O’Malleys/Wahoo’s Bluegrass Jam NewsletterNo.14
News: 01/13/08 Hey ya’llllllll……………………..Happy New Year!!!!! Wow January 13, 2008 already and I’m just now waking up from my comatose state I found myself on the first morning of the New Year. I have no idea how that happens to me every evening of December 31st. Seems like there’s a conspiring conspiracy afoot to do me in at the end of every year. Yes it’s true I’ve gotta a weekness (I hope I spelt that right) for wine, women and song, and of the 3 I’m weakest towards the wine as the other 2 I have no visable talent of ever mastering the mystery. See, I was at a wonderful Bluegrass party. Picking and cutt’n up with all my buddies. Rais’n the roof with the high lonesome, and shaking the foundation with that foot stompin Bluegrass beat. I was-a partying like it was 1999, until someone told me it was 2008, so I had to toned down some of my hoot’n and holler’n. I’m sure that everyone there really enjoyed my pick’n and sang’n, cuz after every song I jammed on, someone would pull me aside and offer up a big ole glass of something with alcohol in it, and showed me a nice comfy couch to sit on, and encouraged me to enjoy my drink for as long as I liked. Meanwhile the rest of the pickers got to actually get some good music going. I got to know that couch pretty well, and I was well served. Seemed that every time my glass would start to get empty, and I was about to rise up from that resting place with instrument in tow to join in on another jam, someone would stop playing immediately and come over my way with another drink to place in my hand, lifting my instrument out of my other, and gently pushing me back down on the couch with words of encouragement that it was a good thing to see me with such a happy smile sitting on that couch participating as a listening audience, an seeing as how I was enjoying myself so much I otta keep a good thing goin’. So sat I did as I see them disappear with my mando. I tell ya I got some great loving friends I hang out with, they really take good care of me. Ya know, one of the great things about the 2 jams that I host, the one at O’Malley’s 2nd and 4th Mondays, and the one at Wahoo’s on the 1st Monday, is the children who get exposed to good ole American Bluegrass Music, cuz …..ya know…..they aint gonna get exposed to it any other ways. In fact I got a wonderful story to tell that’ll warm your heart and tickle your innards. Whilst warming up and gett’n ready to launch into Bluegrass heaven with the start of a new jam one evening, 5 little angels came up and, look up at me with the widest eyeballs I’d seen since…….well…….since this morning whilst I was looking at the mirror thinkin’ I’d put toothpaste on my brush but instead it was Preparation H and I got to worry’n what I’d put on my be-hind. They says to me, “Mister……Is that a banjo?????????” I gently tells then that no……….it’s not………it’s a civilized instrument of fine taste and pleasurable sounds that only the most pure and upright (I almost stumbled and feel down about then) and dedicated and talented muscians ever have the bravery to attempt to play. It’s called a………as I was about to spill the elegant word “mandolin” out of my mouth the banjer player fire’s off a warm up roll and drowns out every pleas’n sound with’n 2 miles. Attending the jam that evening was one of my best banjer pick’n buddies that I’ve ever known. I looked over my left shoulder and saw that little guardian Bluegrass Angel looki’n at me like I was just-a-bout to stole somethin’. I looked over my other left shoulder and there was that little guy dressed up in the red Halloween costume with horns, grinn’in and snicker’n to beat the band. I looked left, then the other left, then left again and back and forth until I just couldn’t help myself. Play’n a joke on a banjer player was just to much temptation, so I looked down at them 5 innocent faces and ……I hear those words again………. “Hey mister that’s gotta be a banjo, we love the banjo.” I reply “No, it’s not” Gritting my teeth, wishing I could thump one on top of the head, but fearing a severe beating from their Mother (a single Mom by the way, I always check that left fore finger for danger), I dutifully restrained my compulsion. I pointed. “The banjer player is over there, he’s the one dressed in 100 year old blue jeans and has sweat stains under the armpits of his shirt. There’s a peculiar smell that goes with that too.” I inform them. “Banjo players had abusive and deprived childhoods. They grew up mean and nasty and don’t ever go around one by yourself, cause I here they are always on the lookout to replace the hide on top of their banjo, and little kid’s skin makes the best tone.” As they all stroll over to the 5 string player, holding their noses, and keeping bunched up close so’s no one gets picked off as a stray, I see them talking and turning round and pointing over to me, and talking some more. I couldn’t help but snicker deep inside, knowing what a great practical joke I’d cooked up on my banjer buddy. They was talking for a lot longer than I’d have expected, and soon enough the whole bunch of little’uns come back over my ways and proceeded to tell me something that the scurvy dog banjo player told them about me. The little voices say. “Mister!!! That banjo player was real nice to us, and we liked him a lot. He says that your one of the most kind, and generous muscisan he’s ever known. In fact, he told us that you’d pay us $20 each to sing with you today at the jam, so we’re all ready,…….when do we start…….. we gotta get home early cause we got school tomorrow.” My head was starting to explode as I heard the words come out of their mouths one syllable at time. I’m sure steam was pouring out of my ears and I turned a shade of campfire red upon hearing of my condundrum (hey….you can’t use that word….there’s not drums in Bluegrass). I dug deep into my pockets to shell out the dough to them 5 young’ns as their financial Manager (Mom) stood over the whole proceeding like a banker counting pennies on a deposit by a hobo. With my pockets now empty, and the little’ns asking when can they start singing to earn their money, I nodded as cheerfully as I could muster, say’n that …… “Oh, There was no need to stick around…..” I turn to look at that no count banjer picker, covering his face with those gnarly hands, barely keeping hisself together from busting in 2 from laughing so hard……. “There’s no need to stick around cause we’re gonna be starting late tonight and you need to get your sleep before school tomorrow.” Then I hear. “OK mister,” Then they says. “Ok, we’ll see you next week.” I gulped. “Huh???????” They explained. “That nice banjo player says he don’t know why you said all them bad thing about him cause he really likes you, and he told us that you really like kids like us to come to every jam. He invited us back to come and sing every week on this same day for as long as we want to , and he told us that you’d be thrilled to have us as long as the money holds out.” With murderous intentions of the worst sort concerning a certain banjer player, who now was so broke up over his little come back, that he had to lay down on the floor with the funnies so bad you’d have thought he was goin’ into an epileptic seizure. I waved good bye to God’s little creatures, and as they was going out the door, I then motioned to their Mom to come on over. I proceeded to tell her that the jam had been moved starting next week ,and wrote down the street address of a certain banjer player’s home, and handed her the note with a reminder that it was a permanent change in the jam venue. She thanked me a little bit more than I was expecting (woo!!hooo!!), and off the whole kiddy train went. Funny, I never saw them or that banjer player again, till 6 mos later, when they all showed up together, banjer picker, kids and the Mom, with the 5 stringer making a bee line right towards me calling out name. Trying to find a safe place to hide behind the bass player, who happens to be…….ahhhummmm…..a woman………. (dangit, I wished I hadn’t have wrote that), my name gets louder the closer he comes. Thinkin’ I’m going to get the whuppin’ of my life from him and the Bass player, He jerks me out from the corner I’m cower’n in, and gives my a big old shake and howdy, and proceeds to thank me profusely for hook’n him up with his new wife and family. Well now, ………this is an unexpected turn of events, ……….I says to myself as I straighten up and wiped the fear from my face, and graciously accept his heart felt thanks, and went over to meet the new family, all the while think’n that I’d inadvertently done something good in my life. After all the greetings and congrats we’re over with, some how I ended up with 5 little kids doing a song apiece at the jam that cost me $20 a pop. Some how I’ll find a way to live with this life long curse I’ve been blessed with. Hope the best for everyone this coming year of 2008. Please remember this newsletter has a $633.67 yearly subscription rate. Ya’ll bring a check to the next jam. Till next time. Mando Cowboy News: 05/28/07 Well we’re cooking with GRASS now! Thar’s been some mighty fine pick’n going on at Wahoo’s and O’Malleys this past month. The weather’s warming up…… finally ……….and folks are putting on the summertime pickin’ faces and gett’n after it. In my traveling duties for work I’ve had the occasion to go down to Tucson, AZ quite a few times. While there I’ve come across as good a group of Bluegrass pickers as you’d ever wanna meet. They took it upon themselves to include me in some local pickin’ activities that I’ve not had the pleasure of participating in before. Yep, got to help out in recording 4 original songs at a studio. Seeing how that all works out was an eye opener fer shore. Along with that, I was invited to do a stage performance at a theatre on the U of A campus with a Zyedeco squeeze box player, a Bluegrass Flat Pick guitar champ, one of the finest banjo player/tenor singer that one could ever want to play with, and a world class percussionist who was equally skilled at making bodran drum talk as he was picking up what ever was handy and playing off whatever grove we decided to start up. I wasn’t quite sure how I’d fit in with that bunch, as all I can do is bang away on my mando and holler out a few verses, which is not exactly fertile training for a wide variety of musical styles. To my delight, it worked out very well, with the exchange in musical contributions from all. Yes, there’s more to this world than Bluegrass music……… gasp ……….did I really say that????????? Even had the opportunity to attend an early spring Bluegrass festival down in a little town of Benson. I did some camp ground pickin’ and sang’n with a few friendly folks. Brought along some of my work colleagues to get a taste of home grown Bluegrass music. I even saw’em tapping there toes and shakin’ a legg’er two…..any more than that and I’da know’d fer sure I had to much to drink. Back on the home front, I had the pleasure of going to the Montross Bluegrass festival over a weekend. I’d heard good things about that one, and sure enough it’s a good’en. It was great to pick with different folks that a festival on the western slope provides. On Friday night at the hotel, we got to goin’ there in the lobby. Some members of the performing bands joined in. There was quite a few younger folks that were enthusiastic pickers and singers that made things quite interesting. One particular fella, who was VERY enthusiastic, sorta laid claim to being the spotlight of the jam. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…………………we all had quite a time trying to get him to calm down some and not go off into his own little world. He never really quite got the point that it wasn’t just about him, and pretty soon he sorta left and things worked a little more smoothly. On Saturday, I took in a mandolin class being taught by a guest performer, and within just few minutes reality took hold and I realized how much talent I don’t have. After that I checked the line up for the band scramble I signed up for earlier to see who my band mates were. As I was looking at the posted list, a hand dropped on my shoulder from behind, and I turned around to see the “very enthusiastic picker” from last night telling me how cool it was that I was in “HIS” band scramble band. After I recovered from the instant terror and shock that I was under, I put on my best smile and joined in with the rest for an hour’s worth of practice. Trying to work something out during practice was something of an adventure, and I did not have very high hopes of things turning out well. When we got on stage I noticed that “Mr. Enthusiasm” had this deer-in-the-headlights look about him. Something about being exposed sorta makes one a little more mellow. Much to my surprise, something clicked and we went right into it and things worked out just fine, and we all had a good time. Speaking of younger folks, we had the joy of seeing little ones really take to Bluegrass music almost instantly, especially at the Wahoo’s jams. It’s not unusual to see the toddlers and pre-teens want to get right in the middle of the music and have a great time dancing around and asking us about the instruments. It’s one of the nice little surprises that always seems to show up at a Bluegrass jam. Speaking of surprises………….well…………I turned 50 yrs young on May 8th. My fiancé Rosanne decided to throw a surprise BD party form me at Wahoo’s, and she didn’t even tell me about it!!!!!!………can you believe that????? Well……I never had a surprise BD party before and it was quite the treat. They concocted some story to get me outta the building and then when I came back in the “Happy Birthday” song was being done Bluegrass style and I got all embarrassed and all that. My pick’n buddies had some nice gifts and a cake and I must say, it brought a little tear to my eye to think of all the good friends that I’ve made through Bluegrass music………Thanks to all of you. Till next time. Mando Cowboy News: 05/01/07 Summer Time!!!!!!!!.....................HOOOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! That means Bluegrass Festival season is upon us. Thank gawwwd! This past winter was just brutal, and I got a real bad case of cabin fever (and I don’t even live in a cabin), to go along with my dry air rash on various parts of my body, which will go un-named at this point (I’m sure your all relieved). Fortunately for me I have gott’n to spend some time down in Tucson, AZ for work (yes, I WAS working) to get a little reprieve from the cold weather, and tend to my rash with some cactus salve I purchased at the local tourist trap. It’s gott’n rid of that rash all right, but now I gotta whole brand new kind of rash with a different color, and I have to itch it a different way, which causes me to use a different set of muscles, and I’m all sore and stove up cause of it.. Besides all that, I got to meet some really fine Bluegrass folks down there in Tucson. They took pity of my miserable condition and made me feel as welcome as could be. I’ve played in some mighty fine jams with some great pickers and singers and got invited to a studio to sing in a “can” on a few songs so I could experience, for real, a scene from the “O’Brother” movie. Look for my life’s story on the Hollywood big screen in the near future. I’ll be happy to oblige any autograph seekers when I’m out in public; I’m partial to using ink on skin for the ladies and pencil to paper for all others. The next Wahoo’s “open” Bluegrass jam is coming up this Saturday. We will be going back to the circle jam with no PA format. We gave it a try with a PA last time round, and things worked out OK, but I felt that it might have skeered off some folks who feel a little shy about playing into a microphone and mak’n a specktacle of themselves. And…..then there’s folks like myself who have no such prohibitions concerning shyness, and putting a microphone in front of me is like throwing gasoline on a fire. There are just some things the general public should be protected from. So, all those folks who enjoy the Traditional Bluegrass setting of a circle jam with Traditional Bluegrass instruments picking and singing the standards,……………..ya’ll come back now……………ya hear…………. (I’ve been want’n to say that since I started this here little ole newsletter………………… shazzzzzaaaaammmmmm!) With the warming weather we’ll be able to do some outdoor pick’n at Wahoo’s and O’Malleys. This is a real good thing for me as I don’t have to watch where I spill my beer and flick my boogers so much. Although I do seem to attract a large number of bugs that sometime swarm around my head. If you hear me hitting a sour note while singing you know that one of them little feller’s got caught up in the air flow while I was tak’n in a breath for the next verse. Sometimes you’ll hear me strike off on a real good tremolo passage, when that happens it’s a sure sign one flew into my ear and was desperately trying to find a way out. Gotta love that outdoor picking, and grin’n, it’s a bug slapping good time. I gotta tell this story cause it illustrates the little devil I sometimes have in me. Up at Mid-Wintergrass a bunch of us met up with a good friend and picker who had gott’n hisself a hotel room at the place where the festival was held. Most all of us have never had enough spare change to afford a hotel room, much less see one, so when we all got invited up to his room to jam, we were all real excited with dreams of order’n room service, just like in the movies, roll’n round in our little heads. Just outside the room he knocked to warn his Misses we we’re comin’ on in to make sure she was descent (that’s a warning to see if she was dress’d for all you dirty thought’ed mind’ed folks out there). There was no answer and we opened the door and the room was vacant and my friend turned to us and said she musta stepp’d out for some things. We were all looking at each other with that grin that say’s “I hope she’s bring back beer!!!!!” We got to pick’n there for awhile, and having a blast when someone from the front desk called the room, and my friend had to leave to put another credit card down on the room as the other 5 were max’d out………Now I know how the rich live so well. Not to let another moment of dead air space distract us from out primal mission of playing as much Bluegrass music as we can before we’re long buried in the ground, we struck off on some Monroe fiddle tunes. Right in the middle of a fast’n loud one, the room door opens and this lady (it was his Misses) peeks her head in there with a pair of the widest open eye-balls you ever did see. The stunned look on her face with all those strange people she had never, in her life ever, seen before was priceless. Then there’s the dropped jaw, opening up her mouth so wide I could count all her teeth, even the ones with gold filling’s and thought her husband has gott’n hisself a good retirement plan going there! Seeing that confused and be-wildered look, I just couldn’t help myself, and I bellered out “Your in the wrong room!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” With embarrassment to such a level I’ve not encountered since I had dreamed I walked to school and sat in class with nuth’n on but my underwear (everyone’s had that dream right?????), she apologized while slowly back out of the doorway, and begging for forgiveness just about the time when her hubby came back up to the room, and settled down her hysteria telling her that yes, this was their room, and yes, those folks were his friends. We all had a good belly laugh over that one and we all got introduced and without a single thought of remorse for the dirty trick I played on her, got right back into the song we was playing. Just another one of those precious Bluegrass moments that will be re-lived and re-told for centuries. Well, that’s about enough of my authentic Bluegrass gems of truth all storied up and written down for posterior. I’m sure there’ll be some more “precious moments” to come. Hope to see all of you soon at the next jam. Till next time. Mando Cowboy 03/27/07 Well…………….it’s been a spell (hey that rhymed didn’t it) since I put paper to pen, or is that pen to paper………or rather finger to keyboard. Alright already…………since I wrote another one of these here factual articles (exaggerated tales) about the latest goin’s on (fantasy dreams) that one is actual liable to see (wonder about) at one of these here Jams I put on. I actually wrote several (thought about writing) and as I was putting them through my high quality editorial process (accidentally hit the delete button) they didn’t pass mustard (??????????) or mayonnaise for that matter. This one does however (taped off the delete button) so git yoreselfs a drink, pop up some corn, and pull up a chair (if your reading this your probably in one already….duhhhh) and feast yore eyes and ears on some sorely missed jamming gossipp’n…..n…..n….n………….(I just don’t know where to stop on that word). I’ve been travel’n somes for work and have gott’n (rhymes with cott’n….don’tcha luvit), to pick with Bluegrass jammers all across the country. Hooked up with some pickers and sangers up in the fine state of Washington at an ole train depot in Wakima. Fine folks and they made me feel welcome, and even invited me to a poker party afterwards, upon which they made theirselves accessible to all I had in my wallet. Yeps, I never felt so welcomed and warmly received by a bunch of very enthusiastic pickers in all my life. They can’t wait for me to show back up there whenever I get into town again. I’m still wondering why an even straight (2,4,6,8,10) don’t beat a numerical one (2,3,4,5,6). Next I wents up to New Hampshire. To my surprise, they all knew me before I got there. I cain’t figger that one out. They also knew that I’d been to Washington. Now how’d they know that? Well, anyways……..we all got start playing our favorite Bluegrass material and I was ready for a good 3- 4 hours of pick’n…..when all of-a-sudden after just 2 songs, they all put their instruments away and pulled out a table, (they already had the chairs out) and a deck of cards. I now have a bunch of brand new friends up there who were just as enthusiastic over getting to meet and play poker with me as the last bunch. I don’t know if I can afford to go to many more of them thar jams. That turned out to be more expensive than my mandolin habit. Someone please tell me why this 2 pair (K,K & Q,Q) won’t beat out this 2 pair (2,2 and 2,2). Nuff of my tales from the road. We’ve had to cut back the O’Malley’s jam to 2 Mondays a month (2nd and 4th). It was a selfish move on my part I must admit. You see……I got this drinking (yep) and eating (mostly drinkin’) habit (problem, addiction, run-away train) that I needed to get under control and going over to O’Malleys 4X a month on Mondays and 20X a month on Fri night, Sat afternoon, Sat night, Sun morning and Sun evening was gett’n a little outta hand, so I cut back on 2 Mondays and added in 2 Sunday afternoons and things are a lot better now. (I just re-read that last paragraph, and I’m still a little woozy gitt’n that figger’d out…….better not mess with genisis……I’m gonna leave it in there). The Bluegrass fire keeps burning and even through all of this winter’s snow we’ve had good attendance and good music goin’ on. My Bluegrass play’n has improved a tremendous amount lately after some one gave me a “player mandolin” (think “player piano” folks….I know it’s a stretch for some of you) for Xmas. Folks are really starting to enjoy play’n songs with me more than ever. I’m finding I’m enjoying it more too, as I can drink, stick my finger in my navel and contemplate my belly button and still keep in tempo. (Hang on there a minute whilst I pick my self off the floor. Fell off my chair laughing to hard. I’m not supposed to laugh at my own comedy……..that’s dangerous for one’s health). The Wahoo’s jam is turning out fine. Well attended and the music is great. We’ve even had an occasion where an enthusiastic listener has tipped us while in the middle of a song. Keeping the beat when a hand is stuffing $1 bills down yore britches is a little tougher than you think……thankya mam!!!!!!!!! In both places we’ve moved inside for the winter but the weather’s starting to improve so we’re all looking forward to pick outdoors as summer approaches. I’ve got a whole new outdoors ward robe that I’ll have on display, to show off my farmer’s tan and veryclose veins against the contrasting background of lilly white, beer fed, skin tone. So bring yore sunglasses, your favorite jamming instrument, a sunny smile and …….oh yeah……..be sure to wear some clothes, and come pick a tun-r-2. Ya’ll come on out to the jams. Till next time. Mando Cowboy News: 09/25/06 HoooooooooooWeeeeeeeeeee!, Bet that got yore attention. I just had to let that out. Sometimes, some days, you just gotta express some air with a little vocal chord modulation added in thar, for emfasis ya know. Go ahead an try one, betcha like it jest as much as I did, ……do, ……done, ……did. I’ve been hik’n abunch lately. Try’n to lose a little counter weight I’ve developed, that’s causing me to tilt forward some when I walk, and it’s been putt’n pressue on my big toe, and that toe was starting to bark some, soooooooooo………….I started hik’n. Now I hardly pay attention to my big toe any more cuz all my toes hurt now and so does my feets. Being the restless type, when I gets to wares I’m a going, I hate to hang out there to long, cuz I gets bored, so before I’m totally rested and recovered from the hike out, I start head’n back way to soon. So I started carry’n my mando along. That’s work’n real fine. Keeps me occupied when I get to ware’s I’m going. Lets me gets lots of rest, and as a side benefit I have peace and quiet too. If folks are there at the end of the trail soaking in the scenery or what-not, they pack up and move on as soon as I start play’n. Those who happen to show up whilst I’ma putt’n on a show seem to keep moving on. Them’s hikers are a polite bunch lemme tell ya. A few folks I happen to run into along the trail will ask it that’s a fiddle, uke, guitar, bango, trumpet, flute, a whatchamacallit, camera, telescope, gun, bong,beer cooler when ask’n about the odd shaped case that I got strapped on my back pack. Hardly any of’em think of a mando. Come to think of it hardly any of’m think it’s a mando when I take it out and start playing. The expressions some of them get on their faces read, eeeuuuuuuwwwww!, OMG!, you gotta be kidding?, put that thing away, don’t quit your day job buster. Since they don’t say much, I start to ignore the facial expressions and think they’re speechless over the wonderfully, skillfully, toneful, music that coming out. Yes…….that must be it. The first ever Wahoo’s Fish Taco jam came off a successful debut. I sent a press release to the Denver Post. Did anybody see it? I didn’t get down to the Library the next day in time to check it out. I bet it was on the front page though, and well written too! We was pick’n outdoors on the patio. Rose and I got there first. We sorta sat outside occupying a table. The area was full of people, and we were eyeball’n a special location on the patio where we thought the jam would work best. It was right under a hanging shade tree, nearest to the outdoor unattended tiki bar where the cold beer was on tap. When a table was vacated, we’d hop over and steal it and kept on doing that one table after anuther until we had us a nice little area carved out. Took a little bark’n to keep the customers from difting over cuz must of the pickers who where showing up WERE LATE! Calm down, take it it easy, there’s nothing personal about folks being LATE! While we were there holding down the fort there was a table full of little pickers next to us. Them kids wuz all curious and started asking questions. Of course the first one was, “Is that a banjo mister” “No” “I just love banjos” “OH?” “Why don’t you play a banjo?” “What is that?” “A Mandolin” “Oh”…………………………”Can you play a banjo song on that mambowin” And so it went. I’da like to strangled them varmits. Actually they belonged to a very nice family and I had to play a request and the only Bluegrass song they knew was “Home on the Range”………. rass’nfrass’nfiddlefrump’m……… I smiled and picked out “Home on the Range” and we had a little sing along (all the ladies go awwwww, ain’t that sweet). They was all happy and then got bored and left. We had a fine group of pickers show up, and the jam proceeded. The regular customers didn’t quite know what to expect. Seeing folks drag in upright basses, banjers, guitars, fiddles, and mandos. We kicked the jam off with a nice fiddle tune and the customers started to get into the music and off we went. Soon folks was holler’n out requests like AC/DC, Led Zepplen, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Lefty Frizzel, and Carmen somebody. Well we knew right off this was a virgin Bluegrass crowd getting introduced for the first time and they really didn’t know what it was or how to do it, but they liked it. After about an hour’s playing we noticed the crowed thinned out quite abit and all the pickers started gett’n a conscience over it. We were stammer’n and hem & holler’n, look’n down at the ground, shuffl’n our feet in a nervous fashion, until……………….we saw the city bus drive away. Then a big ole light bulb went off (did I say the right?) and we all start smiling again when a whole new crowd of folks came tromping in. So we kicked it in gear and wound that crowd up to a frenzy until the next bus showed up. We all had a lot of fun playing there. They fed us real good too. You could tell, because after we all feasted on our vittles, there was Bluegrass pickers sprawled out on the chairs, tak’n a snooze, snoring in 4/4 time. We played from 4:00 pm till the sun went down, and we’re gonna do it again this coming Sunday Oct 1st. If the weather doesn’t allow us to pick outside, we’ll park ourselves indoors. So come on down, the bus will be runn’n. The regular Monday night pick at O’Malleys is still going strong. We lost one of our favorite jammers to a move back home. Ole Ed will be missed. He plays an awesome banjo and is a mighty fine feller to boot (especially when he’s buy’n the beer). The rest of us will carry on and we’ll toast Ed over new rounds of beer whenever we can beg someone from the crowd to buy all us pickers a round. Here’s to You Ed! Good luck to ya you scoundrel. It was a pleasure to share your 186 notes to my four in a measure. Ed came out for his last Jam a couple of Mondays ago. The music was sweet and the drive was well into the Bluegrass Speed Limit tempo that Ed is famous for. It was a special evening for us all and especially me to have had that one last jam, and have it turn out the way it did. Well it’s time to hand out the awards!!!!!! I know you’ve all been waiting for it. What’s it gonna be this time? Drum roll please……(shaaadduppp!! Thar ain’t no drums in Bluegrass) OK….Well then………….Here ye, Here ye (Oh would you just get on with it already!). Ladies and Gentlemen! (Slappppp!) I here by bestow (ducking……….) the GOLDEN TACO AWARD on Mando Cowboy!!!!!!!!!! Who?????? ME????? OH MY……..you…….. (ducking again…..) you shouldn’t have. Yep Ole Mando Cowboy will be passing out all the free tacos you can eat to all the pickers who come out to the Wahoo’s jam this coming Monday! (But they already give us free tacos you dummy) Sheeesh…….they don’t know that, and don’t you tell’em either you hear???????? Ya’ll come on out to the jams. Till next time. Mando Cowboy Hey thar Bluegrass Pickers and Grinners! Betcha ya’ll was a wunder’n what happ’ned to this glorious example of electronic prose called the “O’Malley’s Bluegrass Jam Newsletter”. Whaaaeeeellll…..I had to take a high-a-tus for a spell. You see I bought a vacation on ebay. You did what? Yep I bought a vacation on ebay and I just got back. Turned out to be a little bit of a misunderstanding though. Ahem……..you see, I thought I was buying one of them Bluegrass only trips to an exotic destination. I had visions of gathering with a bunch if Grassers flying in from all parts of the world (CO, KY, TN etc). Meet’n up and doing some picking and jamm’n on a grand scale. Tak’n pictures, sending post cards, meeting friends, and having a good time for the ages. It just didn’t turn out the way’d I’d hoped. When I got off the plane in Nepal there’s was no one there yet. So I waited and waited fer bout 3 days just hanging out pick’n my mando, and after playing Soldier’s Joy for the 153rd time I finally came to the conclusion that some how things went arriah (I hope I spelt that right, well you know what I mean, and if’ns you don’t come out to the jam next Monday I’ll be happy to esplain it to ya). Rather than get all swoll up and upset about them folks who didn’t bother call’n me about not showing up, I looked off on the far distance and turned to them thar hills for inspiration. I stood up real quick and a-half-a whole thought went through my brain before I passed out at high altitude……”I’m gonna play me some Bluegrass tunes on the highest place on earth. I’m gonna climb that Mt. Everest and…………………….” Plop………next thing I woke up to was some locals digging through my gig bag and pink’n on my mando. Gather’n my senses I proceeded to get organized for the trip. I quickly hired me 4 Sherpa guides. One to pack my mando, one to pack my pick’n whiskey, one to pack my 48 tutorial books on how to play the mandolin, 36 mandolin instructional DVD’s, and one to haul me up the side of that little ole hill called Mt. Everest. (NO snicker’n…..I needed to be well rested when I got to the top so’s I could be play’n at my best). Now to hear the rest of this adventure you’ll have to get yore buns on down to the next jam and squat down on the ground with the rest of the wide eye’d folks as I re-call my exotic trek in full verbose techni-color on my big mouth screen. Summer’s been treat’n us real well. The jam’s been well attended by the regulars and we’ve been gett’n some new folks showing up and sharing tunes. Thar’s been a very large new front deck built onto the place and we’ve been enjoying many pleasant Monday evenings picking on that porch. Since the no-smoking law has come about, I’ve not needed my monthy cancer check-ups at the Doc’s. Last time he looked down my flu I gots me a clean bill of health report on my physical condition……..my mental condition is another story……….and we won’t go there right now will we…….ever. Whether we’re picking inside or outside, the second hand smoke is now no longer a problem it once was for folks like me who had difficulty. Since gas is up to $88 a gallon these days it makes things harder on folks to drive aways to a jam. I’d like all you folks to know that the bus is still running up from Denver and Colorado Springs, and there’s always car pool’n. I don’t know how them car pools work in the winter though. Seems like it’d get a little chilly just wearing yer bathing suit…………in the pool……………..the car……………..pool. As you all know we try to keep it on the green side of Bluegrass at this jam. That’s been working out pretty good. When everyone’s responsible for keeping it green. I know I got some grumbling about it when I send the next jammer into the listening crowd with the offering plate collecting the thousands of $$$$$$ (OK….hundreds of $$$$$) that otherwise would get thrown at our feets (OK……tens of $$$$$$) an inevitably blown away by the wind (OK ….singles $$$$$ then), scattering the jammers as they drop their instruments on the ground in mid-song (OK…….we settle for coin, bad checks, expired CC, and half drunken bottles of beer) as a dollar bill floats by. The offering plate is a much more sensible, sophisticated way of begging for tip money. I had a real special night when all my four children and my mother and father were able to come from out of State and be there for the jam on Monday night. My two Daughters play fiddle (they call it violin……woooohoooo!) I cain’t get them to play any fiddle tunes yet (their left wing public school music teacher only wants them to play classical music off of a sheet of paper while she pretends to be a animated metronome), but I’m working on it. My oldest Son and my Dad can barely play a radio, one can’t stand BG and the other pretends he’s listening, I’ll let you ‘alls figure out which one has the hearing problem. My Mom can pick a guitar some and toots on a harmonica which she did a few times that evening. My other Boy shows some promise on a guitar, but I’ll hafta wait till he runs through all that acoustic rock stuff outta his system and settle into some real music before he’s any use at a bluegrass jam. All in all, it was a real neat thing for me to have both old blood and new blood there around me that night. Well it’s time to award the next award that I want to award to……………with an award. Stay with me here. I’m going to present the Golden Bluegrass Beginner award to my girlfriend Rosanne! Rose is the woman who puts the smile on my face……(oh you dirty minded people, I’m not talking about that). Bluegrass music is an acquired taste. Rose, being the wonderful girlfriend to me that she is (not to mention she’s a hot babe….. slapppp!) has embarked on the Bluegrass journey with me by accompanying me to many jams and festivals, by learning a few songs and singing them at jams and by trying out some of the traditional Bluegrass instruments and settling on learning the fiddle. Seeing her give it a try and to share the wonderful experience of making music with me and all my Bluegrass friends truly gives me a happy feeling inside that shows up on the outside. I present to you Rose (with that smile on my face……he..he..he) the GOLDEN BLUEGRASS BEGINNER award! An now…………..we’ll all have that round of beer……honey. Welp……..that’s about it for now. Till next time. Mando Cowboy O’MALLEYS BLUEGRASS JAM NEWSLETTER News: 03/23/06 As y o can s e, I’m wr ti g th s h re n wsl tt r w th a p tch ov r one eye. Ya s e, I pok d my eye ch ng ng the str ngs on my m ndo………h ng on I got a rip th s th ng off…………there! Now I can see what I’ma doin’. Whew….that’s a relief to get that blasted thing off my face. I wasn’t work’n none no-hows. I got no sympathy from no body. Oh it’s a cruel world we live in lemme tellya. I’m shore gettn tired of ole man winter. I can’t wait till it’s over next month in June. Wait a minute. What am I thinking here, I’ve got 3 more months of suffer’n. Hang on whilst I boilt me some water, and get the hot toddy mix………mmmmmm……….lemme see there’s Jack, Cuervo, Capt’n, ………….what will I do………awwww……just mix’em all together……..they all end up in your gut anyhow…….boy this stuff makes you X-eyed……I better put my eye patch back on………..oh my………n w t at’s an int rest ng experience………I th nk I’ll t ke a nap inst ad………ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! now wheres wuz I. Back to the newsletter you nim-come-puke. Ok here she goes. How ya’ll been doin’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The O’Malley’s jam has been going strong. Picked up some new pickers last month. Welcome Dan, Kelley, and Jack. Sure was good to have the both of you’s join us. Yes that right, all three of the both of you’s just in case you thinks I can’t count. Ya know……..thars 3 kinds of people in this world……thems that count and thems that don’t. Now that’s I’ll I got to say to that, and now let me be done with it already. Just this past Monday we had a whole load full of pickers drop by, Ed, Ceebee, Ceebee’s utter (better) half Tracy, Les, Kelley, Dan, Annie, yours truly, and a few other’s I never got around to borrowing money from. Things were cooking pretty well and I got to play “air mando” during several of Les’s mando breaks and got lots of compliments on my playing lemme tell ya. Whilst we was a winding up a nice slow one we started up for Ed, at 180 bpm, some folks from the restaurant/bar area down below come up to listen to us, and ya know……. they had “that” look on there face. You-all know what “that” look looks like when they look that way. Like they just dropped in on the planet Earth on their way through a trip there the Milky Way. That deer in the head lights, can’t believe what I’m hear’n, …….where did THAT music come from, ……..and just what is it they you-all are playin’…… look. Then one of them spoke. He interrupted us before we could do another slow one for Ed, and just HAD to tells us something. We was all look at each other funny like, while the pilgrim put together his thoughts into words, and mixed in with the liquor, out come it all when his mouth opened and lips started moving. He started in on his own personal bluegrass experience story. Oh boy, we thought we was a gonna hear how he met Bill Monroe, and that he’s a second uncle’s cousin to Earl Scruggs……but no……that’s not what his story was about. Ya see, he, his Misses, and some friends had just showed up down below to have a libation or 6. Whilst gett’n served and toss’n some suds, he was enjoying the music from the juke box down there. He got to liking what the juke was playing, and when the song was over, he went over to the machine with some $$$$ to find out the name of the band and what song was being played and he was want’n to play it again. Well after searching and searching through all of the song choices for about 15 minutes, and all the while that juke box was playing one song after another, he got all flustered and went up to the bar maid and was ask’in about how he could find out the songs that the juke box was playin’. She told him “ Mister, that music ain’t com’n outta that thar juke box. It’s coming from upstairs…and I’m gonna have to cut you off from order’n any more drinks.” Well he couldn’t believe his ears and what he was being told, and neither could all his friends, and the Misses…..well she just rolled her eyes and thought very quietly about the wisdom of gett’n married to this man. So he drag every one up the stairs and low and behold, there it was, Bluegrass Heaven right before their very eyes. Like a scene picked outta the Wizard of OZ, or an Oh Brother oddyssy. They was all soooooooo excited over their discovery that they stayed till the very end……..requesting songs we didn’t know and gett’ a genu-wine bluegrass education. After the jam was over I tried to talk the bar maid outta the money in the juke box since it was us that was play’n them songs anyways, but she wasn’t going for that line……and I got cut off from any more beer service too. I even had my eye patch on and everything. Some folks just have no feelin’s when it comes to $$$$$$$$$. Having an audience sorta made the jam feel like a performance. So I had to clean myself up and wipe the buffalo wing sauce off my lips with my hand, and made sure I found a nice dark greasy spot on my jeans to clean my hands off, and then after washing my fingers off in my mouth one by one, I had to stand there and fling my hands around to air dry’em out. Pretty smart think’n, that air drying part cuz I knew I had to do something different or else I’d repeat the mouth- to-hand-to-pants-to-fingers routine over and over, and I’d been ther before. Well we played and play’d on till we couldn’t plays no more. When one song was over we fired up anuther’n just like a wide awake chain smoker at an all night diner. We got all sweaty and outta breath, and just when we was about to pass out, someone opened a window and let a fresh breath of 23 degF wind blow through, and we was back at it again. We finally had to quit when the last one playing couldn’t lift their leg up any more to signal the end of the song, and folks just started bowing out one by one, putting their instruments up in their cases until there was only one person left play’n. ME!!!!! I had to stop playing that air-mando, and immediately holler’d out for ole Les. to cuss him out for stopping play’n his mando and not tell’n me ahead of time. I’ll keep a keen eye on that boy next time. We gots a few folks that brings these big ole thick, I mean thick blue song books with’em. I mean they look like an encyclopedia volume of ancient writings from Egypt. There’s more stuff in them thar books that any one can count. Some of them’s organized and some of em’s aint. There ain’t no one’s ever brings a nice small sized thin book with there favorite songs. No sir-eee. They have to be thick, with odd sized pages, all kinds of different colors and ever-one of them looks worn out. I’ve often wondr’d what’s all in there that them people’s have in them books, cuz all I ever seen’em do is turn to the same pages, and play mostly the same songs. I guess I’m gonna have to break down and make me up one, or I just might run off with one without the owner look’n. On second thought maybe I’ll just drop that idea cause I cain’t afford the copy machine bill it would take to make a duplicate. I’ll just stick to air-mando and air-harmony. It’s cheap and long as I keeps my eye on ole Les trying to trick me, I’ll be alright. Ya know sometimes folks just don’t process information all the way through when it comes to learning them Bluegrass songs. The titles gets messed up, the words don’t sound like they make sense. That don’t seem to stop a determined jammer no-hows. Kinda gets everyone confused at times though. Like when once, …..it mite-a-been twiced, I cain’t rightly remembers. Like I was’a say’n, Like when once……….or was it threeced……..oh!!!!!.......just never you mind that……..Someone piped up an said “Do ya’ll know that Bluegrass Mermaid song”? We all went….HUH? There was mumbling amongst the throng of jammers that came out that night, there was stammer’n, there was deep, deep thought, there was a few suggestions of songs that related to oceans, shores, ships, but all to nought. Finally after about 4,331 seconds we all asked about the title of the Mermaid Bluegrass song. The jammer stated “Why I cain’t believe ya’ll don’t know this one. It’s been around forever. It’s called…..Your Shellfish Heart…….I think the Stanley brothers did it.” Fortunately an impatient jammer next in line started up a nice paced fiddle tune and save us all from having to hear the verses. Just the other night we had to add another category to the Bluegrass song lexicon. Ya see Greg knows many songs that fit a certain Bluegrass genre that just kain’t be ignored. After we play all the train, cabin, prison, etc songs, someone holler’d out for Greg to play one them thar “murder’n love songs”. By golly there’s not nuth’n more you can add to that sentence, or this one either. Ole Greg does reel fine justice to a “murder’n love song”, and we just all feel fulfilled and satisfied we got to play one. Like gett’n that last slurp from a vintage bottle of Boone’s Farm wine before you screw back on the cork and toss it in the Boone’s Farm bottle stack just east of the back porch door. And now…………(drum roll please……oh wait……..there ain’t no drums in Bluegrass…..OK…….Banjer roll please)………….ladeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssss……………..and gentlemen!!!!! The winner of the Golden Knife in the chest of a cheat’n woman……….is…………Greg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Surprised??????????? I knew you-all would be. Don’t be afear’d, we frisk Greg at every jam to make sure he’s not bringin’ any dangerous weapons to the jam just in-case he might just want to live out the lyrics while caught in the moment. Congrats Greg, we’ll all look forward to that round of beers that can pour our tears into on the next set of “murder’n love songs”. Well, that jest about does it for now. We hopes all you delinquent Bluegrass jammmers who we hadn’t seen in a spell show up some time in the near future. I’m short on pay’n rent, and I’ve got a bar tab that now has been transferred from paper to a 2.8 gigabyte hard drive that I need to pay. So please be sure to bring some extra cash that I can borrow. It’s all for a good cause, cause it’s all good. MandoCowboy O’MALLEYS BLUEGRASS JAM NEWSLETTER News: 01/19/06 How ya’ll been? Here’s another installment of the O’Malley’s Bluegrass jam newsletter. Is winter over yet??? Seems like it’s been forever. I’m getting’ itchy for some front porch pick’n, some festival jammin’ and laying out in the green grass gett’n some sun on my pearly white bleach toned skin. Why do people run away screaming when I’m out sunning? I’d like to ask them but by the time I woulda gott’n to ask’n they had already disappeared. Oh well, just have to wait a little while longer and the warm weather’ll show up some time and I’ll get to lay out in my teeshirt, socks and speedo. In the mean time I’ve been attending a few house picking parties over Xmas. Man there’s lots good pickers in Colorado. Pretty lucky to be living here in a state that has such a great Bluegrass following. I travel some to other parts of the country, and you can sure tell when there’s a lack of Bluegrass around, it’s almost like you can feel it ya know. When I travels I always bring along my mando for company and to fend off any undesirables by playing badly and attract desirables by playing as best I could. When folks come up and ask me what kinda ukulele I’m playing I knows I’m not any where nears any kind of good Bluegrass area. Then again when I’m in good Bluegrass country I’ll get all kinds of strangers come up to me and tell bouts their Bluegrass history, roots, family folklore, festival stories, Bill Monroe tales and all. When they gets done I have about 7 minutes and 23 secs of practice time left over of the hour I started with. Oh well, it’s all good fun and I like to hear about all stuff ya know. Bluegrass isn’t just about the music, it’s a…….well…….it’s like this…….lemme think…….I know……..oh dang………the words will come to me in a minute, hour, day, week, month, year, melinium………..I’ll get back to ya on that one. We’ve been pick’n all through the winter at O’Malleys, With the normal cast of characters, misfits, do-nothins, time wasters, low on cash, pickers showing up to add to the musical odessy w’ve got going there. Ever once in awhile someone will show up new. After pick’n a few songs for an hour or so, we soon begin to realize it’s just one of the regulars who happened to have changed into a new shirt, and we didn’t recognize him right off. It’s amazing to see all the different sizes, shapes, ages, backgrounds of folks that have showed up that turn out to be mighty fine pickers, and you’d have never a thunk that in a million years that prisons were turning out a good crop with their Bluegrass program. I’ve gotta tell this story. I’ve been holding back for way to long and it’s gotta just come out, so I can clean out my mental cob webs and stop waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat (mmmmm…….maybe I outta just stop drinkin’ fer a spell.) There’s a feller who’s been coming since the start. Picks a Banjer good, named Dick. I’ve known him for a little whiles, and have always enjoyed playing tunes with him, and having him show up and pick at the jam. All the while I’ve been noticing some peculiar things about him and I’ve been taking note and getting on my pull start calculator and adding them all up. I’m now about to let the cat outta the bag on Dick, because I think he needs some help. Ya see………ole Richard is,….. in my estimation,….. based on acute observation, and many hours of contemplation while fondling my navel is a………..should I say it……….OK…… here’s goes,…… a professional skitzophrenic. Yes, it’s true!!!!!!!!!!! Now pick yourself up off the floor and listen hear cause I’m gonna lay out all the facts. Yes…..he has multiple personalities. One of the first things that clued me in that something was just not right with Dick is that Richard goes by 2 first names………….yes ……….that right!!!!!!!!! TWO FIRST NAMES!!!!!!!!!!!..........and he uses them interchangabley, on the fly, and a smooth as Tennessee sipp’n whisky. Did I say Tennessee sippin’ whiskey!!!!!!!!!!!!!....................hang on……..I’ve got to go into the kitchen……….I’ll be right back………………………………. OK I’m back now….(hiccup!) Now here’s another thing. Dick talks about Richard and Richard talks about Dick. It’s true………I’ve heard it with my own 2 eyes………and I’ve seen it with my own 2 ears I tell ya! Now lemme esplain……Dick told me that Richard was a doctor of sorts. He was telling me this to inform me that he just retired as one-half of a pair-a-medics. That’s right! Can you believe that! I about fell outta my chair when Dick told me that. I got cold childs over that one (did I spell that right?.....mmmmmm…..looks right………but it don’t sound right). Then!!!!! Dick comes up to me and says that Richard likes to pick a banjer every now and then. I’ll be dang……a doctor picking a banjer…….now if that don’t beat all. See’n if that was true, I asked Richard about that, and he got all excited and told me “Yeah!.....and Dicks been giving him lessons” Oh?????? I says……really………………… he chimed right back and said…” yep. “ Richard started telling me about all the parts of a banjer that Dick’s been showing him. There’s the neck, (as he was pointing), there’s the Resonator (as he flipped the banjer over), and there’s the Hyde (as he flipped the banjer back over and pointed to the top). Dick says he likes to pick a “Hyde” his own personal secret code name fer a banjer. Well, when that all happened, it was like a bolt of light’n that hit me. An awakening of biblical proportions. All of a sudden all the data that I’ve been collecting, all of the analysis that I’ve been brewing, all of the pondering, stammering, and studder’n to myself I’ve been suffer’n through……….it all came to a………………………..hang on………………….I’ve gotta go to the kitchen again………………I’ll be right back. Ok…I’m…….back (hiccup!) As I was a say’n……………….I now look at Dick/Richard in a whole different light. I now finally got my self unconfused and started to understand Richard/Dick in a compassionate, humanly sympathetic point of view. Knowing how much of a tortured soul that lays behind his calm and peaceful manner, I can only imagine the conflict and turmoil that goes on within. Because you see………he (Richard) has a Dr. Picker and Mr. Hyde (Dick) personality. The diagnosis is confirmed and fool proof, and now we all need to donate to Dick’s/Richard’s mental heath fund that I’ve started so that I can start to build the mansion clinic, and get the mercedes ambulance, buy him all the treasured pre-war (loar) mandolins banjers that I need for his treatment. (Min $1000 donation). Don’t worry Richard/Dick I’ll not rest a day until I get the $1,000,000 I need to find a cure! We had a surprise visit from the other founding member of the O’Malleys Bluegrass Jam. Ole Mish showed up just after New Years on his way through town on business. First thing he said when he showed up was to exclaim surprise that the jam was still going strong, and his pleasure over getting to pick with those there whole were familiar and unfamiliar. He brought his guitfiddle along and picked many hours of good tunes with us all. Was good to see Mish and share some music. Me thinks we’ll see a return engagement in the not to distant future. (See back issues of the O’Malleys Newsletter for my prediction on this…….yes I must be Clair Voyant, even though I don’t use any of her beauty products). A few of the O’Malleys jammers showed up at a really good post Xmas picking party. Wow! There was some really good Bluegrass pick’n goin on round there lemme tellya. I got to see first hand how much Bluegrass music is enhanced by the judicious use (see gulping in the Websters) of Yukon Jack. Wooooooo!Hoooooooo! that’s some high octane, mind spinnin, let loose your inner hillbilly juice right thar lemme tell ya. If I only had a video camera, I could get a good start on an extorsion business with all the carryin’ on and acting up that was witnessed by all. I’m afraid some of those mental images are permanently etched into the phosphorous nebula of my fragile brain. Well I know it’s been a spell since our last award. After many hours of consideration to all that are deserving I’m going to present the Golden Dueling Banjo award to Dick/Richard!!!!! Having both of them playing one instrument is truly a feat unto itself. It’ll be a Bluegrass legend that will be repeated many times for many years at Bluegrass festival across the nation. Richard/Dick…..hold your trophy high and proud….and don’t forget to buy the next round of beers. I’m sure you’ll get Dr. Banjo to pick up the tab, and Mr. Hyde will do the drink’n. That does it folks. I need to get back to picking my mando’s Polly and Molly. Now stop right there. I know that skitzophrenia can be contagious, but I’ve been taking medicine for that……..hold on……I have to run to the kitchen to take my medicine………………… Ok I’m back…(hiccup) Yes I really do have two mando’s for one player…..wait a minute……………….at least I think I do……Oh! No!.............I need to take some more medicine.
TOPO’MALLEYS BLUEGRASS JAM NEWSLETTER News: 11/08/05 Howdy Folks. Welcome to the O’Malley’s Bluegrass jam newsletter. Yeah it’s been a spell since the last one. I had a bad case of writer’s block, along with writer’s cramps, along with writer’s skitzophrenia (I cain’t even say it much less psell it) , along with being saddle sore from wriding so much (what???), and put that all together with a whole bunch wridter’s procrastination and well you know, it comes out with a whole bunch of nuthin’ Now that I’ve got all that outta the way and behind me I’ma
rarin’ to go with this here little ole newsletter. I hope it turns
out good, or I just might have a relapse and I’ll haveta spend
awhole bunch of $$$$ on that phycyratist (see skitzophrenia) again. We all had a roar’n good time at the Halloween jam. Lotsa folks showed up to Picker-Treat some Boo-grass music that night. With some of the notes I wasa hitt’n on some of them thar songs, it got pretty scary at times. All the gals who came out were in costume and lookin the part, but we had some fella’s who showed up in street clothes claiming they didn’t know it was Halloween. They had looks on their faces like we was suppose’d to believe that too!!!! No wonder women get fed up with men sometimes. A good time was had by all, and we’ll do it again next year. There’s a new bluegrass band that has been formed by a few of the jam participants. Mostly from Colorado Springs, they’ve named themselves The Acme Bluegrass Band. I hear they’re coming along right nicely and put on a good show. Ya’ll go and see’em if ya get the chance. I hear they have a Coyote and Road Runner skit complete with the ACME stunts (Beep, Beep!). I hear they’ve become so popular these days that they’ve spawned a teenage clone Bluegrass tribute band called The Acne Bluegrass Band. (Sorry fellas I just had to do that). Well the jam is becoming more well known all the time. Why just the other day I paid 5 people $5 apiece to come up and listen to us so’s we’d have some audience participation. Jest kidding for you outta work musicians who might wanta hangout as an audience for the $5. I sure don’t want a stampeed by pickers showing up trying to bankrupt me in 10 minutes. Anyway’s gettn back to the truth here, (no snickerin’ ya’ll). We’ve actually gotten to the point where we’ll take on a request or 2. Most of the time none of us knows the song that’s requested, and we’ll just say something like, “We’ll play a song just like it with all the same notes and chords” and more times than not it works! We never turn a request down, well…….there was one time we just had to. See there was this feller who’s (or is it whom’s, I caint never get that straight) clothes smelled like a 40 year chimney, whom’s (or is it whos’, oh never mind) breath was like the bottom of a Jack Daniels bourbon barrel, come stumbling into the jam and sticks his face right up to mine and slobers and spits all over me while say’n “Play me a G*d D**n Gospel song will ya!!!” I think that’s the closest I’ve ever been to H**L, and I’m glad he passed out on the floor before I passed out in my chair from the experience. At least his snoring was in time with the next song that came up. There’s a Bluegrass song in there somewhere me thinks. Actually most all of the audience participation has been really enjoyable. We has this one gal who was from Hollywood, CA. A sheltered movie start sort, show up and enjoyed the music so much she just couldn’t help herself but to want to join in. We asked her to sit in and sing a song or two, but she hadn’t never heard of this Bluegrass music stuff afore. So someone in the jam with a really quick mind (and that’s not the majority lemme tellya) say’s “Let’s play some Beatle’s Blugrass songs” That gal got all excited and said she likes all the Beatle’s music. So we struck off with a rendition of “I Have Seen a Face”. She was so happy, and so enlightened by the experience of sharing bluegrass music in a circle jam, that when the night was over she told us all the she’s going to buy the whole Beatle’s collection of Bluegrass music, and off she went. We all just smiled. We’ve been having a case of “can’t remember” syndrome when it comes to the names of songs by a couple of our jammers. So they’ve carefully handled that embarrassing moment by employing a new twist to an old game that I’ve not ever seen before. For the lack of better words, I’m gonna call it BLUEGRASS SHARADES NAME THAT TUNE!!!!! Game. You see it starts like this. Turn comes round for jammer to pick a tune. Jammer starts hemm’n and haw’n and stammer’n. Gets blank look on face and blurts out “oh! oh!.....it’s…uh,uh, …..wait a minute…..it’s right on the tip of my tongue…..oh dangit, what’s IS the name of that song?????” Then the game starts. First they call out the key it’s in. Then all jam participants gets one guess each. If that doesn’t turn up the name of the song, then they call out all the chords of the song. The guessing goes round once more, and if no joy, then Verses are quoted. When that happens there’s always someone in the group (usually it’s me) that thinks the verse is the name of the song and they sit back in victory with a smile on their face, wondering why everyone else is giving them the evil eye. If that don’t get it, then a list of names of who dun it, on what record. comes out, and that usually starts a big ole argument and we hadn’t even got down to the name of the tune. If we’re still bewildered, then the Bluegrass categories are explored i.e. (what is an i.e. anyways!!!), i.e. Cabins, Trains, Bluegrass States, Murders, Poor is me, Whoa is me, Mountains, Rivers, etc. etc. Usually by now we’ve solved the mystery, riddle, lost and found, life long search for the title. If for some chance we didn’t, the person just picks another song (usually one we’ve already done an hour ago, but they’ve forgotten by now), and we all start in. Then the durndest thing you ever saw will happen. Right smack dab in the middle of the song, that person stops playing, we all slam right into a musical train wreck, and shouts! “Oh now I remember what the name of that song was.” Sure enough when we all ask about the name, they’ve forgotten it again…….and we end up starting all over. For what ever reason no one seems to mind and it all works out just fine likes it’s supposed to. Well I know you’ve been anxiously awaiting the announcement of the next award. Well I’ll not let you dangle any longer. I’m presenting the Golden Bandaid Reward to………..(insert drum roll here)…………….Sherrie!!!!!!!!!!! You see Sherrie is a fine mandolin player and Bluegrass singer, but recently she’s been bailing out the jam by playing the upright Bass. It’s been interesting watching the transition. You see when she’s thumping that Dog House we see sweat, we hear grunts, we hear big gasps of air followed by cuss words coming from over there where the Bass is. We didn’t hear any of that when she was playing the mando. Then we see Sherrie dipping into a bag and pulling out bandaids, masking tape, electrical tape, duct tape and all sorts of things and wrapping them round her fingers to get through the night. Sherrie…I’d like to pass on thanks from me and the rest of us for your sacrifice and suffering, and pronounce to you Congratulations! On your Golden Bandaid award plus the obligatory round of beer for the next jam. And your welcome. Well I’va bout had it for now. We’ll see ya’ll at the next jam where I’ll be passing out my Xmas wish list for things I’ve been wanting that cost over $1000.00 MandoCowboy TOPO’MALLEYS BLUEGRASS JAM NEWSLETTER News: 8/30/05 Howdy, Folks, Howdy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. More news from the Bluegrass Jam’n thang at O’Malleys. Excuse me fer a moment whilst I get this durn hang nail outta the way afore I start typing. Well it’s more like hunt’n and peck’n than typing, but I gets the job dun in gett’n this newsletter out once I start on it in under 2 weeks time don’t ya know. There……(pulls out hang nail with clawhammer)..…now I can start hitti’n them computer keys without accidently snagg’n an unwanted key. My hang nails are that big. I cultivate’em and even give them names, and they are my primary excuse when I hit a sour note or two whilst jamming. The summer Bluegrass jamming crowd is hang’n in there real well. There’s an ebb and flow of players coming round and mixing things up every week. Bringing new songs, voices and instruments, all adding to the fun we’re all having. My contribution to the variety of music is to do the same ole 3 songs that I know, only do it different each time, and gett’n that done is no accident. I’ve carefully planned the decay rate of my alzhiemers to allow just the right missed notes and inserted chord progression reversals, plus forgotten verses replaced with incoherent words and phrases, in different combinations……..and some how it all come out Bluegrass. Greg and Sherrie are really throwing in some nice harmonies. It sure does make a difference to have that good ole harmony singing come right on in there. Les and Ceebee can hit a high lonesome as well, along with a few others. I, on occaision, can hit a harmony note when the player next to me accidently on purpose smacks me on the nogg’n with the headstock of their instrument. That’s why I always wear my safety hat and glasses when I’m jamming, otherwise I wouldn’t be alive today. Annie surprised us all the other day by showing up with a modified flat pick and actually struck off on a break. We were all so happy for her accomplishment after the song was over. We all know how difficult it can be trying to learn some new ways of picking. Yore gett’n there Annie girl. That’s one of the neat things about these type of jams, watching a player give things a try and letting it hang out there and seeing the changes that bluegrass music will inspire in a person. The Guadalajarra’s Performance Jam #3 was a rousing success thanks to all who came out to pick and sing. Not only was the music hot but the summer weather was beating down on us with all it’s fury. It was good to see some of them Bluegrassers working up a sweat just tuning up. Well…..as fer me I’d rather pick in warm weather than cold, as long as there was enough cold liquids on hand, and there was. Once again the food was fine and sure enough, when the tacos, rice and beans showed up the music went “poof” due to the stampeed of starving musicans towards the food table. Keith did a solo performance at that time. It sure was good of him to fill in, although I think he stayed on stage out of shear self preservation of not wanting to get trampled or stabbed with a fork. He was having to sing and play really loud to be heard over the crunching and munching of the piranah like feeding frenzy that was witnessed. The Guadalajarra’s Performance Jam #4 will be nought. In September there’s a jam hosted by one of Keith’s buddies in Black Forrest over the Labor Day Weekend. If you’d like more info please email Keith for details (KDSandlin@PCL.Com). Performance Jam #5 in October will be announced in the next NewsLetter. Well I know you’ve been anxiously awaiting the announcement of the next award. Well I’ll not let you dangle any longer. I’m presenting the golden flatpick award to Annie!!!!!!! You see Annie’s specialty is finger picking only she don’t play a banjer nor a dobro, and thar aint no finger picking a guitar in bluegrass. So she’s been diligently trying to reverse her picking style, and doing a mighty fine job of it. We all sure enjoy her parcipitation ( or is that participation, I can’t hardly ever figger that out) and enthusiasm for bluegrass music. And…..of course keeping with the award tradition that Keith started last month we’ll all look forward to the round of beer at the next jam Annie. There’s times when surreal things happen at the jam that borders on the extra terrestrial, or is that extra sensory or maybe its just plain ole weird stuff. Annie was playing a “train song and sore enough just after it was over the train showed up, then I started off the fiddle tune “Over the Waterfall”, and by golly it started raining, then someone else did a prison song and wouldn’tcha know it the police showed up to quell a patrons frustration over life and whiskey. A few of the players hid under the table until the officer left, and that made me wonder just a little bit about the background of some folks who show up that jams. Keith started up a drinking song and sure enough the bar maid showed up with a pitcher of beer. Keith got all excited and wanted to start up another drinking song. Then Greg started up a “river” song and we all started gettn’ a little worried about what might happen next. When that got done we sat there in silence waiting to see what was gonna happen and then train came back again and we all looked at Greg with puzzled faces and exclaimed! “What up with that!!!!!!” We hope Greg gets that fixed next time round, but we were all relieved that we didn’t get flash flooded out in the end. Greg fixed us up a CD of the last performance jam. That was pretty cool to listen to. The recording turned out really nice and everyone did a fine job with their songs and instrumentals, but I sucked. I’m sure it must be that there’s something wrong with your recording machinery Greg. Yes I know everyone else sounded good over the same equipment, so it must be me……..I don’t wanna hear any of that and don’t confuse me with the facts. Next time just insert a Skaggs break, or a Monroe, and a Bluegrass boy voice and dub them over me and I’ll sound so much better. That’s about it fer now. We’ll see you-all at the next jam. MandoCowboy TOPO’MALLEYS BLUEGRASS JAM NEWSLETTER News: 7/19/05 Howdy, Folks, Howdy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. More news from the Bluegrass Jam extravaganza at O’Malleys. Woooooooeeeeeeeeeeee! We’ve been hav’n some kinda fun this past little while. Lemme see here, what with the regular Monday night jams, we done did us a Saturday afternoon Performance Jam at Guadalajarra’s (just across the street from O’Malleys), and topped her off with a Forth-o-July jam over by the Lake, followed up by a spectacular fireworks show that the town of Palmer Lake put on that beat all I’d ever seen before. Well, the weather has finally let go of old man winter and grabbed a-holt of hell-fire summer. This had allowed us all to shed our winter snow boots, wooly coats, ear muffins and gloves, and opened up an opportunity to pick outdoors some on the porch at O’Malleys. What I didn’t figger was that it got so danged hot that it’s forced us all to pick in our speedo’s and bikini’s. That my friends is quite a sight. That’s not stopping the Bluegrass train none from going full steam ahead, even though we do get a few strange looks from the patrons who happen to stumble into the joint, not really knowing what to think about it all. Don’t worry none, winter will be back next week, havin’ us all bundled up and look’n like the Michelin Man again. Boy, if that happens, I just might have to move the jam down to Florida so’s I can still tan whilst I’m pick’n and a grinn’n for a little while longer. One of the coolest things about this jam is it’s right near a train track. I won’tchu to know I spent a whole lot of $$$$$ getting them trains to come by at jest the right time to add to the Bluegrass ambiance and atmosphere (how’s that fer sofistication). You won’t get that kinda deal no-where, no-how at any other jam round these parts. Now you think a banjer is tough to play over, when that train WANTS to be in the jam by-golly it’s gonna be. A horn a blaring right in the middle of a Bluegrass song that some one is jest tearing the place up with, along with squeakin brakes, and rumbling wheel rhythms over the track sections. Oh, it’s jest wants ta make yore mouth water, and yore foot a-start to stomp’n jest think’n about it. A Bluegrass moment at it’s finest. That Saturday afternoon-to-evening Performance Jam was mighty fine. We set up the PA and microphones on the outdoors deck of Guadalajarra’s and proceeded to have us a wonderful pick. We had plenty of folks show up and all had a good time. The patron’s who showed up to listen seem to enjoy themselves as they listened to some really great Bluegrass music that was being put out by some of the best Bluegrass pickers and singers from Colorado Springs through Denver CO and all the way up to Boulder CO. The music was so good that some of the folks in the audience wanted to know what the name of our 15 piece Bluegrass Band was. At the spur of the moment I shot from the hip (or rather the mouth) and named us all “The Guadalajarra’s House Bluegrass and Mariachi Band”. That stunned’em fer a moment till we could get on track to start up another Bluegrass song before anyone could request a Freddy Fender tune, and we kept the audience off balance the rest of the evening by cranking out Bill Monroe, after Flatt and Scruggs, after Stanley Bros, after fiddle tune, after tuning up all day long. We started up at 2:00pm and kept her going till round 7:00, when a big ole thunderstorm came up over the mountains and rained light’n bolts all over the place, and we couldn’t get anyone to step up to the microphone under the big ole tree to sing us a song. Wunder why????? So we decided to stop and drink and eat instead. No one ever said bravery was apart of Bluegrass, stupidity ain’t neither, so we all lived to drink and pick another day. Amen. We’re doing anuther one of these shindigs on August the 6th. Starts round 2:00pm and we can pick till round 9:00pm if everyone can still stand after shovel’n tacos, enchiladas, beans, rice, and beer all day long. Guadalajarra’s closes at 9:00pm so the employees can get home at a reasonable hour of the night so I’m told (actually I think they sneak over to O’Malleys for a libation or 2) so we have to vacate the premises at that time, (we can follow them over to O’Malley’s if we wanna carry on some more into the even’n). So please put August 6th on your calendar and show up to Guadalajarra’s and pick, eat, drink, sleep, dance on one the tables or whatever. In advance I’m naming the jam band “The Guadalajarra’s Texas Hold’em Fugitives” after a famous incident that happened there one night. To get the low-down on that story you’ll hafta show up. See ya’ll thar. 4th of July fell on a Monday. Well now ain’t that convenient. I’m hoping Christmas does the same this year, I’m requiring everyone to bring me a present. I’m partial to green and symbols like this…..$$$$$$$$$$$$. There seemed to be some confusion over whether or not we was gonna hold the jam on Independence Day. Of course we did you silly pickers. I went up to O’Malley’s and hung out. There were so many people there that I couldn’t see past my beer bottle. I was getting worried I’d miss who ever decided to show up. My light bulb turned from dark to dim and I held 2 full glasses of draft up way over my head and holler’d out “Free Beer”!!!!!! Sure enough the first 5 folks that showed up where Bluegrass pickers. So I gather’d up all the little lambs of music and herded them all over to the lake side where we entertained many of the infield crowd awaiting for the fireworks show. Forth of July, beer, fireworks, Bluegrass music, now how American is that. Great time, great pick, great people, a memorable time well spent. Guess what? It’s award time. Yessireee…..it’s that time again. I’ma handin’ out the Golden Attendance Award to Keith S. Yep Ole Keith has been a staunch supporter of the jam for many moons now. In fact I have it on good authority (his wife Cindy) that Keith is so committed to coming that he wakes up every morning of the week and asks if it’s Monday yet. Me thinks he’s got it bad. It’s folks like Keith who have a true love of Bluegrass music and an appreciation of jamming etiquette that sure makes organizing this thing worth while. Thanks Keith for the good tunes, guitar picking and being there, and oh yeah did I mention one of the perks of winning this award is you get to buy a round of beer at the next jam. Man……I jest love giving awards like this out. In speaking about the jam, I’d like to thank all the folks who have come out to the jam for their appreciation towards what it takes to keep a good Bluegrass jam good. Everyone seems to have taken to heart some of the basic things like playing Bluegrass genre songs and tunes only, watching their instrument volume levels, taking turns properly during breaks and beginnings of songs, calling out keys, and chord progression, and last but not least, keeping time. We have many players that come out that are intermediate to advanced in their playing level. This jam is aimed at keeping them coming. Playing with really good players is how everyone gets better and gain more enjoyment from playing this wonderful music we call Bluegrass. It’s all about the music. The house bass fund is up to $25 from tips gotten (begged for rather) at some of the jams. Boy we’re on our way now. We should have a bass by 2025, by then we can all hop on the Enterprise with Capt’n Kirk and jam with the Klingons on some distant planet far far away. I wunder if I’d get to meet princess Leah. I bet Darth Vader picks a banjer. We’ll see you-all at the next jam. Thankya!, Thankya!, Thankya! MandoCowboy TOPO’MALLEYS BLUEGRASS JAM NEWSLETTER News: 6/15/05 Howdy, Howdy, Howdy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Here’s the latest and greatest from the O’Malleys house rock’n, foot stomp’n, floor shak’n, unbelievably awesome bluegrass jam. We’ve had some really terrific jams lately. Some of them have been so good that I should charge money to the folks that have missed them ……(that makes some cents to me…..don’t know bout the rest of ya). A couple of Monday’s ago, we was gathered round the upstairs pool table with CeeBee, Ed, Sandy, Keith, Mike and others along with myself (the reason I know it was me, was because I was thar…..see above statement in parenthesis for clarification). We all got on a roll, and that Bluegrass jam train just wouldn’t be stopped, slowed down, nor interrupted by that gal who decided to dance a backstep on top of the pool table (now wait a minute here…….was that part real or in a dream I had recently….well, I’m not really fer sure bout that at the moment). CeeBee, was really cranking out a powerful rythym and some fine flatpick’n on his geetar, every once in while switch’n over to the mandolin, all the while, sing’n tunes with one of the best Bluegrass voices ever heard round these here parts. Then ole Ed was doing banjer rolls like a run-a-way roller coaster, just peel’n the paint off of the walls. Sandy was hitt’n all the right spots on that wonderful Kay upright she so skillfully plays. I was doing my best to keep up and not flub up to much. It was truly a moment in Bluegrass heaven fer this ole humble picker. When it all came to an end, we was really rung out to dry lemme tell ya. I hadn’t been that worn out since I took them hillbilly aerobics classes way back when. In fact, it was a Bluegrass Aerobics Workout, if thar ever was one. MMMMM……me thinks my light bulb is turning from dark to dim. Maybe…..jest maybe….. I could do one of them thar Jane Fonda workout videos, only it’s got Bluegrass in it, and you use yer instruments for a training tool. Boy!.....I shore am glad I play a mandolin……..I’d hate to be pumping one of them 68 pound 4 ½ once banjers for 45 mins, working out my quads and all that. Yessireee…….that Bluegrass workout video is gonna make me a pile of coin…..I jest know it. Now I’m sure all your fine folks have been spending sleepless nights jest a wonder’n how I got into all this Bluegrass music stuff anyways. Well then……let me put you to sleep with my personal Bluegrass biographical odyssey, story, tale, saga, or whatever. Before I start, make sure you not operating dangerous machinery, nor have something sharp in yore hand, so’s ya don’t lop and arm off, nor poke yer eye out when you drop off into never-never land a-list’ning, I mean a-read’n this here (I wish I would just shut up and start this little fairy tale afore I slap myself silly)…….ok….here it goes. Been playing limp wristed geetar, sang’n ballads and stuff, on and off for bout 20 some-odd years. I’d get-ta-goin for a little while, learn a few new songs, then put-her down for a spell, then get-ta-goin again. Bout 2 years ago I was look’n for an outlet in my playing (not the lectrical kind ya know, the deep down emotional kind, …..I wish this fella would just stop stammer’n and just admit he wanted somewhere to show-off his play’n and sang’n…….). I found out about the Swallow Hill jams and went to the very next one which happened to be a Bluegrass jam. Great! I seys to myself I know 2 BG songs, I giver a go. Got down there and Woa-Nelly!!!!!!!! I was way over my head trying to keep up with all that BG stuff. I got hit by the BG bug real bad though and started to learn how to try and play BG geetar. I’d go back down to SH, flub up sommore (that is a real word down in the south ya know), then get back in the closet and practice, practice, practice. Whilst…..(that’s another bona-fide southern word,…..ya’ll are gett’n an education outta this here newsletter and ya didn’t even know it!)……now where was I…..oh yeah….Whilst I was going to the SH jam, there was a fella there named Mike F. (you know who you are), who was playing a little bitty beginners geetar and mak’n that thing scream on breaks. So, at the end of the jam I went up and asked Mike what that thing was that he was play’n. He told me it was a “manalin”….????? Mike was real helpful a splain’n things to me, and afore I knew it, I got hit by the “manalin” bug, which, let me tell you fine folks is a curse and a plague of biblical proportions………..Thanks a lot MIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, after selling my first born child, I used the proceeds get me one of them thar “manalins” and I hain’t hardly touched that geetar since. Now, picking one of them thar little devils ain’t the easiest thing I’ve attempted to do. I’m proud to say that I’ve got permanent tendonitis, advanced arthritis, perpetual hand cramps, and a much lighter wallet. I’ve also turned into a thief by stealing as much as I could from watching all the great mandolin players in the state of Colorado. Thanks to everyone for all the help I was given, I’m sure it was to get me going as fast as possible so you could stand playing with me for more than 3 minutes and 17 secs. Getting into playing Bluegrass, learning a new instrument, trying to learn how to play and sing Bluegrass right, going to jams and festivals, meeting all kinds of the the bestest most friendliest people I’ve ever met, has been one of the finest things I’ve done. I think I share this sentiment with many others. Well, that’s the long and the short of it, but if you’d like a longer version, I’d be willing to expound this little tale out for a whole evening’s worth over a steak dinner should anyone want to invite me and pick up the tab. I’ll be waiting by the phone. We did that Saturday afternoon “Performance Jam” last weekend and things worked out great. Had to shift things over to Guadalajarra’s across the street from O’Malleys, and it turned out to be a wonderful place to pick. We were well received, and well fed. That….. my friends…… is some of the finest gourmet Mexican food I’ve had in a very very long time. All the folks who played got fed for free. I ate so much I had to take a siesta, and I finally woke up sometime Sunday morning when the sheriff was knocking on the door trying to serve up a noise ordinance violation cause I was snoring so loud. Thanks to all who showed up to pick and make it a fun experience for all. The next “Performance Jam” will be July2, (Saturday), once again at Guadalajarra’s. This time were gonna throw in a little extra fun and get up a friendly softball game a goin’ at the ball field right next door to the restaurant at noon, then do the “Performance Jam” pick at Guadalajarra’s at 2:00 pm. So if ya think that sounds like a little more fun than you can stand, please come on out to pick, bring friends and family members to play ball, and join in. Pickers get to eat free (I find a well fed BG picker much easier to git-along with than the ones who are starvin’). So pass the word, and be seen and heard. Now let’s see, I need to hand out an award this month, what will it be and who will it go to………..mmmmmmm………….I know!!!!!!!!!! I’m handing out the Golden Music Book award to Camilla! See,….. she’s a concert fiddlist (as opposed to a violinst, cause thar ain’t no violins in Bluegrass) and she finds these fiddle tune books that she brings to the jams. Then when someone calls out a fiddle tune she flops the pages around some then stops, and shoulders her fiddle, and arms her bow and takes off! It’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen. She looks at the book and out comes the music. I need to find me one of them thar magical music books. I have to say that starting and hosting the O’Malleys jam has been a lot of fun. I never thought it amount to much, but to my surprise it’s turned out to be a great jam, great place to pick, thanks to all of my BG friends who support it and all those who have discovered it by chance. We’ll see ya at the next jam!!!!!!!!! Thankya!, Thankya!, Thankya! MandoCowboy TOPO’MALLEYS BLUEGRASS JAM NEWSLETTER News: 5/23/05 Howdy, Howdy, Howdy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Here’s the latest news from the O’Malleys “marathon” jams. I’m typing this newsletter out very gingerly as I’ve got gauze and tape on the ends of my fangers after a night’s jam at O’Malleys, which lasted till 11:30pm. I was a ½ sec away from checking myself into the hospital emergency room, but I figger’d I’d tough it out and take care of the bleeding flesh, and ripped off calluses myself. It sure makes it difficult for me to pick my nose with these fanger mummy wraps ya know! I shoulda took up an easier bluegrass instrument to play, say, like, just listening to the music and drinking beer (cause thar ain’t no easy bluegrass instruments to play..Ha!). I guess it’s fitting to play one of those really, really gut wrenching, heart aching bluegrass songs and FEEL the pain as well. Sorta adds to the whole bluegrass experience ya know. Summer’s coming on (I think? I hope I’m not still say’in that come August 31st), and none to soon. We’ll be picking outdoors, which will be good, because for those who chew, they’ll just spit over the outside railing, just be mindful of the parked cars. It’s real easy to pick out the singers in a bluegrass jam, they don’t have a big ole chaw in their cheek. Picking outdoors does present some hazards ya know. One of those is when yore singing your little’ole bluegrass heart out, and a bug happens to think that your mouth is a nice little place to hole up in. I’m sure that’s where some of those infamous bluegrass voice inflections originate from, not to mention the instantaneous yodeling. One of the first jammers to join in was Les from Colorado Springs. Les is a really fine mandolin player, and he can do mighty well on a guitar, he totes a banjer round occasionally, but we’ve never actually seen him take it out and play it. Les is a great all round musician with about a million tunes stored up in his musical mind. He will surprise us at the jam with some really neat tricks that no one has ever seen before, like standing up in the middle of his mando break and switch over to play Sandy’s upright bass, left handed, in mid-pick stroke (that’s because Sandy passed out on the floor in a pool of sweat and exhaustion during the jam marathon, but recovers real quick when someone buys her a cold beer). Les is also the house jam human banjer capo,…….. it’s a hard thing to describe, not to mention play with just ask Dick H. Something one should see in person, and I’ll leave you’all with that thought. I’ve jammed with Les mostly over in Colorado Springs for the last couple of years, so I’ve had the pleasure of stealing some of his best licks, and recreating them so poorly that I can call them my own and know one knows I stole ‘em. I talked Les into going with me on one of my Sunday afternoon bluegrass jam driving treks. We went up to Lyons and then to Nederland afterwards on sunny day last fall. The Lyons jam was mighty fine, and as we left for Nederland we saw a few harmless flakes of snow start to fall, and a few clouds moved in. Stuff like that never stopped a grasser from his appointed jam. On the mountain drive to Nederland the clouds cleared and it was once again sun-shiney bright over valley the town resided in. Ha!, see there, I toadya. We jammed with many fine folks that day, and on the drive back we re-lived the jamming highlights in good conversation with nary a care in the world. Then………. all hell broke loose………. as we descended into Boulder CO, the town encompassed in a raging blizzard of biblical proportions. ? We slowly made our way through the stalled vehicles, bad road conditions, and blinding snow. ? Wondering if we would ever get back, and thinking we might get stranded, thoughts of the Donner party crossed the mind. ? ? This story has a good ending though ?, all-be-it a late one, for many hours later we both got to our respective homes. Funny thing though, ole Les has not been on another one of those Sunday bluegrass treks with me since. Wonder why????????????? We’ve had some more folks (mostly from Denver CO) come out to pick since the last newsletter. Lisa, Mike L, Kathy, Linda, Darrell, Mike F, Gary, and Larry, in addition to Robert, Greg, and Sherrie from the local area. This has brought 3 additional bass players to go along with Sandy. It’s really a pleasure to have a bass anchoring the jam and these 4 bassists really do an excellent job. Of all the bluegrass instruments, bass is the hardest to get when it comes to acoustic, so in the interest of, “better having one than none”, the “no electric” instruments rule is relaxed for the bass. So far this has worked well with the bassists involved, as they are conscious of volume level and they turn their amp speaker away from the center of the jam circle to project against a wall which disperses the sound and blends well with the other acoustic instruments. So far, so good, so we’ll keep it going that way for now. If we end up with more than one bassist at a jam we can split the jam, and/or swap out instruments. Any feed back (not the electric kind for you Hendrix fans) would be appreciated. We’re handing out the golden mop award to Mike F. for doing the most bestest, tear jerk’inest, saddest, baddest, jam tune, that caused a river of tears pouring out from all who where there to hear the performance, to such an extent that a mop was needed to clean up the floor. Good pickin’ and sanging Mike! Bluegrass at it’s finest. From the last newsletter I wrote: At the beginning of this news letter I described the picks we’ve been having as “marathon jams”, and yep we’ve had a few of those, lasting till 11:30pm sometimes for those folks who just HAVE to do the “one more song” thing that never seems to end (like ME!!). When your having so much fun, time just doesn’t figger into the equation no more. I’ve left many of the jams, played out, sung over, fanger sore, hand cramped, sweat soaked shirt, eye balls a hangin’ from the sockets, with barely enough energy to make to the truck and drive home (guess if I stopped drankin’ the 4 and 5/8 pitchers of beer it might help with that part). Ya know what…..that feelin’………. just felt REAL goooooooooooood. Bluegrass arobics (hey!!!!! Maybe I kin do one of them thar “Jane Fonda” work out videos with folks using thar instruments as a work out tool! I think I’m gonna be rich, now nun of you folks better not steal my idea, ya hear!!!!!) Once again for those who have regularly patronized this pick, my thanks to you and please keep on coming out. For those new pickers many thanks for givin’ it a whirl. For those who haven’t, we’d sure like to see you pop in and give it a try. It’s sure a good way to start the week off. Pass the word (and pass me some $$$$$$ if’n you ever get more’n you can use ? ). For those who’d like to pick at the June 11 Saturday afternoon performance jam, if you haven’t dun so already, send me an email so’s I can put you on the list. Thankya!, Thankya!, Thankya! MandoCowboy P.S. For any one-of-you who makes a million dollars offa any one of my money makin’ ideas, I get 50 cent (or is that %, I cain’t member) and not a penny more……OK?????......good…….glad we got that understood ? TOPO’MALLEYS BLUEGRASS JAM NEWSLETTER News: 4/21/05 How it all got started. Last summer I’d drive up to O’Malley’s to have a steak and a “cool one” bout once a week or so, and bring my mando along for some casual solo picking outdoors. After cooking my steak on the indoor grill, I’d saunter (that’s an awful fancy word for a BG picker ya know) outside onto the porch and enjoy the fair weather and a nice meal. Afterwards I’d grab my mando outta the case, tune her up, and check to make sure the was no one comin’, goin’ or sittin’ round that I might bother, and start up a fiddle tune for my own enjoyment. I few brave folks would hear my feeble attempt at playing and brave the sour note or two (dozen) and listen in. Conversations would start up, new friendships were made, and every once-in-a-while my bar tab would get taken care of by a well inebriated patron who obviously was not fully aware of their musical faculties. A thought or two sloshed around in the mush I call my brain that maybe this could be a good place for a Bluegrass jam, and then winter came and put my brain on ice. I’ve been known to travel great distances to find a jam to pick in. I met Mish, a fine picker out of Colorado Springs on a few of my Bluegrass Jam sojourns. Mish was in the process of moving back east, but still had one foot in Colorado during the week and weekends in Pennsylvania. We got together to pick at my place one night during the week, during which I was faced with the reality that I needed to practice more to keep up. Condolences to Mish for having to put up with me. I got to thinking that maybe Mish and I could do our pick at O’Malleys and my stock of beer in the frig wouldn’t take such a hit. So in December we gave it a go, and it turned out that the place worked well for acoustic instruments. We were well received by the folks who run and own the place, and their customers enjoyed the Bluegrass style music. We kept meeting at O’Malleys, grabbing a burger/steak and a beer, and doing a little pickin’. Pretty soon a few pickers from the Springs (Les, Dick, Kip, John, Ed, Kim, etc), some from the Monument area like Sandy and Camella, and then Keith from Castle Rock, CeeBee from New Mexico, and others from Denver CO and various places would be joining us and we were off and running (well, we we’re more or less sitting while we were picking, but you get the idea). O’Malleys turned out to be a great place to pick because it’s a converted turn-of-the-century old house with wood floors, and good acoustics. There are separate rooms so we could always find a place to play no matter what was happening with the crowd. I decided to broadcast the jam on a couple of Bluegrass internet sites. O’Malleys chipped in with a 10% discount on food/bar tab for folks who came to pick. Here it is, in late April and the jam is well attended by pickers and listeners. As summer approaches the jam can move outdoors onto the porch. There’s a train track across the road and on occasion we’ll get to pick in time with the train cars passing by and hope the locomotive whistle is in the key of the song we’re into. Truly a Bluegrass moment in heaven. I’m trying to keep the jam at intermediate to advanced level (purely a selfish thought on my part to elbow up to some good pickers and hopefully some mojo will rub off). I’m also wanting to keep it Bluegrass, although Sandy will lead us into a minor swing jazz thingy that fry’s everyone’s brain and leaves us smiling at the end wanting to do more (all the while praying we don’t go to Bluegrass hell for doing such). Folks who are starting out are welcome, but must keep up and learn quick, or play off to the side, plus any song contribution should be bluegrass style. If asked, most anyone will help anyone just starting out trying their best. We try and cover all the major Bluegrass musical genre’s and topics. Traditional fiddle tunes of course. It just doesn’t seem right to end the jam without songs about trains, cabins, highways, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Carolina, Virginia, etc, and of course a song where the girl always gets killed in the end (in the song that is, so far no actual jam murders have ever been recorded). Instruments are limited to Bluegrass acoustic musical instruments traditionally played in this kind of music. Guitar, Bass, Fiddle, Mandolin, Banjo, Dobro is what’s encouraged. Electrified instruments and drums (percussion) are not allowed, and we have a hanging tree out back for those who break the rules. Backup instrument volume control during verses sung and breaks taken is a necessity towards happy jammers and keeping them coming back. Unfortunately Mish now has two feet back in the east and his last jam with us was a few weeks ago. We expect Mish’s absence not to be for very long. There’s good food and drink, good place to play, and some of the finest Bluegrass musicians to be found anywhere in the good Ole USA here in Colorado, and many can be found dropping by O’Malleys on a Monday night. Wouldn’t surprise me if’n Ole Mish jumps a plane and shows up sometime in the near future. For those |