Well, I am happy to announce that I am the newest member of local country band "Doctor Honk Tonk". I just had my first gig with them and they invited me to become a permanent member, which is a joy for me. This music is my first love, and I think that my playing has increased to a level that I can bring some real cool things to my approach to solos. AND, I get to sing these wonderful country songs and watch people dance and sing along!
Keep an eye on my calendar to check out our next shows.
Well, it has been a while... I have gotten back into my studio and recording again. I have several things I want to work on, and maybe a Christmas Album for those interested in a homemade gift.
In addition, I (literally have no gigs booked. I am putting out feelers and networking for Christmas parties. Of course my Trio will always do a good job. I am putting together some different approaches to the "Solo" acoustic gig, too. One of my iPad apps, allows my to call up rhythm tracks, which is good for jazz and easy listening things. I have another trick I'm working on for the other genre's of music I present to my eager listeners. Still, it does no good unless I have gigs!
So if you know of any one who might like to have a great bit of music for a Christmas gathering, send them to my website and have them call. I'd appreciate the help!
Yesterday, I dropped off Jesse at the airport. He is on his way to Boston, then Vermont and Maine to work with the Boston Crusaders, a Drum Corps International (DCI) performance team. He is marching Bass drum for them this summer. He will be gone all summer, with shows almost every night. I am proud of his accomplishments and his passion for music and music education. But I had mixed feelings. Although he has been at college at UNT the last two years, he has been close by. Close enough for Dad to rescue him if needed (it wasn't). But now, he is really gone on his own. His own devices and responsibilities will be necessary and there isn't much I can do when he is out there all summer.
Over-reacting? Maybe. But it is a realization that at some time, I have to really let go and let GOD handle the situation and take care of my precious son.
Now, Brady starts college at UTA in the fall, and it furthers the feelings of worry and anxiety that he, too, must survive on his own. He will be close by, but in his own apartment. " How can he manage on his own?" I wonder. I know we raised him right, and he has the knowledge to do what is right. I pray that he is more successful than me. He may go into engineering like his Dad, which would be cool. But, I will be happy if he finds his passion and pursues it. And above all follow God's will for his life.
I have two wonderful boys. It is time to let go, and guide when I can, and hope they ask for the help they need when they need it, instead of suffering, or asking the wrong people for help. I pray they both embrace the life lessons I have taught them by lecture (LOL) and observation. And I hope they remember to not run faster than their angels can fly...
I finally found this recording, I had worked on this a few years ago, and the original master got a glitch in it! I was not able to do any further editing, and the session was lost!
But, luckily I made a scratch mix of it, and it is complete. There is a small error in mixing, but most probably won't notice (I hope).
Anyway, I love the Charlie Chaplin song, "Smile". I also wanted to perform this out on stage, but the orchestration does not lend itself to a dance band. So I wrote an arrangement in the style of a slow Ray Price shuffle. I think it's cool. Let me know if you like it!
Ok, only three, but they are cool! Art Boone, Jr. a friend from Christ Church is also a photographer and blessed me with some nice pics. Take a look!
Just a quick line to let everyone know my revised Play Calendar is up., A couple fo new spots, and the ol' standbys!
I sincerely hope to see you!
OK. So I had a gig with a trio, for the moment, calling it the Crawfish Trio, last night at a prominent FW private club. It was for a wedding rehearsal dinner. So it was kind of a fancy deal. The band consists of myself, Jesse (my son) on drums and Ron DiIulio on keys, kicking bass with his left hand. A real cool line up. SO anyway, first thing that happened is that we are told to set p in the foyer, being ALL Marble. Gonna be tough to keep the volume down, especially with vocals.
Well during a quick sound check, we were informed by the planner, that they didn't want any vocals! and keep it quiet. ooooookay.... So, we do a fair amount of Jazz, but all night without vocals? And our Catalogue of tunes goes from 40's standards to current pop and everything in between
DiIulio and I have been in a lot of weird situations at gigs. So...we just ran with it. I put away my electric and played my nylon string all night. We turned towards each other, and just played all the cool stuff we do as instrumentals. Arranged on the fly, working on playing together as tight as we could. We were background music anyway. So it offered the perfect opportunity to just play and have fun, practice and get paid! What a great night of fun.
But we quickly discovered how hard it is to play melody lines of songs that we typically don't. Usually, we have the vocal doing that, and we just solo during the song. What an exercise!! And what fun! The less is more thing is a true-ism in this setting. Try playing the melody to "Sultans of Swing as Knopfler (or me) sings it. There were many examples of "how do we present this tune?" Then there was the challenge of songs that have vocal cues for the arrangement, such as "You'll never Find" by Lou Rawls. The two Rons had fun with that one, but the form got away from us a couple of times....now we know.
Then Jesse had to adapt his approach to all these tunes, but switching between brushes and sticks, alternate rhythms and textures. he did an awesome job! Not bad for a 20 year old student at UNT! I am very proud of him.
I've been asked several times how do you become a great lead player. My common response is "play the melody". Once you understand that, you can improvise in a much more melodic approach. So many musicians just want to burn through all their chops. That certainly has it's place. But you can't do that with a tune like "Georgia on My Mind". NOTE SELECTION becomes everything. Last night solidified that statement for me.
Anyway, we pulled it off like the pros we are and had a great time doing it! Then we officially inducted Jesse as a Crawfish by doing the late night dinner thing at Benitos in Fort Worth. Great food and open late. A musician's life line!
A good friend of ours, Ben Power, was kind enough to come take these awesome shots at Eddie V's in Fort Worth. These were all without flash in low light! Spectacular work in my opinion!
Ben also set up my website for me. I highly recommend him if you need a website designed.
The band is made up of long time friend and remarkable musician Ron DiIulio on Keys (kicking bass with his left hand), Jesse Ramirez on Drums and Me! This trio is gaining respect wherever we play. Our catalogue of music is huge! We play everything from the 40's to current including Jazz, romantic, funk, country, sambas, classic rock, and more. All with remarkable vocal exhibition. We use current technology to accentuate the musical presentation, but always with taste and class. We hope you can catch us at an upcoming event.
Some of you know that my son has been playing with me in my trio for a number of years. He also plays with me at church, although not as often as in the past. What a joy it is to play music with my son. Watching him grow as a musician is wonderful. I look forward to many more years of this enjoyment!
It's finally up! Many of my friends and "fans" have requested a website. It's simple, but functional. This will allow everyone an opportunity check my schedule and purchase music. I'l also post new pics and events for everyone to enjoy.
I hope I bless everyone with what I have to share!
