Last year, in an article, we listed some of the Friends of Grateful We're Not Dead. One of those, 'young' Al Owler was sitting in with the band on a regular basis and becoming quite familiar with our repertoire. Being the youngest and the strongest, Al was also extremely helpful during the 'load out' at the end of the evening seeing as he was the only one really capable of lifting the equipment, and the older members of the group, into the van.
Since then, at Bruce's suggestion, Al has taken up playing bass guitar and is providing a fuller sound to the performance. Because of his on-going interest, assistance and full participation, Al has become an honourary member of Grateful We're Not Dead. He's even allowed to wear a black hat and silver tie. So it's with great pleasure that we announce the addition of Al's photo to the side bar with the old farts.
Welcome aboard, 'young' Al.
Gord Goes Electric
As we indicate in the Over Sixty Blues, advancing age brings with it a variety of physical problems. For the past few months, Gord has not been able to play his full sized acoustic guitar because of discomfort in his right shoulder. Hoping that the problem would right itself he has been playing a Martin Back-Packer in the interim. Although the Martin is great for carrying with you on trips it doesn't provide a full sound. At the last Grateful We're Not Dead jam session we set Gord up with Al's solid body electric. Needless to say, this provided the fullness that we were looking for. Gord was so thrilled with the sound that the next week he went out and purchased a Fender Telecaster and a Fender amp and is now merrily whiling away the hours getting used to the action of his new toy. Way to go Gord. Ah, the sacrifices we make for Grateful We're Not Dead.
Bruce Goes Under The Knife
One of the hazards of a career in computing is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). Unfortunately, over the last year Bruce started to show the symptoms. These developed until he did not have any feeling in the end of his fingers on both hands. Now this is both bad news and good news for a finger-picking guitarist: he couldn't feel the strings when he played, but if he played too long he didn't feel the pain in the end of his fingers. After a bit of procrastinating, Bruce finally decided to have the required surgery, starting with his left hand. On July 22nd he went under the knife and is now waiting patiently to see if the surgery was successful. Once the left hand is healed he will have the right hand done as well. Needless to say, this has put Grateful We're Not Dead on the sidelines for the summer, but we're looking forward to getting back into the fray come the Fall.
Update 1: I talked to Bruce on July 29th and his only complaint was that he was having trouble forming the B7 chord. Now it was supposed to take six weeks for to heal after this surgery, but what can you expect from a guy who was out entertaining at a Christmas party a few years ago, ten days after a triple bypass!
Update 2: August 8 was the monthly Music Night at Gord's. Bruce was out and in fine form - pickin' and grinnin' like he'd never had his hand cut open. In fact, after Music Night finished at about 11PM we stayed around and played until after 1AM.
Update 1: I talked to Bruce on July 29th and his only complaint was that he was having trouble forming the B7 chord. Now it was supposed to take six weeks for to heal after this surgery, but what can you expect from a guy who was out entertaining at a Christmas party a few years ago, ten days after a triple bypass!
Update 2: August 8 was the monthly Music Night at Gord's. Bruce was out and in fine form - pickin' and grinnin' like he'd never had his hand cut open. In fact, after Music Night finished at about 11PM we stayed around and played until after 1AM.
Ariel Court Canada Day Street Party 2008
On July 1, Judy Kingsbury hosted the 5th Annual Ariel Court Canada Day Street Party. As usual Grateful We're Not Dead were on hand to entertain the seventy or so participants. Unfortunately, Al couldn't be with us this year so it was just Bruce, Gord and Don in the limelight. The big disappointment of the day was the fact that the bylaw officer didn't show up during the band's performance.
This year's theme was Country and Western and everyone was expected to bring a rope and write an original song to the tune of "Home On The Range". As always, Judy's invitation was in verse:
Saddle up your broncos and bring your lasso
The first of July is coming, y'all know what to do
Don't be a slowpoke, come here for some fun
A day of music, and fellowship, a day in the sun
The band will be coming, it will be a show with a twist
I hope you will come, it's a day not to be missed
So dig out your boots and your cowboy hat too
We are having a party, a Canada Day do
Country and Western is the theme of the day
But don't bring any horses - I'm all out of hay!!!
Judy also informed us that this would be the last year that she would be hosting the party for the street, but hopefully someone on the Court will step in to fill that gap - a very big gap. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Judy on behalf of the band for the great work she's done in organizing this party over the past few years. Kudos, Judy.
But onto the party.
As in past years, the food was great: BBQ ribs, beans and wieners, chili, coleslaw, quinoa salad, pulled pork on a bun, fresh fruit, cakes, ice cream, etc. People started eating when they arrived and didn't quit until they left.
The reason we had to bring a rope was to make a lasso with which to rope a run-away hobby horse. The catch was that you had to do it from the back of a mechanical galloping horse which galloped faster each time you pulled on the reins. Now for some strange reason it was the women who seemed to excel at this task. I'm curious if this has something to do with their architecture and the design of the western saddle. Hmmm, there may be lyrics for a new Grateful We're Not Dead song in there somewhere.
The original songs were many in number and great and were performed with gusto. I'd planned to have some samples on-line but dumbass that I am, I forgot to press the record button on the digital recorder, so you'll have to settle for pictures. More pics are available on my Flickr account.
Of course, Grateful We're Not Dead contributed lyrics to the challenge in their own inimitable style:
Oh give me a home where the dust bunnies roam
And the mice and the cockroaches play
Where seldom is heard the sound of a bird
'Cause the felines have chased them away
Home. home under the range
Where the earwigs and silverfish play
Where seldom is heard the sound of a bird
'Cause the damn cats have chased them away
The street parties that have become common on the Court over the last few years have certainly brought the residents closer together. Quite frequently, when you live in a big city you never get to know your neighbours. But thanks to people like Judy Kingsbury, John and Barb Reid, Glenn and Dale Scanlan the people on Ariel Court get a chance to socialize throughout the year.
So now the next big party we're waiting for is John and Barb Reid's 3rd Annual End of Summer Pool and Hot Tub Bash. And Barb, if you invite Grateful We're Not Dead we promise to keep the volume down and the by-law officer away.
See y'all in the Fall.
And now I'll ride off into the sunset.
This year's theme was Country and Western and everyone was expected to bring a rope and write an original song to the tune of "Home On The Range". As always, Judy's invitation was in verse:
Saddle up your broncos and bring your lasso
The first of July is coming, y'all know what to do
Don't be a slowpoke, come here for some fun
A day of music, and fellowship, a day in the sun
The band will be coming, it will be a show with a twist
I hope you will come, it's a day not to be missed
So dig out your boots and your cowboy hat too
We are having a party, a Canada Day do
Country and Western is the theme of the day
But don't bring any horses - I'm all out of hay!!!
Judy also informed us that this would be the last year that she would be hosting the party for the street, but hopefully someone on the Court will step in to fill that gap - a very big gap. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Judy on behalf of the band for the great work she's done in organizing this party over the past few years. Kudos, Judy.
But onto the party.
As in past years, the food was great: BBQ ribs, beans and wieners, chili, coleslaw, quinoa salad, pulled pork on a bun, fresh fruit, cakes, ice cream, etc. People started eating when they arrived and didn't quit until they left.
The reason we had to bring a rope was to make a lasso with which to rope a run-away hobby horse. The catch was that you had to do it from the back of a mechanical galloping horse which galloped faster each time you pulled on the reins. Now for some strange reason it was the women who seemed to excel at this task. I'm curious if this has something to do with their architecture and the design of the western saddle. Hmmm, there may be lyrics for a new Grateful We're Not Dead song in there somewhere.
The original songs were many in number and great and were performed with gusto. I'd planned to have some samples on-line but dumbass that I am, I forgot to press the record button on the digital recorder, so you'll have to settle for pictures. More pics are available on my Flickr account.
Of course, Grateful We're Not Dead contributed lyrics to the challenge in their own inimitable style:
Oh give me a home where the dust bunnies roam
And the mice and the cockroaches play
Where seldom is heard the sound of a bird
'Cause the felines have chased them away
Home. home under the range
Where the earwigs and silverfish play
Where seldom is heard the sound of a bird
'Cause the damn cats have chased them away
The street parties that have become common on the Court over the last few years have certainly brought the residents closer together. Quite frequently, when you live in a big city you never get to know your neighbours. But thanks to people like Judy Kingsbury, John and Barb Reid, Glenn and Dale Scanlan the people on Ariel Court get a chance to socialize throughout the year.
So now the next big party we're waiting for is John and Barb Reid's 3rd Annual End of Summer Pool and Hot Tub Bash. And Barb, if you invite Grateful We're Not Dead we promise to keep the volume down and the by-law officer away.
See y'all in the Fall.
And now I'll ride off into the sunset.
A New Song - Grateful We're Not Dead
For the past couple years, Grateful We're Not Dead have been opening and closing performances with The Honky Tonk Juke Box Band's Pukin' In The Parkin' Lot. We've often thought that it would be nice to do something of our own to introduce the band but have never gotten around to writing anything appropriate. However, this morning while standing in the shower I came up lyrics which may (or may not) become our theme song. All I have to do now is set it to music. Let us know what you think.
Grateful We're Not Dead
We're here to entertain you
We're here to drink your beer
We hope you like to listen
To dance and hoot and cheer
We've got our pasts behind us
But we like to look ahead
But most of all you've got to know
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
Chorus:
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
Yea, most of all you've got to know
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
We like to play the old songs
By Willy, Merle and Buck
'Bout cheating, lying, drinking,
Prison and pickup trucks.
But we'll also do some new songs
That came right from our heads
And that is just to show you
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
Chorus
Now we may be getting up there
And have the Over Sixty Blues
But we'll still sing to the ladies
About the blue pills that we use
And if the hangovers seem harder
Like someone stomping on our heads
When you consider the alternative
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
Chorus (2x)
Here's looking at ya,
Don
Grateful We're Not Dead
We're here to entertain you
We're here to drink your beer
We hope you like to listen
To dance and hoot and cheer
We've got our pasts behind us
But we like to look ahead
But most of all you've got to know
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
Chorus:
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
Yea, most of all you've got to know
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
We like to play the old songs
By Willy, Merle and Buck
'Bout cheating, lying, drinking,
Prison and pickup trucks.
But we'll also do some new songs
That came right from our heads
And that is just to show you
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
Chorus
Now we may be getting up there
And have the Over Sixty Blues
But we'll still sing to the ladies
About the blue pills that we use
And if the hangovers seem harder
Like someone stomping on our heads
When you consider the alternative
We're Grateful We're Not Dead
Chorus (2x)
Here's looking at ya,
Don
At Least Once Every Minute
Yesterday I was reading one of Allan Cockerill's blog postings, Is It Possible To Have An Affair Without Sex, which dealt with the question "Is it OK to have an affair online if it's minus the sex?". The first thing that came to my mind was how in hell do you have an affair online WITH the sex??? Is there something about social networking that I haven't discovered? Another item touched upon was a study that had determined that "men on average have 7 heterosexual relationships, and women have 4'. Now aside from the fact that the math seems a little strange, I'd like to know who's been getting my share. And is that per week, per month, per year or per lifetime?
This report that men were getting more than women made me think of the results of another "study" back in the Spring of 2006. It claimed that 'women think of sex once every two weeks whereas men think of sex every 58 seconds'. Now that could explain why the men referenced in the previous paragraph appear to be more active than the women but I'm just wondering if those extra three relationships are just "hand-delivered" with a lot of imagination.
I put the following little ditty together in 2006 to comment on the 58 second statistic and Wednesday evening, after a few beer and Diet Pepsi, Grateful We're Not Dead recorded it during a jam session.
Don
At Least Once Every Minute
They say that women think of sex
Just once in every fortnight
But honey, if I come on strong
I don't want you to get up-tight
'Cause I'm a red-blooded normal man
And my head is really in it
And you know men think of sex
At least once every minute
Chorus:
At least once every minute
Something grabs my mind
More than my thoughts are rising
And things are hard you'll find
For me to listen to your complaints
'Cause my mind just isn't in it
And that's because men think of sex
At least once every minute
You say you want to cuddle
And could I hold you tight
All you want to do is snuggle
'Cause this ain't that bi-weekly night
Well honey, I have more on my mind
And I want to get in to it
And it's because men think of sex
At least once every minute
© Don White 2006
This report that men were getting more than women made me think of the results of another "study" back in the Spring of 2006. It claimed that 'women think of sex once every two weeks whereas men think of sex every 58 seconds'. Now that could explain why the men referenced in the previous paragraph appear to be more active than the women but I'm just wondering if those extra three relationships are just "hand-delivered" with a lot of imagination.
I put the following little ditty together in 2006 to comment on the 58 second statistic and Wednesday evening, after a few beer and Diet Pepsi, Grateful We're Not Dead recorded it during a jam session.
Don
At Least Once Every Minute
They say that women think of sex
Just once in every fortnight
But honey, if I come on strong
I don't want you to get up-tight
'Cause I'm a red-blooded normal man
And my head is really in it
And you know men think of sex
At least once every minute
Chorus:
At least once every minute
Something grabs my mind
More than my thoughts are rising
And things are hard you'll find
For me to listen to your complaints
'Cause my mind just isn't in it
And that's because men think of sex
At least once every minute
You say you want to cuddle
And could I hold you tight
All you want to do is snuggle
'Cause this ain't that bi-weekly night
Well honey, I have more on my mind
And I want to get in to it
And it's because men think of sex
At least once every minute
© Don White 2006
Not the 'Cover of the Rolling Stone' but...
Grateful We're Not Dead has finally achieved a modicum of international recognition. After posting Finally, Some Music (So To Speak) I returned a few hours later to see a comment added by Clay Eals, authour of Steve Goodman: Facing the Music, an 800 page biography of the late Steve Goodman. You can download the first chapter of Clay's book from his web site. The book looks to be a good read and can be purchased at the site's Online Store. The book is definitely going on my "must read" list.
The next morning I awoke to find out we had been featured in a blog article, Grateful We Are Not Dead And Loving It, by Allan Cockerill in Australia. Allan's blog is a worthwhile visit (especially since he thinks that Grateful We're Not Dead don't "sound all that bad") and I drop by on a regular basis. By the way Allan, is 'not sounding all that bad' synonymous with 'don't sound too damn good'? :-)
Anyway, as a result of Allan's article visits to this blog have skyrocketed. We've had t'ousands and t'ousands of visitors - at least 25. (That's 25 not 25,000 and according to Google Analytics, 40% of the visits have been by Search Engines. I guess those robots just love country music.)
Anyway, to wrap up this article I strongly suggest if you are a Steve Goodman fan that you drop by Clay Eals site and have a look at the first chapter of his book. And of course, for an interesting read, why not have Coffee With Allan Cockerill on a regular basis.
The next morning I awoke to find out we had been featured in a blog article, Grateful We Are Not Dead And Loving It, by Allan Cockerill in Australia. Allan's blog is a worthwhile visit (especially since he thinks that Grateful We're Not Dead don't "sound all that bad") and I drop by on a regular basis. By the way Allan, is 'not sounding all that bad' synonymous with 'don't sound too damn good'? :-)
Anyway, as a result of Allan's article visits to this blog have skyrocketed. We've had t'ousands and t'ousands of visitors - at least 25. (That's 25 not 25,000 and according to Google Analytics, 40% of the visits have been by Search Engines. I guess those robots just love country music.)
Anyway, to wrap up this article I strongly suggest if you are a Steve Goodman fan that you drop by Clay Eals site and have a look at the first chapter of his book. And of course, for an interesting read, why not have Coffee With Allan Cockerill on a regular basis.
Finally, Some Music (So To Speak)
Last week Grateful We're Not Dead got together for a jam session in Don's living room and left the digital recorder running for the duration. Now that means there was no real concern for relative levels, panning, equalization, etc. while we banged and crashed. However, lack of professionalism aside we decided to upload some MP3 files for the foolhardy and masochists amongst you to listen to. So if you have a few brew handy, throw back, kick up your feet and prepare for some auditory abuse.
(P.S. If there are some delays in the streaming, blame it on DivShare. Thats where the MP3 files are stored.)
PlayList
(P.S. If there are some delays in the streaming, blame it on DivShare. Thats where the MP3 files are stored.)
PlayList
- Pukin' In The Parkin' Lot (Honky Tonk Jukebox Band)
- Over Sixty Blues (Don White)
- I Ain't Never Gonna Do That Again (Don White)
- Idol Of The Band (Hoyt Axton)
- The Farmer's Daughter (Merle Haggard)
- Six Days on The Road (Dave Dudley)
- Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream (Ed McCurdy)
- You Never Even Call Me By My Name (Steve Goodman)
- The Boob Song (John D. Wilson)
An Evening at Lorenzo's
Last Friday evening (2008-04-11), Grateful We're Not Dead gathered at Lorenzo's Pizza on Adeline Street. Initially, it was just to be an evening with 8 or 10 of us eating, drinking and playing some music but Bruce found out that it was Gord and Evelyn's 22 Anniversary. Emails were sent and we ended up with a surprise party of about 30 people for our dear friends.
The music for the first part of the evening was a sing-a-long led by Marg Penniston. After food was served, Grateful We're Not Dead swung into full voice and entertained until about 10:15 PM. Two of our other musical friends, Jay Hunt (banjo) and Mel Sanshagrin (guitar and vocals) sat in with us to provide some interesting sounds. Thanks guys, we'll have to do that again.
We'd like to thank the management and staff at Lorenzo's for putting up with us for the evening. And as for your invitation for us to do it again - you can count on it!
The music for the first part of the evening was a sing-a-long led by Marg Penniston. After food was served, Grateful We're Not Dead swung into full voice and entertained until about 10:15 PM. Two of our other musical friends, Jay Hunt (banjo) and Mel Sanshagrin (guitar and vocals) sat in with us to provide some interesting sounds. Thanks guys, we'll have to do that again.
We'd like to thank the management and staff at Lorenzo's for putting up with us for the evening. And as for your invitation for us to do it again - you can count on it!
Global Warming Means A Pub With No Beer?
Today I dropped by a friend's blog, Coffee with Allan Cockerill, and came upon some devastating information - BEER will be short supply, more expensive and may taste different as climate change affects barley production. However, along with this crushing news, Allan also included the lyrics of a song which I had long forgotten, A Pub With No Beer, and a link to a YouTube video of the late Slim Dusty performing it. Seeing as Grateful We're Not Dead are normally compensated with food and beer I think is only fitting that we add this song to our repertoire.
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