We had a good rehearsal last night at Market On 7th, firing up the band as a 3-piece for the first time. We cut it a little short because J. C.’s arm was hurting (against his wishes), but it seemed better to call it than to exacerbate a problem. We’ll need J. C. in fighting form for the paying gigs we’ll hopefully be setting up in the next couple of weeks.
I’m having a great time with these guys. We’re doing a lot of songs that I’ve always wanted to do. We’re playing more Blues. And we’re going to be working in some of the better Country songs. I’m excited about our direction and our song selection. I think we’ve picked a good selection for this area, given the abundance of Blues clubs in Tampa Bay. If I have any concerns, it’s just that we seem to be concentrating on adding Blues and Country songs to the exclusion of some cool Classic Rock. I don’t want us to be known as a Blues band. That’s the last thing Tampa Bay needs is yet another Blues band. However, if we do wind up as a Blues band, we have the perfect guitarist for it. J. C. can wail with a slide.
I’m not concerned about it. Wherever we wind up, it’ll be great. I have no doubt about that. We’ll shake things out as we go along. The important thing is that we’re all on the same page and we’re all committed. That will, in itself, help shape who we are as a band.
All in all, I have to say that I’m very excited about where the band can go. Catdaddy Pirates has a lot of potential. If I doubt anything, it’s my ability to essentially be our front man. I’ve gone from being the bass player who sings some back-up to being the guy who sings most of the tunes. I have to concede that it makes sense. I have the strongest voice in the band. So I’ll rise to the occasion until J. C. and Doug are more comfortable with taking over more of the songs. But it’s not entirely natural for me to be in that position. I’ll just need to keep in mind that I am the son of Bob Lovelace, who, by all accounts, could have sold ice to Eskimos.
We’re going to finish up our recordings tomorrow by laying in guitar parts, and nailing vocals over the weekend. I think once we start getting the songs up and get some group photos together, we can start booking gigs. We’re getting up to speed that quickly. I think we can be ready in a couple of weeks. From there, it’s only a matter of time before we’re one of the hottest bands in Tampa Bay.
