Traverse City

Traverse City, MI. Sunday October 5 2025

4:15 pm

It’s an early one tonight. The show starts at 6 pm.

Sound check is done so now it’s hurry up and wait time.

I’m having a low energy day. I’m dragging my ass like a dog with hemorrhoids. 

Whenever this happens, being the, ahem, consummate professional I am, 20 minutes before the show I come back to life.

8:20 pm

And just as I predicted, I was loaded for bear when the show started. (Loaded for bear?). The blood tore through my veins like hot lava. My playing shone like a galaxy of stars.

Actually I played one or two almost brown notes. But the show was great and the audience was appreciative.

What are brown notes?

For context, we need to start with blue notes. There are three in a major scale. One of them is ambiguous and exists, in theory, between the major and minor third, the second one is the flat fifth, the third is the flat 7. They are generally used with a dominant 7 chord.

To be brown, a note has to be so dissonant and out of place that given sufficient volume it can cause a loss of bowel control. 

The “almost” brown notes I played would be beige I suppose. Or tan. Nothing to worry about. 

Here’s today’s venue, from my perspective during soundcheck.

11:30 pm

We have a long drive tomorrow to Cincinnati Ohio beginning at 9:30 am. 

We don’t have to rush, the show isn’t until Tuesday evening. The next show after that is in Wisconsin near Milwaukee. Those agents really know how to book a tour.