The Navins at the Funhouse, 5/14/16

We had a little show at the Funhouse last Saturday. I think it was the first time we got 2nd slot. Every other show I've played with the Navins resulted in an opening slot.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Stay Up.

A band from PDX opened for us. They were called the Stay Up and were a little power trio. The singer/guitarist reminded me a bit of my old bandmate, Emilio; same frontman type looks. The bassist was a short little dude, playing pick style on a Jaguar bass (I think). Their drummer was all arms and legs, a beanpole of a guy with nice energy behind the kit.

Their music was power poppy and a bit lacking, to me. I think they could've used a second guitar. They definitely could've used some backing harmonies as the singer was the only vocalist.

Cãin said that it was their first show as a band and it sort of showed. They were excited like little kids. The singer was pretty tall and he kept getting in the face of the bassist, which only accentuated his smallness. It was like they were awkward lovers, with all the personal space issues going on.

As the Stay Up was the opening band, they got no sound check or anything. Simply vocal mic and a kick drum mic. Needless to say, it didn't sound that great, which made me a little nervous. Luckily, as we set up, the sound guy did mic the drums, our amps and my DI. We got a little sound check and off we went.

Setlist for the night.

Things started off pretty well. It took a few minutes for me to feel dialed in as I thought my bass was simply too boomy. I'm used to practicing a certain way and I'm thinking I need to practice with my gear set up the way I gig. In other words, I need to use both my cabinets and re-think how I have my SansAmp set up.

On our third song, Never Wanted Nothing, something happened and my headstock hit my microphone, which sent it to the ground. Nothing bad happened and the sound guy was able to get the mic back on the stand. We finished without a hitch.

Laurel and Alex came in during Piano Fire and Laurel took some pictures and shot some video. Super happy to see them there supporting the old man. She had a grin the whole time we were up there.

Mean mugging at the Funhouse.

For this night, of our 11 songs, I was singing lead on 5 originally. But we ended up subbing Hidden by the Sun for Sorry, which bumped me to 6. Also, it meant I was singing 4 songs in a row! That was the first time for me other than in practice, and, I must admit, it was fun! I always feel like I'm singing way too loud, though. I guess I'll trust the sound guy to figure that out.

Speaking of Hidden by the Sun, I think we need to sync up on the vocals on that. Don't know if it's me or Corey, but I feel like our vocals are hit and miss. Either I'm out or he's out and I can't tell. Will need to record a show to find out. Or ask the guys for some tough love.

Walking Through Walls is our newest tune and it's super fun to do. Fast, peppy, fun to sing. I'm feeling like that one is coming into its own. We are still trying to figure out a bridge, but even as it is, it comes across well.

Wallet is a pleasure to close with. Corey really goes to town on the 16th notes on the floor tom. His arm must ache at the end of the song. Cãin had busted a string on the previous song and switched guitars prior to this song. For some reason, something wasn't working right, so he bailed on his guitar for the first half. During the breakdown section, he was able to get dialed back in, but it was pretty cool for him to just sing the second verse without his guitar. 

People really liked what we did. The Stay Up kids were quite impressed and gave us some nice words after. Laurel and Alex were stoked and I loved their enthusiasm for our set.

It's the F-Holes. And the "F" doesn't stand for what you think it stands for.

The F-Holes closed the night and they were solid. They play greasy, gritty, pretty standard bar rock. Sort of like AC/DC meets .38 Special meets Thin Lizzy. I wondered what the guys in the band might do for their day jobs, as all of them are, well, of an older generation. Their set went a little long towards the end, with a 5 minute blues rock jam that sort of turned me and Corey off. But, no matter how we felt, they did rock.

There's a long recap for you, huh? Thanks to Laurel for the pictures (and Corey for the setlist pic).

Next show: June something at the Rainbow with some bands I can't remember right now.