from mpbrockman

So, 5.12.12 was our second stab at the Rock Opera. Definitely getting more comfortable and added a new trick. This time it was programming some bass lines into the drum machine that I could punch in and out without the drums stopping. It was cool because I could make more use of the electric guitar, then punch off the drum machine bass and switch back to the keyboards, then do it again – all in the same song. Kinda cool. More options.

I’d still like to find that surgeon who will graft a second pair of arms on tho’. I’d be able to play more things – and if that didn’t work out so well, maybe I could move to India and be worshipped or something.

Blasphemy!!! In some quarters anyway. What else is new around here?

I’m not sure what it is about this show that really gets people out of their shell. In our first show Kim C. came out like gangbusters. This time it was Lindsey R. really stepping up her game. A diminutive, fairly soft spoken woman just owned the place. It was really cool to watch. I hope we’re going to see more of this kind of thing. Maybe it’s Kacey and our narrators (Jordan M. in week 1 and Aden K. in week two) just throwing improvisors to the wolves so they have to step up – or maybe it’s just the rock opera vibe.

(Or maybe it’s because I’ve threatened everyone with stopping the show in its tracks and calling people out if they go mouse and don’t project. Bad Michael…)

It was also really nice to have a packed house. Our first week we were at about two thirds. Whether it’s due to word-of-mouth or just the fact that the weekend of 5.5 had so many things going on in Austin, it was really nice to have sold out early online.

A link to the show is online under the “Live Performance” tab above under “Improv”. Enjoy as “Dolly from Cheyenne” saves the day by being the only person to realize that if everyone is in the labor camp – then no-one can be guarding them. So why not just leave?

Thanks: to Ron, Matthew, Lisa, Jackie and Malory for remembering without prompting. You know why and what.

Happy: the Rock Opera opening seemed to go well. It was a little difficult for me since I had two keyboards, a synth module, a guitar and a drum machine all to contend with at once to pull off my one-man-band act. Unfortunately, it took some of my attention away from the stage; and if you’ve read my series on improv musicianship, you know how I feel about this. I missed some of what was happening on the stage while wrestling with gear. I don’t think it was blatantly obvious, but I didn’t feel as well-connected with the other performers as usual. The  performers themselves were fantastic (from what I saw), and judging by the audience reaction the show worked nicely. Thanks Kacey, Jordan, Peter, Kim, Lindsey, Marc, Jason F. and Jason V. for being awesome. It’s only going to get better from here.

BTW – damn Kimberley, way to come out of your shell!

Bittersweet: this is my first post as a 45-year old. 45 isn’t bad in itself; I’m healthy and probably in my prime as a musician, writer, performer and thinker. With the exception of a few not atypical neuroses I’m as self-aware, serene and confident as I’ve ever been and I get closer to the person I imagined I’d become every day. However, there is an unavoidable awareness that grows stronger with each milestone that there are more years behind me than there are in front. I’m not going to dwell on this, but I can’t help but be a bit reflective. The combination of memories good and bad and looking forward to the (ever-shortening) future with all it has in store makes for a bittersweet feeling as another year passes.

But lest I cross from bittersweet to maudlin, let me share something I firmly believe. He/she who dies with the most interesting set of memories wins. I’m doing nicely in that department. Thank you and good night.

Oops, broke my rule about not writing about my personal life. Live with it.

Oh – note to self  – going to a party for a friend turning 21 probably isn’t good therapy if you’re feeling a bit, uh, mature.

OK – I’ve posted this everywhere else. Let’s just get it out of the way now…

Awwww... (I really like her longer hair)

Yep. That’s me and Laura Hall – the improv musician from “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” & leader of the band “The Sweet Potatoes”. We got to play a show together last Saturday.  She played keys, acoustic guitar and accordion (she also plays a mean ukelele – really, it was very rude to me…) I played keys, electric guitar, bass and ran a drum machine ( I also pulled out a slide whistle at one point). She was a great player and a lovely person. I’m truly glad to have met her.

However, on to the show. Dear me, it was a riot. We had improvisors playing singing icons: Sinatra, Axl Rose, Tori Amos, Bjork, Bob Dylan, Gaga, Robert Smith and yours truly as Michael McDonald (did I forget anyone?) We did some solo songs and then started in with the duets and mashups. That’s when it really got over-the-top weird. Bjork and Sinatra? I even got into the act improvising a song with Bob Dylan ostensibly about the metric system that somehow ended up being mostly about pot. We ended with a big “We Are the World” number (everybody join in – “…to be, or not to be, that is the question…“.

Hmmm… some favorite bits:

• Axl staring fixedly at Gaga’s butt with a cigarette quivering in this mouth.
• Gaga’s outfit which made Axl’s reaction actually seem understated.
• Tori audibly overdrawing every breath – just like the real Tori!
• Bjork’s bear hat. Actually, Bjork in general – just way weird.
• Having to fight the urge to hug Robert Smith (and keep him away from sharp objects).
• Trying to get Dylan to end songs.
• Sinatra’s pure smooth (MT – you nailed it). Speaking of which…

Me, Laura and ol' Blue Eyes (not necessarily in that order)

There was probably a lot in this show I missed. The audience was in hysterics, but I was so busy trying to keep my instruments, styles and communication with Laura going that I was a little too absorbed to catch every bit happening onstage.

HOWEVER, I can nearly guarantee this will happen again. It was too cool. We may even take this one out to some festivals. Coming soon to a theater near you??? Could happen.

I just got home a bit ago from the “Campfire Songs” debut. The concept is simple enough – a few people on a camping trip gathered around a fire at night telling each other stories. Instead of stories, however, we improvise songs. There was much banter and general silliness as well.

Our opening song ended up being something called “Just the Tip”. No, really, it was about waiting tables… 

Needless to say, I had a blast doing it and I hope it finds some sort of semi-regular home. The cast (Aden K., Jordan M., Jason V., Peter R., and Amber F.) were terrific. I was in it too.

This makes my little devious mind want to invent some more musical formats. Hell, we’ve got the talent to burn here in Austin and I love to do this sort of thing. More musical improv! We shall achieve world domination and bring peace throughout the land.

And to think it started a couple of weeks ago as an exercise I came up with for the Rock Opera group. Ha… who knew?

I think we may have gotten it (or at least a portion thereof) on video. Should it turn out to be worthy of sharing, I shall upload it to Vimeo and post a link here on PRD.

Peter Rogers to the rescue! See link in comments below or under the “Live Performance” tab in “Improv” above.

Yay! I am happy. Thanks to the cast (again) and to the always lovely folks at the Hideout Theatre for letting us test drive this on their stage.

Here’s my official Rock Opera photo. Do I look like I’m out to impale someone or what? Also, it’s much harder than you think to look tough with an acoustic guitar. Could be worse – I could be a flautist.

All fun & games until somebody loses an eye

And hey folks, we’re opening this baby 5.5.12! See my Performance Calendar (up and to the right, up and to the right…)

The poster for the Rock Opera is done. Thank you to the incredible Kaci Beeler for making this. Oh, and in case you can’t tell under all that hair that’s Kacey Samiee. My co-conspirator in this project. You can find another copy of this poster, read about the show and buy tickets here.

This is just too cool

Photograph by Jon Bolden. All rights reserved by the Hideout Theatre 2012, without whose permission I am posting this. As with Valerie’s striptease lyrics, let’s hope no-one is feeling litigious.

Somehow I feel like this is all I did in December in Sint Maarten. Between the pure physicality of this gig, the fact that they’re still raising noisy (and incredibly stupid) chickens in the bungalow next to mine for cockfighting (see SXM posts from July ‘11) and the proclivity of the lady who lives in the other half of the bungalow to break into Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” at 430A or stand in the courtyard and loudly lament that her dogs have gotten out again – it’s impossible to get properly rested.

Interesting note. After working in tiny Virgin Gorda for a month, flying into SXM seemed like landing in Vegas. I remember when I was there in July ‘11 it seemed like such a small place. It’s all a matter of perspective.

The Red Piano is a great club and the staff is very pleasant; but outside of one trip to the French side of the island to see more casinos and strip joints and one trip to poke around in Phillipsburg (yup, more of the same) I really didn’t get out much. It’s a shame I don’t enjoy gambling or staring at women with low self esteem. I spent the month just trying to stay healthy and strong enough to perform.

Turns out I failed at that too. My voice started going around the holidays. Believe it or not I have never once in my life had a sinus infection. When my voice started to go south I was terrified that I was frying my vocal chords. I was coughing up little bits of blood and I was having nightmares about nodes and other vocal career killers. Never once did it occur to me that it might simply be the result of post-nasal drip from a sinus infection irritating my throat. I had no sinus-type headaches or any other telltales, but once I got back to Austin the doctor took about three minutes to figure it out. Why I didn’t just go see a doctor in SXM I’m not sure. Maybe I was afraid he/she would tell me something awful.

Also, hey – you folks from Allentown, Pennsylvania – bring it down a few notches. I’ll only play that song once (maybe twice) a night, and loud demands don’t make me feel like playing much of anything you want. Some friendly advice for future reference. 

Anyway, here is the poster they made of me in all my glory. Note the UT shirt!

I wonder what I'm playing?

They also shot a lot of webcam video of me here. If I ever find the time I’ll edit some of the high points together and post it.

Sorry to have dropped off the grid for a bit. Illness and some issues with WordPress threw me off. However, I’m back! So Let’s finish this Virgin Gorda thing shall we?

You’ll also have to excuse me if some of these last few pix are a little funky. They were taken from a fast moving and bouncy boat taking me from Virgin Gorda back to Beef Island where I was to catch my flight to Sint Maarten.

This first was taken while pulling out of the Virgin Gorda harbor. You’ll note the flags and the palm tree that I got the nice sunset shot of from the other side at the end of my post about the Baths.

Bye! snif...

These next two were my attempt to catch a good view of the island chain leading from V.G. towards Tortola. From left to right you see Coppermine Point (on V.G.), Fallen Jerusalem, what look like a few tiny rocks which are actually the “island” known as Broken Jerusalem, Round Rock and Ginger Islands. It’s a shame you can’t see Broken Jerusalem more clearly. I kept waiting for the boat to go uphill a little bit so I could get a better view but oddly, it never did. You can actually see Broken Jerusalem better in the shots from earlier posts that I took from higher vantage points. Try looking at the “Assault On Gorda Peak” post.

I was hanging on for...

dear life while taking these

Here I’m looking back at Virgin Gorda one last time. To the right, Spanish Town; one of the little white dots towards the left is where my apartment was.

Again... snif...

This last shot was taken as we pulled into the Beef Island harbor (where the airport is). To the right of center you can see the airport control tower. To the extreme right is a bit of Road Town.

Off again yet again

I made my flight with a minimum of difficulty, although I carry a plastic bag full of Darjeeling tea that they opened and sniffed carefully. I must admit, it looks pretty suspicious.

Interesting fact: you have to pay a 25USD “departure tax”. Yes, you must pay to leave BVI. Weird. What happens if you don’t have $25? Do they deport you?

I flew with a Caribbean airline called Liat. My research on them had indicated that their safety record was excellent but that they ran on “island time” . However, my experience with them was fine. We were on schedule and it took all of 40 minutes to reach Sint Maarten. I wish I could have taken pix from the plane since when we took off we swung north up over Virgin Gorda and I could look down on everywhere I’d been from but a few hundred feet up. I didn’t realize how short the flight would actually be until we started descent for SXM and I could still see Anegada behind us.

In all honesty, while I have enjoyed aspects of most of my Caribbean jaunts. Virgin Gorda has a special place in my heart. Something about that gig/island/people really struck a chord with me. I hope to return soon and I heartily recommend it as a vacation spot for those who wish to actually relax rather than have a “Girls Gone Wild-party your a** off-I can’t remember half of what I did” kind of time.

Time may bring more perspective; but I suspect I will remember this as one of the most carefree and enjoyable months of my life.

First: this really made me wonder…

Is Grandma not friendly?

Second: Any place where the standard license plate has four characters has my wholehearted approval. This was on my jeep.

Do you need a mnemonic for this?

OK – here are a couple of obligatory shots of my nightly perch at The Rock. BTW – I always try to be as polite as possible to some of my less musically educated customers. I’m used to having people getting Billy Joel and Elton John mixed up by now (yes, I regularly get requests for “Piano Man” by Elton John – the list goes on). Nevertheless, when a woman I’d have placed in her late thirties came up and looked at the photo over my head and asked, “Is that Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young?” I literally did a spit take to rival anything Danny Thomas ever did.

Front...

side...exciting! And purple, very purple

This last started out to be a joke shot. I was going to trim it down to just the “All Toys $1.00” sign and caption it; So, how ‘bout that Xbox. Only after uploading it to my computer did I see my own reflection, the fluorescent lights inside and the reflection of “Rosy’s House and Home” (located next to “Rosy’s Groceries” where I regularly shopped) that suddenly this picture took on several layers of meaning for me. I have left it as is – a nice little multifaceted moment in time.

PS3?

OK, it’s really not that exciting. What ended up happening on my last night on Virgin Gorda was that I went down to Coppermine Point after my show to watch the stars as I’d done several times before. The difference on this night was that I fired up some music in my car (“Flight of the Conchords” – if you must know), aaaaaaand… I drained my battery.

Aaaaaugh! Have I typed enough “a’s” yet?

Picture if you will, my little self stranded at about 300A, without hope of recharge until 900A or so, and a flight to catch at 100P. I made my way to a friend’s house and apologetically settled myself on the futon to await the hour when my vehicle might be resurrected.

Well… it was actually slightly more adventurous (criminal?). My friend and I tried to, uh, borrow one or two cars along the way – no-one locks their cars here – so, y’know, we checked a few for the magic combination of keys in the ignition/cupholders/sunshades and jumper cables. No luck. One wonders – if we had found them – would we have gotten away with a brief hijack/joyride? Probably so.

V.G.P.D. – NO EVIDENCE HERE!

BTW folks, from what I understand, there are all of four police cars on all of Virgin Gorda. I am also given to understand that the major infraction here is failure to wear a seat belt.

Really?  I know I’m digressing but – just out of curiosity – does anyone on this isla… actually, any Caribbean island drive sober after oh… noon? That’s not necessarily a criticism. I’m not seeing people being hauled out of 90-MPH wrecks in pieces around here. There’s just a lot of… creative driving. One may also safely take the term “bumpers” as literally as one wishes and still be, terminologically and legally, on safe ground.

Digression over!

I know that my dear readers prefer pictures over my scintillating narrative so here we go. These pictures were taken as I trudged from my friend’s house (and a restless night on the futon) back to Coppermine and my vehicle to meet with the towing company guy. First up, Fallen Jerusalem. It does indeed look like a destroyed city from here. (Thanks to LGH for artfully editing out the power lines.)

My apologies to Cristobal

Just a little farther down the road, and looking in the other direction; a view back towards Gorda Peak.

Yah, been on top of that

There’s still a boat ride and some odds and ends left to go. Stay tuned…