Hip Replacement Triumphance

My last Hip Replacement update thanked people for showing up at The Fine Line and gave a heads-up for an up-coming gig on February 3rd at Bunker's. I'm pretty sure we're well into April now which means I've missed my opportunity for several updates. Let's handle this one rapid-fire styley again so I can get to the really good news.

February 3rd - Opened for Wrinkle T again at Bunker's:

Great success!

[Editor's Note: We just found out that Wrinkle T will play their last show together sometime soon. I'd tell you more about why they're breaking up and where/when their last show is, but we're not opening for them... So I guess I don't care.]

March 1st - Opened for The New Congress at Bunker's:

Not so great success.

There were a few storms this winter that would have qualified for "blizzard" status except they weren't windy enough. One of those storms hit on March 1st, thusly limiting the audience to girlfriends and other diehards, without whom we'd never get a crowd.

We were really pumped for this show since The New Congress pretty much blows doors off hinges. We wanted to make a big impression on them, but we found out their rockstar sound and ability was accompanied by a rockstar indifference. They weren't even in the room while we played. That, coupled with the storm, sapped our energy and enthusiasm. Oh well: another notch on the belt and a little more exposure. We'll take it.

March 21st - American Band Competition at O'Gara's Garage in St. Paul:

Great success!

I have no idea how we got into this Battle of the Bands, but we did. The skinny: Each Wednesday in March, O'Gara's hosted a BotB with different bands each show. The winners from each Wednesday would throw down in a final BotB on April 6th, again at O'Gara's, for a chance to win a prize package and a third paying gig, again at O'Gara's.

On this day, "battle" was strictly metaphoric. There was no battle whatsoever. The semi-finals of this grand BotB was all fan-balloting, meaning each Wednesday show was a popularity contest. We managed to gather a good crowd, but we probably only needed a third of them to win the balloting. Next to nobody came to see the other two bands. I'll be nice and apply this the fact that neither of the bands are neither originally from nor gig in Mpls/St. Paul. Yes, that's a very nice way of saying it.

April 6th - American Band Competition at O'Gara's Garage:

Great success!

Score one for original music! Take that, cover band bitches! Sorry, I've had that animosity for cover bands building for quite some time. This was my one chance and success at proving there's hope for original music in the local gigging scene.

Last night we won the American Band Competition against three cover bands. This one actually was a competition. Well, not wholly. The first band, Judging Ronald, would have lost a high school BotB. But the other two bands, The Blind Pigs and Hero's End, were pros at what they do. What they do, however, is play KQRS and 93X cover music. Both bands brought sizeable fan bases, or at lest more than we faced at our semi-final show, and both were tight with their craft.

We won because we brought the most people, yes, but this BotB was also judged by successful, working musicians from the area. One of the judges is in Dazy Head Mazy who are pretty big in Mpls/St. Paul and the extended metro area--but I forget the bands the other two judges were representing.

These judges were given criteria to rate the bands: Sound Quality, Audience Interaction, and Some Other Third Thing. These criteria were not geared toward original bands but seemed to us to be more concerned with judging a good cover band. First of all, "Sound Quality" has very little to do with the band in a live show and very much to do with the sound production at the venue. Let me be nice again and remind everyone how nice it was to play at The Fine Line and Bunker's. Very nice. The sound at O'Gara's Garage sounds like sound you might find at venue with the word "garage" in its name. OK, not so nice.

Secondly, Hip Replacement is very aware that Audience Interaction is our bane. We know it and we're getting better, but I'm convinced that nothing will raise Koelsch's eyes from his fret board, nor sway his hips and feet outside a one foot diameter. But if the solution to a band's poor audience interaction is the gimicky crap I hate about cover bands, than I'd rather be a band of jazz faces every gig.

Lastly, yeah, I don't remember the third criteria, but it wasn't favorable. But how 'bout--oh, I don't know--Musicianship? Would that be good criteria for a BotB? Maybe? It's cool though, the judges and our loyal fan base pulled through to secure our triumphance. Judges and fans are the best.

The rewards for winning were a (supposed) $500 gift package from Guitar Boutique of St. Paul, and a third, paying gig again at O'Gara's. The "gift package" turned to be an acoustic guitar, a guitar case, and a guitar stand--all which do our band a metric shit-ton of good. A very generous donation... Well, a very donation at least. There's been no word yet as to details of the paying gig, but it sure will be at O'Gara's! "Sound Quality" again comes to mind.

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In other HR news, we're moving into a (slightly) bigger practice space. I'm sure that reads as hardly news-worthy, but you wouldn't understand our vibrous excitement for a new room unless you've seen our current room (closet).

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In other Ants news regarding recent vows and proclimations, I've begun re-editing a certain piece (basically re-reading and comma-play), and a section is ready for Ants; it's just that it will take a little time to figure out how to reformat from Word to bloggy styley. Not a whole lot of time, just time I don't have now since the last regular season Wild game starts in roughly seventeen minutes. "Things Must Change".... soon.


Mason... Sometimes wizards are so awesome, it hurts.