-Last night CAROLINE BLUE was one of three bands performing at THE HALF PENNY PUB in Syracuse, NY. This was a benefit show put together by the R.E.S.A. FOR AUTISM FAMILIES INC. For this show, Azriel Mordecai was on bass and Mark Amisano on drums. Pics & show recaps of last night can be seen on the CAROLINE BLUE FACEBOOK PAGE and CAROLINE BLUE MY SPACE PAGE.
*READ WWJ’s SHOW RECAP IN THE FIRST COMMENT BELOW*
CAROLINE BLUE 
WWJ Show Recap
-This night (Sat.10/2/2010) had CAROLINE BLUE w/ Zadoc …& the Nightmare & Jayne Dracula playing at the Half Penny Pub in Syracuse, NY. This show was put together by R.E.S.A FOR AUTISM FAMILIES. I was first told of this show from Azriel Mordecai-who was offering to fill in on bass if I could get CB to play. Apparently, four bands had already been slated to play this show, but they all canceled due to getting paying gigs. I was more than glad to help and once I secured the lineup for this show, things moved forward.
-Az was a part time member of CAROLINE BLUE back in 2006 and, as such, already had a head start on the songs. The drummer, Mark Amisano, was playing w/ CB for the first time. We had two rehearsals in two weeks before doing the show. Although a few songs weren’t ready, we pretty much did the songs that we set out to do. CB hasn’t played out since March so it was interesting to see how this night would go. Here’s the set list for the night
-I’ve Seen the Light Tonight
-Nothing Will Satisfy You
-Dead or Alive
-Too Late
-Stay
-Mine, Mine, Mine
-Hard Life
-Out of My Life (I Want You)
-Deny
-Love Me or Leave Me
-No cover tunes? Well, we did play Paranoid (Black Sabbath) for a sound check. But yeah, there have been a number of changes since CB played earlier this year. Unless it’s for a specialty show, cover tunes (unless recorded by CB) are pretty much gone. I got burned out w/ a lot of things during the last line up & trying to be a “jukebox” was one of them. That’s not the reason I created CAROLINE BLUE. Ironically, when I made the announcement a few years ago that CB would be playing a lot more cover tunes (for several reasons), it was Zadoc who said it was a bad idea (for several reasons)-and, looking with 20/20 hindsight, I’d have to say he was right. Most, if not all, the reasons for the switch are no longer around me and / or the band any more anyways so I’ve basically gone back to the beginning. The way CAROLINE BLUE is today is very similar to the way it was at the start. Maybe one day I’ll write a book about all of this. 🙂
-Anyways, CB hasn’t played at The Half Penny for almost a year-and that past show wasn’t one of our best. We were the headliner doing all these covers and the opening cover band drew more than we did. This show was pleasing in that we had about 4+ times more people in front of us than the last show-with a much better response. I was pleasantly surprised-and happy-but not just with the crowd reaction. When you go onstage playing a set of just your own material and people respond favorably to it-man, that’s such a great feeling! Even got some music sold-as well as using up the last of the promo discs I had from the last line up. I always like the free sampler CD idea-and it’s always done well. Also got a number of people on the CB mailing list-yes, I still go out into the crowd w/ a clipboard. Some things never change 🙂
-Now to the show itself. For a lineup that’s only rehearsed twice in 2 weeks, I think we did good. There were mistakes here & there-including from me. The biggest error came from gear. I was using Zadoc’s amp & pedals-as well as a few of my own pedals-for this show. We started “Nothing Will Satisfy You” and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get a distorted tone. Turns out it was one of the pedals.I thought initially it was 1 of Zadoc’s but they seemed to be fine when he went on so it must of been one of mine. I fixed the problem though and we continued on. I do admit I botched the solo for “Mine, Mine, Mine” a little bit cause I was grandstanding a touch but hey, no guts no glory right?
-I heard a lot of compliments about both Az & Mark-and even some about me! 🙂 One interesting fact is I worked on making the live versions as close to the recorded versions as possible-including vocals. While most of the material form the NFTI disc is similar whether live or studio, the same can’t be said for a chunk of the STTH material. I worked on staying true to the recorded versions as much as possible.
-Big thanks to all at R.E.S.A. for having us perform this night. I hope we helped you achieve your goals for this night. Also thanks to Zadoc for letting me use his gear-as well as Carmen for letting Mark use his kit. Thanks to all at the Half Penny (you guys are awesome!) and the other 2 bands Jayne Dracula & Zadoc…& the Nightmare-it was great sharing the stage with you both again. And of course, huge thanks to both Azriel & Mark for performing w/ me on this night. It was a real treat to share the stage with you both.
-While CB isn’t playing out as much, that doesn’t mean the band is idle. Lots of things are happening. Keep checking out our page for the latest & keep rockin!
Best,
WWJ