Ed of H gigs; 2020

[edwardofhuncote]

I don't have a single one in the books, but I do have high hopes.

Started off the 2020 season at 8:45 this morning, with an epidural steroid injection into C7-T1, the first joint beneath my fusion surgery last year. We hope that'll get enough feeling back into my left hand to play, and maybe relieve some of the upper-back spasms that have just made gigging impossible. My hand feels like it's on FIRE, which is a good sign... that means they got the right spot.

The Harwell-Grice Band is still holding my spot, waiting for the word; Go. I really appreciate their support and patience. I got emails from both Josh and Gabe last night.

New River Bound is on something of a hiatus, as we all deal with life's personal issues... our CD finally got done, but who knows when it will ever see any distribution. I do hope we'll get a chance to play somewhere this year.

And it's in the back of my mind to do a(nother) recording project... I need to do some serious wood-shedding and organizing before undertaking that, or booking any studio time, but it's been quite a few years since I last did a collaborative... lots of water gone under the bridge, and I don't even think about music the same way. Maybe it's time.

Maybe this year, there'll be more of those elusive action shots! 

Let's Play!

[David Houck]

Let us know how your body reacts to the injection.  Hope it works out great for you.

[edwardofhuncote]

Well, I have news. Harwell-Grice Band has actually been offered a gig later this Summer. It's that same thing we've played before called "Concerts By Canoe" on Philpott Lake, where the stage is a floating boat dock at a marina, and the concert viewing area is... well... a lake. 

We played it last year, and had a really good time. Like everybody else, our gig schedule looks pretty dismal for 2020, so this was welcome news.


*Here's a picture from last Summer.

[lbpesq]

Hey Greg, the lake should supply plenty of humidity, and there should be loads of sunshine.   All you’ll need to do is shoot up some Lysol and you won’t have anything to worry about!

Bill, tgo

[StephenR]

Sounds great Greg, that would be a fun gig for sure. I don't know about the needle thing, though, can the Lysol also be snorted?

My favorite Alembic content story that involved a boat was having to take a water taxi from Long Island to Fire Island to play a gig. We had the band and all our gear and drums in this small water taxi. It wasn't so bad going over while the sun was still out but very unnerving coming back in the dark long after midnight. Coming back I noticed that the boat was sitting really, really low in the water and I am staring at my 6 month old Distillate in its trapezoidal shaped case and kind of freaking out.

[edwardofhuncote]

The most troubling thing about that gig, was my two Bag End 15's with a Mesa D-800 (and Jeannie) sitting on top of them, and the whole she-bang on the casterboard... that dock moved around quite a bit when boats come in and made a wake. I didn't realize how bad that idea was until downbeat had already passed.    I'll be better prepared and much lower profiled this year, if we actually get to play it. A lot depends on how this virus thing plays out here in Virginia... the gig is mid-June and an alternate date in mid-July.

I hope we get to play some at least... I was thinking this year was just going down the tubes for me anyway, but these steroid injections and the latest arthritis meds have put some wind back in the sails. I can stand and play for a couple hours now on a good day, and with as much wood-shedding as I have put in, the skills are as sharp as they have ever been.

[lbpesq]

Compromise:  Freebase Lysol!

Hope the gig happens for you, Greg.  And great to hear that you feel up for it physically!

Bill, tgo

[David Houck]

... with as much wood-shedding as I have put in, the skills are as sharp as they have ever been.

That's good to hear!

[bigredbass]

So do you have to have a permit for the show . . . . . or a fishing license ?

[edwardofhuncote]

Everyone has their fingers crossed and an eye on the Weather Channel. Our only legitimate gig until this Fall is in jeopardy of being a rainout.   
They'll have to call it pretty early tomorrow if it looks like t-storms, but I've already taken half the day off anyway. (actually, my 40 hours were up a couple days ago... )

Tomorrow is also my Mom's 76th Birthday, so we're going to lunch and hang for a while before I load up and head to the gig. Or... not. I'm kinda' hopin' the folks will come out to the show.

Meanwhile, I am absolutely in a quandary over which 2 basses get picked. 

If it happens, maybe some action pictures or video this time. (now that I have my own channel and all... )

[David Houck]

   

[growlypants]

I'll be checking!!

[edwardofhuncote]

Load-in: y'all Google-search "microburst". We just had one here. It's a lot like a tornado except not cyclonic. Violent wind, torential rain, lightning to ground, hail. Power is out, trees are down. Josh and Stew (rhythm guitar playing frontman and banjo player) are helping clear the road.

I swear... I think we're going to do this show after all. 

[garyhead]

I think the saying “Hell or High Water” applies here.

[edwardofhuncote]

Wow, now that was the gig that just wouldn't die. I've never seen a buncha' people so determined. After that storm passed through, several people pitched in and help clear the road to Twin Ridge Marina of downed trees, the Franklin Co. Parks & Rec. guys brought in a 3000w generator to run our PA, and we set up. We no sooner than got a soundcheck in, and thunder rumbled, so the Rangers cleared the water again. Another shower, we tarped our stuff over, and hoped it'd pass. Then out came a rainbow and a little peek of late evening sunshine. We scrambled to set all our mics up, fired back up again, the boats all came back and we played until they made us quit. It turned off to be a really nice evening after the rain.

It was great seeing the guys again and finally getting to play some live music. We were rusty like every other band in the COVID-world, but the old chemistry was definitely there and didn't take long to show up. Nothing else on the books until September, but man... that was a good time.

With some hesitation, I quietly set my phone on a road case to record "Atlantic City" near the end of the show. Can't see Brian or Ernie on Mandolin and Resonator Guitar, respectively, but they're in there, just out of the frame.