[Harp-L] Re: Gussing

[Michael Easton <diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Can't say I ever did it in public.

Had a guy do it at one of my gigs last winter.

We played a 2 story restaurant.  Their was a blues guitarist playing  
for a private party upstairs that had an open floor plan.  We could  
hear him and a harp player playing while setting up for our gig  
directly below.

Later in the evening we find the harp player wasn't on the gig  
upstairs.  He was the owners brother who happened to be in town and  
felt he could jump in and play since his brother owned the restaurant.
The guy was in his late 50's and should have had better sense.    The  
guy missed our first set while  drinking up some courage for what was  
to follow   He came back during the 2nd set and parked his butt in  
front of me
and proceeded to play along with the songs.  He had a couple harps so  
he worked at finding the song keys.  By about the 5th song he had his  
courage on.  Rather then asking to sit in he jumped up in the middle of
a  song and started to play along on my vocal mic.  I just stepped  
aside because I wasn't the one to book the gig.  I watched for the  
bandleader to motion me to remove him but he just laughed so I left  
him there and I didn't play at all.

Several times the singer tried to go back to the vocals but he just  
kept wailing on the harp.  Finally I took my 545 and gave him a couple  
woodpecker chops to the back of the head to stop playing so the singer  
could finish out the song.
I guess he was happy  to just play on one song and left the stage when  
it was over.  Had I known we weren't planning on booking there again i  
would have tore him a new one.  FDB!

Take Care
Mike
www.harmonicarepair.com