California Guitar Trio
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
General Admission
On the Guest List! :-)
Roy and I have a tradition at California Guitar Trio shows. Years ago, their volunteer coordinator asked if I could work at their merchandise table. We've been doing that at every CGT show I've attended in St. Louis since then. I think this was our fifth time. We got together with a friend for dinner before the show, and then went down to the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill to set up the merchandise before the doors opened.
Seeing the show from behind the scenes like this gives it a different feeling than most other concerts I attend. I get to interact with a lot of other fans, and also with people new to CGT. Their enthusiasm is a lot of fun to see. I've seen CGT so many times, I always enjoy the music, but the surprise of "wow, these guys are really good!" is over for me. But I get to experience it anyway by talking to other audience members.
There was already a short line by the door when Roy, Ralph, and I finished dinner. The band was already setting up: We saw them guys enter the restaurant from the back and load in their equipment. Hideyo walked out front to take a picture of the marquee. I always feel a little weird just opening the door to the Duck Room and walking downstairs. I don't have any credentials with me other than a printed out e-mail from Bert Lams. I didn't even have a specified time when I needed to be there, but in the past, they'd asked for me to be there a half hour before the doors opened. The door that led down to the Duck Room was unlocked, and staff were going in and out. There was one employee at the door. I told him we were working the merchandise table, and he let us go in, no proof needed.
The band had just finished their soundcheck, and were about to go out to eat. Roy and I live real close by, so we recommended a few places. They wouldn't be back by the time the doors opened. Bert told me he had already inventoried the CDs for sale. I've done this before, so I knew to unpack them and how to display them on the table. I didn't have any change yet, but I'd get that from the band when they got back from dinner.
I like being in this position. The band were selling their best-of compilation, Bert Lams' solo album, a new DVD, and pre-selling a copy of the night's concert. That gave me something to talk about with everyone who approached the merchandise table. "The band is recording tonight's show and you can buy a copy of it now." It's much better than waiting for them to ask a question and it helped to break the ice. We sold a few copies before the show. It wasn't too busy, so Roy hung out with Ralph. I'd work the table during the first half of the show, both of us during the intermission. I'd grab Roy's seat for the second half, and then we'd both be back there for after the show.
The attendence seemed down from the last time they played here, fewer than a hundred people. I don't think the word got out about this show. Blueberry Hill listed it on the advertising and on their marquee. The band was even able to do a TV appearance for it. But I sent an e-mail to several friends a few days before the show, and none of them knew about it. There are so many places where you can connect with the band, their mailing list, Facebook, the Yahoo group. I saw a mention of the show on their mailing list, but the show was added to their itinerary without much fanfare. I think the band would be better off if they sent monthly reminders of shows to all of these places, rather than having us check their website. I missed a show they did in St. Louis a few years ago for this same reason.
The band came back from dinner. I've worked most closely with Bert on the merchandise. He came back over to finish getting me set up. He offered to get me something to drink, but Roy already took care of me. Then Bert pulled over a chair for me. (There was limited seating, not enough for all the people attending the concert, so I felt weird about taking a chair. But if the band thinks it's okay, it's okay for me too. I ended up standing most of the time anyway, so I could make eye-contact easier with people. During the show, I needed to stand to see the stage anyway. But it was a very nice gesture.)
Bert and I talked for a little bit then. The band stayed at a hotel by the Arch. There's not much downtown and Bert liked the Delmar Loop area more than that location. I told him about Laclede's Landing, just north of the Arch. It's nice to walk around there, even if it is mostly bars. But they had to leave at 8:30 the next morning to drive to the next day's show, so they wouldn't have time anyway. No roadies, no driver. I don't envy them for their lifestyle.
One fan approached Bert while we were talking. He works at KDHX and wanted to find CGT a more appropriate venue to play in St. Louis and help promote the shows. Bert gave him a couple CDs. I see what the guy means. The Duck Room is so convenient for me, and Blueberry Hill is a hangout for Roy and me. But at a quiet show like this, you can hear the cash registers and talking over the music. It can't be fun for the people who have to stand either.
The band opened up doing a circulation piece. This is something they do at every show - play a melody with each band member playing the next note. It shows off how well they listen to each other, getting the timing just right. There were a few classic instrumentals they covered - Walk Don't Run and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. In the second set, they did Classical Gas.
I watched the first set from behind the merchandise table. I've sat further away from the stage than this at other CGT concerts, so I didn't feel all that removed from the music. It was nice having all this space to myself. It gave me a good view of the audience too.
There were two younger guys standing by the far wall, being loud. One guy was on his cell phone for most of the time. People were turning around and glaring at them, hoping they'd quiet down. This lasted through most of the first set. I wondered if I should walk over to them and ask them to keep it down, since I was sort of a staff person that night. I didn't. Other people moved their chairs or found another place to stand. Finally, one of the loud people came over to buy a CD. I suggested the live CD, and I wanted to say that he'd be able to hear what he was missing live. I didn't do that either. He was unfamiliar with the band and thought this would be a different type of concert. He bought Highlights and then they left. They got even louder as they walked up the stairs. I was glad they left.
I enjoyed the show more after that. The next song was CGT's cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. I sang along. Last time, they played this song at the end of their set, when I was sitting up front and Roy was in back with the merch. Ralph remembered that he and I sang along together. Roy said I should have been up there this time. He's a better singer than I am, but I know the words better.
We switched over merchandise duty during the intermission. I took the front row seat next to Ralph. The songs with the biggest reaction during the second set were a cover of Pink Floyd's Echoes and a Beethoven piece. Something happened that I'd never seen at a CGT show. Usually, only Paul Richards does the stage announcements. He's the only native English speaker in the band, and I guess he's the most comfortable with it. This time, all three band members spoke to introduce songs.
Paul said the definition of an intellectual is someone who doesn't think of the Lone Ranger when they hear the last song, the William Tell Overture. Guess I'm not an intellectual then! Towards the end of the show, Paul talked about the new DVD they had for sale (we sold a lot more copies after that). He also thanked everyone involved with the show. He thanked Roy and me by name, which was really sweet. I wasn't sure whether to include this bit, but he pronounced my name wrong. It should have been such a happy moment, but it was frustrating. I didn't say anything to him later about it.
Roy and I continued to sell CDs after the show. The band came out to burn copies of the newly recorded show and to sign autographs. Roy moved away, but I was still standing back there taking money from a few people. It was interesting seeing this meet and greet from the band's side behind the table. Bert told me they'd be giving me a copy of the live CD. I also saw him pull out a DVD, open it, and have the band sign it. I figured that was going to be for me as well, and I thanked him when he handed it to me.
The crowd was beginning to thin out. This show was an hour later than the last one they played here, starting at 9 instead of 8. It was now close to midnight instead of 11-ish, and I was tired. Bert told me not to worry about counting the money or tallying how many CDs were sold. He'd do it later. There were still a couple people hanging on talking to the band. We said goodbye to Bert. Paul ended up excusing himself so he could come over and talk to us. He gave both Roy and me a hug and told us to keep in touch.
Ralph had been waiting for us. The three of us walked upstairs and outside and said our goodbyes as well. I hadn't seen Ralph since the Yes show at the Pageant in 2008. We shouldn't wait this long to see each other, but I'm glad the concert gave us the push to get together.
Showing posts with label St. Louis - Duck Room. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Louis - Duck Room. Show all posts
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Encore, Encore!
Adrian Belew Power Trio
Opening Act: Saul Zonana
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Thursday, April 16, 2009
General Admission
$20
"Hi Rhea. How you doing?" I had just seen an extraordinary concert from Adrian Belew, and now he was signing autographs for fans. And that was how he greeted me. I am still not used to him knowing my name and not giving us the usual "it's you guys again". I was kinda pleasantly shocked, so I came up with "Hi. Wow. Thanks." in reply and then rushing to say how much I liked the new songs A and B. I need to be cooler next time. Afterwards, I had to ask Roy if I really heard Adrian say it.
Earlier in the day, at work, I went to a lunch-time presentation called "The Polished Professional". The presenter talked about the impact you make calling people by name. That was sure made clear to me after the show. The presentation also went into how you present yourself, clothing, projecting a professional image. I think I broke every rule between yesterday and today:
- I left work early yesterday to go to a rock concert.
- I got into work late today because I stayed up too late at said rock concert.
- Showed up to work with my hair still damp
- They stamped our hands on the way into the show last night, and I couldn't wash it off completely, so there are remains of blue ink on my hand
I was tempted to take today off as a vacation day, but I needed to support a meeting. I joked about all of this with my coworkers and told them I'm going for the eccentric genius image rather than the professional one.
I had worked extra hours earlier in the week so that I could leave early on Thursday. The day went by pretty quickly. I left at 3, and came home to change my clothes and get ready for the concert. And for waiting in line. I have this thing about needing to be in the front row and in my spot. So for general admission concerts, my comfort level is such that I need to be in line long before the next person shows up. No close calls. Roy doesn't love this, but he understands and goes along with it. We walked over to Blueberry Hill around 4 for dinner, and got in line afterwards, around 5. The doors were going to open at 8.
We passed the time by reading and discussing what Yes shows we wanted to see on their summer tour. Only one other fan was there when Adrian and his band arrived. He said hi to us and shook the other guy's hand. More people got in line, and we recognized some of the people towards the front of the line from previous shows. Truthfully, they recognized us. I'm bad with faces, especially when I'm meeting a whole bunch of people at once. But everyone seems to remember me. It puts me at a disadvantage, because people will come over to talk to me and I can't figure out who they are. (But I remember minutia and dates well.)
The doors opened, and Roy and I got our spot. Front row, standing right in front of Adrian's mike stand. This is just about my favorite place to be in the world. There were tables and chairs off to the side, but front and center was set up as a dance floor.
The last time we saw the Power Trio and their opening act, we were in Cleveland. It was during a blizzard, and we were worried about traveling in the bad weather. Now, I was much more relaxed and I enjoyed the opening act Saul Zonana more. He did a cover of the Beatles' Across the Universe and turned it into a singalong.
There was a setlist taped to the floor of the stage. I could see the bottom part of it. I don't think it was used - the songs were played out of order and at least one song I saw was not played.
The band came on just before ten, my usual bedtime. They opened with an instrumental that reminded me of a reworked instrumental Neurotica. It got really good as it went on. Really really good. This first piece was really tracks "A" and "B" of the power trio's upcoming album E. The next song was Young Lions, one of my favorite Adrian songs. Great start to the show.
The rest of the song order is a blur - I know we heard Big Electric Cat, Writing on the Wall, Ampersand, Beat Box Guitar, Madness, Drive, Of Bow and Drum, and some others that I didn't recognize. Adrian had blogged that he'd be playing "some past favorites you haven't heard in a while", but nothing fit that category for me. I saw "Rhino" on the setlist, but they didn't play Lone Rhinoceros. They also played another new piece E. Roy and I had heard that one in Cleveland last year. It meandered and didn't have the punch that the opening songs A and B had.
There were a whole bunch of little issues, but they didn't detract from the experience. One thing that did detract was the heat. It was so warm in there, and there was no air movement. I was sweating even before the show started. Adrian was sweating so much his guitar pick slipped out of his fingers. The biggest mistake of the night was the band fizzling out during Madness. I guess people thought it was the end of the song, because they applauded, but Roy and I just looked at each other. They started the song back up again. It didn't seem to faze the audience. Adrian has such a complicated setup, a couple times he stepped on the wrong pedal and caused a humming sound or got the wrong sound out of his guitar.
Those little things didn't seem to matter. I felt like I was in the moment and really feeling the music rather than letting my mind wander. Adrian's band is great and he's got a wonderful presence on stage. Roy and I talked afterwards about how much eye contact Adrian made with us; it makes me feel like I'm part of the excitement rather than an observer. A couple times, it felt like he was speaking to us rather than to the audience - mentioning how hot it was and asking if we saw where his pick fell. The crowd response was great too. I can only imagine that most of them weren't familiar with all the material, but they were really getting into it. It was that back and forth between the band and audience that made this my favorite of the power trio shows I've seen.
The setlist had a major gap in it. No King Crimson. I had seen part of the setlist, and the main set ended with "3", and Thela was one of the encore songs. But the main set ended without Three of a Perfect Pair. The band came back out and encored with Thela Hun Ginjeet. As much as I love Adrian's solo music, these Crimson songs are the reason I became a fan. I enjoyed that one. And then the show was over.
Or was it? The time was something like quarter-to-midnight, it was a week night, but the crowd wanted more. The audience was still cheering. Adrian's bandmates are a brother and sister. Their dad was at the concert, filming it from the back of the stage. He was gesturing for us to keep cheering. It got loud. I could see the door to the backstage opening a few times and glimpses of the band getting ready to come back on stage.
The whole idea of an encore is that the audience expresses their intent that they enjoyed the performance and would like more. In reality, encores are planned. The band goes off stage, people applaud, then the band comes back on stage. Yes saves Roundabout for the encore. I've seen Springsteen play an hour long encore. I've seen real encores before, generally at festivals when a band plays their allotted time, there is great audience response, and the stage managers give the band more time. This time was different, because the band could set their own performance length, what songs they wanted to play, and they played them.
I have to admit, I wasn't applauding all that loudly. The show was over. But something could happen. I stayed in my spot. The audience did it. Adrian and his bandmates came back on stage. It was such a thrilling moment. Adrian looked overwhelmed by the response and told us that he'd like to play for us all night, but they'd do one more song. It was Three of a Perfect Pair.
After that, the show really was over. When everything goes right, live performances can really be transcendent. This night was like that.
Adrian and his band came out to sign autographs afterwards. Roy and I were going to wait until the crowd got smaller and then walk up. At first, everyone was gathered around Adrian, and he was signing things, but it was all moving very quickly. I prefer when there's a line and then some one-on-one time. Someone else decided that we had been there longer and gave us some space. Adrian saw us and said "Hi Rhea, how you doing?" (I had to write that again.) I'm still not used to that. I wasn't looking at him at the time and was not expecting a hello like that. He signed my Young Lions CD. I told him how much I liked the new pieces A and B and then rambled about how we had seen E last year. Adrian told us that they haven't played the other new pieces C and D live yet. The whole thing was really quick.
We talked to some other fans. One guy liked the show Adrian did here a few years back with his other power trio better, because they played more Crimson songs. I think the current trio is much more exciting.
Roy wanted to tell Adrian a particular story. When the crowd got smaller, Roy went up to him again. We bought a Bears tshirt from their tour in 2002. I call it the Big Electric Bear shirt. Roy happened to be wearing it when we met artist Roger Dean at a festival, and Roger said he liked it. He thought it was a dog. We told him it was a bear, and he said "Even better!" I could hear Roy telling the story, and Adrian replying that Roger Dean knew his art. Roy also talked to Adrian's bandmembers, Eric and Julie Slick, telling them how we saw them last year in Cleveland. Eric remembered the venue was the Beachland Ballroom.
We walked back through the restaurant, and the Talking Heads Burning Down the House was on the jukebox. I sang along, and we walked back home. It was nearly 1 AM. I sent out an e-mail to my boss that I'd be in late the next day. I wasn't ready for sleep, too wound up and excited from the experience. I sent a note to the Adrian Belew Yahoogroup about the extra encore and did a few other things on line.
The next morning, my boss IM'd me to ask if it was a late night and then, if it was worth it. I wrote back "oh yes". Sometimes it feels like I live in two worlds, between the music fandom and my career. I don't know how "professional" it is to share my other life with coworkers, but I'm glad I can and that they take an interest in it. We all have other lives outside of work.
Opening Act: Saul Zonana
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Thursday, April 16, 2009
General Admission
$20
"Hi Rhea. How you doing?" I had just seen an extraordinary concert from Adrian Belew, and now he was signing autographs for fans. And that was how he greeted me. I am still not used to him knowing my name and not giving us the usual "it's you guys again". I was kinda pleasantly shocked, so I came up with "Hi. Wow. Thanks." in reply and then rushing to say how much I liked the new songs A and B. I need to be cooler next time. Afterwards, I had to ask Roy if I really heard Adrian say it.
Earlier in the day, at work, I went to a lunch-time presentation called "The Polished Professional". The presenter talked about the impact you make calling people by name. That was sure made clear to me after the show. The presentation also went into how you present yourself, clothing, projecting a professional image. I think I broke every rule between yesterday and today:
- I left work early yesterday to go to a rock concert.
- I got into work late today because I stayed up too late at said rock concert.
- Showed up to work with my hair still damp
- They stamped our hands on the way into the show last night, and I couldn't wash it off completely, so there are remains of blue ink on my hand
I was tempted to take today off as a vacation day, but I needed to support a meeting. I joked about all of this with my coworkers and told them I'm going for the eccentric genius image rather than the professional one.
I had worked extra hours earlier in the week so that I could leave early on Thursday. The day went by pretty quickly. I left at 3, and came home to change my clothes and get ready for the concert. And for waiting in line. I have this thing about needing to be in the front row and in my spot. So for general admission concerts, my comfort level is such that I need to be in line long before the next person shows up. No close calls. Roy doesn't love this, but he understands and goes along with it. We walked over to Blueberry Hill around 4 for dinner, and got in line afterwards, around 5. The doors were going to open at 8.
We passed the time by reading and discussing what Yes shows we wanted to see on their summer tour. Only one other fan was there when Adrian and his band arrived. He said hi to us and shook the other guy's hand. More people got in line, and we recognized some of the people towards the front of the line from previous shows. Truthfully, they recognized us. I'm bad with faces, especially when I'm meeting a whole bunch of people at once. But everyone seems to remember me. It puts me at a disadvantage, because people will come over to talk to me and I can't figure out who they are. (But I remember minutia and dates well.)
The doors opened, and Roy and I got our spot. Front row, standing right in front of Adrian's mike stand. This is just about my favorite place to be in the world. There were tables and chairs off to the side, but front and center was set up as a dance floor.
The last time we saw the Power Trio and their opening act, we were in Cleveland. It was during a blizzard, and we were worried about traveling in the bad weather. Now, I was much more relaxed and I enjoyed the opening act Saul Zonana more. He did a cover of the Beatles' Across the Universe and turned it into a singalong.
There was a setlist taped to the floor of the stage. I could see the bottom part of it. I don't think it was used - the songs were played out of order and at least one song I saw was not played.
The band came on just before ten, my usual bedtime. They opened with an instrumental that reminded me of a reworked instrumental Neurotica. It got really good as it went on. Really really good. This first piece was really tracks "A" and "B" of the power trio's upcoming album E. The next song was Young Lions, one of my favorite Adrian songs. Great start to the show.
The rest of the song order is a blur - I know we heard Big Electric Cat, Writing on the Wall, Ampersand, Beat Box Guitar, Madness, Drive, Of Bow and Drum, and some others that I didn't recognize. Adrian had blogged that he'd be playing "some past favorites you haven't heard in a while", but nothing fit that category for me. I saw "Rhino" on the setlist, but they didn't play Lone Rhinoceros. They also played another new piece E. Roy and I had heard that one in Cleveland last year. It meandered and didn't have the punch that the opening songs A and B had.
There were a whole bunch of little issues, but they didn't detract from the experience. One thing that did detract was the heat. It was so warm in there, and there was no air movement. I was sweating even before the show started. Adrian was sweating so much his guitar pick slipped out of his fingers. The biggest mistake of the night was the band fizzling out during Madness. I guess people thought it was the end of the song, because they applauded, but Roy and I just looked at each other. They started the song back up again. It didn't seem to faze the audience. Adrian has such a complicated setup, a couple times he stepped on the wrong pedal and caused a humming sound or got the wrong sound out of his guitar.
Those little things didn't seem to matter. I felt like I was in the moment and really feeling the music rather than letting my mind wander. Adrian's band is great and he's got a wonderful presence on stage. Roy and I talked afterwards about how much eye contact Adrian made with us; it makes me feel like I'm part of the excitement rather than an observer. A couple times, it felt like he was speaking to us rather than to the audience - mentioning how hot it was and asking if we saw where his pick fell. The crowd response was great too. I can only imagine that most of them weren't familiar with all the material, but they were really getting into it. It was that back and forth between the band and audience that made this my favorite of the power trio shows I've seen.
The setlist had a major gap in it. No King Crimson. I had seen part of the setlist, and the main set ended with "3", and Thela was one of the encore songs. But the main set ended without Three of a Perfect Pair. The band came back out and encored with Thela Hun Ginjeet. As much as I love Adrian's solo music, these Crimson songs are the reason I became a fan. I enjoyed that one. And then the show was over.
Or was it? The time was something like quarter-to-midnight, it was a week night, but the crowd wanted more. The audience was still cheering. Adrian's bandmates are a brother and sister. Their dad was at the concert, filming it from the back of the stage. He was gesturing for us to keep cheering. It got loud. I could see the door to the backstage opening a few times and glimpses of the band getting ready to come back on stage.
The whole idea of an encore is that the audience expresses their intent that they enjoyed the performance and would like more. In reality, encores are planned. The band goes off stage, people applaud, then the band comes back on stage. Yes saves Roundabout for the encore. I've seen Springsteen play an hour long encore. I've seen real encores before, generally at festivals when a band plays their allotted time, there is great audience response, and the stage managers give the band more time. This time was different, because the band could set their own performance length, what songs they wanted to play, and they played them.
I have to admit, I wasn't applauding all that loudly. The show was over. But something could happen. I stayed in my spot. The audience did it. Adrian and his bandmates came back on stage. It was such a thrilling moment. Adrian looked overwhelmed by the response and told us that he'd like to play for us all night, but they'd do one more song. It was Three of a Perfect Pair.
After that, the show really was over. When everything goes right, live performances can really be transcendent. This night was like that.
Adrian and his band came out to sign autographs afterwards. Roy and I were going to wait until the crowd got smaller and then walk up. At first, everyone was gathered around Adrian, and he was signing things, but it was all moving very quickly. I prefer when there's a line and then some one-on-one time. Someone else decided that we had been there longer and gave us some space. Adrian saw us and said "Hi Rhea, how you doing?" (I had to write that again.) I'm still not used to that. I wasn't looking at him at the time and was not expecting a hello like that. He signed my Young Lions CD. I told him how much I liked the new pieces A and B and then rambled about how we had seen E last year. Adrian told us that they haven't played the other new pieces C and D live yet. The whole thing was really quick.
We talked to some other fans. One guy liked the show Adrian did here a few years back with his other power trio better, because they played more Crimson songs. I think the current trio is much more exciting.
Roy wanted to tell Adrian a particular story. When the crowd got smaller, Roy went up to him again. We bought a Bears tshirt from their tour in 2002. I call it the Big Electric Bear shirt. Roy happened to be wearing it when we met artist Roger Dean at a festival, and Roger said he liked it. He thought it was a dog. We told him it was a bear, and he said "Even better!" I could hear Roy telling the story, and Adrian replying that Roger Dean knew his art. Roy also talked to Adrian's bandmembers, Eric and Julie Slick, telling them how we saw them last year in Cleveland. Eric remembered the venue was the Beachland Ballroom.
We walked back through the restaurant, and the Talking Heads Burning Down the House was on the jukebox. I sang along, and we walked back home. It was nearly 1 AM. I sent out an e-mail to my boss that I'd be in late the next day. I wasn't ready for sleep, too wound up and excited from the experience. I sent a note to the Adrian Belew Yahoogroup about the extra encore and did a few other things on line.
The next morning, my boss IM'd me to ask if it was a late night and then, if it was worth it. I wrote back "oh yes". Sometimes it feels like I live in two worlds, between the music fandom and my career. I don't know how "professional" it is to share my other life with coworkers, but I'm glad I can and that they take an interest in it. We all have other lives outside of work.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
California Guitar Trio
California Guitar Trio
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Sunday, August 5, 2007
General Admission
On the Guest List! :-)
The California Guitar Trio are three former students of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft school, Paul Richards, Bert Lams, and Hideyo Moriya. They've been together for 16 years now, and play a wide mix of music - classical, rock covers, surf guitar, original pieces, and Fripp-inspired music. They have a pretty good following in Philly, but are still building an audience here in St. Louis.
I first saw CGT when they opened for King Crimson on the THRAK tour in 1995, multiple times. I counted it out, and I think I've seen them a total of 15 times or roughly once a year. They're always nice to see live and they consistently put on a good show. I got burnt out on them and started skipping some shows when I lived in Philly. They played St. Louis for the first time a year after I moved here, and it was nice to see someone familiar in town. Now, the shows feel more like seeing old friends. These days, I would not miss a show intentionally. Plus, Roy and I have been helping them out by manning their merchandise table at the local shows. That's been fun too.
Some of the fun of CGT is the other people they play with. Two of the times I saw them were with Tony Levin on bass, and he is one of my favorites. CGT are also working with Jon Anderson!!! on a guitar concerto. We traveled to San Francisco last year to see CGT perform it with an orchestra. We were hoping Jon would be there too, but no such luck.
CGT had not played locally in a couple years, but they booked a show at Blueberry Hill. We made a day out of it, inviting our friend Dirk over to hang out at our place and then walked over to BBH for dinner. We were sitting in the "new" section of the restaurant, which is also the entrance to the basement club, The Duck Room. We saw Paul Richards walk up from the club. He saw us and came over to chat for a bit. They had just arrived a half hour earlier and he was too busy to join us for dinner. I felt pretty pleased with myself - what could be cooler than the musician you've gone to see walk over to talk to *you*?
Ralph couldn't join us earlier, but he came by before we finished dinner. We all talked for a while. At 6:30, we were due down at the club to set up the merchandise area. There was a guy in line already, but no staff there and the door was unlocked, so we walked right in. On our way down to the club, someone did ask what we were doing there. Oh, I'm doing merchandise for the band. And that was it. I brought a printout of Bert's e-mail detailing the time as "proof", but it wasn't needed.
CGT weren't ready for us yet, they were still soundchecking. In other words, oh my god, we just got to mosey in and sit down to watch the soundcheck! They were playing the end of one piece which I thought sounded like a reworking of Blind Faith's Can't Find My Way Home. Roy thought I might be right after I pointed it out. (Maybe I just have that song in my head since we saw Winwood and Clapton do it last week. It turned out to be a new song called Andromeda.) They also did part of Tubular Bells (which Roy recognized before me), and the opening notes of Echoes. But still, we were there and we belonged there. We got to see about 15 minutes of our private show. If they ever tour with Jon Anderson, I have to do this again!
Hideyo gave me his digital camera and asked me to take some pictures of them during the soundcheck. Unfortunately, the light was too low and the shots looked pretty bad. You can see for yourself. He used one of these shots in his tour diary at http://cgtrio.proaudiowebsites.com/cgi/viewroadcam.paw?465.
After the soundcheck, Bert came over. We had about 10 minutes to get set up before the doors opened. I inventoried the CDs and tshirts. Their sound guy Tyler organized the table display. They only brought three of the CDs to sell and limited sizes on the tshirts. Literally only one XL sized shirt. It went first. People started filing in before we were really ready. Also before we had received any money to use as change! Roy gave someone some of his own money as change before Bert brought over some fives for us. They were doing something different this time around - recording their show and burning copies of the live CDR after the show. It was $15 and the best seller by far. We were set and the guys went upstairs for dinner.
I enjoyed talking to people coming up to the merch table. One guy had only heard of them through the radio program Echoes and had never seen them live or heard any of their albums. Another came with a friend and bought the live CD before he had ever heard a note of music. Another was visiting from Costa Rica and was excited to find out they were playing here this night. Roy and Ralph started talking about some comic book movie coming out and I shooed them away from the table - I couldn't play the extroverted salesperson if I had to talk over them.
The show started around 8:30. CGT opened with Yamanashi Blues from their first album. Some other familiar songs were Eve, Miserlou (the Dick Dale song used in Pulp Fiction), and Whitewater. The crowd seemed pretty attentive. They also played a classical piece using a method called circulation - each guitarist kept the melody going by playing every third note.
Their show featured four rock covers - Tubular Bells, Echoes, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Freebird. I'm torn on this. I really like the songs, how they sound, hearing stuff that's familiar, but I'm afraid doing so many will make them look like a novelty act. All of us in the crowd sure seemed to like them.
During the show, we didn't need two people manning the table. Roy sat in front with Dirk and Ralph. He came back to relieve me midway through and I took his seat. Bohemian Rhapsody is usually a highlight, with the crowd singing along. But the crowd wasn't singing. Hideyo turned the microphone towards the audience and gestured to encourage us to sing. Ralph and I sang, but not too loud, because well, I know the words, but have trouble with notes and timing and a lousy voice and those things. Most of the rest of the crowd was silent. I headed back to the merchandise table before the encore.
After the show, we were busy. Lots of people were buying the live CD and lining up to wait for the CDs to be burned. I get the feeling the band has been doing their own merchandising at some of the other shows this time. Hideyo was working the CDR duplicator keeping track of how many CDs were sold while he was signing autographs. Paul was handing out the discs. I could have helped with that. There was now a big bottleneck by the table and exit to the club. The CDs were $15 and so many people were paying with $20s that we were running out of fives again. I sent Roy over to the bar to get some more. I felt weird pulling this big wad of money out of the purse to search for change, and I began to keep my hand on the money purse at all times so it would be safe.
I was eyeing the live CDs. There were three left. I figured they'd give me one as a thank you, but I didn't want them to run out first! Hideyo handed me one and said "For you". I thanked him. When I asked Bert to sign it, he said "You didn't pay for this, did you?" He also gave me their new best of compilation Highlights and the last remaining live CD. I had been telling Ralph to buy it, but now I just handed it to him.
The crowd thinned out. Bert and I started to do the inventory. At all the shows where I've done merchandise, I've always worked with Bert on it. I guess that's his part of the duties. He offered to do the accounting at the end, but seemed relieved when I said I'd do it. We counted up everything and I calculated what we should have earned. Then I counted the money. We were off by $10 in our favor. Damn. Bert said it was close enough.
We chatted a while; it's nice to be in a situation when you actually have time to get to know someone better and aren't just making small talk. Bert moved to my home state of Pennsylvania in an area I know well - my dad used to have business trips to this town and I have some good friends who live nearby. I asked him about his work with Jon - they e-mail every once in a while and did a show together last year. He said it was nice to visit with Jon, very mellow. I don't know how long we talked, but afterwards, Roy asked me just what we were talking about. He wanted to join in, but was standing around talking to Ralph during that time.
As everything was wrapping up, I found Paul to get his autograph on my new Highlights CD. He asked me what I thought of the new songs. I'm so bad with song titles and knowing what's what. I mentioned liking Andromeda, and that when they were playing it during the soundcheck, I thought it was Can't Find My Way Home. He said he knew the song and would listen for that next time.
We are so lazy. Ralph wanted to borrow a CD from us, so he drove us home, all three blocks, and Roy ran upstairs to get it for him. It was still only about 11pm, pretty early for a concert night, but I was pretty excited by the whole night and it took me an hour until I was ready for bed. I told work I would be in late the next day, but I woke up before the alarm went off and got in only a half hour later than usual.
There is a downside to getting into a concert for free. I didn't receive a ticket stub to add to my collection! I have stubs for every concert going back 20 years. I can only think of once that I even lost a stub. Ralph kindly mailed me his. I will add it to my scrapbook.
ETA: Paul Richards has corrected me on my songs. The song in the soundcheck I thought sounded like Blind Faith was really a song they were rehearsing but did not play in concert. It is Monte Montgomery's Six String Wooden Friend. Thanks Paul!
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Sunday, August 5, 2007
General Admission
On the Guest List! :-)
The California Guitar Trio are three former students of Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft school, Paul Richards, Bert Lams, and Hideyo Moriya. They've been together for 16 years now, and play a wide mix of music - classical, rock covers, surf guitar, original pieces, and Fripp-inspired music. They have a pretty good following in Philly, but are still building an audience here in St. Louis.
I first saw CGT when they opened for King Crimson on the THRAK tour in 1995, multiple times. I counted it out, and I think I've seen them a total of 15 times or roughly once a year. They're always nice to see live and they consistently put on a good show. I got burnt out on them and started skipping some shows when I lived in Philly. They played St. Louis for the first time a year after I moved here, and it was nice to see someone familiar in town. Now, the shows feel more like seeing old friends. These days, I would not miss a show intentionally. Plus, Roy and I have been helping them out by manning their merchandise table at the local shows. That's been fun too.
Some of the fun of CGT is the other people they play with. Two of the times I saw them were with Tony Levin on bass, and he is one of my favorites. CGT are also working with Jon Anderson!!! on a guitar concerto. We traveled to San Francisco last year to see CGT perform it with an orchestra. We were hoping Jon would be there too, but no such luck.
CGT had not played locally in a couple years, but they booked a show at Blueberry Hill. We made a day out of it, inviting our friend Dirk over to hang out at our place and then walked over to BBH for dinner. We were sitting in the "new" section of the restaurant, which is also the entrance to the basement club, The Duck Room. We saw Paul Richards walk up from the club. He saw us and came over to chat for a bit. They had just arrived a half hour earlier and he was too busy to join us for dinner. I felt pretty pleased with myself - what could be cooler than the musician you've gone to see walk over to talk to *you*?
Ralph couldn't join us earlier, but he came by before we finished dinner. We all talked for a while. At 6:30, we were due down at the club to set up the merchandise area. There was a guy in line already, but no staff there and the door was unlocked, so we walked right in. On our way down to the club, someone did ask what we were doing there. Oh, I'm doing merchandise for the band. And that was it. I brought a printout of Bert's e-mail detailing the time as "proof", but it wasn't needed.
CGT weren't ready for us yet, they were still soundchecking. In other words, oh my god, we just got to mosey in and sit down to watch the soundcheck! They were playing the end of one piece which I thought sounded like a reworking of Blind Faith's Can't Find My Way Home. Roy thought I might be right after I pointed it out. (Maybe I just have that song in my head since we saw Winwood and Clapton do it last week. It turned out to be a new song called Andromeda.) They also did part of Tubular Bells (which Roy recognized before me), and the opening notes of Echoes. But still, we were there and we belonged there. We got to see about 15 minutes of our private show. If they ever tour with Jon Anderson, I have to do this again!
Hideyo gave me his digital camera and asked me to take some pictures of them during the soundcheck. Unfortunately, the light was too low and the shots looked pretty bad. You can see for yourself. He used one of these shots in his tour diary at http://cgtrio.proaudiowebsites.com/cgi/viewroadcam.paw?465.
After the soundcheck, Bert came over. We had about 10 minutes to get set up before the doors opened. I inventoried the CDs and tshirts. Their sound guy Tyler organized the table display. They only brought three of the CDs to sell and limited sizes on the tshirts. Literally only one XL sized shirt. It went first. People started filing in before we were really ready. Also before we had received any money to use as change! Roy gave someone some of his own money as change before Bert brought over some fives for us. They were doing something different this time around - recording their show and burning copies of the live CDR after the show. It was $15 and the best seller by far. We were set and the guys went upstairs for dinner.
I enjoyed talking to people coming up to the merch table. One guy had only heard of them through the radio program Echoes and had never seen them live or heard any of their albums. Another came with a friend and bought the live CD before he had ever heard a note of music. Another was visiting from Costa Rica and was excited to find out they were playing here this night. Roy and Ralph started talking about some comic book movie coming out and I shooed them away from the table - I couldn't play the extroverted salesperson if I had to talk over them.
The show started around 8:30. CGT opened with Yamanashi Blues from their first album. Some other familiar songs were Eve, Miserlou (the Dick Dale song used in Pulp Fiction), and Whitewater. The crowd seemed pretty attentive. They also played a classical piece using a method called circulation - each guitarist kept the melody going by playing every third note.
Their show featured four rock covers - Tubular Bells, Echoes, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Freebird. I'm torn on this. I really like the songs, how they sound, hearing stuff that's familiar, but I'm afraid doing so many will make them look like a novelty act. All of us in the crowd sure seemed to like them.
During the show, we didn't need two people manning the table. Roy sat in front with Dirk and Ralph. He came back to relieve me midway through and I took his seat. Bohemian Rhapsody is usually a highlight, with the crowd singing along. But the crowd wasn't singing. Hideyo turned the microphone towards the audience and gestured to encourage us to sing. Ralph and I sang, but not too loud, because well, I know the words, but have trouble with notes and timing and a lousy voice and those things. Most of the rest of the crowd was silent. I headed back to the merchandise table before the encore.
After the show, we were busy. Lots of people were buying the live CD and lining up to wait for the CDs to be burned. I get the feeling the band has been doing their own merchandising at some of the other shows this time. Hideyo was working the CDR duplicator keeping track of how many CDs were sold while he was signing autographs. Paul was handing out the discs. I could have helped with that. There was now a big bottleneck by the table and exit to the club. The CDs were $15 and so many people were paying with $20s that we were running out of fives again. I sent Roy over to the bar to get some more. I felt weird pulling this big wad of money out of the purse to search for change, and I began to keep my hand on the money purse at all times so it would be safe.
I was eyeing the live CDs. There were three left. I figured they'd give me one as a thank you, but I didn't want them to run out first! Hideyo handed me one and said "For you". I thanked him. When I asked Bert to sign it, he said "You didn't pay for this, did you?" He also gave me their new best of compilation Highlights and the last remaining live CD. I had been telling Ralph to buy it, but now I just handed it to him.
The crowd thinned out. Bert and I started to do the inventory. At all the shows where I've done merchandise, I've always worked with Bert on it. I guess that's his part of the duties. He offered to do the accounting at the end, but seemed relieved when I said I'd do it. We counted up everything and I calculated what we should have earned. Then I counted the money. We were off by $10 in our favor. Damn. Bert said it was close enough.
We chatted a while; it's nice to be in a situation when you actually have time to get to know someone better and aren't just making small talk. Bert moved to my home state of Pennsylvania in an area I know well - my dad used to have business trips to this town and I have some good friends who live nearby. I asked him about his work with Jon - they e-mail every once in a while and did a show together last year. He said it was nice to visit with Jon, very mellow. I don't know how long we talked, but afterwards, Roy asked me just what we were talking about. He wanted to join in, but was standing around talking to Ralph during that time.
As everything was wrapping up, I found Paul to get his autograph on my new Highlights CD. He asked me what I thought of the new songs. I'm so bad with song titles and knowing what's what. I mentioned liking Andromeda, and that when they were playing it during the soundcheck, I thought it was Can't Find My Way Home. He said he knew the song and would listen for that next time.
We are so lazy. Ralph wanted to borrow a CD from us, so he drove us home, all three blocks, and Roy ran upstairs to get it for him. It was still only about 11pm, pretty early for a concert night, but I was pretty excited by the whole night and it took me an hour until I was ready for bed. I told work I would be in late the next day, but I woke up before the alarm went off and got in only a half hour later than usual.
There is a downside to getting into a concert for free. I didn't receive a ticket stub to add to my collection! I have stubs for every concert going back 20 years. I can only think of once that I even lost a stub. Ralph kindly mailed me his. I will add it to my scrapbook.
ETA: Paul Richards has corrected me on my songs. The song in the soundcheck I thought sounded like Blind Faith was really a song they were rehearsing but did not play in concert. It is Monte Montgomery's Six String Wooden Friend. Thanks Paul!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
All Grrrr, No Arghhh
The Bears
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
General Admission
$17.50
I have a confession to make. I don't think I've ever heard the first two Bears albums. I didn't own them, until I moved in with Roy, and there were so many things to listen to. Then Car Caught Fire was released and we listened to that a lot. We saw them in concert a couple times in 2002, so I learned a lot of the catalog from hearing it live. And listened to the live album and DVD. And the new one, Eureka! But I haven't gone back to those studio albums yet. Weird.
The Bears are fun. They're accessible enough that I can lend their live CD to people at work, and they don't look at me funny. But they have great songs, great melodies, great musicianship... Roy said he enjoyed the Bears shows we've seen more than recent Crimson shows, because of the happy fun factor. The Bears are Adrian Belew, Rob Fetters, both on vocals and guitars, Chris Arduser on drums, and Bob Nyswonger on bass.
This was a general admission show, and as usual, I took that as a personal challenge to be first in line. I left work an hour early and walked all three blocks from home to Blueberry Hill with Roy. Our friend Ralph joined us for dinner at 4:30. I figured, if it looked like any other fans were around, I'd get right in line and eat there. We were safe. We were first.
It's a great place to wait for a concert - indoors, temperature controlled, with bathrooms, free refills on sodas. I've done worse. Good place for a concert too when it's non-smoking, like this one was. There were some other fans in the restaurant at this point. Through the picture windows facing Delmar, we could see the Bears walking down the street. Soon afterwards, they came in. Adrian Belew said hi to us and "nice tshirt!" to Roy, who was wearing his Big Electric Bear shirt from the last tour. Chris Arduser pointed out that I was also wearing a nice tshirt, King Crimson's Discipline. We could hear a little of the soundcheck. The wait was really painless; we talked for a while and I read the Riverfront Times.
Different setup at the concert than we expected. There's usually several rows of seats, but this time the seats were off to the side and the front was a dance floor. Yay for me, I love to dance at concerts. I grabbed the spot in front of Adrian, while Roy and Ralph sat at the table to my left. I was too far away to continue my conversation with them, but I chatted with the guys standing near me. Opening act had a great bass player with a seven string bass, I don't remember too much else about them.
Finally, the Bears started. It was 10pm, my usual bedtime. They opened with Complicated Potatoes. I could see the setlist, but the songs were shortened to the point I couldn't really figure them out - CP was listed as Pot. The setlist focused on songs from Car Caught Fire, which I know well, and Eureka, which I'm learning. Couldn't sing along with the Eureka songs yet. I could barely sing at all without popping cough drops - still getting over strep throat from March. Older songs included: None of the Above, Superboy, Figure It Out, Fear Is Never Boring. I think I've decided Under the Volcano is my favorite Bears song.
It was a high energy, fun show. I kept looking over at Roy, making eye contact with him and singing to him. It's such a treat to see the band play so close in front of me, I was feeding off their energy. I've seen the Bears from this same position all three times I've seen them, all four if you count the Here tour. I'm lucky Adrian does so many of these small club shows, I've been in the front row more than my fair share. It was one of those shows that, when it ends, you just want to go somewhere else and see and hear and feel it all over again. I'm low on vacation days from my other recent exploits, and traveling for the one weekend one this tour just didn't work out for us. So it was just this one. I hope they are able to tour again with this album.
Roy was on call that night, and had to leave right when the show was over. Ralph wanted to get autographs, so I stayed with him and he gave me a ride home. I used to be such an autograph collector, but I've kind of gotten away from that, so I didn't bring anything. Still nice to say hi to everyone. I've talked to Adrian a number of times, but never the other Bears. Chris said he saw me from on stage and that it looked like I had a fun time. Yeep.
There was a line of people to talk to Adrian. Had an interesting conversation with him - he pointed out my Discipline tshirt and said it looked like an original. I said no, but he insisted. I said I wasn't old enough to go to that one. I was tempted to mention that I was only 6 in 1981, but I didn't. He asked me if I wanted something autographed, and I replied that I think he's already signed everything I have of his. Only a slight exageration. I told him that Roy and I had gone back to Philly to see the School of Rock again and they put on a great show again. He said they were good musicians to play with. Then he gave me a hug(!) I love the fact that all these years of going to concerts and hanging out for autographs is leading some of my favorite musicians to know who I am.
We're really getting spoiled with all these Adrian shows. Roy and I are going to Nearfest this year, in Bethlehem, PA. Adrian is playing in Sellersville, 40 minutes away, that Saturday night. We're going to blow off the headliner Hawkwind and see him again. Three shows, once every seven weeks, completely different bands and setlists. Can he keep this up all year?
Blueberry Hill - Duck Room
University City (St. Louis), MO
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
General Admission
$17.50
I have a confession to make. I don't think I've ever heard the first two Bears albums. I didn't own them, until I moved in with Roy, and there were so many things to listen to. Then Car Caught Fire was released and we listened to that a lot. We saw them in concert a couple times in 2002, so I learned a lot of the catalog from hearing it live. And listened to the live album and DVD. And the new one, Eureka! But I haven't gone back to those studio albums yet. Weird.
The Bears are fun. They're accessible enough that I can lend their live CD to people at work, and they don't look at me funny. But they have great songs, great melodies, great musicianship... Roy said he enjoyed the Bears shows we've seen more than recent Crimson shows, because of the happy fun factor. The Bears are Adrian Belew, Rob Fetters, both on vocals and guitars, Chris Arduser on drums, and Bob Nyswonger on bass.
This was a general admission show, and as usual, I took that as a personal challenge to be first in line. I left work an hour early and walked all three blocks from home to Blueberry Hill with Roy. Our friend Ralph joined us for dinner at 4:30. I figured, if it looked like any other fans were around, I'd get right in line and eat there. We were safe. We were first.
It's a great place to wait for a concert - indoors, temperature controlled, with bathrooms, free refills on sodas. I've done worse. Good place for a concert too when it's non-smoking, like this one was. There were some other fans in the restaurant at this point. Through the picture windows facing Delmar, we could see the Bears walking down the street. Soon afterwards, they came in. Adrian Belew said hi to us and "nice tshirt!" to Roy, who was wearing his Big Electric Bear shirt from the last tour. Chris Arduser pointed out that I was also wearing a nice tshirt, King Crimson's Discipline. We could hear a little of the soundcheck. The wait was really painless; we talked for a while and I read the Riverfront Times.
Different setup at the concert than we expected. There's usually several rows of seats, but this time the seats were off to the side and the front was a dance floor. Yay for me, I love to dance at concerts. I grabbed the spot in front of Adrian, while Roy and Ralph sat at the table to my left. I was too far away to continue my conversation with them, but I chatted with the guys standing near me. Opening act had a great bass player with a seven string bass, I don't remember too much else about them.
Finally, the Bears started. It was 10pm, my usual bedtime. They opened with Complicated Potatoes. I could see the setlist, but the songs were shortened to the point I couldn't really figure them out - CP was listed as Pot. The setlist focused on songs from Car Caught Fire, which I know well, and Eureka, which I'm learning. Couldn't sing along with the Eureka songs yet. I could barely sing at all without popping cough drops - still getting over strep throat from March. Older songs included: None of the Above, Superboy, Figure It Out, Fear Is Never Boring. I think I've decided Under the Volcano is my favorite Bears song.
It was a high energy, fun show. I kept looking over at Roy, making eye contact with him and singing to him. It's such a treat to see the band play so close in front of me, I was feeding off their energy. I've seen the Bears from this same position all three times I've seen them, all four if you count the Here tour. I'm lucky Adrian does so many of these small club shows, I've been in the front row more than my fair share. It was one of those shows that, when it ends, you just want to go somewhere else and see and hear and feel it all over again. I'm low on vacation days from my other recent exploits, and traveling for the one weekend one this tour just didn't work out for us. So it was just this one. I hope they are able to tour again with this album.
Roy was on call that night, and had to leave right when the show was over. Ralph wanted to get autographs, so I stayed with him and he gave me a ride home. I used to be such an autograph collector, but I've kind of gotten away from that, so I didn't bring anything. Still nice to say hi to everyone. I've talked to Adrian a number of times, but never the other Bears. Chris said he saw me from on stage and that it looked like I had a fun time. Yeep.
There was a line of people to talk to Adrian. Had an interesting conversation with him - he pointed out my Discipline tshirt and said it looked like an original. I said no, but he insisted. I said I wasn't old enough to go to that one. I was tempted to mention that I was only 6 in 1981, but I didn't. He asked me if I wanted something autographed, and I replied that I think he's already signed everything I have of his. Only a slight exageration. I told him that Roy and I had gone back to Philly to see the School of Rock again and they put on a great show again. He said they were good musicians to play with. Then he gave me a hug(!) I love the fact that all these years of going to concerts and hanging out for autographs is leading some of my favorite musicians to know who I am.
We're really getting spoiled with all these Adrian shows. Roy and I are going to Nearfest this year, in Bethlehem, PA. Adrian is playing in Sellersville, 40 minutes away, that Saturday night. We're going to blow off the headliner Hawkwind and see him again. Three shows, once every seven weeks, completely different bands and setlists. Can he keep this up all year?
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