Did I mention I’m in a “Jam band”? I didn’t? How funny.

Yes, it’s true. However, i’d call it more a primitive dad-rock cover band. There is little jamming involved. I’m trying to steer this in a different direction than yesterday where I spiraled into an existential crisis of sorts. But it ultimately leads there doesn’t it? I never wanted to be here. Unless I make it to 59 and decided, fuck it, I’ve done it all, join a cover band. Nah.

Here I am, 27 and in a band, my only band or outlet for performing at the moment live or otherwise. I haven’t been recording much lately either. That’s a problem. The only good coming from it, is I get to play guitar, learn new chords, and up my chops as a player where I never had before. We don’t play out much. I have twice now with this group and only once as the lead/ rhythm guitarist. There is another guitar player, but he enjoys soloing over anything else and pretty much does that over everything, so yours truly needs to hold down the back bone with the bass player. Thankfully, that guy is classically trained and knows his stuff.

Also, I’ve put together a pedal board I’ve built. I’ve only got two on there, a crap distortion and a chorus, but humble beginnings. I need a tuner, tube screamer, and a few other things I deem necessary to the new sound. Same as the old sound? I think not. Same as the dad rock sound? Certainly not. Same as will fit my non-existent budget? Definitely not.

I painted it blue, the board. It took me a few nights over the course of a month, mainly trial and error in realizing I was missing primitive tools to finish the job and going to get them. I used curved edge 2/4 for part of it which was a mistake. As I needed to glue two pieces together on the horizontal end. But I made it work. I poly’d it, velcro’d and it looks okay. Mounted a proper power supply, and slapped some stick on the back of the two pedals I have and woopie do, I’ve got a board! just plug it in to a strip or wall and off I go, into the night. I’ve yet to use it in any setting other than making sure it worked, so practice tonight will be the inaugural go at it. Is it sad I’m mainly worried about getting blue on his basement carpet? I mean, it’s got poly on it, the bottom too, I think.

Anywho, dad rock songs, jeez. Got a gig in 3 weeks and I’m nervous about getting things nailed down proper and respectable. Two run-throughs are not enough to call it done and well practiced. Certainly not when I now have to play the main parts, and sing a lot of them. Even the ones I don’t sing, they’re guitar heavy and I need to be on the ball. Oi vay. Uh huh. It’s made me get my crap together though guitar wise. I need a new set of steel on there and a battery. My damn guitar requires a 9v UNDER the pick guard, believe that shit? I’m not going to jinks it, but I’m changing it prior to the gig anyway. 2nd last practice went really well. We hadn’t in a long long while and I was worried. But we have a female singer and we mainly practiced 3 or 4 new ones she really wanted to do. But now she’s not going to be AT the next gig. So it’s all for naught. Hell. Hell on Earth. The room we’re playing is big, high ceilings, wood floor, tall windows and doors, and lots of reflective surfaces. It’s going to be an outright shit show.

But we’ll just roll with it.