Friday, December 30, 2016

End of the Year, and Nathan Puts the Bomp

Our latest blog ended October 1 with The WannaBeatles returning to Nashville after a gig in Aiken, S.C. 

But that Saturday wasn't a normal trip back home. Bloggin' Bryan stopped in Atlanta to visit his mother in the hospital.  

That turned into a memorable visit. The next day Mother and Daddy's celebrated their 68th anniversary, October 2, in the hospital.
"PaJoe" and "Embo" in formal wear, with special candle lit dinner of spinach quiche, lobster bisque, and champagne, celebrating their anniversary.

Looking back on it now, at the end of the year, that visit was the beginning of the end, a season for a vibrant woman who lived 90 exciting years to enter a stage of peaceful withdrawal, with enough time to say goodbye to everyone she loved before making a final exit just after Thanksgiving.

That is part of why these blogs have been neglected over the last few months. 

It's interesting to see the different paths that our lives take between the times we get together. Gigs bring us together, and we enjoy working together, then we return to our homes, our families, our lives. 

Sometimes that includes parents dying. Dennis lost both his parents over a three month period less than two years ago. Last year, we were playing a gig in Cadiz, Ky. when David lost his father, and had to take an immediate flight to Florida, and The WannaBeatles had to find another drummer for a gig the next day. 

When this band started out, all our parents were alive and well. We've been with each other through all these experiences. 

And along with the losses, we experience joy together, sometimes unexpectedly. The same trip that took Bloggin' Bryan to Atlanta included a memorable example of being entertained by a rare case of Nathan's spontaneity.

WannaBeatle Nathan is normally a very reserved guy. He's definitely the quietest member of the band. That's what makes it especially enjoyable for us when he turns loose and lets himself go, as he did that morning we were driving back from Aiken.

Fortunately, we have a video to document the silliness. And here is the link to the facebook version of the video:

https://www.facebook.com/dennis.scott.338/posts/10153708509692820


"Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" is a classic novelty song from 1961, about a guy who's grateful for the silly doo-wop songs that made his girlfriend fall in love with him. We put our google to use and discovered it was written by Barry Mann (along with Gerry Goffin) and performed by Barry Mann. 

We have no idea why this particular song struck a nerve in Nathan's earnest New England soul, but we were delighted to witness the result of his inspiration. 

Now that we've witnessed Nathan's performance of "Who Put The Bomp" (while wearing a seat belt), we are more certain than ever that there is no band anywhere quite like the WannaBeatles. 

We're grateful for that and plan to keep it that way.

-Bloggin' Bryan 30December 2016

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Aiken SC

On Friday morning September 30, The WannaBeatles left Fayetteville NC, after singing in the hotel lobby with Shelby Sunshine, arriving in Aiken, South Carolina early that afternoon. 

The rain had passed, and the weather was balmy, and Aiken is a charming southern town.
Dennis presents....Newberry Hall!
An easy parking space for the trailer

Our gig was at an event space downtown called Newberry Hall, playing at a fundraiser for Aiken Technical College. 

We joined the event planners in setting up the stage, moving tables, and adjusting our positions to accommodate the video projector.
Nathan and David moving table into storage closet
Dennis with stage skirt
Dennis working on stage 
Nathan and Dennis adjusting stage position
David and Nathan onstage
Dennis and staff assess stage
David catching glare of video projecter

Something motivated me to take a picture of a painting of flowers. I must have been impressed with an elegant atmosphere, so here’s the painting.

Nathan set up our merch table in a corner, but it didn't get much attention.

We were served a nice dinner in a separate room, and put on our vests and ties for the show.
Before the show, we posed on sidewalk and got a few photos. 
Another shot on the sidewalk
One more jolly shot

The evening was quite a success. The folks from Aiken Technical College had a great time, and did a lot of dancing when we played.

And that was that: another fun gig, another night in a hotel, and another safe drive back home, via I-20 through Atlanta, then up I-75 and I-24 to Nashville. 

Except this time there was a slight variation: Bloggin' Bryan's mother was in the hospital in Atlanta, and the other three WannaBeatles dropped him off there to be with his family before they returned to Nashville. Good Yoko came down from Nashville to be there too. 

-Bloggin’ Bryan 29December2016

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Camel, uh, Campbell University

In the last week of September, the WannaBeatles had two shows: one Thursday in North Carolina, the other one Friday in South Carolina. Each gig had its own atmosphere, purpose, and collection of photos, which make a good reason to divide the adventure into two separate blogs.

The first destination was Campbell University, in Lillington, NC, near the middle of the state, which meant nearly nine hours of driving. That meant that Wednesday September 28 was our travel day. 

We met at Nathan’s house, our usual gathering spot, at 10:00 am, to load the trailer.
This time the U-Haul trailer said Coos Bay, which I noticed is in Oregon, which happens to be where my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughters live. A long way, but a good reminder of the connection.

Heading east on I-40, we decided to stop at a mall near Knoxville to try the food court, an upgrade from the usual quick stop at MacDonald’s. 
Nathan selecting lunch items
Dennis and Nathan sitting at lunch
Dennis getting popcorn after lunch

Chipotle was a very satisfying alternative.

Our destination was a hotel in Lillington, N.C. Continuing east into N.C., we drove past Asheville, Hickory, Statesville, Winston-Salem, before leaving the interstate to head south on a smaller state road. 

By this time, it had started raining, and the weather report was full of tornado warnings. But we made it to Lillington without too much delay, in time to visit a sports bar next door for supper. 
Nathan and David at table, Guiness in foreground

This evening - Wednesday Sept. 28 - happened to be the time when WannaBeatle David’s son Wesley would be making his prime time debut as a television actor. 

For those who keep up with WannaBeatle business, Wesley Toledo (and excellent drummer, by the way, who once sat in at age 14 with The WannaBeatles on “I Saw Her Standing There” at Puckett’s in Franklin, and did a great job) recently graduated from DePaul University in Chicago, majoring in drama. He’s signed with a local agent, and has been getting calls for various television work. 

His first time to appear on camera, as a minor character in an episode of CSI, happened to be aired while we were in a sports bar in Lillington, N.C.

And so we asked the bartender and waitress if we could change the channel on their large screen tv, so that we could watch the show, and celebrate with David this milestone in his life. 

We had already ordered our supper when the episode came on. David knew that Wesley’s appearance would come near the middle of the show. When it occurred, David got up to point at the screen.
David points at screen
David looking at screen
Wesley on screen (in a car)

It was a brief scene, but great way to celebrate a major career step for a talented young actor, to share David’s pride and excitement at his son’s accomplishment.

The next day, we checked out, then drove to the campus of Campbell University. 

The plan was to leave after the gig, and drive down to Fayetteville NC for our stay on Thursday night, so we would be closer to Friday’s destination.
Nathan unloading trailer at Fine Arts Building
Dennis on phone in band room, amidst drums
Setting up drum riser
David with school staff
Drums on riser
Bloggin’ Bryan had recently purchased custom cables to use with his guitar pedal.

Unfortunately, the new cable in the acoustic guitar coincided with a bent input jack, which caused the plug to get stuck inside the guitar.
The new cable stuck inside the Taylor

That problem got solved by replacing the pickup, a few days later at World Music Nashville, a job by our trusted friend Ed Beaver.

It was a beautiful auditorium, and the staff was very helpful.
Setting up the drum monitor
Stage ready for sound check

It was a treat to see an array of snacks in the dressing room.
Snacks on the table (before getting eaten)

We were treated to dinner in the student dining room across campus. We were transported in a large golf cart.
Riding in golf cart

And that was when we met the most amazing sight of our journey: the camel.
Meeting the camel (Dennis in front, 
Nathan and David approaching from the side.)

In front of the administration building is a large bronze camel, the school mascot. It’s a massive sculpture, strong enough for people to climb all over. 

We couldn’t resist the opportunity.
Admiring the camel
 Nathan climbing the camel
The camel’s face
Four WannaBeatles on camel
Four WannaBeatles happy

The camel was not the only statue on campus. We also encountered a noble portrayal of the founder, Dr. Campbell.
Nathan poses at statue of Dr. Campbell
Plaque with history of Dr. Campbell

We met the music professor, Dr. Ran Whitley, and his students who were so enthusiastic our show. The conversation somehow landed on boomwhackers, which are various sized hard plastic tubes, which make sounds when struck. 

The students and Dr. Whitley were so enthusiastic about them that they took me to an office where he played a recording of a concert that featured boomwhackers being played in concert, a piece he composed.

It was clear that the students enjoyed all kinds of music, and their teacher. 

After the show, we drove to our hotel in Fayetteville, and discovered that we had been classified as their “guest of the day.”

This should have prepared us for the entertainment we would find in the hotel lobby the next morning.

We woke up and came to breakfast to meet an in-house singer who called herself Shelby Sunshine. She had a purple microphone to match her purple lipstick. Her spontaneity and energy inspired us to join her. We sang together, before breakfast, a bit of James Brown, just to prove we were up for it.
Shelby Sunshine posing on counter at front desk

Shelby joined the four of us for a rousing “yeah yeah yeah” that was posted on Facebook.

That was a memorable morning in Fayetteville.

Then we left for South Carolina, for our second gig of the trip, which will be covered in the next blog.

Thanks for joining us.


-Bloggin’ Bryan 29December2016

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Library 2016

On September 13, The WannaBeatles returned to the courtyard of the Nashville Library, entertaining a lunch time crowd assembled on another beautiful September day.
The fountain at the center of the courtyard

The courtyard on the upper floor of the library is a well thought out architectural treasure, a fresh oasis from downtown noise, a public space where people can sit at tables, surrounded by trees, under the open sky. 

The Library treats us well, and we love playing there.
Elaine Wood is our host, who oversees the hospitality, making sure a fine array of delicious healthy food is available in a back office, which becomes a temporary green room.
David setting up

Dennis during setup
Nathan setting up his keyboard

Thanks to photographer Ray Jones, we have a lot of photos from our show that day.
Checking vocals in our casual clothes

 Kids and moms near the fountain enjoying the sunshine

A well organized merch table with banner on display
Elyse Adler announcing our show
David gives thumbs up
Nathan rocks out on bass
Bryan and Dennis on mic, David sings harmony
Nathan makes a point
Man with a horn
Not Simon and Garfunkel, but an amazing simulation
Four guys rockin' out
David at mic
Smiles
Saying goodbye
A final farewell

Somehow, being among the trees with all the people gathered under the sunshine during a lunch hour feels like being in a French impressionist painting from the late 19th century. 

We are proud to be among the performers like Riders in the Sky who have played the courtyard. It's a delightful Nashville tradition. We can always feel the relaxed enjoyment of the crowd that gathers in that generous space for some live music on a pretty day.

Thanks Ray, for the photos, and Elaine, for hosting us and helping produce such a fun concert series.

-Bloggin' Bryan 30November2016