(1930hrs) Sorry
that I haven't written anything for a while – nothing much to say.
Been busy taking of Joy, and not doing much else. I've had gigs here
and there with Steppen Stonz,
but it's been the same-old same-old. But as of this moment I'm
sitting inside the Sequim VFW Hall, getting ready for a show with Ron
DeFrang and John Eddy. But it isn't our band
per se. You see, when
I'm out of town, Ron and John play with their old friend Pete Mainzer
and a few friends of his under the name Thin Ice.
Their drummer wasn't able to make this gig, so they called me to fill
in. And while there were some fits and starts in arranging a
rehearsal, I wouldn't have passed this up for anything.
As
you probably know, it's because of Ron. His health has been in
decline, and from every thing I've been hearing he doesn't appear to
have much time left. That, and Pete has been promising that this show
will actually be a paying gig. So here I am, typing away to pass the
time. And the first wild card of the night has already been drawn, as
the drummer who supposedly wasn't going to be here just walked in the
door a few minutes ago. And Pete is already inviting him to play a
song or two, without actually saying anything to me about it. And
nobody's heard from Ron. We supposedly have Andy Maupin in the
proverbial bullpen, but nobody's heard from him either.
(1945hrs)
Well, we do have someone in the bullpen, but it wasn't who was I was
expecting. Eddie Perez is here – he signed into the VFW guest list
as Carlos Santana.
(2027hrs)
Ron just walked in the door, three minutes before we're supposed to
go on. And he brought Andy with him. Now we have three guitarists,
all looking to play, and only one guitar amp. And there may be a
fourth player on his way. The show hasn't even started and it's
already a circus.
(2037hrs)
And we're not starting on time. And there really aren't any people
here to notice. John told me not to worry about it, because the last
time they played here had started off the same way, but they made
money in the end. And Eddie has told me that I'd be more than welcome
to rejoin his band with Tom Davis. He even told me that they'd been
using my old nemesis Daryl Taplin on the drums recently. Let's just
say that Daryl – 'The Funkmaster', he likes to call himself –
doesn't even know how to play ZZ Top's 'La Grange' or 'Tush'.
I
have a small secret to confess. Joy and I may finally be moving into
an apartment of our own, thanks to a long wait for Section Eight
housing through the Peninsula Housing Authority. My worry is that
with my schedule with Steppen Stonz being as hit-and-miss as
it is, getting our own place may force me to leave them and get a
(gulp) normal job. Not that I'd get much, unless I can find a gig as
a courier. Besides that, I'm probably bound for something in the
fast-food sector of the economy. But being able to play with Eddie
and Tom could soften that blow – if they can actually get some
gigs.
Oh,
and my plan to wear the suit I with Steppen Stonz tonight hit
a bit of a snag – no shirt. Now I remember that I took the damn
thing out and washed it. I think it's hanging in my closet. Oh well.
I'll do the show in blue track pants and a Reno Envy t-shirt – I'll
still look better than Pete and John. Ron gets a pass – when you
have terminal cancer, you get a pass on a lot of things.
(2107hrs)
Thin Ice's regular drummer Darrell did ask to play a song or two
before leaving early, so I'm taking a break. Unfortunately, Darrell
doesn't have the best meter – counting in UFO's 'Doctor Doctor'
probably a good ten to fifteen BPM slower than he's actually playing
it. Darrell actually reminds me of myself when I was younger, and I
rushed through every song, earning the nickname 'Turbo Joe'. Playing
to click-tracks and sequences for most of the last fifteen years
really ironed out my meter. Darrell will probably never have that
opportunity, simply because there aren't that many bands left, let
alone venues for them to play. What was once six nights a week all
year long is maybe three or four nights at best, with the majority
being weekends-only.
(2114hrs)
Now Andy is playing guitar, and Darrell is on the drums. It's
turning into a jam night. That said, Darrell is playing the T. Rex
classic 'Get It On (Bang A Gong)' the way Chic drummer Tony Thompson
played the song with The Power Station. Darrell is no Tony Thompson,
but he's playing a tasty groove. Looks like I might be taking the
rest of the set off. Not that it matters to me – this is turning
into a real wreck of a show. But that doesn't surprise me. It
looks like communication hasn't been all that good. Depending on who
you talk to, this show was supposed to have taken place last weekend,
or maybe not until next weekend. Cue the circus music.
(0008hrs,
July 27) And the big train-wreck finish. Ron didn't finish the
show, Eddie and Andy finished out for him, and of course we finished
the show with 'Free Bird'. We even had some friend of Pete's come up
and play harmonica for a couple of songs.
(0208hrs,
July 27) Okay, enough of the doom and gloom. Here's an
after-action report for you. The reason there weren't any update for
damn near three hours is because I was busy, either playing or
checking in on Ron. And I did get paid. Pete actually showed me the
check he got from the VFW for the gig - $162. He gave me forty bucks
in cash right there and then. We also got a fair bit of money in
tips, but I don't know what happened to it. To be honest, it doesn't
really concern me at the moment. John told me that he'd ask Pete
about it, but it isn't going to bother me if I didn't get a chunk of
it. Ron needs the money more than any of us do, because it sounds
like he's having girl problems, which is the last thing he needs in
the last few days/weeks/months of his life.
In
all honesty, the money is nice but irrelevant. I'm leaving for Reno
in a few days, and I won't be back for a month. And from what I've
been hearing, I doubt very much if I'll ever see him again after
tonight. It's been fun, if not exactly profitable, playing with Ron.
But it's never really been about the money. I make money with Steppen
Stonz. Not a lot, nowhere near enough, but I do make money with
them. Playing with Ron, John, Pete, Eddie, Tom, Swinny, Grant,
Phifer, Andy, the MCFD guys a few weeks back.... even assclowns like
RJ and Jay, it's fun. It's about rocking out, pure and simple.
And the world will be a lot less fun when Ron leaves us.
I
hope people feel that way about me someday.
