K&W at Irvine Spectrum -- 23May2009

Well, it wasn't exactly cold out, but it was kinda chilly -- apparently enough to discourage a lot people from deciding that going to an outdoor mall was a good idea. But that's OK, we had fun playing to the stragglers and cold-immune teens.

Problem is, I'm standing up there for 4 hours, relatively still, and I get really cold even if it's not all that cold outside. The whole last hour or more, I was shivering and my fingers were too cold to really play. It's just not really summer yet. As we were packing up, I mentioned that I was freezing to the maintenance guy, and he was surprised ('cuz it's "not that cold!"), but he said he'd bring a heater out next week. I hope so.

My little camera periscope invention worked quite well, as you can see from the vidcap still above. The performances were pretty good, and at least the camera angle was "on" this time.

So, I did find quite a few songs to clip for posterity -- if you can call YouTube "posterity"...
Past the Point of Rescue
Hey Jude
Hey Ya
Country Road
Golden Slumbers
Let It Be
I've Just Seen a Face
Old Man

K&W at SCP -- 15May2009

Well, amazing acoustically, as always, and, pretty great socially for once, which led to: terrific musically. I had my video cam set up and whereas usually I have to try to remember which few songs went well enough to be worth clipping out and posting the next day, this time it was hard to find any that *weren't*.

Unfortunately, the camera's "aim" was pretty off, mostly because I felt self-conscious doing the 5 or 6 timered still shots that it takes to try, adjust, and try again to get the zoom and X and Y angles right. At Spectrum, there's nobody sitting and waiting for me/us to start, so I have the luxury of getting it right. Here, where it mattered, I screwed up. You can see the results above -- it's just straight at my face, which isn't exactly what I'm going for. I like to get some of the guitar in there, and if Warren's there, he ought to be in the frame somewhere, too. I remembered to go to "widescreen" mode, but still didn't get him in there.

All of which has made me mad enough to try to do something about it -- I've built a little cardboard-and-mirrors "periscope" that hangs on the back of the camera and lets me see what the backside screen looks like, albeit upside-down. I should have better results next time.

Anyway, it was a great time, 'cuz we had people listening the whole night, and were able to keep their interest by being not-too-shabby. One highlight: someone asked for an old K&W staple, "Love Hurts" off the list, which I've neglected for a long time, but it really sounds great and is fun to play, so I'm gonna have to try to move it into my mental "A" or at least "B" list. It's probably even useful as a bone to throw out when some kids sarcastically ask for Metallica or some such, since it's well-known on dinosaur-rock radio in a version by metal-band Anthrax.

Since the camera's aim was so off, I haven't clipped any of the (probably musically good) songs out of it yet. I may do a few, though, when I get the time, just 'cuz they're likely to be the best *sounding* clips I'll have.

K&W at Irvine Spectrum -- 09May2009

Well, that was pretty awful. After last week's success, I was thinking that each Spectrum gig would better than the one before it, as it got warmer and more people came out. Unfortunately, it was colder, and although there were people out, they were all grumpy or something, and we never did get anything going.

I suppose it's (always) at least partially my fault. I play OK, and I sing OK, but I'm not really much of an "Entertainer", and can't really "get an audience going" like some guys do. And since I only play well if somebody's really listening, I'm afraid that if nobody joins in somewhere along the way, I go into a death-spiral. I should try to fix that about me. I guess I'll look into that right after I fix my other personality flaws: bad listener, short patience for fools, too much of a perfectionist...

It wasn't all bad, though. With nobody listening we could play lots of the new songs with impunity (Warren's other "date" stood him up, so I wasn't solo after all). And I suppose there were a few people that listened in for a while.

Anyway, a new record "low" for tips there: $16. Which actually, again, wouldn't have been half-bad at a Borders gig, so I should shut up.

I did get a few decent songs off of the video, and posted them:
Under the Boardwalk
Yesterday
Country Road
Your Song

Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- 02May2009

A pretty great gig -- especially compared to the one earlier in the day. I started at 6:10, and the place was just about full by 6:30. Not to see me of course -- it was just Dinner Time, but still. A guy from work happened to come by while I was setting up, and was having dinner with his wife and kids when I started up. He was apparently impressed -- he told our new boss "Keith's a great singer!" first thing at our staff meeting Monday morning.

But it was a nice warm evening (finally!), and there were lots of people out. And not just roving packs of teenagers like previous weeks, either. I almost always had people tuned in. The Beatles Set thing worked again, for pulling in and retaining young people. And I had a lady ask for song after song, all good ones, including "Mister Bojangles", which she correctly surmised I'd be able to play, and every Cat Stevens song I know, even the ones that aren't on the list.

Unfortunately, I had a case of Movie Camera Intimidation Syndrome, so I fatally muffed up most of the tunes until the last half-hour or so. But I got a few that are presentable, and I've posted them:
Graceland
Hey Ya
Sealed With a Kiss
If I Fell
All My Lovin'
Your Song

The funniest thing that happened was a kid, about 15, that came up, dropped a quarter in the jar, and gingerly took a CD, looking up at me to see if I was gonna object. I didn't (mostly because I'd'a had to stop the song-in-progress to do so), so he wandered off with the CD, which, I noticed, was the Kids' Songs one. I just chuckled to myself that he'd gotten what he paid for. After about 10 minutes, he came back over. I expected that he'd come to swap the CD for the other one, but once he figured it out, he pulled out another quarter, and took the other CD too. Even funnier.

I didn't think I'd be up to playing for too long after having already played at lunchtime, but I took a nap, and was able to play almost the whole 4 hours. My voice got a little ragged, off and on, but mostly pretty good.

Anyway, I had a great time, (made $55), and expect that it'll just get better and better as it gets warmer, with longer days.

Keith at the Street Painting Festival -- 02May2009

I got a last minute invitation to play at the City of Mission Viejo's 11th annual "Street Painting Festival", where they divide up the parking lot at the Community Center and do chalk art, with an attendant "festival" of booths with art-related stuff for sale. They also put up a stage and have entertainment, and the lady who signed me up to play for Santa Claus last December thought I might want to come down.

It was kind of cool because they had a stage inside a tent/pavilion, 150 chairs, and a big sound system with a real Sound Guy. I guess that's a good thing, because it sounded really weird from where I was (I wonder what that says about the self-mixed sound I'm usually churning out). But everyone said it sounded good out in the audience.

Well, I say "everyone", but it was a pretty disappointing turnout, other than my friends and family who came out in almost-record numbers. My mom, dad, and sister came, and Daleen and Acacia (with puppy Annabelle). Daleen's dog-walking buddy and her husband came, and a pair of Daleen's students with their mom. And old-friend Sandy from my Toshiba days. Unfortunately, that made up at least half of the "crowd". I've played to fewer people of course, but I guess a coffeeshop with 10 people in it looks different than 150 chairs with 10 people in them.

Anyway, it was pretty fun. I had worked up an actual Set List, 'cuz I knew I had limited time (1:30), and wanted to show off my best stuff, and didn't want to waste time flipping through the book like I usually do. I also stacked the deck with my most solid songs, which generally means the ones I've been playing a while. Unfortunately, my mom wanted to hear some of the new stuff. Sorry, Mom.

I did inexplicably play one new one, "Country Road", just 'cuz I'm getting the hang of the tricky guitar part, and it's fun to try to land it. It made a pretty good Big Finish as the Unexpectedly Last Song, when they cut me off early to set up the stage for the Irish Dancing girls that followed me. It seemed terribly short to me, 'cuz it was more like an hour and ten, and I'm used to playing at least 3 hours, and time flies when you're having fun. It probably seemed interminable to the audience...

Anyway, the event coordinator thought I was great, so I guess she'll be inviting me to more of these kinds of things. In 5 weeks I'll be playing at the American Cancer Society's big Relay for Life at the local college. A friend of mine says we'll be playing for "a big crowd" there, so we'll see. This was probably a good rehearsal/preview of how that one will go.