Life In The Fast Lane...

 

"Sure to make you lose your mind."

If you said, "The Eagles, 1976," you get 15 bonus points.

Last night, as a Mothers Day (eve) outing, we went to another concert.  This time: Don Felder.  For those who don't know, Felder was a member of the Eagles until 2001.  Most famously, the guy playing that double neck guitar on the song Hotel California...

 Yes, that photo is from this concert.  Felder played mostly Eagles songs.  His backup band was another guitar player, a bass player, and a drummer, all who also provided outstanding vocals.  The musicianship was outstanding, and Felder still has his chops, both on the guitar and vocals.  He and the band seemed to genuinely be having a good time up on stage.

Some photos of the concert:

 The set list flowed nicely, including a Stevie Ray Vaughn song where Felder got to show off his chops on something besides and Eagles' song.  The music was well-planned to build to the song we all came to hear...

 

Yes, he ended with Hotel California.  No encore, although the crowd was ready for more.  The venue turned on the light, so people could see to leave, Felder tossed out some pics to the crowd and handed out copies of the set list that were on the stage.

It was another good evening of music, about an hour and a half.  The patter between songs seemed well-rehearsed, but it was a good flow.  This isn't an arena, like his former band-members in the Eagles are still playing, but the music was great.  This is an easy outing for us at the Wild Horse Pass casino... and we were home shortly after 10:00.

There will probably be a video coming.

 

Fixing a Broken Guitar...

 

"Say it isn't so, Jim!"

It isn't so.  Well, not one of my guitars.  And, I'm not the one fixing it; this is Joan's thing...

 That is a guitar-playing garden gnome.  No, it is not out in the garden in the image above.  It is being repaired, so it is in the house.  In the kitchen to be more exact.

Why is the guitar-playing garden gnome in your kitchen?  Thanks for asking.  It has been windy off and on this week.  That gnome has been living on a table, part of our patio furniture.  The wind blew him right off the table, and broke his neck.  Well, not his neck, but the neck on his guitar.   Joan glued it and put him back out there.  The wind blew him off again.

I suggested letting me drill a small hole in the two parts of the guitar and putting a brace in there before gluing it this time.  Joan glued and taped (you can see the tape behind the neck of the guitar, right at the gnome's left hand) it.  We'll see how that holds this time around.

I like this gnome - he's kinda like the ZZ Top guitarist (20 bonus points if you said, "Billy Gibbons") of garden gnomes.

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Passport Update...

Joan and I sat side-by-side, filling out the online info for our passports.  8 days ago.  She finished her application about 3 minutes before I did.  In those 8 days, she got word that payment had been received, the application accepted, the application processed and approved, the new passport is in the mail, and it is now in our mailbox.

During that same time, I got word that my payment had been received.  That came about an hour after Joan got that notification.  Then, radio silence.  So, if we have to get out of the country fast, Joan will have to go without me.

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Mothers Day Eve outing...

Another concert for us tonight.  Fairly short notice, since we just got the tickets on Thursday.  Wild Horse Casino once again (where we saw Tower of Power).  This one is with Don Felder (30 bonus points if you said, "One of the founding members of the Eagles, until 2001").  There was a falling out in the band and Felder exited (I don't know whether he quit or was fired).  Here's a few of the songs he wrote, co-wrote: Hotel California, Visions, Too Many Hands, Victim of Love; and recorded: Lyin' Eyes, Take It To the Limit, Take It Easy, New Kid In Town, Desperado, Tequila Sunrise.

Oh, that Don Felder.  The question has been asked in the music press: "Who was the better guitar player, Don Felder or Joe Walsh... Don Felder was a virtuoso guitarist and probably the best “pure musician” in the Eagles. Joe Walsh is a rock star, who happens to be very good at playing the guitar. But he is not nearly on the same level as Don Felder."  Not my words.

This is a relatively small venue, and there were still tickets available.  People are missing out. 

A Look Back...

 

This blog is generally about our day-to-day happenings.  Like the Seinfeld show from years ago, sometimes it is about nothing... just observations that strike me as funny or odd.  Today, it is a throw-back to 9 years ago...

 This was the Facebook Memory from 9 years ago: the arrival of my first Emerald, and X7 that would go with us to our whale watch jobs in the Pacific Northwest.  Seems like I have played Emeralds for decades; they are definitely my go-to choice of guitars.  This X7 started that change over.

I have been playing guitar since I was 11 years old.  This Emerald wasn't my first carbon fiber guitar, but it was my first guitar that was designed with ergonomics in mind.  Unlike wood guitars that are made from various pieces of wood, steamed and bent, then glued together, carbon fiber guitars are shaped in a mold.  This means that the design doesn't have to have the sharp right angles where the wood guitars are put together - the carbon fiber can curves and bevels designed into the mold.  When you hold an Emerald to play it, your arm doesn't lean against any sharp edges; there is no hard right angle where the guitar leans into your ribs.  This makes the guitar much more comfortable to hold.

This first Emerald changed how I evaluate guitars.  Well, acoustic guitars; electric guitars generally have much thinner bodies, made of solid wood.  That means the wood can be shaped to be more comfortable.  Unlike the hollow design of an acoustic guitar.  I am surprised that other carbon fiber guitar builders haven't designed in more comfort in their guitars.

That said, acoustic guitar players tend to be traditional.  Taylor, who has been making guitars for over 50 years is still considered "that young upstart" by some acoustic players.  Taylor has incorporated arm bevels into some of their models... so, some nod to comfort.

Earl may weigh in here.  He is also a carbon fiber convert and owns Emeralds and other carbon fiber brands.  Earl is a friend and regular commenter here - I get that it isn't as simple as making a Yelp review here, since you need to register (once) to comment.  Comments are welcome, as long as they aren't spam and are civil.

 

Careful what you wish for...

 

Words of wisdom from Mark when I told him I was running for HOA board.  I went into this with the hope of having this board upbeat, positive, and friendly.  Where we lived in Texas, the board was often combative, secretive, and self-serving, using that board position to get their way on items that directly affected them as an individual.  It was always a shit show.

This current board is new and finding its way.  The first bit of derision has come up, and a couple people feel that "attack" is the way to resolve.  I am doing my best to keep things civil... shouldn't be necessary with adults, but it is what it is.

 

Homework...

 

You went back to school?  No.  Do I need to remind you about "old dogs and new tricks"?

Another Zoom meeting last night, this one with the Architectural Committee.  Good people on this committee, but there are some individual agendas (it is a volunteer committee).  My job as committee chairman is to keep the discussion on topic and concise.  With 3 topics of discussion, we managed to cut what I expected to be a 30 minute meeting down to about an hour. 

My unpaid position doesn't allow me to have a secretary, so I take my own notes.  Then distill those notes down to specifics to send to the management company.  So, this morning, I had "homework" to go through those notes and get an email off.  I am still a morning person, I guess.

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On a less work-related topic: music today with Mark and Ron.  The three of us get together to work on new songs for the big group and nail down harmony parts.  Plus, it's a nice bit of time with friends.  Summer travel schedules for each of us in the group will mean less of this until fall.

Speaking of summer travel, Joan and I don't have anything specific, yet, but we are in discussions.  This will different from our summer travels since we retired in 2006: it won't be for several months at a time, but there will be outings. 

The James Taylor Concert

 

In a word: outstanding!  In a bunch more words: it was a geezer crowd, and we fit right in.  And the sound level was perfect - enough volume so you could feel it, but no ringing ears.  Nice!

Joan found us parking when she bought the tickets, months ago.  Less than a block from the PHX Arena and $10 less than if you were paying that night.  Almost enough to pay for a soda at the venue.  The short walk to the arena, no wait to get in (we were early), which gave us time to look over the merch, get a couple T-shirts, walk around a bit, get a snack, then find our seats...

 Good seats (above) and the obligatory selfie-at-the-arena...

 Things got started only 10 minutes late.  The opening act was 3 early 20-somethings who met at music college at Boston, Tiny Habits...

 They were young, innocent, and had beautiful harmony.  This was their first big gig, and they were awe-struck by it all.  This is the first of James Taylor's summer concerts, so their first time playing to a huge crowd.  Kind of a folk-pop sound.  Cute.

They did a half hour set, got a standing ovation (keep in mind that the age of this crowd and these kids reminding them of their grandchildren), and trotted off the stage, giddy.  The crew went to work resetting the stage, and James Taylor came on (at 8:30), solo...

 As the song progressed, the rest of the band members came onstage.  And what a band - a tight, cohesive group of world class players.

James played a selection of "traveling songs" to start the set... even picking up the huge set list (it was about a foot and a half wide and 5 feet long, in large print) to the delight of the crowd.  Shtick, perhaps, but the crowd got a kick out of it.  A couple times, as someone in the crowd would yell out a song, he would pick up that massive set list, show it to the crowd, and say, "Yeah, that's coming up."  Frankly, he has had a lot of hits, so no way to get them all in. 

The music was great, well-balanced, nice staging...

 They played for two hours, no breaks.  Pretty impressive for a guy 77 years old.  Even though this was the first of their summer concerts (the band hasn't been together since last September), it was tight.  Taylor got a laugh from the crowd when he started a song, quit abruptly, sheepishly apologized, then moved his capo to a different fret - "Wrong key."

Taylor took time to acknowledge each member of the band.  4 back up vocalists, a keyboards player, sax and trumpet players, a bassist, guitar player, drummer, and percussionist.  All were outstanding.

The set list was a good musical journey, starting with the traveling theme, some of his biggest hits, some punchy numbers, some mellow... nice build up, soften, then kicking.  Taylor told the story of how "You've Got a Friend" came to be written by Carol King... as a response of his line in Fire & Rain "I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend."  He told how he was overwhelmed by the song, put it on his album, and... "Didn't realize I'd be playing that every night for the rest of my life."  Good audience reaction.

Of course, it all led to a standing ovation, band exit, then their return for an encore.  Two solid hours of James Taylor music.  An appreciative audience. 

An evening of great music that brought back "memories of the day."

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A video of the evening...

 

Fire and Rain...

 

If you said, "James Taylor, 1970," you get 10 bonus points.  Arguably, his most well-known song.

The weather has been unsettled yesterday and today.  More like thunder and rain here yesterday, with more of the same predicted today.  I took Murphy out yesterday while there was some light rumbling in the sky - he did fine with it; didn't seem bothered by light sprinkles, either.

No, this isn't just a weather report.  Overcast outside this morning when I took Murph out; without his leash, but just in our courtyard...

 Just chillin'.

The main reason I picked a James Taylor song for the title: Joan and I are going to see him in concert tonight.  We bought these tickets months ago; really looking forward to it.

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In honor of the many celebrations today...

Most people don't know that back in 1912 Hellman's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the "Titanic" was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after New York City.

The people of Mexico were crazy about the stuff. The Mexican people were eagerly awaiting delivery and were disconsolate at the loss. So much so that they declared a National Day of mourning which they still observe today. It is known, of course, as ... Sinko de Mayo.