Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Inappropriate harmonica [long]

[Jerry Deall <jdeall@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Reminds me of the drunk girl who fell into our monitors, then made a request. So we played "I Got Loaded". 
LOL 



Thanks Jerry, 

----- Original Message -----
From: "Grant Walters" <grant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Thursday, November 8, 2012 10:19:28 AM 
Subject: Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Inappropriate harmonica [long] 

two more cents; 
I have to agree with all the stories regarding gussingâ 
and have my own regarding one such aggressive gent 
who after blowing first position high notes all nightâ 
regardless of key, from the back of the room and getting 
fully lubricated âhe stormed the rather high stageâ 
grabbing the mike stand as he barely made the wall (stage) 

Still playing on my bullet I stepped forward and pressed my foot 
in his chest and and he sank backwardsâ 
This being a local bar ( one reserved for folks already with DUI's) 
The crowd grabbed him and moved him toward the doorâ 
in their own friendly wayâ 
but up until he stormed the stage they had been encouraging him. 

My bandmates were oblivious to it allâand wondered why 
I was so shaken by itâ 
Truth isâ.I heard every single note he played from 40 feet awayâ 
with a loud band playing. 
It threw me off and I hated itâ 

But alas ..my pointâ 
Every guy who ever broke my equipmentâ( happened last month âmusic stand got crushed ) 
or shattered a hand made harmonica case ( Koa wood)âgot tangled in the cordsâ 
wanted to make an announcement right in the middle of a songâetc ..etcâ 
Was someone who was enthusiastic about the music âcaught up in the moment so to speak. 

So I always try to remember â 
If you get to mad about thisâyou are just looking bad to your fansâ( sometimes..fan) 
Cut them a little slack and they will keep buying booze and keeping the doors open. 

One such gusserâsurprised me the other dayâ 
He showed up and I cringed â( memory from 10 years ago) 
and produced and nice harmonica case with all the keys and politely 
told me he had gotten the Jerry Portnoy instructional CD I had suggested and studied itâ 
I asked him if he would like to sit in and he declinedâ( was not drinking either) 
we sat outside on the break and he showed me a thing or twoâ. 
Gus had gotten gameâ 
who would have guessed. 

Grant Walters ( the other Grant) 
On Nov 7, 2012, at 8:31 AM, EGS1217@xxxxxxx wrote: 

> What's more to be said after this story? Can anyone truly say they're not 
> highly discomfited? (One wants to have been there to have nicked the guy's 
> harp and unobtrusively tossed it out the door!) 
> 
> 
> I understand Glenn Weiser's being aware that he's a top-notch player at the 
> bar, but it doesn't matter. Taking out a harp and playing along is still 
> gussing--and draws the attention to the Gus, instead of the band/player 
> onstage where it belongs. It still comes off as an ego move. 
> 
> 
> The portability of our instrument most assuredly is part of the problem: 
> would any of the pro-gussing people think it cool if I were to haul my 
> keyboard into a venue, or a saxophone--and give it a whirl in the middle of (or 
> all during) a performance? It's just as absurd for those surrounding the 
> harp gusser in the audience to be subjected to his playing. They came to 
> listen to the performer, not you. That's the bottom line and it's even worse 
> when there's a great vocalist involved and the harpist is playing 
> accompaniment a la Grant's story. By Gussing, you're stating that you know better or 
> are better than the harp player onstage. Nope. If you were, you'd be the one 
> onstage and not Gussing anonymously from the audience.** 
> 
> **Michelle's story being an exception since she was invited. 
> 
> 
> I'd put money on the best players never behaving this way. Those like 
> Charlie Musselwhite, Jason, Chris Michalek, Dennis Gruenling, Steve Baker, Joe 
> Filisko, etc. (just a few people I've met or known). I imagine they'd be 
> horrified at the prospect. IF they're recognized in the audience as being a 
> great harp player and invited up that's another scenario entirely, but 
> playing along and/or asking to is poor form. 
> 
> 
> My .02 cents (although I'm likely to live out my life happily never being 
> in such a position.) ;) 
> 
> 
> Elizabeth 
> PS: showing the harmonica player at a 4th of July Mopar Show my chromatic 
> and mentioning that I'd been playing along with him IN MY CAR after he'd 
> finished doesn't fit since no one could hear me. We then played a couple of 
> songs together IN the parking lot and he invited me to play along with him 
> later at the microphone during the next break. That's an entirely different 
> scenario. It was for America the Beautiful (he focuses mostly on patriotic 
> songs) and since he doesn't really enjoy being a solo act was glad of the 
> support. I harmonized to his lead. We've become friends and I'm working to 
> recruit him and his other harmonica playing friends for SPAH or to begin a 
> new club out here. 
> 
> Message: 1 
> Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2012 06:50:34 -0800 (PST) 
> From: Grant Dermody <gdermody@xxxxxxxxx> 
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Inappropriate harmonica [long] 
> To: "mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Michelle LeFree 
> <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
> Cc: "harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
> 
> Hi again all, 
> 
> Yes, perhaps a nerve was hit for me to post. 
> 
> Many years ago in Seattle, there was a band with which I used to sit in 
> regularly. They were fronted by one of the best singers I've ever heard. 
> Nobody can lean into a ballad like this woman. The guitarist in the band 
> was equally stunning. 
> 
> The gig on this night was at a small club in the University district. 
> The place was jammed and the band was smoking. They called me up and we 
> played a couple of up-tempo tunes and then leaned into a gorgeous, yet 
> nasty, slow blues. 
> 
> It built up to a fever and then, right before the end, the singer 
> brought it way down, singing soft and strong, the audience in the palm 
> of her hand. We finished with a stop and then a slow, beautiful outro 
> retard, and then an equally gorgeous arpeggiated final chord. 
> 
> Deciding to add to this gorgeous chord was a harmonica player, hanging 
> in the back, but still very audible in this small club. In the middle of 
> this perfect ending and culminating one of the best vocal performances I 
> have heard before or since, this gusser adds his 2 cents, loud,clear, 
> and in the wrong key. He had played along with the whole tune and hadn't 
> figured out the key. Either that or he couldn't hear that he was using 
> the wrong harp. 
> 
> It was so wrong and so messed up in so many ways. I went and had a word 
> with him, telling him, as kindly as I could, that he had messed up a 
> beautiful performance and that this is part of what gives harp players a 
> bad name. 
> 
> He was outraged. He felt he had a constitutional right to blow his out 
> of key harp whenever he liked and if we didn't like it it was our 
> problem. 
> I disagreed, and we went our separate ways. 
> 
> So yes, I think gussing is incredibly bad form. 
> 
> all the best 
> 
> Grant 
> 
>