Music by Brian Patrick

Brian , Chris , Jason , and I got to play as 4 at the Pioneer Saloon in Woodside last night. With the virus things, we weren't expecting much of a crowd. We played for 2 hours or so, and maybe 15 people showed up. The people there seemed to connect, and they were friendly with their tips. We learned some PA/sound related things that were helpful. Monitors on the floor as wedges work great, and putting a sub in the middle of them is fine, too. A bar table off stage is less intrusive than a speaker stand, and getting the other speaker stand off stage saves a little more space. Having separate EQs for the monitors and the mains would be helpful, and I'm hoping we'll try that next time. I'd also been working on a guitar amp/speaker simulation. Two lessons there: live tests at a gig are the best, especially if you can do the A/B comparison right there. And having a boogie/tube-amp in the guitar path is its own magic. I've got 3 tube amps, and two simulation paths.

photo: Keith Berson Last Saturday, I got to video John Craigie and the Rainbow Girls playing at the Rio in Santa Cruz. There have been months where John was all I've listened to. He's a great songwriter and storyteller. He plays and travels all over, and was just back from a European tour. His shows are special. The music's great, his songs are great, and his presence makes them memorable. I couldn't find any good live videos of his show online, so I offered to make him one. To my surprise, he said yes. You have to trust the universe. photo: Giant Eye Photography I've seen the Rainbow Girls with John a few times, and they have a great sound and feel. They were also kind enough to let me video their set at the show. More trust from the universe. It was a great experience. I got to see up close how they do their sound check, and I got a little bit of a feel for some of the magic that their incredible sound guy was doing: Jonathan Kirchner. The sound

Freewheel Brewing is a great local bar with friendly staff, surprisingly good food, and great beer. I get to play there solo the first Wednesday of every month.  I found the picture on the web. It's not from last night. It gives a good feel for the space. It fills up on the weekends, and there were probably 1/3 that many people out last night. I had fun playing. It was the first time in a while that I've played a show without lyrics and music. That made it feel a little more naked. I'm pretty sure I couldn't speak the lyrics to all the songs, but I've played them enough that something knew what to do. It was a little out-of-body: hearing my voice come up with things that I didn't expect to remember. I was stressed when I started, but it helped too. It was easier to look around and try to connect with people. It felt like I could hear the mix, and my voice in the mix better, and it was a little easier to get quiet and feel the room get quiet with me. Th