The Night Shift

[WildcatOne]

I fixed us up with a business card today. Gonna make sure Lanis approves and then git 'er done. Cheers, WC1

[jim sanders]

that is a great tag line that says it best !!

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, Doc! That's what everybody tells us, and we said that'll be our slogan. We're adding rarities to our set list every time we get together. I told Jim Shortt we were doing "I Need Your Loving" by Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford...the one where the guy is yelling "Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa - Whoa - Whoa!" and the group is chanting "I Need Your Lovin' Every Day" behind him every 2 bars...Shorttsy sends back: "Wow! Nobody's doing these songs! I gotta come hear this!" Cheers, WC1

[draglist]

I love that business card, John. You made use of the Saints logo in a clever way. I would love to come hear you guys play. I love those songs that nobody's doing! bp

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, BP...Lanis might make me drop the Fleur-de-Lis...I could replace it with an outline of the state of Texas or a whiskey bottle or something, but you said "Saints Logo" and as I had the same thought, that could lead to a Big M / Big O kind of deal...but it might go ahead as-is, probably without Lanis' office email on it, though...some day I'd like to have another weekend of drag racing, music and friends again. I've kinda been keeping an eye on what's going on and if there's something we could team up on again one of these days...Cheers, WC1

[draglist]

Shucks. I thought that really made it... oh well... bp

[jim sanders]

hey WC.. was just goofing around on google looking for stuff and hit your photo-retouch posts ... man my eyes started to well up.. thanks

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, Doc. I have a very complicated and lengthy post coming up in here later today about yesterday, today and the future. I meant what I said about Curt in those posts. I didn't know you were going to find and read them, but if you approve of what I said about Curt, I am cool with that. I loved every minute of doing that work. He got me. I kind of got to know him, his car and his world from being inside those pictures. WC1

[WildcatOne]

Yesterday was a day that made me re-examine my life. Through fate, I was booked to play 2 full gigs and I did it. I got asked to work Saturday at GRI for the first time and I had to decline, I sure did not want to say no but if I did I would have half of my life collapse. Charlie was cool about it and said he'll ask me again next time, I told him next time I guarantee I'll be there. I've picked up the system and I have learned a lot in the last month and I have nothing but good things to say about GRI. Most of the people who have showed me stuff have been super nice. I am loving working there. But I had not one, but 2 full concerts from start to finish. The first was over in West U with the Citykings, from noon to 3. I brought Willie over with me to run sound. It was an excellent show. We were ready, and we played our whole CD live, mixed in with new cover songs we've worked up recently. The only drawback was the sun was beating down on us the whole time. It wasn't that bad, but it did get pretty warm out there. Here are the pictures from that gig. The first is me playing guitar on "I've Been Waiting" from Four Lifetimes. The other one is the band, L-R Me, Scott, Randolph, Kathleen and Bill. I'm wearing the yellow t-shirt Mike let me wear at Eddyville when I showed up Friday with a black t-shirt in 107-degree heat and the sun beating down on me. Mike, it's clean, and I'll return it next time I see you. I also play keyboards with the Citykings now and my Draglist.com sticker is always right up front for all to see.


Kat has started working with us as a backup singer and percussionist. She's been great. Not on any kind of star trip and she helps out with our equipment as well. She's married to Bill. Me and her grew up together; our grandmothers were sisters. If the day could have ended after that gig, it would have been a great music day. But I also had a second gig with the Whiskey Saints at the Cock-Eyed Seagull from 9-1 that night. Musically we did OK, we also had a partying, crazy-dancing crowd, but OUR crowd was gone by 11:30 and a crowd of 20-30-ish hard rock junk generation larvae came in and gave us pretty much of a hard time. At 57, I'm the youngest member of the Whiskey Saints. We do old-school stuff. It's music that was hits before these folks' parents went to junior high school. They have the manners, attitude and overall class of a herd of jackasses, and we had to finish up our night with these people regarding us with contempt and disrespect after our crowd, who loved us, left. There were isolated incidents that didn't amount to anything but this one guy wearing chains came up to me and real pushy and aggressive-like said Sherry is going to get up and play. She's going to use your acoustic guitar. Give it to her now. I said no. We don't have people do that with us. He says it's just for one song. Let her do it. I said no. We don't have people do that with us. Besides, my acoustic guitar is tuned to open E. He says then tell her that, she's sitting over here. Right now. I said no, you tell her. I'm doing something else right now. We stood there and had a stare-down for a few seconds and I turned away to the conversation I was having with a couple of my friends. He came back after a minute and walked a couple of circles around us; I had the feeling that he was going to take a swing at me, but he didn't get me alone. The gig played out. We were all exhausted and the second we'd finish a set, they turned on the jukebox at beyond pain-threshold volume with songs by bands whose names I don't know, but their music is the grinding, eardrum-shattering noise mixed with hateful, desparing lyrics that I have grown to loathe from having been forced to its exposure over the last few years while either on break or tearing down the band's stuff to leave. Once we were loaded up and ready to split, I told the guys in the band, I remember now why I don't like playing in nightclubs. We're a great 3-set band, and we do best between 7 and 11, or 6 and 10. But playing till 1AM like this is a real mess, and I'm getting tired of doing it. It was me who accepted this gig after we played the open mic jam a month ago, and I'd say it was a good experience for us, because to a man we agreed about not ever doing anything like this again. We're just not that kind of band. Here is a picture from last night. L-R Me, Lanis, Richard, Nick and James. We're going to change our strategy after last night. We need to play for folks our age who appreciate what we do.

I was thumbing through the latest copy of Drag Illustrated Friday and I found this. I did both of these graphic designs. The thing that gets me about it, though, is that I wasn't only not paid "You get exposure" but I'll bet dollars to donuts that my name is nowhere to be found on either kit. It might say Knockout Talent somewhere, for whom I was doing the graphics, and it is in no way a reflection on Max Naylor, who loved everything I did and by golly, here it is...but somehow I feel as if I was short-changed in the machinery of this deal. Swept under the carpet, actually. That is frustrating. Right now I'm doing some designs for a famous Funny Car builder and racer who is going to hit the nostalgia circuit next season and needs some graphics that will feature his sponsor and a set-color paint scheme. Rapid put us in touch with each other, and he is a fine gentleman with an open mind about what I'm doing. If I could be doing this for a living, I'd be one happy Cat. What I need to do with my musical career is take control of it instead of allowing myself to be pushed along into situations I don't want to be in as well as not accepting 2 gigs on the same day. That was about the tenth time I've done that and I guarantee it'll be the last. I accepted a gig with Pee Wee next Sautrday night. Just show up and play, get paid and split. No BS, no problems with the crowd, nothing but pro music, period. Once the funny car work is approved and ready to go, I'll make sure it's OK to show y'all and then I'll put up the graphics. Thanks for reading through this manifesto. Cheers, WC1

[jim sanders]

Another great read WC.... JUST promise that you will never forget those of us that love reading every letter of your posts !! Gotta check my pizza ! I SMELL SOMETHING