2026-08-15 Planets in the Ocean at the Tractor Tavern

Made this on Canva

We were offered this show a few months ago and were pretty excited about it. I know nothing about the Divorce but both Cass and Robb had played with them a bunch when they were in Dear John Letters. Evidently they had a great draw in the early 2010s and played a bunch of great local shows back then.

I showed up at the Tractor around 6pm and double-parked behind a car that was already there. The Tractor has a loading dock in the back that they lock once the show starts. It makes things really handy to not have to find parking elsewhere, but it can be a bit challenging to get all the cars in there.

Cass and Robb were already there, as was Robb's awkward friend, Chris. Some of the Chimestone dudes were there as well. Good to chop it up with Cass for a bit. We talked about our plan for our set, less talking (for me at least; he's not on mic), and how we were going to play our new song, "Tourniquet."

I didn't know what to expect as far as crowds go, but as the doors opened, it seemed like Chimestone was having a good draw. I think all 5 of those guys are NHS grads, and their crew travels well. It seems like every time we play with them, they have a good crew showing out.

Teddy shared his bass rig, I was happy to use it. One less thing for me to be bringing around on a long day to begin with. He also had a beautiful Stingray that he was going to play, which ended up sounding just as good as it looked.

Teddy's rig and bass

Chimestone took the stage and played a competent set of REM-ish rock and roll. Frontman Jake came out on fire, working the stage with and without guitar, singing expertly. Ted on bass was solid throughout, tasty notes and playing all set long. Jonathan Plum, of course, was so solid as well, also adding killer harmonies during the songs. Paul was stellar behind the kit, driving with power and energy. I don't know the other guitarist's name, but he was great as well, tasty leads and playing. Enjoyed watching and hearing them for sure.

Chimestone at work

During Chimestone's set, we hooked up with a local photographer named Ian who had been sent by our bud Will. I asked if he'd be willing to take some non-performance pix of us and he agreed. We went to the loading area and stood/posed by some dangerous looking stacks of pallets while he snapped away. He ended up taking a bunch there as well as during the show. Hope those turn out to be cool!

We took the stage after Chimestone loaded out. Had to switch drum sets, but other than that, no big deal. I gave Dave the sound guy my IEM transmitter and he got bass and vocals into my ears. Had the bass rig on stage turned up as well and with hardly a word, Robb started into "Unraveled." Everything sounded great to me in my ears. Robb's vocals and guitar were loud enough that I didn't need any of his signal to the IEMs.

Unlike last show, I put the wireless pack on my strap and it was not going anywhere. My IEM receiver was opposite on my left hip, which would reduce any interference. I have new silicone ear tips from some old Skullcandy earbuds that create an awesome seal and didn't leak like my foam ones would if I smiled or laughed, so all my gear was working as it should. Until my left earbud popped out during "Unraveled." No worries, after the tune, I put it back in and we were golden.

We continued the set with "The Loud Silence," and then our nemesis from last show, "Nomenclature," and those all went off without a hitch. Robb or I didn't say much until after that song, so it was sort of refreshing.

We worked our way down the list and we were doing great. We sounded good, mistakes were low, crowd liked it and our energy was high. All the songs were fine until we hit "Holiday Daydream," where Robb forgot to do the chorus and went straight into the second verse. He's done that before, so we'll have to mention it again. Aside from that, though, everything else went well.

The last song was our new song, "Tourniquet." Robb brought it in a few months ago and it pretty much wrote itself. Over the past two rehearsals at the Rock Rooms in Ballard, we've really worked on it. It's pretty much a 3-part song: riff, verse, chorus. I'd like to come up with a bridge at some point, but it came together quickly and plays well. We may do have Tim jump on it when we play the SE show next month, but we'll see.

Got off stage and the Divorce jumped on after us. A very tight and pro 4-piece. A bit emo, a bunch rock and they looked great doing it. All 4 dudes were great musicians and the songs were well-received. They drew a nice crowd and had people singing to all their songs. At some point during the set, Robb made his way right up front and was pumping his fist and jumping along to the tunes!

The Divorce

During either of the other bands' sets, I chopped it up with Steve and Salena a bit, as well as Cass. We all got a laugh out of Chris and his tendencies. He means well, but I don't really want him to be running merch for us; one of us can handle that. He can help Robb schlep gear back and forth, I don't need his help with anything.

Got some props after the gig. Kim and her cousin gave me the best compliment, digging the white denim jeans I picked up the day before at Goodwill! Jimmy, the bassist in the Divorce, complimented my playing as faster than he can do; he has a Geddy Lee Jazz with a skinny neck to be able to play faster. We felt great about our performance, likely one of our best ones in a minute.

Had to beg Steve and Salena for pix. I think plenty of people took pix and video, but gotta be patient. Chris Elko was there and should have a video for us soon. And Ian's pix will be sent out soon I'm assuming. Other than that, felt great about it all. Sold a couple of limited pink LPs as well, so that's a bonus. We got a check for $566 (surprise!) so overall, a great night.

Next up, Cupcake on 9/11 at the Blue Moon?? Stay tuned.

Gig report: 2/2/24 Sunset Grooves at the Tractor Tavern

Two months into the year, two gigs at the Tractor Tavern. Not a bad start to the year so far, same as it ever was.

We were asked to play this show via Dennis, who also plays guitar in Coool Babies, a Talking Heads tribute band. Maybe Seattle is a tribute band town, but I find it quite interesting that one of the best clubs in town, the Tractor, makes a habit of booking bands like CB, the IRS (REM tribute band), Wild Rumours (Fleetwood Mac), HalloQueen (Queen), and now us, a yacht rock band. Though we aren't the headliner, still a nice get for us.

As always, soundcheck is scheduled 4 hours prior to first note, which seems excessive. I left the house at 4:45 for a 5:30 arrival and the CBs hadn't finished setting up yet. An astounding 9 members to this band: singer/acoustic guitar, 2 backing singers, bassist, keys, drummer, percussionist, guitarist and guitar/keys. Outside of high school band, I have never been in a band that big. Imagine the scheduling drama! But they got their sounds checked and they sounded great.

Coool Babies

We finally got to sound check and it was what it was. I had my IEMs with me and my Zoom pedal; no onstage rig for me. All the sounds were working, I could hear Jacob (the sound guy), as well as my mates, but to me, it seems like getting sounds dialed in an IEM setting vs floor wedges takes more nuance and time.

Lucky for us, Jacob had worked with us before at a couple of private gigs and is also super patient. He got my bass and vocals up front, with everything else lower for reference. Adding to the difficulty of getting a perfect mix was being right next to Eric, who does not use IEMs, and had a floor wedge blasting up at him. It seemed quite loud and I could hear it in my IEMs, but I was able to work around it.

We did a couple song run-throughs, then got off stage to get some food. Headed a few doors north to Hattie's Hat for a burger and a water (no pix), chatted with Dennis, Jen, Dusty and Jacob (Eric stayed behind with a salad) for a few, then headed back to the Tractor.

We were unsure as to how many people to expect. I hardly ever, EVER, have people come out, and my mates don't have many either. We were hoping to have a built in Tractor crowd, and whatever Coool Babies/Talking Heads fans there were. Getting back inside, there was a nice crowd milling around. We got changed into our denim tops/white bottoms, and then hung out for a few more before hitting the stage.

I was pleasantly surprised at how large the crowd was. I'd be fooling myself if I thought they were there to see us. Regardless, it was excellent to play to that many people. I had sunglasses on and though I could see what I was playing, I couldn't see the crowd that well. The few times I peeked over the lenses, I was excited to see how many were out there.

We started with Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac) and I felt really good about it. Nice, easy start to the show with a crowd pleaser. Folks were dancing, but still a little shy; they stood about 3-5 feet from the stage. No stage banter to start, or after that song, as we jumped into Brandy (Looking Glass). After that tune, we said howdy and we were off. The crowd really got into the songs; I could hear them singing along and having a great time.

Because we were the opener, we had a relatively short set, around an hour. We blasted through I Feel The Earth Move (Carole King) and Couldn't Get It Right (Climax Blues Band). Things felt and sounded great. Jen looked great in a little white dress, denim shirt and cowboy boots. She held it down and did her thing. Dennis ripped up his guitar parts, Eric threw down on Evil Woman (ELO) and Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest). Dusty and I locked in the grooves in Maneater (Hall & Oates) and Reelin in the Years (Steely Dan). We finished the night with Hold the Line (Toto) and Ride like the Wind (Christopher Cross), and before we knew it, we were done.

I got my stuff off the stage and got a Mexican Coke from the bar. A few people offered some nice words and thanks for our efforts. Getting back through the crowd was challenging; so many people, no room to maneuver and did get an accidental elbow to the cheek by a guy who was energetically dancing to one of the Coool Babies songs.

Once I got back to the side-stage, I got a few pictures of the crowd.

After we got off the stage.

Coool Babies on the stage.

I have never been a Talking Heads fan. I know the hits from the radio and pop culture, but never got into what TH music is about. I did go in with an open mind, but to me, the songs are fairly static, and the vibe that is created is lost on me. Clearly it's a "me" issue and not an "everyone else" issue as the joy and happiness on the crowds faces while they sang and danced along was very evident. I really enjoyed watching Lauren and Kathy, the two background singers, on stage. They had some choreographed moves and great, fun energy. The other musicians were all excellent and they played really well and did the songs justice. Roger, the singer, even came back later with the trademark HUGE suit (no pix).

At the end of the night, we got to all chat a bit and trade numbers, etc. The members of CB are all quite cool and us in the SG hope to collaborate with some of them to fill out our sound more from time to time. Don't know what the payout is yet, but hope it's a nice chunk. Hope we get some leads as well; I heard people were asking about hiring us for future parties, etc.

Really fun night at the Tractor. I talked to a young photog who had a giant Canon pro lens on her camera. She said she was an apprentice shooting with a "famous concert photographer" named Wayne. I didn't get their info, but she said she'd be getting us pictures soon. Hopefully that's the case, we seem to never get pics or videos unless we do them ourselves. I'll post them if I get them.

In the meantime, up next, Planets at Darrell's Tavern in a month with our pals, the Pop Cycle, and new friends, the Rallies (of which their bassist is the same guy, Ben, that played with Coool Babies).

Gig report: 1/3/24 Planets in the Ocean at the Tractor Tavern

David from Pop Cycle booked this show, asking us to play on a Wednesday, but at the venerable Tractor Tavern. The other band, Royal Blunder, I knew nothing about, other than a few songs on the internet that were pretty lo-fi and chill.

I last played the Tractor in September of 2022 with Kathy Moore, on a Monday, of all nights. She was supporting a traveling singer/songwriter from Atlanta, which means you play when they are in town. It was sparsely attended, but it was the debut of my $100 212 Avatar cabinet, which I was excited about.

As far as my own project at the Tractor, it was with Stereo Embers on New Year's Eve going into 2019, where we opened for Ayron Jones (who is now opening tours for bands like the Rolling Stones and GnR!!). I also saw one of my heroines, Juliana Hatfield, in Feb 2020 before covid shut us all down.

In other words, the Tractor is a pretty big deal in these parts, and for Planets, it was great to get there. We negotiated the opening slot on the weeknight and were a little nervous at maybe a light draw. We haven't drawn super great since revamping and we're trying to build it up.

I left at 5pm for a 6-ish soundcheck, starting my night in the hole and paying $60 for gas right off the bat.

the pain, $5.09/gallon for supreme.

After not even getting a full tank for $60, I headed towards Ballard. I hit something coming off the freeway, seeing it too late in the dark and rain. I thought it was a piece of cardboard or something, but then I heard the grinding of something underneath the car. After pulling over to check, turns out it was a headrest from someone's car. I pulled that ish out and kicked it aside, then made my way to the club.

Jim from Pop Cycle was kind enough to share his incredible Verellen rig. They were about to soundcheck when I arrived. He has a really nice P bass as well, and they sounded great when they did their quick check of things.

I would hate to haul this around, but I sure like playing through it.

As far as basses go, I brought my P and my gold L-1000, with the intent of playing the P. I have flats on it and I've been a little concerned with the action on it. It seems a little low, but I can't seem to get it higher, either with the saddles or truss rod adjusted. I may just take it somewhere and have someone set it up for me.

We did our soundcheck and I thought the bass sounded good. I had earplugs in and was about 10' or so in front of the amp and could hear it well enough. I had Jacob, the sound guy, put my bass in the monitors and was pretty happy with it. I've had thoughts that it can sound kind of twangy and plinky, especially since I'm using a pick, but I try to tame it with generous use of the tone knob.

After soundcheck, it was over to Hattie's Hat for a quick dinner, where Cass and I chatted before being joined by Robb and our friend Ted, who always shoots some vids and pix of us. It was nice to get caught up with him and my bros, and then we headed back next door to play some tunes.

Getting back to the Tractor!

We got on stage and Robb didn't have setlists printed. No big deal, he just called out the songs and off we went. Keeps things interesting. We were pleasantly surprised at the crowd. Based on the payment sheet at the end of the night, there were 60 paid attendees. I don't know how the Tractor felt about that, but we were pretty happy with the turnout. Lots of familiar faces and always some that hadn't seen us but were excited after doing so.

As we played, I felt pretty good about how the bass sounded, but thought it was a little quiet. I didn't want to turn up my stage volume, so I had Jacob put some more bass in the monitors, which helped, but the sound I was getting wasn't great. Again, plinky and twangy and I didn't care for it too much. My buddy Steve, who is a P bass afficionado, told me afterwards it sounded fine, but a little low in the overall room mix. At that point in the gig, not much I could do with it, so I just played through.

Overall, I felt pretty good about the performance. Cass was solid, as always; Robb's vocals were on fire and his guitar playing was nice as well. My vocals were louder than usual and I was told that my bass could have been louder in the mix out front. Lots of compliments on the vocals, though, which I love.

We got off the stage and were followed by the Pop Cycle. They're a quartet, with two singers/guitarists, a bassist and a drummer. I had played with both guitarists in separate projects, then together as yet another project. Both those guys, David and Brett, write great pop rock songs and sing like birds; put 'em together and it's really a great combo. Paul on drums is frenetic and drives the bus; he looks like he's playing on a 60's tv show with his energy and physicality. And Jim plays a solid bass while also singing lead on one X cover (I had to be told it was a cover, that's how up to date I am on X tunes). They played a nice, melodic set and then gave way to Royal Blunder.

Pop Cycle at soundcheck.

Crowd was bigger earlier, but still nice.

As I mentioned earlier, Royal Blunder sounded pretty chill based on what I had heard online. In talking to the dudes before the show, they indicated that this was their third gig together. The guys were a little older than us, except for Danny, the lead guitarist, so I knew it wasn't their first rodeo. They jumped onstage and were quite a bit livelier than I expected. Definitely a rock band; the flyer described them as "psych post punk," and I'll admit, I don't even know what that means.

Anyway, they had good bones and I think more practices and gigs will only make them better. Rob, the singer, looked great on stage and sounded pretty good as well. He had a really high voice, which reminded me of an old singer of mine, Chris, from the Lund Bros. They also did a cover of "I Am the Walrus," which he nailed thanks to that high voice. Bruce on bass played a Rick and it sounded a little thick and muddy; I'm not sure what was happening to the sound in that room, but it seemed weird once I got off stage.

Royal Blunder

Overall, a really nice night at the Tractor. We got paid and after splitting it three ways, I didn't cover my gas and meal ($15 including tip), but as mentioned before, that's not why I do it. The positive vibes, the reconnecting with old friends and making new friends was all good. Hoping to continue growing this band, recording some more songs, putting out a vinyl and playing some bigger shows as we move through 2024.

Gig report: 9/6/2022 Kathy Moore and the Super Subs at the Tractor

Ah, the rare Tuesday night gig. It's been a minute since I've played an early week gig, but we went in hoping for the best. This show marked my 4th time playing with Kathy and it's been a nice little run. Though I've written about her in the past, I haven't really said anything about her.

Kathy is quite the local legend, playing in seemingly every band in town and also knowing all the musicians as well. She gigs several nights a week and teaches guitar during the day. She's a multi-instrumentalist and is always creating. I was super stoked when I got the call a few months ago. My phone rang, we chatted, and then I was like, "of all the bassists, she picked me?"

There are some hot shots in town that would certainly pick up the phone for Kathy and play, and maybe they were busy or maybe they cost too much, or, maybe she wanted to throw me a bone. Whatever the case may be, it really is a privilege to play with and for her and I am excited anytime she reaches out.

I was planning on showing up around 5:30pm for load-in, but traffic was kind of busy so I showed up around 5:50 instead. I heard Raoul (drums) and Kathy soundchecking so I hustled my stuff in, set up, and was able to get a quick soundcheck as well. I hate showing up late!

With my newly acquired Avatar 212 on stage, I was really stunned at the thick and growly sound I got. Normally, via my 212/115 setup, it's good sounding, but the 212 was a different animal. I did try to dial the volume back as we weren't expecting a ton of people, but I really liked how it sounded.

After the soundcheck, Kathy and I headed out to check out the vintage clothing shop next door. Though I couldn't tell if it was really vintage or not. Tons of "vintage" (reprinted) band t-shirts (VH, Billy Idol, Ozzy, PF, the Doors, Motley Crue, etc) but for eyewatering prices (>$50). Very stylish, too expensive, IMO.


Kathy is so dang stylish!

Walked up the block and I had a greasy burger at Great State. No picture, but it tasted dang good. Got to know Kathy a bit more as we've never really gotten a chance to chat outside of a band setting.

Back at the club, the first band, the Paula Boggs Band (only a trio this time), started 30 minutes early. It was Paula on vocals and ukelele/acoustic guitar, Darren on acoustic guitar, and Alex on upright bass. That bass sounded spectacular and Alex was a genius playing it. So beautiful.


Paula Boggs Band

PBB had a fun set, punctuated with her wry lyrics and easy going style. The gents on guitar and bass were no slouches either and I had a smile on my face the whole time.

Next up was Michelle Malone, a singer-songwriter from Atlanta. Evidently she makes her way around the country playing gigs and doing in-home private shows. Her sideman was Doug Kees and they were both excellent. Michelle was a little hoarse, having just spent a few days in the desert, which apparently really messed with her throat. Nevertheless, she put on a beautiful, emotional and funny show. She played some slide and harmonica and she was a true professional, a road warrior. Really loved how she performed.


Doug and Michelle

We were up last and there were maybe 10 or so people when we took the stage. As per usual, me, Kathy and Raoul had one rehearsal the day before so we could dust off the cobwebs. No real curveballs for this gig, other than a quick little 3 chord "gospel march" to start a little quieter. We did that, then did our rock thing.

Before my rehearsal the day before, I had found someone selling an Avatar 212 cab for the stupid low price of $100. I raced over there before practice, tested it and bought it. I dinked around with it at home in my basement and it sounded like a cab in my basement. But when I got it on stage at the club for soundcheck and then performance, well, wow. Lots of bottom, more growl than I'm accustomed to, and just thickness and a sound that is new to me. Really excited about this cabinet and can't wait to try it with my other gigs.



We played about 7-8 songs, kept it shorter since there weren't a bunch of people at the show. I shot a video but my phone was full and only got about 4 songs.

Next up: Sunset Grooves for Nordstrom's fund raiser on 9/16. 33 yacht rock songs or bust!

New Cab Day: Avatar B212

Originally posted at TalkBass.

Over the past few weeks, I've been sort of jonesing for something new in the amplification field. I thought my trusty TE had an issue, when really, it was an issue with the user (me). Then I thought I wanted to get a 112 to pair with my Avatar 210, mainly for aesthetic reasons as my garage sale, mix n match, 3 components, 3 brands stack is functional, but I am tired of how it looks.

Add in the fact that I have some discretionary income from playing shows and, well, you see, the GAS is pretty fierce.

It all came to a head yesterday when lo and behold, in a local Facebook music gear swap page, a fine gentleman listed an Avatar 212 priced so aggressively, I thought that 1) it was a typo and/or 2) it was broken and 3) it was already spoken for.

Well, despite a few comments, no one committed to it, but I told him I would be willing to check it out today, Labor Day (US). He agreed and this afternoon, I headed over to check it out.

He was unaware if it was a 4 or 8 ohm cabinet. I currently run 2 8 ohm cabs and when I got there, the 212 was a 4 ohm cabinet. No worries, as my TE wants to run at 4 ohm minimum, which should give it the 200 watts that the head is rated at.

I plugged in my L1K, no pedals, and with graphic EQ on by default and it sounded great. I didn't have my 210 with me to compare, but it sounded fuller, thicker, deeper and more well rounded. The 210 is very midsy to my ears.

I also lucked out and got to play his shell pink Fullerton (US) G&L Fallout. He had flats on it and it sounded really awesome through the TE > 212. Just the right amount of thud and thump. Quite cool and a happy coincidence that he was also a G&L guy (he also has a Fullerton LB-100 at home).

Added bonus is the cabinet came on casters and is quite light, despite its size. I have put it through its paces at home (no band) and it is quite loud and should fit in just fine. My plan is to use the 212 as my gig rig and to leave the 210/115 combo stack at my band's rehearsal space.

Quick question about the casters: they are not removable. Does it matter? Meaning with coupling/not coupling issues? Will there be issues? I suppose I could always lay it on its side...

I will be playing it tomorrow at a rare Tuesday night show, supporting my pal Kathy Moore in her rock trio. If you're in the Ballard area on 9/6, come on by the Tractor and hear it in action.

Here it is under my 210. Love that they match and are stackable, sad that I can't play them together without blowing up my amp.


And here it is with the head I'll use on it.

 

Gig report: 8/9/18 Stereo Embers at the Tractor Tavern

Today is 8/12, 3 days later, and I'm still buzzing from playing the Tractor on Thursday! We had a great practice on Monday to get ready. So good that Tim was thinking about calling it, lest we jinx our performance on Thursday. But we kept going and I think the practice did us good!

We'd been hearing that the show was close to being sold out. Turns out, as the night progressed, they had to turn people away as, yes, it was sold out!

Cass, Tim and I showed up around 5pm or so for sound check, got dialed in, then went to dinner. Show started promptly at 8pm, with Kim Virant and her band (all Seattle music scenesters) putting in a sweet and soulful set.

Following Kim's band was Danny Newcomb & the Sugarmakers. A power-pop/rock trio, featuring more scenesters and Seattle legends on stage. They were highly entertaining and pro on stage.

This was my second show with the Embers. Usually when I play a show, I get on stage after the previous band, set up, strap in, we count off and we play. This band does things a little differently, as we get on stage, set up, then leave the stage. We headed off stage and then did a little pep talk in the green room. After that, it was go time.

We got up there, Tim started us off with Wagon, and off we went. For this show and the first show at the Sunset, I forget just how much energy Tim starts with. Any other band I've been in, it's always just us starting and we sort of ease in. With Tim, once he hits that big C chord, I better be ready. And I might have to start wearing my hair down at practice! When I play with it down, I can't see anything and some of those Cs and Fs at the beginning of Wagon are a bit off.

Wagon is the song that drew me in in the first place. I've always loved playing that tune and Thursday was no exception. The highlight is hitting that big 3rd harmony in the second chorus. Love that part. Check it out!



We continued with Pull, which we always butt up against Wagon as Tim plays both with a capo. This is a song I thought would need a backing vocal in the second half of the chorus. I tried a few times, but it's pretty unnecessary, as it turns out. The song is a slow burn and really highlights Tim's solo chops, as well as his delicate side during the verses.

The past few weeks at rehearsal, we were able to dial in two new songs! They are still evolving, but the basics are in place. Things like backing vocals and possibly minor arrangements still need to be done, but they're finished enough to play out. One of the songs, Things That Go Boom, is a barnburner, with a shuffle feel. It's always a crap shoot for me, as I gotta move my fingers fast, but under all the noise, precision isn't always necessary. Tim really tore this song up, but he did suffer some technical difficulties, with his guitar strap coming loose right before his solo. Luckily, our pal Brian (guitar tech for a lot of these Seattle scenesters!) was on the spot and able to swap Tim out with little delay. Take a look.

The other song we premiered is tentatively called Tom the Longboarder. Tim came in with a Tom Petty type riff and we built around that. A little alt-country, but with a little SE tag at the end of the song. Really love how this tune builds and we've really fallen in love with it.

We played a bunch of other songs, with one more newer one called Heavy, as well as standards like It, Wrong Way, Chimp, Sideline and Break This Down. We ended the night with a couple covers, Cheap Trick's Downed and Bring It On Home by Zeppelin. Check out Downed here.

Since the show, things have been blowing up on the Facebook page, and our newly created Instagram page. I've been curating the videos above as well as pictures taken by friends and fans. It's been a lot of fun "meeting" these friends via social networking. I was able to meet several in person at the show as well.

In all the years I've been playing around town, this is the first time I've been in a band with some juice. Sure, I've played in great bands before, but for the most part, we'd play to the other bands and a handful of people at the shows. With SE, (granted 2 show sample set) I've played to 2 sold out A-list clubs in town. People are loving what we're doing and everyone has welcomed me with open arms.

The love has been overwhelming and appreciated, both from the bandmates, their families, and the fans. I have had so much fun the past several months, even getting excited to sit in traffic to go to practice.

Moving on, I hope the momentum continues and we just keep trending upward. Can't wait until practice on Thursday and then our next show in September.

Last night at the Tractor

What an awesome night. We were fortunate enough to have Rusty Willoughby from Llama see us in November when we played the Sunset. He really enjoyed our stuff and made an effort to befriend us. Over the next few days, he'd set up a show with us, his band Llama and another band, the Tripwires. Not only that, it was at a venue I'd never played before, the Tractor, just down the street from the Sunset.

So after a pretty stressful week at work and an even more stressful couple of days at home, Friday arrived with the promise of rock music and an appreciative crowd. Marci and I and our friend Jerilyn headed to Ballard in the driving rain and wind. What a mess!

When I got to the Tractor, I was amazed by the room. It was pretty much empty. No chairs or tables, just a stage at the end of the room. On stage was the amp. If God played bass, he would've used this amp.

Earlier in the week, Jim from the Tripwires offered to let all the bassists use his vintage Ampeg SVT amp. Having never played through one of those, needless to say, I was pretty excited. During sound check, I used my new/old Ibanez ATK300. I've been playing that bass quite a bit and, though it sounded good, I decided to try out the old Fender Jazz. I plugged that in and, instant BASS THUNDER. It was amazing! The J had more growl and attitude than it's ever had with my gear. It sounded so good that I went sans any effects (usually I run several pedals to give me some overdrive).

So after sound check, I was able to mingle with some friends. That was nice as, usually, my people hardly ever come out. As it was, I had about 8 people there, so I was quite excited.

We started the show and pounded through our set. The stage was high and hot and there were a lot of people in the room. Quite appreciative, as well. Greg, the Tractor's sound guy, had us dialed in and sounding quite fantastic. Some guys from the other bands were standing right up front, singing to our songs, which was weird as that never happens.

We finished our set to some nice applause and comments. People really dug it. It was nice to play for a crowd that "got it" for a change. Most times when we play out, people like it, but they don't pursue it. Last night's crowd was definitely a music crowd.

After us came the Tripwires. We played a show with them last spring but I couldn't check them out as I had to get back home for the babysitter. Turns out I missed out on a killer band, as I learned last night.

The Tripwires is a four-piece, comprised of guys who look like they'd be sipping microbrews if they weren't on stage. All four had cool little sportcoats on and old school instruments. They played this Elvis Costello/Matthew Sweet style of pop rock and it was fantastic. Thank goodness our music and their music is different because if we tried to do their style of music, we'd just be shamed off the stage. They are great. Jim, the bass player with the SVT, was so tasty in his playing. So stylish and appropriate for their music. He makes me want to be a more solid bass player. His brother, Johnny, played lead guitar and he and the singer/rhythm guitar, John, were so good together. All the musicians, including the drummer (Mark?), played so well and complemented each other beautifully. If you can catch them, check 'em out.

Following the Tripwires was Llama. When I met Rusty, I didn't know about his history in the Seattle music scene. He fronted a band called Flop in the 90s and they had some critical and local success. Following that band, he was in Pure Joy, then did the solo thing and now is fronting Llama. It's a 3-piece with him on guitar and vox, Scott Sutherland on bass and vox, and Jim on drums.

The first time I saw Rusty play, I was blown away by how he played guitar. He's a lefty so there's that, but what's unique is that he literally flips his guitar over, like Jimi did. Only, instead of restringing the guitar so the low E was closest to him, he kept the guitar strung standard. He would invert his fingerings to play. Does that make sense? Anyway, it's pretty weird to see that after watching a traditional guitarist play.

Rusty's music is definitely what I call indie-pop. There's no searing solos or even really heavy parts. What there is is hooky melodies, superb harmonies by Scott, and just good musicianship. They're a low-key band, but their back and forth banter is quite entertaining and the music makes you want to bob your head and smile.

After all the music, many of us connected and we all agreed that we need to hook up soon and often. In all my years of playing in clubs, it feels like, finally, a band I'm in is making some forward progress. We're starting to get noticed around town, especially from the "right" people, and it just feels good. If we can continue to play with bands like Llama and the Trips, good things will happen.

Hell. It's Saturday afternoon now and I'm still buzzing about that show...

ps: thanks to Gary at the Seattle Powerpop Blog for the picture!

I am lazy

Every time I want to blog, I get lazy. I don't want to sit down and type. I don't have the patience for it. Then I feel guilty. Even if no one reads, I do get the reports every week. 10 hits this week. 12 that week. Sometimes more, sometimes less, so evidently, someone is looking. And I've been boring them... :(

Ugh.

So in my long standing tradition of blogging about once a month, here's my 30 day update from last blog.

We had a bad ass windstorm. It was insanity. We got through unscathed (relatively speaking). Within walking distance were several homes with storm damage, from missing roof shingles to a house bisected by a tall tree. We did lose power for about 18 hours, which, considering some people were without power for 10 days or so, was extremely lucky.

We went to the East Coast to spend time with the in-laws. Laurel, MD, to be exact. Two leg flight with two sub 4 year olds. That was tricky, but, you know what? Not all too bad.

In a nutshell, in MD, PA and VA, we saw the following: Hershey's Chocolate World, U.S. Botanic Garden, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, M&T Stadium (or wherever the Ravens play football). We didn't do too much sightseeing; it was more to spend Xmas with the kids' grandparents. Mission accomplished. See some pictures after the period (let's see if this works).

Our Trip to Maryland

Preview says it does!

The new year came and went with no big surprises. We're back from our vacation. The kids are keeping us busy. MUSIC is keeping me busy and that's a great thing. We had 2 gigs canceled in December due to health and weather reasons. Last Saturday I played in Olympia at the 4th Ave Tavern with two other bands. Which reminds me that I gotta ask the Lunds if we got paid...

This Friday I'm playing at the Tractor in Ballard with two other awesome pop bands, Llama and the Tripwires. I think we'll be the heaviest of the bunch, but it should be a great time nonetheless. I can't wait.

After that gig, we have two in Tacoma. One next week and another at the end of the month. Just today, I set up a show at the Sunset with two bands I admire a bunch: the Young Sportsmen and Twink the Wonder Kid (though it'll be Dick R.'s side project and not TWK).

And now it's bath time for the kids, so off I go. Until next time, this is G-Nizzle, signing off.