Last week was about as crazy, as it can get. In the music business, things change and often do, in an instant. If you'll recall, we were preparing to have rehearsal, with our new bass player, Carlos, this past weekend. In addition, we are now booking ourselves, and I was getting used to, yet, another new amp. Please don't laugh. I've finally got my amp dilemma solved! I promise! I picked up an old Marshall JCM 900, that dates back to 1992. The thing simply rocks, and I have no plans of getting rid of it. I've also got the Vintage Club 50, out of the shop, so all is good.
I was spending last Thursday, getting used to the amp, and preparing for our rehearsal. As a matter of fact, I got so carried away, that I forgot to publish my blog post. I realized this at about midnight. Oops! Oh well, no one would notice, right? Wrong! I received an email from Roy, the next morning, saying how disappointed he was. Of course, he was just joking around.
Roy was also very busy this past week, with preparing the technical side of rehearsal. With us going to live bass, we decided that now was the time to have Cisco move from percussion, to a full on drum kit. The only reason, we hadn't done this before, is that we worried about the volume increase, plus we needed to come up with a monitor solution, for Cisco. We are still going to be using click tracks on some of the songs, and we had to figure out a way for Cisco to hear the click track. We do not have the funds, at present time, to invest in an in ear monitoring system. Roy spent the week, figuring out a solution to all of this. Don't ask me how, that is way outside my area of expertise. I'm sure if you want to find out more, you can email him, and he will let you know what he was doing.
So, Friday rolls around, and as soon as I arrived home, I get a call from Roy. I knew something serious must be up, if he is calling me. We rarely talk on the phone. We usually are able to get our business done, through email or text. Anyway, he proceeds to tell me, that Carlos is not going to make it to rehearsal. Some issues had come up, that were going to prevent him from being there. I can't begin to tell you, how bummed I was. I had been looking forward to this, for weeks.
We were trying to figure out what to do. I called Cisco, to get his take. We all three, discussed several options. We decided that we would get together, regardless, as we wanted to test out Cisco's in ear monitoring system. This was something we were going to have to do anyway, if we were going to bring in a full drum kit.
Meanwhile, Roy said he was going to reach out to Brian. In case you forgot, Brian, was one of the bass players that auditioned for us back in June. Brian is a great player, and has an awesome personality. If you'll remember, we had a very difficult time making a decision between Carlos and Brian. The main reason for selecting Carlos over Brian, was that Carlos and Cisco had worked together before. We thought that maybe their familiarity with each other might be a better fit. Playing ability wise, I think that they are equal.
Roy kept updating me through the evening. I went to the First Friday Festival in Aledo, with my family, and had some of the best Cajun Fried Okra, ever! Man, it was spicy, but so good! To make a long story short, it seemed like Brian was still interested in working with us, but wouldn't be available for Saturday. No big deal, and totally understandable, given the short notice. I have to be honest though, I was majorly bummed and didn't even want to go to rehearsal, the next day. I went home, and finally published, my way overdue blog post. I had to do quite a bit of re-writing, due to the circumstances. After that, I played a little Xbox 360, and went to bed.
The next morning I got up, ate some breakfast, and then prepared to go to Roy's for rehearsal. I was more bummed, then the night before, but trudged on.
As I was driving to Roy's, I received a text from him, that Brian was going to stop by! Man, I was elated! I was so glad to hear this news. When I arrived at Roy's, he met me out front, and said he had offered the job to Brian, and that Brian wanted it. I was more then ok, with this!
I want to stop here, and thank Carlos for his time. He is really talented. Unfortunately, his schedule is just too full. He mentioned to us that he plays in six different bands! This past Saturday, was a crucial practice for us, and had been on the schedule for quite awhile. We were afraid that there would be too many scheduling conflicts, with Carlos. He does this for a living, so income is crucial for him. We sent him an email, on Saturday, advising him that it was not going to work out. He responded back, later that evening, that he understood, and wished us the best. We want to wish him, all the best, as well.
Brian showed up and jammed with us, for quite awhile. I was amazed that he still remembered the songs, from a couple of months ago. We went over GPS, I'll Just Have A Beer, What Kind Of Life Is This, Carry Me Home, Fried Okra, and Rodeo Radio. I also showed him the chords to Into The Night, and Sing Along, and we ran through those, as well. He did a fantastic job! He also brought over a new bass, that he had just purchased. You know me, I'm a gear hound, and I love checking it out, whether it's mine, or someone else's. Anyway, Brian ordered a custom Ernie Ball 5 string bass. This thing is bad! It has a maple fret board, and a really pretty blue body. He told us, that this was the first time he had really been able to put it through it's paces. He sounded great on it. Brian and Cisco hit it off as well. I know that they will form a solid rhythm section. Brian has also been sending me venues, to try and get into. We've communicated, via email, quite a bit this week. We hope to have several show announcements, in the near future.
Ok, that's all I've for now. So, until next time, please remember that the road goes on forever, and the party never ends-REK. See ya, and thanks for reading!
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