a real lesson in the blues (long)

[otis_rush_fan]

I'm posting this as too-long, a subtle vent and as a warning to those who might be as naive as I was this afternoon.

 

I was at a TABA blues jam in Bricktown (downtown OKC) a few weeks ago. This guitarist who played the set before mine came to me after my set and asked me what band I was in, told me he really liked the playing, etc., and I told him likewise. Really, as far as I was concerned he was the best guitarist there that night.

 

So the guy, whom I don't blame for any of the following, says I should come to this jam sponsored by the Oklahoma Blues Society. Like an idiot, I'm thinking it'll be run the way other jams I've been a part of have been: sign up, wait a few sets, get thrown into the fire with guys you haven't played with ever, etc.

 

So I go to the jam and sign up. 15 mins. later, my bud from the previous jam signs up. And we wait. And wait. And ... you get the idea ...

 

So four hours after signing in, I was still waiting to play while guys who arrived at the event 30 mins before are playing. And they are {censored}ing brutal -- I'm talking guys playing the same minor pentatonic triplet for five minutes with the guitar behind their head during "Red House," that kind of {censored}. And the guy running the sets is also playing bass half the time.

 

Anyway, three hours in I asked the guy if I can get a set. He's like, "Yeah, I'll get you in."

 

60 mins later, nothing. So I wave to my bud from the previous jam, gather up my equipment and take off.

 

I'd like to be pissed about this whole thing, but what keeps hitting me is the fact that I don't belong the the OBS.

 

The other group I jam with I also happen to be a paid member of, so it seems you must indeed pay your dues to pay the blues.

 

The lesson: One shouldn't attend open jams with the idea of getting to play in a timely manner without also being a friend of the person in charge of ordering sets or a known member of the organization.

 

I really wouldn't be so disheartened but for the fact being at the jam was like being stuck in hell listening to Blueshammer for eternity.

 

I feel better already.

[Spikezone]

Yep, I'm pretty sure that happens a lot of the time.
I live in a very small town with a lot of musicians, and the last couple of years they have gotten together and organized a community jam with the idea of everybody just getting together and hanging out. Pretty much everybody goes. The way they organize it is one guy makes up a 'roster' ahead of time (remember, it's a small town and everybody knows who's going and what instruments they play), and every 'group' gets to go up and do three songs in their prearranged time. A lot of the groups are made up of guys and girls that don't play together regularly, so you have to put your heads together and pick out a genre and some songs that work for you all, and that adds to the fun. Oh, yeah, the other rule is that no groups that gig together regularly are slotted to play together.
Unfortunately for me, BOTH times the players I was slotted to go on with either didn't show or left before our turn to play, so I was left without a group and waiting in the wings for a chance to get 'slotted in', and I WAITED, getting more and more PO'd. Fortunately, the fun of finally being up there (I don't gig regularly anymore) usually makes me foget that I was choked in the first place.
Last year I was recovering from cancer and had to wait until about 1 AM until they finally threw together a group I could go on with. I was tired, but wasn't leaving until I got to play. The other guitar player in the group (a friend of mine) had been on stage three times already, so I say rather shamefully that I hogged most of the solos! LOL! The other cool thing was that the organizer came to the stage after our third song and asked how many tunes we had done so far. I said "two", and he said "Alright, one more then", so we ripped into "Johnny B. Goode" and didn't quit until we were good and ready. That poor song must be so overplayed at jams, but we did it anyway!
So I know how you feel, but I guess we're lucky here that the limit is three songs a turn.
-Mikey
P.S. Despite the rules, there's always a couple of 'bands' that sneak on the stage together and do a bit of their 'set', which kinda sucks, because it's more rehearsed and takes away from the jam atmoshere thing a bit.

[The Eristic]

I love Ghost World.

[otis_rush_fan]

Last year I was recovering from cancer and had to wait until about 1 AM until they finally threw together a group I could go on with. I was tired, but wasn't leaving until I got to play.

Damn, that's some perseverance worthy of the utmost respect.

Anyway, after 12 hours of reflection, I've decided that what I did was for the best.

It's definitely a mistake I'll learn from. If nothing else, I'll be sure to bring a $20 or something with which to bribe the sets guy.

[daveski]

Total waste of time/effort etc. I've gone to a couple of local ones and will never go again. There were a couple of 'organized ' sessions, ie, these guys had played together before and had a couple of songs arranged and it was OK. I got thrown together with all of the stragglers and we had about 15 seconds to work out what to do. One song was OK but then..... you know how it goes, you start to find out who the one-song wonders are. NEVER AGAIN.