he brought in. Susan's lyrics went from being about Jesus, to a mermaid, to a woman losing her virginity. She is writing like mad and is obsessed with boys. This one is also turning out beautifully epic-sounding, with a great chorus. We have to take a break at 2 so Dave can catch a basketball game. Susan and I use the opportunity to drive into "town" to get gas and re-stock the 2 things we've run out of prematurely, specifically red wine and chocolate. The TV stayed on and we watched "The Rock" which happened to be on (the movie with Ed Harris and Nicholas Cage, not the wrestler guy). I listened to what we've recorded so far. Sooz whipped up some mac and cheese for dinner. It's our last night, and we want to get some more work done. Susan plays some songs by Vertical Horizon, Patty Griffin, and Dar Williams to get us in the mood. She has a sonic idea she wants to do, of something rockin'. We try a few ideas that don't go anywhere, then I got on the acoustic and whipped up a little riff off the top of my head. This turns into something more interesting. Susan's chorus is dirge-y, I wanted it more happy. We work at it until she hits on this great hook. First it was 3 days…then 13 days. Nice, poppy, rockin' song. And we managed to finish the wine and chocolate again before retiring.

Monday, April 22, 2002
Another satisfying breakfast a la Susan (gotta finish up all those eggs and frozen hash browns). Feelings of fulfillment abound, we really accomplished something this weekend. Spent the morning packing up the gear feeling like we just played a really long gig. Put the furniture back where it was supposed to be, cleaned up the house, and conversed with a beautiful husky that had wandered up to the front door wanting in. She kept barking and howling. Perhaps she'd been enjoying the music and didn't want us to leave?

Our writing sessions were a smashing success, and we can't wait to get into the studio and make a record. Not only were we collectively inspired by the surroundings, but we were (and are) inspired by each other. There were so many moments where I was sitting there playing and just heard magic, and knew that it was something brand new that didn't exist before. I'm very happy to be a part of it, and hope I've made a lasting contribution! This album will be a very special piece of work, I'm sure of it. Kudos to Susan, Dave and Pete (and me too, I suppose!) for making the experience a joyful and productive one.

Friday, April 26th, 2002
Victor's Coffee Company, Bellevue, WA
We like playing this lovely little coffee shop. It usually fills up with friends and family, and Susan tells lots of stories and jokes in her inimitable way. Mike forgot his capo so we had to play "Breathe Her Air Again" a half step down. I visited with my dear friend Kate, a friend I've known since 1987 back in Illinois who has since moved to the area. Perhaps the most memorable thing to happen at this gig was after the first song of the second set, we heard the barista shout "LAST CALL FOR A SOY LATTE AND SOY MOCHA!" Immediately Pete jumped up from his place on stage to run over to the counter. During the break he had ordered coffee for both of us, but it wasn't ready before we had to start playing again. Well, that got a laugh alright. Then we hastily gulped it down between songs. After the show we went for some grub, and the band playing was a Who cover band, complete with a mouth drummer.

Also, today is my first anniversary of my first gig with Susan Robkin. Where did the time go?

Saturday, April 27, 2002
Broadview House Concert, Seattle, WA
This very intimate show for about 30 people took place in the living room of Tom Mehren, the publisher of Sounds Of Seattle and organizer of the Seattle Music Awards for Innovation and Excellence. Because it is so intimate, there is no amplification whatsoever. Kind of nice not to have to deal with that! Mike is incredibly allergic to cats, and Tom has a cute kitty there, so I played acoustic guitar. I showed Pete some of the tunes and he played additional guitar on some songs and hand drum on others. We played 3 of our new songs, and everyone seemed to like them! It was a very social atmosphere with drinks and food, and very enjoyable. Our friends Murray and Mark (aka Freaks Of Nature) performed a delightful opening set.

Saturday, May 11th, 2002
The Shoboat, Tacoma, WA
Finally, we can rock out loud! The Shoboat has vastly improved since the last couple times we played there. They have a better PA, new monitors, and a sound engineer who did a nice job for us. I could actually hear my vocals in the monitor. We played two of our new songs, I think they are still in the gelling stages. Or at least I'm still working on the bass lines for them. I also got to meet my cyber-friend Rain, who I chat with regularly online about Carvin gear and other bass stuff. We had a beer (or two…) and had a great time hanging out and listening to Last Of Our Tribe who followed our set. Earlier in the day Pete and I had a fabulous jam with Liz Aday and Chad Quist from Superlush (and they rock!), so we were already jazzed up to play that night.

Saturday, May 18th, 2002
Rock Bottom, Bellevue, WA
Fun as usual at the Bottom. Light crowd, but that makes it feel like we're just having a rehearsal with a few friends watching. And it's OK to goof off! The Rock Bottom has asked us to be the house band, which means we'll be playing there twice a month.

Sunday, May 19th, 2002
U-District Street Fair, Seattle, WA
Playing in front of the Chevron means it smells really gassy. A (crappy) drum kit was provided, as was a bass amp. Rather than unloading our gear, we tolerated the stuff, which in Pete's words "sounded like ass". Other than that, what a great time! A nice fellow even told Susan "you ARE Pat Benatar!" He heard us as he was walking by and actually thought it was Pat playing. As compliments go, you can't get much better than that. We barely missed the rain, too. Just as we were leaving after our set it started dumping. We did get to hear a few songs by The Whole Bolivian Army, including a fantastic version of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill".

Friday, May 24th, 2002
Stuart's Coffeehouse, Bellingham, WA
Even though we left Seattle at 4:45, it took us nearly 3 hours to get up to Bellingham, about twice as long as normal, due to the heavy Friday traffic. Mike and Dave (with Kelly on the back, too) both rode their motorcycles up. Susan went to school up here and was excited to see the old stomping grounds. Stuart's Coffeehouse is a funky little joint, with groovy old furniture, and photography and art displayed all around. Intimate shows are the best if you want to really hear Susan sing and tell all the stories about the songs. We got a nice groove going, which is really cool considering we just had Pete playing a snare drum with brushes, and Mike playing his electric guitar direct through the PA at low volume.

Monday, May 27th, 2002 (Memorial Day)
Pike Place Market Fair, Seattle, WA
Once again we just missed the rain, it started just as we were finished packing up and heading out after the show. The stage we played on was right next to the pig statue, where the guys who throw the fish in the market are. I could see them tossing the fish while we were playing. The sound system was a little too small, and we couldn't get enough vocals in the monitors. Poor Susan was blowing her voice out trying to hear herself. My bass wasn't going through the PA, so I had my amp really cranked so it was almost all I could hear (besides the drums). Good thing I brought the big high wattage rig. Got a great compliment from the sound man though, who asked afterwards how long Pete and I had been playing together…he said it was nice to hear the bass and the kick drum actually hitting together for once. Yeah, we lock in pretty well.

Friday, June 7th, 2002
The Rock Bottom, Seattle, WA
After many months of playing the Rock Bottom in Bellevue, we booked a show at the Seattle location. Susan asked our friends Superlush to open the show. And it just so happens that Superlush asked me and Pete to play with them, Pete on drums and me playing extra guitar. Susan has had a terrible cold all week and there was a last minute scramble to find someone to play yet another set to save Susan from singing two hours. Tim Garon, from Nearly Dan, was recruited to play a solo acoustic set to open up. Due to the fact that setting up the stage requires the vacating and moving of some tables, and some people didn't seem to want to leave, we were well behind schedule. Tim played a short set, then we set up Superlush. Now, I'm not used to playing guitar on stage with a band, so this was a new experience for me. I've never had to deal with so many cables! I used my new Carvin AE185, which has 2 outputs for acoustic and electric. We had a few rehearsals with the band, and this was their debut as Superlush since changing their name from Quistaday. We played pretty well, but had to cut the set short to stay on schedule. A few rough spots did happen, but it was great fun. I am humbled to be standing next to a great guitarist like Chad Quist. I don't feel like I should even be holding a guitar in the same room with him. And I shouldn't have a mic near me with Liz Aday over there singing her guts out. Anyway, it was a good time and we play again on Tuesday! See the Superlush website for some pictures from the show.

Then it was time to make the switch to my bass, but not before Susan's and my duet rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide". Such a beautiful song and Susan sings it so magically (even with a cold). I am so lucky to have the opportunity to work with such incredible singers! I love great singers. I had some trouble getting the sound I wanted from my bass amp, Brian Lake of Superlush used my rig and made some adjustments. I forgot to take a look at my settings before we started and kept messing around with it between songs. Susan managed to make it through the show without completely losing her voice. She tailored the set list specifically to keep the high notes to a minimum. She wanted to be able to sing at the gig the following night! (see above)

Saturday, June 8th, 2002
Zoka Coffee, Seattle, WA
Upon arrival at the gig, the gentleman behind the counter informed Susan that "it's finals week, and we don't usually book music during finals week." Apparently, they tried calling Susan a few times but kept getting some strange beeping. Turns out they had the number wrong. I guess emailing, or checking the web site for how to contact her was too difficult…(blame it on Mercury retrograde!) They let us play only one set instead of two. Whatever! Susan's voice might only last that long! We set up behind a little curved wall overlooking the coffee shop. I offered Mike to try my new Carvin AE185 acoustic/electric, since he was going straight into the PA. It sounded really fantastic! He was so impressed with it and kept complimenting me on it. We had a good little show, and Susan even got a nice email the next day from a gentleman who happened to be there and really enjoyed the music. It just goes to show, you never know who might be watching, and music can touch people when you least expect it!

Tuesday, June 11th, 2002
(Performing on guitar with Superlush)
Irish Emigrant, Seattle, WA
This was a cute little Irish pub in the U-district. Sound system was rather minimal and the stage was small. But that didn't prevent us from rocking! It was very hot and halfway through the set I thought my guitar was out of tune, so I attempted to tune it with my tuner between songs. The tuner said it was flat…and sharp. At the same time? Argh! The tuner's battery was dying. I didn't have time to get it right and struggled with it for the next two songs. The monitors were lacking and made for some difficulty with vocals. (But Liz kicks ass even when she can't hear herself.) We all felt a little "off", but it wasn't all that bad. I have to be careful not to bash the heck out of my guitar. It can't take it like a bass can. A little more delicate.

Friday, June 14th, 2002
Downtown Lounge
Eugene, OR
Very very hot driving down. The last time we played in Eugene it was a Wednesday. This time it was Friday and a bit more hoppin'. This was one of the most fun shows we've had. Road trips with Susan and the guys is always an adventure, and always a joy. It's nice to be able to enjoy being cooped up in a van with 4 people and still like them all by the end of it. Pete figured out a convenient way to rig up Susan's in-ear monitor so she can actually use it on stage. This made a huge difference for her, since she could really hear herself and properly gauge all her special nuances. And it made her very happy, which makes us all happy! We seemed to gel nicely, and the onstage sound was blended well. Afterwards we drove 3 hours to Medford and got a hotel room to get a few hours sleep. Next morning it was on to San Francisco.

Saturday, June 15th, 2002
Tongue And Groove
San Francisco, CA
Our first gig in San Francisco, and it was great. The club is a cool little joint, great sound system and the engineer actually cared. He even had me switch my cable out during our set, because my bass was buzzing (it didn't help). Hell of a time finding parking for the van and trailer. It was worse than Seattle. I got to meet a guy named Chucko who I chat with on Carvin's discussion board. Very nice of him to make the effort to come to the show! He even liked it. We played pretty well too. Susan is still getting over the cold she's had the past couple weeks, yet still sounded in fine form. I hope we can get down there again and spend more than 5 hours. We had to head straight home as soon as we loaded out, and drove all night. Stopped in Eugene again to drop Dave off at his parents house, and 4 of us continued on home. Pretty loopy by the time we got here. The jokes just get filthier and filthier…

Saturday, June 22, 2002
(performing on drums with The Safety Skirts)
Mulleady's, Seattle, WA
My debut as a live drummer! It went off without a hitch, for the most part. Mulleady's is a cozy little Irish pub in Magnolia with a very small stage, but just big enough for the 3 of us. Good thing I decided to use Pete's small drum kit! Besides, it's very cute. Michele and Becca, my skirt-mates, rocked. Pete helped out with the sound and we all felt pretty good about the whole thing and had lots of fun. Being a drummer (in public) is a new role for me, although I've played for many years. Having a good understanding of drumming helps me to be a better rhythm section player. Becca's bass playing is tight and we locked up really well. It's great musical experience to switch around and see how a band works from another instrument's perspective. Then when I get back to my main life as a bassist, I translate it all back to the bass.

Friday, June 28, 2002
Victor's Coffee, Redmond, WA
Another packed house at the intimate Victor's. We love this place! Great show, I felt really on with Pete. We can really groove nicely even with just the snare and a bass.

BUMMER! We were scheduled to play two shows on Sunday, June 30th, 2002. Seattle's Gay Pride Fest in the afternoon, then the Alliance Against Domestic Violence at the Emerald Queen Casino in the evening. However, Susan had a relapse of the sore throat and her doctor strongly advised her to cancel the performances.

Saturday, July 6, 2002
Long Beach Summerfest, Long Beach, WA
Every weekend in the summer, the city of Long Beach hosts live outdoor music. They asked us to play, and we spent a couple days there enjoying ourselves. Everyone got to bring their Significant Others for the weekend. Nice outdoor stage under a tent, and we played as the sun went down. Pete was feeling the effects of the cold that's been going around, and at one point I noticed he looked like he was falling asleep while playing. He was losing energy (his autopilot was failing!) so I stood next to him to perk him up and he didn't see me for awhile. His head was down…finally he looked up to see me standing there and snapped out of it! Poor Pete. We were supposed to play for a bit longer but Susan was still recovering from the same type of cold/sore throat. The audience was mostly middle-aged to older folks, and they seemed to enjoy the show…at least they were sitting there listening. They didn't clap a whole lot though and nobody laughed at Susan's jokes. "Tough crowd!" Susan, Sean (the handsome Scotsman), Pete and I had a FANTASTIC dinner that night at a place called The Shoalwater. And oh, the wine. Dave, Kelly, Michael and Kristen had already headed home so they missed out.

Friday, July 19, 2002
YMCA (on drums with The Safety Skirts)
We set up in a very live conference-looking room with windows all along one side. The PA that was set up in there was about 10 times too big for the room. Really, there is no need to mic a drum kit in a room like that. Pete, my drum roadie for the night, forgot to pack the hi hat cymbals. So I needed to ask the drummer in another band if I could borrow his, but the guy was nowhere to be found. Finally, just as we were about to begin our set, he showed up and graciously let me use his whole hi hat stand. We made it through the set very smoothly, but it was hard to hear. I tried to keep it down, and "play the room" as Pete advised me to do. This is easier said than done, but I did the best I could. Oh yeah, there were very few people there.

Saturday, July 20, 2002
Bite Of Seattle (With Peter Tammetta)
Pete and I were asked by Dave Loy, Susan's keyboard player, if we could play this one gig with his friend Peter Tammetta. We said "uh, sure!" and had one rehearsal. Luckily, it's nothing too difficult. Peter is a cool singer/songwriter, and we enjoyed bringing his music to life. It was a crunch to learn the songs in such a short time, during a very busy time with other projects, but we managed (with the help of some hastily written cheat sheets!) I played my newly acquired Fender Jazz Bass (Geddy Lee signature model) on this gig, it seemed the most appropriate thing to use. Nice bass, for a 4 string! I do enjoy not having the extra choice of low notes. I can say all I need with 4, it's a refreshing change and feels very comfortable. I ran it through an SWR SM-900, which I've been wanting to check out, into an Ampeg 8x10. I need to get me one of those SWR heads. I like it a lot. The show was at noon before it got too hot.

Sunday, July 21, 2002
Bite Of Seattle (With Susan Robkin)
At the Bite again, this time it's the hottest time of day and we had the sun in our faces. The stage was already baking when we got up there. At the Bite, the backline (drum kit and amps) is provided so I don't need to haul my amp. But it's a crap shoot as to what amp I'll have to play through. This year it was a Gallien-Krueger through two very beat up Hartke cabs. I used this set up another year and didn't like the sound of it. Wasn't much better this time! Some national act played before us and were still in the "green room" (a tent off the side of the stage) signing autographs. We were not allowed to go in to get any water. Um hello, it's about 90 degrees, and we are dehydrated! Finally we were given some room temperature water. I can't begin to describe how hot it was up there. I was soaked by the second song. Our interim guitarist Shane was fun to bounce around with on stage. About halfway through the set Susan felt like she was going to throw up, or pass out. Either one would have made some good press….but she did manage to sing her way through to the end. It was hard. I felt pretty light headed up there and exhausted by the end of 45 minutes. Great crowd though.

Saturday, July 27, 2002
Cheers West, Tacoma (With DivaRock)
Diva Rock is a revue-style tribute to women rock singers, specifically Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, Pat Benatar and Tina Turner (and more to be added). It's organized by singer Liz Aday (of Superlush), who performs as both Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar. Trish Burke performs as Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. Chad Quist (also of Superlush) is the musical director/guitarist, Pete is there on drums, and Ed Weber (M.D. for Nearly Dan - the music of Steely Dan) is on keys. This is an all-star cast, and what a blast we all had playing the show. Liz and Trish go all out with wigs, makeup and costumes. They also sing their characters incredibly well and even had me feeling like I was actually playing with the real ladies. This was the debut of this new show, and we are pretty excited about the possibilities of where we can go with it, not just in a paid gig way, but in a fun way because we actually love the music. Great sound system at Cheers West. The monitors were LOUD on stage, I didn't realize it until later. I haven't played such a loud show in a long time, but it sounded good! I could actually hear my vocals, which is very important when you're backing up Stevie Nicks. The sound was run during the show by George, who does monitors for Queensryche when they tour. He was very interesting to talk to. Yet another sweat-soaked show.

Saturday, August 3, 2002
Mulleady's, Seattle, WA (on drums with The Safety Skirts)
The Safety Skirts rocked Magnolia once again. We are getting more comfortable as a band on stage. I entertained everyone with my stick-twirling schtick. My drumming has improved so much that Pete even thought we were good! Well, he says we all have made great progress in the last several months. That's pretty good, huh. He noticed my proper wrist technique. Of course I learn from the best…

Saturday, August 24th, 2002
NBA Rhythm 'n Rims at Seattle Center
Wow, what a cool huge stage. It was so huge I even brought my huge rig, for the first time since I don't know when. Wow, awesome sound system. Killer engineers. And they put out really yummy cookies for us. Hm. Too bad nobody was there to see it. Unless you happened to be driving by or shopping at Tower Records across the street… We debuted our new lineup, featuring guitarist Theron Andrews. He has jumped into the vacant guitar position with reckless abandon and is effortlessly fitting right in. Unfortunately, we played to a mostly empty parking lot, as background music for an NBA event which was going on across the lot (a bunch of kids shooting hoops with their favorite NBA stars). At the end of each song, about 3 people clapped, and they were the crew. It was a real Spinal Tap moment. Oh well, it was a great rehearsal for Theron.

Saturday, August 24th, 2002
Rock Bottom, Bellevue, WA
Back at our old haunt. We had been asked a few months ago to be the "house band", which would mean playing twice a month. Then they got a new manager. Now we're re-established and should be back to a regular gig there. David's friend Peter Tammetta opened up for us, and he sounded great. Theron did fantastic job, having learned 90 minutes of material in just a few weeks.

Thursday, August 29th, 2002
Sit 'n Spin, Seattle, WA (on drums with The Safety Skirts)
Wow, what a cool huge stage! No really…the Sit 'n Spin has just about the coolest stage in town, and great sound. I never imagined actually playing drums on a real stage like that. (Well, of course I imagined it…just never thought it would happen. Now I gotta start thinking about the Key Arena…) Thankfully, we were the only full band on the bill, and were able to set up early, soundcheck, then leave all the gear up while the other acoustic acts played. We went on last and had a grand old time rocking away. Michele and Becca sounded great and we were all thrilled to have the opportunity to play this respected venue. People seemed to like us. Pete kept telling me to hit the snare harder so it would come through, so I did. Afterwards I had blisters! A small sacrifice for the rocking that needed to be done. Thanks to Roxy And Clark for asking us to be on the bill.

Wednesday, September 4th, 2002
Crocodile, Seattle, WA
Great show at a great venue. The sound here is killer, and everyone complimented us saying it was the best they'd heard us sound ever. Those who had not yet seen Theron were also very impressed. We had John run lights, which added a lot to the drama. Headlining was 21 year old sensation Brandi Carlile, celebrating the release of her CD. She also brought a nice crowd who were kind enough to watch our set too. Also appearing was Kirsten Candy and her band, from California. They were really cool too.

Saturday, September 7th, 2002
Acoustic Living Room, Federal Way, WA
The Acoustic Living Room is a house concert series hosted by Jay and Gwen. They serve a delicious dinner to all the guests, who are very receptive to the artists. For our show, there was a standing-room only crowd, and a waiting list more than 20 people long in the event of last minute cancellations (of which there were none). Jay even presented Susan's parents, who were in attendance, with a gift basket of goodies. We played a very stripped down show, as Pete was not there. He was hiking in the mountains with his family on a pack trip. Theron played acoustic guitar, David was on piano, and I played fretless bass. It is a testament to the songs that we didn't need to make too many arrangement changes for them to come across properly. Susan was in fine form, it was like we were on VH-1 Storytellers. She had something interesting and/or funny to say about almost every song! To end, she and I played a special version of Landslide with our hostess Gwen singing a beautiful harmony part. Lots of love in the room, and a very satisfying gig.

Sunday, September 15th, 2002
Seattle Peace Concert, Volunteer Park - Seattle, WA
I was all excited to find out that a backline would be provided for all the bands on the show. I was tired having gotten back late the night before from seeing Rush at the Gorge (OH MY GOD, Geddy Lee.) So it was nice not to have to haul the gear. Imagine the blood draining from my face when we get there and I see what it is I'd be playing through…turns out the bass amp they were expecting was being brought by a band playing later, so it wasn't there yet. But, thoughtfully, the guys putting on the show "put something together". Namely, a small Peavey guitar amp daisy chained with some nameless 15-inch cab in a cream colored box. It might have been homemade, even. Thank the good lord the soundman had a direct box. At first they were actually going to mic the 15 and run it through the PA, but I told them "Oh….I wouldn't do that…I'm almost positive that whatever comes out of that speaker isn't going to sound very good." Amazingly, it was ok. It was just enough that I could hear myself, although it farted out when I really dug in (like any guitar amp would…just like the old days before I had a bass amp so I just played through a guitar amp!) but I was confident that nobody in the audience would hear it since my Roscoe sounds pretty darn good going direct through a PA. Actually the soundman was Ricky, who did our sound at the Bite last July when it was a thousand degrees and Susan almost barfed on stage from the heat. Not much crowd there, it was looking like rain but never did. There was one very interesting character who was really gettin' down with a tree, and some watermelon which he rubbed all over himself. Looked like an acid casualty from the sixties.

Saturday, September 21st, 2002
Private Party - Duvall, WA
Susan's brother hired us to play at his neighborhood block party. We set up in a cul-de-sac and played as the neighborhood children frolicked and the parents sat around a enjoyed a barbecue. Good cookies.

Saturday, October 5th, 2002
Starbucks, Kirkland, WA
Yet another lovely acoustic gig. Susan had me learn Love Is Something, which is the secret track on her "Horse of a Different Color" album. We played it as a duet to start off the second set. The other highlight of the evening was our performance of a brand new song (Sad Boy), just completed the week before. We hadn't rehearsed it in the acoustic setting, so I didn't know if it would come across well, but it did. We play there again in November.

Saturday, November 2, 2002
Starbucks, Kirkland, WA
(See previous month's entry - ha ha!) I like free coffee! We had a fine evening with a full house of friends and family. It was a bit chilly in there by the window, but we warmed up halfway through the first set. At the end, somebody requested our cover of Garrison Star's "Superhero", which we had rehearsed only once with Dave and Theron. After a quick review of the changes we played through it. The last time we played that song was last year, when Jess and Josh were still in the band.

Tuesday, November 12th, 2002
Q13 Morning News. Seattle, WA
To promote the upcoming GoGirlsMusic benefit for Hepatitis C awareness, we along with Kellee Bradley and Alice Stuart showed up at 7 am to play live on the Q13 News. Pete and I managed to get there in time in spite of waking up 5 minutes before time to leave the house. I set the alarm for pm instead of am! Pete was the drum kit provider, so it was kind of important for us to get there. Kellee's band played first, then Alice and her band, then Susan with us. We all got 2 quick segments, enough for half a song or so as the program cut to commercials. One of the songs we performed was so brand new it had not been played in front of an audience yet. Seemed to go over pretty well. There was one last segment available which was given to Alice Stuart, the blues legend. What a cool lady!

Friday, November 15th, 2002
KZOK 102.5 Bob Rivers Morning Show, Seattle, WA
Susan, Theron, Pete and I arrived at 8:45 am to play a live acoustic song on the Bob Rivers Show. I have to say these guys, Bob, Spike and Joe, are some of the funniest radio guys ever. We listen to them pretty often in the mornings. It was a pleasure to meet them and see what they actually look like, and put an image to the voices and the funny chatter we enjoy so much. Susan may as well be a regular on the show, because she fits right in with their humor. She'd been on once before and they had fun with her and were glad to have her back. Theron and I played acoustic guitars, Pete had the djembe. We stood around in the small control room and played "Everything You/Everything Me" after Bob had Susan explain about the Hep-C benefit. Her shiny pants were quite the conversation maker too.

Friday, November 15th, 2002
Experience Music Project, JBL Theater, Seattle, WA
GoGirlsMusic Fest and benefit for Hep-C Awareness
Wow, this was so cool! The EMP knows how to treat artists! The JBL Theater is an intimate little venue. They provided all the backline gear so no hauling. Because of time restrictions, each of the 5 artists performing had to play short sets. Kelly Zirbes started off with a solo set. She is the roaming spokesperson for this cause and has appeared at all the GoGirlsMusic Fests across the country. Then we took the stage and played 6 songs. I played a borrowed Tobias bass that is very nice! After us was Kellee Bradley and her band, then Alice Stuart. This lady plays a mean Tele! I've been told she inspired Bonnie Raitt back in the day. And finally, my favorite performance of the night, Superlush (because they rarely play out live). This time I was in the audience to enjoy the magic of the spectacular Liz Aday and Chad Quist. Brian Lake and Josh Woodman joined them for a set of mellow, depressing songs. Ah, it was wonderful, and the night was over too soon. I wish every band could have played longer. Some pictures of the evening can be seen here.

Saturday, November 23rd, 2002
The Shoboat, Tacoma, WA
Great show, and turns out the last of the year for the band. Dave had another gig in Seattle this night and barely made it down to Tacoma in time for us to go on, but he did make it! My friends Rain and Cascia were there and took bunches of pictures for us. I used a Tobias 5 string bass I just acquired and am very happy with (thanks Bil)! We played a number of our new songs which went over nicely.

Thursday, December 12, 2002
Open Circle Theater Greatest Hits show, Seattle, WA
(with The Safety Skirts)
An interesting show...The Open Circle Theater is a small indie theater group that is celebrating it's 10 year anniversary with a cabaret-style "greatest hits" from the last 10 years of original plays. After the performance they invite local bands to perform in the small theater for a little after-show party with the cast and audience. The stage was a little weird, with the PA speaker far above and behind us, and no monitors, but we managed ok. We debuted a few brand new songs and there were actually people DANCING to our cover of N*sync's "Bye Bye Bye". That is a first for me as a drummer.

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