A Hometown Show

Hey Comrades!

Happy first day of summer! I was outside today, and heard the dogday harvestflies (cicadas) playing music. What a great sound. I remember being a little boy and running around listening to them. It's always a treat to hear the first one of the year!

June has been filled with great gigs so far, AND I've got another one coming up! https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118960821521357 It's called "The C3 Show - Three comrades, one Revolution - Overthrow Bad Music!" Hope you can make it out this Saturday!

I hope it won't be as logistically crazy as my gig at the Charles County Relay For Life this past Friday. It was so absurd, I need to tell you about it.

One of my comrades, friends, and former student Hunter came out to help. I think I'll explain it in a conversational format.

JU: Ashley! Call me back. I can't find you, and it's about to rain here at the stadium. I don't want to set up outside. Should I set up in the main concourse?

JU: Hello, officer. Can I park my car there? I need to unload some gear.

Officer: Sure. If you find someone with a radio, they can call Ashley.

JU: Ah, yours is the wrong channel.

JU: Hunter! Thanks so much for coming out to help! Man, sorry it's raining.

HS: Where are you setting up?

JU: In the main concourse. I'm gonna go talk to the people at the tables to make friends. Don't wanna blast 'em out.

Guitar student, to friends: Hey! This is my guitar instructor Josh!

Friends: HELLO, GUITAR INSTRUCTOR JOSH!

JU: HELLO, FRIENDS!

JU: HEY! There's some more students! How's it going, fellas? Anyone want to be a roadie today?

Young Students: Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah yeah!

JU: Aw, man, you don't have to carry my shoes for the show!

Student's dad to little boy who has his whole forearm inside my size 13 basketball shoes: Yeah man, get your arm out of there!

Staff member: Why are you setting up here?

JU: I don't want my equipment to get rained on. Ashley said it's fine, and all my neighbors are cool.

Staff member: Oh, OK. (walks away.)

Two minutes later...

JU: Man, it's stopped raining, and it's looking nice. I wonder if I should move....Hunter, should I move?

HS: Uhhhh....

JU: Hey, Anthony, you think I should move?

Anthony: Well......

JU: Hey Hunter, what do you think?

HS: I mean...

JU: We're gonna move.

JU: Officer, sorry my car's been parked there so long! I'll move it ASAP!

Officer: No problem!

JU: Load this puppy up!

JU: (speaking to car.) Oh no.....come on, come on! Don't die on me! Well, the access road IS all downhill.....come onnnnnnn...........

HS: Dude, where's your car?

JU: Behind center field. My girl car died on me!

HS:.................

JU (lugging amps up an impossibly steep ramp high above left field): Excuse me! Excuse me! Behind you! On your left!

HS: How long we got?

JU: About a half hour!

HS (thinking): Where are his brothers?

JU: Can I have that gatorade? Thanks!

HS, impossibly loaded down with gear, most importantly a speaker stand, speaking to 8th grade twerp and his girlfriend walking in the opposite direction: Excuse me. Excuse me! Excuse me!

8th grader: ........

HS: Excuse me!

8th grader's face: Bam!

Speaker stand (thinking): Ten points!

8th grader's girlfriend: You deserved that!

HS: This speaker over here?

JU: Yep! Yep! Here's a cable!

Brothers: Hey man.

JU: Dude, I left my emergency blinkers on in my car. Can you turn 'em off?

Brothers (later): Dude, you left your car in the middle of the road!

JU: Huh...Like Hendrix.

Ashley: OK, you're good to go!

JU: Hello Waldorf! Here's a song I wrote about a laundromat.

JU: (Thinking) WOW! My voice is echoing through the place like those stadium reverb plugins in a recording program!

(Several songs later)

JU: LITTLE PIG, LITTLE PIG, LET ME IN!

JU: Thank you, Waldorf!

(Hunter moves gear like a camel.)