Thanks, Alameda

The Beatles had Hamburg.

Could the Eyewitness Blues Band have Alameda?

We had a great time the other night at the Alameda Towne Centre shopping center. All sorts of set-up headaches (no sense re-living the misery here, but here's all you need to know: we started our sound check 11 minutes before showtime), but when the bell rang, we were there.

The audience was supportive and engaged. Kids dancing, parents bobbing their heads to the beat, and even plenty of senior citizens smiling along with us.

It's a great little venue: a temporary stage smack in the middle of an outdoor shopping center. A hundred or so folding chairs. Plenty of space for kids to dash around. And a new restaurant called Zeytini, with jam-packed outdoor tables full of people listening to the show.

Playing live is an interesting thing: you know right away if you're "on", but you don't really know how it sounds to the audience. You look for clues: are they laughing at the funny lines? Are they dancing or at least tapping their feet? Are they scrunching up their faces and walking away?

All we saw was positive feedback, and plenty of people came up afterward to say they thought we'd sounded great.

Even better: the lady from the shopping center said she loved it, and they want us back.

Hamburg, here we come.

Keyboards

We're a couple of days away from our next gig. It'll be hard to top our last gig for pure coolness--big crowd, great stage, great vibe.

But this time, we're playing with a different lineup. Sug won't be there (he's in New York on a family vacation), and Alameda piano whiz Kelly Park will be sitting in on keyboards.

It's an interesting step for the band. We go from being a tight-knit band of co-workers who share the same inside jokes and the same collective history to...well, I'm not sure, but I do know it's different.

Kelly, of course, will shine. He's an amazing musician and a wonderful personality, and there's something about a keyboard that can really fill out the sound of a band.

Ought to be fun. See you there!

We Did It!

I'll never run the 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, or break 50 seconds in the 100 freestyle.

But I do own a world record today!

Well, technically, I will share it with 2,051 others once the Guinness people certify it. We gathered in Concord's Todos Santos Plaza and played "This Land Is Your Land" over and over, in what will now be listed as the largest guitar ensemble ever.

That's me in the photo (courtesy of ace concert photographer Robert Hakin), pulling my best Pete Townshend as we struck the final chord, with 60's icon Country Joe McDonald (in the green shirt) looking on.

It was a truly amazing experience to be up on the stage, looking out over a sea of people with guitars. Old, young, virtuoso, beginner, tie-dye, coat-and-tie. The vibe after we set the record was even better: folks wandering around with their guitars, propping them up next to the table while having dinner, gently strumming familiar tunes while complete strangers tapped time or broke into song.

I've said it before about music: it's like sex. Decent by yourself, but really great when shared with others.