Bangkok Blues Jam 1-11-09 Idle Americans

Bangkok Blues
926 W Broad St.
Falls Church, Va

I meet someone for the first time and the conversation almost inevitably goes:

Random Person: How long have you been playing guitar?
Matt with the Hat: *feigns thought* Well, I started when I was 12 or 13, so about.....12 years.

RP: Why did you pick it up?
MwtH: Well, originally I wanted to accompany myself on vocals, but then I got better than on guitar than I was at singing, so I just sorta rolled with that.

RP: But, you seem to be doing alright on vocals now.
MwtH: Yeah, I started coming to blues jams and I started singing again because I got to pick the songs if I did it that way.

In music, and especially in a jam atmosphere, the song exists independently of the people playing it. When a person calls a song, it's the job of the people up there to play THAT song. Not to show how many meedlies or weedlies or minor chordlies you know. If you want to revel in your own shit, then please, stay at home and masturbate. By way of Scott, I recommend this pr0n site. Hell, you can even rent a practice space for $50 an hour, play as loud as you want and not bother Nikki ordering your appetizer and waters all night.

I'm not saying I know every song ever, but if I get up there and someone calls something off the wall, then I'm gonna do my best to find SOMETHING that fits THEIR song. On Sunday, a wonderful young lady (who's name escapes me) knew she was going to play a set with me, and, in a very courteous move, came up to me and talked before the set to make sure I knew what the songs were gonna' be so it wasn't a train-wreck.

So, I would suggest, if you're a moderately considerate musician with a moderately sized ego, that when you're up there with Johnny Wanks-a-lot and a solo gets thrown to you, instead of playing the at-this-point-standard two choruses of solo, you play one, make your point, and get the fuck out. Blues songs on 78s and 45s only had 3 minutes in the first place, which wasn't time for two choruses of solo, so for an example of a beautiful one chorus solo, look at almost anything T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim, or Pee Wee Crayton ever did.

(end rant)

I had a ridiculous amount of down-time this week, having Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off and I hated it. I'm gonna' go try and book some early-in-the-week gigs.

Next: Jam tonight at Zoo