@hellpellet and I headed south on Friday, right into “snowmageddon”.  I love how the Weather Channel creates ‘branding’ for big storms like: “Megastorm!”*, “Winter Powerhouse!!”, “Ransack-the-Grocery-for-TP Storm!!!”*.

We didn’t see much weather until we got onto some of the back roads leading to our secret destination.  It got a little dicey at that point – some spun out cars in our lane, the occasional fender-bender.  We made it to the location unscathed, but by then the snow was coming down pretty heavily.

We were in an area with no cell phone service, so that meant no Internet and no phone.  I like that.  My opinion as of late is that sometimes it’s good to disconnect from everything and focus.  In my case, I had some band-related things on my mind that were agitating me something fierce, and it was good to clear my head.

So if you were snowed in, or just watching the “Stormalicious Saturday!!!!”* coverage, I hope you had a chance to pause, reflect, and come out with some new perspective.

*I made these up.  Think the Weather Channel could use a creative consultant?

Generally I’m not big on sitting in with a band, or going to jam nights.  Even though I guess I can hold my own when it comes to playing, I’ve never felt like I’m good enough to just randomly jump in.

However, there are exceptions.  Last weekend I had a chance to go see Thomas Reed Smith (a.k.a. TRS) do an acoustic show at Rider’s Inn in Painesville Ohio.  It’s been a while since I’ve been able to see TRS play – for a few years he wasn’t playing, or I had gigs when he was.

Tom and I have been working on music together since 1999 when I produced his debut album “I Need A Change“.  It was my first attempt at producing for someone else, and was a real learning experience.  Tom’s band for that record was comprised of what was left of the Foonspeeders: me, Mike, and our old drummer Scott Haumesser.

In addition to doing the recording for the record, we also promoted the album by playing a considerable number of gigs.  We called them “iron band” gigs because we would do an hour of TRS music, then a couple hours of Foonspeeder music.  As a result, we knew the TRS songs well.

We started work on Tom’s follow up record in 2002, but as a result of the same forces that kept our own “Funk Out With Your Junk Out” album from completion until 2008, it has lingered unfinished (I am on a mission to make sure it is finished this year).

In late 2008, Mike and I got together with Tom and ran through some songs in an acoustic rehearsal.  It was stunning: we played these songs like it had been yesterday.

So when Tom offered me the chance to sit in on “Go Now”, which was the very first tune we worked on for his 1999 record, I was thrilled to join him.  Somehow there’s nothing like the feeling I get when playing music that’s so familiar, and to share the playing with someone else (not to mention the people that were there to listen) is a true joy.

Thanks, Tom.

A while ago (in ‘dude time that would be after Foonspeeders but before the other bands that came later) Mike and I recorded and played with a great songwriter and brother-from-another-mother named Thomas Reed Smith (find the first TRS record “I Need A Change” in the iTunes store).

The remnants of Foonspeeders (Scott Haumesser, Mikey and myself)  recorded “I Need A Change” with Tom, serving as the backing band. It was my first effort at producing songs for someone other than myself, and I tried to stay away from changing the song structures.  Instead I suggested instrumentation or harmonies, and we worked on arranging the tunes and getting different sound textures for his songs.

The project was a major learning experience for me, and for Tom as well.  I introduced Tom to recording in the home studio, and to recording at commercial studios.  Tom introduced us to Mike Sells spicy pork rinds.  We all already knew Mickey’s Malt Liquor.

We had a great time.  For a while would do “iron band” gigs with Tom.  First Scott, Mike and I would play for about 90 minutes, then we would take a break before backing Tom for about an hour doing his songs.

It was during this time that Mike and I started evolving from the more pop-oriented Foonspeeder style to the amalgam of rock and funk and other stuff that comprises drunkdude69.  Much of that evolution was a result of playing relentlessly.  In fact, we were at the top of our live performance game at the time, even pulling off songs like Liquid Soul’s “Threading the Needle” and “Fried Grease” by the Greyboy Allstars.

Based on our rehearsals we have a way to go to get back to that level as a band.  The only way to do that, of course, is to play a lot.  Playing in Skinny Moo has made it abundantly clear to me that when you play all the time with the same guys, everything eventually becomes greater than the sum of the parts.