Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis
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A House Is Not A Motel Photos thanks to Craig Dye |
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Wild but true - I went to the 10/16 show at the State in Falls Church and
was down front - amazing that Mike can pull off all those horn and string
lines from his guitar. I spoke to him after and told him how much I liked
his "trumpet solo" on "Alone Again Or" and we got to talking. I'm a
freelance trumpet player in the DC area and I also teach middle school band
(my real job). Mike said that if a trumpet player can make the sound check
and play the solo, if the band digs it they would let him play it in the
show. Wow, what an opportunity. "So, where's the next show?" Tomorrow in
Annapolis. MD at the Ram's Head Tavern. Well, needless to say I did'nt get
much sleep that night. Got up early on Sunday, slapped on FC and got to
work. It's not terribly difficult, but you definitely want to nail it. Drove
over there in the afternoon and the guys were all chillin' watching the
playoffs. Mike jumps up and I guess he mentioned it to the band earlier, so
they were expecting me. About an hour later, Mike comes up with his
beautiful white unplugged Gibson and we try it out (I used a mute) - the
place went silent (band, crew, a few waitstaff), then bust out laughing and
cheering when we finished. After everyone was "plugged", we ran through it.
Yes, I was nervous - I mean, this is a classic solo and you simply cannnot
hit any "clams" (as we were in MD, Mike told me I could not hit any
"crabs"!) It went well enough for them to tell me the gig was at 7 and it
was the 2nd tune of the set. So I had about 2 hours to kill and the guys let
me hang w/them. They are all just great, down-to-earth folks w/hilarious
stories - it was a blast. About 15 minutes to showtime, Arthur came off the
bus and walks right up to me and gave me a few encouraging words - nice of
him. They started w/House and I'm standing at the board withe the crew (all
great folks) and they begin "Alone" - my knees are going nuts! They start
the interlude before the solo and I make my way from the kitchen to the
stage - please no forks in my path...I get up there and hit it on cue and
honestly I totally nailed it. The sound on stage was fantastic and I could
hear myself well enough. At the end I heard a roar, bowed and tapped Arthur
on the shoulder and made my way back to the kitchen. I was a member of Love
for 30 seconds! But it was one of the most amazing musical experiences of my
life. Back at the sound board, high-fives all around and I just enjoyed the
rest of the show. Later I said my goodbyes and the band and Arthur seemed so
appreciative - it was too much! Craid Dye
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