Amanda Kate CD Release, Ranch 10/9/19

Hey howdy hey!

Due to the nature of this performance I didn't take a lot of pictures but here is my little report for Amanda Kate's CD release party at The Ranch with Arnie Newman's Country Club Band.

Last night was pretty special although it didn't start out that way. Arnie asked if I could get to the club a little early to run some intros, outros, check our IEMs, and work out some logistics for the show. I didn't get to leave work quite as early as I'd hoped and traffic right out of the parking lot was a mess.

But I didn't panic. Hopefully the freeway will be clear. Nope. 

I eventually got to the club and we were able to run a couple of tunes just to make sure the show would get started on the right foot.

My IEM mix was not perfect but it was close enough. I found that if I moved so that Arnie's amp was between me and the wireless router it would fuzz out and drop signal. I had to be careful where I stood. The IEM rack is on the opposite side of the stage. Then it was supper time! I had the chicken tenders and Cesar salad. Someone else ordered the fish tacos and pecan tart. 

Soon it was time to hit the stage. Amanda had pretty much sold out the place. It was mostly a listening crowd with not a lot of dancers. But that's OK.

John makes sure the tunes are in order on his tablet. 

I made sure there was an old country bass player on stage to play the low notes. 

You see the owner, who rarely comes on a Wednesday night, in the white shirt. He'll be announcing us tonight. 

Arnie takes his place. It's a big band tonight with the regular rhythm section plus Paul on pedal steel, Daniel on fiddle, Crystal and Claire on backup vocals. Good stuff. 

Amanda took her time between songs and spoke to the audience about where each song came from. She and her Mom write a lot straight from the heart. 

In the middle of the show Amanda's Mom, Kathy, got up to play piano on a couple of songs they co-wrote together. It was a pretty magical moment that brought tears to my eyes. 

One number was just acoustic guitars and Amanda's voice, the title track "Time". 

We had many super-fans in the house. Here's Sonia and Jen taking advantage of the photo booth. 

 

And here is Amanda and her mom Kathy performing a couple of their songs. 

Everyone enjoyed the show but I know I could've played a little better. This was my first time doing the whole album and I was still reading charts. I got lost once or twice due to brain farts. I faked my way through and promised myself that I'll really get these under my fingers for the next show. They're not hard songs but I just have to keep the arrangements straight. I don't mean to make excuses but it's hard on this old bass player trying to learn four shows in two months. I think I just need more sleep.

Thanks for coming along. And thanks for putting up with me! 

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff