Giracci Winery 10/16/20

 Hello my friends,

This past Friday was another "Wine Down Friday" at the Giracci Vineyards here in Orange County. I left work for the gig at 3pm and the day was still quite warm. Thankfully it cooled off nicely as the evening progressed. We played three sets from 6pm to 9pm.

Tonight we played under the gazebo rather than in the dirt in front of the barn. Not having to play in the dirt is nice but the gazebo, as you know, has its own challenges. It was a shot load-in from Big Betsy to the "stage" area.

Perhaps you noticed I was first to arrive. After unloading and parking I noticed Arnie had pulled up. I gave him a hand schlepping gear and setting up the PA.

Drummer Dave arrives and joins the setup dance. We set up as far forward as we could to get the bulk of the sound out from under the gazebo. It worked out well and lessened the standing waves that gazebos create.

There was a wedding party rehearsing for their ceremony tomorrow. They interrupted our setup dance just for a few minutes while they practiced their moves.

The food truck arrives with Greek and Mediterranean food. I love this stuff.

Drummer Dave and Magic Fingers Johnny continue the setup dance. Johnny is pulling double duty as the soundman tonight.

Johnny doesn't run any cables or lift any gear besides his own, but he knows how to run a board.

It looks like we are dangerously close to sound check. It's a simple setup, single sub, two speakers on sticks, two monitors out front, and one monitor for Dave. Johnny takes a feed into his rig from the monitor send.

Johnny Magic Fingers uses his fingers to dial up a sound out front on his tablet.

Dave and Arnie try to decide whether to soundcheck with our Bette Midler medley or just play a blues jam.

Arnie and I both brought our acoustics but played them on only one song tonight. Arnie went direct without an acoustic amp.

OK! We're all set up and sound checked. I look back at the stage area as I walk over to my green room (Big Betsy) to change into my cowboy clothes.

Folks are lining up to enter the event. All the tickets were sold out. Pretty cool.

After donning my jobbing toga I walk back to the stage and find that there is still a line waiting to get in. Verrry cool.

It seems the stage is just as I left it. I placed my rig out from under the gazebo. We had placed the floor wedges way out front on the stairs. We could still hear them just fine but they did not add to the ambient noise under the gazebo. This was the most pleasant experience I've ever had playing under a gazebo.

We had time to stop by the bar before downbeat and pick up a barley pop, just enough to wet my whistle.

Yay band! This is our selfie just before we start making noise.

Our crowd was till arriving as we began but they were already well into the wine and the food.

I think this is where Johnny Magic Fingers plays his big boogie-woogie number. The long intro give me a chance to snap a picture of him tearing up his keyboard.

It was a lovely, pleasant evening. We've been playing so seldom lately that any chance to get our strings in the breeze is a treat.

I brought my usual rig, Kiesel PB5, Fender Kingman, GK MB500, Carvin RL210. I did run it direct into the PA so I could keep the stage volume down.

On the last break I visited the food truck. The proprietor loved my Johnny Cash song.

The grilled chicken pita sandwich was calling my name.

And it tasted great. I washed it down with an 805.

"Well, my Mama met my Daddy down in Alabam. They tied the knot so here I am..."

Dave did a great job tonight keeping a lid on it under the gazebo.

Well drat, that one table up front never showed up all evening. They must've heard I was going to play bass tonight.

Regardless, it was a great crowd and we had a ton of fun.

Some of our biggest fans danced on up to the stage to share in the fun. Yay band!

Too quickly it was over and we turned back into roadies.

Next Sunday we have another event at another local winery, A Stones Throw Winery in San Juan Capistrano. I haven't the foggiest idea what that event is about but we'll be out in the fresh air and sunshine making noise and hopefully entertaining real live people. Thanks for looking in on me and my little music thing. You guys are great.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Irvine Global Village Festival 9/25/20

 Howdy Buckaroos!

The True Willie  Band (Willie Nelson tribute) hasn't played an engagement in seven months. It was great to be back with this band again playing music I really enjoy. 

It was a full-on, almost-big-time, parking lot gig. The Irvine Global Village Festival has been going on for years. In fact, they are planning a huge celebration for their 20th anniversary next year. But for this year the big music events were covid-protocol, physically distanced, outdoors, with a big stage, decent sound system, plus low power FM broadcasting. I didn't ask if there was a recording. Dang!

If was a typical commute into the OC down the 57 freeway. It's been quite a while so I didn't mind the little bit of traffic at all. Unfortunately my family came a little later and got stuck behind an accident. They were late and missed the first couple of songs. It's the drama we call "That's The Way The Traffic Snarls".

After allowing for extra traffic, which did not materialize, I was the first to arrive. After parking next to the ramp leading up to the large stage I started my setup dance solo.

That's Roland on stage wringing out the monitor mixes with Rick at the booth. Roland actually ran FOH for us. The whole sound crew was top notch.

Since Mrs. BassCliff had never been to the Irvine Global Village Festival I told her to look for the big orange balloon flying behind the stage. Of course, before the show it was taken down. But she didn't have any trouble finding the place.

I completed my solo setup dance just as Johnny Magic Fingers arrived. I gave him a hand schlepping his gear. He brought his full compliment of keyboards, amps, mixer, module, etc.

Here's a plug for the sound company. I played this festival last year with the KRB and remember these guys. I believe this company been around here for quite a while.

Drummer Dave arrives. He's still nursing a bad knee so we helped with his gear too.

Farther out on either side of the stage were these two lonely speakers on sticks. It was not a huge sound system today because the show was also broadcast using low power FM so people could listen in their car.

Yep, the big orange balloon is being put away for the evening. I'd really like to take a ride on that. They were giving rides last year.

Here is the new Willie-mobile. It's a really nice unit with all the comforts of home.

And here is the green room for the band. I'm not complaining. No. Not one bit.

The rest of the band gets into their setup dance. I just sort of hang around and take pictures.

Arnie is filling in for Guitar Mike today. Since Arnie was here we featured a few of his Merle tribute songs in the show.

Here's Johnny Magic Fingers behind his castle of keyboards. He's got all the sounds.

Here's your old country bass player selfie-ing away while Roland wires up Dave's kit.

In the band's "green room" tent we were treated to some snacks and a cooler full of bottled water. Our hosts also brought out a fruit tray and a vegetable tray. It was good hospitality.

Drummer Dave is ready for his soundcheck. The soundman complimented Dave on the finish of his kit. It is a great looking kit.

True Willie (Roger) and Merle (Arnie) get their monitors mixed and their guitars tuned good.

That building on the far side of the parking lot from me is an ice rink. It looks like the cars are already starting to line up at the "doors". Doors are at 4:30. The show stars at 5:30.

The cars were allowed to park only in the spaces with cones, every other space. The audience could sit right next to their cars but if they walked anywhere they had to put on a mask. It's the cautious and polite thing to do when you can't distance.

Doors are open and the cars start lining up. I was surprised to hear that we had just about sold out the show, only about 10 tickets went unsold. Yay band!

There was a BBQ food truck and an ice cream truck on the premises. Lucille's is very good BBQ but I didn't have any tonight, sorry Bill.

Here is our intrepid sound crew, Rick (boss), Chris (stage crew), and Roland (FOH). I got lots of compliments on the sound so these guys really did their job well.

Lots of folks brought picnics with them to enjoy during the evening. It was a little warm but not unpleasant at all.

When I first heard of this gig I was expecting an actual drive-in theater to play in. Bbut this was just one of the big parking lots where the festival is held every year. They made it work.

We've got on our cowboy clothes and it looks like the gang's ready to storm the stage.

Here's True Willie and his new True Willie-mobile. <COUGH!-private dressing room-COUGH!>

This picture if purely for tax purposes. TW's tax guy was in the audience and said if he can prove he uses his new ride on the gig it can be a write-off.

Your old country bass player is tuned up and ready to keep it low. There's a nice bunch of cars in the crowd.

The Boys are ready to put on the show. Everything about this gig was great except for looking into the sun. It was off to our left a little, not right in our faces, but still a bit brutal.

TW regales the audience with a little story. Then he invites them all to his trailer after the show. They'll have to file through in a single line.

"If you had not have fallen, I would not have found you...."

I just noticed, John brought only three keyboards. Usually he brings four. How about that?

TW smiles at his favorite bass player on this stage.

Drummer Dave lays it down. This guy sings as good as he plays.

It's near the end of the show and the sun is starting to set. Friends and family start to gather nearer the stage.

At one point a group of five young lads were yelling "Gotta Get Drunk"!! I was quite pleased that these young lads were so into Willie. TW obliged.

We heard lots of applause but there was quite a bit of honking and flashing lights too. Pretty cool.

The young Willie fans are there on the K-rail on the left. They were having a ball.

It was a pretty good show. Roger said we haven't played it for seven months. We knocked the rust off pretty good. Then it was time to load up and head home.

I apologize for not having a beer review at the end of this report. One of our fans brought up Tecate for us. I enjoyed one of those while loading out. After I got home I enjoyed my usual Stone FML. When I try something new I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks for coming along with me for my first drive-in gig.  It's a good thing. They might be here for a while. Take care and God bless.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff