What's the Point? - Indeed
While searching for a stereo cable adapter
in my basement, I discovered a calendar from 1990
with notes about various activities back then.
Some of it is interesting - the rest convinces me that
keeping a running diary would be a horror show!
"Black Ice" was the name of the band I was in at the time.
"Glace Noire" was the name of the acoustic duo offshoot.
A funny thing about trying to book bands is that you
end up chasing after the people with the books until
it becomes a big game. It's hard to explain. Maybe it
becomes that "thrill of the chase" syndrome!
As Zappa once said, "Does this kind of life look interesting
to you?"
Feb 19 1990 - Chris & I worked on reggae tune (untitled) ;
instrumental tune (also untitled) ; Mike didn't show.
Feb 21 - Glace Noire - booking call - "Randy" not there.
Feb 22 - Return o' Mike ; showed Mike tunes from Tuesday ;
worked out bridge for instrumental ; improvised parody of
Police tune "Walking on the Moon" as "Stinking Up the Room".
Glace Noire booking - No "Randy".
Feb 23 - Glace Noire booking - No "Randy".
Feb 26 - Black Ice - More reggae tune ; Instrumental tune ;
Contempo Blues/Funk tune. Instrumental tune is called "PBJ".
Feb 1 - Black Ice -Lyrics for Contempo-Blues : "The Love You
Throw Away".
March 5 - Black Ice - New reggae - "Time Is"
March 8 - Black Ice - More of "Time Is" ; Bridge for "First Impressions".
March 12 - Black Ice - Mike doesn't show ; resurrect
Chapman Stick tune in D.
March 13 - Glace Noire booking - "Randy" is, of course, not there.
March 15 - Tune run-throughs ... nothing new.
March 19 - Black Ice - tweakin' o' de funk.
March 22 - Black Ice - lyrics for "Time Is".
March 26 - Recording "First Impressions" ... Gummy Bass,
acoustic guitar, lead & rhythm elec guitar.
March 29 - Black Ice - Recording "First Impressions" ... vocals
...the ill-cow vocal variations ; Glace Noire booking - "Randy"
is NEVER there.
April 2 - Black Ice - Recording "The Love You Throw Away"
April 5 - Glace Noire booking - "Randy" was ACTUALLY
there!!!! She said....to call Tuesday.
April 9 - Black Ice - Re-recording "First Impressions" ... Fender Bass,
acoustic guitar.
April 10 - Glace Noire booking - "Randy" says "maybe April 30....or
June."
April 12 - Black Ice - remodeled funk idea ; vocal tracks for "First"
for the second time ; call "Randy" after 8 re: 4/30 [but why bother?]
April 16-20 - Mike on a "business trip"...ha ha ha...golf 'n' quaffin'
'n' tennis, more likely!
April 20 - Call "Randy" yet again...I didn't remember, but it won't
matter!
April 23 - Call "Randy" yet again (again)
April 30 - Black Ice - new & review
May 7 - Black Ice - recorded version of "Time Is"
May 7-13 - Mike living the high life in Barbados while we
poor slime toil.
May 14 - Rap song: "Lickin' th' Ass of a German Shepherd".
This will NEVER make it out in public...EVER.
May 17 - Black Ice - working on new tune, as yet untitled.
Glace Noire booking - "Randy" not there, as usual.
June 4 - Black Ice - assembled rough demo for new drummer ;
hashed thru old tunes.
June 6 - Glace Noire - Mike sent out demo to "Brian".
June 7 - Black Ice - writing new section for "No Time".
June 11 - Black Ice - still more "No Time".
June 13 - Glace Noire booking - Called "Brian" - he says to "call on Friday" ;
Called "Pam" - she says to send another demo.
June 14 - personal note: "What's the point, anyway?"
June 15 - Glace Noire booking - Called "Brian" - he says to
"call next Wednesday".
June 18 - Black Ice - run tunes with drummer ; went well,
I guess....
June 20 - Glace Noire - called "Brian" - he says to "call tomorrow".
June 21 - Glace Noire - called "Brian" - he's not in ;
Black Ice - recording tunes w/ click track for drummer.
June 22 - Glace Noire - called "Brian" - he says "we're not
doing that format anymore...but call me in a month, maybe
we'll have something"... [yeah, okay]
June 25 - Glace Noire - Mike and I draw a cartoon of the two of
us "waiting for Randy to answer the phone", aging from young
men to skeletons in 6 panels. I drive into the city and hand-deliver
it to "Randy". She is amused. Kind of.
June 28 - Black Ice - Mike on vacation AGAIN ; recorded "Recline".
July 4 - Black Ice - instructed to drop a cassette in a mysterious
mailbox ; I do.
July 5 - Glace Noire - "Randy" not in.
July 6 - Glace Noire - "Pam" not in.
July 10 - Glace Noire - "Pam" too busy to talk to us.
July 12 - Black Ice - run set ; Glace Noire - "Randy" "didn't
listen to the tape".
July 23 - Black Ice - taped set using click track for drummer.
July 24 - Glace Noire - Called "Pam" - not in.
July 25 - Glace Noire - Called "Randy" - not in.
July 26 - Black Ice - no Mike - worked on new ideas.
August 1 - Black Ice - Chris quits to join another band.
August 2 - Black Ice - Mike books a gig, unaware that Chris has
quit. Chris agrees to do the gig.
August 7 - Black Ice - rehearsal - me, Mike and new drummer.
August 11 - filled in with Chris' new band.
August 13 - met Bonnie Raitt outside the Boston
Four Seasons hotel.
August 15 - Black Ice - ran thru most of tunes with full band.
August 21-24 - ran up to the Vermont woods with
the singer's sister...
August 26 & 29 - Black Ice - "rehearsal OK".
September 2 - Black Ice - drummer calls to say he "can't do the
gig" scheduled in four days ; we call all the drummers we know.
September 3 - Glace Noire - Called local radio show - told to
"call tomorrow".
September 5 - Black Ice - Rehearsed a drummer for one hour,
he heard MOST of the material for tomorrow's gig.
September 6 - Black Ice - final gig ; net income after
expenses: -$32. (We do this cause it's FUN!)
[Looking back, perhaps we shouldn't have given away
the "band fez" to a bouncer after the gig...maybe we
could have auctioned it off and had a shot at breaking
even!!]
And I still can't find that stereo adapter.
in my basement, I discovered a calendar from 1990
with notes about various activities back then.
Some of it is interesting - the rest convinces me that
keeping a running diary would be a horror show!
"Black Ice" was the name of the band I was in at the time.
"Glace Noire" was the name of the acoustic duo offshoot.
A funny thing about trying to book bands is that you
end up chasing after the people with the books until
it becomes a big game. It's hard to explain. Maybe it
becomes that "thrill of the chase" syndrome!
As Zappa once said, "Does this kind of life look interesting
to you?"
Feb 19 1990 - Chris & I worked on reggae tune (untitled) ;
instrumental tune (also untitled) ; Mike didn't show.
Feb 21 - Glace Noire - booking call - "Randy" not there.
Feb 22 - Return o' Mike ; showed Mike tunes from Tuesday ;
worked out bridge for instrumental ; improvised parody of
Police tune "Walking on the Moon" as "Stinking Up the Room".
Glace Noire booking - No "Randy".
Feb 23 - Glace Noire booking - No "Randy".
Feb 26 - Black Ice - More reggae tune ; Instrumental tune ;
Contempo Blues/Funk tune. Instrumental tune is called "PBJ".
Feb 1 - Black Ice -Lyrics for Contempo-Blues : "The Love You
Throw Away".
March 5 - Black Ice - New reggae - "Time Is"
March 8 - Black Ice - More of "Time Is" ; Bridge for "First Impressions".
March 12 - Black Ice - Mike doesn't show ; resurrect
Chapman Stick tune in D.
March 13 - Glace Noire booking - "Randy" is, of course, not there.
March 15 - Tune run-throughs ... nothing new.
March 19 - Black Ice - tweakin' o' de funk.
March 22 - Black Ice - lyrics for "Time Is".
March 26 - Recording "First Impressions" ... Gummy Bass,
acoustic guitar, lead & rhythm elec guitar.
March 29 - Black Ice - Recording "First Impressions" ... vocals
...the ill-cow vocal variations ; Glace Noire booking - "Randy"
is NEVER there.
April 2 - Black Ice - Recording "The Love You Throw Away"
April 5 - Glace Noire booking - "Randy" was ACTUALLY
there!!!! She said....to call Tuesday.
April 9 - Black Ice - Re-recording "First Impressions" ... Fender Bass,
acoustic guitar.
April 10 - Glace Noire booking - "Randy" says "maybe April 30....or
June."
April 12 - Black Ice - remodeled funk idea ; vocal tracks for "First"
for the second time ; call "Randy" after 8 re: 4/30 [but why bother?]
April 16-20 - Mike on a "business trip"...ha ha ha...golf 'n' quaffin'
'n' tennis, more likely!
April 20 - Call "Randy" yet again...I didn't remember, but it won't
matter!
April 23 - Call "Randy" yet again (again)
April 30 - Black Ice - new & review
May 7 - Black Ice - recorded version of "Time Is"
May 7-13 - Mike living the high life in Barbados while we
poor slime toil.
May 14 - Rap song: "Lickin' th' Ass of a German Shepherd".
This will NEVER make it out in public...EVER.
May 17 - Black Ice - working on new tune, as yet untitled.
Glace Noire booking - "Randy" not there, as usual.
June 4 - Black Ice - assembled rough demo for new drummer ;
hashed thru old tunes.
June 6 - Glace Noire - Mike sent out demo to "Brian".
June 7 - Black Ice - writing new section for "No Time".
June 11 - Black Ice - still more "No Time".
June 13 - Glace Noire booking - Called "Brian" - he says to "call on Friday" ;
Called "Pam" - she says to send another demo.
June 14 - personal note: "What's the point, anyway?"
June 15 - Glace Noire booking - Called "Brian" - he says to
"call next Wednesday".
June 18 - Black Ice - run tunes with drummer ; went well,
I guess....
June 20 - Glace Noire - called "Brian" - he says to "call tomorrow".
June 21 - Glace Noire - called "Brian" - he's not in ;
Black Ice - recording tunes w/ click track for drummer.
June 22 - Glace Noire - called "Brian" - he says "we're not
doing that format anymore...but call me in a month, maybe
we'll have something"... [yeah, okay]
June 25 - Glace Noire - Mike and I draw a cartoon of the two of
us "waiting for Randy to answer the phone", aging from young
men to skeletons in 6 panels. I drive into the city and hand-deliver
it to "Randy". She is amused. Kind of.
June 28 - Black Ice - Mike on vacation AGAIN ; recorded "Recline".
July 4 - Black Ice - instructed to drop a cassette in a mysterious
mailbox ; I do.
July 5 - Glace Noire - "Randy" not in.
July 6 - Glace Noire - "Pam" not in.
July 10 - Glace Noire - "Pam" too busy to talk to us.
July 12 - Black Ice - run set ; Glace Noire - "Randy" "didn't
listen to the tape".
July 23 - Black Ice - taped set using click track for drummer.
July 24 - Glace Noire - Called "Pam" - not in.
July 25 - Glace Noire - Called "Randy" - not in.
July 26 - Black Ice - no Mike - worked on new ideas.
August 1 - Black Ice - Chris quits to join another band.
August 2 - Black Ice - Mike books a gig, unaware that Chris has
quit. Chris agrees to do the gig.
August 7 - Black Ice - rehearsal - me, Mike and new drummer.
August 11 - filled in with Chris' new band.
August 13 - met Bonnie Raitt outside the Boston
Four Seasons hotel.
August 15 - Black Ice - ran thru most of tunes with full band.
August 21-24 - ran up to the Vermont woods with
the singer's sister...
August 26 & 29 - Black Ice - "rehearsal OK".
September 2 - Black Ice - drummer calls to say he "can't do the
gig" scheduled in four days ; we call all the drummers we know.
September 3 - Glace Noire - Called local radio show - told to
"call tomorrow".
September 5 - Black Ice - Rehearsed a drummer for one hour,
he heard MOST of the material for tomorrow's gig.
September 6 - Black Ice - final gig ; net income after
expenses: -$32. (We do this cause it's FUN!)
[Looking back, perhaps we shouldn't have given away
the "band fez" to a bouncer after the gig...maybe we
could have auctioned it off and had a shot at breaking
even!!]
And I still can't find that stereo adapter.
posted by Mr. L at 8:19 PM
1 Comments:
My life is in my old office calendars. Appointments, conference calls, projects, business trip dates, vaction dates, client's and vendor's phone numbers, etc. I find them mildly amusing now (as in oh, yeah--that's when I worked on the project from hell), but not enough to want to relive any of it! Funny post.
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