The Once-in-a While
Daily News
1 There are monsters, and then there are monsters.
2 I wanted to expand my horizons this past week.
3 Last year around this time, a bunch of musicians, mostly former students, gathered like storm clouds and began this crazy thing called a "riff" challenge.
4 I joined last year, but backed out after a few days. The idea of the riff challenge is to post ten "riffs" in ten days. That's a bit rough for a guy who has done most of his sawing with cheap fills and an occasional thump on the face of the guitar.
5 I don't consider myself a guitarist. I love cooking, but I don't consider myself a chef either.
6 Nor do I consider myself any sort of musician, as I can prove any time I pick up a guitar.
7 Those who can't.
8 I want to make a tee-shirt that says "Those who can't." I love playing guitar and singing, and I love all musicians, just because. And as a guy who was never much good anyway, I'm more self-conscious than ever. Those who can't.
9 A younger version of myself could sort of fake it on stage. That's the secret to guitar: you can fake it. Sir Paul McCartney admitted that he would often fake stuff on stage, because the live audience won't notice when the voice cracks, or the finger lands on the wrong note. It may interest a few to know that music stores offer books on how to fake it on instruments.
10 If you go into any music store, you can usually find a ton of guitar "Fake Books" at your leisure. I always loved those!
example.
12 At around the same time <see "about a month ago," above> I decided to get us a pair of tix to see a Beatle. Sir Paul McCartney was coming to the Golden 1 Center right here in Sacramento. First concert there EVER.
13 I scored two seats in the nosebleed area, but what a night.
14 I'd seen Paul a few times through the years, but this one seemed special.
Sir Paul, 2016
16 My personal claim to fame as a fake guitarist, if I had one, was that I knew the entire Side Two of Abbey Road, technically the last album the Beatles made (Let it Be came out later, but was recorded earlier).
17 I always thought Side Two of Abbey Road a masterpiece. The Beatles weren't just a pop group. They became so over-rated that they became underrated. And Paul was a charmer, and a Teddy Boy. Lennon was the rebellious Rocker. Lennon had more credibility to a lot of people, including me. I loved Paul's ballads, but he would often stray into cringe songs (Wonderful Christmas Time, Silly Love Songs, stuff like that). Lennon had acerbic wit, and a tough-guy image, despite peace and love and all that rot. He also had some bad tunes, but we'll let it slide. Good guy, in the end.
Side two of Abbey Road...I loved it. When they recorded it, they had finally accepted that the band was done, that the Beatles had to break up, and that they had to move in new directions.
19 My daughter Nicoley gave me an amazing book for Christmas. It's called The Beatles Complete Scores, and it contains 1129 pages of Beatles' music, from A Day in the Life to Your Mother Should know, in alphabetical order!
The amount of songs produced in a little over ten years astonishes. And in my humble opinion, Side Two of Abbey Road rises above Sgt. Pepper, or Rubber Soul, or any of the others. Brilliant music, almost all. But Abbey Road is an acceptance-of-a break-up album. That soul isn't made of rubber. It's made of soul.
The Book.
20 And it's sort of funny, because I have two guitars on stands in my living room. Each time I get in the mood to play, I pick up my Yamaha, Annabel. And for whatever reason, I begin almost each time with We Can Work it Out, not even one of their best, but I enjoy messing with the chords on that tune.
21 Life is very short, and there's no taha-ha-hahahm for fussing and fighting, my friend...
22 At the concert, Paul suddenly began that tune, and I thought to myself, "I'm going to sing this entire song aloud and harmonize with Paul. We're in the same building, right?"
And somehow, somewhere, I have a recording of it!!! I just can't find it because I have six-hundred-million pictures and videos on my phone. That's a story for another day. But I did sing all of We Can Work it Out with Paul McCartney. We were within a mile of each other and indoors, so that counts.
23 I now have those bragging rights. I'm sure I sang with him, and it occurred to me, I have sung with many great bands over the years. Hell, I used to sell shirts at rock concerts.
24 But I could go to my grave knowing full well that I sang We Can Work it Out with Paul McCartney.
25 That concert made you feel that he could have shown up at Bella Bru, our local pub, and throw down a few pints, and get the place going.
26 Music.
27 Moving On, Part One: It's mid-week, Tuesday, and early afternoon as I tack this stuff out. I'm at Caitlin's house with Helene, Caitlin, Isla and Maren. Those two Beebz have rocketed around all morning. We played with lots of toys, read several books, and had fun with the guitar, a Jay Turser that I never named. We rocked a lot of songs. Isla listens, and dances to the music, and even applauds at the ends of songs. Maren likes drumming! I lay the guitar on its side and she joins me in percussive sessions. She also prefers a little jumper that turns her into a perfect cross between Mick Fleetwood and Keith Moon.
28 She drums with a huge smile on her face, and if we aren't paying attention, she'll give a scream that fits right between the beats.
29 She's got a backbeat you can't lose, any old time she'll chose it.
30 Love, love, love.
31 Moving On, Part Two: And...we're goin' to Coley's to visit, and to see Coley, Matt, Jack, AND Rocky the Rockstar.
33 Here's a picture of Lil' Jack:
Jack and Giraffe.
34 I stole this from Nicoley's Facebook. I absolutely love everything about this picture. Can't wait to get down there and see these guys!
35 Moving On, Part the Thoid: I'd like to throw a few Thank You's out there. First, thanks to Caitlin, Helene, and the Beebeez, Maren and Isla for putting up with me doing the riff challenge. I've been pretty useless as good help lately because I've worked on the music. It is fast-paced, and extremely taxing. I turned out house into a recording studio, and got moody because I didn't know how to work with film (amazingly, I don't).
36 I'd also like to thank everyone who spoke kind of my performances. Each one meant a lot, and people were quite nice with some of my raspy playing. I'd especially like to thank Gabe, Chris, Geoff, and Richard for launching the entire thing and bringing in some brilliant pieces of music.
37 There are monsters, and then there are monsters.
39 Right now, I gotttago.
40 Bay Area, here I come! I won't be able to visit this time 'round, 'cuz I'll be busy enjoying Li'l Jack, and goofing with Rocky, Coley, Matt, and Rene. Looking forward to the visit!
41 So.
42 Rock on.
43 Gottago.
44 See you again.
45 Peace.
~H~
fin.
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