The Long Weekend
Many people won't be working on Monday. Memorial Day weekend is the "unofficial start of summer." There will be parades and back yard barbeques. People will use the day to get their boats out, or plant their flower gardens, or just spend time with the family.

I hope that at some point, you take a moment to ponder why we have the day off. Over the years many many brave men and women have heard the call to serve our country. Memorial Day is to remember and honor those who did not come home. Whether they lost their lives in combat, or in some freak accident does not matter. If they were engaged in a struggle to win our independence, or if they were part of what some deem an "unpopular war" is irrelevant on Memorial Day. What matters most is that those men and women died while serving their country.......while serving us. We must never forget their sacrifice

Now Playing: Good stuff coming up
I usually use the "upcoming gigs" page to announce what I'm doing, but I've got a couple of special gigs coming this week that I'm very excited about.

On Thursday, my band, The W.B. Blues Trio will be playing at The Grill at Strathallan. The Strathallan has always been one of the more upscale places in Rochester. They typically have some of the area's best jazz musicians play there. Our appearance represents a departure from that format, and a real opportunity for us to get some exposure in a different arena than we've been used to playing.

On Friday, I will be appearing at Chocolate Bar with Connie Deming. I've played Chocolate Bar quite often, but this will be the first time performing with Connie. She is a great singer. The way she interprets songs is really something special, and her original music is inspiring. On top of that, she's a genuinely nice person.

You can get the details of times and places on the "upcoming gigs" page.

Runs in the family......
Music has always been a big part of my life. I remember as a child going to school band concerts and plays that my older brother and sisters were in. My parents even used to watch Lawrence Welk and make us kids dance. We all thought it was pretty corny, but I suppose on some level even that added to our appreciation of music. I've seen old yearbooks that show my parents in the bands and chorus musicals too.

Not surprisingly, it has carried to the next generation. Last week I went to see my brother's son in the final jazz band concert of his high school career. Phil is a drummer. He's damn good too. He's better than most adult drummers I know, in fact. The band director chose a final number that featured a drum solo. When it came time for the solo, boy, did Phil shine. Not because he's flashy, but because he's so restrained and tasteful. He really gets it. It's not about how hard or how fast you can hit the drums, but how well you can stay within the song and still add something spectacular. I was pretty proud. Look out for this kid. You'll be hearing the name Phil West in music circles soon.

What a Bonehead
Well, I finally did it. I went home after a gig and forgot something. An extension cord? Maybe a capo? No, that wouldn't be that big a deal. Last night after a rather long gig, I packed up my P.A. system, wound up all my cords, got paid, had a bite to eat, then got in my car and drove home. I was about 30 miles away when I realized I didn't put my guitars in the car. We had put our cases in a back room to keep them out of the way. When we were done playing, I carried my guitars back there and put them away in the cases, then left them right there.

What a bonehead!!! At least it's a nice day for a drive.

Now Playing: The Social Lives of Working Musicians
There's something they never tell you when you decide you want to be a musician for a living: you don't get to do things on the weekends with your friends anymore.

I was just updating my calendar, and I have a gig almost every weekend through the summer. Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing. It means I can pay my bills and continue doing what I love to do. It's just that my non-musician friends work regular jobs, so their time to do things is on the weekends.

The other thing I've noticed lately is that as my particular group of musical friends become more successful, we don't get to support each other as much because we've all got gigs at the same time. I think that sometimes we end up cannibalizing each others audiences.

All that being said, I still think I'm one of the luckiest guys around. I get to sing and play guitar for a living. Can you imagine that?

shhhhh......
My friend Robbie and I were sitting at the Statesmen the other night listening to the performers at Tim Bucci's Open Mic. Tim has been running the open mic for years, and quite honestly, when I run one, I'm just stealing a lot of stuff I've picked up from him over the years.

Anyway, Robbie and I were discussing musical styles, and the topic of rests; musical rests, that is, came up. We both agreed that it took us a while to learn their value. A lot of younger players never put any space in their songs. Their main way of trying to capture the audiences' attention is by being lound. Constant strumming at high volume is an easy trap to fall into. It takes a fair amount of energy, so the performer gets lulled into thinking that it will always pump up the crowd. I've been guilty of it at times. So has Robbie. It's effective at times, but as we discussed it, we agreed that if it's overdone, it just becomes a background drone, and the audience loses interest. What we discovered is that nothing captures the attention of the crowd like a well placed moment of quiet. If forces the audience to listen, and makes for more interesting performances.

Gigs Wanted....
I bought a new car today. I wrote a front page a couple of weeks ago on my feelings about car shopping. You can look at my blog page for that. I'm just glad the process is over. Now I have to pay for it. Please hire me!

Hey Buddy
I'm bad with names. I wish it weren't the case, but it is. I try to remember. I try making associations with a persons characteristics. I'll repeat a name in conversation when I hear it. Still, the next time I see you, I'm just as likely to draw a blank and give you, "Hey Buddy!"

Sometimes it gets me into a little trouble. The other day in the post office, a man came up to me and started a conversation. He spoke as if he knew me. To avoid embarrassment, I gave him the "hey buddy" treatment rather than tell him I didn't know his name. The problem came when he started asking me about another musician that I know. As he was walking out the door, he said, "ask ______ to give me a call, will you please."

So, if you're a musician who knows me, would you please give Buddy a call. My work it done here.

keepin' the faith
I saw Billy Joel in concert the other night. Me and 39,000 others packed into the Carrier Dome in Syracuse for the show. Aside from the fact that I was so far away that I couldn't really see him very well, the show was really something special.

Billy hasn't toured in quite a few years. He joked that he was doing this because he needs the money to pay for his car insurance. Since he doesn't have a new album out to promote, I was expecting sort of a "greatest hits" kind of concert. That would have been just fine with me. Growing up, He was always one of my favorites. What we got was something a little bit different. For the first hour and a half, he didn't play anything newer than about 1978. He went deep into his first three or four albums. Songs that everyone knew, but wouldn't normally expect to hear. It was great! The second half of the show was just as good, as he moved toward some of his hits from the 80's and 90's. But there was still a feeling that he was playing his favorite Billy Joel songs, not just what was expected of him.

His voice sounded stronger than ever, and his energy level was impressive for a man who has been doing this for the better part of 35 years. I think I learned a thing or two about what putting on a good show means.

a non-musical rant
I'm in the market for a new car. I'm not happy about it. Some guys relish looking for new cars. I'm not one of them. The whole process is frustrating and discouraging to me.

First of all, I'm 6' 3" tall, and they just don't seem to make many cars for people my size. I can't even get my knees under the steering wheel of a lot of the cars I've looked at. If I get past that, there's the issue of my head hitting the roof of the car.

Then there are the salesmen, and the sales supervisors, and the sales managers. Weasels, every one! I'm trying a lot of different cars, just to see what I like. I've made it clear to every dealer I've talked to so far that I'm in the research stage of my search, and I'm not even close to wanting to talk about deals. I just want to find out what kind of car I want. They all seem to think that's code for me wanting to discuss financing right there. One dealer has left no less than six messages for me in the space of five days.

Pricing is another issue. They won't ever tell you the price. They ask what they'd like your monthly payment to be, then they come to you with a page full of figures that make no sense, but there's your monthly payment.....for the next ten years. Trade in value? Forget about it.

I'm thinking about getting a team of horses and a wagon. A bale of hay is cheaper than a gallon of gas anyway.