The setup: Sitting down for lunch at Anthony David’s, our local hangout. To my right sat a bunch of moms, neighbors of ours and alumni of Music Together, having a chat. Behind me was a table full of new mommies, cradling infants and eating their salads one-handed. One of the Alumni Moms stops at the New Mommy table on her way out, and says “you guys need to take music class with this guy, he’s great.” Sweet, and a little embarrassing. So then I turn around and explain that I teach Music Together, and one of the moms asks “Oh, are you… Dan?”

Oh well. Close enough.

I taught 415 Music Together classes - the exact same number I taught in 2010. In addition, I taught 55 “Sonic Uke” ukulele classes at Guitar Bar Jr.
I performed at 32 parties, way up from last year. I also did three Santa Claus visits.
The Fuzzy Lemons played 35 concerts, and I did 4 shows with other bands (including the Gordys and my Music Together cohorts).

Grand total: approx. 544 hours of performing for kids, an average of about 90 minutes a day. I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did!
~ Dave

It wasn’t as easy as all that - I never made it onto the official e-mail list, if indeed there was one, and didn’t get clued in to rehearsals. Other stuff was going on so I kind of wrote it off, saying “I’ll do the next one.” But on Tuesday Jim texted me, would I be interested in doing “Subterranean Homesick Blues” at the show? I shot back an affirmative, before fully realizing what I lyrical nightmare I was in for. 48 hours to memorize four verses of Dylan at his wordiest.

I never found out just WHY I got the last-minute call to do that song… maybe someone else was scheduled to do it, but his brain exploded. Sometime on Wednesday, feeling a little burnt but able to sing the first two verses almost perfectly, I texted Jim. “My brain is full. Is this what the ’60s felt like?”

By Thursday afternoon I had three verses down but I knew I was never going to nail the fourth. So I printed a cheat sheet in a big font and sent a message to Jim to make sure there was a music stand at the show.

What can I say about rockin’ out with the likes of the All Stars? It’s a Bucket-List experience. Keith Hartell, to single one out, knows every every lyric to every song and can play them all on any instrument you care to hand him. He’s the organizer of the All-Stars and plays bass, mostly. Then there’s Boo Reiners, who can light a fire just by looking at a guitar, mandolin or fiddle. Not to mention Jim Mastro, 80s pop star, side-man to Ian Hunter and even Robert Plant. And there I was, fast-mumbling my way through an iconic Dylan classic with these cats.

“Subterranean Homesick Blues” doesn’t have a guitar solo, but wedged between Jim and Boo, how could I not step back and let ‘em take one? That’s the kind of group it is, just point your chin at someone and he (or she) will rip into a solo that peels the paint from the walls, or lay on a harmony that makes angels weep. It’s rhythm-guitarist heaven, let me tell you. (And a far cry from the Fuzzy Lemons!)

Next up, a Neil Young night! I’ve already dibs’d “Harvest Moon,” maybe I’ll get to do another track or two as well. Can’t wait!

Look for us at Ben and Jerry’s again when the weather warms up!
~ Dave

One particular highlight stands out: A dance class had been working on “The Time Warp,” and was going to dance to a playback, but we had it on our set list so they got up and danced along to us instead!

In lieu of payment for this show, we’ve got credit for studio time with Dan. Sometime in the winter or spring we’ll be going back into the studio to record a new album! I can’t wait!

~ Dave

I my last gig diary entry I mentioned that we’ve become a very flexible band. We’re able to pull out Halloween tunes such as “Monster Mash” and the Scooby Doo theme with little difficulty. Come summer, we’ll rip out “California Sun” and similar surf-themed songs. We’re a non-stop Kindie rock machine!

~ Dave

The library is nestled in a beautiful Westchester valley, and the leaves were just starting to turn, but the sun was still plenty warm enough for an outdoor show. It was simply delightful, and music lovers soon covered the expansive green with picnic blankets and enjoyed the show.

A huge thank-you to the Auxiliary Board of the Rye Free Reading Room for making it happen. From the moment we pulled up we were met by helpful volunteers, which came in handy when Vanessa’s keyboard would’t work and we had to send someone to Radio Shack for a new power supply! Vanny didn’t blink, she just grabbed her tambourine and rocked out for the entire set. This band has really become a fluid and adaptable rock’n'roll unit, and I love being a Lemon!

~ Dave

These festivals are fun for me, not just because we get to play on a huge stage to huge crowds, but because we get to meet (and observe) other performers who are in our line of work. This year we missed sharing the stage with our friend Baze (he played on Saturday), but we met magician Dave Levitan and the awesome cats from Starfish, our neighbors from nearby Maplewood, NJ (Starfish drummer “Grateful Dave” also plays drums for our pal Big Jeff).

As always, HUGE props to the This Is It! people and to DJ Mickey G for making it a smooth, fun, ultra-cool day.

~ Dave