SnikPlosskin
02-07-2022, 8:11pm
My band used to run the open blues jam every Sunday at Up and Under bar in Milwaukee for about six years. The Up and Under billed itself as "The Blues Capitol of Wisconsin" It was a true roadhouse that featured blues - and only blues and was usually packed with all ages and demographics of people.
An open jam, for those unaware, it is a show where there is a host band (usually the house band) and anyone can walk in, sign up on a list and play a song or two.
A good night was if we paired a couple of good players with a couple not-so-good players, they could sound OK and the host band could sit and drink all night and not work.
On a bad night it was an assault on your senses. A wild west of dissonance from a parade of ever changing nutters fancying themselves the next Stevie Ray or Jon Bonham. We would have to get up and save the crowd so they wouldn't leave. We had to work.
One night a slight, blonde haired nerdy looking dude came in and signed up He didn't give off the "I'd a dickhead" vibe. We assumed his claim of going to Berkeley and being a jazz drummer meant he was probably good.
He was terrible. Like "Holy Shit" terrible.
But, he was clearly special of the dropped on the head variety and he started coming regularly. The band would bail and leave me to play with Tim. He LOVED drumming but he sounded like an epileptic octopus.
As we got to know him, we realized he was a little slow, but very sweet and trusting. The musicians went out of their way to be kind to him and let him play to his heart's content.
I got to know him and even visited his apartment. He was a super nice guy and we had a few beers and talked music into the night.
A week later he disappeared.
Some dude conned him, took his identity and killed him leaving just a torso.
We found out on the news much later when they found the body and figured it out - the dude lived as Tim Wicks for quite a while.
Police in Milwaukee and Fargo were quickly unraveling the story of two Timothy Wicks, one a missing musician on his way to Canada for a drumming gig — and the other an accountant whose real name was Dennis Gaede, a con man who specialized in identity theft and charming just about anyone he met.
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14082874
:shots::leaving:
An open jam, for those unaware, it is a show where there is a host band (usually the house band) and anyone can walk in, sign up on a list and play a song or two.
A good night was if we paired a couple of good players with a couple not-so-good players, they could sound OK and the host band could sit and drink all night and not work.
On a bad night it was an assault on your senses. A wild west of dissonance from a parade of ever changing nutters fancying themselves the next Stevie Ray or Jon Bonham. We would have to get up and save the crowd so they wouldn't leave. We had to work.
One night a slight, blonde haired nerdy looking dude came in and signed up He didn't give off the "I'd a dickhead" vibe. We assumed his claim of going to Berkeley and being a jazz drummer meant he was probably good.
He was terrible. Like "Holy Shit" terrible.
But, he was clearly special of the dropped on the head variety and he started coming regularly. The band would bail and leave me to play with Tim. He LOVED drumming but he sounded like an epileptic octopus.
As we got to know him, we realized he was a little slow, but very sweet and trusting. The musicians went out of their way to be kind to him and let him play to his heart's content.
I got to know him and even visited his apartment. He was a super nice guy and we had a few beers and talked music into the night.
A week later he disappeared.
Some dude conned him, took his identity and killed him leaving just a torso.
We found out on the news much later when they found the body and figured it out - the dude lived as Tim Wicks for quite a while.
Police in Milwaukee and Fargo were quickly unraveling the story of two Timothy Wicks, one a missing musician on his way to Canada for a drumming gig — and the other an accountant whose real name was Dennis Gaede, a con man who specialized in identity theft and charming just about anyone he met.
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14082874
:shots::leaving: