House of Blues in detailio

Image via Wikipedia

The view from the cheap seats

Beulah, Ruby, and Mikey

Our eclectic Horns

Most of the band

So my Valentines Day treat came a few days early when I had the pleasure of playing at the House of Blues Anaheim with Ready For Vegas. HOB has been my top venue of desire to play at for the last decade or so. So many amazing acts have graced that stage, many of which have inspired and shaped my musical prowess, as it were. Matt and I park around back at the well guarded band entrance and take the elevator backstage. The rest of my fellow band mates wait anxiously as our call time creeps closer. Our intimate greenroom is shared by all the other bands but we manage to take it over. The ladies do their hair and makeup as the guys wax idiotic about chicken tenders and Bryans sweatshirt. So much history is tied to this place and I am backstage soaking it all in.

After a brief all-band meeting, we get everything ready and take a few sips of my pre-show Jack. No more time to be scared or nervous, the 20' tall patchwork curtains are parting. I scan the room, then my music, then the room again in search of friends whom are scattered everywhere. The sound and lighting was unreal. This is most definitely not a hole-in-the-wall operation. Our set goes off nearly flawless minus the usual hick-ups. Mikey had to Macgyver his guitar strap with screwdrivers and duct tape mere seconds before we began. After a great set we joined our friends on the balcony for drinks and fries. An unbelievable night to say the least.

House Of Freakin Blues!

Backstage


Our dazzling bass player Beulah and trumpet master Matt


Master vocalist Ruby


The view before the storm

Ready For Vegas?

A second band? Really? I think this venture is a great opportunity to expand my music abilities, due in part to the insanely difficult horn parts written by our eccentric trombone player Bryan. The whole band is very mellow, down to earth, and extremely talented. My fellow Flander Matt is in the band as well and one of the main reasons I joined the band. The sound is a mix of Rockabilly/rock/punk. I would imagine many of the tunes playing in the background of a Tarintino flick, lots of style and attitude.
We had the pleasure of playing at the Continental Room in Fullerton (http://www.myspace.com/thecontinentalroom), one of my favorite bars. Small stage tucked behind a retractable curtain more suited to a Vegas nightclub than a quaint bar in Fullerton. Suit, tie, and fedora matched the surroundings well as we started the set and Ruby's amazing vocals permeated the crowded room. People were packed everywhere, standing on booths, bar stools turned and bartenders ignoring guests to catch a peek of the show. Midpoint through the set the band was joined by burlesque dancers which made all eyes divert from the band and many a jaws dropped, including my own. What a unique experience to play in a new band in one of my favorite bars as beautiful women sing next to me as well as dance in front of me. A great night for all and thrilled to be playing the main stage at House of Blues in Anaheim for my very first, not the last, time this Thurs! Nervousness blended together with angst and excitement!

Here we go again...

So another year is already underway and I have yet to get in my rhythm. The restauraunt that I was employed at, the Clubhouse (where you belong...) for almost 3 1/2 years closed on Dec 31st due to the lease being bought out by the Darden group (corp that owns Red Lobster and Olive Garden). They are splitting the giant expanse of the Clubhouse into two restaurants: Capitol Grill and Seasons 52. I guess if you have the means then go for it. Every single employee was forced to seek new employment, this sucks in part to 1. the current economy and 2. the huge drop off in business that most restauraunts encounter come Jan and Feb. Way to pick an opportune time Darden/Clubhouse !
After a lazy, mostly earned, month off and a handful of applications blanketed around the area without response or real interest, I finally got a bite on a job thanks to my good friend Lisa. All the bar positions were full but I think a rest from doing more for less will be a nice change. I filled out an app on Wed along with my good friend Daniel in a cold parking structure because the store itself was still under construction. After an aptitude test and a brief interview with one of the managers I felt I was a shoe in. They informed me that we would be notified by Sat if we were hired. Lisa and Daniel both got calls Thurs but my phone never rang. I also joined a second band (www.myspace.com/readyforvegas) since I had so much down time. I told them that I was commited to play but was waiting to see if I was going to be hired or not. Sat night rolls around and at 5 pm I emailed our lovely bass player, Beulah, and told her I was in for the band. My phone rings at 6 pm and I got the job. Way to wait til the last minute! I was still happy but had to work out both training for the new job and training for the other band together with current shows/practices with Stupid Flanders and school starting a week after that. The new job is great. The place is called the Catch (www.catchanaheim.com) and is a semi-upscale steak and seafood restaurant. They were forced to relocate from their old residence a few blocks over and after two years of planning, they reopened earlier this month. Everything is brand new! Everything! The whole layout is beautiful and almost everything had to be taken out of plastic and a home found for it. The training was condensed down from two weeks to five days! My brain almost trickled out the side of my head. Too many ingredients and names for one brain to recall. We all barely made it through training and are now in the midst of finding the flow of day to day traffic. I have high hopes for this place and the staff, so far, is very easy to get along with.