It was another fun Friday for me and the ANB at The Ranch. The ANB is there pretty much one weekend every month. It's a terrific venue to perform and showcase the band to other perspective clients.
It was "Friday light" traffic on the way down to the venue from my day gig. I was there in not time. The Ranch is on the ground floor of the Extron HQ building in Anaheim.
When I pull into the parking lot I see Arnie supervising John's load-in while he communicates with clients.
I load my basses on stage and notice Arnie is still communication while supervising Jason's setup.
This place looks pretty respectable even with all the lights up.
Mark, the soundman, fills up the smoke machine with this stuff. I just wanted to know what I was breathing all night but there are no ingredients listed. It says "non-toxic" and "environmentally safe", etc, but I'm not supposed to drink it.
As we ready ourselves for soundcheck Mark has our IEM packs labeled and laid out on the monitor console.
We ran over a couple of new-ish songs at soundcheck and then it was supper time! I had my favorites, Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and Heirloom Beet Salad.
Arnie brought his favorite Tele and Little Walter. I brought my usual suspects and used the backline GK800RB and 412Neo. Even though I use IEMs I also used the amp, at a very low volume, to give the other players some stage feel.
Arnie uses only one earbud and Johnny uses none. They both use floor wedges. It's an odd hybrid mix that gives soundguy Mark some challenges. But he makes it work.
This is Dev giving the line dance lessons tonight.
I'm wearing a new shirt on stage tonight. Heather, the entertainment manager, must think it looks OK. Here we are in the green room just before we start the show.
Johnny was playing kind of hurt tonight. He forgot his glasses and had to run to Wal-Mart and get some cheap readers. They weren't his prescription but it got him through the night.
Jason is a happy camper tonight even though he's playing hurt too. He's recovering from knee surgery and some complications which he's treating with some nice pain medication. Perhaps that's why he's a happy camper?
I feel great but I'm looking a little blue.
This is Austin's rig. He brought his 70 year old Gibson acoustic tonight.
Randy's pedal steel and guitar. He uses a module with that guitar to change the sounds and tuning. On a couple of songs he plays it like a baritone guitar. It's pretty cool.
On a break we gather in the green room to go over some vocal harmonies. Dang! I wish I could remember all the words.
As we start the next set Johnny and Randy talk about the timing on one of our tunes. "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff."
Austin and Amanda are ready to start the set! It's really fun working with these kids.
At the end of the next break I'm still at the bar gabbing with another bass player when I notice the band is already on stage. I've got less than one song to get in place.
As I take the stage I get a nice smile from Randy. He's always got lots of great stories about being on the road with the various artists he's toured with.
I actually played my JBS tonight for my buddy Chris, the bass player in the crowd tonight. Dang, the bass player always gets bad lighting.
The line dancers were out in force on a Friday night. They are fun to watch.
Randy takes a solo. He can rock it up or make it cry and moan.
Arnie belts out a Bosephus tune while the line dancers do their thing.
Amanda is just as cute as a button. And she doesn't mind putting up with that shutter-happy bass player.
Just because.
Hey Johnny! Can you see me? How many fingers am I holding up?
Austin plays and sings the intro to one of his songs. While I have a few seconds I step out front a little and grab a picture.
We've just finished our four sets for the evening. The DJ Leo keeps the line dancers on the floor as we make our exit.
We're back on stage the next night starting at 8pm. You can also catch the action live through the interwebs. The live stream is here: Live Stream THE RANCH Saloon
Well Saturday night was a blast at The Ranch. There were several birthdays and a bachelorette party. Amanda and Jason had several family members in the house. And there was all-around merriment and mirth making. The evening got underway when I pulled into the parking lot.
Since we didn't have to set up or sound check, I ordered my supper right away. I enjoyed the fish tacos and a chopped kale salad.
When it was time to get to work I stepped behind the monitor console to put on my IEM pack and hide the cord inside my shirt. That fuzzy shape you see is the soundman, Mark. He hates getting his picture taken.
As I walk out on stage Arnie is getting warmed up a little.
Randy is pretty much warmed up too.
My backline amp is barely warmed up. Even though I can't hear it, I turn it on and set the volume very low so that John and Arnie can hear it. Both the gain and the master volume are set at 9 o'clock with the lows and low-mids bumped up just a little. That way I can feel it a little bit.
John is happy tonight because he can see! He didn't forget his glasses tonight.
On a break I hang out at the FOH with Mark. You also see the light console, the video monitor, and the db meter. Can you believe how quiet it is in this place?
It's Jason's birthday today! I think he had a good night.
Amanda and Austin wait to entertain the masses.
Arnie sings a linedance number. There is a line dance for "Goodtime", the old Alan Jackson song.
On a break our DJ Leo plays "The Wobble". This place loves that line dance.
I like watching the line dancers in front of me.
Amanda is getting in to the music, Austin is grooving on his guitar, and Randy gives me a stern "And what are YOU doing?" kind of look.
Is Arnie still singing?
Amanda did a great job tonight.
Stage right from the bass player's perspective.
On the last break we have a small celebration for Jason's birthday. Mrs. Jason brought some cake and candles. I had to pass on the cake. I gave up desserts for Lent. But I gave Jason a card and a small gift to thank him for his years of musicianship and friendship.
After the last set I pack up my two basses, my lyric bag, I grab my backpack and garment bag, and I'm outta here! This is such an easy gig. All I have to do is walk on stage, plug in, and play. At the end of the night I unplug and walk off. I am one lucky bass player.
Thanks for looking! You guys are great. Thanks for putting up with me.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
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