Maybe a few months ago, Tim reached out and asked if Embers wanted to get back together for a late summer gig. We got together in May to dust off some songs for our release party in June, and then was all done until earlier this month. We started getting together to rehearse for our reunion show, taking place last night.
Earlier this week, they said tickets were low and within the last day or so, the club was sold out! Two sell outs this year for me, that must be a first.
New dragon strap for the new bass
Saturday was spent playing with the new bass, testing out my new bass with my bass amps, heading to Guitar Center to buy a new strap for the bass, then waiting until it was time to head to Ballard for soundcheck as I was backlining my rig. So that meant leaving the house around 4:45 for a 5:30 arrival time.
Marci was coming, and I got her a guest spot, which was great as all sorts of people were hitting folks up for tickets. I had committed to getting Mike and Amy a couple passes because we love them and other issues, so my people were good. Had to do some gymnastics to get Ian in the room for photos as Will forgot to get him one. Luckily my new buds in Seola Station (Ruth) was able to make some magic happen as she purchased extras just in case she had people that wanted to go. Pro move!
Marci and I pulled up to the Sunset right behind Tim and Kay. I gave him a hug and quickly gave him an old Matchbox VW GTI I had. Since I no longer have a GTI, I figured he should have it as he bought one last year when he came into some $$. He and I both loaded in and then reparked our cars and we were good to go.
Imagine my surprise when I got there and Robb's little buddy, Chris, was there (sarcasm). I don't remember him in the previous Embers days, so this may have been his first show. He's just so squirmy, I don't. I am not trying to be mean; I just have no patience for him. As I was trying to get my amp on stage, he was just oddly in the way. Ugh.
Anyway, we set up for soundcheck. I brought my Avatar 212 and Orange Terror Bass. I was supplying bass backline stage right, by the bar and backstage entrance. I strapped up the new P bass and tried it out and immediately, low signal. It may have been the same input jack thing I had happen the other day. After jiggling it around, no change, so I busted out old Goldie and we got to work.
Soundcheck pic featuring the Professor
After soundcheck, Marci grabbed me to go to KAVU down the street, she wanted an opinion on a backpack she liked. She got it and then we went to dinner next door. Ran into Ben London there with his wife and son. He wasn't coming to the show as his son was leaving town the next day so we just said hi. After dinner, we grabbed a molten chocolate cake down the block and snapped a pic.
I was a bit antsy to get back to the club so I left Marci there to finish her treat and ran into Patrick, Kathy and Reb from Golden West. Having played with Kathy and Patrick before, it was nice to be on the same bill with them and their band. I had met Reb a few months ago at the Conor Byrne show and really liked her vibe and energy. Kathy snapped a pic!
After so many years of playing out, I'm finally feeling like I'm part of the scene. I know people, they know me and generally speaking, we like each other. It's really cool!
Finally I made it inside and got to catch a few songs by Seola Station. At soundcheck, when I thought I'd be offering my rig, I spoke with their bassist, Brian, who said he was gonna use his own rig as he likes being stage left and didn't want to move my stuff. Then he busts out the killer Mesa 12/15 mini stack and I figure that I'd want to use that if I had it too.
Epic rig!
Seola Station was cool. There's a description of their music as smoky and sultry, and that's pretty accurate. Ruth, the singer, was a knockout in heels, a slinky dress and really unique vocals. Low register, singing but almost spoken, very neat. Her band was tight and energetic as well. Really enjoyed what I saw and heard.
Seola Station
Marci and I did head backstage and chill for a bit, trying to get people to enjoy some cupcakes for Cass and Tim's birthdays. Her and I chopped it up with Patrick a bit, talking about backyard wildlife, of all things. I shared my Dodo the cat trauma from earlier this summer. It was just nice to chat and hang out and see our friends.
Hooray for cupcakes!
Hooray for Marci and I!
Pro stage plot diagram for Seola Station!
Golden West took the stage next, with Kim V on lead vocals, Patrick on slide, Kathy on lead guitar, Emily on rhythm guitar, Reb on bass and the great Aimee Zoe on drums. Watching her play was a joy, reminded me of my obsession with Anika Nilles. Same joy on her face as Anika's. Really cool! Reb played some great lines and the band was just fantastic. Marci and Emily talked for a bit before their set as she's from Cincinnati, so they talked about Riley's adventures out there, it was pretty funny.
Golden West!
During their set, I got to see a bunch of folks: Steve and Salena, Andi, Howie, Scott Woods, Pete Nordstrom, Dave Place, Lisa Gordon, Will Wiles, Dan Lancaster, Rob Dent, Ben Heege, Charles and Cindy, both Robb's sisters, Renee and Ruthie, Steve Schneider and Michelle from way back, maybe some others I'm forgetting. Just a love in, it was great!
Once GW got off the stage, we got setup and then had a band meeting like Tim likes to do. He gives a quick pep talk and then we jump back onstage and do our thing. All my stuff was working, from IEMs to wireless guitar and it was time to go. Hit the stage running with Game Changer, into Tomorrow, which we never played back in the day.
From Teddy Laabs
Both songs went pretty well. I could hear myself fine, it was the playing that was tough at first. I didn't really warm up and as soon as we started playing, I was just pumped. All the moving around makes it hard to pick accurately, but I think I was likely the only one that noticed. More missed notes than wrong notes, so that's good, I suppose.
For Cass' and Tim's birthdays, Robb and Darla bought some party favors and he passed them out to all the people, so after our 3rd song, Sideline, everyone sang them happy birthday and then blew the blowers. It was pretty sweet.
Happy Birthday to Cass & Tim!
Initially at practices, I was playing all the songs with pick, after never having done so in the past. It was fine, but on some of the slower songs, Break This Down, Pull, Road Song, I decided to go fingers. Same with Boom, though last night I switched to pick mid-song as it was just too fast and I couldn't keep up. I ended up doing Chimp with fingers as well, I think it just flows better.
Overall, pretty pleased with how we played. I think there were some clams here and there by all of us, but for our first show back, not too shabby. A bunch of great pix were taken, let's take a look. First up, Mike Mitchell's pix.
Next up, Howie Cohen's pix.
This might be my favorite picture of the night.
As of now, there are tons of pics of us but not a lot of videos. Funny thing, our friend Bob Mattson came out to shoot GoPro vids as he's done before. He got set up early and then went to dinner. Before long, Cass reached out to me to ask where Bob was. Apparently both SS and GW hired camera crews as well and they wanted the spots where Bob hid his cameras. He was kind enough to come back and accommodate them, but it was sort of a pain.
Speaking of videos, our pals Ted Laabs and Will Wiles posted vids. I'm expecting Bob's as well as Derrick's in the near future, as well as any more that may pop up.
As far as future SE shows go, nothing's in the books. We have talked about it and we feel good about more. As far as new music? Who knows? I know Tim has stuff he wants to bring in but we'll have to feel it out as a band and see how it is. I think we've all grown and if we can settle whatever happened in the past, there may be some hope. Especially if we can sell out shows on the regular? Maybe we play once or twice a year, make it a can't miss prop, vs a "we can catch them next month" type thing.
And now, that's a wrap on gigs. Nothing officially booked for me as of right now. Grooves may have something in a few weeks, more details on that soon, supposedly.
Got to visit the City of Destiny for my latest gig. Been excited about this one as it was at the Spanish Ballroom, a place I'd heard was awesome to visit and play at, but I'd never done before. I didn't get any photos of the exterior or anything, or even tour the rooms much, but suffice it to say, it was like being at a theme restaurant or bar, like the Rainforest Cafe or something.
I loaded my stuff and made the 30 mile or so trek under gorgeous blue, but quite cold, skies. Bass cab, pedals, bass head, 2 basses, a wardrobe bag, some blazers, a tripod and a guitar stand. I had put the mp3s of our last Sunset Grooves practice onto an SD card and put them in the car, singing along on the way down.
I showed up and the rest of the band was already there. I rolled my cab into the place, only to find stairs and no elevator that got us to the ballroom. But that's what drummers are for, right? Dusty helped me get my stuff in the room and I started to get set up. Here's the stage just before getting setup.
I was to be stage right, with Eric and his keys behind me. Patrick was way over on stage left, which suited us fine as he was just getting over COVID and had finally tested negative in the morning. Jen was between us and Dusty, of course, would be in the back.
I took a few minutes getting set up and once I was done, here's how my corner looked.
I decided to bring the rig as I haven't gigged with the Orange yet, and after the poor sound at the Central a few weeks ago, I wanted to have better control of how I sounded on stage.
The sound guy, Aaron, was great and we had a nice soundcheck getting the vocals sounding good in the monitors. I had him add some of Patrick's guitar and kept the bass to just my amp and cab. He took a DI from the bass amp and from what I could hear from the stage of the house sound, everything sounded really nice.
quick pic as we set up
After getting dialed in, we had an hour or so to grab a bite. Patrick and I grabbed gyros at the adjacent bar. A little bummed to find they don't comp food, or even drink tickets. They do, however, offer bottled water and a really cool green room to hang and get dressed, etc. This was the downstairs part of the green room. Just off to the side was the bathroom, with a shower, if one was so inclined.
We took the stage right at 5pm and started forging our way through our first 90-minute set. I could hear everything great on our first song, Listen to the Music by the Doobies. After that, we did Player's Baby Come Back, which features pretty much bass and drums at the beginning. I thought the bass was SUPER LOUD, but really, it was because I was standing right in front of the cab. As I moved over to Dusty's drums, the bass was not nearly as loud.
As we made our way through the set, we had a couple hiccups. On LTTM, we started a bit too early and Jen wasn't ready with her in-ears and stuff yet, so we cycled through one extra verse, no big deal. Baby Come Back had some technical issues with a keyboard being unplugged. We went through the next few songs with no issues, until we got to I Feel the Earth Move, where we got a little discombobulated during the outro and ended a little early.
For You're No Good, we do play it down a whole step, but even so, singing the backing harmonies are tough on that. Very high for me, and either I need to get better or we ditch them as most people won't notice (I'm talking about the high harms going into the second chorus).
We got to the break in the set and took 10 minutes to catch our breath. As I was putting my bass down, the middle finger on my left hand went rogue. The finger pad was locked to my palm, like Spider-man shooting his web shooters. I couldn't open my hand! That had never happened before. I could feel a small twinge in my left forearm as well. No pain, just no control. I used my right hand to unbend my middle finger and massage my arm and it started to get better. After about 3-4 minutes, it was back to normal. Unclear what that was all about, but I'm glad it was short lived.
After our break, we hit the second set and the crowd of 50 or so finally loosened up a bit. They started hitting the dance floor and pretty much stayed there the rest of the night. As far as performances go, the second set was a lot better than the first. One song in the first set was a bit of a train wreck, which is a shame, as we usually play it quite well.
After the show, though I didn't get any comments, we did have several people approach Dusty and Jen, telling them how much they loved us. Two of them had just seen Yacht Rock Revue a few nights prior in Seattle and they thought we were better than them and had better song choices.
Overall, I had a great time, but pay wise, we will be lucky to have $100 per person. We'll have to add in tips to reach that amount most likely. Hoping some of the people who really dug it follow through on their requests to be our biggest fans.
Minor road trip east of the mountains for this gig, about 70 miles from home. The rest of the band had to come from Ballard, adding an additional 30 minutes to the ride. Luckily, we carpooled, so I got picked up and sat in the back of the SUV with the gear.
It was a gorgeous sunny day for us here, west of the mountains, and the night was going to be clear over the mountains, but likely about 5-10 degrees cooler. It was cold when we left home and as we headed over the pass, it just got colder.
About an hour or so later, we arrived in the small town of Roslyn, WA, to play the Brick, a legendary old bar out there (also made famous by the old TV show, "Northern Exposure"). It was in the high 20s and this old man was cold. We got in the club and started loading in.
I'd never been to the Brick before, but upon walking in, was pleasantly surprised to see it full of diners. It's an old building, with it split down the middle. The side we entered on was the restaurant/bar side, and through a doorway about halfway in was more dining area, but with a stage on one end and a dance floor adjacent. We got our stuff on stage and started the setup process.
Since this was an actual place and not a private party, they had a PA and backline in place, so there was no need for my in-ears or bass rig. The owner, Lucky, was also the sound guy and a musician in his own right. He was sharply dressed, with stovepipe jeans, a henley shirt, and a leather vest. He fit the Western feel of the town, with his handlebar mustache, grey hair, and small gun attached to his belt on the small of his back. He reminded me a bit of my brother-in-law, Todd, manly handsome and charismatic.
As mentioned, Lucky had gear and on stage for my bass was a GK 212 combo, brand new. For a 212 cabinet and amp, it was really small. About the size (or smaller) of my Avatar 210. I picked up the GK and it was super light, too. Lucky said it was 42 pounds. I moved it to my side of the stage and started the setup process.
GK 212 Neo Combo amp
Controls up top
I ended up zeroing out all the controls and EQ, basically relying on it for stage sound. I had my pedals up front to sculpt the sound. Overall, that 212 sounded really great and could be an option down the road if/when I get tired of dragging around my big Avatar 212. Though, to be fair, I have not gigged with it but the one time (and I haven't gigged with my Orange yet), so we'll see how it goes. Good to know the GK is out there, though.
The trusty L1k and the pedalboard
Soundchecking in front of the TV (hidden after the game)
After getting dialed in with some difficulty (and to be honest, it was troublesome all night), we were comped a meal from the bar. I got brisket quesadillas, which were tasty. Super hot and greasy, the brisket could've used some more salt, but it hit the spot.
Not the best picture, but you get the idea
Above the kitchen opposite the stage is an upstairs portion called the apartment. Which is pretty much what it is. You go up the stairs and to the left is a kitchenette, a seating area (occupied by a bed), with a bedroom attached that has a window that overlooks the floor below. Opposite to the kitchenette are windows that look out on the main street that the bar is on. On the other side of the stairs is a bathroom/laundry room combo. All the employees have access to these rooms and use it as a break room. It acts as a green room for the bands, too.
Fridge in the kitchenette
After getting changed, we took the stage to start at 9pm but due to some sound issues, we had to wait for Lucky to get us dialed in. He was super nice, but seemingly unfazed by being late. We had a nice crowd hanging around for us, and after about 15 minutes, we hit the first notes for Steal Away (Robbie Dupree).
As far as my monitor mix went, I could barely hear myself (was using my head voice to listen to my singing instead), I couldn't hear Dusty's vocals or Patrick's guitar. I could hear Jen through her wedge and I could hear Eric's keys from his monitor next to me. So it wasn't ideal but understanding that Lucky was a one-man show, we rolled with it. He was eventually able to get me some semblance of monitors and I was able to make my way through things.
Crowd-wise, there was a nice amount of people there. We were expecting an older, retiree type crowd, but were pleasantly surprised to see most people appeared to be in their mid-20's to early 30's. We played through Come And Get Your Love (Redbone) and Listen to the Music (Doobie Bros) before we finally got some dancers on song #4, My Life (Billy Joel).
From there, folks really started getting on the dance floor. We had a nice high stage, so no one was bumping into us or getting in our faces. Despite the cold temps outside, it started off pretty hot on stage, but soon met a happy medium where we weren't sweating too bad. Pretty comfortable, actually.
Music continued with a few new ones for us, Reelin' in the Years (Steely Dan), Swingtown (Steve Miller Band) and You're No Good (Linda Ronstadt). People loved the tunes, but strangely, the floor cleared out during Misunderstanding (Genesis). We made our way to the end of 15 songs and then stopped for a quick break. Since we started a little later than we would have liked, we kept the break short and got back to work.
From the bedroom upstairs, after our first set
The setlist
We got to work with set 2 and the people were back on the floor. Another surprise was, as young as the crowd was, they knew many of the words to these "older" songs. No Matter What (Badfinger) was one of those songs; lots of the youngsters knew it. It was another one of our "new to us" songs and one we play really well. Love Will Keep Us Together (Captain and Tennille) is one for me that is super tricky. I play it with a pick and there are some wicked syncopated backing vocals on it. And we're not doing all the crazy background singer vox; we simplify it a bit, but wow, still tricky.
About 2/3rds of the way through this set, I started getting tired. We do our little disco set, with Jive Talkin' (Bee Gees) and Do Ya Think I'm Sexy (Rod Stewart) and especially with that second song, the octaves kill my fretting hand. It's a long song and I'm pretty much playing octaves for all 5:34 of it. It's brutal.
We finished the second set and just stayed out there. By now, it was likely after 11:00 and if we took a break, we'd probably lose the people that were still there. We did end up skipping down to Maggie May (Rod Stewart/Faces) to keep the tunes flowing. That song was tricky to learn, with the original recorded version having bass that just goes all over the place. There isn't really a way to play this one note for note, so once I got the structure and chords down, it's pretty much just go for it. I try to stay true to the tune's original feel, but definitely do open things up for myself a bit. It's a good time.
We wound down the rest of the night with 4 more songs and finally got cut off by Lucky. By that time, we had about 10 people left, 6 of whom were some cougars celebrating a 40th birthday. They were nice enough to stick around to listen.
The rest of the night was us tearing down and loading out in the clear cold night. Overall, the Brick was a success and Lucky wants us to come back. He is booked out until next year and our feeling is we'd like to try coming back in the summer, with some promotion behind it. Hopefully get out there, get some private party bookings, etc.
With that, I have no more gigs this year. Overall, it's been the most lucrative gigging year I've ever had. I don't know if it is the most number of gigs I've had in a year but, I wish I had more!
Next up, Planets on 1/6 at, of all places, The Central.
