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Author Topic:  Tough gig
Karen Sarkisian


From:
Boston, MA, USA
Post  Posted 25 Mar 2015 8:40 pm    
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I played a tough gig tonight. It was a condensed version of my classic country band, so just the singer who plays acoustic guitar, the lead guitarist, and me. No rhythm section ! I really rely on the bass player a lot to play in tune so it was very tough for me. And as my first gig since getting back from Dallas, I was my own worse critic. I definitely need to practice more !!! One kind of funny thing tho that cheered me up a bit was that a few people came up to me after the gig to tell me how great the steel sounded. Thing about Boston is, you can be the worst player in the room at a steel show, and the Bostonians will still think you are great just because they don't very often get to see or hear a pedal steel guitar. A little sure goes a long way here... Meanwhile if you're looking for me I'll be in the woodshed Laughing
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Glenn Demichele


From:
(20mi N of) Chicago Illinois, USA
Post  Posted 25 Mar 2015 9:02 pm    
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Ha - at least you were playing country. I'm a bass player, and have only been playing steel for 20 years, last night I brought the steel out to a local blues jam. Might as well have been playing bagpipes - I couldn't pull off anything. Woodshed for me too.
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Karen Sarkisian


From:
Boston, MA, USA
Post  Posted 25 Mar 2015 9:16 pm    
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Dallas always leaves me feeling both inspired and hopeless.... Oh Well
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Charley Hill

 

From:
The Dirty South
Post  Posted 25 Mar 2015 9:22 pm    
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Boston is a great town!!

I'll be in the shed in SC, TOO!! Dallas was great and feelings of frustration coupled with levels of inspiration included.

Great meeting you and I may make a trip to Boston to catch your show. Cool
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Glenn Demichele


From:
(20mi N of) Chicago Illinois, USA
Post  Posted 25 Mar 2015 9:26 pm    
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By refining my self-delusionary skills, I've been able to spend years just on the "inspired" side of that fine line.
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Franklin D10 8&5, Excel D10 8&5. Both amazing guitars! Homemade buffer/overdrive with adjustable 700Hz "Fender" scoop., Moyo pedal, GT-001 effects, 2x TDA7294 80W class AB amps, or 2x BAM200 for stereo. TT12 and BW1501 each in its own closed back wedge. Also NV400 etc. etc...
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Charlie McDonald


From:
out of the blue
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2015 3:40 am    
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Karen Sarkisian wrote:
Dallas always leaves me feeling both inspired and hopeless.... Oh Well
There's always hope in Dallas! Come on down!.
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Floyd Lowery

 

From:
Deland, Florida, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2015 4:55 am    
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Steel Guitar Shows They do one of two things to you. You either want to go to the woodshed or quit. Laughing Laughing Laughing
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Jim Cooley


From:
The 'Ville, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2015 6:45 am    
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Karen,

The last band I played with consisted of lead guitar, fiddle, bass, drums, and me. The lead player was an elderly gentleman. On about three occasions, he called a couple of hours before show time and said that he couldn't make it. When I walked in, the fiddle player looked at me and said something like, "Just you and me tonight, buddy." Some rides felt more like lead (the metal) than lead (guitar) to me, but I got to play. The crowd stayed until the end of the show. Some even came up and told me they enjoyed the steel. It was a good growth experience.
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"The worst an honest man can do is make an honest mistake" - Augustus McCrae
"From the sweet grass to the packing house, birth 'til death, we travel between the eternities" - Prentiss Ritter

Too many steels, amps & other stuff, and an open mind. I have tube amp bias.


Last edited by Jim Cooley on 26 Mar 2015 11:53 am; edited 1 time in total
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Chris Brooks

 

From:
Providence, Rhode Island
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2015 9:26 am    
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Good for you, Karen. Yes, in a trio (with no drums or bass) there's nowhere to hide. But I'll bet it was a great learning experience, in the best sense of the word.

Did you play at Our Favorite Somerville club, by chance?

Chris
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Karen Sarkisian


From:
Boston, MA, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2015 1:41 pm    
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Chris Brooks wrote:
Good for you, Karen. Yes, in a trio (with no drums or bass) there's nowhere to hide. But I'll bet it was a great learning experience, in the best sense of the word.

Did you play at Our Favorite Somerville club, by chance?

Chris


Hi Chris, no Lorettas. It was really tough, plus I couldnt get my tone dialed in. Someone took a video which I will reluctantly watch later. Maybe it will be better than I thought Rolling Eyes
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Larry Dering


From:
Missouri, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2015 1:47 pm    
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Karen, It seems we can never get our tone dialed in when under pressure. It's Murphy's law I guess. Been there and done that. You are a good soldier to press on and make the best of it. I am betting you did better than you think. Cheers!
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Jason Duguay


From:
Massachusetts, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2015 1:51 pm    
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I hear ya Karen, bad show's are the worst. Sometimes all the practice and preparation amounts to a hill of beans. I often think the phrase "no plan survives contact with the enemy" was referring to incompetent sound guys and broken monitors.
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Jerome Hawkes


From:
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2015 2:19 pm    
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coming from someone who has played their fair share of bad shows...something i read once from Chet Atkins - YOU (mostly) are the only person who knows what you intended to play.. we were doing a gig of all new songs at a swank theater last week and i was bummed that we stumbled thru them and i hadn't really gotten them down yet. but the response from the crowd was great - if you aren't playing really known tunes, they never know the difference
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Paddy Long


From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2015 3:06 pm    
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I always come home from Dallas inspired -- there is such a melting pot of great players and playing going on that the first thing I do when I get home - once the jetlag has subsided, is to hit my steel seat and get to work Very Happy
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