The Night Shift

[jim sanders]

that pic is making me thirsty

[jim sanders]

got the PM WC.. don't know how to put pics up here

[WildcatOne]

How 'bout an email, Doc? No problemo...

Leaving a little early today for the gig at North Main Ice House in Baytown. gotta drop Nick (I mean Chris) off at his buddy Dylan's house and then I'm driving over to South of Meyerland to pick up Be Like Bob, who lives about 6 blocks from the NMIH, and within earshot of HRP out there. He's over working on his Mom's house today but he doesn't want to miss the show tonight. Picking Willie up at 7, but as I was talking about a couple of weeks ago, The Freedom River Band are just about the Kings of Baytown right now. Not exaggerating when I say a Freedom River Band show out there becomes Girls Gone Wild: Baytown, Texas on a Saturday Night...we just let it roll and down come the inhibitions, off come the tops, and up go the booties onto the bar and tables. The floor won't do. The guy that owns the place loves us. Big Biker, serious as a dadgum heart attack, but he's making a fortune offa what is going down there when we play. All 3 main groups I'm playing with right now are doing great and I'm blessed to be in 'em. The Freedom River Band is "Boys' Night Out" for Shakedown and we are enjoying the stuff Ol' Colorado (guitar) is getting for us. I will update the gig tomorrow between loads of laundry. Y'all have a happy Saturday Night! Cheers, WC1

[draglist]

Go get 'em Cat, and take in a few peepers full of eye candy for me! bp

[WildcatOne]

Thanks for the pics, Doc! Great pictures, man. I didn't know you were a Southpaw. Looks like you're playing a left-handed Strat. JTP looks great, he's a serious guy about the music and y'all have the dance floor jumping! Wish I could say that about last night...that was a weird gig from the git-go. We got out there and set up and there wasn't more than 10 people in there all night. The place has always been packed with hard-partying groups of bikers and wild women...there was a table with 4 of the wild women at it when we played the first set...they got up and wiggled a little but after every song (we played full-throttle)...silence...total silence...it feels weird when that happens, ya know. So we kept going. Playing our best, tearing it up. Silence. On break, I went over and hung out with a couple of guys and I mentioned, we're in there playing our tails off and everybody's just sitting there...the big guy says "I just came to listen." The owner nodded. I said well, I guess it's OK...they said yeah, it's OK...well, a lot of things went wrong. Lynn got some emergency phone calls from 5th street...the ads worked. The place is overflowing with people. They can't even fit 'em all in there. They ran out of food, booze and service. So what does Cynthia do? She calls Lynn and chews him out and tells him it's HIS fault...Lynn was furious...I said, well, what do ya expect? You helped her. So did I. Now she's successful beyond her wildest dreams and it's bad, isn't it? Go figure...anyway, while he was on the phone, we had to play. Ron Parks, our harmonica player, is unfortunately an emotional wreck. He has developed an abrasive, confrontational style of human interaction, and he used it on me one too many times last night. It was the 4th time in 3 days that he did it to me (drew me into a conversation and then insulted me with a put-down as soon as I answered his dumb-to-begin-with question), and he suddenly found me right up in his grille telling him the facts of life and how they applied to him with regards to his mouth when it's pointed at me. He was shocked, but he also knew that he was antagonizing a certified rageaholic, which I hate to admit to, but when I get pushed too far, that side of me takes over and I can't stop it...He has a great deal to learn about playing music in a band, no matter what he says about all of his past experiences. Everybody got mad at him because of the way he was conducting himself both onstage and off...playing harp solos during vocal verses and choruses...trying to hustle the waitress (whose boyfriend is probably nicknamed "Killer")...getting into arguments with people in the band onstage and customers in the place...my wife said he lurks around our house sometimes. He lives a block down the street here. I know his thing, and it's not a threat to us here, but she and the boys are scared of him. Dang. So, then my cowboy buddy, Jerry Hawkins showed up and sat in and played some country classics. For the first and only time all night, the place danced...except for a couple of songs I did on guitar from the Johnny B and The Wildcats set...some really fine chick showed up with her 13-year-old daughter and she got up and danced around in front of us while I did those songs...we needed about 20 more just like her, but from what I heard, there was a cookoff down the street, the rodeo had Alan Jackson or somebody that night, and it was just an off-night there. That's show-biz. We're back there again next Sunday and we have vowed to avenge our poor showing last night. Apparently without Ron and with Joe added on percussion...Lynn is going to fire Ron today. I'm sorry. I like the guy and he can play. But there's more to it than that. It's his manner. I don't understand how that kind of thing can get to be so bad, but I'm with Lynn and I'm not going to get in the way. Life goes on. Cheers, WC1

[draglist]

You can't read this stuff in any magazine. Thanks for taking us there, Cat, good or bad. bp

[Rapid Randy Baker]

WC,lives the life!!!

[pro70z28]

[WildcatOne]

Thanks, y'all...if I only talked about the good stuff, it wouldn't be real. Most of the time you just shine it on and it ends up all good...but last night's few good moments were pretty hard to come by. Lynn's on a real tear today. He called me twice, Ron Parks called me once. 5th Street is swamped with customers...Cynthia still hasn't hired any help. She can't run the place with just her and 250 customers...hello? It's ridiculous. Me and Lynn put her in the position she wanted to be in for widespread recognition and success in the Bay Area. Now folks are pouring into her place by the hundreds and she didn't hold up her end of the deal...Ron knows that Lynn is going to fire him, and he tried to make me talk about Lynn and I had to go. I just sent Lynn an email and said shouldn't it be me who fires Ron, since it was me who brought him in? I'll take resonsibility for my mistakes...Lynn just called and said no, he's gonna do it...WC1

[WildcatOne]

This is a big week for 3 of the bands I play in. The Citykings are going into SugarHill Studios Thursday to record our version of Roy Head's "Apple Of My Eye" for their 60th anniversary compilation CD. We're practicing Tuesday night for the session. The song is just about ready to go, but we need to work out the dynamics and fine-tune it so we can walk in and nail it cold. That was something about the CKs that Andy remarked was truly impressive...we had our act together...he sends bands home a lot. They show up with plenty of party supplies and he sits there and waits for them to play something, and when they finally do, they don't even get one take worth keeping...that happens all the time. He often has to create music out of the crap some folks go in there and leave with him. He can do it, but he told us we were a refreshing change from the mainstream acts he's had to babysit in there. So we got this bone tossed over to us and we appreciate it. We're going on that CD with the best (and unfortunately worst...I've heard it) bands and performers in Texas. I've been warned about Roy Head, and I sure don't want him hot on my trail, but we're going to completely change that song. Should be fun to see how it all goes. Lynn is going to fire Ron (harmonica) from Freedom River Wednesday. He's bringing Joe (a fine gentleman) from Big Fatty in to play percussion with us and run sound. I agonize over this kind of stuff. I worry about the people I have to let go. Ron is an emotional basket-case to begin with and he's got this big bad attitude and he almost comes on like he's threatening me when he talks to me. I helped him. But I can "see" him and what he's doing, and he can't...Lynn sure can, and he found out about Ron talking down on Shakedown and trying to get all of us to quit or fire Brandi and follow him on his quest for stardom. Uh...Shakedown is Brandi's band. Freedom River is Colorado's band with Lynn installed as the bandleader. I haul the equipment and play keyboards in both bands. Ron was given a shot at playing with Freedom River, but his vibes have been bad and his performances have pretty much stunk. We're going to bring in Joe and let Ron go. Brandi has said that she will show up Sunday and do a set with Freedom River, and we are all rejoicing...except for Ron, of course. Like I said, he has a lot to learn and unfortunately we just don't have time to teach him how to behave and perform when he's under the unblinking eye. That's something he's gonna have to figure out for himself...I have a rant to do about the Whiskey Saints, but I'm going to wait to unleash Hell. Right now everything is moving upward. I don't want to spoil the rush by bringing up what's going on in that band...Cheers, WC1