Something new, as of 24 June 2009
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Something new, as of 24 June 2009
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Gigs: Recent and upcoming... for Keith & Warren and Jim & Warren and WA...  Fri 1 Aug 2008 :: Keith [right] & Warren, trying to keep the lid on it, at the Irvine Spectrum Center
 16 Aug 2008 :: Jim & Warren sings songs at the Mission Viejo Borders that inspired the next-to-greatest generation to finally get rid of George Bush.
At some point Jim suggested 'Heart Full of Soul', which seemed out of reach, but it's so much fun to play, and there seemed to be nothing to lose. Thanks to some additional attention to the sig-riff lately, I was able to play it much better than usual, and the vocal even sounded pretty good... owing at least in part to my experimental swapping-in of my AKG C-1000 small-diaphragm condenser mic. Its greater sensitivity (compared to Jim's dynamic mics) seems to allow me to step back a bit from the mic, thus getting much less of the 'proximity effect' woofy bass that makes my vocals for 'Was Not There' and 'Miss Misery' so... miserable. 
We also had a pretty strong run-through of 'Teacher' right afterward, and a little later, a personal best-ever effort with 'Four Seasons' ("...our only Vivaldi song"). Somewhere along the line, a sharp-looking young woman clapped enthusiastically for one of those song, and then for most every song, which triggered the homework girls to start doing so too, not to mention a few other people. It changed the game... making it seem suddenly a lot more worth playing. It was hard to stop, but we did, after a modestly rousing reading of 'Hey Jude'. As we were packing up, the young woman responsible for our happy ending walked up to us, with her boyfriend. I could then see that she was quite a bit younger (22?) than I'd guessed. She thanked us for playing and said it sounded wonderful, or something like that. Whatever it was, we're going to try to believe it.New song, recently, brought in by Jim: M. Ward's 'One Hundred Million Years'. Keith has introduced some great new songs recently, including 'Sad Lisa', 'I Should Have Known Better', 'Hey Jude', 'Code Monkey', 'Graceland', 'Past the Point of Rescue', 'Country Road' (JT) and even Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah', though the farthest-out entry must surely be Outkast's 'Hey, Ya' (?!) There were a few obvious factors working in our favor, notably the remarkably good acoustics of this room, (compared to the Food Court, especially). Also, we had some people to play for. There was a middle-aged guy in the leftmost comfy chair totally tuned into our program for almost the entire evening. It's rare that anyone listens so intently, but I could see that this guy was picking up on all sorts of things. Every time I managed to play a part especially well, he would nod approvingly (or so I imagined). There was a young Asian girl who was with us for quite awhile, and then a 50-ish couple back in the tables, both turned to face us, quietly listening, smiling and applauding, as if it was all really worth listening to. 
Another thing that was working out for me was my new Verbzilla reverb box. I had much more luck with it this time out, and found some gorgeous and shimmering halos that really worked for the slower songs, of which there are many. I mostly used it instead of my trusty Boss DM-3 analog delay, switching between them for comparison, and trying them together a couple of times. I'll have to experiment a lot more, but my basic impression is that reverb is probably what I was really looking for when I went shopping for delay pedals. I expect that there were any number of X-factors that were just going our way this evening. In any case, seeing the genuinely appreciative response from our little audience both encouraged me to stay tuned in to the music, and gave me a vivid impression that I was really contributing something, and allowed me to imagine that both of us, together with the listeners, were engaged in some modestly remarkable musical happening. More of this, please...! It was close to a worst-ever gig for me, and it made me wonder if K&W had lost their... mojo... or whatever it is they seemed to have for awhile there. Fortunately, the following gig (at SCP Borders) completely obliterated that question. Keith's bloggage indicates that he had a similarly miserable time. The tips were correspondingly pathetic -- an all-time low, for this venue, of $16. 
After we finished a run-through of 'Into the Mystic' (which I think must be one of our best-sounding songs), we were commissioned by a 30-something guy to play a song for him and his girlfriend ("she's really special"), as soon as he re-appeared with her. When he finally did, they graciously endured most of 'Perfect Day', before we busted out the selected 'Hey Jude' and reprised 'Into the Mystic' for them. Our tips hit a record-breaking $30, thanks to a $10 bill, surely from the above-mentioned love-struck guy. Very soon after this remarkable outburst, a 40-ish fellow approached stage right, smiled, and said, "You guys are doing a great job." That was helpful. Grown men that we are, we carried on. Yesterday, I called the MV store and spoke to the Sales Mgr, to see about the status of our 'residencies' program, which turns out to be, after all, fiction. The Bob did not bother to communicate this new schedule to the store, apparently, and probably not to any of the other stores either, before he quit altogether. The Sales Mgr. decreed that we would no longer have a regular 4th Saturday gig at the MV store, but he did allow that we could continue to show up every 2nd Saturday -- so J&W and K&W will now share that one 'residency'. Keith would rather play at the Spectrum Ctr. Food Court anyway, at least now that it's warming up, and is lighter longer... I can't resist either. Being Wednesday evening, it was nowhere near as crowded as on a wknd night, when it's thronged with 20-somethings almost as thick as 6th St. in Austin during SXSW (but minus the rock n' roll chaos). So it was just right for us... people strolling by, and occasionally pausing to take in a song or two. Jim arrived first and he set up facing away from the adjacent long pool, perhaps in part because the array of fountains within it were blasting forth (making it very hard to converse)... and also probably because there's a good sized open area beyond the other side of the stage. Even though we managed to get the fountain turned way down later, and there are tables arrayed alongside the pool, I think Jim picked the right orientation, as it allowed people to get close, if they were so inclined, as a few proved to be.... 
...like the slender and lovely long-haired mom who turned that space into a world-class dance floor, for her and her toddler, as we bashed our way through 'Heart Full of Soul', hanging on for dear life... If there are sights more appealing than this, I still can not guess what they are. Please let me know what we can do to make this happen more often, or all the time...!There was one other candidate for Best Thing That Happened, however. A 30-something mom and dad, with their four-yr old (?) daughter camped out on the concrete floor for our very very good (for us) rendition of 'Into The Mystic'. Afterward her dad came up to the stage and told us that when he asked his little girl if she liked the song, she said, "It's sliding into my heart!" We're going to take that as a good thing... a very good thing... Shall we do it again? Perhaps, though it's a stretch for Jim to go this late on a weeknight. 
Hoped-for special guest Kyle Kaiser was not able to get away from his studio construction project for producer Jack Joseph Puig. Jim even brought along his Burns Steer and a tiny amp... maybe he'll join us this summer. One other good thing: no money disappeared from the tip jar. 
Sat in on harmonica for a set with Dime Box, which lately consist of frontwoman Kristi Callan, and old-pal guitar-slinger Yolande Ng. The roots of my little adventure with them are in the 2002-2003 open mic nights at the Gypsy Den, where Yolande was a regular, as were the nascent Jim & Warren. One evening Yolande asked me to join her on harmonica for one of her songs. It was a wonderful thing... something about the combination of the song (can't recall what it was), the good intonation, and the subtle interaction with Yolande herself... it may have been the most special 'take' of all, there, for me. Yolande was also kind enough, a week or two later, to extend a similar invitation to Jim.Tonight, as back then, I was completely 'winging it'. The set mostly consisted of songs penned by Kristi (some with siblings), which I didn't recall ever hearing before. A couple of them were exceptional, and on at least a couple of them, it was a joy to play along, and very clear what to do. It wasn't nearly so obvious on some of the other songs, particularly those with chord progressions that fell outside the scope of a single diatonic 'harp'. Kristi stepped back from time to time, so I could blow a verse into her mic, which worked well some of the time, but was a near-complete bust once or twice. 
Still, it was a pleasure just to be part of their program, and both gals were very nice to me. Old Pal Gary from Back East came along, and shot some video, and I think he had a good time, partly because it was all new to him, even including hearing me play harmonica.It occurred to me several times beforehand that it would be much more convenient to just pass on this opportunity. It's always awkward to enter into someone else's musical program, especially the first few minutes, when it's not clear exactly what the opportunities and expectations are. It took me quite a few minutes, in the cramped Alta quarters, to just figure out where to stand. More and more, though, I'm inclined to press through those reservations, since there's so much to learn from every new musical experience... even if one is not always entirely conscious of just what the lessons are. It all seeps in, somewhere, I trust. at Irvine Spectrum Center (Food Court) 
Bob grew up in Huntington Beach, and was part of the OC music scene for several years, and went on to form the band The Cheatin' Hearts with John Jorgenson [!] Even more incredibly, this band included Sneaky Pete Kleinow. Jorgenson continued the direction of The Cheatin' Hearts in his next outfit -- the Desert Rose Band, which he formed with Byrds-man Chris Hillman.Bob now lives in Minnesota, and visits back here very rarely, so it was quite a big deal for his old pals -- including Bruce Lieberman, Dave Perry, Craig Fleming, Janelle, and Keith's wife Daleen, all of whom came early and stayed late. We even took a break, at Bob's request, so he could sit down and visit with them for awhile. Keith & Warren have never sounded so big, surely, and on some songs, at least, so good... as on this one -- Joni Mitchell's brilliant People's Parties -- which K&W have played only once or twice before, and so long ago I can hardly remember hearing it. It was far and away my favorite of the evening, and I'm hoping I've talked Keith into playing it regularly from now on. I love the sound of my guitar on this take, and I very much like the way Keith is singing it, though I believe he experienced it as 'oversinging', as he put it, to try to stay above the the racket Bobby and I were creating. For a much more detailed report of this slightly wild escapade, see Keith's blog post. And here's a pic on Dave Perry's Facebook page. at Surf City Nights - Huntington Beach Afterwards, I asked Matt if he planned to continue playing this Surf City Nights thing -- since his MySpace calendar didn't note any other dates going forwards. He said they were probably going to take a break from it, noting that they had a lot of other dates lined up (including a gig on the Queen Mary). He suggested that he'd let me know when they do start up here again. So... I'm hoping I didn't crash their party so hard that they decided to stop having it... or this part of it. It certainly was a good experience from my pov. Matt and the Mob's MySpace page. Before long, advance Mob scout Ryan appeared behind us, and then Matt... at Surf City Nights - Huntington Beach 
This time out with Matt and his Mobsters Ryan and Elizabeth (at right in the photo) worked out much better for me, compared to last time (which was the first time).
I was nicely warmed-up by the time they arrived, thanks to Eric Kufs (see below), and more significantly, I had my Real Guitar (AFS-75) and the most important part of my rig -- the Pedal Bag - with EQ, delay, and overdrive... allowing me to sound like 'me'. The Pedal Bag proved to be a great conversation piece, piquing Ryans curiosity. I jacked it's output into my trusty Pignose amp, which provided more than enough power, without too much distortion. I would love to have a really clean sound available too (Strat through Twin Reverb...? Maybe someday...)I felt more decisively welcomed this time, or at least not quite so obviously a party-crasher. Matt even asked me in advance to take a solo for the bridge in 'Daydreaming', like on the album track. I managed to struggle through it the first time, but had an illuminated experience when we played it again later. He suggested a couple of times that I should turn up some, and called for another solo on a bluesy number we did toward the end. Regardless, it was a real pleasure to be able to play in this little band. Matt's own songs are especially appealing to me... including 'Shipwrecked', 'Surf Song', 'The Red Wagon' and others from his very appealing Farewell Adventure album. ...and here's their MySpace page. As I rumbled back down Main St. (with my rumbly gear-cart, and AFS-75), the Young Fellow concluded a song. Liking the sound of it, I rumbled up beside him and said something like "I was going to be playing with Matt Kollar and his band, but I guess they're not here after all... could I join in with you?" He said something like, "Uh... I guess so... OK..." That's what I call courage... either that or an advanced inability to say "No!". 
It worked out! -- despite his Keith-like use of a capo, which made staying in tune with him a challenge. Among other great songs, he played 'Fire and Rain', and to my great delight, 'Into the Mystic', the song sheet of which I'd looked over that morning, so I was ready to play huge chords for him, not to mention take off on a solo.It was happening for him too, apparently. He would pass me solo verses for just about every song, and then lean in toward me as I went for it, and he generously called me out several times to the little crowd that gathered around. One of the most remarkable songs Eric whipped out was the old jazz-pop standard 'You Belong to Me', complete with convincing mouth-trumpet solo. Click the link for a video of him playing and singing this song with Chelsea Williams at the 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica (skip ahead to 1:00, when they finally start the song). ...and here's Eric on his own, singing his country-folksy-funky song 'Union Dues'. This guy can sing... and his guitar is a great rhythm machine. Check out his profile and songs on MySpace: Eric Kufs. ...and the next thing I knew... Matt and his Mobsters were arriving, right behind us, hands full of gear, saying friendly hellos... OK! Good news: Jim brought in another great song: Van Morrison's 'Into the Mystic'. at Surf City Nights - Huntington Beach I dropped in with the trusty old Nomad, but soon realized with dismay that its battery was fast on the way out -- leaving me no option but too turn it just about all the way up... so the tone was very gritty, and the A string was feeding back badly. It was just manageable, and I stuck too playing basslines, since everything else, especially chords, sounded terrible -- in this setting at least (amplified acoustic guitars and mandolins, ukulele, accordion and keyboard). Besides that, I wanted to stay out of their way, as much as possible. This seemed like the best approach, all the more so because there was no one playing bass. Check out Matt Kollar & The Angry Mob on MySpace-- and enjoy this nutty video of Matt's song 'Daydreaming'. Blawg of previous gigs: as far back as Aug 2004 
Jim & Warren Gig pics: RSM, 20 Aug 2005 La Habra, 7 Nov 2004 |
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Jim & Warren's set list (26 Feb 2006)
New and unheard of!
Jim & Warren's pretty good cover of Rhett Miller's
There is a World Inside the World -- SC Plaza Borders, 3 March 2006
New and over quickly!
39 seconds of
Jim & Warren romping through Jim's
instrumental composition Gone -- SC Plaza Borders, 3 March 2006
Video clip... Keith & Warren playing Chris Isaak's Blue Spanish Sky -- Mission Viejo Borders, 12 Nov 2005 (loads slowly).
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Free song one
:: Jim & Warren's medium-fi recording of the late Buffalo Springfield classic I Am a Child :: WA: lead vocal, guitar, tambourine. :: Jim: harmony vocal, guitar, harmonica. Recorded at JR's Flippen Way studio/den, 31 May 2004. WA's transcription of this song. |
Free song two
:: Keith & Warren's medium-fi recording of the traditional song The Water Is Wide :: Keith: vocal, Ovation acoustic guitar. :: WA: Ibanez electric blue guitar. Recorded at JR's Flippen Way studio/den, 17 Apr 2004. |
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Free song three
:: Jim & Warren's lo-fi live recording of the Jim's poststructural space age instrumental Orbit :: Jim: rhythm guitar (Gibson Songwriter). :: WA: melody guitar (Ibanez AFS-75). Recorded while pretending to be a jam band at the La Habra Borders Cafe, 6 Nov 2004. |
Free song four
:: Jim & Warren's lo-fi live recording of Jim's blues-fringed and well-rusticated instrumental Gone :: Jim: rhythm guitar (Gibson Songwriter). :: WA: melody (slide) guitar (AFS-75). Recorded under duress at the La Habra Borders cafe, 6 Nov 2004. |
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Free song five
:: Keith & Warren's medium-fi recording of the Michael Carr & Jimmy Kennedy classic South of the Border :: Keith: vocal, acoustic guitar. :: WA: electric guitar, harmonica. Recorded at JR's Flippen Way studio/den, 31 May 2004. |
Free song six
:: Keith & Warren's medium-fi recording of the Chris Isaak song Forever Blue :: Keith: vocal, acoustic guitar. :: WA: electric guitar. Recorded at JR's Flippen Way studio/den, 31 May 2004. |
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Free song seven
:: Jim & Warren's lo-fi live recording of Nick Lowe's classic (What's so Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding :: Jim: 1st vocal, acoustical guitar. :: WA: 2nd vocal, electrical guitar, harmonica. Recorded dead or alive at the La Habra Borders cafe, 6 Nov 2004. |
Free song eight
:: Jim & Warren's lo-fi live recording of (Buddy and) Julie Miller's lovely Holding Up the Sky :: Jim: lead vocal, acoustical guitar. :: WA: harmony vocal, Ibanez AFS-75 electrical guitar, harmonica. Recorded on the spot at the La Habra Borders cafe, 6 Nov 2004. |
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Free song nine
:: Jim & Warren's lo-fi live recording of the Jayhawks' Angelyne :: Jim: lead vocal, acoustical guitar. :: WA: harmony vocal, electrical guitar. Recorded anxiously at the La Habra Borders cafe, 6 Nov 2004. |
Free song ten
:: Jim & Warren's lo-fi live recording of Lou Reed's scary Perfect Day :: Jim: lead vocal, acoustical guitar. :: WA: harmony vocal, electrical guitar. :: Cathy: additional vocals ("...do do do..."). Recorded deleriously at the La Habra Borders cafe, 6 Nov 2004. |
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Free song eleven
:: Keith & Warren's medium-fi recording of the Eagle's
Desperado :: Keith: vocal, acoustic guitar. :: WA: electric guitar. Recorded at Rancho Santa Margarita Borders cafe, 11 Nov 2005 (from PA's monitor out). |
Free song twelve
:: Keith & Warren's medium-fi recording of Five O'clock World, more or less as recorded by Hal Ketchum :: Keith: vocal, acoustic guitar. :: WA: electric guitar. Recorded at Mission Viejo Borders cafe, 12 Nov 2005 (from PA's monitor out). |
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1 minute streaming video clip of the intermittently acclaimed Irish Wanderers ripping through a smashing tune at the Earthday event at The CAMP, Costa Mesa, 23 Apr 2005: The Red Haired Boy (Windows Media Video) |
Keith & Warren explode on(to) the scene at RSM:
You could find a treat at Borders tonight
- Janet Whitcomb for RSM edition of OC Register, 8 Oct 2004
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Tumbling 
toward 
abstraction 
...A few essential early 20th Century paintings
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