It's been a while since I've updated but there's not much that's been going on. I've been hanging out with people and watching TV but until last night there wasn't any major "EVENTS".
Last Night was the Saint Mort Farewell Concert. Since 2004 I had been throwing concerts for different charities. So as a going away 'party' I tried to get a bunch of old bands to reunite. In the end we got 3 bands to reunite (Nitty Gritty, The Uninspired and Proven Worth), also on the show was my brother's friends band Beast Mode On, Reggae/Ska/Rock/Punk band Roots in Stereo, Pop-Punk/Rapper Team Goldie and Finally me.
Kevin (The Drummer of Proven Worth and Co-Promoter) and I arrived at 3pm to set up the show. We finally had everything set up just in time (6pm) for the show to start. Sadly there were 3 people that weren't in bands that were there. The First Band Beast-Mode On played a short and bizarre set full of rapping, dancing, random breakdowns and finally playing Kiss From a Rose by Seal over the stereo while they simply sat on the ground singing along.
Next Up was Nitty Gritty who completely destroyed. Those not familar with Gritty they are a Ha-Ha Hip Hop group with such songs like "Filling Up My Socks" (about jerking off into socks), Taste These Tots (about getting your balls licked) and Hittin' Bitches in the Face With Pans (which is self explaintory). By the time they were done the numbers grew to about 30 people.
The Uninspired went on stage next. They were a ska band that broke up about 2 years ago. They did a fun set that everyone seemed to enjoy. After their set while Andrew Emsley was setting up Frank (the owner) pulled me to the side and informed me 'There's not enough people here. Wrap up the Show by 9pm or Pay me for Security'. Originally the show was going to end at 10. He told us this at 7:45 and we had 5 acts to go. I told Andrew to play 3 songs while we figured it out. Finally I decided to cut myself off the line up and give the other 3 acts 20 minutes a piece. Andrew did his 3 songs and then Roots in Stereo immediately played their set. Amazing band if you haven't heard them and I highly recommend looking for them.
After them Fan Favorite Team Goldie performed. He closed his set with Sharpshooter! Sharpshooter! which is a song about when he lived in California and was driving back to PA. The Chorus is simply 'You can't Spell Home Without Pennsylvania!" He brought out a second microphone and invited me to do a duet with him. It was a blast.
FInally Proven Worth set up for their performance. Kevin pulled me on stage and started to give a speech about how I used to book shows and did them for charity. While I don't agree with him he referred to me as the most important person in the local music scene. After the speech he presented me with a brand new guitar that everyone signed.
It was then that it was announced on the insistence of Andrew Emsley anyone who wanted to could meet us in Library Parking Lot at 10 and I'd perform a set on the new acoustic. Proven Worth played a quit set of fan favorites and closed on a performance of Lit's My Own Worst Enemy that had the entire crowd singing along.
We quickly packed up and drove to the Library where I played about 45 minutes. Telling stories and joking around. The Highlight for me was covering Rebecca black's Friday with Team Goldie doing the rap. Apparently some people were able to tape it so hopefully those videos will be up soon.
SUMMARY
Sometimes when things seem like their worst, they're not so bad. Making the decision to cut myself from the show wasn't an easy one. I was extremely excited to play one last show for my friends. After deciding to not play so the other bands could I was extremely depressed. I had to fight back tears. However the outpouring of love from friends and bands. The fact that about 30 people came to a parking lot at 10 at night to see me sing some silly songs and hear stories was much better. I had more fun and it was much more touching than if I had just played last at the venue.
Sometimes you don't know the impact you have on people. I never did Chords for a Cure to be noticed. For the first few years the only people who knew i was throwing the show were close friends and the bands I booked. I never considered myself important. I just booked the bands I wanted to hear. I never thought it'd make an impact on anyway. I can't help but think about the slogan for Chords for a Cure... Changing the World one show at a time. People sometimes talk to me about what I do and I'll never understand why people are amazed I do the charity work I did. I think every person is capable of changing the world. So today let's take the old Chords Slogan and alter it just slightly.
Let's Change the World... One Day at a Time.
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