While on the road, we had the great pleasure of working with Music Fog to film some live performances. Below is the first one they released. The post Jessie wrote about me includes the line, “as in The Odyssey, the sirens (of New York) beckoned him at an early age, and like Odysseus he escaped to continue his journey.” I highly recommend you read the whole thing.

I’ll be posting more video from the shoot as we go along so check back again soon!

I was really excited to spend some time in Memphis with Jimmy. Get some of the real stuff. So after a stop at Jimmy’s house, which was wild because he’s like a real person and not just a traveling gypsy sleeping outside and playing shows with no shoes on, we headed out into town. WW suggested a stop at Sun Studios. Yes! A must see. But first, BBQ.

JD took us to Central BBQ. We might have hit the Rendezvous, but it was Sunday and they’re closed, and Central BBQ was no slouch. Love the signage in the front window. Now here’s where I usually take a picture of my food, but I was so hungry and my plate of slow roasted pork with slaw and green beens went so fast that I couldn’t get the camera out in time. You’ll just have to picture it for yourself. Nothing fancy here. A paper lined plastic basket full of pulled and chopped pork that was cooked seemingly forever and topped with a vinegar based spicy ass BBQ sauce. A cup of cole slaw and another of green beans side by side. Fantastic!

Ok, now I’m really full and can’t get enough iced tea in   me as we make our way through the fairly oppressive heat and swampiness to Sun Studios. We took the tour and were treated to a fun time by our tour guide Cora. It was just cool to stand in that space. The cutting room itself hasn’t been changed in 60 years. To think that I was standing in the room where Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters both began their careers. Not to mention Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee and oh yeah….. Elvis. Too freaking cool! After t-shirts and chachkies were purchased we headed to our next stop.

Off to see a band that Jimmy knows and sings with sometimes, The Hookers. I can’t remember the name of the bar right now, but it was, well…. a bar. Dark and cool on a sweltering afternoon. The one thing that really stood out, besides the musicianship of the band which was terrific, was the guy cooking on stage. Yes, “Chef” was cooking up some venison quesadillas for the crown right there in front of the bass rig! Only in Memphis. I was too full to sample the fine cuisine. Maybe next time. The Hookers were solid and Jimmy sat in on a mind blowing version of “Helter Skelter” and off we went to our show.

Murphy’s Bar. I can’t say I walked in to the place and thought, “Wow what a great place to play a show”. It’s a bar, plain and simple. A dive really, but I like dive bars in general and I liked the feel of this one. Jimmy’s old band, The River Bluff Clan, played many a Sunday here and he assured us that people would show and a good time had. He was right. G had flown home for his first Father’s Day so we did a WW, JD, BS song swap with Ray on the drums and Eric Lewis on Steel. Jimmy brought Eric in and WOW, great player. He really made the night. So indeed a good time was had. From WW’s first song to our closing rave up rendition of JD’s “Sanctuary”, the crowd was hoopin, hollering, clapping and happy. I don’t know how they did it since I was having trouble just breathing the heavy air, as was WW, but I guess they’re used to it. It was a blast. As I sat behind the wheel of the van and headed us towards Little rock and then home, I felt like I finally got some real Memphis on me and I’m ready for more.

As show time approached I began to let go a bit. I’d been in the studio that day playing bass on a project that WW was producing and everything was lined up as far as I could see. But would anyone come? I knew a couple folks would be there, (like my girlfriend) but would it be full? I didn’t expect it to be as full as the MQ release show, though that would be cool, but would the club have a good night? Luckily, the show was booked at The Mean Eyed Cat and after a year or so of monthly Monday nights with Sam Baker back in 2007, I felt very comfortable there. I knew I had MQ sound sensei Mike Horn running the show and making sure everything was handled. But, I was still nervous enough to slam a couple of ice cold beers in the first 20 minutes of set up. ( so good)

Show time arrived as it always does and there was nothing for it but to stand up and sing. I managed to call the first tune in the wrong key and after a re-start we began to play the new record. I decided to just play the record in order start to finish. Some of the songs have been around for awhile and some are newer. Some I’ve played many times and others not so much, so I wanted to see what the flow would be like if I just stuck to the sequence of the record. Frankly, I just couldn’t bring myself to come up with another plan at that point. Even though I broke a string in the second measure of the title track, (we re-started that one too!) I was surprised by how much I enjoyed playing those songs. It was really fun. And what a band. Those guys were stellar!!

The crowd dug it. And yes there was a crowd. Even the folks who just came to the Cat for a drink, having no idea who I was, stayed and listened. The audience actually moved in closer as  the show went on. It was nerve wracking and exhilarating at the same time to have everyone paying close attention, but that’s what we do this for isn’t it? That nervous exhilaration. That rush of energy passing between you and the audience. That’s what live music is all about.

So where does all this lead me? I want to play with that band again! I can see that show as  a step in re-awakening a part of myself that’s been resting for a bit. As I performed that night I was once again, “Bill Small”. Not just El Guapo, bass player of the Mystiqueros, but also the old singer songwriter, the guitar slinger, the artist that I have been, as well as the artist that I am becoming. I felt it all bubbling up that night.

So next time I may be nervous again. Next time I may have a different band, a different crowd. Next time I may reach some transcendental state of live performance bliss or fall flat on my face. But there will indeed be a next time.

p.s. This is kind of what the show looked like to me:

p.s. To get your copy of “the next time” just click the picture above.

originally posted at http://www.bassplayersclub.com

this is kind of a random musing from the van. part of an ongoing series about the “glamour” of the road……
It’s noon and I’ve been in the Van for just about two hours. I stayed up a little too late with my friend Jimmy Davis and probably had one more beer than was really necessary. Up at 8:30, which I don’t do when I’m home, and up from the couch I slept on at G’s house. A trip to the Starbucks for an iced tea, I’m off the glorious coffee bean for awhile due to over productive stomach acid tearing up my esophagus and making it very difficult to eat, (feeling really old as I write this) and a 20 minute wait at the customer service counter at Walmart to return the sunglass clip-ons that I bought that were the wrong size for my glasses.
Need to hurry up and meet the van, get loaded up and go. Now we’ll spend the rest of the day and into the night driving. We have no “routing gig” on the way to New Mexico this time. No show to pass the time and put gas in the van. Just the road for 14 hours or so. Then we get to play 3 shows in New Mexico. It’s the first time we’ve played any of these venues so the money’s not so good and we have no idea if there’ll be anyone there or not. Hopefully, it being summer and all, we’ll have good crowds and sell enough t-shirts to make a little extra cash.
Now don’t mistake me, I love to play music. I wouldn’t be in this van at all if I didn’t. And if I’m going to travel in a van with a bunch of guys, this bunch of guys are it. For the hour to hour and a half we get to do our thing on show days it will be pure pleasure. If the stars align and we find our footing in might even be existential. It’s the other 22 and a half hours a day that people don’t talk about much.
When we were younger we could just drink all day to pass the time. But I don’t recover like I used to and the older I get the more I long to be at least somewhat productive as I hurl myself across the country. Especially if I’m not driving. (hence the blog post) And I really do want to play well tomorrow and through the weekend and I won’t if I get plowed on beer all day long.
So we ride. And ride. Small towns fly by. I know what I can get in any roadside convenience store. I look forward to the stops to stretch my legs. An I wait. Wait to arrive, wait to play, wait to sleep, wait to go again, to arrive to play to sleep and I wait for home…..

p.s. after a long drive, we had a GREAT time in NM. The shows were great, the people were great, we made the spirits move…