I had a wonderful night with Pavlov’s Dawgs at Godfrey’s. 20 years since our heyday, and is was a sterling performance last night, especially with Jess and Mike. They fronted the entire night, with great chatter and well-played music. Hats off to them, from a pro. Kris used the wah-wah on bass and it was great knowing he was playing right tackle in the band. The opportunity to play with these guys in this situation warms my soul. There were some knock out musical and comedy moments.
I enjoyed being a sideman for a change, and really enjoyed the challenge of playing mandolin full time. I’m getting there, and learning where I need work on those tight little melodic arrangements.
I had to fight some physical/mental/hip fatigue (from a rough 36 hours the day before) so it was a hard gig (I didn’t break a string, come to think of it..), and I could have played better live. The humor and spirit of the evening made it a really professional show, and what made, and continues to make the band special.
Rich Bernardin (the original mandolinist) stepped up big time, and someone (Tom?) mentioned to me how it seemed to dawn on his bad self that he was better than he imagines, with the applause and spotlight during the night. We (as Dawgs) can and should kick his ass artistically and keep him fresh.Big moment of growth from a fellow player.
Good night.