Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- 30Jan2010

It was cold again, but not as bad as last time. Lots of people at dinner time, and not quite as empty afterwards. I guess Spring really is coming.

It was pretty quiet most of the time, but I usually had someone to play to. There was an older couple who were clearly listening and enjoying the stuff, and finally came up to request "Uncle Walter", so I played it, and when they came up again later (to buy a "Bears" CD), I asked where they'd heard that song before. Turns out the guy actually had an Uncle Walter, who had died just 3 days after they'd heard the song on the radio. A friend of theirs had told them about the guy who plays that song at Spectrum on Saturdays, so they found me on the web and have been watching my cartoon version (and sending the link to their family Back East), and wanted to come hear it in person. Wow -- that was kinda fun. Actually, I could tell they had been hearing the Official Version (the one on the CD), since they were clearly surprised when I went into the new Extra Verse (the one about Aunt Matilda).

A little boy (about 12, clearly sent up by his dad) came up and, while fumbling with a five dollar bill, asked if I would play a song they requested. I said, "Sure", and he asked for "Oh Bla Di, Oh Bla Da". I guess I should have been more specific -- you can ask for *a* song, but not *any* song! So I showed him The List, which he took back to his dad, and then returned asking for "In My Life". I said, "OK", and the kid asked "How much is it?" I said "It's free!" Of course, his dad made him come back and deposit the fiver anyway. (Part of the $60 I made overall.)

Later in the evening when it was mostly empty, I decided to give a try to my latest Beatles song, "Strawberry Fields Forever", which I've been working up an arrangement for. It's hard to tell how songs will "work" in The Wild playing for real people, as opposed to how they work in the bedroom playing for the cat. I've had songs that I thought were sounding weak turn out really well, and others that seemed like they were shoe-ins go all lead ballooney on me. I'm not really done with this one, but I figured I'd give it a try now, and it if failed, I could save myself the trouble of getting it entirely together. But it sounded quite good out there, even half done, so I guess I'll keep at it.

I'm never quite sure if my stripped-down and/or peculiar arrangements of these kinds of songs (see "Lucy in the Sky") are brilliant, or if it's just that I've played them a few jillion times by the time I'm ready to show them in public and I'm brainwashed into thinking they sound good. I guess, by definition, I'll never know...