You Can Call Me Al (But Probably Won't after Hearing Me Sing It)

 

Yesterday evening Travalon and I went to the jam at the East Side Club again, but this time I brought the electric mandolin. I didn't do as well as last time; Travalon and I sang "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon, but I was having trouble hearing myself, so I wasn't always on pitch. Fortunately since Travalon was singing with me, he didn't record it, but some rando was making a recording of the first few acts, and who knows what he's going to do with it? Maybe you'll see us on line for everyone to mock. Later I played "Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles and "Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel with the mandolin, but unlike last time, when they were so accommodating and did things in G for me, this time they were in like A Dorian and E major, so there were a lot of sharp notes I kept missing... and I couldn't hear myself. That is the danger with plugged-in bands. However, there were more people coming to play, and they were really good! When I think "jam," I think of bluegrass jams I've been to where people don't know the song, but it's in G or D so they follow along. This is more like people who know how to play a song on the bass or whatever, so they're more showing off like a talent show than following along on something they may not know. I especially loved when a trombonist and a saxophonist showed up and played "Saturday in the Park" by Chicago, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen, and "Cissy Strut" by the Meters, and we were all up and dancing, including a guy with a light-up tiara and shoes. It was so much fun! Maybe I should just play the part of Audience Member at these jams, since I don't really know how to play rock music, but isn't practicing it the best way to get good at it?

Today is apparently National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day, so after my Union meeting, which went so long that I missed the bus and had to have Travalon pick me up, we went to Jiffy Lube for fried chicken sandwiches, as well as cauliflower wings and a super cute little strawberry chocolate donut. It was a perfect little brown torus with pink frosting, and it was delicious! I should have taken a picture of it. The only picture I have is one Travalon took during the jam session.

This is the guy who plays guitar and piano who co-leads the jam session with a woman who sings and also can play various instruments. I kind of feel like most people who show up are professional musicians, whereas I am a very semiprofessional musician who doesn't even do this kind of music. But Travalon loves the music, and I like most of it too. Even Pink Floyd sounds better when these guys do it.

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