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June 2009 It started with a li’l heartburn early Wednesday morning… By Thursday the damage was done, and I couldn’t even squeak. I spent the day sucking down hot green tea, ice water, and throat spray. Bet’n Man was to perform Friday night and I battled with myself all day Thursday over whether or not to tell the guy who hired us that I’d have to back out. But I kept hoping… By Friday, the voice was returning, but it was nowhere near full-force. (The entire upper range was missing and the lower range was weak.) I was worried that if I went ahead and performed Friday night – even at half-steam – I’d not be able to do the Saturday gig at all. Then, four hours before Friday’s show, I popped into my doctor’s office, unannounced, to beg for a steroid shot. (Thank you, Naomi, for suggesting that!) It worked well enough to allow me to do the entire 4-hour show on Friday, although I did keep it soft. (We were hired to perform for a wedding reception, so that worked well.) And it was a good thing we didn’t back out. The classical guitarist who was also supposed to perform there during the ceremony itself, didn’t show up until after the “I do’s.” With some nice soft stock tunes, we both ran the ceremony music and performed for the reception. By the end of the night, the voice was severely strained, but at least it was still there… While *I* thought my portion of the show was “lacking,” we managed to sell CD’s (and make good tips) and several people asked us if we could perform at their functions, so I guess it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. And, fortunately for me, the doctor told me the shot would last a good 2 weeks, so I was heavily relying on it to get me through Saturday. Saturday was the “Big Shew!” The BikerOrNot benefit for the American Legion was, as the name suggests, run by and for bikers. They don’t want the soft stuff – at least not 4 hours of it. So I put in a few phone calls, trying to find someone who could take over some of the vocals for me and/or play lead guitar to give my voice several much-needed breaks. (Thank you, Fred, for calling around for me. The response was amazing!) One guitarist called to check out the situation (Thank you, Mr. Perry Jones!). Perry said he’d see what he could do and would call me back. Our show was to be 5-9, and he had an engagement that was to start at 8, I believe, and he was considering working with us for a while before heading out. Anyway, then two vocalists called to offer their services (Thank you, Jevette and Sonja!). But, by the time the ladies called, I’d already received another call from “Just Shanon” with BikerOrNot (Thank you, Shanon, for being so understanding and helpful!) saying SHE’D found someone to help sing, so I thanked the two singers who called me, but explained the singer-issue was no longer an issue. Then I waited for Perry to call me back. Even with another singer on board, I was hoping he’d join us. (If you EVER need a fantastic lead guitarist/keyboardist/singer, Perry’s your man.) He never did call back though, so, about 4:00, we headed out with a bunch of equipment and a rolling ice-chest full of juice and water and Chloroseptic. The young lady who sang with us was amazing. (Thank you, Ms. Erica Zanetti!) Erica and I took turns, and I can tell everyone right now that this young lady is a definite up-n-comer. She has REAL talent – and an edge to her voice that should cut right past all the wanna-be’s out there. For about an hour and a half, Erica and I took turns, and sometimes we harmonized. (I love harmony… you have NO idea…) I was able to hit the hard songs when I needed to, and then rest the cords while Erica entertained. After a while, Erica took off with her hubby and I’m just sorry I didn’t get the chance to thank her properly. We’ve since chatted by phone, and she gave me permission to publish her contact information in this broadcast, so if you want to check her out, click on this hyperlink. If you want to contact her, then click here.) Wade and I finished out the last couple of hours, just like we usually do – hard and loud, and with the audience dancing or singing along. (Speaking of contacting people… If any of you want some Un-freakin-believable BBQ at your next function, call Bud or Mary at 972-288-8470.) To tell the truth, there’s no such thing as an artist without an audience. The painting must be viewed, the dance must be attended, and the music must be heard – by someone other than the artists. It’s a give-and-take, totally symbiotic relationship. So it’s with deep and honest appreciation that I say the audience last night was an inspiration to us. They energized us and kept us going in the late-afternoon heat. (We played outside on a low-boy – in late May – in Texas. You get the idea…) But they stuck with us – also outside in the heat – and we all just had a great time. I was cutting up, acting stupid, making fun of everyone and everything… it was just the ultimate fun for everyone. Best of all, Shanon reported they raised a considerable amount for the American Legion! (Way t’a go, Biker Lady!) While we were doing our thing, there were customers wandering in and out of the club – The Scoreboard – to escape the heat or shoot a little pool. Later, we were told that the people inside were applauding us, even though we couldn’t hear them. LOL! (Thank you, Mike, with Mom and Pop Karaoke!) Earlier in our show, Pop even sang Smoke on the Water with us. He has such a powerful voice! And I adore his rendition of Pusher Man. (You need to record that one!) Now, I’ll cut to the chase. (Too late, Bet! Sorry…) Shanon has now engaged us at least twice more: There’s a July 11th show, and another in September. Now remember that we’ve already been hired to take the Bud Lite stage for another biker event, Thunder on the Lake during the Labor Day weekend. But for one of these BON benefits, we’ll take the Bud Stage. (Budweiser? Bud Lite? I think I see a pattern emerging…) I basically have only two “soft-spots.” The first – and always will be first – is “children,” and one of these events is a benefit for BACA, and BACA stands for “Bikers Against Child Abuse.” You see where I’m going with this… It’s our privilege to do this. I hope it’s your privilege to attend and support this oh-so worthy cause! (The other “soft spot” is for our men and women in uniform, past, present, and future. We’ll say more on that later.) Bet'n
Man - NEXT performance: Benefit for Bikers Against Child Abuse ©
2009 Bet Cloven
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