(Cue creepy organ music)

When last we met, things were up and down. Well, while things haven’t settled down yet, a lot has changed since the last blog.

The bass player, John, is officially in the band. After talking to him, he seemed into it and after getting to know him and see him play for a few weeks, I really like the guy a lot. He’s a great match and loves to surprise us all once in a while with some killer playing that seems to come out of left field. He locks in well with Dave so he’s happy too.

As for keys, we only got one solid reply and that one guy showed up to practice believe it or not. We’ve had him down twice so far and while he’s got a lot of learning to do, he’s a really great guy and we all like him a lot. His name is Carl and he’s incredibly determined and dedicated so how could we turn him down? Yesterday, I officially asked him to stay and while he had some personal doubts about his abilities, I think we convinced him that we don’t care if he’s the best player in the world. We like him on a personal level and as long as he keeps improving, we’re fine with that.

So that said, we are now a five piece band, soon to be six if we can finalize a lead guitarist. It’s the one thing that’s been vexing me since we started and the one thing I thought would be easy to find. We had one before this band even started to play but he backed out a few days before our first rehearsal. From there, we tried a string of guys, most of which were rhythm players; something we had two of already.

We really need that strong lead guitar to handle all the important bits and make the songs come alive. I’m tempted to hold out for someone that I really want; someone diverse and able to play many styles without an issue. For keys, I was a little more flexible since we’re mostly guitar driven, so Carl was acceptable. However, the lead guitar really needs to be able to play everything.

So we got a few e-mails but you know how that goes. When you get closer to the day of the audition, people start to flake. I really don’t understand this but that’s how it goes. We managed to have one guy show up last week, however, and he was really good. I can see him in the band. He did seem to be more “southern rock” driven, though, and that wavered in the back of my mind. However, he’s only had those two hours and a few songs to showcase. If he can handle some other stuff, we’re cool. I e-mailed him back but got no reply… so I’m wondering if he was just busy or isn’t interested. More on that next time…let’s hope for the best.

This week I originally had two guitarists lined up but once again, they both bailed. One bailed for good but the other is a guy who was supposed to come this week but couldn’t make it. All he said was something to the effect of “catch you next week,” which has me worried a little. I e-mailed him for confirmation that he’ll definitely be there on 4/17 but haven’t gotten anything back yet. I assume he’s still away on business so more on that next time…

So this week, we practice as a five piece but no lead guitar auditions. We can tighten up things and work on the set list a little at least.

The main goal, however, and the looming milestone here is to complete the line up so we can then take the band to the next stage. We can’t really move forward until the people are all in place and right now there’s a big black hole to be filled by a solid lead guitar player. I’m going to put up a sort of “last call” on Craigslist but as of 4/17, we are going to make a decision either way so we can get moving.

The one guy we tried was definitely good so even if he’s our only choice, we’ll all be happy. I’m going to see if I can try out this other holdout and any new recruits on the 17th. Hopefully one of all these guitarists will stick and we can finalize the band as a six piece.

The next goal after that is finalizing a 10 song set list. A system of goals/rewards will follow whereas once we “finish” a song all the way through and it sounds tight and good (goal), we will allow another song into the set list (reward). Once we have a set list of around 20 songs, we’ll be ready to start playing some actual shows.

That’s where the fun really begins.

All in all, I’m pretty happy so far. The atmosphere is relaxed, no one’s on anyone’s case, egos are checked at the door, and everyone looks forward to Wednesday nights. I know I really look forward to it. It’s the highlight of my week now, and a great way to blow off some mid-week steam. It’s a good group of guys and even if we never get out of the studio, it’s still a lot of laughs and fun.

The line up so far:

• Lou: Vocals, backup guitars
• Pete: Rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• John: Bass, backing vocals
• Dave: Drums
• Carl: Keyboards

No, we still don’t have a name but the following piqued our interest:

• Suit 213
• WTF
• OMG
• Trump’s Rug
• T-bone and the _________s
• Hump Day Heroes

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the continuing saga.