From: Bruce Yandle [mailto:defcrew@charter.net]
Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2011 11:33 PM
To: Resistor Groupies
Subject: Mr. Resistor's "Noise For Toys"...Saturday, December 17, Supper Club

 

A Hearty Hello to Them That’s Out There!

                You know, every year in the Fall I say to myself I’m going to really get my act together early regarding the benefit and do some promotion and every Winter about a week before the gig I find myself sitting here typing up a missive and trying to get a press release of some kind to the OA News. Since the Bruceasaurus is a Facebook abstainer with six other remaining Luddites on the Third Rock who I am sure the FB Nation will soon hunt down and rub out, I mollify myself with the thought that somehow as I sleep at night the social network is crackling with the news that even though every now and then I know it’s kinda hard to tell but Mr. Resistor is, indeed, still alive and well and will be playing along with good friends at the War Eagle Supper Club on Dec. 17 for the six millionth Noise For Toys Benefit beginning around 9:00 PM CST.

                I was reflecting a little bit in my mind as I was raking  (Hey! The Rakes!) the yard which I only do once a year—rake the yard, that is—about all the years we’ve done this thing and all the people who have played with us. Considering I have  a hard time remembering what I had yesterday for supper much less where my glasses are or when my anniversary is, I was just having flashes of different folks who’ve graced the NFT stage--One Drop, Burns and the Sideburns, the Plasamours, Hag Daddy, Robert Orr, Rob Alexander, Whit Pitcher, Logan Patton, Nothing Personal, Pretty Beat Up, Kidd Blue, John Bull and probably plenty I can’t even remember. We’ve collected toys for kids who no doubt have kids of their own now and the charity money has gone to everything from organizations like Project Uplift or the East Alabama Food Bank to individuals whose plights have been especially poignant to us and needed a little help. It’s been great to be  a part of something like this and have our “brand” attached to it even though I treally isn’t “us” that makes it happens. It’s everyone who supports it.

                On a personal level, there have been years that preparing for the NFT from a player’s point of view has been what kept me in the game, so to speak. A songwriter and/or musician’s life can be a frustrating and at times discouraging one and there has been more than one time where the calluses on my fingers were gone in November due to lack of playing but I knew I had to get back in shape so as not to thoroughly embarrass myself on stage. For this I am grateful to all the folks who continue to come out and on some level validate my and our musical efforts both in the past and in the present. Playing is sort of like jogging in that if you get out of shape getting back in is hard because you are simply trying to attain a level of proficiency that you’ve previously had before you can even think of moving onward and upward. One of the great musicians I’ve had the pleasure of working with is Jody Nelson and his take on running was great. He said, “Well, they say running will add five years on to the end of your life but I figure I would have been running for about five years so it isn’t really worth it.” Similarly, sometimes you wonder if the music jones is a blessing or curse but, in the end,  it definitely falls into the better-to-have-loved-and-lost realm. On the other hand, I no doubt would have built  a better mouse trap  with all the hours I sat around the house perfecting my repertoire of six blues licks. Anyway…mice of the world—you’re welcome.

                The way it works at NFT is to bring an unwrapped gift which we will later give to the AFD to distribute for their Toys for Tots program. It is not essential the toys even be brand new. Perhaps something your kid (or you) have outgrown is taking up space in your attic that you could better use to store your tin foil hat collection or the heads of your enemies aka “trophies.” Toys will work in place of  a cover charge but if you pay cover that money will go to this year’s chosen recipient. A good friend and fellow team mate of mine from my long living and quasi-legendary softball team, the Def Crew, Bill Tatum, died of pancreatic cancer this summer and the money this year will be going to help out his family. Bill was a much beloved guy and we were actually involved in a benefit for him at the Supper Club this summer which raised more money than any benefit in the Club’s history. It was the last time I saw Bill and he was just as upbeat and cheerful as ever in spite of the fact that he knew he was  a short timer and the turn out of people and outpouring of love was a testimony to his character. Few of you probably know Larry “49” Owens, but he was also a Def Crew member who died just a couple weeks back and at his funeral at White Street Baptist Church there was a similar turn out and, believe me, they turned it out! None of us like to think about our last ride but if you can live your life in a manner such as these two men and can be wished farewell with such fondness and in such numbers then you’ve done all right. Also,  a shout out to my friend Bill Glasscock who died this Spring. It’s been a hard year in these regards and one that makes me cherish each day all the more.

                So….let’s live it up while we’re alive! This year we have a lot of truly great music for you. To open the show--and we hope for this to happen by nine for all of us old codgers blighted by day jobs and their pox on our body clocks-- we have Wolfe featuring Billy Earl McCleland, Ricky Rowell and Wade Allen aka the greatest soundman in the history of the Supper Club and quite possibly in the running for the best bassist to have played there. Rick played a Christmas show with us back in the early 80s that was the first time Resistor ever played live. We backed him up doing some of his stuff and then did our set. Wolfe—for those who don’t know—was a local tour de force in the 70s around here and featured Billy Earl and Rick as well Catfish Willie on bass who was killed in a house fire quite some time back. Wade will fill the void and then some. I’m sure. You’re not really going to run across players much better than Billy Earl and we are pleased to have them sharing the stage with us.

                In addition to Resistor, I’ll be playing along with my brother, Eric, my son, Thomas, my wife, Greta and Mike Stewart, the irrepressible Chuck Cochrane (he pronounces it cock-ran and I pronounce it co-train) and local legend Irving “Bo” Galigher in  a group we call the Soul Coaltion of East Alabama or SoulCo. We have had a rotating cast of players drift in and out of what has basically been a wonderful experiment down in my basement and mad scientist lab as well as the mancave of our reclusive third guitarist, Stan Herring. He’s a reverse vampire. He only comes out in daylight! Much to the chagrin of my neighborhood, we play at least  once a week or as football will allow in numbers as small as 2 or 3 and as large as 10. We’ve been writing tunes and pulling out old musical chestnuts—and sometimes roasting them on an open fire—and just having a great time doing it. As I mentioned above, with the passing of time the here and now becomes very sweet and very important and being able to get on a wave length with these talented people and especially my family members has made this one of the best years I can remember in some time—certainly on a musical level.

                To close it out as has been the case in recent years will be Square Bone. Lance, Jeremy, Paul, Wade and Jonas  are all superb players and—like Resistor—pull it together to play this and maybe one or two other gigs a year for special occasions. I am really glad to have Jonas involved with all this because in addition to being a top drawer player and a second generation local musician(father=Uncle Roy Schultz) like Thomas, Jonas is marking the hydrants of time with his band, the Good Doctor. When you are doing it..that is, trying to steadily gig and put out CDs and write songs you don’t really think about your context in the timeline, so to speak, but all you have to do is see this line up for the show and you realize that if Wolfe is still a “band” after all this time then there is a good chance the Good Doctor may still be a “band” in the year 2040 and maybe after we are all pushing up daisies Jonas will be the one carrying the flag….or staging the 20 millionth NFT!  In all honesty, Auburn has always had a pretty perplexingly poor music scene overall, in my opinion,  but when it is good it is really good. I’m talking about actual artists out there trying to do something rather than just throw together a quick shake and bake band playing Brick House, Brown Eyed Girl and Play That Funky Music White Boy so they can get paid by people who—for the most part—really don’t care a whole lot about music anyway. I don’t begrudge a guy for trying to get a gig wherever he can but I’m just grateful for the people who take Robert Frost’s “Road Less Traveled.” It can be a lonely road but it’s worth it. And these bands cannot exist without people who can appreciate them. I can only hope any band has a “fan base” as loyal and loving as the one Mr. Resistor was blessed to gather.

                So, to sum it up, I hope you can all make it out this year and that each and every one of you have a Merry Christmas and enjoy good health and much happiness in 2012. There’s someone out there in the non-virtual world who wants you to look them in the eye and sincerely ask them how they’re doing today. Do it and see what happens! Peace, dude. B