Busy Bee

[Brian Krashpad]

Pray for me dudes, here's my schedule for the next week:

WED:
Get van brakes worked on; work @ office; gig w/acoustic band Cinnamon Hill @ Downtown Farmer's Market 4:00-6:00

TH:
Pick up van from shop; work @ office, rehearsal w/"church" side band Pedagogy 6:15-8:15

FRI:
Work @ office;gig w/C. Hill @ 7:30 downtown, gig w/Pedagogy @ 9:30 at venue near campus

SAT:
Go to music fest and take notes and photos for magazine article; rehearsal w/church praise band

SUN:
Pre-service rehearsal w/church praise band @ 9:30 a.m., then play service at 11:00 a.m.; type up magazine article, load pics onto computer, send article and photos to magazine

If I count right, that's 7 rehearsals or performances in 5 days.

[Spudman***]

Welcome to the club. Don't forget your Geritol. I know...I should talk.

Really, you'll do great. You're experienced and a pro...right?

[Brian Krashpad]

The funny thing is, it's not the playing part that concerns me so much as the running all over creation part.

[Ch0jin]

Well you know, if you were close by I'd offer to help out with the photography and journalism side of things, two things I can do significantly better than I play guitar haha.

[Brian Krashpad]

Well you know, if you were close by I'd offer to help out with the photography and journalism side of things, two things I can do significantly better than I play guitar haha.

Thanks, but no worries.

I actually enjoy the journalism gig-- did it for years and years for free (well, there were some perks-- guestlisting and free CD's) at other magazines. This'un is my own column (even with byline pic!), and the editor is an old college bud of mine, so I need to stay on the up-and-up.

Besides, this magazine actually PAYS me. In money and everything.

It ain't much, but every little bit helps. Easy money, plus it gives me an excuse 4 times a year to go to a show I'm not playing at.

I intended to go to a show last Thursday night, but I was behind the 8-ball on a work project that needed to be completed the and had to scrub it. Now I'm running up against my deadline. Still have a couple days to spare in case of emergency, but I'll feel better when it's done. And since I actually get paid, the missus can't complain that I'm wasting time.

[Monkus]

If I count right, that's 7 rehearsals or performances in 5 days.

Dont you just love it ?!?!?!!!!

[Brian Krashpad]

Dont you just love it ?!?!?!!!!

Aw yeah.

Just a bit frazzling trying to coordinate everything with the missus and 2 teenagers' schedules.

Yesterday I found out the Saturday praise band practice has been scrubbed since we're only doing 2 songs on Sunday. That will simplify my Saturday greatly.

[mainestratman]

I'm happy to compare schedules with just about anyone.. :-)

The playing 7 times in 5 days.. that's just cool. Make lots of guitar faces. :-D

[Brian Krashpad]

I'm happy to compare schedules with just about anyone.. :-)

The playing 7 times in 5 days.. that's just cool. Make lots of guitar faces. :-D

I'll be playing primarily mandolin with one band (Cinnamon Hill) and only bass guitar with Pedagogy. So I can make mandolin and bass faces too!

I don't think mandolinists make faces like guitarists and bassists, do they?

[mainestratman]

Good point about mandolins..

I also play mandolin, and while gigging with one, I know I'd try to make faces while tearing up a reel or jig (Irish stuff)... but it's so HARD when you're holding an instrument like a mandolin... I wound up just smirking a lot.

Now a bouzouki... there's an instrument you can make faces with...

[Brian Krashpad]

Good point about mandolins..

I also play mandolin, and while gigging with one, I know I'd try to make faces while tearing up a reel or jig (Irish stuff)... but it's so HARD when you're holding an instrument like a mandolin... I wound up just smirking a lot.

Now a bouzouki... there's an instrument you can make faces with...

Alas, I'm not nearly good enough on mando to do lead work yet. For the most part I just strum along. I'm surprised the C. Hill cats bother with me, they are gooooooooood.

[mainestratman]

It's all about attitude. :-)

[Brian Krashpad]

It's all about attitude. :-)

Haha, well I got THAT in spades!

Actually, in the C. Hill case, it's more like adding a little extra dash of aural color to something that's already sounding good. As you know, mando's tend to stand out in a mix with guitars and basses since the notes are in a higher register.

I'm trying to get to be a "utility infielder" type player who can play a variety of instruments passably well, and do whatever's necessary for a given song or group of players. I'm decent enough (for the types of music I like, which generally do not require high levels of virtuosity) on guitar and bass, but still a novice on mandolin. The one thing I do have going for me on mando is that I'm experienced with playing live with other people, doing things like taking cues, knowing when to lay back or out, that sort of general "performance" knowledge. Without that I'd be toast!

[mainestratman]

Which, most likely, is why they hired you.

I know when I look for musicians to round out a lineup, I'll take attitude and some sort of real-life ability like yours over the "basement virtuoso" who has never been on stage.

[Brian Krashpad]

Thanks Mainer.

The gig at the Farmer's Market yesterday went pretty good. There's talk of me playing some guitar with Cinnamon Hill at the gigs that their regular electric guitarist can't make, but that would've required more set-up time than we ended up having, so I just chorded along on mando on all the songs. My main concern was just not trainwrecking anything, since there hasn't been a practice in a long time, and everyone else knows the songs better and is more expert on their instruments than I. I got through without making any real terrible blunders, which is about as good as I could hope for. If nothing else, years of live playing have ingrained an ability to "cover" mistakes so they're not very noticeable. A couple of the songs in the set I'd never heard, much less played before. So that was a little interesting.

There were probably several hundred people milling around at the various market stalls/tables, with a few dozen or so actually sitting and listening. A lady came up afterward and complimented us, and I think that the Farmer's Market people were pleased. Apparently there was a little minor band drama just before I arrived, where the gal singer got in a tiff with the acoustic guitarist/singer about where everyone was going to be onstage, but I was unaware it had happened until after the set. I ended up stage left of the acoustic guitarist although my preference is to be stage right (so I can see his guitar neck for visual cues easier) but that didn't hamstring me too much. Apparently, the coffee house C. Hill is playing Friday (I'll sit in until I have to leave for my other show) has also offered them Saturday, but I'm unsure whether they want to take the second night.

Tonight, practice with the "church" side rock band, Pedagogy, on bass.

1 down, 5 or 6 to go!

[mainestratman]

You're having entirely too much fun with this busy schedule!

Carry on!

[Brian Krashpad]

Last night was practice with Pedagogy at church. To save time (and my back) I played my bass through the PA. We started in the Fellowship Hall and then got kicked out when the choir showed up, so finished the last 3 songs over in the sanctuary up in the choir loft. The singer/band leader made me new cheats, since I lost my old ones at our last show. Good thing we ran a practice, because there were some typo's in the chord notations that needed fixing.

The singer has decided he wants to do one song on guitar rather than keys. Which is fine, although he also decided to change the song's key, which means my left hand placement had to be rethought, because I could no longer use some of the open notes I had been using. Still, although I had to really concentrate, I got through it OK. (But srsly, who plays a song in C#?)

Tonight: an hour with Cinnamon Hill on mandolin at 7:30 downtown outside of the coffee shop, then a quick jump in the van and over to the across-from-campus bar opening the Habitat for Humanity benefit, playing bass with Pedagogy.

The C. Hill thing tonight should be cool because it's "Art Walk," the last Friday of the month where the downtown galleries stay open through the evening and people go from shop to shop. Since we'll be outside a lot of people should hear us.

Looks like a repeat with C. Hill at the coffee shop downtown on Saturday is on! I may play some bass in addition to mandolin, if our bassist can't make it.

Two down and 5 to go!

[mainestratman]

[Brian Krashpad]

Rest of the craziness to be posted in the weekend thread:

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.ph...newpost&t=8893