After one-hour long rehearsal with the full band and a few hours on my own at home, it was time to play with Del Vox at the Blue Moon. Sherri had given me a Dropbox with 10 or songs in it and I'd been working on them since Sunday, after my shows with Greg and Dave from last week had finished up.
By Tuesday, when we met, I had notes and general feel for the songs based off of her recordings. It was not without mistakes, but rehearsal went pretty well. Sherri and her husband, Michael (guitar and vocals), had a nice thing going. Sherri handled most of the rhythm and Michael did the leads, but Sherri did take some nice solos as well. On drums was Aimee, who also sang some BGVs. She couldn't stay long as she had another rehearsal to get to, being the drummer in something like 8 bands!
Friday rolled up and it was off to the Blue Moon again. I parked in the same spot and brought along the Hog for the ride. Coincidentally, Sherri also owns an Ampeg BA115, so they brought that and that's what I used. We did a quick soundcheck, and then it was time to sit and wait for our turn.
The first band was called Fun Parents, and ironically enough, I was old enough to be any of their parents. They looked like college kids and may have been playing their first gig, but they brought a lot of people and fun energy to the club. I spoke to the bassist afterwards, who was super nice, and he said he loved jumping around a lot and knew he wasn't hitting all his notes. He had a nice looking red/red tortoiseshell Fender P/J. It didn't sound all that great, but neither did my basses in my early 20s. He'll learn.
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| Fun Parents |
After the FP, we jumped on. For the first time in a while, I didn't have to sing, so it was all bass, all the time. Though Del Vox isn't country, it definitely has some alt-country vibes, so a red plaid shirt and some boots-type shoes were in order. I brought the Hog as well, since it's my most vintage bass (1984). No bass pic, but here's my setup and the band.
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| Pedals and boots/shoes |
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| good ol' BA115 |
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| Michael, Sherri and Aimee |
The set was pretty good, if you ask me. The crowd stuck around and were much appreciative of the music, that was pretty cool. There is one song that DV does that is simple enough, but for whatever reason, I just couldn't get it ironed out. Mainly due to the structure, which isn't even that tough. I have no idea what the problem was, lack of reps or a case of the yips, I don't know.
The rest of the set was pretty good. Not perfect, but definitely passable and I was happy with it at the end.
Following us was a group of mid to late 20-year-olds playing some sort of funk rock. It reminded me of the kind of stuff I played in the 90s. Some RHCP, some RATM, bands you'd hear on 107.7 FM back in the day. Their bassist was a handsome lad, playing a white Stingray by Sterling, neon strings, black shirt unbuttoned to mid-chest. He had a 90s type sound, fairly clanky and noisy, but ultimately, he played well. The whole band had a lot of energy, bouncing around and really working the crowd. The singer, especially, was very emcee-like and kept the crowd engaged. The music wasn't my thing, but I was very entertained and marveled at their youthful energy and stamina.
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| Crooked Path |
My friend Jeff, from @drawitinone, was there as I had done a quick FB post before the show. He came down to draw the bands in one song. I took a quick selfie when he stepped away.
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| don't sue me, Jeff |
I finished the evening talking with my Del Vox bandmates, Aimee and Sherry, and then caught up with Jeff some more outside. For now, my run of shows is over, until next Saturday, and it was a lot of fun for me. Looking forward to playing more!
