Magpies Extravaganza

Playing a Jimmy Rogers tune

with Louanne, Tom, Don, & Brian

Performing "Road to Nowhere"

We had been thinking of doing something where we could invite a few people we sometimes play music with, so they could all showcase what they do.   So, we rented Expressionz Cafe for the evening.  Expressionz is this great place in Edmonton where musicians and artist can showcase their talents.  We've been going there since last year, so it seemed to be the perfect place.  

I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had.  I think everyone there who came to play got the opportunity.   We ran it much like an open stage, but we encouraged everyone to ask others to come up and play.  It made for a very interesting evening that included standard country tunes with great guitar & fiddle playing, some folk and country folk tunes with everything from bouzouki, mandolin, fiddle, keyboard, bass, and accordion, and sometimes all at the same time.  It was great to hear some of our standard songs played with a whole new sound.   

We had some blues tunes played and a few more rockin' tunes too.  

I figured that I would only get up and play on a few songs, but ended up playing most of the night.   I invited a lot of good friends, some who I haven't seen for a while, and my biggest disappointment is that I didn't get to visit with them much.  

My biggest thrills for the evening is getting to play 3 new song for the first time in public.  Our friend Irene did a great job on vocals for "Two Roses". (we are going to do it again tonight in Stoney Plain).  We also played "Valley Green Monsters" for the first time.  This is a song that Brian, Don and I wrote.    We also did "Road To Nowhere" but differently that the version in my video (see a past post).  With Brian on Bouzouki and Don on Keyboard, this song has taken on a whole new and much more interesting life. 

We asked everyone to take lots of photos and videos.  We had a couple of family members take photos and videos of the entire evening, and we recorded it off the soundboard.  Once we gather up all the photos, videos, and 'soundtrack' we'll try to put it all together into a kind of documentary on the evening.  

In the end, we had to put out a bit of our own $ to cover the expenses, but it was a really cheap way to have fun with Friends and family.   Now, to plan the next Extravaganza

Lead Guitar - Yeah Right.

I've been playing with two different groups of friends.  I hate to say "bands".  I think of them more as an assembly of people who play.  The term "band" implies something rigid and formal.  Rigidity and fformality has never been one of my strong points.   I digress. 

So anyway.  I've been playing with my friend Ernie, who has been getting together with a couple of buddies in the Fort,  Claude and Gary.   These two guys are quite skilled players and Claude has a couple of songs that get radio play in the mealtimes - so I'm told.   Gary plays bass, very well I might say, and I've heard him play a mean country electric guitar.   He says he used to play professionally, and I have no doubts about that.   Ernie asked me to come play with them, basically help with rhythm guitar.   These guys play country music, and my style helps folk it up a bit.   So we've been 'practicing' for a country jam on Sunday.  Today is Saturday.   Last night we practised the planned set and it was sounding pretty good.   I was just happy they figured I was good enough to let me play with them.

Well, this morning I got an email from Ernie.  Claude has bailed.  He wasn't sounding too good when we played on Thursday - he's been suffering from flu bug or something.   That wasn't the surprise in the email.   The surprise was that Ernie asked me to play lead guitar, which I don't do, and what I do do, I call it "Jimmy's Fake Lead Guitar".   I don't have a lot of tricks in my bag.     Read my profile.  I don't consider myself to be an accomplished musician.    

The other note in the email "we are jammin' at 1 today if you can make it".  Well, I'm already scheduled to jam with Don and Brian today at 1, and I don't have to play lead.

The Sunday song set.   Big City Turn Me Loose (A Merle Haggard Song).  Long Black Veil (written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin in 1959), and  Billy Currington's last big hit - People are Crazy.   First two songs are fairly easy to play - 3 chords in Key of E.   People are crazy is a bit more challenging, but only with the middle bridge and hitting the pauses and such correctly.   I've been playing all three at home, so I'm not too worried, but without practicing with Ernie today, Sunday could be interesting. 

As any good guitar player would say "Stay tuned".