And now for something completely different....

being the signature line from Monty Pythons Flying Circus as they were about to introduce a new farce / segment ......

Wednesday night when I got home from band practice there was a message from Dick - he needed a fill-in guitarist for saturday night and wanted to know if I could do it. I played in Dick's band many years ago as a regular member until I decided that I really wanted to have my own band to play more current music. My goal was to play anything more current than 1950. You see, Dick is now 72 years old but still going strong. He is actually a pretty darned good lead guitar player, although when somebody else is singing a song he thinks nothing of over-playing on your lyrics. Most of his repeirtoire is old country and old oldies (think Hank Williams, Eddie Arnold, The Drifters, "She Stopped Loving Him Today" and "Red Roses For A Blue Lady") and a few Portugese traditional favorites sung with that stereotypical "too many drinks and too many smokes" gravel voice . So 10-12 years ago I left Dick and started my own band "Heartland"- all modern country from the 1990's. For anyone who follows new country music - yes - somebody else took my band name that I had never registered (and became a grammy winning band). I still would fill-in for Dick anytime he needed someone and time allowed. Dick is a great guy, always the sales man, always the entertainer, always your best friend - and sincerely so. OK - so he never has as much work as he claims, he hasn't learned a new song in ages, but he will on most nights let me sing some that I know (provided it's something easy that he can vaguely grasp as I'm in the middle of playing it to a live audience for the first time)(OK- live is a relative term as Dick's following is primarily his age and older - but they do like to dance and they ususally don't mind if Dick lets the young guy - me - sing some too). Now I have a three-consecutive-weekends stint with "The Travellers" while I wait and see what-the-heck is going on with the "Shain Reaction" band. I will enjoy it. It is no stress, low pay, low expectations, same ol' songs, with happy people who are simply grateful to have woken up this morning able to get out of bed. Dick's long-time drummer had to quit years ago due to cancer. Now his longer-time bass player recently followed suit. Dick now plays all of his gigs with whatever waifs and strays he can track down. I guess that makes me a "waif" and/or a "stray", but I'm happy enough with it for what it's worth. After 3 weekends in a row, I will once again be clear as to why I left in the first place and how much I want to be in a band with like minded enthusiastic musicians, a band that rehearses, that plays really good tunes, that sounds tight, that has pride, and enjoys the comradarie of "team-mates".