The Closest Thing (so far)

This is as close as I've been able to get to my idea of soulful music, around here... the "Otis Jam" at the Irvin Cobb Ballroom in Paducah, this past Saturday (2/4). Maybe there's something better, but if there is, I wish somebody would clue me. A bunch of guys had a birthday party for one of their colleauges, and some of the "guys" included weatherman Lew Jetton & his band 61 South. Interesting. I can just imagine Lew doing a gig. "It's cloudy with a chance of showers, and speaking of rain... don't know why, there's no sun up in the sky..." Apparently, this is something that happens every year. I got to drive Lew's Telecaster, which was a bit small for my hands, but still pretty smooth overall.

I jammed on guitar, bass, drums and vocals that night, and had a bit of fun. It seems I'll have to educate some of the locals about soul music and the blues, however; all they asked for was "Mustang Sally" and "The Thrill Is Gone". They seemed more interested in hearing the country band playing "Orange Blossom Special", that fast tune where the fiddle player imitates a locomotive at full throttle.

Some bad news: Tilden, the local blues guy, has bowed out of my weekly practice sessions. Oh, well...