Words in the abstract

New band wants words for songs. One writer is very abstract in his words. The other seems to be symbolic. What can I write? So far, the few times I've written, I haven't been super pleased. Then again, if I don't flex that muscle, how can I build it?

Even with inspiration, how do I interpret those into song lyrics? Do I write about current events? Frickin' school shootings? Inept and disgraceful politicians? High fuel prices? Global warming?

Do I write about personal things? From my bland life?

No idea.

It's not like I'm lacking inspiration. I'm currently in my in-laws' house in Indio, CA, holed up in the spare bedroom. My mother-in-law is in her living room watching The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. My father-in-law is in the hallway, his ashes in a wooden box that we will be taking to San Clemente tomorrow.

Ted passed away in April, on the 23rd, to be exact. Marci and Haley were here, Riley and I were back in Bellevue. We all knew the day was coming, as Ted was put in hospice sometime in April. He had been sick for awhile, with congenital heart failure as the main ailment, followed by something to do with his kidneys at the end. It wasn't a shock, but that doesn't mean we were prepared.

Marci called us the day he passed, while Riley and I were on our way home from lunch (Dickey's Barbecue Pit). She was so sad and upset and it really got me that neither Riley or I could do anything but listen and talk to her.

Over the next several days, it was simply talking to her every day, maybe a couple times a day, as she, Alison and Judy all navigated their grief and sadness. Mostly, Marci and Ali were supporting Judy, with Haley thrown in for good measure as she traveled back and forth from Irvine to Indio.

I thought about writing a blog post about Ted and what he meant to me, but stuff like that I have a hard time putting down. Not that I didn't love or admire him, but I felt like we had a relationship that happened in the moments we were together. Because they lived here and us in Bellevue, the only times we saw each other were when we were together. Every once in a while I'd hear him talking to Marci on the phone, but that was pretty much it as far as phone convos went.

But, when we were able to be together, it was always fun and warm. I must have met Ted and Judy in November of 1993. Marci and I met in May of 93 and with the drama of her previous relationship ending that summer, and then me being keen to be her next relationship, that meant we traveled to CA to be with her family for Thanksgiving.

My memory is not great, but as I think back, I think we stayed in Todd and Ali's apartment in the Irvine area. There were all sorts of get-togethers back then. Throughout the years, we'd visit Ted and Judy in CA, then Maryland (where I visited Wa DC the first time), Rhode Island (I think? Waverly, I think, as well as Boston and Salem MA), Georgia (Alpharetta), also visiting them in Costa Rica, when they were sailing all over the world. We also visited Mexico once, though I think that was a day trip from somewhere in CA.

Most times, however, it was at wherever their home was over the years, or at our house or Todd & Ali's house in San Clemente.

I had a great relationship with Ted. He was always accepting and a good friend and father-figure. He loved his daughters and wife dearly, and was the most patient man I knew. He was great with his grandkids and I'm so happy Haley got to spend some time with him at the end. Riley didn't, but did get to talk to Ted via video (as did I) during one of his last lucid moments.

I don't have a definitive memory of him, just a lot of good, fun and warm ones. Todd really got after him when he was younger, chasing adventure (sailing) and excitement. I'm a bit less fast-paced and I think Ted was OK with that as well.

Ted led a full life and really slowed down at the end, as his body just stopped working well (long before the heart issue). His back and knees were in rough shape and that limited him quite a bit. But once the heart started going, it was only a matter of time.

Last summer they surprised us by driving up one last time. I knew when they left that that was going to be the last time they came up. I didn't expect Ted to be gone within the year, though.

As sad as Marci and everyone may be, much like it was with Bella a few months ago, it was Ted's time to go. He was done and his body finally agreed. I will miss seeing him with Marci and the kids. I'll miss seeing him and Marci preparing dinner either here or at our house. I'll miss seeing and hearing him tell Haley and Riley stories about whatever. He had a great way with them, from when they were babies, until they were older. I'll just miss knowing that he's around.

After spending the past 24+ hours with Judy, I'm quite impressed with how self-sufficient she's been. She's cooked dinner two nights in a row. She tagged along with me to a couple Goodwills in the area. I bought her lunch and we've had good conversations.

I'm sure she's sad and lonely and I hope my being here has broken up some of the monotony of being at home by herself. But the truth is, aside from not having her husband anymore, she seems to be doing the same things she was doing when he was alive: watching TV, playing on her iPad, going about her day. The only difference is Ted is gone.

I know the time comes for everyone eventually and I'm closer to that part of my life than the beginning, but man, I sure hope when it does happen, well, I don't know. I don't know how to end this post. Just sort of rambling.

I don't want to go first; Marci would be OK but I can't fathom her alone and in pain. And I wouldn't want her to go first because I don't know what I'd do, let alone the kids in both cases. Hopefully we wouldn't have to worry about this for a long time and the kids will be much older.

So, let's hope modern medicine comes up with something that lets us all life as long as we want, in the prime of our lives. Like 50 feels good to me now; let me be forever 50, Marci forever whatever age she loves the most, and we'll just grow forever together.

Until global warming gets us all.

/end

Fred "Ted" Hicks, Nov 22, 1937 - Apr. 23, 2022

Planets in the Ocean

Last night marked the physical beginning of Planets in the Ocean. Cass, Robb and I convened after a couple misfires (I was out of town; Cass was out of town; Robb was sick) and it was pretty awesome.

PITO started during the 2020 lockdown due to COVID. Stereo Embers had a show or two on the books for March and April 2020, but then we went on worldwide lockdown. This led to me buying a Scarlett Focusrite DAW (digital audio workstation) so I could record bass into my PC. Cass bought an electric drumset and Robb already had studio equipment at his house, so he was good. Tim bought one, but never set it up/figured it out and wasn't too keen on the music we were working on.

Robb started sending Cass and I tunes to play in our homes. Sometimes they were fleshed out with bass, drums, guitar and vox, but most times it was just guitar and vox. We put our own parts to them, and after a few back and forths, Robb would put them together in ProTools or something and after a month or two (?), this is what came out of it:

Music | Planets in the Ocean (bandcamp.com)

After some initial love from the socials (just friends, mainly) that was that and time marched on. Come July of 2021, Embers had our first show in about 15 months and we continued down that path. Shows were successful and fun, but Embers continued walking in place. We'd rehearse, but nothing evolved or came out of getting together.

Earlier in 2022, Robb said he was done with Embers, wanting to do his own thing. We discussed, had some back and forth, played our last show in April, and that was that.

Sometime after that, some friends' bands, Electric No-No and the Hoot Hoots, reached out to Robb as they remembered the PITO stuff, asked if PITO would be up to open a show in July. Since we'd never played together and hadn't discussed post-Embers plans, Robb contacted me and Cass and we agreed to give it a shot. The music was good, we know the hang is good, we'll see about any money, and the decision was made.

Over the next couple weeks, Robb continued doing what he does: write songs. He kept sending Cass and I tunes, but then I went out of town, and then Cass was out of the country, and then Darla was really sick, and, among other things, we just couldn't get together as a trio until last night.

I brought my rig and the Thunderbird, having never played it in a band setting before. New strap also, to help with neck dive. I also tried plugging my pedals into the Effects Return on my amp and it seemed to sound different? Maybe it was the bass, I just don't know.

But. Playing that Tbird, and playing the entire night (except for maybe one verse of a song) with pick was a bit of a revelation. Normally I give up, but playing with a pick on that bass just feels more natural than playing with fingers. Something with how my arm/hand naturally lands on the strings makes it way more comfortable with pick. So pick it was.

We played through something like 6 songs and it was pretty awesome. There's a unique familiarity with playing completely different music with the same dudes you've played with for 4 years. I knew what to expect from Robb's songs and structure and vocals. Hearing Cass in a non-rock only style was pretty awesome. He played passionately; heck, we ALL played passionately. For the first time with new songs, it's only going to get better as we evolve and the songs grow.

Robb has a new twin guitar amp stereo setup and some spankin new pedals. Really trying for a sonic landscape rather than chunky rhythm guitar, and it is working for him. It was a lot of fun watching and listening for changes, following, and then having those progressions set in.

(And, can I mention how good it was to have some volume in the room? After playing with the Grooves via headphones for weeks, I forgot how great it is to have an amp pushing air, feeling the drums and guitar! Can't wait to do that with the Grooves!)

Playing with Cass and his true style will be great. I tended to simply follow his drumming in SE as his parts were pretty ironed out. However, since all this PITO stuff is new to all of us, he and I can develop our parts together and really work on the drummer/bassist telepathy. I sensed some moments last night, but I will need to work on actively listening to him even more once I get the song structures down.

All in all, a wonderful night. Darla said she was crying listening to us from upstairs. We all felt liberated, energized, validated and excited about what happened. After years of being told that we were too busy, or we needed to sound like someone/something else, to simply play and all be excited as the last notes rang out was something joyful. I forgot what that was like sometimes with SE. I didn't even realize it was missing, to be honest. Our live shows were so much fun that it masked the lack of fun we had a rehearsals.

But, as they say, onward and upward! What was the past is the past and PITO is our current and future. Let's go!!

One week before crazy time

 A week from today I'll be in Washington DC for work. Two weeks from today, I'll be in California, starting a drive home with Haley. Sort of cool for these things to be happening, but truth be told, I'll be more excited come June 1, when I'm home for a bit, before the next trip, later in June.

When I took the job in late January, I knew there would be travel involved. I think I was told 10% travel, which, at the time, I thought, "no big deal!" And, really, it isn't. But I'm terribly not excited about airports and planes and with two new bands getting off the ground (and other projects happening), it's sort of rough to get a rehearsal or two going, just to have to put a pin in it for a week while I'm gone.

Add in the fact that Ted passed away and that complicates things as well, but there's not much we can do to accommodate for that other than to live through it.

But this Saturday, I fly out at 8:30am on a direct flight from Seatac to DC. Then Sunday morning at 8:00am, I report to duty for testing at the convention center. Monday through Wednesday are event support days and though they'll be long, they'll go quick and I'll learn a ton. Thursday is a travel day and I'll be flying from DC to Dallas, then Dallas to Palm Springs, where Judy will pick me up. I'll stay there until Saturday, when I drive to San Clemente to meet the rest of the fam. We'll do Ted's memorial that night with family and then Sunday or Monday, Haley and I drive home.

Speaking of which, I need to look into places to stay on our way back. Ugh. Half of the dislike of travel is the logistics of everything. Where will you stay? When will you leave? What kind of flights are there? Will you Uber or rent a car? And all the time, I keep seeing $$$.

For work, at least they reimburse me. I just got a new CC ONLY for work. My last trip, the expenses were $1800 or so and 24Seven paid me back the week I claimed, so that went straight back to the card I was using. Only we weren't getting much reward back on that, so I opened a Chase Sapphire Preferred card which gives us a good amount of benefits for using it.

If and once I get converted to FTE, I'll get a corporate card to book everything to, so that's something to look forward to. However, the travel appears to increase quite a bit, so that's something to consider as well.

Gig report: Kathy Moore Super Power Trio at Jazzbones 5/7/22

Ahoy mateys!

As I discussed here, last Wednesday, I was offered a gig with no drummer and never having played with this artist that was happening Saturday (yesterday). Luckily it came together, with a drummer I've played with many times, after one rehearsal on Friday and then it was off to the show on Saturday.

From my house to Jazzbones is about 25 miles or so south via I-5. I was able to draft a pal (another bassist) to come along for the ride. Back and forth chat made the ride go by quick and by 6:15, we were there.

The headliner, the Hector Tellez, Jr. band were setup and about to start soundcheck. As I rolled up, my drummer texted and said I didn't need to bring my amp and head. Because I'm super lazy, I left my gear in the trunk and headed in with my pedals and a couple basses (G&L L1K and MIM P).

The back door opens directly onto the stage and I got to speak briefly with Dune, the other bassist of the night. I'd seen and played with him before, when he fronted his band General Mojo's, several years ago. I recall him being a stellar player and singer, but never got a chance to meet him. I thanked him for letting me use his setup (Orange Terror amp into a GK 4x10) and got off the stage so they could soundcheck.

Hector Tellez Jr and band at soundcheck. Left to right: Dune Butler, Hector Tellez, Jr., Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees/Mad Season), Peter Buck (R.E.M.).

They were tight and sounded great. Dune's T-bird (Gibson) really sounded nice, but also seemed to get lost a little. Lead guitar could have come up a bit as well, but there literally was no one in the club but us, them and some club staff. Plus I'm not a sound engineer, so I trusted the guy to do his job.

We took the stage for some sound check and it was fine. My L1K seemed to sound wooly and I didn't know if it was the amp or the settings. I zeroed everything on the amp and used my preamp and it still sounded weird but I went with it. My band, the Kathy Moore Super Power Trio, was missing its bassist and drummer as they also play in a band called Acid Tongue, that was on the eastern side of the state at another gig. Me and my old drummer pal Gregg jumped in and were super stoked to work with Kathy.

She led us through a couple parts of a couple songs, and we worked on some of the transitions. Kathy uses all sorts of pedals and loops in her show and this was no exception. The only thing we did to keep it simpler for Gregg and I was to not touch any of her odd time signature tunes. We'll do that at a later date with some more rehearsals, for sure.

After sound check, it was dinner time. I didn't get a picture of my Big Mouth Burger, but it did take forever to arrive. I did get a photo of this fine gentleman and his suit, however:



Incredible. His shoes looked like they were chrome, they were so shiny. Apparently he has many suits like this; the bartender says he's a regular and never seems to wear the same suit twice.

After eating, we took the stage at 9pm. Kathy's songs for this project are fairly simple. First song is pretty much a groove vamp in E, and then a walk down during the choruses to C and then back to E again. Me and Gregg just tried to stay tight and back her, but she did give her blessing to allow us to "express" ourselves however we saw fit. In other words, there was some noodling and flourishes, but, in my humble opinion, everything fit the songs and her solos.

On stage, it was strange to play in a trio after 4 years of being in a 4 piece. Also, to be out from under the constraints of a former bandmate that passive aggressively pushed his agenda onto me without me knowing until it was too late. He'd always stuff like, "I think we're playing too much/too many notes/need to dial it down," and then tell us it needed to be more like the Black Crowes or Petty or Sloan or Elton John.

Eventually that stuff stuck in my head and I'd literally just play a root note to see what would happen and after the song, he'd still say "we" were playing too much. But, I digress.

I felt free to do what I wanted on stage and it was awesome. And playing with a super tasty, chops-filled drummer was great as well. Our set was short, about 35 minutes, and over too soon. I could tell Kathy was super pleased with how Gregg and I played. We were really tuned into her solos and reading her body and musical cues.

Sadly, no pictures of us on stage last night but my aforementioned buddy did shoot a video from in front of the soundboard of us playing Cortez the Killer. While that uploads, please enjoy a picture of my outfit for the night.



And here's the video:
https://youtu.be/WFztNnTkccM

Hector Tellez and his band was up next and they were super solid. Was cool to see a couple legendary musicians on stage. Barrett Martin was a great rock drummer. He really owned that drumset and was totally in charge. Peter Buck stayed on rhythm guitar and was pretty subdued, so much so that my buddy thought Peter was very under utilized for the set. Dune on bass was a lot less inspired than I remember. He was solid and competent, with a few cool riffs here and there, but it seemed he was really locked in to supporting the bandleader, and not getting himself off. It worked, but it seemed lacking to me. And Hector Tellez Jr is the real deal. Great guitarist, great singer, looks incredible on stage. Songs are a bit meh to me, though. I think, given time, his songs will grow and evolve to match his talent, but after two or three tunes, they sounded all the same.

That said, Kathy, Gregg and I were super excited about what we did and we are looking forward to the next show in July. Thanks for reading!

Surprise gig

On a rare day at the actual office, I got a message from Kathy Moore asking if I'd play bass with her on Saturday.

This Saturday. As in three days from yesterday.

Of course I told her yes. Only problem was she had no drummer. Both Faith and Alyssa were going to be out of town supporting their other band, Acid Tongue. I suggested Robb as he does play drums, but he's out of game shape so he declined. Then I paged Gregg Anderson, who is fresh off some studio time and is in game shape, and he agreed to do it.

Kathy then got in touch with both of us and we started getting the details. We'd be playing her Super Power Trio stuff, opening for a guy named Hector Tellez, Jr., out of Cuba? I watched a few videos but didn't get a feel for him other than he's smokin' guitarist. What's interesting is he's being supported by Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Barrett Martin from the Screaming Trees. The bassist is a guy named Dune Martin, who I saw play with General Mojo's and I think he was in Duke Evers (?) and he's a beast on bass.

Another interesting tidbit, of course, is Gregg and I have never played with Kathy. I don't know if Gregg even knew who Kathy was before. Plus, Gregg and I haven't played together since right before I got together with Stereo Embers, so over 4 years ago now.

Nevertheless, it will be a fun gig. I've seen KMSPT several times and they always deliver and it will be an honor to stand in for Alyssa (who is also a beast on bass). We are practicing tomorrow in Seattle, at Tim's shared space. We should get a good feel for each other then, and then we light it up on Saturday night in Tacoma at Jazzbones.

Kathy has booked me for 7/22 also, the night before Planets debuts at the Sunset, which is the night before I travel to Boston for work. It's gonna be a busy July!