Gig 'Em

Been playing a lot lately.

Tonight I played with a funk band called Uncle Bruno. We're playing on Saturday afternoon at La Zona Rosa for the Austin Funk Fest. Tonight at Fado, one audience member declared that I was an "animal". I asked if they meant a 3-toed sloth. They can be pretty vicious, you know. (Photo by Ed Verosky)

Anyway, there was an article in the Austin Chronicle about the band today. (Damon tells me that "futbolista" is actually the word for a female soccer player. I think that's funny.)

Another band I've been playing with that's gained a little notoriety lately is Black Joe Lewis. Did a CD release gig at Emo's last week, followed up by a surprise opening set for a (secret) Spoon show at the Mohawk. Talk about a quick ramp-up.

My favorite song title of his is "Bitch, I Love You" (pardon the profanity, but it just "works" when you hear him scream it like James Brown). He's a really engaging performer, and we're (allegedly) hitting up some Continental Club dates soon, too.

I've also been doing a bit of "sitting in" on the jazz end of the spectrum. I've played 3 or 4 times with About:Blank, a rad group of guys with a Thursday-night residency at The Belmont. That's always a blast.

This week, I also got a call to sit in with Paul Klemperer at the Elephant Room, which was fun. It did, however, take me down a notch (or two) because I was sharing the stage with prodigy fusion guitar player Carter Arrington, who, every time he played a solo, melted my face off and left me stammering for anything non-boring to play. But, it's playing with guys like that that really makes you better, right? Riiiight.

I've also been doing a little gigging around town with my eponymous, amorphous, original jazz project (that's EAOJP for short ... guess I should come up with a catcher name?). Just playing standards and a few of my own tunes that I honed under Joe LoCascio's tutelage. My aim is to play with a zillion different players in town. So far, I've hit up Charlie Fountain, Kyle Clayton, Jon Jordan, Pat Harris and Steven Bidwell. Many more to come.

And for all that, my "touring band" (as I like to refer to Drop Trio) is still keeping up a good schedule between tours. We're playing twice in Houston this weekend - opening for O2'L at Fitzgerald's on Friday in what is sure to be a smooth-jazz massacre, and then playing the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase on Sunday at the Red Cat Jazz Cafe. Give us a vote, eh? Though, we've won 3 years in a row, so maybe it's time to share the love a little bit.

(photo by Groovehouse)

Anyway, that's a roundup of my music performance adventures lately. I'm also (in my spare time) composing analog electronic music on my dad's ARP 2600, continuing a daily venture into writing strange video game music, and learning to play Thummer.

And all the while, I can't get this song out of my head. I think I need a vacation.