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Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | After reading Damon's "Friday nights" thread I'd like to tell y'all about my Friday nights gig!
Mari and I have been going every Friday since August to a small community center (about 15 miles from home) where a group of retired professional musician play for about 30+ people....They serve supper at 6:00 and the music and dancing starts at 7:00 to 10:00
70% of the folks there are the "Geritol for lunch" bunch but everyone has a great time!
The band can play almost any type of music (some of the members have played professionally for 25-30+ yrs) and they also let anyone who'd like to get up and sing!(there's currently about 10 regulars that sing on and off each week)
They found out (after the Smokey Jam) that I played guitar (and sang :rolleyes: :D ) so for three weeks now I've been singin' with a super band backing me!....And I LOVE IT!
The part thats Heaven for me is that they play classic country music from the 60's and 70's (Real country music!).....
I get to do at least 3 (sometimes 4) song a night and in the last three weeks, I brought my Folklore the 1st wk....My Takamine the 2nd wk....and my '93 collector this Friday.....
It's not Carnegie Hall or even the Grand Ole Opry but we all have a great time pickin', singin', and dancin' on a Friday night!......
There's a few more pic on the Ning if you'd like to check em out!
The sunburst guitar you see is a 1963 Gibson J45.....I think the owner (70 yrs old) said that he bought it new in '63 for $200(?)....but really wanted a Hummingbird ($75 more) but he couldn't afford it! ;)
Also did I mention.....They have a Steel Guitar player AND a Fiddle!!!!!!! |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Nice, TR. I think joining a band and playing in front of an audience is a sure bet for improving your game. |
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Location: Atlanta, GA. | What a HOOT!!!
Looks like fun. |
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February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Yeah, I try to do a different song everytime I get up there....some of the regulars have three or four songs the do every week over and over which is o.k. but I like to try different ones (I have two songs everyone keeps requesting though!)
I spend a couple of hours a week searching lyrics to classic song I have done in years,and then practice them through out the week getting ready for Friday night! |
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Location: Tuscany, Italy | Bravo, Bravissimo...... Congrats.
Riccardo |
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Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | TR, after hearing you numerous times, I'm sure you are a welcome addition to their group. Let me know when you cut your first recor... uh CD. |
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Posts: 4413
| Mike you look right at home in front of that band. But who's dancing with Lady TR while you're warbling the tonsils? |
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Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Good for you Mike...have a ball!
Where's the banjo? lol |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by schroeder:
Mike you look right at home Absolutely! Looks like a 'kicked up/plugged in' Smokey's Jam. ENJOY!!! |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
Nice, TR. I think joining a band and playing in front of an audience is a sure bet for improving your game. Hey Professor - isn't that YOU in the back playing electric guitar? |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Nice Mike.
We had a similar event the Second Friday of every month at the FR Senior center. I was on a streak for about 7 months a while ago but, then dropped off. |
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Posts: 3969
| Looks like a blast, Mike. Right up your alley. Keep having fun! |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | That's great, Mike!
It's very nice of them to let a young kid get up there and show them what he's got. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | That's great.
You keep doing that for a year and you'll be suprised how much you'll improve.
KEEP IT UP!!!!!!
remember, it ain't nothing that 100 gigs won't cure. |
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November 2006
Posts: 2241
Location: Simpsonville, SC | Originally posted by TRboy:
(I have two songs everyone keeps requesting though!) I'll bite Mike, what songs are they requesting?
Regardless, sounds like a great time!!
Mari, how about a video of Mike sangin'? We always knew that he had it in him. He just needed the right style of music to sing to.
You kids have fun!!! |
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March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by TRboy:
Yeah, I try to do a different song everytime I get up there....some of the regulars have three or four songs the do every week over and over which is o.k. but I like to try different ones (I have two songs everyone keeps requesting though!)
I spend a couple of hours a week searching lyrics to classic song I have done in years,and then practice them through out the week getting ready for Friday night! During the summer, I play a Friday night outdoor jam and have a great time. We get about 25-50 people who come out to listen.
Mike, I do the same thing you do in that I'll try to have about 3 tunes ready that I have either not done before or not done in a long time. There are people who play who do the same songs over and over again (luckily, they're good songs and fun to do), and there are some standards that I do that people ask for, but it's good to mix it up.
And people here are right, it's amazing how much you can improve in a year of playing publicly (I still sound like crap, but not like major crap now)..... |
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October 2005
Posts: 803
Location: Avondale, AZ | Originally posted by Beggin:
Originally posted by TRboy:
(I have two songs everyone keeps requesting though!) I'll bite Mike, what songs are they requesting?
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February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Thanks for the encouraging remarks guys!
A note about the guitars I've taken so far.....Of the three I've taken,the Folklore,the Takamine,and the '93 collector......The '93 has been the loudest....I could actually hear myself playing with the full band!
I'll probably take the Folklore back next week....The first week when I used it I was so nervous trying not to make a mistake that I didn't even remember I was playing a guitar!! :eek: :D
The two requested songs are:
Folsom Prison Blues - by Johnny Cash (of course!)....I can really "rock da house" on that one with a full band behind me!
AND
Ravishing Ruby - by Tom T.Hall....Done with a Latin beat (the very 1st one I did and my favorite so far!)
Some others I've done are.....
Big City - Merle Haggard
Sing me back home - Merle Haggard
The year that Clayton Delaney died - Tom T.Hall
Truck Drivin' Man - Dave Dudley
(that's some classic country!....)
The easy part to singing a different song each time is the fact that there is probably 90 Billion, 3 chord, country songs to choose from!! :D :D :D |
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July 2005
Posts: 3408
Location: GA USA | Next summer, the Friday night portion of SS3 might just be going to heckle TRboy. Good going, Mike.
I had 2 thoughts:
First, they had no idea what a treasure they had, and they're richer now.
Second, what about "El Paso"? |
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February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Originally posted by Captain_Lovehandles:
Next summer, the Friday night portion of SS3 might just be going to heckle TRboy.....
...Second, what about "El Paso"? Bring It On!!! :D .....Problem is they shut down at ten pm....Most of youse guys don't show up Friday until Midnight thirty!! :p
......"El Paso" is a L o n g song.....probably can't keep their attention that long!.............. ;) |
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November 2006
Posts: 2241
Location: Simpsonville, SC | Originally posted by TRboy:
The easy part to singing a different song each time is the fact that there is probably 90 Billion, 3 chord, country songs to choose from!! :D :D :D I think I need to go country then. |
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February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | ....Once you go country....You'll never go back, or they'll never take you back, or you'll never be black, or you'll have to watch your back, or something like that...... :confused: |
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Location: Cicero, NY | :D :D |
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Posts: 1792
Location: Rego Park, NY, | Mike,
Now you have a good reason to get the Ovation mando that you always pick up when you are at the Mothership. ;) |
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July 2005
Posts: 3408
Location: GA USA | TR, are you still doing this? Where is it? |
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My Friday nights piece of Heaven....
