(I realize this gig is a couple months old now but I'm trying to get caught up.)
This past Wednesday night was another mid-week showcase featuring a local artist , Kevin Click (<--- link is to an official video release), and his first country album. We played Amanda's CD release party at The Ranch just last month. We have more shows booked with the two of them in the coming months.
I left work a little early so we could sound check and run a few tunes before doors. There's a lot of construction between my office and the freeway. Sometimes it can be a hassle. Today wasn't bad because I left before rush hour proper.
I arrived to a flurry of activity. Amanda is here to sing a duet with Kevin. Everyone is trying to mix their ears and work bugs out of the IEM system. The new IEM system wasn't perfect tonight but I could hear well enough.
Johnny Magic Fingers is here, cool, calm, and collected with only half his usual rig.
Some old country bass player is in the way. Amanda takes a load off. Mike, Paul, and Claire get their IEMs in order. Jed is producing the show and running the monitors. He often wears more than one hat.
Our intrepid sound man, Mark, always, and I mean always, does a great job making the band sound terrific.
We sound checked and rehearsed a few right up until doors opened. Then we retired to the green room for some World Series and some supper.
My supper tonight was my favorite Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and Heirloom Beet Salad. The Ranch usually doesn't feed its Wednesday night bands, but it's a special occasion.
Here we are gathered around the supper table breaking bread together. There's just something cool about sharing a meal together. Paul, Mike, Jed, and Claire enjoy their favorites. I think Kevin is too nervous to eat right now.
Out front the DJ is getting the crowd warmed up for us. We take the stage at 8pm.
Kevin had some merch by the front door.
Before we take the stage, Claire takes a selfie with the old country bass player.
Then Heather, the entertainment manager for the Ranch, and Arnie get in on the selfie action.
Heather announced the artist and the band tonight.
Then it was time for us to help Kevin put on his show. It was pretty dang good. We did eleven of Kevin's songs plus three covers that he likes.
At one point the lovely Ms. Amanda Kate joined us on stage to sing a duet that Kevin wrote just for this show. It's not on his album so we "made it our own".
I've gotten out of the habit of bringing a guitar stand to this gig because there are several on stage as part of the back line. but with three guitar players on stage tonight I was relegated to leaning my Carvin LB76 up against an unused cabinet. The indignity of it all.
We played through Kevin's show, took a ten minute break, and then came back as The Country Club Band to finish the night. Here's the band after the last song of the evening.
(L-R) Mike, Paul, Jason, Kevin, Claire, Arnie, BassCliff, John, and Jed. Jed was the producer this evening. His wife Claire and I sang the backup vocal harmonies. Mike has worked with Kevin for years and wanted to use him for his shows. Mike's a good guy, I like working with him.
Claire and I went to the bar to enjoy a beverage after the show and we ran into Shauna. Shauna sang with us at a recent worship conference for Blind Eye Worship and the Radiance band.
Shauna was in town and stopped by, flying home tomorrow. I don't know if she came just for this show or was in town for other reasons. It doesn't matter. It was great to run into her, nice lady.
Then it was time for me to load out. I put one bass into its case and walked out the door. Sometimes it's good to be the bass player. Arnie goes to say goodnight to another band member while Heather locks the door.
I was reading Nashville Number charts for most of the show. I got lost only once, the lighting can be bad on stage. I need to get another battery operated stand light. Otherwise the show was pretty dang good and will only get better. Here are some more photos from the evening taken by the staff photographer, our DJ Leo.
Thanks for looking! I'll continue trying to get caught up. It's already January and I'm still blogging about gigs in November. Please bear with me.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
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