Category: Music

Concert Recap

Yesterday we went to Harry’s final band concert. There were four ensembles and he played with all of them. It was 90 degrees out and the concert took place in the school parking lot. The band director sent out an email with the details last week and somehow Jen and I both failed to read the part about bringing your own chairs. We were there a little early and Jen raced home in record time to get us a couple of chairs. She missed the first couple of Jazz Band songs, but she did not miss Harry’s keyboard solo. There were two keyboard players. On this particular song the other guy used a synthy sound that made things sound like the 70’s. It was a little rough, but he’s an excellent player and he made up for the less than quality patch choice. Harry’s solo was with an electric piano sound and it made me want to run out and buy a vintage Fender Rhodes piano because awesome. Now I understand that a Rhodes is also a very 70’s centric sound, but some 70’s sounds are better than others. Dig?

For the other three ensembles, Harry was in the percussion section. He played almost everything. Mallets, hand percussion, cymbals, and on a couple of pieces he played tympani. He played the shit out of those kettle drums. Let’s just say his step father was very impressed, and insanely proud.

The show closed with the concert band. They had a couple of different teachers/student teachers conducting different pieces. On the second to last song, the band director was inside the building while someone else was conducting. Those of us who were still outside saw the sky getting very ominous. Dark, angry looking clouds. It seemed like we were going to get rained on and it was going to be bad. The band director came outside, looked up, and even though were were on the other side of the parking lot we could see him visibly freak a little. We could almost hear the “oh shit” he was thinking. The song ended and he grabbed the mic and said there was one more piece and it’s about five minutes long and we can probably squeeze it in before the sky falls. The DarkSky app had just told me the rain was about eight minutes out. Go for it, dude! They finished the number before the rain hit and had just enough time for the kids to get their stuff back inside and for the audience to scatter. It was almost as if they planned it that way.

I loved every second of the whole thing, and Harry was totally beat when he got home. Not only did he play in all four ensembles, but prior to the high school concert there was a middle school concert and he filled in for a missing kid for part of that as well. The dude worked his ass off in the scorching heat. If anyone had earned themselves a good night’s sleep, it was Harry.

As with most things right now I am conflicted. On the one hand I am proud and happy and impressed at Harry’s hard work and excellent performance. On the other I am sad that it’s the last one. I’m going to say this a lot in the coming weeks, but Covid-19 seriously screwed him out of so many things. I am glad the school was able to sneak this one in at the last minute so that his final band concert didn’t turn out to be a Christmas concert in his Junior year. He’s missed out on a lot of things in the last year and a half. We have to find a way to make it up to him.

Thinking About Tomorrow

I have not played the guitar in a while now. It’s the weekend so you’d think I would be in the clear, but there’s a lot of stuff to do.

The grass in front of the house is getting long. The grass in the back and on the side have yet to be mowed at all this year. I’m super tall, six and a half feet tall or so, and I am literally scared to go into the back yard because the grass is so tall I am afraid I’ll get lost*. Seriously. That’s how badly it needs to be mowed. The weather looks clear, though slightly on the scorching hot, inferno, hell fire side of the temperature gauge.

More important, in the afternoon we have a high school band concert. The final high school band concert. I didn’t think we were going to get one, thanks covid, but we are. It’s going to be outside in the parking lot and my step son is playing with every single ensemble. Piano in some parts, and percussion in others. He’s awesome, the concert is going to be awesome, it is also going to be held in the parking lot because of covid in the scorching inferno hell fire temps, but it’s all kinds of awesome.

If I can sneak some guitar time in, I will. I’m not holding my breath though.

On an unrelated note, I got a notification on my laptop to reboot for a Mac OS update. I cancelled the notification because it was in the way of a window I was trying to use, but once I was done I rebooted my computer. When the computer came back up I was prompted to take a Mac OS update. What is this, Windows?

*When I said I was literally afraid to go into the back yard because I would get lost in the tall grass, I was not being literally. Allow me to stand here and watch your brain explode. Boom, babie.

Another unrelated note, I think the V key on my ancient apple keyboard is dying. Uh oh.

One Last May Song

As I warned earlier, here’s another song for this month. This is the third of three. I wanted to try to get to 10 and I think there are three or four more that are nowhere near finished. I got three. That’s okay.

I’m going to submit the song from earlier today for the RPM Challenge Record Every Month thing. I like the hook on this one, but over all it’s a bit of a mess. I need to stop mixing with AirPod Pros. I don’t think they fit my head very well and it throws off the bass response. I’m pretty sure that if I were to listen to this mix through different headphones, or through speakers, the bass part would be super way too loud. Oh well. Live and learn, or something like that.

Another Song for May

Things have been pretty quiet here on Nana Sitting duty. She had a good night last night. Today started out all right, had a bit of a pain hiccup, but has since calmed down again. Fingers crossed for a quiet day.

I watched Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead last night. Eh. Not terrible. Kinda dumb, but not unenjoyable. I actually started it last night and finished it this morning. Every time I put it on my mother would come into the room and I’d pause it to avoid questions of gore. I was watching on my laptop with AirPods in, but I didn’t want to risk grossing her out. When I was 18 I probably would have just let it go. I guess I’m more mature now.

Speaking of mature, the 50 year old red head mixed a song. How grown up of me!

Have I mentioned my beloved wife bought me a new Les Paul for my birthday? Have I mentioned that all of the guitars on this song are that new Les Paul? Have I mentioned that I love my new birthday Les Paul? Not as much as I love my wife, but that gitter is sah-weeeet.

I’m not sure if I am going to submit this one to the RPM site for the Record Every Month thingie. I have three. This one, the last one I posted, and one more that isn’t mixed yet. I haven’t decided which one sucks the least.

New Song

In my fear of going to sleep I mixed a song. Two problems here. First, I used my AirPods Pro so I have no idea how this really sounds. It’s probably going to end up way too bassy. Second, there’s a song from February’s RPM Challenge with the same title. I have to stop doing that. Doofus.

Anyway, this song was entirely recorded on my new Les Paul Standard. Forgive me for loading it up with goop at the beginning. It sounds more like itself once the song gets going.

Car Music

This morning before work I drove over to my recording studio and did some vocals. By recording studio I mean I sat in my car in an empty movie theater parking lot and yelled at a microphone.

I had two songs ready to go and I did them both, but it was rough. Very rough. I’m just getting worse and worse at the whole singing thing in general, but add in some allergies and it was just so much harder than usual. I’m seriously afraid to listen to what I recorded because it’s going to be even more awful than my usual awful.

Oh well, that’s show biz for ya.