Gig Report: Southern Roots at Richmond East Moose Lodge

. . . or George is doing WHAT!?!?

The pre-show pucker factor spiked pretty high in this one. I had a mild sinus infection, so my voice wasn't in top trim. I pretty much expected to lose my upper range during the show, and sure enough, on Susie Q, the vocals turned into John Lee Hooker gravel . . . with him singing in the wrong key for his voice. Fortunately, that was the last song i sang in the set. But we had another set to go . . .

Here's a tip for singers caught in this situation. As soon as you come off stage for break, go eat a hot pepper, one hot enough to make you break out in a sweat, your eyes water, your mouth and throat burn, and your nose run. The capsaicin in the pepper acts as a natural antihistamine to clear your sinuses, and (after the initial burn) numbs the soreness from post-nasal drip. It'll get you through the next set or two.

The major "EEEEEEK!" was our drummer coming down with some type of food poisoning overnight. He called our band leader Mel to let him know that he was doing "involuntary obeisance to the porcelain idol," and had called our buddy Robb Horne in hopes he was available for a last minute fill-in. Fortunately, Robb was available, so that disaster was averted.

Then Google maps had the wrong route number for a turn to the lodge.

Yup, I got lost going to the gig. On a dark and rainy night. Coulda been a disaster.

Fortunately, I allow double the amount of travel time needed when ever I go to a show at a new venue, so after a quick phone call to get me back on track, I still arrived in plenty of time to get set up. Like this gig, it's a practice that can sometimes prevent late arrivals and delayed start times.

Overall the gig went very well. Robb has subbed with us before, so he was somewhat familiar with our set list, and the added adrenalin from our pre-show drama came out in the music as a lot of intense energy. The dance floor filled with the first song, and stayed that way all night long. We had one couple request a waltz and were able to whip out an old Jim Reeves tune to satisfy that one. We got quite a bit of applause from that one too!

One thing I've noticed is that the number of familiar faces we're seeing at each gig is growing. We're starting to develop a pretty hard-core following, and some of these folks will drive 50 to 60 miles specifically to come see us. it's kind of daunting and a bit of an ego rush at the same time. I reckon we're doing something right!

Now the long range weather forecasts are indicating there might be a significant snowstorm the day before our Valentine's Day "mini-tour." Oh boy . . .