
I think I am finally recovered from the marathon gig with
Killing Vegas the other night. We started playing at 12:30 a.m. and played four 50-minute sets. Not only was my internal clock completely screwed up, I felt like I had been hit by a truck---occupational hazard from thrashing around all night long (I think I lost about five pounds).
I prepared for the gig as much as I could, or so I thought. I rehearsed all the songs for several days beforehand. I planned on doing three acoustic songs with my brother,
Skrap, so I had all my guitars out. (Two of the songs were in a different tuning so I had to have a guitar to match those tunings).
I needed to practice some solos, so I broke out the
BOSS GT-8. I had to play bass on about forty other songs, so I had the bass out too. It looked like a guitar store exploded. Sheet music, set lists, chords, pedals, guitars, stands, pics, amps and empty diet Dr Pepper bottles were strewn all over my living room.

I guess I have somewhat of an odd practicing technique. Although I stay focused, nothing is really organized---I shift between playing songs and solos to listening and singing to reading music. Once I start to practice, I find it hard to stop. (My fingers on both hands were so tore up from all the practicing that I had to Super-Glue the cuts on my fingertips in order to still play---Band-Aids are not an option).

I try to schedule breaks with a timer but I just end up ignoring it. I don't take time to eat or do much of anything else---like sleep. I don't stay on one song very long. I learn the structure somewhat then I move on. Finally, I go over back over each one again and master the little nuances. Somehow my brain soaks it all in.
But I digress... The night of the show, I wanted to crawl right into bed but instead I had to get ready to leave at 11:10 p.m. I had no idea how I was going to summon enough energy to rock the house the rest of the night (morning)---but I did. I really should have been doing cardio with my bass strapped around me to prepare for this brutal gig.
Pop's, in Sauget, Ill., is open 24-7 and bands play throughout the entire night. We were booked for the graveyard shift---12:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. People flock to Pop's after the regular bars close. The crowd was amazing. And by amazing, I mean good and drunk.

I made it through the morning. But by the time I got paid and loaded up my equipment, it was 6:30 a.m. The sun was up and I couldn't get home fast enough. The bar was packed and people were still coming through the door in droves. Amazing.
Note to self: Stay away from the
5-Hour Energy Shots (I took half at 12:15 a.m.). It gave me a little energy but I was up until 8:30 a.m. It was like a bad trip. What the hell?