A Blog Named Sue: 2005-11-06

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

A Contribution from Andy Wegrzyn

I saw the “Live in San Quentin” movie on Sunday and it was a thrill to see Johnny kicking it wide open in such a repressive environment with such a progressive agenda. If I was not in A Band Named Sue, I would have wanted to start A Band Named Sue that day.

I am looking forward to seeing the new movie, although Reese Witherspoon makes me a little uneasy as a brunette.

We had a rehearsal last evening and it was my favorite kind- working on all new tunes. We are bolstering up our 1960’s jazz combo sound with three great Horace Silver selections: Cape Verdean Blues, The Jody Grind and Song for my Father.

Dr. Hoyle is blowing the hell out these tunes and it is a personal thrill for me. Coming from a guitar based past, I never thought I would be playing these killer songs and I have to thank the good Doctor for bringing that to life. Hopefully we can take the show to Buffalo sometime; I think my old man would get a kick out of it.

James has led us down another road as well. We are working on a Lionel Richie block that may have the man in black spinning in his Black Box. I do not know that much about Lionel Richie except that it is fun to watch his daughter do farm chores in high heels. I have to admit that I get a perverse kick out of playing these tunes and the entertainment value will be high.

James can come up with about one thousand ideas an hour and many of them will have you nodding nervously, but he gets under your skin. He is like the petunias Bootey planted last week: Embarrassingly Charming.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

A Night At The Brentwood Tavern

Last night we played at the Brentwood Tavern. We had a pretty good early turnout and had a great time playing on a great stage in great weather. Dr. Hoyle showed up just in time for the sound check since he was driving back from a conference in Houston. Apparently he was hypnotized by one of his colleagues. At the sound of a door bell he will start to act like a chicken and sing Hava Nagila.
Our good friend Pamela Ryder joined us for a few tunes: Jackson, Love Potion #9 and our favorite Light My Fire (which had an interesting beginning). My good friend Craig Kotfas came out to the show with his girlfriend Chymane and joined us for our version of One by U2. The second set started with one of our favorite jazz pieces, Fathead and ended with a return of Pamela with our rendition of These Boots are Made for Walking.
After the show we packed it up and Dr. Hoyle invited us (well actually Andy persuaded him to invite us) back to his bachelor pad that was just around the corner. So Andy and his wife Booty, myself and my wife Bo, Craig, Chymane, Pamela and John had a little after party at his surprisingly cozy and impressive domicile.