The Weekend in Review

Monday May 10, 2004

So, its been awhile...I know...my bad. Let's get you all up to speed shall we?

Friday. Friday played host to my second ever Sabela performance. Situated in a small beautiful chapel in Marin country, Sabela sang for a non-profit organization which is the perfect type of audience for our style of World/Spiritual music. This show also marked my reunion with Wavy Gravy, the famous flower child (aka hippee). I first met Mr. Gravy at Woodstock '99 while walking back from the mainstage to our makeshift home (newly purchased tent since Ed's was infesting with earwigs). This meeting had very little in common with that hot summer day in Rome, NY except that I believe he may have been under the influence of some substance during both interactions. But JRo.com is for the fans, not about the fans....so I digress. Friday was certainly not the greatest vocal performance of my career. This was for a few reasons. First and foremost is that I had been screaming quite a bit at work that day and as a result I had fried my chords and my ears were a bit shot as well (vocalist lingo -- you dig?). Well not having my ears and full capacity was a bit damaging in this venue for its sound was incredibly live and the bass vocals shot away quickly and were very hard to hear. On top of my inability to distinguish my only vocals from that of the other performers, drums were entered into the mix. Well with a ccapella being a ccapella I really was unexperienced when it came to singing along side a percussionist. The tonal bandwidth of the drums seemed to dance right in where most of the bass vocals sat and really did a number on my ears which were straining simply to hear myself and the other basses to make sure I was singing the right part and singing in tune. Anyway, I think I made some errors here and there and probably botched tuning quite a bit, but the audience was happy, the venue was great, and the whole show was fun. You win some, you lose some. The funny thing though was that singing along side the drums I found myself feeling more like a bass player than a vocalist. I was trying to grove my vocals just as I would my bass with the rhythm.

Moving along...The Bar Mitzvah that wouldn't end...Saturday morning, 9am. I wake up on Eric's couch where I decided to crash after our viewing of Survivor late Friday night. I have two hours to get home, get into my suit, get up to marin for my gear, and get back to the Presidio to set up for part one of the B-Mitz, the Luncheon. This all goes to plan until on my way to the venue I get terribly lost. The directions I was given are subpar and my boss's explination, though helpful in the end, didn't quite get me there either. Just dumb luck and my recognition of the universal Jew colored balloons (blue and white) guided my way. So with only a half an hour to set up an inordinate amount of gear (video screen, projector, plus full DJ rig) I scrambled and sweat my way to being set up about 15 minutes late which was fine because the client was still no where to be seen at that time. After all of that early morning stress following a full week of work and a very long friday with the Sabela concert, I was exhausted, grouchy, and starving, which turned out to be a horrible combination for this Mega B-Mitz. My purpose at the luncheon was important but once I was set up I was really only there to babysit the equipment. The client had hired a guitar player who played through the DJ rig throughout the lunch and she needed the microphone for one toast and the projector for one image. So there I was, stuck, in a suit, doing absolutely nothing, grouchy, hungry, and tired. By the time I got out of there for my 3 hour break before the night's party began I was bitter and unenthusiastic about my return to the venue.

But...something happened. Perhaps it was that the twin boys who had become "men" early in the day were so great. Perhaps it was that my boss, Mark, had come down to check out the new DVD player and cheer me up. Perhaps it was the nap I had when I got home. Whatever the reason, I was ready to rock when I got back. And Rock I did. Never in the history of DJing have I felt more in the zone and had more fun. Throughout the event I alternated between music videos on our DVD player and preselected music from our collection. The kids loved the videos and the music never missed. The dance floor was packed for a solid four hour block and the kids just kept on having fun. For the first time ever I wasn't counting down the minutes at the end of the event, I was happy to keep playing. The kids did love good music so that helped of course. I mean how often to Bar Mitzvah kids request artists like Nirvana, REM, Van Halen, and the Who, or ask for songs like Scat Man, Stairway, Plush, and the like. Plus we got to watch the Britney Spears "Toxic" video twice.

4 days 'til Vegas. I'm sharpening my Poker skills. Wish me luck.

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The Weekend in Review

Monday May 10, 2004