Once again, the gig at Outres Market was a
little 'outre'. OK, I get it, that venue isn't for me. There were
sound problems, power outages, lots of clipping in the speakers, some
guy wanted to jam along on tenor sax and he was bad, let's see, what
else, the guys got a case of nerves or something, didn't play at their
best, missed cues, occasional 'deer in the headlights' stares, a
'headliner' with an attitude, a druggy
vibe in the venue itself (not that there's anything wrong with that),
and just like last time, I was anxious to get out of there soon after
the set was done. I didn't want to be around for the descent into
further bacchanalia when booze is abused, pipes are rife and words are
slurred. So I grabbed a tuktuk with Jelly and this guy Mitch and headed
back to town.
Mitch reported that there was some kind of music
jam at 'Snooky's' where there is a piano and a PA. He said that we
should go and support James (piano player) because he's been supportive
of us. So we popped in. I had a bass and guitar with me so I ended up
sitting in and backing up some of the musicians. I played a few of my
SE Asia tunes and they were extremely well received by the largely older
farang crowd. Hell, the tunes are about them, right....
'You see them walking down the avenue
She's twenty five, he's sixty two
And though it seems like they don't belong
There's something pulling and it's mighty strong
Same Same, everybody's in the game.
Same same, like a moth to the flame
He needs that honey, she needs that money
Same same....
I got to jam on piano, which I hadn't touched in the two months I've
been on the road, and that was GREAT! And it turns out that Snooky's is
the place where the Miss Sihanoukville event takes place in late March,
so I got a head start on that gig, met the owner, saw the layout, asked
a few questions. That one is gonna be a blast! Yep, I'm the new kid
(ahem) in town and people are really happy to have something different
happening... The way I see it, most musicians try really hard... too
hard, as if the idea was to knock the audience out with rhythm or speed
or volume. It feels like an assault more often than not, and I believe
it is based on a faulty premise... that you're supposed to impress folks
with a barrage. I think it's the opposite, leave space, play quietly
at times, change things up, make stuff up on the fly, be open to
surprises. Like Frank Sinatra says... 'Ya gotta swing, baby'.
Interestingly, after I had played some keys at Snooky's, the 'headliner
with an attitude' from the other venue came up to me all respectful and
nice. 'Nice to finally meet you, mate' (he's Aussie, good singer and
entertainer, notoriously mean to musicians he doesn't respect). I had
heard lots of tales of him being a total arrogant dick to a number of
folks, including friends of mine. I think he was impressed that I could
swing on the keyboard. interesting... Does this mean I can be an
arrogant dick too?
(don't answer, it's a rhetorical question)
Sorry for the lack of video or other documentation. (maybe I've just
been making up all this crap ho ho ho). I have a feeling the right
situation will open up and we'll roll some tape and upload. In the
meantime, another open mike tonight, more rehearsal today, a swim and a
stretch this morning, life is pretty sweet. Happy Year of the Snake.
(my year, in fact) sssssssss
As ye sow....
As ye sow, so shall ye reap, and we done
reaped us many bushels of great vibes and music this evening. I believe
that we spent 7 consecutive days of fairly serious rehearsal leading up
to tonight's 'Live Music Night' at Cafe Noir, on the beach. We were
the featured act this evening, played two sets with a break in between,
and it came off GREAT! People stayed, listened, danced, applauded and smiled at what we were laying down. They even threw a bunch of money in the hat when we were done... (more on that later).
It was really satisfying to be rewarded for the hard work that we put in, and the reward wasn't the cash, it was the music. We were swinging, we were loose, having big fun on stage, and grooving well. And it didn't come easy. I'm the 'musical director', quite a task master during rehearsals because I just can't stand it if it's not the way I want to hear it. Jelly and Simon are less experienced than me in this type of Latin, Cajun, Jazzy stew that we put together, and they are very open to what I was offering, so I would show Simon what the bass would do in a swing tune, would help Jelly find the right notes for the lines he was playing, work on flexible arrangements that we could vary on the bandstand depending on what was happening with the crowd. At times I went a little overboard with the critique, and I definitely came up against that part of myself that needs to control stuff. The guys would goof on me, and occasionally get ruffled, and I would sometimes get frustrated at being in the role I was in... but we got through it quite well, all things considered. Friends and co-creators. And to have it come together so great tonight... what a treat! and now we've got something.
Earlier in the day, while visiting Mike at the music store, I met the famous Bianco, who is an Italian sax/flute player, very good musician, and quite the character. Bianco is about my age, has long hair, looks like a bloated Guillermo Vilas ( the famous Argentinian tennis player from the 70s). He spent many years in South America, speaks Spanish, plays great, and we hit it off musically and otherwise. He was busking while we were playing our first set, but then he came and sat in on our second one.... fantastic!. By the time we were done, they were applauding a lot and I said, 'Isn't this the time we pass the hat or something' and in a flash, Bianco was in the crowd with his hat and he pulled in twenty five dollars to split with the band. And afterwards we got talking and he and I are going to busk together on Monday evening... work the string of restaurants, three songs in each, like a bunch of mariachis, pass the hat, on to the next place. Bianco is broke at the moment after buying a computer so he has to hustle (and he's been doing it for decades this way, so I'll get a little in-service training on how to busk). I never had the personality for it, never was that hungry where I had to do it, but it sounds like a lot of fun, especially alongside a great sax player. We're gonna play two songs, then I'll play the third one while he passes the hat, 'I'm good at it' he says.
And I was offered a really interesting gig for Valentine's Day, which is on Thursday. There is some Miss Sihanoukville competition and they need a musician to play live music for the ladies to move to, model their gowns to, keep the show running. I said, if there's a piano, that would be perfect, so they may try to rent one, but I could do it on guitar if I had to. A pretty good payday, free food and drink, but the best part will be to see the girls, their proud parents, the lecherous Farangs, the whole scene. I'm guessing it will be 'blog-worthy'. Stay tuned.
It was really satisfying to be rewarded for the hard work that we put in, and the reward wasn't the cash, it was the music. We were swinging, we were loose, having big fun on stage, and grooving well. And it didn't come easy. I'm the 'musical director', quite a task master during rehearsals because I just can't stand it if it's not the way I want to hear it. Jelly and Simon are less experienced than me in this type of Latin, Cajun, Jazzy stew that we put together, and they are very open to what I was offering, so I would show Simon what the bass would do in a swing tune, would help Jelly find the right notes for the lines he was playing, work on flexible arrangements that we could vary on the bandstand depending on what was happening with the crowd. At times I went a little overboard with the critique, and I definitely came up against that part of myself that needs to control stuff. The guys would goof on me, and occasionally get ruffled, and I would sometimes get frustrated at being in the role I was in... but we got through it quite well, all things considered. Friends and co-creators. And to have it come together so great tonight... what a treat! and now we've got something.
Earlier in the day, while visiting Mike at the music store, I met the famous Bianco, who is an Italian sax/flute player, very good musician, and quite the character. Bianco is about my age, has long hair, looks like a bloated Guillermo Vilas ( the famous Argentinian tennis player from the 70s). He spent many years in South America, speaks Spanish, plays great, and we hit it off musically and otherwise. He was busking while we were playing our first set, but then he came and sat in on our second one.... fantastic!. By the time we were done, they were applauding a lot and I said, 'Isn't this the time we pass the hat or something' and in a flash, Bianco was in the crowd with his hat and he pulled in twenty five dollars to split with the band. And afterwards we got talking and he and I are going to busk together on Monday evening... work the string of restaurants, three songs in each, like a bunch of mariachis, pass the hat, on to the next place. Bianco is broke at the moment after buying a computer so he has to hustle (and he's been doing it for decades this way, so I'll get a little in-service training on how to busk). I never had the personality for it, never was that hungry where I had to do it, but it sounds like a lot of fun, especially alongside a great sax player. We're gonna play two songs, then I'll play the third one while he passes the hat, 'I'm good at it' he says.
And I was offered a really interesting gig for Valentine's Day, which is on Thursday. There is some Miss Sihanoukville competition and they need a musician to play live music for the ladies to move to, model their gowns to, keep the show running. I said, if there's a piano, that would be perfect, so they may try to rent one, but I could do it on guitar if I had to. A pretty good payday, free food and drink, but the best part will be to see the girls, their proud parents, the lecherous Farangs, the whole scene. I'm guessing it will be 'blog-worthy'. Stay tuned.
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