KC - RSM 24Sept2005

Well, it finally happened. When Warren and I started playing in coffee shops, 3 and a half years ago, I thought that probably, eventually, someone would come up and ask us to play a party. We did get a gig last November, but that lady had seen the article in the newspaper, and hired us without ever having actually heard us.

Anyway, last night, a lady came up as I was packing up, and asked if I did "private affairs". Her mother passed away recently, and she thought I would fit in to the memorial service she and her sister are planning in November. I told her that I'd certainly love to do it (despite it being "in the L.A. area"), and gave her a card so she can contact me. I gave her a CD, so she could play it for her sister (and to keep me in her mind). It'll probably never happen, but it's nice to be asked.

Otherwise, a nice, if sedate, gig. Started off fun when Isaac from Trailmates came in with wife and 4 little girls. His oldest daughter was visibly thrilled to get to ask for songs off the list, and I ended up doing almost all the kids' songs I know. That was fun, as was, later on, when I had a little boy that came and sat right down front, so I handed him the shaker on "South of the Border". He did all right on that one, but, of course, wanted to shake it on all the songs from then on out. I convinced him that it didn't really work on slow songs, though, and ran out of fast ones soon enough.

Geneva was there briefly, and did only three songs. She did well, and it's always good practice for her, even if it's brief. Altogether, I did 47 songs for the night, sold only 3 CDs, but, inexplicably, had another good tip night -- $42. It didn't really feel like a motivated crowd, but I guess you never know.

I'd been working up "Desperado" over the week, and didn't really know if it was gonna "work", since it's such a cliché these days. But I pulled it out at the very end, 'cuz I had a pretty good feeling about the 6 or 8 remaining listeners, and it worked quite well. It's weird -- some songs sound great at home, but just seem to lie there when I do 'em at the store, and others work fine. I can never tell which, until I try 'em. "Desperado" might be a keeper.

KC - La Habra *and* K&W - MV 17Sept2005

I played the La Habra Borders' "First Pour" party from 12:30 to 2:30, and then Warren and I played at Mission Viejo at 8:00. I was afraid that my voice and/or fingers wouldn't hold up for two gigs in one day (4.5 hours total), but I did fine. The 5 hour gap helped a lot, of course. I'm sure I couldn't do 4 hours in a row...

I'm feeling repetitious saying "It went pretty well" every time, but I/we really haven't had a "bad gig" for several months now. Actually, La Habra started out looking like it was gonna break that trend -- when I started, there were only 7 disinterested people there. And the setup is pretty lame, with the drinks pick-up station right next to the "band corner". But after 4 or 5 songs, my mom, dad, aunt and uncle came in and saved the day.

It's pretty clear that a small group (or even one person!) that's really listening can change the whole dynamic. For one thing, I play better when I have someone to play to. For another, the group that's clapping are modeling that behavior for the others. And when passers-by hear the applause, they're more likely to wander over to check it out, and possibly stay, and snowball the whole process.

Anyway, they really helped get the audience "working", and by the time I had to pack up the place was full and really with me. I made $30 in tips -- best so far for a solo, I think.

And there was an older lady sitting up front with her daughter, and she seemed to be *really* enjoying it. She recognized all the songs, and was really appreciative. When I started the distinctive guitar intro to "Scarborough Fair", she clapped! Like at a concert where people clap whenever they recognize a song from the intro chords or words. I've never had that before...

I hope the girl that followed me at 3:00 appreciated the warmed-up audience I left her. Us Borders performers don't often get the benefit of an opening act.

The Mission Viejo gig went well, too. My voice was a little weak at first, but actually warmed up as we went along. I was afraid that we'd have to quit early (i.e., when we're *supposed* to stop, not when they start closing the store), but my voice was OK, and my fingers seemed to go past hurting into numb, so that was OK, too.

The usual gang of regulars were there, of course, but they're starting to know and like us, so that works out OK these days. We've heard from them before that most of the bands that play there are loud and/or annoying, so they like it when Warren and I come in. And we made $35 in tips -- not as good as The $79 MV Anomaly last time, but better than the previous record otherwise.

The one unexpected issue with playing two gigs in one day was trying to remember which songs I'd already done. During the second gig, I'd look at a song sheet and think "Did I already play that one, or was that this afternoon?"

Lemonade Stand for Katrina

Acacia and her little friend Arielle set up a Lemonade Stand with the proceeds going to the victims of hurricane Katrina. They set up on the busy corner down the street, and brought in $15, which they split and took to their schools to put in the collection boxes there.

The sign says "Help the Katrina Victims! Buy Lemonade!"

New Blurb at Borders.com

I just noticed that I got a new blurb on the Borders webpage for my upcoming performance at the La Habra store:

Keith Comer
September 17, 2005 12:30 PM
Keith is an accomplished guitarist and singer whose performance is both stylish and musically fulfilling.

Wow. "Stylish" and "Musically Fulfilling". Where do they get this stuff? The guy's never even heard me play, but he obviously has a degree in marketing, and that's almost the same thing...

KC (and Geneva) - RSM 10Sept2005

Geneva managed to fit a little practice time into her schedule this time, so I brought her along to the gig again, and she did really well. That practice stuff appears to work...

This time, rather than intersperse her songs among mine, we just played all her stuff in a block, mostly so she could go home early with Daleen, but it actually worked out pretty well that way. Last time, it seemed like the transitions between fiddle tunes and my acoustic pop were pretty awkward. This time, we had worked up "The Star of the County Down" as a duet (she plays some verses, and I sing some, and we're together on the last chorus), so we played that as the last song of her block, and it slid into me singing solo much nicer. Inadvertently clever.

She played well, and sang pretty well, though she's still too self-conscious to inject much of her own personality into the songs. I can't really expect her to at this early point -- you just really have to perform in public lots and lots of times to start to relax and "let it fly". I hope she'll stick with it long enough to get that feeling.

We sold 6 CDs, 5 "Bears" and 1 "regular", which seems odd since there really weren't that many families with kids there. The jar had 42 bucks in it, which is darn good. We reached a compromise on the distribution thereof -- I kept $2 per CD sold to cover the costs, and gave her the rest. That's still pretty good money for a 13-year-old. Especially for 15 minutes' work...

We/I had a very nice audience -- a lot of people seemed to wander in specifically to hear me play, and they were very quiet. I really feel like I play and sing better when I can hear myself, so quiet helps a lot. Usually it doesn't really fall silent until the last hour, or half-hour, but this audience was really listening so they were quiet just about the whole time. And genuinely appreciative at the end of each song. I had about 10 people stay all the way to the very end. I couldn't seem to muster up any of that interplay that Warren and I had at Mission Viejo last weekend -- these people just seemed to want me to go on ahead, and wouldn't even speak up to request songs. It felt oddly "respectful". Never got that before.

But, with the quiet, and my voice clear after the first 3 or 5 songs, my playing was oddly focused (and accurate), and I think I sounded pretty good. It'll be interesting to see what I can pull together on Saturday, solo for the first time at La Habra.

Another Paying Gig!

Hey! I got another paying gig! The Borders guys sent out a request for "mellow solo" acts to play the Seattle's Best remodel re-opening party at the La Habra store on the 17th, for 75 bucks, and I was the first to respond, and I got it.

Of course, since they were specifically asking for solo acts, I'll have to do it without Warren, which I've only, so far, done at nice friendly RSM. But, for 75 bucks, I'll tough it out. I've always said that the whole point of this exercise was to push myself -- like a roller coaster, if it wasn't scary, it wouldn't be fun.

The other tough part is that me and Warren are already booked for Mission Viejo that same night, so I'll be playing two gigs in one day. I've done two gigs on consecutive days, and it gets a little tough voice- and finger-wise, but I'm willing to risk it. The La Habra gig is 12:30-2:30, and the Mission Viejo one starts at 8:00, so there may be enough of a gap that I'll be OK.

We played the Carlsbad and Mission Viejo re-opening parties, and both were pretty awful, as gigs go. Less attention, more commotion, more coffee-making noise. I can see why they have to pay to get bands to show up for the afternoon ones. I'm not expecting this to be much fun, but even a bad afternoon playing is better than a good one sitting at home, and it's nice to get paid once in a while.

K&W - MV 03Sept2005

What happened?!? Mission Viejo is usually a "pretty OK" place to play -- the setup isn't very conducive to good audience interaction, and there's a lot of bored (and loud) "regulars" that just hang out there and talk, ignoring the band.

Last night *seemed* to go just a little better than usual, but apparently went *way* better. We usually sell a CD or two, and make between zero and 12 or 15 bucks in tips. I had brought 7 CDs, 3 of the kid's songs, and 4 "regular" -- the same 7 CDs I had brought to (and sold none of at) my solo gig last week, and the South Coast Plaza gig the night-before-last. Inexplicably, they sold out last night. We had people complaining as we were packing up that we hadn't brought any more!

And the tip jar was *jammed* full of money. Seventy-nine bucks! More than double the previous record (which was artificially inflated by the presence of over-tipping friends and family).

My singing and playing was essentially the same as the night before -- a little kludged up, but OK. The only explanation is that we had a better connection with some of the people. Since we start at 8:00 there (it's 7:00 at the RSM and SCP), there were already a lot of people there. I had brought a lot of the song list sheets, so I personally passed them out amongst the tables. That may have started something. (At the other places, I either leave a stack of them on the "tip table", or put them out on (empty) tables.) I was also a little more "talky" than usual, which is a feedback loop -- the more people seem interested and listening, the more I'll talk, which engages the people, etc.

Anyway, not the most fun night I've had, but certainly the most profitable. I guess I'll have to try repeating some of those "techniques", and see if we can duplicate the success. We're not really in it for the money, but it is fun to get some -- kinda validates the effort.

K&W - SCP 02Sept2005

South Coast Plaza isn't usually terribly friendly place to play, but it went pretty good, despite a rocky start due to my continuing throat problems. But after 8 or 10 songs the kludge cleared up some, and I was singing pretty well.

We were happy to see our crazy but sweet old Toshiba friend, Jean, who never fails to be surprised at how "healthy" I look, despite my heart attack of, what, two and a half years ago now. Nice of her to be concerned, though.

My brother and his wife came by, too, right in the middle of "Long, Long, Time". I think that was the best I've ever performed that song -- it was inexplicably getting to me as I was singing it. That happens once in a while, and it's quite a thing. It pays back a lot of the bad nights...

KC - RSM 27Aug2005

Another solo gig at Rancho Santa Margarita -- this time without Geneva because school started and with all the excitement, she hasn't had any time to rehearse her songs. It went quite well. My cold (or whatever it is) has backed off a little, so I can sing OK, most of the time. A friend from work came by (!) and wanted me to do "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" (her favorite), but it's really high and my voice was cracking and failing all over the place. Embarrassing, but she claims to have loved it. I managed most of the other songs without too much throat kludge.

It was an unusually static crowd -- small groups came in and stayed for a long time, listening, not reading and ignoring. That was pretty great, 'cuz it gave me a chance to connect with them better (and made me think that I was doing pretty well, to keep folks there for so long). I was also a little more talky than usual, for some reason, and that went over pretty well.

The downside was that when a crowd is less stationary, there's more Leaving going on, which is when the tip money comes out, if it's going to. Still, I made $14, in tips only (no one took any CDs) which is pretty good, considering how many people I had. It doesn't sound like much, but I was expecting a lot less, and was flattered. One couple was there til the very end, and when I was shutting down and they were getting up to leave, I said that I play there quite a bit, etc. She said, "Oh, yeah, we've seen you before. We'll be back." Quite flattering, that.

And I had new strings... mmmmm... new strings... In Heaven you get new strings every day...

First Day of School, 2005

Today is the first day of school. Acacia and best-friend Cezanne are in fifth grade, and in the same class for the first time since first grade. All this *and* a new Tamagotchi -- life is sweet.

K&W - RSM and SCP 12-13Aug2005

We played RSM on Friday, with Geneva (her second outing). We had just gotten back from our week on the road, and were probably still too tired, and certainly too un-rehearsed to do very well. we held our own, but not our best work.

Then Warren and I played Mission Viejo on Saturday afternoon for the Seattle's Best refurb Opening Party (for money!). Fair to middlin' I guess -- I was still tired, my voice was partially worn out from the night before, and the audience wasn't doing us any favors. I guess I can tell why they had to pay to get performers out for these afternoon shows -- neither this one nor the Carlsbad one two weeks ago went very well. Maybe it's my fault.

San Francisco Vacation 2005

Day 1 - Saturday, 06Aug05
Mostly a driving day, we left at 9:15 and made it to Johnny's house in Ventura pretty quick, and had nice lunch and chat with John and Shelly. At Dave's insistence, we stopped at the Madonna Inn on the way, but the famous Men's Room was busted. Still, pretty fun.

The drive itself was OK -- we passed things that reminded me of stories to tell: the Renaissance Faire, Wizzin's, Johnny's AM radio, etc.

We made it to Salinas about 7:30, drove around town looking for somewhere to eat. We found the old downtown, but ate at a Chinese restaurant in the newer part.

The freeway noise here at the Motel 6 is pretty loud, but we'll probably be OK. The room itself is not-so-bad, though they lied about the in-room hair dryer.

Day 2 - Sunday, 07Aug05
We spent almost the whole day at the Monterey Aquarium, and it was a good thing that we had big Denny's breakfasts, 'cuz we didn't break for lunch at all. There's a cylindrical glass tank full of sardines going round and round, and they occasionally open their mouths wide open for some reason. I stood Geneva in front of it and said "Open your mouth!", but I didn't think she'd do it. She apparently didn't think she would either, and we laughed for 5 minutes. From there we drove a traffic jam to Santa Cruz, and had pizza in the old downtown. Then we walked up and down the main street, looking in the stores, and bought some souvenirs in a bead shop; a Celtic thing for Geneva and a unicorn for Acacia.

After that, we went to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, which is a classic sea-side amusement park, right on the beach, with all the old-school rides and a big wooden roller coaster called the Big Dipper. We walked up and down the whole park, and finally bought tickets for the roller coaster. Then we were naughty and shared a Funnel Cake. Drove home and were in bed just before midnight.

Day 3 - Monday, 08Aug05
McDonald's for breakfast, then the "National Steinbeck Center", which was pretty cool, considering. They have exhibits on all the major books -- Doc's lab, the Red Pony's stall, the Boiler Tank "house", etc. Lots of the various movies playing excerpts. They also have a little art gallery there that was showing a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian called "The Graceful Envelope", with a bunch of hand decorated and calligraphed envelopes that had been sent through the mail to the U.S. Postal Museum. Very cool.

Then we went to the Roaring Camp train ride, up the mountain in a steam train. A nice ride through the Coastal Redwoods, tallest (but not "biggest") trees in the world. I had thought that we'd walk through Muir woods tomorrow to see them, but I guess we don't have to now, and can spend the time in Ghirardelli or something instead.

After the train ride, on to the Winchester Mystery House (crazy roofs, pictured), which was also pretty OK. I didn't know that all the furniture had been sold off after her death, so the house is nearly empty. Which is a good thing 'cuz the rooms are all really small, and it lets a tour group fit in 'em.

Found the Alpine Inn that we'll be at for the next three nights, and it's really cute -- a kind of mini-suite, with a main room and another little bedroom.

Day 4 - Tuesday, 09Aug05
After Denny's, we drove up the coast so we could stop at the Cliff House, the ruins of the Sutro Baths, and see the Camera Obscura, which was unfortunately closed. We didn't explore the ruins 'cuz it was freezing cold, and, as usual, Geneva didn't have much warm to wear. Besides, we had to get to the Exploratorium.

I remember going to the Exploratorium in the 70's, and it was really cool. Later, though, I seem to remember going and it was nearly empty, and lame. Now it's picked back up again, big time, and we spent the whole day in there and didn't see it all.

We went for the deluxe ticket that included a trip through the Tactile Dome, which maybe 20 foot diameter geodesic dome with walk, crawl, and slide passages snaking through it. The passages are lined in various "tactile" materials, and you feel your way through it, in total darkness. They want it to be a "change your perceptions" kind of experience, but it just seemed like a simple carnival Fun House to me. Fun though, and Geneva really liked it.

From there we went to Ghirardelli and the Cannery, mostly to spend time in the "Lark of the Morning" musical instrument store. We also got Geneva a "San Francisco" souvenir baby-doll T-shirt.

And on the way back to the hotel, we drove down Lombard, twice.

Day 5 - Wednesday, 10Aug05
We took the BART over to Berkeley, walked around for a while, and gave some of my trail mix to a very tame squirrel.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us into the libraries without an ID card. Still, Geneva proclaimed it suitable for her to go to since she'll be able to get to San Francisco easily enough. After we'd seen enough of the school, we walked down Telegraph, where all the street vendors and strange shops are.

Took the BART back to Powell, but the line for the cable car never got short enough to get on it. We walked through China Town instead, then went to Metreon, played with the interactive floor and wall, watched some guys playing HyperBowl at the sci-fi arcade, wandered through the shops, had dinner, and checked out Robby the Robot.

Day 6 - Thursday, 11Aug05
We were scheduled to just drive home today, but first we had to take pictures of all the "Geneva" stuff (Motel, Pizza, HVAC supplies, Pub, etc.) along Geneva Street by our hotel. I also decided that we needed to pull through the city one more time to let Geneva run into "Lark of the Morning" and buy the little wooden noisemaker frog that I wouldn't let her buy on Tuesday ('cuz she just. doesn't. need. another gee-gaw).

When we got there, they weren't open yet, but it's near the Golden Gate, so we drove over to the other side and took some pictures, and came back and got the frog. It's kind of clever, since it's a frog, and if you rub its back with the stick just right, it makes a pretty convincing frog noise.

Then we drove on home down the 5, telling stories, talking about movies, school, and other stuff.

All in all, a great trip. It sure makes it simpler to have only two people -- getting agreement on where to go, where to eat, when to do what, etc., is so much easier. We should do more of these...

K&W - SCP 05Aug05

Our first time at South Coast Plaza since the Seattle's Best changeover. The atmosphere is only a little better, but the carpeted section does tend to create an area that's clear of studying kids so we can set up. It went pretty well, for there, with a reasonable amount of appreciation. A dad showed up, stalling while waiting for his family to finish shopping, and when they came to get him, I snagged them all for a while with some kids' songs. That's the son down front -- the dad, mom, and little sister are out of the frame.

On our way out, Warren was waylaid by an older couple that insisted on telling us how much better we are than the usual bands that play there. The woman was a piano teacher, and was less than complementary of the skills of the other players, and of their volume levels. That was nice to hear.

Fairies

Acacia and her best friend Cezanne were playing "Fairies", with makeup, fancy clothes, and perfume. That blue on her cheeks, she says, "...isn't makeup, it's Sparkle Powder"!

Vacation Plans

Since we have the new puppy and nowhere to "board" her this year, we can't take a traditional Family Vacation, so I hit on the idea of taking separate vacations instead. I'll be taking Geneva for 6 days, and when we get back, Daleen will take Acacia for 4 (they have less travel time -- the actual "fun phase" works out about the same).

Geneva and I will be driving up the 101 to Monterey to spend 2 days seeing the Aquarium, Santa Cruz's "Boardwalk" amusement park, and maybe the Steinbeck Museum, then a train ride in Felton, and the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.

Then in San Francisco (2 days), we'll do the Exploratorium, go over the Golden Gate to the Muir Woods, and then take a day to walk around U.C. Berkeley, and maybe some Chinatown, Pier 39, Metreon, Zeum, etc. I'm trying to keep the activities per day count down so we won't be too rushed, but there's lots to do up there.

Daleen and Acacia will drive south, staying in Encinitas and hanging at the pool, the beach, and the tide pools, and cruising out to see the gold mine and Wolf Preserve in Julian.

The girls have found it particularly difficult to get along this summer, so this might work out pretty well. Stay tuned.

Geneva, Off To Horse Camp

Geneva went off to Girl Scout Horse Camp on Sunday morning, for 5 days. No one she knows is going, but she makes friends fast -- she'd found a bus-seat-buddy before the engines started. What can be better than Horse Camp for a 13-year-old girl? I'm gonna have a hard time competing with our little vacation next week...

K&W - Carlsbad - 30July05

Warren and I played the Borders-Café-to-Seattle's-Best conversion completion "party" at the Carlsbad Borders on Saturday. Normally, we don't play so far away from home, but this was (inexplicably) a paid gig ($75 to split), unlike the usual nighttime ones where we play for free. Or should I say, we play for fun.

It went OK, but was different than usual. Since it was in the afternoon (2:30-5), it seemed more volatile -- people coming and going a lot -- so we'd have a good audience for a while, then it would go dead, off and on. Strange. Also, since it was a big "coffee party", the grinder and blender were going almost non-stop, which always makes it tough.

The worst part was the drive -- it took us two and a half hours to get there. We left *lots* of time to spare, but we made it just after 2:30, and still had to set up. Pretty much settles the question of whether to play there again at night...

We'll be playing a similar paid "party" at the Mission Viejo store on the 13th. The set up is different, though -- we'll be farther from the grinder, at least.

Geneva's Debut - RSM 23Jul05

Well, I finally got Geneva to come out and play and sing with me at the Borders gig. We worked up 4 "singing songs", and 4 or 5 fiddle tunes. She did really, really well. Better yet, she says she wasn't (and she didn't seem) nervous at all, and afterwards she said that "she hadn't realized how much *fun* it was gonna be!" My greatest fear was that she'd blow it big time, and/or be so stressed-wracked that she'd never want to do it again, but I guess we dodged both of those bullets.

It helped (a lot) that my mom and dad came down (with some friends) -- it's always nice to have some friendly faces in the crowd (and who's friendlier than a gramma?). Not that there was a "crowd" -- RSM was having one of their Summer Concerts that night, so the attendance at Borders was kinda light. I don't think there was any actual competition for audience, but I think that the local families that tend to go out on a Saturday night ended up at the concert, not the bookstore.

She sang "Soak Up the Sun", "Jenny Dreamed of Trains", "Lollipop Tree", and Tracy Ullman's 1979 pop hit "They Don't Know", which was probably the best of the lot. I sing harmony with her, a third up but an octave down, and it sounds pretty good, I think. It reinforces her sound -- and her courage, I'm pretty sure...

The fiddle tunes went OK, too, though we both need to work on the transitions and trying to remember how many A parts, and how many Bs. I'm not sure which one of us messed that up, but it was recover-able.

My dad took video of most of the night and my mom called yesterday to say that it turned out really well, so I'll be anxious to see (and hear) that. I'll try to snag some stills out of it, too -- I forgot to bring a camera.

I guess Geneva's other favorite part is that in order to incentive-ize her to get some songs together at all, I had promised her that she could have all the tips. We sold 6 CDs, and with some too-generous donations from my mom and her friend, Geneva made $47 towards her "iPod Fund"! That's a bit anomalous, of course, but it is a record "take", ever, for a coffeeshop gig. I reckon she'll want to do it again -- next chance at RSM (I don't think I want to take her to any of the not-so-friendly places for a while at least) is August 12. I hope to work up some more tunes by then, too ("Red Rubber Ball" to start). Now that she knows how much fun it is, maybe she'll be more willing to rehearse with me, and practice on her own.

Singing in the Car, Again

Since I've been sick, and I've got a gig coming up this Saturday, I've been trying to sing in the car a lot to get my voice back into shape -- or at least to see if I'm gonna be *able* to sing on Saturday.

I was singing along to the "Waltzing with Bears" CD, and then I got out the regular "Keith & Warren" CD, since those are, obviously, songs that I need to do, and that are in the right range for me.  I sang with that one for a day, but "that guy on the CD" is too loud, and I can't really hear if I'm singing OK or not.

Then it occurred to me that I have the original, separate tracks that make up those songs: my voice, my guitar, and Warren's guitar, all in separate files.  So I burned a CD last night of just the "my guitar" tracks, and now I have "K&W Karaoke!" in the car.  (I could have (should have) included Warren's guitar, especially for the solo verses, but that would have involved doing a mix-down, and I just didn't have time.)

Anyway, I thought it was clever, and it's definitely fun!

Email versus Blog

Hi everybody.  This email message came from the Y7alanzo blog-message forwarding system.  This has turned out to be trickier than it should have been, possibly because they don't really expect you to email your blog messages to a list of people.

Anyway, the formatting of the blog and the formatting of the email version of the messages don't really jibe.  I figured out a work-around, so and I think the words part will be reasonably clean, but the email version doesn't get the pictures.  Most posts don't have pictures, so that's OK, but if you see a blank square in an email, you'll know that there's supposed to be a picture.  You can click on the "y7alanzo" link at the bottom of the message, and you'll go to the actual blog page with that message, and you'll be able to see the picture there.

See you soon.