Thoughts On The 6/12 and 6/13 80s Invasion Gigs
This weekend was a great run of activity:
- 2 gigs – Both with 80s Invasion, one in a bar and one at a private party
- 2 ferry rides
- 1 evening rehearsal – For another band that I’m sitting in with for a few shows
- 1 UW graduation party – For one of my best friends who has recently joined the ranks of officially papered college grads
- 2 instances of equipment entropy – Fortunately limited to cases
Friday night at the High Dive we had a great show. The band seems to be attracting a regular following and this particular venue is a great place for us. It was fun to see so many familiar faces and to chat with some of them. One table full of 20-somethings were very interested in the music, having an apparently encyclopedic knowledge of 80s pop hits. Lots of great dancing and crazy sing-along activity.
At our previous show in this bar, my guitar rig exhibited some strange behavior and I wondered if the power might be to blame. For this show I used a fairly sophisticated power conditioner and it seems to have resolved the issues. Chalk one up for technology. So from the perspective of equipment performance, this was a perfect gig. I was very happy with the band’s playing at this show. Zach and Shane are consummate professionals and always do their parts well. Our vocalists are coming along nicely too. Mona and Paul are both becoming more confident in their roles.
On Saturday we got up early and headed over to Bainbridge Island for a private show. It was a birthday party with plenty of great food, awesome friends, kids and dogs running everywhere, and of course some fun music. We were playing outdoors with a fabulous view of the water. The band played a similar set to the one from Friday night, with a few minor changes. Again, a great time.
During the course of the weekend I noticed that two of my equipment cases are beginning to fall apart. One is a plastic box that I’ve been using for cords and mics, and it’s at least 15 years old (maybe 20!). It’s beginning to crack and split, and I think I may need to finally admit it’s time to recycle it. The other case that’s wearing out is my pedalboard case. This one is also 20 years old and has seen tens of thousands of miles of road use in Jumbalassy, and I purchased it used 20 years ago so who knows what its previous life might have been like. Technically it’s a keyboard case for a 3-octave synth, but it happened to be a perfect fit for my pedalboard. The hinges, latches and corners are all falling to pieces and I don’t believe this one is fixable. Might be time for a replacement. A long time ago I knew someone who worked for a flight case manufacturer but he’s long since retired. I need to find a new contact in that industry.
80s Invasion will be playing next weekend on Saturday June 20, at the High Dive. Come on out and get your 80s groove on!