We had a really good practice last night, going over some last minute changes and making sure we’re all on the same page for the big First Annual Big Hand Dave Party at the Lake Part III.
Dave looked quite smashing sporting his shiny brand new Big Hand Dave hat, fresh off the presses at https://www.cafepress.com/bighanddave. It remains undetermined whether or not he was wearing a Big Hand Dave thong.
Wes finally fixed the sound and the PA that he had painstakingly set up only to have Dave put his big hand on it. But it finally got right and it sounds really good. While Wes was working on the PA, Dave brought in a Happy Pump Day cheesecake for Rodney. Yes, it was a cheesecake with Happy Pump Day written across the top in bright pink frosting. It was quite impressive.
As an aside, I don’t know if it was the cheesecake or what, but something got into Rodney as he and that big blue bass kept us together and on track all night. As a matter of fact, we all did really well last night. Wes said it was a mistake and that we didn’t want to sound good tonight, we want to sound good Saturday!
One of the numbers we worked on was “Good Lovin’.” PJ does a really nice solo in the middle of that one and if we can keep the tempo up we will do it right. We got the ending hammered out and it sounds really good. Next we worked on “I’m Gonna’ Be” and man, did we ever make up for messing it up last time! Wes kicked that song into another gear with his backup vocals. It truly makes the song. He did the same thing on the next song, which was “Lump.” Things are starting to fall together with the harmonies on a lot of these songs, which adds a new dimension to many of them.
We worked on “My Sharona” next – a nasty little song and a perennial favorite with some great guitar work. Dave showed some tremendous skillz on this one last night. We also worked on “New Age Girl” where Rodney tried to burn us all like ants under a magnifying glass, using the highly reflective surface of his bass to focus the beams of the sun setting over the lake onto our unprotected skin. His treacherous plan failed, and we shall remember his villainy.
We also worked on “Play That Funky Music” where Wes provided some very nice syncopated extra percussion and I bowed to the wisdom of PJ in working out the ending. PJ also got his way by cutting the solo out of the middle of “Secret Agent Man” but Rodney made up for it with some great bass work in that one. We worked on “Soul Man” and Wes worked on a mouth harp part. We closed out the evening with “Baker Street” with some sweet guitars and good drumming. I stood in the middle of the room for a large portion of that song, with all the sound hitting me from all directions, just listening to us. The drums, the guitar, the bass, the vocals…very nice. Very nice, indeed. No wonder I look forward to our every other Thursday practice so much.
Another bright note is that with help and patience from Wes and PJ, Dave has learned the art of the well-timed rim shot. Now, much comedy can ensue.
I thought I knew the secret word, but then realized I was probably mistaken. I’m going to take a guess and say it is “Shorts,” And by the way, you slackers owe me four clams for guessing the secret word from last time.
There were many memorable quotes. There are probably going to be more quotes left out than included. They fall into the ‘had to be there’ category.
“The search for Dave’s female end has begun.” ~PJ
“Cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. I’ve got the rope.” ~JD
“If you don’t count the expenses, we’re a profitable band!” ~Dave
“It’s your shit, you can fuck it up if you want to!” ~PJ
“A sober drummer is an oxymoron.” ~Wes
“NO MORE PIE!” ~Dave
“I wore out both edges and had to move on to the point.” ~Wes
“I don’t have that position memorized.” ~Rodney
“Peas and carrots! We’re like peas and carrots.” ~ Dave
“You need to tune the turner off.” ~PJ
“So many damn holes in the sumbitch!” ~Wes
“If I play it quiet, nobody will know.” ~Rodney
“If you don’t count all the licks I missed, and messing up the middle, and ruining the end, I pretty much nailed that one!” ~PJ
And the best quote of the night…
“I’m not gonna’ lick that!” ~Rodney
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