New Year Ramblings
I guess this is a good problem to have, but I've been very busy in the new year. Including New Year's Eve, I'll have had five gigs in the first seven days of 2006. I also picked up five new guitar students. I'm happy about it, but my sleep pattern has suffered for it some this week.

Last night, I subbed for Lisa Bigwood as host at Daily Perks. It was very slow. There were only six players for the open mic, which is very unusual. Anyway, it was actually kind of nice because instead of two songs and you're out, I got a chance to let people stretch out and play a little. It lead to some very interesting collaborations. I accompanied Larry Sugarmans banjo rendition of a Bob Dylan tune on my harmonica, and Laurie Leenhouts and Nora Kaminski did a couple of beautiful violin duets while Nora's father, Tom played piano.

On a non-musical note, when I went to bed last night, the news headline read that 12 of the 13 trapped coal miners in West Virginia were found alive. I said a little prayer. When I woke up, the headline said that it had been mis-reported. 12 of the 13 were dead. I said a little prayer.

2005 In Review...
It's only natural to reflect this time of year. Here's a brief review of my 2005.......

I kicked off the new year with a new gig. Chocolate Bar in Lakeville moved into a brand new location and decided to try some music. I secured the position of talent booker. As compensation, I get to book myself there once a month. Our opening weeks were tremendously successful. It's also nice to bring something to do to my own back yard. January found me feeling particulary blessed relative to a lot of folks in the world. I decided to turn an otherwise ordinary gig for Pete Collin and me into a benefit for the people effected by the tsunami in Southeast Asia. I lined up a lot of great performers, had plenty of media attention, got sponsors to donate door prizes, and then had to cancel because of a blizzard. Oh, the bitter irony. We rescheduled for the following week and had a great time. A nice amount of money was raised for the Red Cross, and I got a lot of new experience along the way. I also got to meet some great local musicians who were very generous with their time.

In February, my lessons business was starting to grow with some new students. I also started a new project. An acoustic blues trio with a couple of members of the band Stick Boom Papa. In the spirit of expanding my range a little, I did gigs with Allan Howe, Pete Collin, JoAnn Vaccaro, and Dee Adams. I also played some new venues like Paradigm Cafe' and Java Junction.

March wasn't quite as hectic. A couple of gigs with Pete were very comfortable. The blues trio was evolving as our original bass player found he didn't have the time to be in two groups. Ross Bracco stepped in and added his talents on both bass and guitar, as well as vocals.

April saw the debut of what was billed as the "Steve West Blues Trio" at Chocolate Bar. We were billed as such not because of my ego, but because the owners needed something to put on the marquis and we hadn't decided on a name yet. I also went into the recording studio with Jamie Romeiser, a friend from SUNY Geneseo. We recorded a couple of songs just for the fun of it.

In May, W.B. Blues was our official name, and we had our first actual paid gig at Club 41 in Geneseo. I also put together what turned out to be a great night at Chocolate Bar. I billed it as "Steve & Friends" and invited some people I know to join me. They were mostly people I knew from open mics. They didn't necessarily have enough material to do a whole show on their own, but are certainly talented enough to entertain the folks with what they have. Chris and Brian Swanson, Jeremy Blair, and Tim Shea sang great, and Laurie Leenhouts added just the right touch of fiddle to make it a memorable event.

June got really busy. I picked up some new students for the summer, W.B. Blues had a bunch of gigs on the deck at Club 41, and my friend Bill Brown got me some gigs at the Lakeside on Keuka Lake. I would have to say, however, that the highlight of the summer wasn't a gig at all. My family owns a cottage on Conesus Lake. After talking about it for a couple of years, I decided to throw a party for my musician friends. We called it the Conesus Lake Musicians Picnic. Lots of food, sun, water and jamming. An unexpected, but very welcome treat was the arrival of Joe Dady. Still recovering from a very serious heart problem, he showed us all how to enjoy life. On a sad note, my favorite venue closed down for an extended vacation. Al and Patty left beautiful sunny Canaseraga for dingy old Costa Rica.

Wow, Fourth of July and the year is half over already. After all the playing, I finally got to go to a concert as a fan and just enjoy. My lovely friend Laurie accompanied me to the Syracuse Blues Fest where we saw Roomful of Blues and The Subdudes (my favorite group in the world). I also got to do a gig with the fabulous Andrea Dodge. Well, half a gig. (Get a map, Andrea!) Ok, she got there and it was a lot of fun. More gigs at Keuka Lake and a few guest appearances at Heron Hill winery made it a memorable summer.

With the closing of Canaseraga Hardware, as well as Paradigm Cafe', I had to look for some new places. Luckily Boulder Coffee opened up and started to book some music in August. I also got a gig at the Flipside Bar and Grill. I've met some great musicians at Flipside who have opened some other doors for me. Alas, summer was over before I knew it.

September is the season of change. Back to school means some lost guitar students, some new ones. Pete Collin got married. Jamie graduated from Geneseo and prepared to leave, but not before she did a gig with me at Boulder. W.B. Blues also did a benefit for the Red Cross to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Instead of organizing one big show like I did for the tsunami, I encouraged all of my musician friends to donate the proceeds from one gig to the Red Cross. There was a great response to this idea. Once again, I was very proud of the local music community. One gig that stands out in my mind was the Gallery Night Out at Artisan Works. I was invited to play along with some other great musicians up on the rooftop bandstand. How cool! Chocolate Bar opened again for the fall music series. More gigs and Flipside and Java Junction, as well as some fill-ins at Daily Perks. Busy month, you say? You're right. I lost my voice.

That's right, my voice was gone. I went to the doctor and he stuck a camera down my throat. Oh, I got issues! I won't go into details, but I basically had to take a rest and take care of some problems with my throat before they got worse. I did my lessons, and that was about it. Consequently, October was pretty slow. On the bright side, I discovered a fun new thing. The jazz open jam at Daily Perks. I started going and played some harmonica. It gave me a chance to work on my harp playing without the strain of singing.

In November, I started to ease my way back into some singing. I filled in for Keith Harden at Beale Street, and played a private party at Artisan Works. Under doctor's orders however, my trademark growl was gone.

In December, I started taking some vocal lessons at Hochstein Music School. Learning how to properly warm up and how to breathe while I sing has really reduced the strain to my voice. I'm back to doing gigs, and feeling like my voice is stronger than ever. The month was punctuated with concerts by Wynton Marsalis and James Taylor. The annual Christmas show that Pete and I used to do at Canaseraga was moved up to Boulder. All in all, I'd say it was a nice way to cap the year.

Time moves by so fast. As I've reviewed everything, I can't believe some of it was less than a year ago. It reminds me that we all need to appreciate the good times while they're happening. Take some time to smell the roses.

Happy New Year!

The Joy Of Music
Several weeks ago, my friend Laurie asked me if I'd like to come to her work and play for her clients. Now I sort of knew what Laurie does, in a general way. She works with people who are handicapped. When I got there, I was a little uncomfortable at first. Her clients all have some degree of mental disablility. Some are rather severe. I really couldn't understand what most of them were trying to say. I watched what she and her co-workers do for about a minute and was completely amazed. I have a new degree of respect for her. But I digress. This page isn't really about that. This is about music, and the effect that it has on people.

One woman in particular made an impression on me. She was blind, and has some degree of retardation, as well as some physical disabilty. When I started playing, she started clapping in perfect rhythm. I did some songs that I thought everyone could enjoy, and they all clapped at various speeds and seemed to enjoy themselves. But this one woman captured my attention. I played "Stormy Monday", and was very surprised when she started singing along with me. Later, I did "Over the Rainbow," and not only did she sing along, she sang harmony and knew where the key change was coming even before I did it. Mind you, this is my own arrangement of the song, and most people don't change keys in it. Laurie later told me that her father was a jazz musician.

By the end, any nervousness I had was gone. It was replaced by a feeling of satisfaction that for one hour, these people were having a good time. My music may have changed their lives in a tiny way for the better. I know mine has been.

Getting In The Spirit
Christmas is less than a week away. Still, somehow it seems like it's sneaking up on me. People keep asking, "Are you ready?" I guess the answer to that is more complicated than a yes or no.

If they mean have I done any shopping, then the answer is no. I really haven't put much thought into buying gifts and all the chaos that goes along with it. If they mean something else, well the answer is maybe. I've been doing Christmas Carols in my shows for a couple of weeks now. Not so much because I've been moved by them, but because it's sort of expected this time of year.

Then Sunday, something put me in more of a festive spirit. I was playing a gig at the Sierra Inn in Swain. There was a family who was having a private party in the big dining room. They were mostly adults, but there was a little girl with them who looked about 6 years old. She was dressed in a nice little holiday dress with fur collar and cuffs. She just looked Christmasy. I saw her pull up a stool and climb up it to examine the tray of cookies that was on a counter just above her natural reach. She seemed enchanted with the different shapes and colors. Later, I saw her eyes light up when I started to sing "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" She was just sort of bopping along to the music without a care in the world. Right then and there, the holiday spirit came over me. For all I know, this kid is a terrible brat, but at that instant, she was the epitomy of innocence. So much of Christmas has become tied up in what we get someone, or what someone gets us. It was heartwarming to see someone so joyous because of a song I was singing. She in turn gave me a gift she will never know she gave......the spirit of Christmas.

A Step Above
A while back I wrote a front page and stated how it seemed foolish to me that I spent a lot of money to see some big name acts when there is so much great local talent you can see for little or no cost. Well since then I've seen Winton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra on Monday, and James Taylor on Wednesday. I now wish to retract my previous statement.

That's not to take anything away from the local talent, but I can't imagine how the other two shows could have been more enjoyable. Winton and James, while two very different types of musicians, are incredibly talented. There's a reason they can charge more for one ticket than a lot of local guys get for an entire gig: they're worth it.

Monotony
I heard a band play Sunday night. I don't even know what they called themselves. They were all in their early 20's I guess. I think they played more than one song, but I can't be sure. To me, it sounded like one long jam with no discernable melody to the song. I'm not saying they weren't talented. They obviously knew their way around their instruments. What got to me was their choice of music. No variety gets boring pretty quickly to me.

Actually, the whole jam band movement is lost on me. Maybe it's because I'm older than the average fan of the genre. Maybe it's because I don't use drugs. Whatever the reason, I have no use for ten minute guitar solos that don't advance the melody of the song.

Do you know what the Grateful Dead fan said when he ran out of dope? "Hey, this music sucks."

Last Minute Gig
This Sunday, December 11, Pete Collin and I will be playing an afternoon gig at the Sierra Inn in Swain, NY. We'll start around 4 PM. This is a cool little bar at the base of the mountain. If you want to unwind after an afternoon on the slopes, this is a nice place to do it. Great food without the ski resort prices. Thanks to Lynn Waite for recommending me.



On a separate note, I've joined myspace.com. It's a web community where people can post photos, music, blogs, and other personal stuff. Frankly, the only reason I did it is because a lot of other musicians are there and they recommended it. It seems like little more than a place to leave smartass comments about peoples' pictures, but nonetheless, I'm there at www.myspace.com/westguitar

Old Friends
I got an email today from an old friend. It's been a while since I've heard from her. She explained that she hasn't really kept up with her correspondence because she's been having a bit of a rough time lately. I'll spare you the details, but the bottom line is that she was reluctant to keep in touch because she didn't want to be a burden. My response is that if you can't burden your friends, then what good are they? It's easy to be someone's friend when times are good, but a true friend is the one who is still standing there with open arms when it all hits the fan.

This seems to be the week for old friends because I spoke with another old friend of mine yesterday. He grew up two houses up the street from me, and we were inseperable until his family moved out of state. Over the years we'd make contact on and off, but it wasn't unusual for us to miss a few birthdays or forget the Christmas card a few years in a row. Still, there was always that bond of early friendship that has lasted. We can go months without talking, and it still takes us about ten minutes to catch up and feel as if we're a couple of ten year old kids again.

At the end of the film, "It's a Wonderful Life," Clarence the angel leaves an inscription for George Baily: "No man is a failure who has friends."

What a great thought for the holidays.

The Treasure of Local, Live Music
On Wednesday, I served as M.C. for the fifth anniversary party of Daily Perks Coffee House in Rochester. There were about a dozen performances during the night. Styles ranged from independent rock to jazz to blues to country to classic pop, to poetry. There were performers in their teens and performers in their sixties. Some were professional musicians and some were simply open mic regulars. The variety was impressive.

While everyplace has its own unique groove to it, I don't think the amount of talent in Rochester is a unique phenomenon. Pick up any city's newspaper and you'll see all kinds of entertainment listed. There's lots to see and hear out there.

I recently bought two tickets for a concert by a big time star who is coming to town in a couple of weeks. I ended up spending over $100 for the tickets. The show at Daily Perks got me thinking about how foolish it is to spend that kind of money when there is so much entertainment available in the local community for a tiny fraction of the price. Don't get me wrong. If I could charge $50 a ticket to one of my shows and get anyone to show up, I'd sure do it. Until then, I think I'll make an effort to support some of the local talent that's out there struggling just like I am to make a buck or two doing what we love. I hope you'll do the same.

'Tis the Season
It's time to dust off the Christmas carols and get in the spirit. I don't mind it now that Thanksgiving has passed. In truth, I've been practicing some of them with my guitar students for a couple of weeks now.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll be doing a couple of Christmas shows, both solo and with Pete Collin. Pete and I have been doing these shows for a few years now, and they always get me in the mood for the holidays. Please check out my gigs page for a show near you and join me for some good cheer.