Must be October as I’m already working on Christmas tunes. It’s a fun time of year. Made funner if you pop on out to see us at any of our upcoming shindigs:
The Bay Restaurant in Whitefish Bay
342 E Silver Spring Dr, Whitefish Bay
414-455-3045
www.thebayrestaurant.net
Friday Oct 5
8pm – 10pm
Remarkable food and a great atmosphere in the heart of charming Whitefish Bay – good, good stuff.
Bugsy’s Backalley Speakeasy
218 N Water St, Milwaukee
(but enter via the alley off Chicago Ave)
414-221-6565
www.bugsysbackalleysaloon.com
Saturday Oct 13
9pm – 1am
Bugsy’s does Saturday night right – hot time at a cool venue.
Caroline’s Jazz Club
401 S 2nd Street
414-221-9444
www.facebook.com/CarolinesJazzClub
Thursday Oct 18
8:30pm – 11:30pm
In a word: legit. A truly legitimate jazz club. For such a special club we are bringing a very special sound – a hard hitting rhythm section with a certain Dave on the electric guitar. Get ready for some blues and a little rock mixed in with high energy jazz and soul.
Milwaukee Blues Rock Collective at:
Just J’s
9033 W National Ave, West Allis, WI 53227
414-212-8478
www.facebook.com/justjsrocks
Saturday Oct 20
night-time
This newsletter is all about in depth investigative reporting. Here’s your inside scoop: a band affectionately known as the Milwaukee Blues Rock Collective will be appearing at Just J’s in Fabulous Stallis and you might want to check them out. You’ll recognize some familiar faces and also some heavier guitar led tunes from Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Beatles, Cheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and many more. And that ain’t fake news.
OK
So the girls and I on a recent Friday wandered over to a police K9 demonstration befitting the Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center (WVRC). We are always interested in dogs doing cool things and are big fans of the WVRC as they recently saved our little cat Lucky from a serious illness.
Now recall The Corners is the community surrounding Von Maur in Brookfield – we’ll be lending some Coltrane to Santa when he visits Von Maur on Dec 15. So anyways we head to The Corners and in their very hip courtyard are amazed as police K9’s perform mock chases and pursuits. It’s fun watching things get bit that aren’t me. We pet the dogs, take photos and are ready to put out an APB on some pizza when I notice musicians setup in front of several large video screens. Shame on me for not gleaning the name of the group, but they were four girls ages 9 to 16 wailing away on some serious classic Rock. The bass player easily 3″ shorter than her instrument kept the groove nicely. Keyboardist / vocalist and guitarist / vocalist rang out killer harmony.
Now I’m not sure AC/DC’s ‘Hells Bells’ was the best song choice for these little cherubs, and it only got stranger from there. On-screen footage displayed behind them showed K9 fugitive take-downs in slow-mo. Picture that: Wee lasses grinding out Aerosmith’s ‘Sweet Emotion’ backed by scenes of a german shepherd (the woof woof kind, not the yodel yodel kind) laying waste to a trainer in front of razor wire at Taycheedah Correctional.
The take-away? That JRT sets can get a little wacky but level 9 weird is reserved for the ‘performance art’ offered on that cool Friday evening in the sleepy ‘burb named Brookfield.
On a side note, one of the police dogs was an adorable golden Lab. This dog was not for chompin’, but rather for sniffing out contraband and whatnot. They had him strategically placed on the sidewalk such that passers by could pet the pup and say hello. I noted not one bass player was willing to walk within olfactory distance of that dog.
Alright, move along – nothing to see here
Moving that gear. Keyboards – big ones. And drums – lots of ’em. And stairs. It’s excellent resistance training – with cardio. I save on gym membership; you’d think I’d be in better shape after all that hauling, and I’da thought toting a keyboard down the sidewalk would raise my coolness quotient. Not the case. I’m uncool for, um… other reasons. Many… many other reasons. It’s even changed the way I enjoy watching other live bands. I watch folks play and mentally tally up the gross tonnage of gear on stage – then smile knowing I don’t have to load it out once the set wraps. heeeee he.
Musicians. The musicians themselves. They (and me included) are an absolutely interesting bunch of cats. Yup. Interesting, that’s the adjective we’re going with. Sharing music is a great way to learn the real ins and outs of the people who play it. I’m blessed to share music with some fantastic people, and to have grown to know them so well is one of life’s best treasures.
Our very own Kristi and family returned recently from touring the venerable RCA Studio B in Nashville – part of the Country Music Hall of Fame. I can only imagine what tunes she’ll be adding to our set list.
A reminder to check all drum cases before the gig.
credit: The Onion
I cannot recommend this place highly enough. Owners Paul (as in the Paul Spencer Band) and Caroline (as in the Caroline) are national treasures and the staff is the best you’ll find. It’s comfy, casual, classy and cocktail delicious. Stop in to hear the J Ryan Trio’ s musical jambalaya on Thursday and have a truly remarkable experience supporting a truly remarkable venue. For a peek behind the scenes, I don’t have video of the JRT at Carolines (yet) but I do have a clip of ole Ryan messin’ round with Paul’s crew – 
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum hosts the original trio – Mike, Andy and little-ole-me – laying down instrumental morning jazz in the best Tuscan courtyard garden this side of Florence. Make it a summer morning of art and sound. Interestingly Mike, Andy and I convened the first ever live JRT session at the fabulous Tusa Italian restaurant on April 28, 2012. Vocalists were shorter back then.
With snow to shovel and holes in my glove – what to do? Almost too obvious, this slathering of duct tape is for the beginner ‘fix-ished’ aficionado. More advanced learners will graduate to caulk, bailing wire and eventually JB Weld.
A musical entry – this keyboard pedal suffered a broken housing due to, um… unbridled enthusiasm during a Stevie Wonder song. The giant washer and Herman Munster looking bolt have held this hot mess together for several years now.
Aaaah – an automotive entry. My beloved ride is 20 years young – far too tender an age to consider recycling into soup cans. Concerned that crafty thieves might steel groceries from the trunk through the holes in the fenders (and having lost a case of Dr Pepper through the same rusty egress) a meticulously crafted patch-panel was unceremoniously caulked and screwed to the vehicle. Both classy AND functional? Yes you can have it all once embracing the “Fix-ished” lifestyle.
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin – a great cause to add to our charity mission – completely impressed with what they do and how they do it.
Alissa and Mike at Shank Hall – JRT opening for the sweet rockin sounds of Jasmine Cain.
Every time we play equipment is moved from vehicular stowage to full setup and back again. Some join a gym and honestly I just don’t get it. If you’d like to be in great shape and save $50 a month, call me and let’s talk about being a roadie. We’ll make sure you work the abs, glutes and Rolands.
We witnessed on Dec 23 the end of an era – last solo public appearance for the venerable and fabulous Mr. Joe Hite. He will in 2018 pilot the Joe Hite Orchestra through the heady airspace of weddings and corporate events – depriving us proletariat of slack-jawed stupefied amazement of his work on mic and keys. He is as stellar an individual as he is a musician.
And this is a picture of some cats… because no photo album is complete without beloved family pets. You know I will include for you, dear reader, whatever shameless schlock I think will keep you from hitting ‘unsubscribe’. Just look at those faces… I mean, c’mon.
JRT – sinatra crossword puzzle
Speaking of new friends… check out our ‘who’s who in the zoo page’ at www.jryantrio.com/the- sometimes-trio to meet our newest low-note-wrangler Mr. Dave Ciepluch.