Dec 24 2020
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Technology

Amcrest 1080p WebCam Review Model AWC201-B

I recently purchased the Amcrest 1080p Webcam for use with my online teaching.

I first of all would like to say I was very impressed with the speed of receiving my webcam and the refund to my paypal account. I ordered the camera Tuesday evening after signing up for the program Monday night from seeing an ad on instagram. I was a little skeptical at first, but I thought “why not?” I’m very glad I decided to sign up.

This is my second webcam, I bought my first a few months ago to use with my Mac Pro 3,1 for teaching online piano and music theory lessons.

My inital reactions to the camera are overall positive. I was impressed by the very small box size. Everything looked good out of the box. The cable length was adequate to get to my USB hub from it’s place on top of my monitor. I liked the fact that there was a female tripod adapter included in the bracket. That was a very nice touch. I don’t have a tripod around right now (I misplaced the one I used to have) but I like having the option to mount it to one in the future.

I also liked the fact that I could permanently attach the privacy cover on to the camera via a peel off adhesive strip. This is far superior to the privacy cover I got with the first webcam I bought which just rests on top of the webcam and could easily fall off. I don’t even use that one anymore because it just seemed like a cheap piece of plastic that didn’t fit well and perhaps was an afterthought to the design process. The adhesive is a much better idea and was easy to apply.

I’m using this camera as a replacement for my iPhoneX that was running camo studio to give me a front facing camera shot in OBS. I stream into Zoom via the “virtual camera output” feature. When I selected the new webcam as a new source in OBS for a few of my different scenes I immediately noticed a much better picture quality on the webcam display then I had gotten while using my iphone without a significgant impact on my processing power. I have been having issues where all of my processors are maxed out when running all of the apps I need to have open for my online lesson experiences. By using this cam instead of using the iPhone I now no longer have to have camo studio open and have freed up another 5-10% of processing power. Also the picture is far superior so this is a big win here. I also like the fact that there are two curved arcs on either side of the lens that light up when the camera is in use. This lets me know it’s on and working yet is not visually distracting so again a big win here. I use a Shure SM7 microphone to pick up my voice so I did not try out the microphone feature.
My only negative feedback is that I wish that it could rotate side to side as well as pivot up and down. The other camera I have rotates at the base and that allows a little bit more freedom and precision in setting up the exact angle and shot you might want. However after trying a couple of different positions on my monitor I fould one that worked and didn’t have a need to adjust the camera once I got it where I wanted. All of my students noticed a difference in the quality of my video so that was also a big plus.
So far I am very happy with the quality and performance of this web cam. The price is also very reasonable. It was about $36.00 on amazon

Amcrest Webcam in action

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Jan 05 2013
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Free limited time download of The Brothers Groove first set at Northern Lights Lounge

Free limited time download of The Brothers Groove first set at Northern Lights Lounge

I’m really happy to be performing with my band The Brothers Groove again. We’ve started a weekly residency at Northern Lights Lounge in Detroit. This show features myself on keys and vocals, Skeeto Valdez on drums and James Simonson on bass. If you’re in the Detroit area on a Thursday night please drop by and see us. There’s no cover charge. It’s located at 660 W. Baltimore Detroit, MI 48203.

Dec 20 2012
3 Comments
Music, Practicing Music

Getting ready for 2013

It’s been quite awhile since my last blog entry.

So much has happened. Probably the hardest to bare has been the loss of my dear friend and mentor Johnnie Bassett back in August. I think of Johnnie daily, I really miss him and there was so much I had hoped we could do together. I am working on a collection of written remembrances and there are plans for some tribute events. I can’t say I’m ready to play all of the music again yet. I am truly lucky for the time I had with him but I never realized how little I actually had left. It has changed the way I view however much time I time left on this earth and the relationships that I have. I will value the special ones all that much more, we never know how much time we left with someone we love. It’s important to enjoy every moment.

In lighter news I’m happy to announce that The Brothers Groove are going to begin a weekly residence on Thursday nights at Northern Lights Lounge (660 W. Baltimore Detroit, MI). The large club has a cozy atmosphere with a pro-sound system and stage, leather lined booths, a shuffleboard table , a well stocked bar, and a kitchen that’s open late. We begin on January 3, 2013 at 9pm. The band has been rehearsing new original material and re-working the materials of others. I’m looking forward to having many great nights of music and fun along with special guests routinely dropping in to jam with the band. Make sure you put it on your radar! I want to see your face in the place.

TEACH THE CHILDREN WELL

In January of 2013 I’m going to begin private instruction at the Detroit School of Rock and Pop in Royal Oak.

There will be more details to follow shortly. You can contact the school directly if you are interested in setting up lessons.

2012---DSRP---Codish-Blues-Flyer

That’s all for now. I’ll post more details about upcoming shows and projects soon.

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Jun 01 2012
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Music, Practicing Music

Practicing tip 1.5 ‘Tempo and time considerations’

an addendum to my earlier post on tempo.

Let’s think about time for a moment. What is time? As defined in the dictionary:

“the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.”

We measure it by second, minutes, hours, days, weeks and years. Time is passing all the time.  All we really have is the present, the past has already happened and the future has not happened yet. Most of us spend our waking time in one of these two places: either thinking about the past or dreaming about the future. As the Beastie Boys said “It’s time to get ill.”

I have to ask this question to musician’s in general and jazz musicians specifically;

“If you’re going faster than someone else in a tune that was counted at a specific (let’s say proper) tempo are you now ‘winning‘ because you’ve pushed the tempo into the red zone?” Do you want to be there first? Do you get a prize for being there first? A lot of young players have a bunch of energy and excitement. They want to play everything ‘fast, fast, fast.’ I admire their enthusiasm. It reminds me of the joke about running down as opposed to walking down the hill to a field of cows. I’ve watched this happen so many times and every one tenses up and chases after the ‘runaway train’ song. After being part of many a gig, jam session or other musical activity I would argue, NO you are not winning. The music is now losing. Music shouldn’t resemble the olympics although I’ve witnessed sessions that sound like the musical equivalent of  dead lifting 300 lbs. Conversely if you’re 30 bpm slower than where you started perhaps it’s time to start getting some exercise, coffee or sleep depending on your personal variables….I wonder can we both ‘arrive’ at the same time? That’s magic when that happens.

I’ve never been a fan of the faster=better musical equation that seems to occupy the fixation of so many musicians. Yes, it is exciting when watching a virtuoso perform a difficult maneuver and technical proficiency is a worthy goal to pursue. It’s often what you see at the NAMM shows and in product videos; somebody performing some sort of musical gymnastics or a feat of dexterous virtuosity in a solo setting. Sometimes these guys will even get together in a group full of ‘chop’ masters and ‘shredders’ and perform together. I know there are fans out of there of this sort of stuff but I’m not one of them.
When I was on the road with Larry McCray we played a showcase for Gibson guitars in Nashville TN and the band before us was comprised of chop masters and product endorsers and they played technically dazzling stuff but it fell flat. Larry, along with his brother Steve on drums, Noel Neal on bass, and myself on keys gave a soulful show that got the jaded music execs off of their feat finally giving us a standing ovation after the show concluded. Have a good TIME.
One more thing about time. I don’t really like playing live or recording to or with a click track though there are moments where it is appropriate to the music I suppose. Computers don’t breathe like us humans do. They don’t push and pull against the time for dramatic tension and release. However when I practice, I do often use a metronome during my routine to work on my time. When music is being played ‘for real’ in front of an audience the musicians should agree on the tempo. It’s an active conversation. It’s a group decision though much of the responsibility falls on the drummer and bassist.  Be warned, they might argue about it.

I have nothing against technique and dexterity, I’m always working on gaining more myself and I acknowledge and appreciate the time and dedication it takes to play fast tempos, passages, etc. But PLEASE don’t sacrifice emotion, feeling, expression and interaction in the pursuit of being “the baddest cat.” It’s an empty goal. Make music that moves people and gives them something they “need” even if they don’t know it. Slow down for a minute and look around you.

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Jun 01 2012
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I can hear the difference

I can hear it when it’s a fake organ, or a fake wurlitzer or Rhodes or whatever. It’s not the same thing. I can hear the non-Hammond percussion tone generator by Trek in my Hammond C2 and I can tell it’s not the same as a classic B3 hammond designed and installed percussion generator. I wish it was. It’s subtle and it bothers me.  It’s passable and most people think it sounds really good. But I can hear the difference.It detracts from my enjoyment of playing the instrument.

I’ve been overtly critical of recordings with bad organ sounds. It’s hard not to, they just sound really bad.  I’m kind of a nut when it comes to really listening to something. That’s how you learn to become a better musician and it even seems a better human. You really listen. 

I can hear the piano sample fart out in most keyboards while I’m playing. And sometimes I can’t hear the notes at all like in the mid to high octave of the Yamaha piano sample on my Nord Stage 88 a keyboard that I’ve owned for about five years. “Where does the note go?” I often think while I’m playing it. I’ve got a good line and the note disappears in the fray of sound around me. It doesn’t cut through and it takes me out of the moment of creating because I can’t hear myself and it’s made me think of something other than the music I’m making. 

Over the last week I was able to play two really fine Steinway pianos at both Cliff Bell’s and at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe. As a keyboard player most of the time I soldier away at my role in the music business war on either my Nord Stage 88 or Yamaha Motif ES7. I play emulation of keyboards I own like the Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond, Piano, etc. and some basic meat and potato synth stuff. But I rarely get to play a fine piano. I’m fortunate enough to have an early 20th Century Chickering to practice on at home and it’s decent but it ain’t a Steinway. It made a huge difference in my performance and enjoyment. I can hear the difference. I just with I could afford the difference.

I can hear it when a guys been practicing a lot. I dare say I can hear it when a guy’s been practicing too much and I can hear it when they ain’t been playing at all. There’s a time to step away from the instrument and have some life experience’s too. Maintain and develop your chops but don’t close yourself off to non-musical human contact and relationships. Go ride a bike or take a walk once in awhile. Read a book. Hug somebody. Listen to what someone else has to say for a moment. Especially someone older and more experienced. Time and time again it seems that the people who I really enjoy listening to are also very genuine, diversely educated, warm and engaging and this often comes through in their music and even beyond that in their personal presence. You could say I enjoy those who have cultivated their human side and allow it to permeate their music. 

I dread being in the audience or worse onstage and witnessing a musician continuously display chops (scales, patterns, licks, etc.) and very little in the way of emotion, development, interaction, timing, restraint, and space in chorus after chorus on every tune. They showboat forever never noticing that they’ve lost the audience and perhaps their fellow musician’s with their extended trip to solo heaven. Get in get out and get on with it.

The best improvisers, performers and entertainers are those who actually take the music somewhere and thereby bring the band and the audience with them. 

That’s what I believe we need to be striving for as musicians and performers. Engaging the music, your band members, the audience, and the space you’re in at the moment. Can you hear the difference? Have you listened? 

….and on that note I’ll be discussing the merit’s of taping oneself in an upcoming post.

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Apr 16 2012
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What’s been up….

It’s been a while since my last blog update and there’s been a lot going on. So here’s a little overview of what’s happening in my world.

I’ve got another article with practice tips and a rant about the state of jam sessions in the works, so sign up as a follower at the bottom of the page if you like what you’re reading. I hope to have them posted this week. If you’re looking to catch me perform in the metro Detroit area click here.

New Johnnie Bassett CD coming out this summer!

I’m excited to announce that Johnnie Bassett’s newest album will be coming out this summer on Sly Dog Records. I don’t want to give away too many details and spoil the surprise but I’m looking forward to getting this music to the public. This is the second album we’ve done for the label and once again we used John Smerek at the board,  The Brothers Groove, The Motor City Horns, Thornetta Davis, Brett Lucas, Dwight Adams and Jim “Moose” Brown (with who I co-wrote the title track “I Can Make That Happen.”) We recorded it at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak August 2011-October 2011.

Ronnie Foster visits Detroit.

I got to meet and hang out with legendary keyboard player Ronnie Foster. He was in town performing on keys at the Fisher Theatre with the group Human Nature. He popped in Thursday March 22nd at our weekly gig at Northern Lights and then again on Saturday at Dylan’s Raw Bar in Grosse Pointe Park. Ronnie is a keyboard hero of mine. I was just listening to him on my iPhone a few day before playing Hammond Organ with Grant Green on a Blue Note album recorded in the 1970’s at Watt’s Mozambique club in Detroit. He’s also playing onGeorge Benson’s big breakthrough record ‘Breezin.’ He’s a monster player and a very nice guy. It was a real pleasure to meet him.

While looking over taxes (I usually wait until the bitter end) I realized that last August I played with Roy Ayers and Kenny G. in the same week. Whoa…

Recording, Relaxing, Reviewing.

I recorded a track for Amy Gore at with Jackson Smith and Al Stutton at the boards Rustbelt Studio in Royal Oak last month, you can find out more about the project here.  I’m supposed to be recording some keyboard tracks for Kenny Tudrick’s new project next week and I’m excited about that. John Smerek is again behind the boards for this one. I also provided keyboard tracks for a new song by my friend Jess Domain a singer songwriter from Detroit now living in NYC who’s music is being featured in the new Cinemax series Girls Guide.

I’ve been working hard on my recording/rehearsal space downtown and will be doing more recording and rehearsing there soon. I’ve spent a number of hours cleaning up and rearranging and I think it’s the best incarnation yet.  I recently recorded a few Hammond organ tracks there for both Colton P. Weatherston and Ben Keller and the 500 Club of which my friend David Dionese a member. I used my Shure SM81 on the top rotor and got a great tone. I’m using a Senheiser e602 for the bottom rotor.

I attended the birthday party of drummer vocalist Terry Thunder at his west side Detroit home and enjoyed one heck of a good time. That was a “real party” that was full of folks who knew how to have fun and respect one another at the same time. There ain’t no party like a Detroit party. I heard they went until 6am. I left before that. Terry Thunder is the man!

I’m really interested in checkin these out. It’s a problem I face as a keyboard player. I’ve also been taking a close look at the Korg Kronos. It’s the first new keyboard that’s raised my interest in awhile. I need to sit down and play it for awhile. I’m also looking forward to trying out the new dual manual Nord organ clone which now includes drawbars.

I’m glad it’s getting warmer out and I’m looking forward to a nice spring/summer collection of performances and projects. My weekend recommendation is that you check out Bill Heid this Saturday afternoon at the Scarab Club in Detroit. He’s one of my favorites. He’ll be at Cliff Bell’s playing Hammond Organ Friday April 20th. That’s all for now…

Chris

Jan 14 2012
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Music, Recording Music

Recording with the greats

On Tuesday night I was in my recording/rehearsal studio (a mere mile from Motown Studio A) with two members of the organ jazz lineage of music that I am so fond of, namely Perry Hughes and Gene Dunlap. I’ve been working with both of these gentleman for quite sometime and I’m humbled and honored to be associated with them. Perry Hughes is “the embodiment of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green and George Benson” as described by my mentor and teacher Bill Heid. I first heard Perry on Bill’s “Blues on The Road” record which included a song I still perform entitled “Love Is Nothing  But The Blues” which featured a tasty solo from Mr. Hughes. Then I devoured Bill’s “Bop Rascal” CD which featured some great tunes including “Grantacious” and “Psy Ops” both of which are in my B3 repertoire.  I met Perry years later and I’ve been fortunate enough to play gigs with him since that time. Through Perry I met Harvey Mason and was able to play at the Jarkta Jazz Festival in Indonesia and at the Barbados Jazz Festival through his recommendation. Gene Dunlap has worked and recorded with Grant Green, Earl Klugh, and many others as well as recording under his own name for Columbia records. He’s a master of subtley and taste on the drums and I’ve really grown to appreciate his knowledge on the industry, music, and technology. The fact that I was sitting at the Hammond and recording with both of these gentleman made me very grateful.

I’ve made my first few forays into full band recording using Logic 9 on my Macbook Pro and I’m learning a lot each time. I’m using an Apogee Ensemble and Duet as my audio interfaces. I’m very happy with both of these devices in general and I’m considering getting a symphony system in the future. The Mastero 2 interface is very clear and the sound quality is really good. I had 10 channels to work with. I ended up using nine because the direct line of the organ was buzzing and I knew it was a ground issue but I didn’t have time to chase it down and decided to just go with the three mic set up I had on the Leslie. One of the problems that I face in the room that I record in is that it’s in a building that contains other rehearsal and recording studios. Sometimes this can be a problem. Especially when the death-metal-techno band rehearses and the SVT’s are on 10! But we didn’t seem to encounter much of a problem even though there was another band to rehearsing at the same time.

I just had my dumpster picked Hammond C2 worked on by the amazing B3 Doctor John Doyle. He switched out my vibrato/chorus transistor and made the organ sound like a million bucks. He also gave me the ability to run three tone cabinets! We started the session using only the 21H (with a 122 Amp) and my near mint 145. It sounded good but Gene mentioned that he couldn’t hear my comping so I decided to hook up the Hammond Tone Cabinet I recently acquired. I plugged it in and both Gene and Perry looked up and smiled. They could now hear me and the rest of the takes had a lot more communication between Gene and myself.

I’m lucky to have a fairly large space to record and rehearse with high ceilings and foam padded walls. It’s nice and open and kind of dead. I can get some good sounding tracks d in there. I’m also fortunate enough to be next door to percussion guru Larry Fratangelo who’s worked with Aretha Franklin, Kid Rock, and P-Funk to name a few. We plan on joining forces to record in 2012 so we’ll have three rooms to work with. I transferred the tracks to my desktop yesterday and made a rough mix or two. They’re not too bad. I think we got a few good takes. We recorded three tunes. I’m looking forward to doing lots more recording in the new year. I’d also like to thank Bill’s brother George Heid who talked me through the set up and approach I used for recording. It’s not pristine sound quality but we got a vibe and some good takes. The organ has the character of some of the early McDuff recordings I really like and Perry takes some amazing solos (as per usual.) I’m so glad we finally got in a studio. We’ve been talking about it for years and we finally made it happen. I’m looking forward to doing lots more recording and producing in 2012.

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Dec 23 2011
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Music, Practicing Music

Practicing tip #1

“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

(wait for it) Practice, Practice Practice!”

It’s an old joke but it’s true. There’s so much to practice. Where does one start? We all have a finite amount of time to practice, and it’s important to get the most out of the time you spend at the instrument. In an effort to help both efficiency and proficiency and in the spirit of Christmas, I’m going to share a few tips I’ve found helpful in honing my musical skills. I’ll share more in upcoming posts so if you like what you read here, sign up for more by pressing the follow button at the bottom of the page.

1. Always practice with a metronome. A lot of people resist this concept for whatever reason. Perhaps they feel it ‘limits their freedom” or that it’s “too restricting” or something of that ilk. Please, do yourself a favor and forget those statements. They are not true. Having ‘good time’ is an essential (and perhaps overlooked) element of being a good musician. The best way to develop and strengthen your internal pulse is to practice with a constant, steady and unchanging beat. I can almost hear some of  you say you can’t stand sound the ‘tick tick tick’ of your grandmother’s metronome, or the annoying chirp of an electric model. I hear you, and I feel your pain. If the sound of the metronome drives you nuts I’ve got some solutions. There are many metronomes and metronome applications for smart phones (I use Frozen Ape’s Tap Tempo for the iPhone) that allow you to change the sound of the pulse. Or try practicing along with a drum machine, software synth or a loop. It can be more inspiring than just a steady quarter note pulse. There are lots of cool loops in different styles  in programs like Garageband and there are plenty of free loops on the web. I’ve also found band-in-the-box to be a lot of fun for practicing. I like using a drum machine because it’s easy to change the tempo and you can’t often mute out a distracting or annoying sounds right from the controls. Or you can create your own patterns. Something to keep in mind when using electronic beat makers; make sure that the beats are simple enough that they don’t get in the way of the material that you’re practicing.

The metronome I've been using for years....

1a. Start playing the material you’re trying to learn a little slower than you want to play it at first. Yes, SLOWER. S-L-O-W-E-R. SLOW IT DOWN!!! Your ego will get in the way and say “I can play this fast right now, I don’t wanna play slow” and I admire your enthusiasm and your confidence! But all too often I hear rushed tempos, notes and passages that reveal that the performer has not spent the proper amount of time with the material. Learning a lick or pattern slowly and then gradually increasing the tempo by a few B.P.M (beats per minute) at a time after you’re able to play the material solidly, confidently and with assurance is the best way to get a difficult passage under your fingers. To the impatient mind this can be a maddeningly slow process but it truly is the best way I’ve found to improve one’s playing. I’m certainly not advocating robotic, metronomic playing on the stage but it’s a essential tool to work with during your practice time. As your sense and awareness of time as a constant becomes stronger you will be able to push or pull against the beat and that’s when the fun really begins. Why is it that you can play a transcription of a great solo and still not sound like the artist who played it? Part of what makes the greats great is there “time” and “feel” and the way that they played the notes made you feel something.

One compliment I’ve gotten from other players over my career is about my “time” or “feel.” I’ve made a point of practicing with a metronome when I first started to get into playing jazz. Before that I didn’t really like to use it. I thought it was a restriction. I was wrong. It’s been an essential part of developing my feel for walking bass lines with my left hand and being able to comp or solo with my right while playing Hammond organ. I think having “good time” is a truly important element that is often overlooked in the “I can play everything faster and better than you” mindset. (I also think that having a “good time” while playing is often undervalued as well…but that’s a topic for another post.) If you’re not using a metronome in your practice regime I suggest you give it a chance and watch what happens. (Yes, you can turn the metronome off during rubato passages you’re playing, but if you’re playing music with a pulse, use a metronome so you can be in the groove!)

I hope this helps your playing and I’d love to hear your comments or answer any questions you might have, so leave a comment if you like. (A note to young musicians with minimal time commitments. Practice as much as you can right now. I’m here to tell you it get’s harder to find the time to practice as much as you once could as life hands you more responsibilities.)

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Nov 14 2011
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‘Concert of Colors’ performance by The Brothers Groove video now available on the web!

On Saturday July 17, 2011 James Simonson, Skeeto Valdez and myself (better known as The Brothers Groove) along with special guest Dino Lewis on percussion performed at Orchestra Hall in Detroit Michigan as part of the ‘Concert of Colors’ produced in part by Don Was.  I was pleased to be asked to participate in the event and it was a rare treat and an honor for me to perform on the stage of such a beautiful and historic venue. The feeling of walking out on stage to perform that night was really special. That room has some serious “vibe” and the crowd was definitely showing us some love. It took a few moments for us to settle into our groove because the onstage mix was not what we were expecting. We did not get a soundcheck so each us had to deal with a less than ideal monitoring situation. We quickly adjusted our attitudes and focused on ‘doin’ the thing.’

The video of our performance just became available today on Don’s channel and the audio and video are top notch. It’s definitely one of the best looking/sounding live performances of The Brothers Groove that has been captured and made available to the public at large. We’re doing a song wrote a few years ago entitled “unavoidable.” I’ve been a fan of the band ‘Was not Was’ since my teens especially their weirder stuff  like “Dad I’m in Jail” (plus there’s a lot of Detroit talent on those records.) I also love Don’s production work with the B-52’s, Dylan and the Rolling Stones. It was a great treat to be able to meet him and perform for him.  I also look forward to seeing what he’ll be doing at Blue Note records. I know a group or two that he should check out…

http://www.mydamnchannel.com/xml/mdc_embed_wide.swf?episode=7927

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Oct 13 2011
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Music, Travel

Part Quatre (my last two days in Paris)

Before leaving Paris I had to see the Eiffel tower in person and set out on Friday afternoon. After consulting my Timeout iphone app  I took a direct but slightly out of the way route. After passing up and downhill through narrow streets lined by five story classic hotels. I passed boutiques and furniture shops as well as a Lamborghini dealership and numerous scooter sales/repair shops that all take up residence on the first level of many of these buildings. I came down a hill and through a park and saw the Eiffel tower through the trees from across the river. It’s really quite impressive to see in person. It ‘towers’ above the landscape. I took shots as I crossed the bridge in the warm afternoon sun and saw hundreds of tourists all taking photos at marveling at this amazing structure. There were little booths selling gellato, sandwiches, and various trinkets as well as beret topped, assault rifle armed, young French men in camouflage making sure everybody was…cool.

I walked under the tower and peered up into the immense iron work and was truly impressed. There were people traveling up and down it’s four legs in elevators, carts, and stairs like ants climbing up and down an immense iron ant-hill. The lines were too long for me so I milled around underneath and around the tower. I listened to some young musicians who were drawing a crowd then walked through the gardens enjoying the afternoon sun and taking the pictures of at least three people who wanted to be captured in front of the tower. I decided to head back to the hotel via the metro and grabbed some dinner before getting ready for the show.

On a side note I highly recommend the timeout guide (even though they slightly poo-pooed the club we played at because they tended to hire too many American musicians…) I sent it to all of the guys in the band who use iOS devices (which is most of them) and they all seemed to find it useful. It contains a great city map that works with your GPS and saves you on roaming and data fees big time. I used it to navigate around the city on the cheap. I could brandish my tech/navigational wand at will which gave me the confidence to navigate the streets assuredly as well as use the metro system effectively. And I speak/read/understand a bit of French so that helps a lot as well. Not like walking around in Russia and trying to decipher the Cyrillic alphabet, but that’s for another blog entry. Here’s a link it’s free in the app store http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/paris-travel-guide-time-out/id403959017?mt=8

Friday’s show was decent but I don’t think we really achieved full lift off until Saturday night. The management had opened up the back wall of the club to allow for the additional seating needed to accommodate the full house that was seated before the stage. Johnnie was feeling a little under the weather and he let me know before we hit the stage. I told him the equivalent of “man let’s just have a good time and play some music” and we did. The crowd was giving us love and we were giving it back to them. The staff told us they enjoyed us and we were all talking about coming back soon. We hit the cafeteria to grab a few last items off of our meal cards before turning them in at the bar. I tried to lay down to get some sleep and was very tired. I flipped through the channels and found some swinging Ella Fitzgerald live in the 60’s. I relaxed and was ready to fall asleep so I turned off the TV because as tired as I was I couldn’t sleep when hearing such good music. I couldn’t fall out and turned the TV on. James Brown was on and the band was cooking. I think it was the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1981? I couldn’t sleep to that so I just made sure I had packed everything and got ready to come back home. We gathered in the lobby and loaded into the two vans which took us through the crowded freeways (On early Sunday morning!) to the airport. Shout out to John Rutherford for stepping in with Johnnie Bassett and the ticket agent with the AFM letter/agreement with the TSA granting musicians the ability to bring an instrument with them as carry on luggage. Be sure to keep your baggage under 40 lbs. to avoid gouging overweight fees. A Sony Playstation 3 was available in the waiting area and I was watching a guy play what appeared to be the latest version of the ‘Burnout’ car racing game series. I got to play a few games and was impressed by the graphics. It helped pass of the time I’d have to wait before I returned home.

The flight was long. It’s always longer coming back home for some reason. For one thing there’s daylight forever. And your less likely to fall asleep or doze off, especially when there are screaming babies on board. There were a few moments during the trans Atlantic flight that I thought I might go stir-crazy and had to remind myself it would be over soon. Being 6’5” and +/- 215lbs I’m not exactly comfortable in a coach seat. Bill Heid was really on to something when he coined it “the flying jail cell.” I did watch the latests installment of the Pirates of The Caribean franchise with Johnny Depp. I really enjoy these films, I think Depp does a great job. Simonon says Depp based his character on Keith Richards. (Which reminds me I want to check out his autobiography soon.)

We arrived in North Carolina and cleared customs without incident. It was clear at this point my ear was blocked. It was painful and I had a slight cold coming on. We got back to DTW, off the plane, picked up our luggage and went off in separate directions to return home. It became apparent that Detroit was a lot colder than Paris had been. When I walked in the door I noticed how cold the house felt and also how happy Freida was to see me. I unpacked slightly and decompressed by watching The Simpsons. I fell asleep about 9pm and woke up around 6am not being able to fall back asleep. I headed to the 9am Bikram Yoga Class to help stretch myself out after sitting for 14 plus hours. It felt good to stretch and sweat. It’s good and strange to be home. It always is.

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