Houston Press Showcase, Chango,
Beetle and #34
Last
week I found out we were nominated for this year's Houston Press
music awards in their
Best
Latin Contemporary category. I was in a good mood until I saw Los
Skarnales were
also
nominated in our category. Oh well, at least we get to play the
showcase. Those are
always
a lot of fun. You play to a great crowd and check out some of
Houston's finest
artists
all in one late afternoon that blends into a lovely early evening in
the downtown area.
By
the way, that's where I met Beetle, also nominated (not in the same
category). That year
the
press had a party at the Rice Hotel downtown for all the bands that
were playing the
showcase.
It was a free bar (my 2 favorite words). I was drinking with my
brother and he
noticed
2 Beetles in the balcony. My brother says “go over there and ask
them, which one's
John
and which one's Paul.” I told him he was crazy, but he kept on
persisting, laughing
like
a maniac. So I did. After I asked them the question they looked at
each other then back
at
me. I could only imagine what they thought of me.
My
band at the time, Chango Jackson, decided to wear old school gym
shorts, tight white
shirts
and fros. We were into doing things like that back then. My shirt
said PANCHO
JACKSON
in the front and had the number 34 in the back and I was wearing big
red and
blue
Bootsy style funk glasses (I'll explain the #34 later).
I
could only imagine what they thought of me.
Surprisingly
they didn't ask anyone to usher me out or yell for security. They
each politely
responded
one at a time “I'm Paul” and “I'm Jaime.” So I struck up the
usual conversation
one
has when one is talking to a band that they like that covers the most
important and
influential
band in the history of modern pop (you don't have these
conversations?). I
mentioned
that I was a left-handed bass player and a huge Beatles fan and that
I knew
a
lot of their songs like I know the back of my hand ( I didn't). Jaime
raised an eyebrow
and
asked for my e-mail, phone, things like. I told them that I love what
they're doing,
said
my goodbyes and left it at that knowing full well that they were
never going to contact
me
at all.
Later
that week I get an e-mail from Jaime. He's asking if I can play
several dates in the
following
months which were September and October of that year (still can't
remember
what
year it was). He also attached their set list.
That's
when I got worried.
I
started counting the songs on the list.
More
worried.
94
songs
I
looked at the titles.
Slow
panic. I didn't know half of them, maybe more.
First
thing I thought was alright Mr. Bad-ass Bass player, this is what you
get for running your
god
damned mouth. Then I took a deep breath and looked at the calendar, I
have 2 weeks to
practice.
So OK, there's some time, NOT MUCH, but some. So I calmly replied
“When do you
guys
practice?” He replied pretty quickly.
3
words that can put the fear of God into any musician who firmly
believes that practice is
the
only way that a band can sound professional.
“We
don't practice.”
Full
blown panic-mode.
I'm
thinking these guys are out of there minds, they just met me, they've
never heard me play,
they
have a set list that's almost 100 songs and I have to be ready in 2
weeks? Are they insane?
Luckily
a friend of mine had given me a CD-Rom with the entire Beatles
catalog in MP3
format.
I
crammed hard.
It
was good because a lot of the songs on their list I had not heard in
a while, much less
learned.
It reminded of why I love this band so much. Paul McCartney is an
incredible
bass
player and singer. John Lennon is THE songwriter (although Macca is
right there with
him).
George Harrison came up with some beautiful solos and songs also. And
Ringo. He's
Ringo!
Enough said.
I
get to the Continental Club nervous as hell. I meet their drummer
Bruce Jamison and he
seems
fine and dandy, all smiles and I keep thinking to myself “aren't
they at least a little
bit
worried that I may suck because they sure aren't showing it.” We
hit the stage and start
with
“All My Loving” and breeze right through it. My jitters gone I
look back at at Bruce
and
he yells “Alright! It's gonna be good!”
Whether
he was re-assuring me or himself, I'll never know
I've
played many gigs with Beetle and have loved every single one of them.
Thank you
Houston
Press Music Showcase for inadvertently making it possible.
Oh
and the number 34 on the back of my shirt that night? Hakeem
Olajuwon, Earl Campbell
and
Nolan Ryan. You could ride their backs to victory.
I'm
pretty sure THEY practiced.