geez, ya'll are still here?

[kidsmoke*]

Thanks for the welcome. The name change happened a few years back. Wanted to be uniform as much as possible across forums when tapatalk kicked in.

You know I became a GREAT uncle yesterday, My folks first GREAT grandchild, born in the fine town of Plymouth MA. It's basically the center of the universe for my family this Thanksgiving. My nephew and his wife each lived their entire lives there. He's a town engineer and she's a school teacher. They're invested, you could say.

the band: 8 piece soul band. Started by myself and my Italian ex-pat buddy who ALWAYS wanted to have a "Commitments" style band, but doesn't sing and didn't know many people in Chicago. We became friends through guitars, and one evening he was at an open mic and I was covering Otis with another buddy...bam, he was relentless and we put a band together for a single 30 min set, and people had so much fun, we kept it going for 2 years now. We're a bunch of amateurs with one notable exception, our Bari Sax player has toured professionally for years. Really, we're a showcase for the horn section, the rest of us doing our best to present a decent framework for them. We started to gain some traction and actually get some decent paying gigs in between bar gigs where we're lucky if the house allows us a drink tab.

recent set list:

Knock on Wood / Eddie Floyd
Who's Makin' Love / Johnnie Taylor
Tell Mama / Etta
Hold On I'm Comin / Sam & Dave
Tryin to Live My Life Without You / Otis clay
Shotgun / Jr. Walker
That's What Love Will Make You do / Little Milton
Try a Little Tenderness / Redding
Nutbush City Limits Tina Turner
Land Of 1000 Dances / Pickett
Dancin' to The Beat / Clarence Murray
You Know I'm No good / Winehouse
Vehicle/ Ides of March
Letter/ Cocker

That was a 45 min set we did on a showcase night with 4 bands, but it gives you an idea. We'll throw in a couple suprise gems for folks...Them Changes by Buddy Miles or Pick up the pieces by AWB...always catches them off guard. Not your usual bar cover band fare.

Most of all, at 50, I'm still stretching my comfort zone and having a ball with good friends, so I consider it a smashing success.

Thanks for asking

[helliott***]

Man, that is a cool set list. Do you have a female vocalist or do the tunes with female leads get done by male singers? I'd love to hear that show.

[kidsmoke*]

Man, that is a cool set list. Do you have a female vocalist or do the tunes with female leads get done by male singers? I'd love to hear that show.

Yes, Cathy is an Irish red head on keys and vocals. myself on Lead vocals and guitar:Acoustic rhythm on tunes such as "into the mystic" and "you are the best thing" and "sittin' on the dock of the bay", electric "texture" on tunes like gimme some lovin, them changes, who's makin' love, The only tune my electric is out front on is pick up the pieces, since there is no vocal, i can focus. It's a repetetive stacatto riff, in a tune that, if not tite, shouldn't be played.

bass
drums
lead guitarist
bari sax
trumpet
and a dude that is a ringer, plays tenor sax, but also slings a mean harp and has a wonderful smoky blues voice, which we indulge on longer nights.