[Dewy]

Don't wanna be a stardate: 2007, 4/26

It just occurred to me how to work this Captain's log recorder... that wasn't covered at the academy.

So the first entry will be a big one covering some past episodes, and building up a few of the characters...

Not long ago, a Rock and Roll emergency happened very near my home in Alabama. I was called from my comfortable seclusion to help out a friend in need of a guitarist. Roger is an amazing bass player, and its sheer joy working with him. The dumbfounded looks on the faces when the guy in the wheelchair fires up his 6 string bass never ceases to please him, or me. Oh, that was stardate: 2006, June something or another...

We fulfilled the obligation, and the band dissolved, but the bug had bit me once again, bottoms need to shake, and my dirty guitar is needed across the land once again. With Roger (and of course the cup of encouragement overflowing from my wife and family) I began to break through the years of rust and dust that had accumulated on me in my years of inactivity from disgust at the recording industry and its vile hit machine.

But two heros could not shake all of those bottoms alone, we needed our own version of the Justice League!! Dave the Drummer was next to join our Dutiful Troop, and as a trio we made some fantastic racket. Then we fixed the P.A. Speaker and it was all better. (Episode 3... Stardate 2006 October something... glad this thing is working now)

Dave has a long history in CA, bands on the west coast, and is our constant vigil against monotony. His percussive skills perk or jive every tune to the max... I do believe the man could help you name that tune in 5 beats or less.

Through various attempts to add Vocalists and additional guitarists only Terry has managed to keep up with our single minded goal of re-invigorating Good Time Rock and Roll first in our area, then across the land (coming soon to a venue near you), his broad reach across genre and style have complemented us best.

Together we are called Bad Monkey, and this of course will be my anecdotal account of us 40 somethings trying to get the band back together.

[Dewy]

Since Terry added his Vocal repertoire to our abilities (Episode 5, Stardate 2007, Feb) we were called to a couple of local pubs and covered 2 auditions and 4 evenings of entertainment with a paltry 28 songs.

Needless to say there was a collective sigh of relief from the band as nothing managed to go "Spinal Tap" on them and they were recruited to fulfill yet another weekend of debauchery at the local pub.

Now to the uninitiated... 28 songs do not quite stretch out to 5 hours of musical entertainment. The tuning song wasn't supposed to be on the setlist, but there it was time and time again until I bought that boss tuner pedal (stardate: 2007, apr 7th). Get one if your going gigging... they mute while tuning... thats good stuff.

So with 2 weeks to prepare for a stronger showing we've managed to hold 4 practices... 1 called on account of storms and power outages, singer missed 2 of them, and we added 14 songs (including Happy Birthday, you'd be amazed at how many people goto a bar on their birthday... its obscene).

So, I think thats got us caught up to date... ummm I mean stardate: 2007, apr 26. I gotta change guitar strings and practice like a madman because Friday and Saturday night Bad Monkey will be loose in the house once again (and I still haven't found my soldering iron).

[allthumbs]

Great report. Keep them coming.

[blackdog71]

Hey dewy why dont'cha share your set list with us ?

[cshude]

Sounds like you're having fun- see if you can get some recordings you can let us listen to of your live sets.

[Dewy]

1st Set
Hey, Hey, What Can I Do, Led Zepplin

White Room, Cream

Pride & Joy, SRV

Wind Cries Mary, Jimi Hendrix

Come To Papa, Bob Segar

Blue Jean Blues, ZZ Top

Funk #49, James Gang

All Right Now, Free

2nd Set
Born to be Wild, Steppenwolf

Cheap Sunglasses, ZZ Top

Ice Cream Man, Van Halen

Love Me To Times, The Doors

Hey Joe, Jimi Hendrix

Never Been To Spain, Three Dog Night

Can't Get Enough, Bad Company

Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down

3rd Set
La Grange, ZZ Top

Hard To Handle, Black Crowes

Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash

Young Lust, Pink Floyd

Good Loving Gone Bad, Bad Company

Drift Away, Dobie Gray

Tush, ZZ Top

4th Set
Ain't Talkin Bout Love, Van Halen

Interstate Love Song, Stone Temple Pilots

Broken, Seether

Back In Black, AC/DC

Sunshine of Your Love, Cream

Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd

Sweet Emotion, Aerosmith

Plush, Stone Temple Pilots

5th Set
Pretty Woman, Van Halen

Mustang Sally, Los Lonely Boys

Fool For Your Stockings, ZZ Top

Every Breath You Take, The Police

Dirty Deeds, AC/DC

Paranoid, Black Sabbath

Little Wing, Jimi Hendrix

Crazy Train, Ozzy

Alternates
She Talks To Angels, Black Crowes

Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix

Manic Depression, Jimi Hendrix

Happy Birthday, Original Composition

[blackdog71]

What an excellent set !!!!! When coming over the pond to England

[Dewy]

I think we're going to concentrate on the venues inside of a 100 mile radius this summer. Just an estimate but I think that narrows us down to culling from a pool of 90 clubs and stages. The Ideal scenario has us making good friends with 4 -7 clubs of similar tastes and alternating weekends between them all. So that'll be our summer effort, covering tunes, getting tight and adding and refining the set list there.

After this summer we hope to have some money in the bank for some studio time, and produce ourselves a product to promote next summer. Its all part of a 5 year plan to conquer the world through self promotion, so the journal here could get interesting over the next year or so.

I'd Like to thank a few of the folks who have made this possible... notably Clancy and Kirk... but most of all, that cool tuner they have all over the forum here. Too cool!!

[mattz196]

Great set list there Dewey, that must get the joint rockin' , good luck on the 5 year plan , look forward to reading about it

[Stratrat]

That's an awesome setlist, Dewy - very diverse and a lot of great songs. Wish you were close to me, I'd be at your gigs often!

[Aunt Doty]

Good luck....maybe I can say someday.."Yeah I knew him when...yada,yada yada!!

[Dewy]

Great 1 hour show this weekend, it was a benefit for an injured musician, and ex bandmate that was recently in a car accident. The show did have several Drawbacks though.

To start with our singer is the newest and perhaps weakest link in the band. Singers are crucial, and it shouldn't be any detraction from his effort, he worked very hard in the beginning, and stepped in to make some good music with us. I salute him for that.

But, as we have added tunes, some have not worked out to be "in his range" or more bluntly... in his grasp. I have offered to work with him privately, and suggested we replace some songs... But he insists:
A) He's got all of these tunes, none need replaced
B) "Practice" for him can only be achieved in a full band setting, CD sing-along confuses him, sitting down and singing the same song to an acoustic would require him to "rewrite" the vocals, and thus not be practice
C) That I need to be focused on writing original songs and lyrics and leave the vocals to him...
D) That his 2 years "working" in a studio and 10 years of Karaoke experience superceed my time and effort invested, and he knows the proper path forward for this band.

So after much debate, discussion, and wasted time arguing minutia, we are shopping for a new musician/vocalist, and will be doing very limited booking in June, as well as some studio work at a local amateur studio.

Won't get around to updating the page until I have a chance to get with Terry face to face, so if anyone is moved to comment on the bandspace... please hold back until the families members have been notified.

Also, the Bass Player, Rog... quite amazing when he is inspired... and the lackluster vocals and negativity have not done that at all. So here's hoping that he perks up when we get some good sounds in the studio.

[knight46]

Dewy,
Sounds like a path traveled by a number of groups. The "Band" seems to morph until it discovers its true identity hiding within its members. I would love to check Bad Monkey out next time I am in the Jasper area, sounds like you have something going on.

[Smurf42]

That set list is a duplicate of my last bands, except we had some Bread, Badfinger, Chicago, and Bloodrock in there also.....Good Luck!

[krissovo]

Love the set list and its has nudged my brain for a few songs that I would like to learn, should keep me busy for the weekend!

Good luck with Bad Monkey!