9/13/07

Dixieland Title Association Conference
Emerald Pointe Hotel & Conference Center
Lake Lanier Islands, GA

Signed on to do this back in the spring, before the neuralgia ruined my life. This conference was Kathy's baby, and I was looking forward to hanging with her and Glen for the weekend and having a good ol' time, as well as performing for the first time on my own since leaving the band. Should have found someone else to do the gig, but had every intention of having my voice back, so I didn't. Ended up bringing my iPod and playing it through Glen's P.A. Actually, I attempted a few songs just to say I tried, and Glen sat in on one of them:

After Midnight
Magnolia
Melissa (w/Glen Stewart, guitar)

Hadn't planned on the two J.J. Cale songs, it just happened that way. I can't believe it's been this long, and my voice is still fucked up. Will continue to take care of it. The doc sez I'm doing the right thing by talking and exercising it. Whatever. The shit needs to come back now so I can embark on the next chapter in my musical journey.
The fucking band has a gig this weekend, trying out a new bass player. Turns out the guitar player we decided to fire (but never did) left the band anyway. So once again, my timing is all fucked up. Might have hung around a little longer had he not been in the group. But maybe not.
Must focus this time, and get something done. Find musicians, rehearse the songs, record the songs, perform the songs, see what happens. That's it. Sure would like to play out a lot, but people who actually appreciate original music are few and far between, and I'm about sick and fucking tired of the fuckers who come up after the third fucking song and ask if you take fucking requests. You know what that means? That means they don't like what you're doing, and that they want to hear something they know. Yeah, that's exactly what that means. And that's the story of my musical career over the last five or so years. So maybe I did do the right thing by leaving the band. Going to play exactly what I want to play, when I want to play it.
I still love those guys, but the scene is fucking dead as disco. Those people who come out and think they're so hip and so in-the-know really want something more familiar, whether they want to admit it to themselves or not. They ain't gonna get it when I and whomever my musical cohorts are take the stage the next time. You can bet your goddamn ass on that. Might even make sure the first performance consists of songs that have never been performed at all, and finish off the new ones that are brewing and perform them too. "Here's some shit y'all have never heard. Enjoy."

Still Here

Just retired from Wayside Riders. This time for good, I'm sure. Had surgery to correct glossopharyngeal neuralgia at the beginning of August, and had a few days in the hospital to think about what was really important. While the band was still very important to me, there are other songs that I wanted to do even more. It was all a matter of what was more important. As much as I'd like to think I could carry on with a number of different projects, I know myself, and know that none of it would be as good.
I love those guys, and learned a shitload during my time in the band. I have an album's worth of songs that will be recorded soon. Guess I'll get back on the open mic circuit and work some up, and come up with some new shit while I'm at it.