Gypsy Bandwagon Update!

Time to update on the Gypsy Bandwagon show!

As you may have read (if you didn’t check the last entry, below) my preparations for a GB show often seem to start off rather…leisurely. But things have picked up since then.

On Tuesday I practiced drums for around two hours. Then I restrung one of my mallets, that will be needed when we play “Theme from Gypsy Bandwagon” and “Full Rigged Ship” tomorrow night. Can’t risk an equipment failure.

I did other stuff, but that was art related and office related. Hardly relevant to the GB show.

On Wednesday I got the “official” play list from Lance via e-mail, and made my own based on it. My personal play list has to contain more than just the song name, because I am constantly switching instruments during the show. Most folks must figure, “well he plays drums, how hard is that?” But with GB there is always a tweak here and there. I don’t just play the trap set.

I’ve got the Djembe too, which was added to the set up when I joined the band. ( I’d never set eyes on one previously ). So I have to know if I’m playing the Djembe alone, or with the trap bass, or tambourine, or hi hat ( by foot pedal ). I have to know if I’m using light or heavy sticks, mallets, rain stick, jingle ring, etc. So my notes have to be pretty copious in that way.

Not to mention that the sets and arrangements are always changing. I’m not complaining, but Lance and Carissa keep Karin and me on our toes. I’m always being asked to back off here or there, or bring more energy to this part of a song. A lot of times this happens only in rehearsal, but more than once we’ve done it mid-show! So my playlist has to have everything as neatly notated as possible so that if a change does come midway I can adapt.

Anyway the set list took some time. Then I had to practice for an hour or so.

Then Karin had to go practice in Cashiers, NC for a performance on Sunday morning. While this isn’t directly related to GB, it is an issue, since we’ll be playing from 8-10 pm on Saturday at Purple Onion, then leaving out as quickly as possible so that we can drop all our equipment at the studio and get some sleep before getting up at 5:30 am Sunday to load Karin’s harp and hit the road for Cashiers. So the drive out there Wednesday evening was a “dry run” for that.

Thursday I came in to the studio and ( again ) beside my art duties I wrote down a new song I’d been working on for GB to perform at some future date.

Last evening was our first rehearsal proper for the show. Lance and Carissa showed up here at the studio around 6:40 pm and we worked on material, new and old, until around 9:30. I did get a chance to play my new song for them, and it looks like we might do it! Lance complemented it for being “melody-driven”. Not bad for a drummer.

Today I have to pack up all my drums as well as Karin’s equipment ( Bass, Mandolin, Fiddle, and all assorted accessories ) and get them ready to go to Lance and Carissa’s so that we can practice all the songs we didn’t do last night ( and any that didn’t come off last night ). Once we’re done with the second rehearsal I have to break down the drums again and pack the car for the show tomorrow.

We’re supposed to pick up our friend Courtney on the way there. I don’t know if Courtney counts as a “groupie” per se, but we’re picking her up and Lance and Carissa are driving her back home after the gig. It’s been a while since any of us has seen her, so it will be nice.

( I’m pretty sure that Lance is working on some groupie jokes even as I write this…so look out, Courtney! )

We thought we’d get a break on Monday. Only Karin got a last minute gig for Lake Junaluska Monday night. So it looks like we’re going on to Tuesday before the “tour” is over. We may not be a big name band, but between gigging and roadie-ing I’m devoting a lot of time to music.

This has nothing to do with GB, but my studio is crawling with tiny ants. I should probably do something about that.