Folk Alliance Here I Come

As the headline states, I'm off to Folk Alliance's annual shindig in Kansas City come Wednesday. I'm not sure what to expect, other than it sounds like one big sleep deprivation clinic--lots of informative panels everyday and live music all night. Fun. I'm not performing--I didn't get an official showcase and I didn't really decide to go till the last possible minute, so I didn't get any unofficial showcases either. But I'm bringing my guitar in case an opportunity arises. 

Hopefully I'll have time amidst all the activity to post here about it all. That is the plan anyway. Stay tuned...

Today's Song

Writers write, and this one has been spending too much time doing other things. Lately it's been a newspaper reading habit. I get up in the morning, have some breakfast, and walk down to the corner to put quarters in a box and bring home the morning paper. Then it's an hour or two of reading the paper. Great for staying abreast of what's going on in the world, which I think is important. But it ain't songwriting. And it's no wonder the CD I've been working on still isn't finished.

So I've been trying to cut back on things that keep me away from writing, from recording, from booking shows. Today I woke up at 4:30 AM, and spent almost an hour and a half trying to get back to sleep. I'd like to say it was the songwriting muse keeping me awake, but in reality I don't know what it was. So up I was at 5:55 AM, not feeling the least bit tired even though I didn't crash till 12 AM last night.

So I had breakfast, and...went out to buy a paper. Yeah, I know. But my theory was I had time to read it since I was up so early. But as I was walking home, some lyrics occurred to me:

20,000 days, some people, that's all they get
20,000 days and I ain't done nothing yet

As soon as I got home I went to my studio, grabbed the guitar, and started writing. In 45 minutes or so, I had a new song. And it was just after 7 AM. I don't know if it's a good song or not, but that's not the point. The point is, writers write. And tomorrow I hope to do it again. But hopefully on more sleep. Cuz right now I could use a nap.

What did you write today?

Getting The Band Back Together

First off, when signing in to this blog today I was struck with the stat I saw--over 3700 views? A tiny drop in the bucket by internet standards, admittedly. But still, who are these people who have viewed this blog? Have I looked at it that many times myself? That doesn't seem possible.

With that out of the way, I tackle the topic at hand. Yes, our band, The Poptones (must change that name), is getting back together for a gig in August, an outdoor show at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. The date will be August 27, for those of you who care not to read further. I'll be expecting to see you there.

Our last show was June 6, 2012 at that same park in Minneapolis. The most notable aspect of that show from my point of view is that it was the best onstage monitor mix I had ever heard. Rick, who runs the sound there, really knows what he is doing. I could hear myself perfectly--for the first three songs. Then the skies opened up and the rain came down and the show was over.

Soon after bass player Dave's wife was expecting a child and, being a parent myself, I knew the band was going to take a back seat to more important responsibilities. This is as it should be.

Drummer Mitch and I kicked around the idea of looking for another bass player, for about two seconds. Neither one of us really felt like tackling that task, and it wouldn't be The Poptones (must change that name) without Dave, would it? There was even the idea (mine) of going out as a drums/guitar duo, á la The White Stripes or The Black Keys. That would make naming the band easier--obviously the format for naming a drums/guitar duo is the word "The" followed by a color and a noun. Simple. But the idea didn't have any traction and I know both of us would miss that bottom in the sound.

So back to solo gigs I went. It's what I've always done, after all. But around January of this year, when it was time to go fishing for Minneapolis Parks gigs, I put out a feeler to the other Poptones (MCTN)--anybody interested in a one-off gig at the parks this summer?

Somewhat to my surprise, Dave was in and so was Mitch. Great! So last week there we were in Mitch's basement, brushing off the cobwebs and blowing off the dust. It was a blast, and there was even talk of booking more shows. And we'll finally get to go back and finish that rained out show at Minnehaha Park, August 27. I can't wait to hear the monitor mix!

Last Night's Show

Let me tell you, it's cold here in Minneapolis. We are in the season of the "Polar Vortex", and my last show was not too well attended because, well, it was just too damn cold out! The hi was like -5 degrees F. How could I blame anyone for wanting to stay in? Even I almost would've rather not had to go out anywhere.

So it was with that in mind and still in the icy grip of winter that I loaded up my gear and drove to last night's show at the Riverview Cafe & Wine Bar in Minneapolis. I call the Riverview "Home Base", because it is two blocks from my house. Call me lazy, but it's one of my favorite places to play for that reason. Plus, everybody knows me there--the owners, the staff, everyone. For that reason I avoid the usual BS that sometimes accompanies booking a show. I text Dave my open dates for the next few months, and he texts back which dates he wants me to play. It's just too damn easy, and I usually opt for the path of least resistance.

Anyway, as I was traveling the two blocks to the show and, recalling the last show there, I was really wondering how this one was going to turn out. Not just because of the weather, but also because over the past year Dave has run into some zoning issues with the city of Minneapolis, the result of which he wasn't able to have music at the Riv. Now over the years Dave has built up a reputation for the Riverview as a music destination. I've played there since the place first opened, and let me tell you it took a while to get that reputation. And you can feel it. There's a distinct "before and after" when it comes to the music destination rep. The difference is, with a reputation for having live music people who want to hear music show up and they are much easier to play for. Before, people would look up from what they were doing, see a musician, and go back to what they were doing. It was a tough crowd. And now with the zoning problem, those days seemed to be coming back. At least it seemed like that at my last show there. And it was cold.

So I got to the Riv and set my gear up. I was traveling light since the lock on my trunk on my '97 Bonneville is broken and I have to load everything in the back seat. So I only brought one guitar--left the 12 string at home. Too often I'll bring the 12 and maybe and electric as well. It looks cool, I'm surrounded by guitars onstage. But then I'll play most of the show with the acoustic 6 string and not touch the 12 till late in the show when I think "I better play it since I brought it." But as it happened I was traveling a bit too light. I was all set up with 20 minutes to go till show time when I realized I'd forgotten my capo. Here's where the beauty of playing 2 blocks from home really comes into play, because I was able to walk home and get the capo and be back in time for the show.

So I got back with the capo and it was show time. Paul and Laurie were there, they're on my mailing list, so I knew I was going to have to play Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho & Lefty". But not right away. I was going to make them ait a little bit. My buddy PK showed up. He's also on the list. Nice when that works out. As for the rest of the house, I was pleased to see that it was full--all the seats taken. And even better, they were there to listen.

I kicked it off with a song I wrote when my daughter was born, "New Face On The World". That went over well, and since I was in drop D tuning I stuck with it for the next tune, playing Steely Dan's "Do It Again". I play that one well, but it didn't get as big a reaction as New Face, so I took that as an indication that I should play more original material. Which I was more than happy to do as I launched into "Son Or Daughter", followed by "Your Favorite Song".

What I did after that I really don't remember. I have a set list that I only loosely follow. It's more of a suggestion list. Long story longer, it was a great show, the audience was great, my PA sounded great. The highlight might have been when a little 4 year old girl came up and asked me to play "Old MacDonald". I said sure, but only if she would play the egg shaker with me. So she did. And she was good! She started when I started, stopped when I stopped, and kept a pretty good beat. She was as good as some drummers I've worked with.

I asked her if she knew any Bob Dylan, and she nodded "yes". So we played "It's All Over Now Baby Blue". She stayed up there for another 10 songs or so--some of mine, some covers. She really nailed the "na na na na na na nas" on "Hey Jude", which she requested. Four years old! Gives you hope for the future. The crowd loved her. And that's what it's all about, right?

Now, what was it I was worried about?

John Lennon Was Right, or How I Got Into The Baseball Hall of Fame

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans" sang John Lennon in his song "Beautiful Boy". I could not agree more.

Like all musicians, I'm susceptible to all the usual musician's daydreams. Sold out shows, hit songs, hit albums, Grammy awards, world-wide tours, etc. These sorts of daydreams usually strike when you are younger, when the whole world of possibilities is in front of you. You think "if I do this and this and this, then that will happen", but it usually doesn't. The so-called "experts" tell you to set goals and plan in order to steer your career in the direction you intend it to go.

The reality is practically all of it is beyond your control. My "day job" is in TV sports broadcasting, and one day back in the '90s I had a gig coming up at a local club. A couple nights before the show I was working on the Yankees broadcast of a Twins/Yankees game, and I put a poster advertising my gig up near the production truck. The Yankees TV producer saw the poster, and asked if I could write a song for the show about how host Al Trautwig was off and Mike Crispino was sitting in for him. I had to go home to get my guitar, and I wrote the song as I drove. When I got back we taped the song for the open of the pregame show. I guess it went well, because I did two more songs for them the next time the Yankees were in town. When I started working Twins home shows, the producers said I should do a song for their show, but there was nothing seriously proposed and I didn't have any ideas anyway.

In 2002 Twins TV analyst Bert Blyleven began circling people with the telestrator, which is a device which is used as a "drawing board" so to speak. John Madden first started using it on NFL broadcasts to illustrate the development of a football play. Bert started circling fans at the ballpark, and a craze was born. Soon people started bringing all sorts of "Circle Me Bert" signs to the games. So I wrote a song called "Circle Me Bert" and brought it to the Twins TV producers. They liked it, and we shot a video for the song in front of the Metrodome. The video was of a fictional band (think Spinal Tap or The Rutles), which included me, Fox Sports North sideline reporter Clay Matvick, and Bert Blyleven in a wig playing tambourine. The video aired on the Twins pregame show. The Twins saw it, liked the song, and decided to give away CDs of "Circle Me Bert" to the first 10,000 fans in attendance at a Twins game. I got a little $ for that, and I figured that was pretty much the beginning and end of "Circle Me Bert" for me.

Fast forward to 2011. Bert Blyleven is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. A month or so later, I got an email from the Hall asking for a copy of "Circle Me Bert" for their library. This was a big surprise, certainly nothing I envisioned or planned, and, frankly, kind of cool. I just spoke to Tim Wiles at the Hall today, and he told me that "Circle Me Bert" will be there as long as the Baseball Hall of Fame exists. And I suppose hundreds of years from now, someone may take a listen to it and wonder "who the hell is this?" So if it's 2111 and you are reading this, that's the story.

Life is definitely what happens when you're making other plans.

Rain, Russians and Belly Dancers

Saturday night I was booked for a private party. I played for this particular client before, and I was happy to find out that they hunted me down for another gig. It shouldn't have been that hard to find me--Google will take you to the website, and on the website is a contact link. And I really should've made it easy for them by sending them a letter with some biz cards after the first time I played for them. That was my aim anyway, but I didn't know how to spell the wife's first name (Terry? Teri? Terri?) and I wound up not sending anything at all.

Luckily they hunted me down through a mutual contact. The client, a well-to-do chiropractor, seemed pretty loose about the start time so I got there around 8 PM and began setting my gear up on the patio. Of course, as soon as I got set up it began to sprinkle, then a downpour, and with the help of a few party attendees I managed to move my PA to a dry overhang under the house. 12 or 15 miles away at TCF Bank Stadium U2 was being rained on as well, but they played in the rain. I could not afford for my gear to get ruined, plus nobody was going to stand out in the rain with me anyway.

So I waited. I joined the party in the house, having a beer or two and marveling at the decor. A driveway full of vintage cars, motorcycles for knickknacks in the basement. So, this is what studying hard and doing well in school can get you, I thought. Maybe I should've tried harder, stopped writing songs durning class, not gotten kicked out of engineering school. Yeah, right!

Besides me, they had hired a psychic (who I never saw) and a couple of belly dancers (who I did see). I downed two or three Stellas and waited for the rain to stop. The belly dancers would do their thing, then take a break. I decided I might as well play acoustically between their sets, so I went outside under the house and got my guitar and did just that. So I would play a set, then the belly dancers would come out and do theirs. I had never worked with belly dancers before, and I have to say I liked it.

While the dancers danced, I had an interesting conversation with a Russian fellow named Raulf (spelling?, again). Raulf was at the party the last time I had played there, about two years ago, and then, like now, I was not quite sure what his role in everything was. He seemed to be in charge of the caterers, in charge of the household in fact. He is probably mid 50's to early 60s, with a thick Russian accent, and had lived in the US for 16 years. We spoke about our favorite musical artists, and found we both loved the Beatles. It was interesting to hear how risky it was to even own a Beatles album in the Soviet Union when he was young, how his father took great risks in getting it for Raulf, and how he couldn't even take a chance of sharing it with his friends.

The dancers took a break, and I played another set, playing as many Beatles tunes as I could remember. You just can't go wrong with the Beatles.

New Band

Last September my drumming buddy Mitch Griffin sent me a Facebook message entitled "basement playing" and "you game. what's your sked?" in the text. Mitch and I had played together about 10 years ago in a band with various names--"Tools For Tots" is one that comes to mind--that eventually morphed into "Jim Pellinger and the Folkups". Anyway, it sounded like a good idea and I said yeah let's do it.

So Mitch and I got together in his basement and kicked around a few of my songs with just drums and guitar. It was cool, but I thought it would be really cool with a bass. As luck would have it I had already been jamming with former Folkup bassist Dave Meier, so it wasn't hard to get him involved in the new project.

To date we've managed to have a semi-regular practice schedule, as semi-regular as our schedules will allow anyway. And I have to say it's been sounding pretty good. We started kicking around the old Folkups material, which we fell into pretty easily, and I have a bunch of new songs since then which I feel we have begun to nail.

So far the toughest part has been coming up with a name for this outfit. I won't list the candidates here, because I don't want some other bands to snag them. But I think we're zeroing in on a name. Stay tuned.