Friday, July 5, 2013

Day 4 -- Wisconsin Rapids, WI (day off)

Tueday July 2

Plan for this day was to rehearse in the basement of Mulligan's Pub to prep for the live radio thing in Minneapolis the next day. Our first actual rehearsal with all 4 of us.

Loaded in and set up, choosing the basement so we could work without distraction (and if it didn't sound so good nobody would hear it, heh).

Ran through most of the originals and some of the covers, or parts of them at least. Came together pretty easy tho I still had my eye on the charts and lyric sheets. Still trying to make the connection between song titles and songs and the opening chords. I dropped many a clam but it's coming back to me, as are backing harmonies when I can remember the words.

Broke for dinner and went to the American Table restaurant before they closed. Got turned around even with GPS, got there about 15 minutes before they shut the place down. But they welcomed us in and pulled out the stops getting us home cooked and affordable meals, still fresh even tho it was the end of the day. The owner and staff were very accommodating as well, good people running that place. Rick has been through the area enough that they know him well.

Had a chicken sandwich consisting of an entire breast on a bun, from which an inch or three of chicken was sticking out at all points of the compass. It was amazing, and my body needed that. Almost got a hamburger for the protein but wanted to go lighter. Made the right choice, as beef is much more food-coma inducing than poultry (avoided turkey for this reason as well).

Went back to work in the basement pleased with how we were sounding. As we finished up some young kids (20-ish, damn I feel old calling them kids, but they were kids to me) were talking to us outside, very excited to have some full-time working musicians rolling through their town. Nate and his brother Sean, who play in a band together.

We chatted with them at length after they volunteered to help us lug our gear back up the stairs. Their youthful energy, enthusiasm and idealism was definitely infectious, making me (and us) proud of our career choice, that us just rolling through their town was as inspiring to them as meeting some of their musical idols.

Not only that, but it was very VERY encouraging to hear a 20-year old kid in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin talking to us Austinites about Roky Erickson and Daniel Johnston. What?!? Y'all have actually HEARD of them up here?!?

Hope for the future generation --> intact.

If you don't know who Roky Erickson and Daniel Johnston are, please do yourself a favor and look them up. We hoped to see Nate and Sean at the show here on Thursday.

En route to retire for the evening stopped by *gasp* Wal-Mart to buy some groceries. We had no choice. Watch "The High Cost of Low Prices" and you'll effectively boycott Wal-Mart except in times of direst need as well.

Eric and I got some eggs, coffee creamer, apple juice, Bisquick and some paper towels since we used the remainder at the house and didn't know where spares were kept. Another early night before driving to some Wisconsin/Minnesota border town the next morning for the Minneapolis radio thing.










No comments:

Post a Comment