Operation 365... Blog 258

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Archives - 264 Jeff Dewine "Dragon Swan Song" 6-27-2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HXopuQaSHA


Watching Jeff Dewine play Don Truesdail's opus, "Dragon Swan Song" at the end of 2009's "24 Hours of Free Music" was one of the most emotional moments in my career. It still makes me want to cry watching it right now. I remember the end of the 2008 "24 Hours of Free Music" as a happy, reflective moment of great accomplishment. I was so happy, proud, and exhausted.

2009 was a a very different animal. Don was gone. Robin had been arrested. Lots of people had invested a huge amount of themselves in our scene, and many felt they had a lot coming back to them. Everybody expected nothing but a good time in 2008. They were happy to participate. They were happy to be there. By 2009, a million different agendas had emerged or so it seemed. Many folks were having a hard time hanging in there. By the end of the show the sound man (who will remain nameless) had exploded on me and left in a huff right before The Jefferson Jay Band's set. I was left to pick up the pieces. When Dewine made his way to the stage and surprised everybody with "Dragon Swan Song," that was all I could handle. I sat and tears flowed. I was spent, but more than that I was moved. Hours of work, lots of thankless, I'd been at it since 10AM. It was now close to 2. I was extremely appreciative to Dewine for his thoughtful gesture and still am.

Watching it back now, I can see he slipped a few words (there are thousands) but I never noticed it then. It was beautiful and emotional tribute to our great friend, Don. Joe Khoroosi, a close friend of Don's, sat in violin and played beautifully. At the end of this clip, a very rare 365 appearance was made by my old boss Jason Nascimento. You can see he and I quietly approach the stage and begin to take the curtains down. We ended the show by playing Don's performance form the 2008 "24 Hours of Free Music" in its entirety. We agreed that letting Don finish it off was an appropriate and fitting tribute to the troubadour who had had so many great moments on the stage named in his honor.

Even though 2009 was brutal, and things on that scene were well on their way to falling apart by then, this moment here symbolized the best of what was left at Portugalia in June of 2009. There haven't been any "24 Hours of Free Music" moments since then, but you never know... When you least expect it, that mirage of an oasis in the desert can turn real before your eyes. Before you know it, you're relaxing again with a big audience in a room full of friends who love you at another "24 Hours of Free Music," feeling that same way you felt in 2008. You never know. That's what makes life, life.

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Covers - 264 "Take This Bottle" by Mike Patton & Billy Gould
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ8nVaNKZ84


Here is "Take This Bottle" from Faith No More's underrated "King For a Day, Fool For a Lifetime" CD. Mike Patton is one of the greatest designers ever and his smooth delivery on this country ballad is appropriate as always. So back at UMASS, where I did my undergraduate raging, Faith No More was one of the bands in the loop. Faith No More, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Rush, Mr. Bungle, Metallica, King's X, Living Colour. These were the rockin' bands my friends were most likely to be cranking out of their dorm room window. Phish too, but they were different.

I as working on becoming a better singer so I could be in a band with some of these folks back then and when "King For a Day, Fool For a Lifetime" was released I added it to my practice repertoire. There's a lot of fun tunes to sing on this one. "Take This Bottle," in particular is a really cool tune and I had fun doing it.

Shoutouts to Warrington, Deveau, The Amazing Gilcrest, Den, Deek, Rob Clark, and Mattie Steinberg and all the other crazies who partied it up in Greenough way back when. We partied so hard they turned our floor into a Wellness Community. From UMASS's website, "Students committed to a lifestyle free of alcohol and drugs can choose to live in a wellness community. Residents must agree not to use or possess alcohol or any other mood-altering substances." Perhaps they were overreacting. Probably not, though. It made it so we all had to move out. But, boy did we have a lot of fun getting there.

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Originals - 264 "Dog On My Head (I Did Not Name Nigel, Fred)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AopG6bI0Epc


Operation 365 continues to go where no one has ever gone before; This time, writing a song with a dog on my head. Why no one has ever done this before, I have no idea. Perhaps people are just not creative enough thinkers. Beats me. Anyway, I pave my own way and now I have a song written with a dog on my head to add to my list of impressive achievements. 24 Hours of Free Music (4 times), Operation 365, Master's Degree in History, writing a song with a dog on my head. Seems to fit in perfectly

To most, a cranium canine would serve a distraction. Not I, not Nige, we just get more focused and create our butts off. I am buttless right now and proud to be buttless. Great job to Nigel who performed impeccably as the dog on my head. I think we may even do this again some day. If you find yourself liking dog-headed songs, then I may be well on my way to becoming your favorite artist of all-time. So be it. God bless. I'm glad Nigel's not named Fred.