Gigs

As a counterpoint to all the interesting projects I was doing, the day-to-day life of a musician continued. I usually had some kind of steady gig playing piano at a restaurant or hotel bar, sometimes a couple of them on different nights of the week. Even with those, my creative bug would act up and I found ways to make it interesting. I would sometimes go from table to table, introducing myself and, like a waiter, asking if they had any song requests. You had to read the room for this - if you noticed a party paying attention while you were playing, they would be asked, but if a couple was engrossed in conversation, you let them be. Once you were afoot, interested parties would catch your eye, again as if you were a waiter. Here's a songlist I kept with me, representing some of the songs I knew, to peruse while I was playing, to help figure out what song to play next.

A fun little exercise I did was to eyeball the room and, guessing roughly the median age of the patrons, do a calculation as to what songs would have been popular when they were around 15 years old, figuring that that's the age when both love and songs make a deep imprint. It would be a nice payoff if my target patrons had a reaction - looking at me, smiling or even applauding. Plus it upped the odds of getting a nice tip.

Beyond steady gigs, there were always casual engagements. I was a big hit playing solo piano at parties, as I had so many styles in my toolchest. I also packed lyric sheets in case people wanted to do a singalong. That was fun.

I also played in pick-up bands for weddings and so forth. That was heavier work, because you often had to schlep an electric piano and amp, but it was a different kind of fun playing with others. You were only a piece of the puzzle; for each tune you needed to create your "part" and stick to it.

Playing in (and leading) bands for theatrical shows was a different category. If you were the leader (and I usually was) there was much more time and responsibility involved, plus a rehearsal period which could last a couple of weeks in advance of whatever run the show would have.

A related but different beast was playing behind vocalists, whether in cabaret or in more legit shows. I did a ton of this, and a big part of it was helping choose songs, setting the key and then creating arrangements that showed off the singer's strengths. Sometimes you added bass and drums too. I really enjoyed this whole process. I never graduated to the level of arranging for bigger bands, but I was happy with my lot.

Bands

I didn't belong to many bands, the way more typical rock/pop musicians do. There were a few reasons for this: I made better money as a soloist, my musical interests weren't reflected in rock/pop, and of course once I was an understudy for Beach Blanket that was my first commitment, and that couldn't co-exist with being part of a band.

However, before I joined Beach Blanket I was in a couple of bands. First, a progressive-rock (or jazz-rock or something) called "Just Us" playing Fender Rhodes and a Vox Continental organ. I did not fit in, however, being painfully unhip in both my playing and my attitude.

Then I joined a touring pop band playing behind a stand-up comedian, performing in hotel lounges in the Southwest. That was educational in its way - we were an authentic "Top 40" band and every so often, when a new song hit the charts, we would gather round the jukebox with a stack of quarters, and play that song over and over until we had each figured out our respective parts. I was playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano with my right hand, and playing bass (filling in for a bass player) with my left hand on a MiniMoog synthesizer. We played tunes like Staying Alive, You're No Good, How Deep Is Your Love, Love Machine, Sir Duke etc. etc. We called the band Shimmer and it was OK - not dazzling, and pretty cheesy to be honest, but OK. It was technically a "3 plus 1" - guitar, keyboards, drums plus a female vocalist. We ended up splitting from the comedian and touring for a year in the Midwest, Missouri and Nebraska. After leaving the band, I lived in Kansas City for for the better part of a year before returning home to San Francisco.

The Road(s) Not Taken

Along my career path, there were plenty of projects that I opted out of or didn't work out for various reasons. One that springs to mind: I was made an offer to run away with the circus! i.e. to lead a circus band. But when I learned that you'd actually have to WORK - to drive tent pegs into the ground and help with the animals - I said no, thank you.

The other distinctive off ramp not taken was while I was at Beach Blanket. I happened to be in New York City, and on a whim I auditioned for on onstage role in a popular Off-Broadway show, Pump Boys and Dinettes. It was a lead role, requiring speaking, singing and playing rock piano. Well, for the audition I sang Rockin' Robin standing at the piano and apparently nailed it, as I got offered the part! But I decided against taking the job, as I would have had to give up the security of my Beach Blanket salary, my "security Blanket" as it were. My life would have taken a very different turn....