John Wicker.com

Plans for the future...

There are a lot of things going on in my musical world, some of which I’ll get into here and even more of which I’ll get into later on down the road. But right now, I’m gonna talk about my plans for the site, just because that seems like the thing to do.

Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? I’m going to focus this blog on my musical endeavors. I’m not gonna set the world on fire with my programming skills, and it isn’t my passion. I don’t eat, sleep and dream of code– well, sometimes I do, but only when I’m in the middle of a big project with a tough deadline.

Music is always there and it always has been. Music IS my passion. Everything I do is touched by or informed by music. The jukebox in my head is always running. So that’s the reason for the change in format.

I’m gonna start talking about the particulars and the nitty gritty of what I’m doing and even why. That’s really the big deal for me, because I’m going to start telling it like it is instead of trying to figure out the right thing to say. If I am anything in life, it’s blunt. The whole idea of me trying to spin myself goes against every shred of common sense I possess. So to hell with that.

I don’t know exactly how much of the creative stuff I’m going to get into, if only because I’m not entirely sure how that’s going to work for me yet. I have stuff in my head that I’m going to have to figure out what to do with. When I get a better handle on that, I will probably be able to share more of the particulars. But to be completely honest, I’m not confident enough to do that.

So there is my first bombshell- I’m wanna be a rock star on stage and I have confidence issues. Go figure.

It's a mystery

Okay, so there is a really big gig in the works. Not huge. Not earth-shattering. Not a Superbowl Half-Time show. But really big.

I can’t say anything more about it, just yet, but it is looking good so far. So here’s to keeping your fingers crossed…

The open mic at Bearno’s on Sunday was a blast. The food was great, the crowd was awesome, and the music was incredible!

Things were supposed to get started around 7 PM but for a couple of reasons, things were a little late getting started. The first band up were The Cigarittes— these guys had the look down and were playing some awesome tunes… Van Halen, Poison, the Stones, the Doors. Incredible musicians, and they’re all so young! Totally not sure about the name, though.

Spare Parts were up next and we got set up really quickly, which was impressive to me, since we had a keyboard, two amps and two sets of guitar effects, and six people to get in place and ready to go.  I was really pleased with the sound and I could hear what everyone was playing pretty well from on the stage. The real trick, of course, is what it sounds like in the audience– you have to hope for the best, but you never really know. Luckily, Larry (who runs the open mic for Bearno’s) was giving me updates on where the sound was at, and I was able to tweak the sound levels at the mixing board as I sang.

We did six songs– “Some Kind of Wonderful”, “Gimme Three Steps”, “Cumbersome”, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”, “Honky Tonk Women”, and “Pride and Joy”– and we all had a blast. We had to restart one song because of a technical issue, but we recovered from it gracefully. The crowd seemed to enjoy the music, and we enjoyed playing even more. The biggest deal to me, however, was the fact that we had gotten together to practice exactly one time before that performance. We had literally just met each other for the first time Friday afternoon, but we all knew our parts and it came together really well.

When we were done, a band called Duet Upright (sorry, can’t find a link) took the stage. They had a stripped down and intimate feel, and their harmonies were very tight. I heard them do the better part of “Halleluah” by Leonard Cohen and it was breathtaking, but I had to get the rest of my family home. The next time out, I hope I get to hear more of their performance.

Thanks to everyone who came out to see us, and to all of the new folks we met there!

My new band, Spare Parts, is playing tomorrow night at Bearnos by the Bridge (2nd and Main Street).

They call this “Sunday Night Band Practice”, and it lasts for half-an-hour per band. However, I haven’t played out since August– and since there are live people to play in front of,  and a stage to play upon, I’m thinking of it as gig!

So come down to Bearno’s tomorrow at 7 PM tomorrow night, and check out Spare Parts. Please? Thanks!