Well, at least SOMEBODY's back with some regularity
And that somebody would be the Trance and Dance Band. Popped by Linneman's the other week to catch 'em. they used to play out a lot, oh, back in the early 90s (and I'm sure before then, before I moved to town) and then they would play rarely, so that it would seem that one of their performances would be an event and then they stopped playing altogether. Now they're back, with an almost completely different lineup. 4TA still is the center of it all, leading off each set with the Buffalo Muskrat Show. His son Reuben is now on keyboards, and Chris Loss is on bass. But new people everywhere else.
Hey the smoke eaters finally work at Linnemans! Oh, wait, its not that the smoke eaters work. It's that they don't have to work anymore. That's a side note in all of this, but it's an important one. Smoke wasn't keeping me out of the clubs, but the lack of it is sure an invitation to get out more. Now, if we could just do something about the sound. 4TA's got a terrific guitar player -- Walter -- but I couldn't hear a thing unless I went up to the stage and stood right next to his amp. I knew he was attempting complex stuff because I could see his fingers flying all over the fretboard, but it was a shame I missed it. I don't know if the acoustics in Linneman's are the culprit or what, or maybe the sound mix favors the singers who are normally the attraction of "Linneman's Bands." (You know what I mean by this, don't you? There's "Linneman's Bands" and there's "Circle A Bands" and there's "Cactus Club Bands" and such. "Linneman's Bands" tend to be very singer, lyrics focused.).
Anyway, they were wonderful. Still coming together but close enough to the old magic that they're worth coming out to see -- and that old magic will come by virture of them playing out and together more often. That was the thing about the Trance and Dance band. They didn't so much as start and stop song, they just kind of drifted in and out of them, like a group of people on a long journey together... and this group has just picked up some new passengers, that's all.
Where have I been? Dealing with lots of personal crap, boring stuff you woulc read about in a bunch of other blogs, I'm sure. Nothing critical, just that mundane old life stuff: broken down cars, getting the kids to and from school and scouts and games and birthday parties and all that. A few "Hey, Doc, what's this weird lump/skin lesion/numbness here"s that turned out to be nothing. Whining about the weather.
Self-righteously avoided shopping yesterday, but ended up buying myself a tow truck ride home from the YMCA anyway. But I really do hate the idea of Black Friday anyway. It used to be the day off after thanksgiving that you might as well use to get your Christmas shopping done. Now it's turned into the freaking Super Bowl. And I'm like one of those outsiders that always said, "Oh, I don't care about football that much." But really, if I have to get up at 3 am to freeze with a bunch of people and risk getting trampled on like I was a Who fan in Cincinnanti just to save $20, I guess I really don't need a new DVD player that badly. In a lot of repects, being unemployed last year was rather healthy for me. It put things in perspective, things like what I need and what I don't need. And I just don't need a lot of this stuff.
But I will admit, I do need to get out more. And that I will do, in a couple of weeks on my birthday. I have one of the best bands in the city agreeing to play for my 50th birthday, and as soon as I confirm the other band, I will let you know about this. My birthday's December 8, but since that's a Holy Day of Obligation (not to mention a school/work night), I'm celebrating it on the 11th. With a couple of bands, of course. How else would you celebrate fifty years of Vron? Save the date.
Hey the smoke eaters finally work at Linnemans! Oh, wait, its not that the smoke eaters work. It's that they don't have to work anymore. That's a side note in all of this, but it's an important one. Smoke wasn't keeping me out of the clubs, but the lack of it is sure an invitation to get out more. Now, if we could just do something about the sound. 4TA's got a terrific guitar player -- Walter -- but I couldn't hear a thing unless I went up to the stage and stood right next to his amp. I knew he was attempting complex stuff because I could see his fingers flying all over the fretboard, but it was a shame I missed it. I don't know if the acoustics in Linneman's are the culprit or what, or maybe the sound mix favors the singers who are normally the attraction of "Linneman's Bands." (You know what I mean by this, don't you? There's "Linneman's Bands" and there's "Circle A Bands" and there's "Cactus Club Bands" and such. "Linneman's Bands" tend to be very singer, lyrics focused.).
Anyway, they were wonderful. Still coming together but close enough to the old magic that they're worth coming out to see -- and that old magic will come by virture of them playing out and together more often. That was the thing about the Trance and Dance band. They didn't so much as start and stop song, they just kind of drifted in and out of them, like a group of people on a long journey together... and this group has just picked up some new passengers, that's all.
Where have I been? Dealing with lots of personal crap, boring stuff you woulc read about in a bunch of other blogs, I'm sure. Nothing critical, just that mundane old life stuff: broken down cars, getting the kids to and from school and scouts and games and birthday parties and all that. A few "Hey, Doc, what's this weird lump/skin lesion/numbness here"s that turned out to be nothing. Whining about the weather.
Self-righteously avoided shopping yesterday, but ended up buying myself a tow truck ride home from the YMCA anyway. But I really do hate the idea of Black Friday anyway. It used to be the day off after thanksgiving that you might as well use to get your Christmas shopping done. Now it's turned into the freaking Super Bowl. And I'm like one of those outsiders that always said, "Oh, I don't care about football that much." But really, if I have to get up at 3 am to freeze with a bunch of people and risk getting trampled on like I was a Who fan in Cincinnanti just to save $20, I guess I really don't need a new DVD player that badly. In a lot of repects, being unemployed last year was rather healthy for me. It put things in perspective, things like what I need and what I don't need. And I just don't need a lot of this stuff.
But I will admit, I do need to get out more. And that I will do, in a couple of weeks on my birthday. I have one of the best bands in the city agreeing to play for my 50th birthday, and as soon as I confirm the other band, I will let you know about this. My birthday's December 8, but since that's a Holy Day of Obligation (not to mention a school/work night), I'm celebrating it on the 11th. With a couple of bands, of course. How else would you celebrate fifty years of Vron? Save the date.
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