Live In A Living Room - Sweaters & Chili event - Fall 2022 "Mackinac Island" solo acoustic performance video

Someone records a video of you playing/singing a song at a party and then they send it to you.  Do you make it available for others to view/listen to, then tell them about it?  If you performed fairly well and are not too embarrassed about it, Yes.

As evidenced from the Archives of this blog, I don't post very often.  Looking back, I maybe average about one post every two months.  I can see myself posting more often if I ever reach retirement status, and in the absence of a day job, use the extra free time accordingly.  Until then, I only post when there's something fairly newsworthy, and this may qualify.

The main reason is there's not much to post about when your blog is about you writing songs, recording them, and then releasing a baker's dozen of them every two years or so.  If I'm not writing about those topics, as I have occasionally, I try to find a way to tie it to them, as the hobby of writing and recording is the primary focus.  

I don't perform very often either, so when I do, I might as well make you aware of it, even after the fact, and that is the newsworthy topic this time.  The point here is due to not being a performer, I'm not like the typical songwriter/solo artist who would post about their live gigs, available merchandise, and/or their wild and crazy travel experiences.

I played live and solo recently in front of a small enthusiastic group of people and unbeknownst to me, my sister Courtney recorded video footage of it on her iPhone.  I subsequently got said footage from her and uploaded it to my live YouTube channel so others, like you, could also enjoy it.  It gives you an idea of what it would be like for you to watch me play live, and it shows you I'm capable of doing it, and further, I suppose it shows proof that I'm the person behind the studio albums you may have heard.  

Here it is (https://www.youtube.com/scottcooley/community):

Luckily, nowadays everyone has a phone with them they can record video with wherever they are, and whether you want them to or not, they will take photos and videos, then upload them to social media whether they have the permission or not of the people who appear in them.  

It's a cultural shift we've accepted.  A couple decades ago, it freaked me out when I'd go to a party one day, then see an unflattering photo of myself posted to Facebook the next day, but you have to get used to it.  In this case, I was somewhat pleased with how I looked and how I performed, so it was all good.

Said video above was from a recent family get-together with the paternal branch of my relatives - mostly cousins - during which I played my guitar while singing one of my original songs in a living room at one of their houses.  Kicking off the holiday season between Halloween and Thanksgiving turned out to be a convenient time this year to revive an annual reunion that had been cancelled due to Covid the last few years.  

A good time was had by all, and it felt good to make people happy by playing some music for them.  As you can see, my song "Mackinac Island" was a crowd pleaser.  It almost always is, for reasons I can't quite explain.  I used to feel like I've written so many other songs, catchy songs, deep thought-provoking songs, beautiful songs, serious songs, love songs, etc. that I wish people would appreciate as much, but they don't really, and now I accept that.

They love the one about a place they are familiar with that has a swear word and is funny.  I get that, and I feel very fortunate to have written such a song!  

Hope you enjoy it too.

I Got To See The Violent Femmes Play Live...and they didn't disappoint

Here it is 10 pm and I'm home already after watching the Violent Femmes play live at the Common Ground Festival in Lansing tonight.  They did not disappoint.  They were excellent, in fact.  Exceeded my expectations.  They played slightly over an hour from 8-9pm as scheduled.  I went with my lovely wife Lenore.  If you can look beyond my giant head in the photo above, you can see Brian Ritchie on the right with his acoustic bass and Gordon Gano with his violin on stage.

I like this band so much, I even went so far as to pay for a t-shirt - a black one that says "American Music since 1981" on it - something I rarely do.  After all was said and done, I spent around $100 bucks for a few hours of great live music in a beautiful park setting by a river.   It was 35 bucks times 2 tickets, plus $6 parking, plus drinks and snacks that included both a funnel cake and an elephant ear.  Mmm.

Got to see a couple other bands as well, including The Wailers, who have a singer who sounded just like Bob Marley, and guys in their band who are close relatives of the original Wailers.  They played the hits from the Legend album everyone expected, so of course it was great.  Also saw some band who I think said were from Mississippi and called The Weaks, which was funny because they were all ultra skinny guys.  They played a good blend of originals that ranged from danceable funk to hard rock with alternative stuff in between and even a tinge of southern rock.  All wonderful and worth it.

I ran into a coworker who was there with his son, which was cool.  He thought it was worth the cost as well. We talked about how it's an unique genre, a niche band that created a style of their own and has influenced many since.  He and I had previously chatted in the break room at work while getting coffee about our love of this band, and how he was turned on to them by his son, who is in a band, who were influenced by them, just as I have been.  He wishes his son's band would be "discovered" and subsequently signed to a record deal by being asked to open for the Pretenders while playing acoustic on the street, of course, just like what happened to this band.  Who wouldn't wish that for any band?

The wife and I don't get out much - mostly because I'm an introvert who is either sitting at my computer, writing or recording a song, or watching television.  She is an extrovert, however, and craves being out in public, loves crowds, and feeling a part of the community.  So, of course I spun this outing as catering to her cravings, even though it has been something I've wanted to do since 1983 when their first album came out. She agreed to go, despite her tastes including Wayne Newton, Barry Manilow, The Bee Gees, and Journey, and her only knowing and subsequently recognizing one Violent Femmes song, Blister In The Sun.

She and I observed a crowd of people around our ages, many of whom knew every word to every song like me and were obviously in a total state of joy while watching them play.  There's nostalgia in going to see a band like this because they remind you of good times you had in 1983/1984 when that first album was popular.  If you happened to be around age 16 at that time like me, the album probably meant a lot more than to someone who discovered it at a different age, I've surmised.  The crowd was an eclectic mix as you might expect and the people watching was a bonus.  I didn't feel old, like I sometimes do nowadays at concerts.

On a related note, if you're reading this you might be interested in a previous post I wrote on this blog about why I liked their first album so much, in which I expanded on the social implications of being a fan of this band, here:

Why The Violent Femmes’ First Album Was, Is And Always Will Be A Classic

What was a very smart approach on their part was that they played that first album in its entirety to open the show, then ventured into a few lesser-known songs from other albums that had a more Americana feel as opposed to the acoustic punk rock sound of that first album.  Not sure if it was the original drummer or not, but this guy was outstanding, playing stand-up style with two primary drums played with brushes - one bass-sounding drum looked like a pony keg of beer, and the other a snare with a couple small cymbals.  The bass player of course played that huge Ernie Ball acoustic, but later switched to an electric bass.  The acoustic bass solos were outstanding, as expected.

They augmented their three-piece band with a cajon player throughout, and also had a horn section for a few songs, and the marimba for Gone Daddy Gone, which again, was outstanding.  Acoustic bass solos, an impressive drum solo on a minimalist kit, great backing vocals, too.  Although Gordon isn't much of a soloist on guitar or fiddle, and only played his telecaster as opposed to an acoustic, his unique, whiny vocals were as good if not better than what you hear on the records.  So, all the ingredients that make up their signature sound were there, combined with some extended jamming, and an expanded lineup.  All awesome.

Overall, a great experience to see one of the most unique bands of all time thirty years after their debut, still sounding as great as ever.  I'd heard their Viva Wisconsin live album, so I had an idea of what they sounded like live, but to see them in the company of other fans like myself was one of the best live music outings I've ever had.  I won't forget it, and feel inspired again to write more songs after quite a long drought.  Thanks, Violent Femmes!