Keith in Laguna Beach - Saturday, 16Jan2016

Warren couldn't make it but I wasn't about to let "our turn" at The Corner go by untaken, so I went alone. Besides, I'd been looking forward to it all week because...

I'd stumbled on a bass drum pedal thing at the Goodwill store for ten bucks. I'd looked at them before, but they're expensive, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to effective use it anyway. But for ten bucks, I snatched it up, for whatever I might be able to rig it up to do.

I thought it was just a practice "dummy" pad, but when I was looking for a way to attach my "foot tambourine" to it, I noticed a 1/4" jack, and when I plugged that into my amp, ta daa, it's a full-on electronic bass drum! There used to be a guy at Spectrum who sat on a "cajon" box and thumped it with the heel of his stockinged right foot, and it added a *lot* of depth, so here was my chance to give that a try.

Of course, since I'm already having to click the buttons on the harmony box at random times, it's a challenge to keep the beat going with my right foot at the same time. Not to mention that I have to sit down to be able to work both feet. So, I had to add a folding stool, this strange unwieldy contraption, and a piece of carpet to my "load out", but hopefully it was gonna be worth it.

But it was hard to tell. In my excitement, I'd forgotten that it's still winter, cold, and pretty dead down there. It's one thing to play mellow songs out into the empty darkness, and another to be hammering out party tunes all alone...

Besides, it was hard to figure out how loud to make the thing. I can't play and listen to it while I'm standing out in front, like I can my guitar. And with no audience, it's hard to gauge whether or not it's "working".

I did have a nice half-hour stint with five dudes and some other people there, requesting and (mostly) listening, but they kept choosing the quiet songs. Even though I had re-done the request list for the bar gig last week, with lots fewer kids' songs and lots more rock and roll.

(Except "Brown Eyed Girl". People kept requesting "Brown Eyed Girl". Which, fortunately, has few enough harmony changes that I can actually get through it with the bass drum line intact.)

I was playing "Puff, the Magic Dragon" for local guy Bob when a lady came right up next to me and started singing along. Of course, I do it in "my key", so singing with me was too low, and an octave up was too high, but she was game. She hung around and sang another few songs, though she refused the mic when I offered it -- just wanted to sing, not be heard. I don't know why I didn't think to ask her to sing the Girl Part of "Baby It's Cold Outside". Big chance and I blew it.

Anyway, I guess it was "lucky" that I got to practice a bit with the drum when almost nobody was around. Hopefully, by summer when the crowds show up, I'll have worked up the skill to play it properly.