"MYSTERY BAND REVIEW #3"
This was a 4-person band, booked for 3 nights in a row. The leader of the band was a
man named Todd. He played guitar and sang. There was a female vocalist named Mernie,
who played several accompaniment percussion instruments (Bongos, Conga, Tambourine,
some shakers, etc.) at various times during the performance. The drummer was a guy
who preferred to be called simply "T.". I didn't get the name of the man
who was playing the bass guitar. He also sang lead vocals for several of the songs
the band performed during the weekend; a good voice.
Todd, the leader of the band, was a virtuoso guitar player - one of the breed that never
studied formal music theory, chords, etc. He plays strictly by ear, memory, and musical
sensibilities - and, is able to use those natural talents to create whatever he needs on
the spot (if he encounters something he doesn't already have memorized). His vocal work
wasn't exceptional. He had a good voice; on pitch, etc., but whenever he was singing, he
was also playing guitar - and, that guitar work overshadowed the voice, demanding that
the listener pay attention to it (instead of the voice). Most of the time, his guitar-playing
style seemed to be in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan (sp?), even when playing the kind of
old cover songs most dance gigs require of bands. This isn't a heavy detraction, but it
indicates an area in which Todd could potentially grow as a musician; i.e., the acquisition
of other styles. Todd's masterwork is the title track off his new CD, titled "Cherokee
Passion". It took him all weekend to get around to playing it, but when he did - WOW!!!
It was worth the wait. If I wasn't such a pauper, I'd have shelled out the $10.00 to buy his
CD, on the spot. I didn't get the Stevie Ray impression when he played it, either - it was
entirely Todd, and a real gift of spirit.
The female vocalist & percussion person, Mernie, was a cutie - a medium height woman
with curvy build and long blond hair. She could sing suitably for either metal rock or
electric blues genres, and her vocal work was very good; just a smidgen below excellent.
Her percussion work was strictly accompaniment; nothing to write home about. It fit the
music when she did it, but without really standing out in any way; i.e., it didn't strike
me as being either exceptional or not up to par - it was just there. I spent some
time talking with Mernie each of the 3 nights, but didn't really learn much about her via
what she said during those times. I learned much more via deduction and observation, when
combined with conversational tidbits I overheard. (When I say "overheard", it's
because the stuff was said right in front of me w/o being addressed specifically to me.)
After the 1st night, I went home feeling
hopeful, having finally made contact with a female musician. Feeling inspired, I wrote a
song for/about her. I gave it to her the 2nd night; learned that I'd misspelled her name
A.T.T. Revised/corrected it, and gave her the fixed copy the 3rd night. The reality is,
though, that to her I was simply a passing curiousity; intriguing, but unworthy of seeking
any lasting connection. All that is just window-dressing, though. The benefit for me, is
that her presence was useful as an inspirational item; helped me create a new song (titled
"Mernie"). I intend to post a copy of the lyrics and chords here at the website,
sooner or later,...
The drummer, "T", seemed like a real nice guy, despite the biker outfit, extensive
tattoos, and multiple piercings. He gave me his business card with website address, before
that last night was over. I visited it, and was both impressed and puzzled. He seems to have
a successful recording studio business going, with an extensive list of clientele. Quite
impressive. Search as I did, though, I couldn't find any mention whatsoever of the band I saw
him drumming for during the weekend of July 29, 30, & 31st, 2005. I checked out his links,
and same thing - no mention. Puzzling. His actual drum-work during the show was very good -
good enough, that I felt inspired to actually tap out a complex beat to go along with what
he was doing, instead of simply tapping to keep time while I watch, the way I usually do.
If I was backed into a corner and forced to come up with some way in which he could improve,
I'd be hard pressed to come up with anything useful.
If the bass guitar guy ever reads this Mystery Band Review page, I'm going to feel rather abashed.
I really don't have much to say about him. It's not that he wasn't good enough to stand out as
exceptional - it's just that I was preoccupied between the lead guitar work of Todd and the
interesting points of Mernie. He was a good guitar player, and a good vocalist - but, I guess I
can only really take in so much at once, and he ended up being slighted. Hopefully, he'll either
never discover that I didn't pay enough attention to him, or he'll accept my earnest apologies.
Before I finish off this Mystery Band Review, I need to examine an issue that really bothers me.
It involves Mernie. My conclusion, is that she's a feminist. Some of you might not think this is
a bad thing, or even musically relevant - but, I consider it to be both. As I once heard said,
"It's all in the details,..." After watching her the 1st night, I wondered whether or
not she was pregnant; a slight bulging of the abdomen. Later, she mentioned phoning to check on
her daughter; to talk w/ the babysitter. Even later, I heard a woman say how cute the two year
old kid was, when seen in the hallway of the hotel. I overheard Mernie mention at one point, that
they'd been on the road, on tour, for 14 months straight. Before giving Mernie her song, I'd asked
Todd is she was "married, or anything", as a safeguard to avoid doing something improper.
He told me "no". The detail I don't know, is at what point Mernie joined the band. My
guess is that she joined after the kid was born. Any other option would have had her performing
the raucous heavy metal & screeching blues songs on stage while overly pregnant; a risk to her
baby's safety - or, leaving the band for a period to go have the kid, and then returning. Re. the
abdominal bulge: Either she's pregnant again, or she's one of those women who gain that bulge and
never lose it after being pregnant. The important question, re. the kid's welfare, is where's the
father? There are really only a limited number of possibilities, re. that, and they fall into one
or the other of two categories; either the father was there at the hotel with the band, or he wasn't.
If the father was there, then Mernie hid the fact, and nobody else was willing to make mention of
it in conversations. If the father was not there, then the kid is effectively fatherless, being
dragged from hotel to hotel while the band tours. Either way, Mernie considers the kid's father as
being unimportant; either unworthy of mention, or unworthy of access to his kid; lacking anything
of value which the child could acquire. It takes a devoted feminist, to devalue fatherhood to the
point of worthlessness. There's the possibility that Mernie's a widow,... that would explain a lot.
Other evidence tells me that's not the case, though. If she's not a card-carrying member of the
radical extremists organization, N.O.W., I'd be surprised. There was a song which both she and Todd
announced as being "her theme song". I think (but aren't sure) the title was "Bitch".
During performance of that song on the 3rd night of the gig, Mernie left the stage with her cordless mic
and ran around in the bar while she sang. At one point she ad-libbed, calling out, "Ladies, you can
be anything you want! You can do anything you want!" Very quickly after that, she was
standing on top of one of the tall stools, finishing the song. Is there any doubt about this? She had at
hand the venue for disperal of the propaganda - a captivated audience, watching her prance around among
them, singing. She took the opportunity to dispense the feminazi message. Not only can they be
anything they want, regardless of how it impacts the welfare of others in society around them, but
they can do anything they want, regardless of who gets hurt. From the stage, Todd talked
into his microphone. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it ended up in some comment involving
the fact that Mernie still had her clothes on. Mernie, who'd reluctantly come down off her soap box
bar stool, made a comment back to him re. sexual harassment in the workplace. Again, is there any
doubt? Mernie, as a ferile feminist, carries with her a well-stocked virtual suitcase of nasty tricks
and power tools designed for injuring the well-being of men. Everybody knows that the feminazis
control all the court rooms and legislatures in the land - and, men have no Constitutional Rights
if a cross-gender conflict arises. When she made her comment re. sexual harassment in the workplace,
Mernie was flashing a glimpse of her weaponry at Todd, to cow him into submission.
What business is all this of mine? It doesn't really affect me much; it's just a bunch of stuff I
witnessed, and what my eventual conclusions were. I included it into this Mystery Band Review as
an item of social responsibility. Mernie's not unique at all in her feminism; in fact, women like
her are commonplace to the point of being more common than not. The majority of women in our
society have this sickness, to some degree; brain-washed to become devotees of power-mongering
gender divisionists. They consider fathers to be disposable; sperm donors, at best; targets for
violating, if possible. I would never knowingly vote for, hire, aid, or abet a feminist.
Never. I feel sorry for Todd. He's got that feminazi axe hanging over his head now,... If
I could give him advice, I'd tell him to give Mernie the boot, but not mention any of the
real reasons why. Instead, claiming some musical reason like her pitch is off, or she makes him
nervous enough that he can't play right, or she was late for a gig, or that he's decided to take
the band's music in a new direction and a female vocalist simply won't fit in. (Actually, that
last idea is probably the best.) Anything at all, except things a well-versed feminazi
could turn into ammunition in a court room. The alternative to giving her the boot, will be to
let her end up controlling the band. And, possibly be taken into court when the whim strikes her
as being fun, on a charge of sexual harassment for some minor comment made during a gig. That's
guaranteed to be expensive - in several different ways; reputation, money savings, future income;
maybe even imprisonment, if they decide it would be convenient to present a public example for
P.R. purposes. So, yeah, I'd advise Todd to take the band's music in a different direction than
it's currently going. That is, if I ever talk to him again.
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