rubes

Brown M&Ms or not?

Playing in The Larry Bagby Band has afforded me the opportunity to do some neat stuff. Lots of traveling. We just got back from the Sundance Film Festival, playing a few shows there and in surrounding environs. Utah is a mighty strange place, and that's another story for another day. But we made some friends in Salt Lake, Provo, and Park City, and we're psyched to see them again.

But I've been called upon to do things in this band I wasn't quite prepared for. I'm used to being on call for whatever instrument needs me. So far in this band I've been playing guitar, bass, and standup bass; whatever the gig and band lineup calls for. Mighty fun. But my formidable administrative talents have suddenly been called into play also, and I have been tasked with composing our contract rider for a big upcoming gig in Tulsa, OK (where the wind comes right behind the rain, goddamnit...), apparently opening for Crystal Gayle. I'll believe that when I'm on the plane coming home, with fond memories of slurping on her earlobes. How I got into all this country music lunacy is also, thankfully, a story for another day.

For those unfamiliar, a contract rider is that "professional musician" tome you attach to an engagement contract which specifies absolutely everything you need as a band for every show. Everything from power specs to stage dimensions to monitor/FOH requirements to the height of the drum riser, and, most importantly, backstage/hospitality arrangements. Remember Van Halen and the brown M&Ms? Nigel Tufnel and the small bread? As David Lee Roth said, if you don't tell them what you want, you just don't get nuthin'.

Now, it's kind of a treat to be in a position where as a band you actually need to provide a rider. It means you've reached a point, for the moment anyway, where there is at least an assumption that you're being taken care of, and that your time, energy, effort, and performance are valued and appreciated. A step closer to the grown-ups table, if you will. I'm excited to compose this thing, keeping in mind that we're the rookies on this bill, and that I can't ask for imported French sparkling mineral water with every other bubble removed from the bottle. But I've been examining some riders from big bands to get a clue how to proceed. If you want a little hilarious insight into how the big bands behave before the house lights go down, have a look at this:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/index.html

There are a lot of good ones. Hands down, Iggy Pop's is the best. Whoever wrote that knew how to get exactly what he wanted without being a self-important music industry fop. Frankly I was expecting more hilarity from Guns 'N' Roses; all they seemed to want was wine and porn. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

monotone

Just got a reasonably favorable review at a British website:

http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/index.php?db=national&page=reviews,review&id=5962

I just gotta learn how to sing I guess.

See you tonight at the Dragonfly in Hollywood.

I just might rather be in Idaho

In the driving snow, even.

Traveling with The Larry Bagby Band through the frigid tundra in Utah and Idaho, having a degenerate Nixon-era-like ball, Idaho State froshling orientation meltdown gig notwithstanding. All the same it's always refreshing, especially at 20 degrees, to be appreciated as a musician.

LA: "Get the hell off the stage. Now."

Idaho Falls: "OK, just come back in a couple hours and we'll have a whole PA for you. And a bass amp. And anything else we can cobble together for you. YOU!! And we don't even know you, but we like you already."

LA: "You want what? Fuck you. Twice."

IF: "Wine? At our beautiful wine bar? Have all you want. In fact, now that you're done with your fabulous set that you concocted out of thin air at the very last minute in the snow, each one of you please take a bottle home."

LA: "Oh. Right. You're playing here tonight. Hhhhuuuuhhhggg. That'll be $200 please."

IF: "You did such a wonderful job tonight. Everybody loved you. We're ashamed and mortified that we can only pay you $200. And we humbly marvel that there's only $300 in the tip jar."

LA: "Buy me a drink. No, make it five drinks because I'm so very talented."

IF: "Let us buy you a drink, because thank you for bringing your talents to us."

Us: "Um...Wha...Why is everybody here so nice and friendly and helpful?"

IF: "Welcome to Idaho. We really like you."

A truism; sometimes you gotta take it to where it ain't. And that can be really, really hard, especially since sometimes you really don't know where you're going. Witness our gig at Vino Rosso in Idaho Falls tonight. We booked the gig from the road, an hour before we loaded in, and absolutely slayed. They bent over backwards to welcome and accomodate us, and sang along until we were all purple in the face. So much fun.

And new songs in the works too! I've been recording up at GetReel Productions in SF with Robby P., and getting some truly wondrous sounds. "Ticket To Mexico" and "True North" are the two great big songs in the offing, and as soon as I can clear my throat I'll be able to "sing" them and they'll be done. A new EP is on the way soon, so kindly stay tuned if you will.