Got a great gig at the Olympic Track and Field Trials, working with the City of Eugene Recreation Department. It started with a conversation at a party between me and my friend Craig, who is head of the department. I asked him what's up in City Rec and he said 'All trials, all the time'. Turns out they have a major role in setting up the kid friendly area known as the 'Starting Block'. I asked him a bunch of questions, mostly angling to see if there was a role for me to play there, and indeed there is.
The main feature of the starting block is a mini-pentathlon in which the kids can run a 40 meter dash, a short hurdles race, do a standing and a running long jump and a high jump as well. They will get timed, get a certificate etc. I asked if there was an emcee who would pump them up, call attention to the event etc. Craig said, 'keep talking'. And then I asked about the possibility of doing a group warm-up, because you don't want to put the kids on the starting line without a little warm-up. Craig said, 'keep talking'.
Apparently there is some big energy about branding Eugene as 'Track Town USA', and the three big players in the branding are Nike, The Oregon Track Club and the University of Oregon. Craig said that if I had a good song called 'Track Town USA' it might be very well received. So I got the idea to write that song, and then use it as an upbeat celebration tune that the kids could warm up to and then run their races.
I spent most of a week marinating on some ideas and eventually came up with what I think is a great song, the right words, the right spirit and the right energy. I told Craig that I had something for him to hear, and he set up a meeting with himself and Janet W, who is in charge of the Starting Block operation. The meeting was last Friday and I showed up with my laptop, a couple of speakers and the lyrics to the song for them to look at. They were both very into it, they want to have me onsite, in the role that I imagined for myself. It's a paying gig, not sure how much yet, but more importantly, it will be a visible role at a prestigious event, and if my imagination is correct, it will put this song into people's consciousness and video cameras.
Speaking of video, I wrote it as a soundtrack for a video, complete with Oregon imagery of waterfalls, rivers and rain as the backdrop for this incredible running history in this town. I hear that Nike is producing a big 'Track Town USA' video centered around the trials. Apparently they did the same thing 4 years ago but weren't happy with the results... too many talking heads holding forth about Track Town USA, rather than action and feeling. The video company which is doing the shooting also has a contract with the City of Eugene to produce a small video, so I have a very convenient 'in' to the guy who is responsible for the big project. Craig will put me in touch with him, and I'm hoping that he'll hear this song as a great theme for part of his Nike shoot. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he? And this is what I'm dreaming about. I'm going for it.
I guess the song is my homage to Eugene, my home for the past 3 decades. Now that I'm maybe pulling away from the town, it seems somehow appropriate that I'd write a love song to this place...
Pounding Away at the Portland Airport PDX
I remember on the journey back from Thailand how I would look longingly at the laptop owners who were happily pounding away while I was dying to check email, post on the blog or just get lost in cyber space. And now I have remedied that problem as here I am at gate C10, happily pounding away as I wait for the Denver flight to board. I had a great night in Portland, hung out with my friend and former softball coach Greg Wilbur, crashed at his place and he insisted on driving me to the airport this morning at 6:15am. He's up anyway, and wouldn't hear of me taking a taxi. So I ended up saving a bunch of money, because aside from the free lodging and ride, I was able to leave my car parked in front of his place where it will stay for the week that I'm in New York. I had been planning to spend a night in an airport hotel that lets you park for cheap, but then I realized I couldn't leave my accordion in the car because if the weather turned warm, the wax inside would melt and make it unplayable. So I went to plan B, which was better on every level. Not the least of which was that it was great to see Greg and Sandy and to catch up on some of the news.
The reason I had my instruments with me is because I had a Dia de los Ninos gig in Tualatin at 6:30pm yesterday. The gig went great, lots of kids, mostly Spanish speaking and I gave a strong performance, my Spanish was good, they were with me, and it was a 'success'. Took quite a bit of effort as they were a bit slow to warm, and there was a wide age range which makes it that much more challenging, but it came off great. Got them moving, singing some, participating in the story, all good. A nice way to earn $300. Muchas gracias.
And now it's off to New York to spend a week with my mom as she returns from a stay in rehab, after a bout with high blood pressure, a urinary tract infection and dehydration. She melted down at the Seder, got taken to the hospital by my brothers and it was a fairly substantial setback for her. She is now using a walker, though supposedly on the mend, and finally back home, as of yesterday. I'm looking forward to plugging in, helping to make some decisions, and basically be at her beck and call for the week. It will be good to see her and to be of service. My family stepped up big time and I need to be part of that as well. Lois totally deserves the support, and she's getting it.
Kinda hungry but resisting the urge... and God knows they won't feed you on the plane. But it's a two hour flight into Denver, then a three hour layover, so I'll just chill in my middle seat and then grab a bite in Colorado. And then I'll happily pound away in the airport... cause that's what we modern types do...
The reason I had my instruments with me is because I had a Dia de los Ninos gig in Tualatin at 6:30pm yesterday. The gig went great, lots of kids, mostly Spanish speaking and I gave a strong performance, my Spanish was good, they were with me, and it was a 'success'. Took quite a bit of effort as they were a bit slow to warm, and there was a wide age range which makes it that much more challenging, but it came off great. Got them moving, singing some, participating in the story, all good. A nice way to earn $300. Muchas gracias.
And now it's off to New York to spend a week with my mom as she returns from a stay in rehab, after a bout with high blood pressure, a urinary tract infection and dehydration. She melted down at the Seder, got taken to the hospital by my brothers and it was a fairly substantial setback for her. She is now using a walker, though supposedly on the mend, and finally back home, as of yesterday. I'm looking forward to plugging in, helping to make some decisions, and basically be at her beck and call for the week. It will be good to see her and to be of service. My family stepped up big time and I need to be part of that as well. Lois totally deserves the support, and she's getting it.
Kinda hungry but resisting the urge... and God knows they won't feed you on the plane. But it's a two hour flight into Denver, then a three hour layover, so I'll just chill in my middle seat and then grab a bite in Colorado. And then I'll happily pound away in the airport... cause that's what we modern types do...
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