Keith in Laguna Beach -- Saturday, 27Aug2016

When I pulled past the corner at 4:30, Chris the Catatonic Fiddle Player was there. But by the time I had parked and walked down there he was just leaving (though he reappeared about 8:00 to presumptuously demand a long string of requests. What was up with that?) I nabbed The Corner, but it meant that I started so early that the batteries died at 10. I suppose they did me a favor, cutting me off at 5 hours, but there were still people around...

Anyway, it was a pretty good night, I consistently had people around to play for but only any really big crowds a few times. (Warren had abandoned me for a band he wanted to see up at the Sawdust Festival. Me, I'm savagely boycotting the Sawdust because of my unexplained and unjustified black-balling. I'm sure they're feeling the sting.)

I did have a cute puppy, and one very successful “Let It Go” singalong. And one big teenage girl dance party and they dragged in some teenage boys from up the street a ways to dance to "Hey There, Delilah", "Don't Stop Believing" and more. That was fun.

But there was some potential new competition. A very large guy and very small lady walked by with a cart full of equipment: guitar, a full-size standup bass fiddle, amps, etc. They went down to the alley and played 60s rock 'n' roll. I heard "Magic Carpet Ride" and "Get Together". Complainin' Doug came by and he thought that they were pretty good, but I couldn't hear them from such a distance to know that for sure. I just have a bad feeling that they're yet another group angling to snag The Corner...

A lady came by and listen for a while and then came up and asked me if I play parties. I told her I did and she asked how much for how long and I told her. That seemed to meet her approval and she asked me to play at her mom's house party tomorrow evening. Unfortunately that's exactly when I already have a house party gig! I only play 10 parties a year -- how did this happen!?!

She wandered off but came back after a while and asked if I knew anybody else that could come and play. I told her, "Well, I play music, but I'm not really in any kid of "music players club..."

Later on, a guy came up and said that he had no cash, so he had liked my Facebook page instead. Cool -- that works for me.

And a funny old guy, snappily dressed in his tweed sports coat and straight from the Old Country, came right up and said, "I luff yer myuzeek! But! Do you know any... Bobe Die-len?" I do know a few, but they're really other people's versions of Dylan songs: "Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds, and "Don't Think Twice" by Peter, Paul, and Mary, which is the one I did for him. Seemed to be sufficient, but I should probably try to find a song I can play more like ol' Bobe himself, just for these die hards.