Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- Sat, 23Jul2011

This was my last Summer Saturday Night before school starts up again.  I apparently asked too late about open dates in August, and only got a few "early shifts", which won't be nearly as fun -- the party never really starts until after dark...

I had an inexplicably tough time with the sound.  For some reason, they've pushed the stage back 6 or 8 feet, maybe because the power in the light post is dead, so now I'm plugged into the jacks in the planter box.  That's bad for two reasons: it puts me even further away from the audience across the plaza, and it puts me closer to the noise of the turtle fountain (and, these days, the very noisy kids playing therein).

It seemed like I couldn't hear myself, but when I'd try to turn it up to try to overcome the noise, I started getting feedback.  It was really keeping me from being able to get comfortable, and just settle in and play.

Still, I got some people interested, and had a Kid's Dance Party going for a while there.  And later on, I had a group of 8 or 10 high school kids who were counselors at a Summer Camp in Irvine.  They were just there to hang out, so they parked right down in front of me.  And, of course, being counselors, they were all outgoing, happy kids, so we had a great time.  One girl was a huge Beatles fan, so I did lots of their songs, and, of course, the Justin Bieber song, and the Princess songs.

And, surprisingly, (and flatteringly) when I got home, two of the kids had searched me out and sent me Friend requests on Facebook.  I accepted their requests, but suggested that they may want to "Like" my "Band Page" instead.  This is exactly why I started one, but I'm not sure what to put on it to make it worth peoples' while, so I haven't publicized it much yet.  I've put up my videos, and some pictures, and I'm announcing future gigs with the "Event" feature, but all that is better presented on my website. But, these days, if you ain't on Facebook, you don't exist, so I guess I'll keep it going and try to flesh it out as we go along.

(To check it out, just do a Facebook search for "Keith Comer, Good Music".  I currently have 9 "fans" -- when I get up to 25, something magical happens, but I can't quite tell what it is.  The Page somehow becomes more "real" -- gets a title or something?  I guess I'll find out when/if it happens...)

The odd thing about the Spectrum food court is that it's become a big-time hangout place for the local Persian community.  It's been that way since we started playing there a couple of years ago, but it's getting bigger and bigger.  And they don't seem to have the same ideas about appropriate bedtimes for the kids that us Western parents do.  Around 11:00 or so, it gets to be almost all Persian families, 15 or 20 of them, with the men sitting around one big table, and the women around another, and the kids, clumped up in groups by age, running around nearly unsupervised.

Sometimes that's pretty fun, but sometimes the kids get a bit overbearing.  And the little ones usually start to see how far they can push me with getting up on the stage.  It gets pretty distracting, but I don't mind that much, except when they're horsing around and about to knock over my music stand or accidentally unplug something.  And I keep wondering how I can be being pestered by such little kids at almost midnight...

But the "ringleader" of the little ones is a 3-year-old girl named Shadeen that's so cute it's impossible to get tough with her.  She's constantly asking me to play "Twinkle" (which I know, and do play for her), but also "Spongebob Squarepants", which I don't know, but may have to learn, just to quiet her down.

Anyway, a pretty good night, but not as great as I was hoping for, as my last Summer Saturday.  I made $93 in tips though, so I can't complain.

Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- Sun, 17Jul2011

The first time I got booked for a Sunday, the booking lady unexpectedly asked me what time I wanted to play.  I figured that since the usual shift is 6-10, but the stores close at 8 on Sundays, the logical shift would be 4-8.  But after trying it a few times now, it's clear that (A) it's terrible playing at 4, and (B) the actual shop closing time doesn't really have much effect on the strolling people that come to hear me.

It was pretty darn lonely up there, playing to dead silence, from when I started at 4 until about 7.  That's also when the sun had gone down behind the buildings behind me, so it wasn't miserable.  And, once the evening set in, people started hanging out to listen, so it got really fun and I ran way past 8 (until almost 10).  I think I'll admit the obvious and start playing "6-8", which will really be 6-10, just like a regular Friday or Saturday (which actually turn out to be more like 6-12...).

But it did get better later on.  I had some young teen girls who were too shy to ask for any songs, but I asked them if they'd seen "Tangled", and they had (of course), so I did that song for them, then the one from "Aladdin", and then completed the Princess trilogy with the first public outing of "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid".  I've decided/rationalized that it's OK for me to sing it, even though it's clearly written for a girl singer, 'cuz, although I'm not a girl, I'm not a mer-person, either.

Also, since the last Harry Potter movie opened a few days ago, there was a "parked" line for the IMAX showing, right at the side of the plaza, so I had those people as a captive audience for a while.  Didn't get much reaction from them, though.

I made $84 in tips, which ain't bad for a Sunday.  I just think the first few hours, so early in the afternoon, are wasted -- nobody's really there to just "hang" yet.  That's what the evenings are for.

Borders Out of Business

Well, it was fun while it lasted. Borders has officially gone bankrupt, and it liquidating the stores. We were hoping to be able to do a last few gigs there, while the liquidation was happening, but I went past the Mission Viejo store and the tables and chairs were gone from the cafe, and this sign was prominently posted.

I guess that's clear enough...

Of course, they announced the optimistic "restructuring" a while ago, and lots of stores closed, but the two that we play at were spared that first round. Now they're all closing.

It hasn't really been much of a gig lately anyway, but when we were starting out it was a good place to play in public without much pressure, since there was usually hardly anyone there. But it did occasionally turn out to be a lot of fun -- Mission Viejo would sometimes unexpectedly be full of people who would join in, and the acoustics at South Coast Plaza were always amazing, even if no one was listening.

And, of course, the biggest benefit was just the experience, giving us a place to practice and to get used to playing in front of real people. We wouldn't be where we are now without it.

Keith at South Coast Plaza -- Fri, 15Jul2011

This is usually a monthly Keith & Warren gig, but Warren wanted to go join the crazies in the drum circle on the beach for the full moon, and who could blame him?

It was the usual quiet night at Borders, but it's been so long since I've played indoors that I had a great time just playing for myself.  And there were a few people listening, albeit quietly.  I had a little applause right at first, but once that library-silence sets in, it's tough to break through.

Indeed, I had anticipated the lack of response when I got there and decided to not even pass out the song lists -- just seemed like a waste of paper.  I had a stack available, though, for the few people who seemed interested enough to need one.  Like the lady who was looking for "some country", giving me a chance to play my newly-learned "Need You Now".

And a pair of young teenage girls who plopped down in the comfy chairs and asked for a couple of Beatle songs.  But after a while they seemed stymied by the all-unfamiliar songs on the list, so I confessed that I also knew "Baby", to which they squealed "We love Justin Bieber!"  I wasn't sure I really wanted to do it there in the quiet of the bookstore because it's meant to be loud, but I did it anyway, if a bit subdued.  They seemed quite pleased, and even dropped some of their hard-earned allowance in the jar on their way out.

Surprisingly, I made $40 -- quite a bit for a bookstore gig.  3/4 of that was a twenty and a ten, which had to be the 3 CD sales.  But I just had fun playing in the nice acoustics.

Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- Sat, 09Jul2011

Can't hardly do better than a Saturday in the summer!  Started off slow, as always, but got really good after it got dark, so I ended up playing 7 hours for my 4 hour gig -- started at 6, played until 1am.

I'd'a quit sooner, but after 10 or so, it gets quieter somehow, so i can hear (and perform) better, and people get more appreciative, and that's the part I'm there for.  I guess I essentially suffer through the first half to filter down to an audience that wants to be there, so I can play the second half.

Anyway, I had several new songs to play, including the love duet from "Tangled", which works really well with my guitar style and voice, and goes over really well with the kids and teens.  It's essentially this half-generation's version of "A Whole New World" from "Aladdin", which I've been playing quite successfully for a while, so I'm sure this one will also become a staple of the act.

I also learned Justin Bieber's "Baby", because the mallrat tweens ask for it almost every week.  I'd'a thought that they'd neither expect nor want me to play the current teeny bop heart-throb's songs, but apparently they do, so I caved.  There's a lot of distain for poor little Justin out there, and I don't know about any of his other songs, but "Baby" is actually a pretty well crafted pop tune.

I ended up playing it 3 or 4 times -- though naturally, no kids came up and asked for it this time.  But just to give it a try-out, I mentioned it to some older teen girls, expecting them to totally reject the notion, but they jumped and squealed instead, every time.  (Their respective boyfriends, however, gave the expected disgusted reaction (which I ignored, of course).).  Daleen was there with the dogs again, and can attest to the huge reaction I got for it, so I may be embarrassed by it, but I guess it stays in.

Somebody out there musta liked me, with or without the Biebster, 'cuz I made $171.  And a couple of people musta *really* liked me, 'cuz there were 4 twenty-dollar bills, despite there only being one CD sold.  Usually I assume any twenties in the jar are generous people buying CDs, but if they didn't even take a CD for it, those are some *really* generous people.

Just before 1:00am, I decided that enough was enough and called it quits, despite still having at least a dozen enthralled listeners.  But I had just gotten several urgent calls from Daleen about taking Geneva in to Emergency because of a (come to find out) bad appendix (not that I could, or needed to, do anything about it), plus I was starving, so I reluctantly shut down.

As I was packing up, a guy walked by and said, "You have a nice voice."  I replied, like I always do, "Thanks, I got it from my dad."

Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- Sat, 02Jul2011

OK, that turned out to be a pretty bad idea.  I guess it at least breaks up the monotonous streak of "great" gigs at Spectrum...

With the booking lady limiting the number of "prime" gigs I can get per month, I decided to give the Saturday afternoon shift a try, as opposed to having nothing at all.  I probably should have noticed that I was signing up to play in the blazing sun in early July, but it was my only option, working around other stuff and against what was available.

Anyway, as you can imagine, it was hot.  Really hot.  And I'm right out in the middle of the plaza, where there's no shade.  Luckily, and amazingly, they had bought out a white canvas sun umbrella, so I thought it might be OK.  Nope.  The canvas creates shade, but it was only barely taller than me, and the canvas itself was getting hot and radiating heat onto my head.  At least the rest of me (and my guitar) was in the shade.

But the whole time, my voice was scratchy, and I couldn't seem to get enough breath to sing a whole line.  I've never encountered this before -- is it hard to breathe hot air?

Of course, I kept trying anyway.  I actually managed to capture a few people who were loyal or tough enough to brave the heat for a while.  My best audience was a pair of 5-year-old girls who were playing in the fountain behind me and impervious to the heat as only little kids are.  One was a big Ariel fan, and the other was partial to the new Rapunzel.  I played my "Toy Story" song, and the one from "Aladdin", and they decided that I must know every song, ever.  Flattering, but not *quite* true.

The Ariel fan wanted the song from "The Little Mermaid", which I kind of learned once, but it's far too "girl-singer" so I don't to it.  I did play the beginning of it, but couldn't remember much.  So then the other one wanted a song from "Tangled", none of which I know, yet.  They seemed to be genuinely mystified that I couldn't (wouldn't?) play the songs they wanted, but we compromised with the Winnie the Pooh song, and some Chuck Berry so they could run around, "dancing".

But it was a terrific (if inadvertent) suggestion, so I dug up and am learning the love-song duet from "Tangled".  It's really pretty, and actually played on a guitar until it gets swallowed up by the orchestra after the second or third bar.  Since the movie is out on DVD now, all little kids will have it well memorized by now, so it's sure to be a hit next Saturday (evening!)

Since I wasn't getting any response anyway, I got the chance to try out some other new songs I've been working on.  I've been learning Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now", which has been really tricky, 'cuz I'm letting the harmony box take the high (girl) melody, while I have to sing the lower harmony, hitting just the right notes to make it hit its notes right.  It's been a brain teaser, but I guess I've got it down finally, 'cuz I managed to get it all right.

And just an hour before I left for the gig, Geneva came in and suggested that I learn "Mad World" -- a hit from the 80's for "Tears for Fears", recently revived as a slow ballad.  I fired up the YouTube videos, found it to be pretty trivial to play, and quickly worked up a song sheet for it.  I tried it out when nobody was listening anyway, and it's do-able, but a slow moody downer -- more of which I need on my list like a hole in the head.  It might be usable in a quieter, mellower setting, but it was pretty out of place in the harsh light of day.

After a while, I was pretty wiped out, and found myself watching the clock wind down to 4:00.  It was getting a little cooler, and people were starting to show up, so it was probably about to get at least a little better, but I'd had enough.  I played my last song and signed off, and as I was starting to tear down, a guy from the next band showed up with some equipment, and said, "Take your time -- we don't start until six."  Wait, 'six'?!?  Oh, right, I'm actually supposed to play until *five*!  Whoops -- but too late now...

Since it was pretty empty, I only made $44, which would have only been $24, except for the guy who came up after my last song, "Let It Be", and asked if that song was on any of the CDs.  It is, and he asked how much they were, to which I gave my usual "However much you want to put in the jar" line, and he left a twenty!  He really must have liked my rendition!