Is It Safe Yet?
Yup .... it's safe to say, I'm having a GREAT time playing with Todd, Jesse, Prairie and Rachel.
I returned home from the summer Meat Loaf UK / Euro Tour and I was cooked. Spent. Done and dusted. All I wanted to do was sit, relax and read a book. I managed to get a few days of that in and was called to do a 'one off' gig with the guys from Billy Joels' band backing a really great young female singer named Gabriell Ross. Tommy Byrns, Mark Rivera, Chuck Bergie (ML Alumni)... what a great bunch of musicians.
So, it was off to rehearsals for that for 3 days, then one show in Long Island at some froo-froo Country Club.
That's how I ended August.
I knew that sooner or later I was going to have to start learning 13 new Todd Rundgren songs.
If I was playing Bass, it wouldn't have been half as bad (hard) as the fact that I was learning them on two instruments I'm not as comfortable or adept at playing. Guitar and Keyboards.
I have a system I use to learn new music..... I usually listen to the song once or twice then set about trying to pick out the chords by ear.
I was sent a link to the new material on the Internet and I listened to a song and thought .....
"What did I get myself into? There is NO WAY I can learn all this stuff PLUS the old material I had played Bass on for 30+ years on new instruments!" I might have bitten off more than I could tastefully chew.... and there wasn't a dog around to pass the grizzle to under the table.
The worst thing I could have done was show up unprepared and this was some SERIOUS homework I was going to have to do. I like my head attached to my shoulders and if I didn't come to the first show knowing everything cold, Todd was going to remove the part of me that smiles and serve it up on a platter.
So once again, solo material to the side, I spent the next three weeks ensconced in my dungeon knee deep in chord charts.
As the days past, I rose to the challenge and by the last few days felt I did the best I could without actually ever playing the songs with the band.
Off to Seattle for the first show and I'll admit to being as nervous at that show as I've ever been prior to setting foot on stage. Whether it showed or not isn't important ... what is important to me is that I had more fun than I'd expected I might have.
I was hesitant to write about the experience before now if only because I wanted to get a few shows under my belt before I opened my mouth about how great it is to be back on stage with TR and the boy's - and gurl - for fear of horribly screwing up some crucial part in a song or tripping on a guitar cable, falling and breaking my fifth metatarsal foot bone and having Todd say "dummy".
However possible those things and more may or may not happen ... I'm grateful to be doing what I'm doing right now. Couldn't be better.
From what I'm told, it sounds good and people seem to be happy I'm back.
I know I am.
I returned home from the summer Meat Loaf UK / Euro Tour and I was cooked. Spent. Done and dusted. All I wanted to do was sit, relax and read a book. I managed to get a few days of that in and was called to do a 'one off' gig with the guys from Billy Joels' band backing a really great young female singer named Gabriell Ross. Tommy Byrns, Mark Rivera, Chuck Bergie (ML Alumni)... what a great bunch of musicians.
So, it was off to rehearsals for that for 3 days, then one show in Long Island at some froo-froo Country Club.
That's how I ended August.
I knew that sooner or later I was going to have to start learning 13 new Todd Rundgren songs.
If I was playing Bass, it wouldn't have been half as bad (hard) as the fact that I was learning them on two instruments I'm not as comfortable or adept at playing. Guitar and Keyboards.
I have a system I use to learn new music..... I usually listen to the song once or twice then set about trying to pick out the chords by ear.
I was sent a link to the new material on the Internet and I listened to a song and thought .....
"What did I get myself into? There is NO WAY I can learn all this stuff PLUS the old material I had played Bass on for 30+ years on new instruments!" I might have bitten off more than I could tastefully chew.... and there wasn't a dog around to pass the grizzle to under the table.
The worst thing I could have done was show up unprepared and this was some SERIOUS homework I was going to have to do. I like my head attached to my shoulders and if I didn't come to the first show knowing everything cold, Todd was going to remove the part of me that smiles and serve it up on a platter.
So once again, solo material to the side, I spent the next three weeks ensconced in my dungeon knee deep in chord charts.
As the days past, I rose to the challenge and by the last few days felt I did the best I could without actually ever playing the songs with the band.
Off to Seattle for the first show and I'll admit to being as nervous at that show as I've ever been prior to setting foot on stage. Whether it showed or not isn't important ... what is important to me is that I had more fun than I'd expected I might have.
I was hesitant to write about the experience before now if only because I wanted to get a few shows under my belt before I opened my mouth about how great it is to be back on stage with TR and the boy's - and gurl - for fear of horribly screwing up some crucial part in a song or tripping on a guitar cable, falling and breaking my fifth metatarsal foot bone and having Todd say "dummy".
However possible those things and more may or may not happen ... I'm grateful to be doing what I'm doing right now. Couldn't be better.
From what I'm told, it sounds good and people seem to be happy I'm back.
I know I am.
posted by Kasim Sulton at 12:41 AM
