BR Cohn Redux

Two versions of the story:

1. We were so freakin' awesome when we opened for The Doobie Brothers, Little Feat, Jackie Greene and Pablo Cruise last year that they just had to have us back again at the B.R. Cohn Fall Music Festival this October OR...
   
2. We weaseled our way in again

We'll leave that up to history to decide. All we know is this: we're on the schedule for Sunday, October 10th. Tickets go on sale in a few weeks, and the other acts haven't been announced yet, but you know they'll be big. Bigger than us, but no more thrilled to be there!

The Metronome

Quick: what's the tempo of a favorite song (pick any song you like) in beats per minute (BPM)?

We all know "fast" from "slow", but that doesn't help much. Plus, it's a law of playing live music that you'll always play faster on stage than you want to--something about adrenaline (and maybe alcohol) speeding up the process.

I bring this up because after many, many months of playing some of our songs, our resident musical genius Chris is challenging us to lock in our tempo--with real numbers. That means using a metronome to practice, and I'm finding it to be damned hard work.

It's easy enough to start a well-known song and match the metronome. But keeping the tempo locked-in...well, that's real work. There's a lot of muscle memory to unlearn. I was just working on "Gloria", which is supposed to be at 130 BPM. I can start at 130, but within a dozen measures, I find myself drifting.

Gotta get back to work. By the way, here's a handy resource where you can look up the BPM of a whole lot of songs.

Oh. My. God.

A gig we'll never forget.

That guitar bears the signatures of every member of the Eyewitness Blues Band, along with the autographs of every member of the Doobie Brothers, Pablo Cruise, and Little Feat.

Somebody paid a lot of money for it (and several others were sold as well), all part of the hoopla surrounding the B. R. Cohn Fall Music Festival (click the link and you'll see our band's name on the poster).

We got treated like rock stars. Hell, for a day, we were rock stars. Backstage food & drinks. Top-of-the-line sound system and stage crew. Adoring audience. Crowds of groupies. OK, maybe not crowds, but one of the guys did get a pre-dawn call from a woman seeking backstage access.

Enough storytelling material to last a lifetime. Like concert host Bruce Cohn, the longtime Doobie Brothers manager, telling me about the night at the long-gone Chateau Liberte' when he was working the door. The Hells Angels rolled up and one dude wanted to pay the cover charge for everyone--in cocaine. Cohn says he told the guy, "What am I gonna do with that? I have to buy groceries." And the biker replied, "Use this stuff and you won't need groceries."

Priceless. As was our experience at the gig.

Something I've Never Seen Before

Look, I'll be honest. Most of the time when we're on stage, I'm just trying to remember what key we're playing in and when the chord changes happen.

So when I see something like the bit lead guitarist Chris Detrick pulled last night, my jaw drops.

Can't even remember which song we were playing, but I happened to notice Chris reach for a beer. While the verse was winding down, which means it was about time for Chris to take a solo. I'm thinking, "Dude. Drink the beer fast. You need both hands to play that solo."

Except he didn't. Chris leaned back, took a big pull on the beer, and played the solo one-handed, just hammering the notes out on the fretboard.

Very impressive. And Chris says it was just a warmup act for what he plans to do at the B. R. Cohn Fall Music Festival : repeat the same stunt, but this time, with a glass of Pinot Noir in his hand.

I'd pay to see it.

Star Treatment

Look, Ma. It's us, the Eyewitness Blues Band!

It's undoubtedly the best photo we've ever had taken, but that might be because it was taken by legendary San Francisco rock photographer Pat Johnson.

The shoot was arranged by Gibson Guitars, which works with Johnson to cozy up to Bay Area musicians. Those would be shiny new Gibsons we're holding in the photo (and trust me, that ES-359 I'm clutching is one sexy little number).

Working with a guy like Pat Johnson is a reminder of one of my favorite truisms: success is equal parts inspiration and perspiration. Johnson's been on the scene for years but never mails it in.

I asked him about some photos of Mick Jagger he shot at a 1975 Rolling Stones show at the Cow Palace. I was at the same show with my camera (back when any schlump with an SLR could tote it into the arena and snap away) and have some similar shots. I rememebr elbowing my way to the front (perhaps employing the cover of my female date) to grab a few frames before retreating.

Johnson had a better M.O.: he hired a burly biker-dude to ferry him toward the stage. Whenevr things got tense, Johnson would hand the offended concert-goer a business card, and promise an 8 x 10 print.

Got him all the way to the front of the stage, whereupon he used his big buddy as a stepladder. Got up high, fired off 2 rolls of film in a hurry, and beat a retreat.

That's how a pro gets it done.

The New Kid

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Chris Detrick.

The Eyewitness Blues Band has a new lead guitarist, although if you want to be picky about it, Chris was our original lead guitarist. He was our instructor when we formed the band in the fall of 2006 as part of the Bandworks program.

Chris must have been shocked when he realized our guitarists were me and Mike Sugerman. Forget about a lead guitarist. We were lucky to be able to play basic chords and stay in rhythm. Chris did what he could with us. Busted me several times for my lazy chord fingering. Showed me a dinky little solo I could play on Green Day's "When I Come Around". Drew some rudimentary chord charts for Mike and me.

And when it came time to play our inaugural gig, Chris stood over on the side of the stage, beaming. And slipping in some sweet little riffs and runs here and there. If you listen to recordings of that show, you can hear the little bit of polish Chris applies to our runaway train.

We've played a lot of music since then and had our share of highs and lows. But now, Chris is back, and it feels right.

Our Latest "Best Gig Ever"

We were jokingly calling it "Dougstock". Or "Sarapalooza". We set up on a wooden stage in an outdoor natural amphitheater and played to a wildly enthusiastic audience.

Of course they were enthusiastic. Most of them were related to our bass player Doug Sovern, or to the woman he would wed the next day, Sara Newmann. The concert was Doug and Sara's idea, a way to entertain their guests the night before the wedding.

Talk about a great vibe. Not only did we gain the services of Dean Angermeier, a terrifc Oregon-based keyboard player who's married to Sara's cousin, but all sorts of family members climbed up to join in at one point or another. Doug's mom played piano. One niece sang and another hopped on the drums, cheerfully acknowledging she didn't know "Sympathy For The Devil" and then proceeding to blow us away with her talent. Doug's old buddies Brad and Rustam played.

We had to shut down at 10 PM (campground rules), but we truly could have gone longer. By then, the stars were shining brightly in the Wine Country sky and despite the chill in the air, we all had a nice, warm glow.

It's as if Doug and Sara gave the rest of us the wedding gift.

Over My Head

Sounded like a swell idea when Mike Sugerman pitched it: the Eyewitness Blues Band playing a few songs at the Great American Music Hall to open a Funniest Celebrity fundraiser event, then backing Mike as he competed by singing his tune "Eyewitness Blues".

But then it turned out that half the band couldn't make it that night. It was going to be me, bassist Doug Sovern, and Mike. We hastily recruited San Francisco Chronicle reporter Steve Rubenstein to play harmonica, and we figured we'd make do.

Until we started chatting with ace guitar-slinger Doug Logan of Little Wolf and the Hellcats. Doug says he's never played the Great American Music Hall and we say, "Hell, come play with us!". It's a win-win: we get a way better guitar player; he gets to hit the big stage at the GAMH.

And then Doug says, "You guys need a drummer for this gig." We say, sure, we know that, but our drummer will be in Hawaii. And he says he'll get Little Wolf to come play drums--and sing!

A package deal! A drummer/vocalist, with real chops.

So last night we got together: three members of the Eyewitness Blues Band, two members of Little Wolf and the Hellcats, and harp-man Rubenstein. And it was a blast.

Little Wolf and Doug (or Doug2, as we're calling him to distinguish him from our Doug) can really play. And it's true what they say: you play with better musicians, you get better. I'm still mediocre on my good days, but I felt like I was playing on a new level.

So anyway, a week from tonight, it'll be a pickup band. Little Wolf and the Eyewitness Blues Boys? The Eyewitness Hellcats? Whatever. It'll be a blast.

A Regular Gig

Something new for the band: a regular gig!

Just got the word--we'll be appearing every other Sunday night at Grant & Green Saloon in San Francisco (1371 Grant, corner of Green, in North Beach). Our engagement begins on February 8.

It's the sort of thing we dreamed about a couple of years ago when we realized we wanted to keep playing and performing together. Of course, now the challenge moves from getting ready for an infrequent show to getting ready for a regular show--at the same venue. We'll need to work on adding songs to our repertoire and shaking up our set list so we sound fresh each time.

Me? I'm thrilled. Even though I have to get up early the morning after each gig to go to my real job.

See you there. Oh, did I mention: no cover charge!

Another First

I was watching the classic concert documentary "Gimme Shelter" the other day and marveling at how the Rolling Stones managed to play so well on that horrible December night in 1969 while mayhem happened all around them.

But now, I think I know. They must have been "in the zone", focusing on their music and trying to entertain. I got a taste of this the other day when, while the Eyewitness Blues Band played holiday songs outside Macy's Union Square, my car got towed. I was standing no more than 25 feet away at the time, and I had no idea my car was gone until I went to stow my gear in it after we wrapped.

In theory, I'm going to win my appeal, because the sign is pretty clear: the parking spaces were reserved for the Salvation Army Celebrity Bellringing event, which we were playing. But who knows?

What I do know is that I never thought I'd see the day when my car could be towed from practically beneath my nose without noticing. Apparently, life changes when you have a guitar in your hand.