I hesitate to include this debacle in the archive, but for the sake of history, here it is:
Dear friends,
I strongly suggest you don't miss seeing
Southpaw Jones this Friday night. Then
again, how could you? He's gonna
be everywhere! There will be Southpaw
Crossing signs up all over town.
You'll have to swerve to avoid...
Ok, guys, it's me. I know that after
such a brilliant intro, you must assume
that I've hired some professional publicist,
but no, I'm just having trouble
with the first person today.
Truth be told, I will be performing not
once, not thrice, but TWO times Friday
at TWO different clubs! The calendar
will say February 11, 2000, but you can
call it Southpaw Day. The special
evening will begin at 7 pm as I take the
"stage" at Sam & Zoe's Coffeehouse
¯ http://www.samandzoes.com ¯ in the 100 Oaks
area behind Calypso Cafe. 'Twill
be my first time back since the big CD release
in December...last century.
If you would rather skip the fresh, well-rested
Southpaw set, join the
warmed-up, world-weary folkster at his
regular gig (well, as regular as you can
get in this topsy-turvy town). I'll
rev up at around 9:30 pm at the 22nd Street
Cafe in the Elliston area, in the same
block as Exit/In, where Church St. meets
22nd Ave. Since I'll already have
played once that night, I may need some help
¯ ahem ¯ getting through the
show.
To be honest, both of these clubs have
seemed a bit unstable lately, but I
expect there to be no problems with the
shows. And if either place is
overbooked or, I don't know, condemned
by the fire marshall, well, I'll just
plug in the ol' Fender Passport and perform
in the parking lot. Speaking of
parking lots, BE CAREFUL where you leave
your car so as you don't get towed.
Both shows are FREE, but remember, I'm
always in the mood for tips, and CDs will
be available for a measly $10. So
come on down for your weekly dose (or two) of
scathing folk rock. If you're lucky,
you may even see an appearance by the
brand new guit-board (or key-tar, depending
on your orientation). And keep any
eye out for the uni-tard, as well.
Don't know what I'm talking about? That's a
dang shame...see you Friday.
South "Chuck" paw
February 10, 2000
Then, the next day, I had to post this unfortunate retraction:
Bad news, music fans...I warned you about the instability of local venues, didn't I? Well, it seems my show this evening at the 22nd Street Cafe has been cancelled due to confused ownership. It looks like my weekly appearances there are also in question. That means my only performance tonight will take place at Sam & Zoe's at 7 pm. I apologize for any convenience this may cause.
If you get this message too late, well,
maybe you will have already seen me in the parking lot of the cafe throwing
eggs at the band that replaced me...or just playing really loud outside
the place. In fact, if you want to help ol' Southpaw out, take a
few minutes to call the cafe at (615) 320-7000 and ask if Chuck "Southpaw"
Jones is performing tonight. When they respond with a "no," maybe
come back with some disappointment in your voice. Don't be rude or
pushy,
just get the point across that you want
to see the 5-String Wonder in action. It doesn't have to be today...calling
next week would have the same effect, I'm sure. Express that you
and your friends were under the impression that Southpaw was playing EVERY
Friday night, and that such a guarantee might be a good thing. I'd
appreciate it.
So who can we blame for all this turmoil?
Is it the woman who owns the place who has trouble remembering the name
of her establishment? Should I have questioned her sanity when I
found out that the 22nd Street Cafe actually rests on 22nd Avenue?
Should I have sensed trouble when she made a cream soda three different
ways on three different occasions? No, I don't think so. I
believe there's only one direction in which I can justifiably point the
finger:
STARBUCKS. That big corporate demon
crawled into town and deliberately drove local coffeeshop owners to nervous
breakdowns. I truly believe that...maybe I'll save some eggs for
them.
See you at Sam & Zoe's,
Chuck
February 11, 2000