Tomorrow morning, there will be a couple of guys picking up guitars and drumsticks to make some happy noise (eleven songs, to be exact) as background music for the beginning of the St. Mary Help of Christians School Annual Chocolate Festival.
If you have never been there, this is big time chocolate, a big block party/street carnival and the only fundraiser the school puts on each year. A few years ago, three dads of students, a teacher from the school and his son put together a band and we called it “Chocolate Moose”. (cute, eh?) We even had moose antlers that we wore to further embarrass our children.
From the left…Rich, Jim, Alex,(who is away at Clemson, studying to be a mad scientist) and yours truly, 2010
This year, it was just going to be Jim being the front man, playing guitar and singing and I was to be his accompanist on guitar. Last week, I ran into Rich, (our last drummer) at a funeral and we got to talking and a few days later, we practiced once, will practice again tonight and tomorrow, we go on at approximately 1015am.
Who needs to practice more than twice?
The good news is that we are supposed to be background music to warm the crowd up a little, (translated that no one is really paying attention to us) for the real band, Southern Comfort.
Whenever I play with Jim & Rich, we have great fun, but I get very self conscious, like Mr. Tanner, as described by the late, Harry Chapin.
“But music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole”…Mr. Tanner
For those interested…..
The Set List: Mostly covers, but with two, original songs, written by Jim Paczynski.
Suite Madame Blue (Styx) (Added at Friday night practice)
Happy (Sister Hazel)
Rain King (Counting Crows)
Powder Finger (Neil Young)
“mystery song” (Marcy Playground)
Carolina (John Bartus)
Cryin’ In The Rain (Paczynski)
Perfect Friend (Paczynski)
Jenny (867-5309…Tommy TuTone)
Windfall (Son Volt)
Rock & Roll All Night (by Kiss, but the Toad The Wet Sprocket version)
Take A Back Road (Rodney Atkins)
Oh, I’m so disappointed that we will miss this!! Leaving this morning to visit the grandkids in Simpsonville. Have fun!
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