A lot of times when I talk about the stuff I own, I hardly ever use the possessive
“my” or “mine”. Like when I talk about basses, they are rarely ever called “my basses”, but rather “the basses I use”. I’m
not entirely certain why these non-possessive phrases pop out of my mouth, but I don’t typically feel ownership of many of
the items around me. If I sale a bass, is it still “my” bass? When I die, will the stuff I had still be my stuff? So when
is it really ever mine?
Maybe I just wore too many hand-me-downs as a kid (I’ve got two older brothers),
so a lot of times the clothes on my back belonged to two other dudes before they made their way to me. Perhaps it was the
libraries I’d frequent as a youth. I’d see the names of all the folks who read the books before me on a little card inside
the front cover of each book, so in my mind the books didn’t really belong to any of us...neither did the knowledge in those
books for that matter. Anyway, where all this spawns from, who knows?
To get to my point, when I talk about the car I use, I say, “my car”. It’s a
blue ’89 Volvo 240 Wagon. Folks who know me, know I love this car. It’s a hand-me-down, too, as I am the third owner. Although
I’m certain it has been called many things, I mostly refer to it as the “Blue Dream”. The Blue Dream has taken me and my gear
(and the occasional passenger) across this country many times. A few of those times were coast to coast runs. How cool is
that? Thanks, Blue Dream.
This latest trip was for a one off gig in the cool town of Chapel Hill, North
Carolina. I played the super hip Caffe Driade (www.caffedriade.com). This place is aptly named. It sits on the edge of a wood that has a main hiking trail running through
it. The stage itself is outside underneath great big oaks, birches, and tulip poplars. I really dug it.
Cindy, Loki (our Chihuahua), and I arrived early and hung out at the hotel for a
while before leaving (sans Loki) to set up for the show. As soon as we made it to the venue, our good friend Katherine met
us in the parking lot. We don’t get to see Katherine often as she moves around a lot with her military husband, Jon. It
was great to see her, hear her laughing, and catch up.
As I finished loading in my gear, I noticed someone pulling in with a Volvo sedan
about as old as my wagon. We chatted a bit about how great older Volvos are and how relatively easy they are to repair. Turns
out he (John is his name) is a musician, too, and is acquainted with Robert Sledge of Ben Folds Five fame. I let him check
out both Jerzy Drozd basses I had with me before I started my set. It’s neat watching folks flip out with they check out a
Jerzy.
As I began playing my first set, more folks showed up. Our friends Eva and her
sis Mari showed up and they brought a lot of groovie friends. I was having fun playing even though I was having a bit of trouble
dialing in a good sound. That’s one of the signs that I’ve been light on the gigs lately, but it didn’t spoil the evening.
I do think my envelope filter sound bothered a nearby cardinal as he kept peeping an alert call during my second tune. The
weather was mostly great with only a few sprinkles falling here and there. As it grew darker outside though, centipedes crawled
out of cracks in the stage and stormed my pedal board. My electronics must have been sending out some mating call or something.
They were determined little buggers, but I don’t think any successfully impregnated my pedals. I'll guess we'll know for sure
in nine months 
.
I played until it was too dark to see my bass neck and the mistakes were getting
more and more obvious. That meant I had to cut my second set way short, but I still think folks had a fun time. Next time
I’ll just bring a lamp or something so I can keep going. The staff at the venue was wonderful and the food and drink was lovely.
If you’re in the area, drop by and try their Gunpowder Green tea. Yum times two. Thanks Caffe Driade for having me out!
The next day we went to Eva and (her husband) Brandon’s home in Rougemont to hang
for a bit and to finally meet they’re 11 month old son, Logan. What a happy and cool kid Logan is and Eva and Brandon are
great parents. If it ever comes time for Cindy and me to start a family, I hope we can follow their example. We had a fun
day. Some of the highlights were playing with Logan and the dogs, identifying trees in their woods with Brandon, talking about
composting, and failing over and over at trying to start a one match fire. As to that last one, it was determined that when
the apocalypse happens, I will need a lot of lighter fluid. Anyway, thanks Eva and Brandon for letting us crash at your place
and play with your kid. By the way, Brandon is a phenomenal musician and composer. Check out www.myspace.com/thewallpaperthieves and be amazed.
Okay, I’m home for a bit this week doing a spot of teaching at Chicago Joes Rock
and Blues Camp (www.rockandbluescamp.com) and more than likely working on “my” car. On Friday, June 19th, I’ll be in Louisville at
Sunergos Coffee (www.sunergoscoffee.com). Please drop in if you’re in the area!
