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"SCRUFFY EAGLE"
2006 MUSIC DIARY NOTES ARCHIVE
Copyright (C) 2006 thru 2009, by: scruffyeagle.com
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----- JANUARY, 2006 -----
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----- Sunday, 01/29/06 -----
My mother, who is much more tuned into the events & activities of this world
than I am, showed me an article tonight which she found in the local newpaper. There
will be a fiddlers' Jambouree on Feb. 11th at a location a little bit west of
Rhinelander, WI. It will include a contest, open to all, for demonstration of fiddling skills.
Those who enter the contest won't be required to shell out the $12.00 of admission fee for
attending the Jambouree. I've only been working on learning the viola for about 4(+/-?) months
now; self-taught, and never played in public,... But, at the moment I'm leaning toward showing
up and entering the contest. Those who "compete" will be required to do two
tunes. One should be something like a waltz (or another form they specified, which I didn't
recognize and can't remember the name of at the moment). The other should be some type of ethnic
fiddling like Cajun, Appalachian, Scandinavian, etc. I wonder if they'd consider Blues to be ethnic?
Probably not, unless it was in some definite ethnic style such as (perhaps) New Orleans Blues.
The article didn't say people couldn't play off sheet music, so I should do some shopping and
try to find a couple of suitable and simple pieces to learn for the event. There's no
question at all, that I wouldn't win any such contest, even when pitted against 1st graders -
but, participating results in receiving the equivalent of a payment of $12.00 - the admission fee.
I'd get to watch experienced fiddlers plying their trade, and perhaps pick up some knowledge
via close observation; knowledge I could later apply in my self-teaching endeavor. I'd be in
the proximity of other musicians for at least two hours (the duration of the contest), and maybe
longer. There's the chance I'd make some connections which could result in jam &/or practice
sessions in the future; i.e., I might meet people who could skillfully play fiddle to accompany me
while I play guitar & sing (or accompany them using bongos). The only real cost I can see
at the moment, re. me entering the contest, is perhaps a loss of dignity at my pitiful performance
and the approx. $10.00 of gasoline to get back & forth. The real stumbling block, is can I
find suitable material to perform, quickly enough to have at least a couple of days to practice it
before the contest?
I've made a friend, during my evenings watching the music at the LVD Casino. He's told me couple of
times that he's always wished he'd learned to play guitar. Friday evening, I made an offer to him:
If he's willing to invest the money to get a minimal set of equipment (guitar, case, stand, tuner,
and metronome), and is willing to spend time practicing, I'd be willing to take the time to teach
him. He seemed to think this was a great idea, and told me he's probably going to be going near a
music shop within the next week - and, might buy a guitar while there. I tried to share with him
a bit of the knowledge I apply when guitar shopping, re. selecting a good instrument. Maybe it will
help? I told him I'd bring the musiciansfriend.com catalog up there for him to browse, since they
have such great deals and I've come to trust them as people to do business with. Unfortunately,
it began snowing around 6 PM Saturday evening; we got dumped on with about 3 inches of snow by 10 PM,
and that put an end to my travel plans for the night. I'm simply not willing to drive 30 miles through
the U.P. woods in the dead of night under such conditions. I'll bring it with me when I go up there
next weekend, and he can look at it then.
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----- FEBRUARY, 2006 -----
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----- Sunday, 02/05/06 -----
Many years ago, there was an evening when Garret Derner, Rich Simmel, and I were gathered in my
mother's dining room in Highland Park, IL, having a little impromptu jam & beer session. Garret
had his beautiful hollowbody Gibson guitar, I had a cheap pair of bongos, and Richie had a harmonica.
Garret reached deep down into that seemingly bottomless pit of songs, and brought out one he told us
was something slaves used to sing in the cotton fields. I don't remember if it had any particular
title, but I still remember the lyrics. They were simple, and once you reached the end of a set it
simply repeated - endlessly. They went like this: "You gotta jump down, get around, and pick
a bail of cotton. Jump down, get around, and pick a bail of hay. Jump down, get around, pick a bail
of cotton. Jump down, get around, and pick a bail of hay. Oh, Lordie! Pick a bail of cotton. Oh,
Lordie! Pick a bail of hay. Oh, Lordie! Pick a bail of cotton. Oh, Lordie! Pick a bail of hay."
At which point, it would start over again. I don't know precisely how long we did this song, in
our half-inebriated state; but, it was long enough that the lyrics and melody are indelibly imprinted
into my memory; clear and fresh, 20 years later. I bring all this up, because it seems an apt piece
to use as material for the "ethnic" piece requirement of the fiddling contest at the
Jambouree I'm thinking of attending on February 11th. All I need to do, is work out the notes on
the viola, and presto! I'll have a piece for the contest, virtually guaranteed that nobody else
will have the intention of doing the same song.
My friend at the LVD Casino is still interested in learning guitar. I managed to get the
musiciansfriend.com catalog to him this weekend, and I think he's going to buy a guitar
and the basic set of equipment I've recommended (guitar, case, tuner/metronome, guitar strap, and
guitar stand). Once he's got that stuff, I'll help him set up the guitar for use (tuning, bridge
adjustment, etc.) and begin teaching him to play.
I received some info recently, that my daughter Eileen (who was kidnapped by her mother using
a perjurous Order Of Protection as a weapon with threat of deadly force) has made great progress
on Baritone. I'm not entirely sure what a Baritone is, but I'm about 99% certain it's in the
lip-reed horn family. The reason I think that, is that my mother told me that Eileen's teacher
thinks that Eileen has done so well, that the teacher intends to have Eileen change instruments
to play Tuba next year. I'm also not sure at the moment, whether Eileen's musical progress has
been achieved in a band or orchestra setting. It's a shame that Eileen's psychotic mother was
successful kidnapping her with the help of civil court, DCFS, and the Highland Park Police. I
consider it beyond argument that whatever progress Eileen has made, her progress and achievement
would have been greater if she hadn't been deprived of my presence in her life as a fundamental
developmental resource; i.e., having access to her musician father and musician grandmother,
both present in her life, would have accelerated her musical progress. The day will come, when
she learns exactly how and in what way she was robbed by her mother - what whims were being
pandered to, for the sake of fulfilling a tingling in her restless mother's crotch. I still
possess all the evidence. Am I proud of Eileen for her musical accomplishment? If I knew her,
I probably would be. As it is, she was kidnapped from me over 5 years ago and I haven't had any
contact at all with her since. I don't know her, and that's a truly bloody feather on her mother's
bonnet, isn't it? I'm sure her mother's feminazi lesbian friends & counselors, and psychotic
home-invader live-in boyfriend approve whole-heartedly.
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----- Saturday, 02/18/06 -----
02:49 AM:
A little updating here,... On Friday evening, the night before the White Pines
Jamboree & Fiddle Contest, I was tightening up the bow of my viola with the
intention of applying rosin. I'd only tightened it up a little bit, when all
tension suddenly went away. Investigating the mystery, I found that the threads
(in a guide ring mounted on the sliding piece) inside the bow had stripped away
completely. The ring now slid freely over the surface of the tensioning adjustment
screw. My practice session was abruptly aborted. Later that night, before bed, I
spent about an hour wrestling with various ideas re. method of making the bow usable
(IF it came down to that).
The next day, Saturday, I got up early. I made several phone calls, trying to find
someplace to buy a replacement bow or have my current bow fixed on the spot. No dice.
There simply wasn't time to replace or fix my bow - that left my only option being to
attempt to fix it into a usable condition. So, I used a little Yankee ingenuity to
fashion a strap/sling affair that would go over the screw end of the bow and loop over
the sliding piece, so the sliding piece could be sinched and bound holding tension. It
was really only half successful, really. The bow held the tension and became barely usable,
but it wasn't enough tension to be able to play in a normal manner. I put the bow away in
the case, still bound. It took so long to create the sling/strap, that I didn't have any
time to actually practice to accustom myself to the result!
Once I had the bow holding some tension, I borrowed my mother's car and headed south. I
was bound and determined to attend that Jamboree - it was a rare opportunity to be around
other musicians. I had to play, because contesting was my ticket in the door; not
"competing", it would have cost $12.00 to get in. So, I went there and
gave it my best. It was a truly pitiful performance, trying to play with that broken
bow, and no time to adjust myself to the new (substandard) tension level. The waltz
I had in mind, "Try To Remember" just wouldn't work with the bow in that
condition. I discovered that, on stage. Skipping trying to play it, I moved to the
"ethnic" piece. I sang a round of the lyrics for the crowd, just in case
the bow wouldn't work for the 2nd piece either; my reasoning was that at least, they
would have received that minimal amount of entertainment when I left the stage,...
Fortunately, I was just barely able to play the ethnic piece with the jury-rigged bow.
When I left the stage, the audience applauded, so I guess it wasn't too horrible(?).
Or, perhaps they simply appreciated the bravado of someone actually attempting to
perform with a broken bow? Either way, I felt it had gone a lot better than it otherwise
might have. It was a good experience for me, attending the event. I got to watch and
listen to several very good violin players, and also see a few on stage who were less
musically skilled than me; i.e., it turned out to be both educational and ego-boosting.
During the next week, I spent several hours window-shopping on eBay. I came to the
conclusion that the best option available to me, would be to try to purchase the type
of instrument I'd already had pegged in my mind as being the type of bowed instrument
to "move up to" once I'd achieved some skill on the viola; a 5-string
electric violin with strings set up to provide a sequence of CGDAE. I found several
that seemed like good choices, and sent an email to one of the sellers questioning re.
upgrading what was being sold to have 5 fine-tuners on the tailpiece instead of the
standard single fine-tuner the instrument was normally being sold with. The seller
replied promptly to me, that he would install 5 of the best on the market for me. All
I needed to do would be to include a note during the purchase process, that I needed
the upgrade. I found a white Julliards 5-String Pro Electric Violin on auction, and
placed a bid. The next day, I received the email notifying me I'd "won" the
item and needed to complete the transaction via paying the seller. I did that fairly
promptly. There was a minor glitch in the process, in my PayPal shipping address; it
was stating "scruffyeagle.com" as the receiver at the P.O. Box held in my
personal name. I've sent a couple of emails, and tried to straighten it out PayPal's
records, but at this point all I can do is hope it all works out okay to result in
me receiving the item I purchased without confusion or delay. My expectation, is that
if all goes well, then by next Friday I should have my fully functional white Julliards
5-String Pro Electric Violin in hand for practicing on.
I'm still doing the outings to the LVD Casino on the weekends, and this night was an
especially good one. I met Wayne Renn, whose band was playing there, and his pretty
wife. Wayne plays both electric guitar and fiddle on stage (no, not at the same time),
and sings. The band's material is primarily country & western, with a bit of country
rock thrown in. Wayne is the band leader, and the band is named after him. I'd arrived
slightly earlier than is my norm, so I ended up having several
chances to talk with Wayne as the evening progressed. He's talented, intelligent, emotionally
stable, and a really nice guy. His wife was very much the same - the kind of people I really
appreciate knowing. After the last set of the evening, Wayne and I went and sat in the
lobby of the hotel portion of the building. Wayne brought his electric guitar from the
stage, to hear me play - so I did (unplugged). I played and sang "A Token Of My Love",
"Knocking On Heaven's Door" (by Bob Dylan), and about half of "Only I Can".
By the time I reached that last song, Wayne wanted to go up to his room where his wife
was waiting; I didn't blame him at all, re. that. He was tired after several hours of
performing, and wanted to go see his honey. I thanked him twice, before we went our
separate ways, for giving me the opportunity to play for him - it's so rare, that I
actually get to play for anyone other than my dog! I intend to go back there for the
Saturday evening performance, and the chance to talk with them (Wayne & his wife) some
more. I also intend on bringing my Dean 6-string electric guitar up with me, to show it to
Wayne and perhaps play a couple of more songs for him (and, of course, anyone else within
hearing distance). I think I'll give a slightly better showing, using the Dean. Wayne has
a fairly nice guitar, but it was a bit too loose for me. What I mean by that, is that Wayne
has his guitar strung with light (extra light?) gage electric guitar strings, and uses a
very light weight pick. I prefer phosphor bronze strings, which give more resistance when
struck. I also prefer a slightly heavier gage pick (usually "medium light"), with
a bit less "flop".
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----- MARCH, 2006 -----
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----- Sunday, 03/12/06 -----
A little updating here,... I did go back to the LVD Casino on Saturday night, and play a little
more guitar with Wayne Renn after the show was over. He let me try out his electric fiddle
(unplugged) - and, I discovered that I would need to adjust to the different scale size when
my violin arrived. By the time I left that night, I'd come to consider Wayne a definite friend.
I'm looking forward to the next time we get together.
The "Julliard Pro 5-string Electric Violin" took an excessively long time to arrive
into my possession. It took over two weeks, instead of the one week (max.) it should have taken.
It was defective in several ways, and I've created a critiquing web page for the sake of others
who might be considering purchasing one.
I'd loaned the Dean Z guitar to my friend Mike, up at the LVD Casino - and, I had the feeling
he wanted to buy it from me. Over a week or two of time, I re-thought my intentions. I decided
that although I had two very good reasons for getting rid of it, I had four really good reasons
for keeping it. So, last night I took the Tradition SG up there and did a switcheroo with Mike.
I took back the Dean Z and lent Mike the Tradition SG. It seems more likely than not, that one
of the ladies who is frequently sitting with us watching the bands will shell out the $200.00
I'm requesting in order to purchase the guitar for Mike as a birthday present (his b-day is soon).
The $200.00 is what I paid, purchasing it. The other $50.00 I invested repairing it is an amount
which I intend to not get recuped - giving myself an object lesson, re. doing business with Rod
at the Hodag Music Store; i.e., never consider doing business with Rod. Before leaving, I made the
acquaintance of a man named "Nick". Nick had seen the goings-on re. the guitars, and admired
both SG & Z. He came and talked with me, re. guitars. I gave him the address of my website, for
him to check out and perhaps send me an email later. We'll probably get together at some point
and do some practice. He told me he's not a very accomplished guitar player - but, that's okay.
If he's willing to practice the things I suggest, and spend the time necessary to get together
and jam, then I'm willing to help him improve. It'll be like free guitar lessons, for him. The
pay-off for me, is that I'll finally have someone in the area I can practice guitar with (!).
I also made a new friend up at the Casino, this weekend; a guy who goes by the name of "Bobby
Vee". (I say "goes by the name of", because I think the "Vee" is a
shortened version of his actual last name which begins with a "V".) He's a really
nice guy, although I don't know many details of his personal life. He has an old "Gretch"
(sp?) hollow-body electric guitar, which is just beautiful. When I went to ask him a few questions
about it during one of the breaks, he took me over to the stage and showed me it up close. There
are autographs on it, from a bunch of people who are icons in the industry; Dick Clark, for example.
He also gave me one of his band's CD's, free of charge despite the fact that they're charging
$10.00. I listened to it the next day (Saturday), and was really impressed. I intend to practice to
it on a regular basis, just in case I'll ever get the chance to sit in with his band on bongos. And,
even if I never get that chance, it'll still be worth doing - it's really good syncopated music. As
a thank-you for the CD, I spent time Saturday creating a cassette tape of my music, copying stuff
from the master CD's I'd created for making the cassette tape for Rich Simmel in March of 2006. I
gave it to him Saturday evening, but I'm fairly sure he didn't listen to it right away - but, at some
point he will. Time will tell, whether he finds himself feeling motivated to send critique/comment to
me.
I've been seeing some real progress, re. recovery from the dental infection, since I developed the
Nutri Biotic mouthwash treatment. I've even begun to hope that in the near future I'll be able to
return to practicing the flute.
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----- Wednesday, 03/15/06 -----
I've brought out the flute twice this week and practiced, and haven't noticed any backsliding
of my dental condition. This is wonderful - perhaps, I can continue and increase both frequency
and duration? We'll see.
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----- Wednesday, 03/22/06 -----
I attended to a chore I'd been putting off, last night - doing some maintenance on my 12-string guitar.
I removed the strings, which were the original set the guitar came with. This was way overdue,
since I've had the guitar for a year and a half; they'd reached a point where half of the surface area
of the strings were discolored and slightly roughened with corrosion. While the strings were off, I
applied 2 layers of "quitar honey" to the fretboard and the bridge, with a light sanding using
ultrafine steel wool in-between layers. This was important, because the guitar hadn't received this
treatment yet (the correct way to do it is with the strings removed - and, I hadn't changed the strings
yet on this instrument!). With that done, I then polished the entire guitar, including neck and headstock
(excluding the bridge and fretboard) with 2 coats of Martin guitar polish. It now has a brilliant mirror
finish. Then came the tedious task of putting the new strings on. I began this lengthy maintenance
process at approx. 9:00 PM, and finished tuning the new strings on the instrument at approx. 5:20 AM.
One thing I became aware of during this process, is that the bridge pins rest way down into the holes;
far enough that the rounded globular upper end has the lower half of the globular section entirely below
the level of the wood. This made it extremely difficult to remove the bridge pins for the sake of
changing the strings. I don't like this. I'm going to start shopping around, and see what I can
find as a replacement set of bridge pins.
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----- APRIL, 2006 -----
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----- Thursday, 04/20/06 -----
This past week was an eventful one, re. musical activities. I performed live
at the LVD Casino, in two entirely different ways. Way number one is easy to
encasulate into a nutshell: I attended a session of the new Karaoke night which
the casino has initiated for Thursdays. The name painted onto the drape the DJ had
hung over his table on stage was "Captain Jack". He had four volumes of
his song list floating around in the bar. Three of them listed the available songs
alphabetically. The fourth (most useful) volume listed the songs by artist,
then by title the artist in question had done. The repertoire seemed to lean
very heavily on the Country & Western genre. I went up on stage and sang 3
songs. I sang "Witchy Woman" by The Eagles, because it was what the
DJ played when I requested "Peaceful Easy Feeling". When the DJ got
it sorted out, I then sang the song I'd really been after. A friend of mine
whose birthday it was requested that I sing a Santanna song, so I did
"Evil Ways". Before the DJ packed up his stuff, I requested that he
obtain some songs by Neil Young, and some stuff by The Doors - especially, the
song "Riders On The Storm". We'll see, next time I get up there,
whether or not he's been able to accomodate my requests.
The 2nd musically significant thing which happened this past weekend, was that I
got the chance to sit in with the band that was performing at the casino. The
band's name was "Mozart's Cadillac". It came about because I was
curious about the setup the lead guitar player was using for amplification;
there was a microphone on a flexible holder, bent so its head was right next to
the surface of an amp's face, toward the rear of the stage. He started describing to me
what he was doing there, and I asked him, "So, you're using that amp as a
pre-amp?". He said yes. I listed, just to be sure: Guitar, plugged into this amp.
This amp going into the microphone. Microphone going into the soundboard across the room.
Sound board sending it to the big amps stacked at the stage corners. He said, yes, and asked
me if I was a musician. I told him yes. Our discussion eventually led to him
offering me (without me asking or prompting) whether I'd like to sit in with the
band. I jumped on the chance, telling him that I'd bring a guitar up for the show
the next, 2nd night of the show.
The 2nd night of the show (Saturday), I showed up about halfway through the evening and
brought with me my Alvarez spruce-top 12-string acoustic guitar. I set it by the
side of the stage, and had a seat in the audience. Shortly thereafter, the band took
a break. I showed a couple of the guys (the lead player and the rhythm guitar player)
the guitar, and strummed a few bars for them, out in the lobby / entrance area. They
seemed impressed, and we discussed which songs we should do. Then, they told me they'd
get me up there on stage for the 3rd song. I tuned up the guitar, then went and had a
seat again.
At the end of the 2nd song, they announced that they had a guest star scheduled
to sit in with the band, announcing "Scruffy". I grabbed a tall bar
chair on the way up to the stage, since I had absolutely no intention of performing
standing up. (My back & hips problems would interfere with being able to give
a decent performance.) We did 3 songs. The first one, "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"
by Bob Dylan, worked out wonderfully - smooth and cool. Everyone loved it. The 2nd one,
"Brown Eyed Girl" was a real stumble. We kept getting out of synch re. which
chords; everyone's got their own version, and ours didn't jive. Still, the crowd seemed
to like it,...(!) The 3rd one, "The Ballad Of John & Yoko" by The Beatles,
worked out great. The only hitch at all, was that the lead player jumped to the break
early, skipping the 3rd verse. I caught it right away, though, and went with the flow.
We completed the song in fine style, and the crowd roared. As I left the stage,
the rhythm player (who was returning to the stage) told me it was great, and that
I could sit in with them any time they were performing there at the LVD Casino.
It was wonderful!
When I went back to my seat at the table where my friends were sitting, several
people came over to thank me and tell me how good it was. I thanked them for
telling me so, in turn, in the most humble manner I could. It felt great
to be on stage - as I later told the band members, for me it was like a man who'd
been dying of thirst being given a drinnk of water. I thanked the band members
repeatedly. Another important thing, is that after the end of the show the band and
I posed together for a picture. I caught the woman as she was leaving, and requested
a copy of the picture. She said she'd be willing to send me a copy after the pictures
were developed, and I gave my info. We'll see, what the future brings,... I also
told the band guys that when I get the picture(s) I intend to post a copy on my
"Friends" page at the website. They thought that was great. When the
picture(s) arrive, I'll carry through on what I promised.
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----- MAY, 2006 -----
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----- Sunday, 05/21/06 -----
I took a trip down into Illinois and back, helping with a family crisis around the
start of the month. While down there, I visited the "Guitar Center" store in
Highland Park. I purchased a "Doors Anthology" songbook, and a set of Martin extra
light gage phosphor bronze strings for my Seagull S6 guitar. I haven't done very much yet with the
songbook, but I've installed the new strings onto the Seagull and it sound wonderful. I like them
so much, I think I'm going to stick with that brand and type of string, for future replacements
on all my guitars.
I tried to connect with Jim Short, while in Illinois, and couldn't get the phone call to go
through. I don't know if he's okay or not. I wrote a letter after getting back north, and put it
into the mail, sending it to the address which was valid around this time last year. Hopefully,
the problem is just that Jim did what he's always talked about, and moved out west to Las Vegas.
I've atttended a couple more Karaoke nights up at the LVD Casino now, and had a good time. I
approached the guy who runs the Karaoke event, re. maybe starting up a second night during the
week for the sake of operating an open stage event; "Scruffy Eagle's Open Stage",
of course! He said he'd discuss it with "Vicky", the next day.
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----- Sunday, 05/28/06 -----
Yesterday, I travelled down into Minocqua, WI, to the Lakeland Union High School. Barry Macquire (sp?)
was performing in the auditorium there - no cover charge for attendance. I arrived just as everyone
was leaving after the concert. It was unavoidable. I'd cut my sleep short, after a bout of insomnia,
in order to attend the celebration picnic for graduation of Charles. While there, I lost track of
time and ended up leaving the picnic an hour later than I should have. Going home and walking my dog,
I discovered I couldn't find the information about the concert; location, time, duration, etc. Driving
to Pamida where the flyer had been posted, I discovered the flyer was gone - taken down as if expired.
(In my opinion, expiration would have been after the concert's date had passed.) I obtained
vague directions from the manager of the store, and took off to Minocqua. Arriving in Minocqua, I
obtained some exact directions from the attendant in a gas station. Finding all the people leaving
and the concert over, I decided to go inside anyway on the off chance that I might be able to meet
Mr. Macquire. Lo and behold, there he was, sitting at a table in a foyer, talking with people and
autographing stuff! While waiting in a line for the chance to meet him, I realized that above and
behind where he was sitting, there was a large, very scruffy-looking, stuffed bald eagle on a ledge
near the foyer's high ceiling. This struck me as being a very good sign; synchronous in a positive
manner. I introduced myself, shook his hand, and thanked him; told him what an inspiration he'd
always been for me. Before I left, I actually had the chance to see and hold his guitar. It's an
Australian 12-string acoustic instrument. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the name of the
manufacturer, and I've forgotten what it was, so I can't share & retain that info here. He had
it strung with Elixer strings, and I commented to him that I also use Elixers; that, the Dean electric
I had in the trunk of the car was also strung with Elixers; Elixer phosphor-bronze extra-light gage
strings. It was one of those moments when the conversation's like a fast-moving horse, and all you
can do is go for the ride - so, I didn't get to tell him about my Alvarez 12-string.
Before leaving, I met a guy named "Joe", who seemed to be a personal friend of Barry. When
I confessed that I didn't have any of Barry's music at all, he pulled a home-made copy of a set of
Barry's songs from his bag, and gave it to me. I told him it was wonderful, and thanked him for it.
I also met a guy there named "John", who was from Land O' Lakes, WI. He seemed familiar,
and we talked for a few minutes. He and his wife own & operate a business in Land O' Lakes.
I promised him that I would get in touch with him, and if he was interested (and willing to invest
the time practicing, etc.) I'd teach him to play guitar.
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----- JUNE, 2006 -----
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----- Wednesday, 06/07/06 -----
This past weekend was a significant one for me. I was given the opportunity to sit in with the
band, "Johnny Green and the Green Men" and their female singer, "Alicia". I feel
this was a great kindness, on the part of the band leader, Johnny Green. On Thursday evening (06/01/06),
I was disappointed at first, that the Karaoke event had been pre-empted by the band showing up. I'd
shown up, really primed for singing - and, felt I'd lost my chance for practice. I went & found
a copy of the casino's events schedule for June, 2006 - and saw that this pre-empting of the karaoke
was a planned thing; i.e., the band present, was there on the schedule for the current evening. I also
discovered that the casino wasn't giving "Captain Al" (stage name of the guy who runs the
karaoke event) proper billing on the schedule. I couldn't find his event listed at all; went to the
Guest Services, and asked the woman there. She pointed out, in very tiny print, on each Thursday
evening, they had printed at the bottom of the box "D.J. Live Music". (Some genius figured
that would be sufficient to clue people in that Captain Al's Karaoke event was occurring.) I was irked;
not only at missing karaoke, but also at what I felt was an intentional failure on the part of the
casino to provide proper support for an event they were hosting. I felt as if someone wanted
Captain Al's event to not succeed. As I said, this irked me. Captain Al is a nice guy, and I didn't
like seeing him taken advantage of or being slipped a raw deal - so, I grabbed a comment slip with the
intention of filling it out and dropping it into the comments box.
As usually happens, I ended up talking w/ the band members during their break. One of them saw the
comment slip, and was worried that I was intending to file a negative comment about them. I expressed
my disappointment, re. the loss of chance to sing, and then explained that the real "bee in my
bonnet" was seeing that Captain Al wasn't getting proper billing & ad support from the casino.
Johnny Green came over to sit and talk w/ me. He, also, was worried re. the possibility of a negative
comment, so I explained it all a second time, to him. He told me that they have people sit in with their
band all the time - and, that he would be glad to give me the chance to sing. A few minutes later,
when the band returned to stage from their break, I was up there singing, "Knocking On Heaven's
Door". It was wonderful.
I still intended to fill out the comment slip, but held off. Seeing their concern re. the comment, I
decided to wait until I'd figured out a way to file the comment without negatively impacting their
band's standing with the casino. During further talk during the evening, Johnny offered me the chance
to sit in with the band the next evening, using my bongos. I jumped on it.
I sat in with Johnny's band, playing bongos on both Friday and Saturday evenings; about an hour (+?)
each time. It was fantastic! When it was all over, Johnny told me that any time they show up at the
casino, they'd be happy to have me sitting in with the band - that, my bongos added a lot to the
music.
Just so I don't forget: The band members present that evening were a) Johnny Green (playing bass guitar
and singing), Alicia (singing), Willie (playing drums and singing), Rick (playing keyboard and singing),
and Lonnie (playing lead guitar and singing).
One reason this weekend was so significant, is that before this pair of evenings (Friday & Saturday),
the only two people who'd ever heard me play bongos were my mother and my friend Fisherman Rich. I
practice them frequently, but it's always been accompanying a CD or the radio - never, with live
musicians, and never with an audience. I knew I'd developed a fair amount of skill with the bongos,
but there's a huge difference between trying to evaluate the quality of the music you create while
you're creating it, as vs. having feedback from audience and from professional musicians. So, not only
was this a BIG first for me, but it was also a big ego booster and motivation to practice more
frequently. It's evidence, that there's the chance of success via use of bongos. It was wonderful.
I did fill out a comment slip, re. Johnny Green's band - told the casino it was WONDERFUL, having them
there, and requesting that the casino bring them back soon. I didn't fill out the 2nd slip, re.
Captain Al; I'll attend to that during the week, and drop it off when I attend Karaoke this Thursday
evening.
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----- Sunday, 06/18/06 -----
Yesterday evening (Saturday, 06/17/06), I went up to the LVD Casino to watch the live music in the
bar. There was a band there, called "Quest". I'd never seen them before, and had made the
decision to cut back on my Casino outings because of the exorbitant cost of gasoline - so, I hadn't
gone up there the previous evening when they first arrived (Friday). I found myself sorry that I'd
missed that night's show. Quest was very good, and did a lot of Blues - a genre sadly lacking, in most
of the bands that show up. Not only that - there was also the attraction (as far as I was concerned)
of a top-notch female singer. Her name was "Janna", and she comes from Australia. She was
shorter than average, had a basically average build, medium-length dark hair, a pretty face, and was
wearing a tidy black minidress. I was immediately caught by her appearance - it's become uncommon, to
find a woman actually presenting herself as feminine. Most of the women you find now, regardless of on
the street or on stage, are ferile; either attiring themselves in male clothing for the sake of being
butch and tough, or damaged with poorly chosen concessions to peer pressure and vanity; graffiti on
their skin, and/or miscellaneous punctures for the sake of converting themselves into novelty jewelry
racks. Right on the heels of that attraction, I was caught by her voice. She's got a wonderful voice.
I can imagine fame and stardom hustling her way in the future, as she grows as an artist and develops
the natural talent she's been gifted with. I approached her during one of the band's breaks, because I
was curious about the bongos on stage. (I overcame shyness to approach her instead of someone else,
because she seemed to be the only band member who wasn't preoccupied with various tasks.) To my surprise,
she was as nice to me as she was beautiful. I was entirely captivated - but, the reality (as I see it) is
this: What would a beautiful, gifted, nice person like that want with a broken down, old wreck like me?
The answer (as I see it), is: Not much.
During the time I was watching the show, there was a guy at the table who I didn't know. (I later
learned his name was "Dave".) He kept talking to me, and calling me "Earl Scruggs".
I got a mild kick out of this, because I was wearing a pair of blue bib overalls, only a t-shirt
(and underwear) beneath them, and had my beard trimmed in an old-fashioned manner similar to "pork
chop" sideburns (only trimmed to clean-shaven around the mouth and down over the chin). I was in
a good mood (most likely, because I was so attracted to Janna), and his repeatedly calling me Earl
Scruggs made me laugh - which, of course, only encouraged him in his intoxicated state. Dave was a big
Johnny Cash & country music fan. He did a fairly good impression of Johnny Cash, both talking and
singing, and had Johnny Cash logos w/ pix on his t-shirt and on his cap. After the show was over, we
sat talking for a while; Dave, my friend Mike, and myself; then, joined by Dave's wife (I didn't retain
her name). I decided I liked Dave, despite his drunkenness, and brought my Dean electric guitar in from
the car. I've got it strung with Elixer Phosphor-Bronze Extra-Light gage strings right now, so it's
just barely loud enough when unamplified to be acceptable for playing "unplugged".
Unfortunately, the minute or two when I went to fetch the guitar was the time the few lingering band
members chose to hit the road. Carrying the guitar into the bar, I saw Janna moving toward the outer
doors in the foyer area. Her presence had been at least part of what had motivated me to actually bring
in the guitar. (Oh, well!) I sat down, took out the guitar, and played some music for Dave, his wife,
and Mike.
I wrote all the preceding paragraph's contents down as setting the context for the following (the
actual thing I thought should be preserved in the diary): I played two of my songs for the group. The
first one I performed was "My Poor Baby". While I played it, Dave tried to sing along. He did a
fairly good job of it, considering that he'd never heard it before - I gotta hand him that. When I told
him it was written by me, for my daughter, he was obviously stunned; just, stunned. It really did take
him about 20 or 30 seconds to get over his surprise and actually start talking again. When he finally
got over the surprise, he spent the next couple of minutes telling me how good it was. I thanked him
(of course). Then I performed "Thanks For The Rain". This time, he was ready for it being
an original composition, and didn't feel as obligated to know the lyrics. What really made this
significant was what happened when I finished playing the song. Dave actually had tears in his eyes;.
Now, I know at least part of that can be attributed to his being moderately intoxicated - but, only
part of it. There were about ten years of being married to Bev, where I spent most of my time behind the
wheel of a school bus, and six more years after that of struggling to maintain a family with the
mentally unstable mother of my child. Then came six years of struggling to overcome depression and
pain, to recover from the damage inflicted by Mary's crimes against me and Eileen; to recover from the
truth that Eileen was kidnapped by Mary, and I would never see my only child again. During those years,
my music was primarily a private matter - a method I used to cope with hardships of several forms. But,
before marriage to Bev, I used to take my guitar places and perform music for whoever I found, as a way
of sharing beauty, joy, and sadness. The last time I can remember moving someone to tears with my music,
was back then, before Bev. "Thanks For The Rain" isn't a sad song - but, it's a song describing
release of emotional hurt, and receiving healing in the bounty of nature's gift of rain. I think this is
what touched Dave so deeply; his tears were tears of release of pain, and relief in the hope that things
could be better. I used to evoke such emotions and reactions in my audience on a regular basis - but,
it's been a while since I've seen it. My conclusion from all this, is that in order for my music to be
the beneficial, healing influence I wish it to be, and for it to have the power to "move" the
audience emotionally, I need to continue healing myself.
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----- Monday, 06/26/06 -----
Friday and Saturday evenings (06/23/06 and 06/24/06), I went up to the LVD Casino to watch the live
music in the bar. There was a band there, called "Pop Machine". I didn't remember having ever
seen them before, and had made the decision to cut back on my Casino outings because of the exorbitant
cost of gasoline - so, I didn't get up there the first evening when they arrived (Friday) until late
in the session. Watching the show, I recognized the bass player, but not the others in the band. I
wondered if he'd been there before with some other band,... (?) I talked with him after the show, and
learned that it was a memory lapse on my part - that, yes he'd been there before, but it was with the
exact same band; same name, and same people. His name was Oscar. Talking with him, I was curious about
his bass guitar. It was a black instrument of the type that doesn't have any headstock. I asked, and
he let me handle the guitar to check it out. He told me he'd had it for about 7 years. The next evening
(Saturday), I went back for the 2nd show - but, brought my Dean "Z" with me. I felt honored,
that he'd let me handle his bass guitar, and wanted to return the honor via showing him the Dean.
I feel that I've made a friend.
There were 2 other guys in the band; the drummer, and a guy playing a Dean ("Flying V"?)
6-string electric guitar. (I've forgotten their names.) When I was showing Oscar my Dean, he called the
other guy over to see it. They both felt that it was a special guitar; I guess, kind of like a
"collector's item". I offered to let the guitar player use "Chocolate" on stage,
but he declined - told me he was kind of drunk. Watching the show, I'd taken note of how much he was
drinking up there on stage. His statement just verified for me that the guy's got an alcohol problem.
I started to tell him that I never mix alcohol & music - but didn't finish, because I
saw he immediately reacted badly when I began to talk about that. Later, just before leaving, I took
a moment to tell him to remember what happened to Joe Cocker. Once I was outside, I came up with the
proper analogy - that, the music is like a rainbow, and the drinking like a fog. Every little bit of
fog which happens, obscures some little bit of the rainbow. Enough fog, and nobody at all can see
any of the rainbow. To sum up: I'm worried about the guy's well-being, because I see trouble ahead
in his future. Getting control of his alcohol problem would be a good start on avoiding that trouble.
I keep telling myself that I should write up a document for the website, discussing the relationship
between alcohol and music - but, I haven't done it yet. A thousand excuses always get in the way, as
other trivia, tasks, and chores consume my time and energies.
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----- JULY, 2006 -----
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----- Friday, 07/07/06 -----
This past weekend was the 4th of July weekend. The LVD Casino had the band "Bear Creek"
there from Friday evening through Tuesday evening. The band is friendly with an old Indian at the
casino, and elder of the tribe who goes by the handle of "Long John". I've also come to
know Long John slightly, and think he's a really nice guy. I'm not sure how old he is, but my guess
is at least 80; perhaps, much more. When he attends the casino's festivities, he gets around via
use of a motorized wheelchair the casino provides. Long John requested that I play some music for
him. We discussed it with the band, and they let me use their amps after the end of the Monday
night show. I played the Dean Z guitar, chocolate. It didn't work out very well, because the levels
of guitar vs. microphone were way off. The guitar completely drowned out my voice. I only got
to play one song that night, and I chose "My Poor Baby". The next night, Tuesday, I planned
for the chance to play - brought with me the Alvarez 12-string acoustic. I sat and played a couple
of songs for Long John during one of the intermissions, when the band was on break. I played
"Thanks For The Rain", followed by "City Of New Orleans"; just me & the
guitar, unamplified, w/ Long John parked a few feet away in his motorized wheelchair. He liked it,
and told me he wished that it had been amplified, so other people there could hear it. I told him
I was fairly sure they'd been able to hear me, because I'd been pretty loud. (The near edge of the
crowd of other people in the lounge was about 20 feet away, at the far side of the dance floor, and
I'd been sitting on the edge of the stage while playing.) I don't know if Long John is going to
seek to have this be a regular feature of the evening, me playing & singing, but I rather hope
so. It's more likely than not, that he can get away with it, if he wants me performing to be a regular
feature of the venue, since he's a tribal elder; perhaps, the oldest in the tribe? I intend to make a
habit out of being ready for performing via having the chocolate guitar available in the trunk of the
car. Performance of music as a gift to the people who might hear it, is the primary reason I do music -
the justification for all the time & energy I put into it.
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----- Tuesday, 07/11/06 -----
I've had an increasing feeling, that I'm approaching a cusp in the course of my life. My mother
has put her property up for sale on the market, without having the next living situation pegged down.
It seems more likely than not, that when the signing of the property selling occurs, the result a month
later will be both me and her moving out of here without a next location capable of accomodating both of
us. That month after the signing is virtually guaranteed to be a mad scramble to pack stuff, and shuffle
most of the packed containers off into storage. I'm faced with the probability that when that time comes
I'll be forced to either throw or give away most of my possessions. It's either dispose of possessions,
or shell out for storage and then transportation of possessions when I finally get settled into a new
place. Possessions can be replaced. Perhaps with some planning and effort, I can sell my more valuable
possessions at fair market rate instead of having my back against the wall re. what to do with them.
What makes this appropriate for a music diary entry, is that most of my really valuable possessions
are musical instruments. Not only is that category the one with the most value accumulated into it, but
it's also the one which is the most difficult to let go of the items it contains. The primary type of
instrument I have, is a variety of guitars. I'll need to arrange a graceful manner of releasing those
from my possession; hopefully, a manner which will reimburse me appropriately for those beautiful
instruments. It's traumatic, facing that virtual certainty, that I'll need to let go of them - but, as
the saying goes, "It is what it is.". I'd like to think that I have a choice - that, I can
either deal with this reality as a hardship I need to overcome, or as an opportunity for change and
growth; perhaps, both. During the past year, I've invested a lot of time practicing bowed instruments;
viola, and 5-string violin. (I've named the viola "Gretchen", since it was made in West
Germany in 1958", and the 5-string violin, "Sue Lin", since it was made in China.)
I've made a fair amount of progress on them, but I think I'll need to pick one and dispose of the
other, as a concession to probable storage space in my next living quarters. At the moment, I'm
thinking the one to dispose of is the antique viola that's been in my possession for about 25 years
being dragged from home to home, based on the fact that the violin has an extra string and accordingly,
extra musical range. The violin is a cheap one, but it's slightly more expressive than the viola.
I'll need to dispose of my 6-string Seagull acoustic guitar, my 12-string Alvarez acoustic guitar,
my 4-string Fender JP-90 electric bass guitar, my Tradition SG electric 6-string guitar, my 6-string
electric Dean Z Signature guitar, and my Johnson banjo which I converted for use as a 4-string Tenor
in Irish tuning (GDAE). Each of them has a suitable protective case, as a selling point when the time
comes. I have several horns to dispose of, also: My antique trombone, an antique C-melody saxophone
(needs repair), an alto sax, an antique Cornet (sans case), and a pear-wood tenor recorder. I should
note, that I find myself reluctant to be without any guitar at all. I've played the guitar for about 30
years, and it's the instrument which I've done most of my composing for as accompaniment. Without a
guitar, most of the songs I've written in my life would suddenly be beyond performing. If I keep one, I
think it will have to be the Dean Z Autograph electric 6-string. It's the least valuable, and the one I
have the least emotional and artistic attachment to. (Since it became a symbol in my mind of the devotion
Mary puked on, I've tried to get rid of it several times - even trying on 3 separate occasions to GIVE it
away - but, it always came back, sooner or later.) Unfortunately, the Dean is also the guitar in my
collection which is the most versatile and durable of the lot. It's the least likely to be damaged by
heat, cold, and/or moisture, and it's the one which is useful both as an amplified instrument and as an
acoustic (at moderately low volume, of course). So, despite my distaste for the Dean's emotional
connotations, the correct artistic choice is to pick it as the one to keep. I also have a Yamaha DD-7
digital drum machine. That also will be a difficult item for me to dispose of, since I've written at
least 15 beatnik compositions that rely on using that particular machine. If I dispose of it, then I
wouldn't be able to perform any of those beatnik compositions in the manner in which they
were originally composed. I also need to consider my electronic amplification devices. I have a Crate
CR-112 guitar amp, which is about 30 years old. That won't be difficult to let go of, since it's
become quirky during it's long span of years. I have a Kustom KPM4080 PA system, that was only used
for about 5 shows; the rest of its life has been spent carefully packed away in the original boxes it
came in. It's an excellent amplification accessory for home or stage, but it's too bulky for a
single-room living situation, and too heavy for easily dragging from place to place. It would need to
go. I have the Honey Tone mini-amp, with an excellent set of K-44 headphones, for practicing amplified
guitar; it's tiny and lightweight, so it would be the correct choice to keep it. My current thinking, is
that when I've disposed of all I need to dispose of, my set of musical instruments and accessories will
have been pared down to 7 items: The Dean guitar, my violin, my flute, the DD-7 drum machine, my set of
bongos, and the Honey Tone mini-amp w/ headphones (as a set, I consider those to be one item).
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----- Thursday, 07/13/06 -----
I've been thinking about the moniker "Scruffy Eagle". I began using it as a spiritual
affirmation to the powers-that-be, that I had indeed understood the message; that, within the message,
(not unlike a little play being performed outside my window) the eagle was filling the part that
portrayed me. What troubles me lately, is the feeling that during the years that have passed and
living that has happened, I've changed. I'm no longer the same broken man who was suffering violations
for the sake of his only child. My child is long gone - effectively, dead within my life, at the
vicious hands of her mother. There's no way she could accurately remember who I am, given 6 years
of brain-washing, distortions, and outright lies from her mother. As such, I'm dead within her life,
also. We'll never see each other again, since it's more likely than not that I'll die of a heart
attack or some such before she turns 18, six years from now. (In fact, I'm surprised I've survived
this long.) Within the eagle's message, I was the scruffy eagle - but, when it flew off, the scene
ended. When I escaped further violations by moving north, did I continue to be the scruffy eagle?
Is it still accurate, for me to use that tag? Perhaps I need to re-evaluate who I am, my characteristics,
my spiritual tendencies, etc., to discover whether or not I should continue using the stage name
"Scruffy Eagle"?
One fundamental fact that seems to indicate that the eagle is not accurate, is the fact that I tend
to be primarily nocturnal. An eagle, of course, is primarily a daytime creature. That doesn't fit.
Saying nocturnal doesn't quite fit, though,... Left to my own devices, I tend to slip off a standard
24-hr schedule into a slightly longer one. I end up being awake half-day and half-night on an
irregular schedule, due to accomodating the needs of caring for my mother. If I was living somewhere
else, alone, it would probably be very difficult to predict whether I'd be awake or asleep if &
when someone needed to contact me. I don't know what creature (other than human) would fit that.
If there is such a creature, the chances are good that I should be using it instead of eagle as
a tag.
Some people might say, well why don't you just use your real name in association with your music?
I don't like that idea for a couple of reasons. One, is that my first name (which is what I use in
formal situations like business) is too common; "John". I don't really like my middle name,
so that's out too. In fact, I don't really like most normal names, for use as stage names. I think
I just ended up right back at the usage of animal names as stage names,...(!) So, for the moment,
it's still "Scruffy Eagle".
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----- Tuesday, 07/24/06 -----
I was mulling over the name-tag issue, and found myself motivated to write about it here. Reading
the previous entry, I find that what motivated me to write today is the same thing that motivated me
to write last time - questions re. the fit of the name "Scruffy Eagle". I intend to write
a new, extra section for the "Why Scruffy Eagle?" document, detailing a second avenue of
interpretation of the event of the eagle's visit in 2000.
I know this is really lousy timing on my part, but I finally took the time to track down a site
that gives free business cards. I say, lousy timing, because of my current reservations re. the
a.k.a. tag "Scruffy Eagle".
I practiced flute yesterday evening. I've lost most of the fluency I had before, with that instrument.
I hang on to it, though, in the hopes that eventually this lingering dental dilemna will be resolved
and then I can resume playing it. I'm not sure if I wrote about this before,... A while back, I
obtained a small section of friction tape of the type people use to control slippage on stairs (etc.),
carefully cut a couple of pieces to fit, and applied them onto the barrel of the flute at the places
it would be most useful. Now, the barrel of the flute is much more stable when held with minimum
pressure; it doesn't roll, the way it used to. This allows me to create a better embrochure with my
lips, because the stability frees me from needing to have any pressure against the mouthpiece.
(Previously, I needed to have some pressure between lower lip and mouthpiece, in order to prevent the
flute from rolling when doing the "C" note that only uses one key closed.) So, I've solved
one problem re. flute playing & dental condition - but, the remaining obstacle is the tonguing
actions during playing. When tonguing, there's the risk of having the tongue knock against the teeth
instead of the ridge above and behind the front upper teeth. I'm not sure what it will do to my
intonation capabilities, limiting the tonguing to only that place in the mouth,... I guess, I'll find
out, once I've regained some of the embrochure control I had before.
I (finally) received my Tradition SG electric 6-string guitar back from the guy I lent it to. It took
almost 3 months for him to return it. (I'd told him at the start of May, that I wanted it back.)
I received the small Peavy amp I'd lent, and the guitar stand, at the same time. I'm not 100% sure
what to think about this, though, re. his character. The reality, is that he and his wife moved out
of the house owned by the wife's sister, to get away from that sister's husband. They were going to
be living in their minivan, camping out, for an extended period of time - and, that was the condition
which led to him actually returning the stuff to me. It's a mixed bag,... On the one hand, it's clear
that returning the stuff to me gives them more living space inside the minivan. On the other hand,
I guess it would have been easy to just leave the stuff up there at the sister's house, and think that
it would be okay. I think I'll just be glad I got the stuff back, and hope that he and his wife don't
run into any major difficulties, living in that minivan. They are, after all, nice people.
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----- Friday, 07/28/06 -----
I've had email contact with my friend Jim Short, down in IL. In his most recent email, he told me
he's been guitar-shopping, but can't afford the things he's been looking at. I sent an email back
to him, offering to sell him the SG I recently regained, and offering to let him pay for it as &
when he's able. NOTE: I don't see any particular selfless virtue in this offer, worth applauding. Jim
& I have been close as brothers for many years. Any way I can help him, I will - just as he's done
for me, in those times when I needed it.
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----- SEPTEMBER, 2006 -----
~~~
(No entries during August?)
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----- Monday, 09/18/06 -----
I've really slipped up on maintaining this music diary. As excuse, all I can point at is the fact
that the computer I'd set up for word processing died; its hard drive failed, and the OS I'd set
up is no longer viable. After bringing that machine back to life about 500 times w/ trick after
trick, and replacing the OS about 12 times, I've been reluctant to invest another hard drive for
potential sacrifice on that motherboard. So, my recordkeeping slipped,...
I've sat in with 2 more bands, since my previous entry into this diary; an R&B/Soul band
called "West Side" on 08/16/06, and a rock band called "Bear Creek" on
09/02/06. Both times, my contribution was via playing the bongos.
To make a long story short, after several email contacts with Jim, he decided to
not take me up on the offer re. the Tradition SG. He felt that in his current living
situation he couldn't protect it against being damaged by moisture, temperature changes,
etc. I don't blame him; I'd be leery about it too, if I was living in a van.
After much soul-searching and internal debates re. the issues involved, I finally
settled on the decision that I would arrange for my daughter Eileen to receive the
Dean Z Autograph guitar as a b-day present. I gave the guitar to my mother, who was
going down into IL; the kidnapper was going to allow my mother to see Eileen for
Eileen's b-day. I included a small, old practice amp that still worked well, a
like-new guitar stand, a good chromatic tuner (my best one), 7 good guitar picks,
a good 6' patch cord, and copies of the materials from this website re. basic care and
maintenance of guitars. All of this was given to my mother with the stipulation that
when it was presented to Eileen, it was to be presented as a gift from her (my mother);
in other words, I gave the stuff to my mother, who had the choice of whether or not to
follow through and give it to Eileen. It had to be done in this manner, because I
absolutely REFUSE to knowingly allow any chance whatsoever for Mary to court-rape
me again.
Having arranged for Eileen to be given the Dean guitar w/ starter kit, I am now stuck
with the Tradition SG as my only electric guitar.
An interesting aside to this gift to Eileen, was what my mother told me about the gift
presentation. She said as soon as the case was opened, Eileen asked, "Is that
'Chocolate'?" My mother didn't know what to say - it was a guitar, not a food item.
Mary echoed Eileen, asking if it was "Chocolate". Then, as my mother's confusion
continued, Mary got a clue and explained to my mother that I'd named the guitar
"Chocolate". The reason this is interesting to me, is that it indicates that
one of two (or both) conditions existed: Either a) Eileen recognized a guitar she hadn't
seen since she was barely six years old (6 years ago), or b) Mary's been talking about
the guitar, and told Eileen the stories about Chocolate (along w/ sufficient descriptions
of the instrument) recently enough for the description to be fresh in Eileen's memory, or
c) both. Recapping more simplistically: Either Eileen remembered it directly, or Mary's been
talking about it, or both.
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----- NOVEMBER, 2006 -----
~~~
(No entries during October?)
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----- Wednesday, 11/08/06 -----
I managed to set up & conduct a recording session involving my cousin Michael
and his 4-track cassette recorder & mixing board. If I ever manage to get a
band together, it's my hope to enlist/employ Michael as my sound tech for both
performances, and for recording studio. He's got the zen, for taking just
about anything and making it sound better than it actually was.
I brought my 12-string acoustic guitar, mic stand, microphone, etc. over to Mike's
place. We had our session down in the basement, and made 2 recordings of my original
song, "Only I Can". I chose that one as the initial session material, because
it's never been properly recorded. The first recording was me singing & playing
guitar simultaneously. The second recording (which, I think turned out better) was
done in 2 stages; just guitar, followed by just vocals.
The next step will be for Michael to pipe it into his computer for tweaking, then
the creation of an MP3 file to be posted into the amateur musicians newsgroup
(alt.binaries.music.amateur). I can download a copy of it for myself, from there,
for the sake of practicing to; i.e., prepping for adding another track to make
it even better.
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~~~
----- DECEMBER, 2006 -----
~~~
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----- Sunday, 12/17/06 -----
It's with great sadness, that I have to report that my bongos and my
lap-tray were damaged during my return home from a sitting-in session at
the LVD Casino. I set the stuff on the trunk of the car, while I reached into
the car to grab the mic stand box. I thought it would stay put - but the
carboard box slid off the icy trunk lid, and the box w/ bongos inside, the
lap-tray atop it, and the mini-bongos atop the tray; all, slid off the trunk.
It hit the concrete floor of the garage with a crash. I knew right away that
the lap-tray was damaged; one of the handles broke off. Later, inspecting the
big bongos, I discovered that there were now cracks in both drums; one crack
per drum, located in line with where the holes for the screw holding the cross
bar were located.
I'm fairly sure that I can repair most of the damage from this disaster, using
careful clamping and Carpenter's Wood Glue. The lap-tray repair will be fairly
straight-forward and easy, since it's so similar to the way I built the tray in
the first place. However, the drum repairs will be more difficult; perhaps, even,
moderately tricky to properly perform. It's unexplored territory for me,
repairing the barrel of a drum. Clamping is the problem. How can I prevent the
post-glue clamping process from making dents in the wood of the drums? I've been
thinking it over, and I intend to purchase several of the large size automotive
hose clamps; the biggest I can get. I can daisy-chain the clamps together
end-on-end, and make a band big enough to encircle the entire bass drum's
barrel. If I use cloth padding under the metal banding, it should be sufficient
to prevent the pressure from denting the wood, and prevent the metal from
scratching the drums' (still nearly flawless) finish.
A secondary effect of this disaster, is that it will interfere with me doing
a proper percussion practice session. I can still work on percussion via using
the mini-bongos (which, weren't damaged at all), egg shakers, tunable tambourine,
drum machine, etc. - but, my main percussion instrument, the regular bongos, is
out of commission until after the repair. Yes, they're still playable as is, but
I don't want to risk repeated handling of the damaged drums and banging on them
for playing, to make the damage any worse than it already is.
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----- IN CONCLUSION -----
That completes the entries that have been archived here for my music diary.
I hope you've enjoyed reading them!
May you be guided and protected
as you pass through life!
~~~
Scruffy Eagle
~~~
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"MUSIC DIARY (Archived)S LIST" include: "SCRUFFY EAGLE" website
ALL AVAILABLE "SCRUFFY EAGLE" WEBSITE MUSIC DIARY DOCUMENTS:
( Music Diary was begun in 2004. )
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