At first I thought I’d go to spectate, but I couldn’t resist throwing my name in. I played trumpet when I was in grade school, have feebly attempted to teach myself slide guitar, and took a few months of singing lessons ten years ago. I’ve never been in a band or performed a whole song, save for some drunken karaoke nights. Basically no musical experience at all. So why not join a band?

I stopped in briefly at the very beginning of the party around 10:30 a.m. to drop off some audio equipment in case they needed it, and I put my name in the festive Christmas tin and tossed a couple fictional band names in the unfestive water jug. I returned at 3 p.m. and things were starting to really take off. The first band was drawn at 11:30 a.m. and at 1-hour intervals from there on. My caffeine buzz was starting to wear thin by the time my name got picked at 9:30 p.m.

So five of us guys (who for the most part had never met one another) are a band. We got four choices from the band-names bin and decided the best of them was “Brochures!”. We headed to the basement Kenny played keyboards, Ben (or Ian) played drums with Justin backing up on both a tomtom and with vocals, and Ian (or Ben) played electric guitar.

While the other guys hashed out some melodies, I started scribbling furiously to try and come up with some lyrics. Earlier in the day, someone was telling a story that happened a short time after breaking up with his girlfriend, except he used the phrase “brokeing up” by accident. I commented that “brokeing up” really captures that initial feeling where present-tense and past-tense collide, and I decided to try and work that into the song. Aside from that, I just listened to the style of music and wrote down a bunch of lines. Within 10 minutes or so the words started to congeal into a simple 3-verse structure with a chorus.

I shared my ideas and did my best to match a melody to the music already created, singing my best on the microphone. We hashed through it a couple times and (owing largely to my lack of musical and band-performing skills) I had a hard time figuring out exactly when to sing. But it wasn’t long before the hour was up and we headed to the recording studio.

Making it more difficult for recording was that I had to sing once for the band’s sake, then again listening to the recording, and I just couldn’t remember exactly how I did it the first time. Nonetheless, things sounded pretty good and Justin added a harmony to the chorus in a subsequent track. We finished at 11:29 p.m.

We got to name our song, and picking from the lyrics, we all agreed “There is no July” was the way to go. Presumably they’ll put the new album on the same Shark Tank Shows BandCamp.com where the 2010 album is available for download.

Anyway, it had dawned on me earlier that day that I finally had an answer to a question from my own (and something similar from anyone’s) past: “how do I meet women?” Of course, in my case, if I were asked “well, why don’t you?”, I’d say I was afraid of the unknowable. So one of the big things to do, I think, is to practice boldly entering the unknowable future. That is — along the lines of fear and excitement like I’ve talked about before — making a habit of seeing new opportunities as something to excitedly experience rather than something to fear failing at. If I had lived like that at age 25, I’d probably be a few years “ahead” of where I am now. But no matter because every time I remind myself to push myself, the more of a habit it forms, and the better things get.

Next up was Red This Ever who played great punk synth-pop. Listening to their album after the fact, I reinforced the notion that they were influenced by bands like Ministry and Depeche Mode, bringing in the hard instrumental aspects of the former with the a singing style closer to the latter. I chatted with them after the show — apparently they decided to make the road their home for the next 2 years, leaving Baltimore, Maryland in the rear-view mirror. I wish them well and hope that lead singer Roy stays serious-injury-free (despite my best efforts, advising improvements on how to attach plastic milk crates to one’s feet.)

As always, I went in cold, having not even listening to the sample songs Tympanogram posted. Black Elk Speaks started things off. They do some great vocal-harmonies, and play rock influenced by a lot of genres. Although I have nothing bad to say about them, I did lose interest after a while.

Next up was Hosannas who I enjoyed a lot. They played great synth-rich atmospheric rock. I picked up their latest CD Together and have been enjoying it as well. Finishing up was Young Empires who played an excellent set of synth-rock alternative.

In all another successful show — and another reason to keep an eye on what Tympanogram is up to.

Back at the Bug Jar, Illimanjaro kicked things off with some high-power, melodic, fast rock. Their guitarist was particularly apt at very fast playing and did a few impressive solos. The Missing Teens was up next, replacing the temporary iPod with Illimanjaro’s drummer and not one but two keytars. Thunderbang! finished things off with some well-executed funky lounge-rock and even got a few people dancing.

Jon Moses started things off. He’s clearly more comfortable improvising and being inclusive and seemed a little off being on-stage separated from the sparse audience. Nonetheless, he showed his acoustic soloist skills admirably. Then it was Les Shelleys turn which shrank the audience notably further since Jon relinquished the stage to once audience-members Tom Brosseau and Angela Correa. They provided an impressive display of their elegant vocal harmonies and evocative lyrics — the only other instrumentation being Tom’s guitar and Angie’s percussive clapping and stomping which gives exactly the kind of minimal-but-not a capella sound you’d expect.

Daryl Fleming was next and played his own style that is loosely an interesting mix of lyrical, groove-rock-ish country/folk/rock. He was saying beforehand that he’s recently been fascinated by the unusual chord progressions in some fairly popular 1960′s songs — he demonstrated it with a vocoder-enhanced cover of The Seekers’ “Georgy Girl”. You really never know where Daryl’s mind is going to take him on stage.

Finishing up was Hinkley who I consistently re-experience as excellent, deceptively mellow, complex rock-and-roll. I never catch on right away, but quicker-and-quicker I’m swept into the nuances of this excellent band.

Afterward, I headed to Castaways (413 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca) to catch the show there. The place is great to see live music. I can’t think of a comparable venue in Rochester: it’s laid out as one big room with the bar on one side and the stage on the other. Low ceilings and acoustic drapes keep the sound from being overwhelming. Plus, the people I met were pretty nice … I expected it out of Ithaca, realizing it was just an arbitrary opinion about the town.

Starting off the show, Willie B. (a.k.a. Brian Wilson) played drums with some MIDI electronics. I was kind of disappointed because I thought his songs really don’t go anywhere — I suspect he’s better in a band such as Johnny Dowd which I really liked years ago (although I don’t remember if it was this same guy on drums). Headlining was That One Guy who was just fantastic. As I’ve described before, he plays a custom-made, 7-foot tall “magic pipe” which includes a guitar string and a bass string along with a bunch of buttons that control a synthesizer. As such, the gyrations necessary to play the magic pipe automatically affect a dance performance. Plus the sound is practically unclassifiable: it’s cousin to jam bands, hip-hop, rock, synth-pop, and novelty acts — in degrees that vary considerably from song-to-song.

Although I didn’t leave all that late, the two-hour drive won out against my stay-up-late practice and I had to pull over for a quick nap before getting home around 2:30 a.m.

First up was Walri who are a nice, harmonius rock band; “psychedelic love rock”, they say. Gerry Szymanski told me to check them out, and despite numerous performances in town, this is the first time I’ve seen them. The Static Jacks were next and did an entertaining, animated, high-energy punk-rock show. I lent a hand to plug in a lost microphone cable and keep the show going. These Electric Lives finished off the night with some excellent, thumping, power-pop rock. And, like The Static Jacks, I was there to try and keep the microphones connected, working, and not breaking in half (the last of which without success as the lead singer was so brutally strong and/or the mic stand was already busted.) In all, it was a fantastic show in my book.

Next up was the new-to-me band The Corrections. I threw the word “warm” in the adjectives in my notes, down from “extra warm” for Hinkley, so I guess it was all about average kinetic energy after all. I also described them as bouncy, alt-country rock. I’m easily swayed, and visiting their website, I decided to add “acoustic pop-rock” as well. Any of those descriptions will do. Their musicmanship was also top-notch — and their lead singer was a charismatic smiler, sending a message of welcoming familiarity to the audience. Their musical style led me to compare them to early Barenaked Ladies, 1980′s Elvis Costello, and a bit of Tears for Fears, even though cliché dictates the last band be obscure. Alas, I may have tainted you alls opinions, but I believe in your ability to ignore me.

Finishing up was Burning Daylight and I was getting tired and still had an hour of walking ahead of me, so I left after just a few songs. I can’t help but give them lukewarm monikers like “solid acoustic-driven bar-rock” because I just don’t hear the complexity. It’s good, accessible, and it rocks, but I’m seldom surprised. Like Hinkley, I have weak memories of enjoying them. However, in this case, it’s indistinguishable from strong memories of somewhat enjoying them. Lots of people love them, so don’t take my word for it, and don’t sweat it that I’m not a big fan.